Flowering plants were spreading across the landscape. And mammals sat poised ... more than half the planet's species at the end of the Cretaceous remains a matter of scientific debate.

You might know the Cretaceous Period for big animals such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops, or for being the end of the age of dinosaurs. But what was the world like in the millions of years ...

Vegavis, an ancient bird from Antarctica, identified as the oldest modern bird ancestor with specialized fish-hunting adaptations.