Episode 555: Top 25 Dinosaur Discoveries of 2025. Spicomellus and Nanotyrannus!

Our Picks for the Best Discoveries of the Year:

Episode 555: Top 25 Dinosaur Discoveries of 2025. Spicomellus, Nanotyrannus, and tons of other fantastic new discoveries!

News:

• Smallest find to make a big impact: Ahvaytum (ep 531) source
  • HM: Archaeocursor (ep 533) source
  • HM: Itaguyra (ep 545) source
  • HM: Maleriraptor (ep 550) source
  • HM: Taleta (ep 553) source
• Most surprising new dinosaur: Nanotyrannus lethaeus (ep 554) source
• Best new therizinosaur: Duonychus (ep 535) source
• Best new pachycephalosaur: Zavacephale (ep 553) source
  • HM: Brontotholus (ep 553) source
• Best new ornithomimid: Mexidracon (ep 551) source
• Best new basal neornithischian: Pulaosaurus (DD 7) source
• Best new ankylosaurid genus: Huaxiazhoulong (ep 530) source
• Best new dromaeosaur: Shri rapax (DD8) source
• Best new compsognathid*: Huadanosaurus (ep 541) source
• Best new iguanodontian: Istiorachis (ep 548) source
• Best new megaraptor: Joaquinraptor (ep 552) source
• Best new basal sauropodomorph: Xingxiulong yueorum (ep 549) source
  • HM: Lishulong (ep 539) source
• Best new enantiornithine: Navaornis (ep 533) source
• New genus hiding for the longest in plain sight: Newtonsaurus (DD8) source
  • HM: Tameryraptor (ep 534) source
• Best new basal allosauroid: Yuanmouraptor (ep 536) source
• Best new oviraptorosaur: Yuanyanglong (ep 532) source

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Our favorite fun fact of the year: Bony ridges in sauropod tail bones may have helped them use their tails as a weapon or to signal to other sauropods. (ep 524)