I’ve disappeared for a few weeks while I’ve been working hard on my thesis, but now that I’ve finished a draft, it’s time for the next part in my ‘150 things about Canadian palaeo’ series! I’ve focused mostly on animals, but of course, there are also palaeobotany sites in Canada, and here’s a few facts … More Palaeobotany – 150 things about Canadian palaeo, part 14
This 150 things about Canadian palaeontology post is going to focus on the most recent fossil-related UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canada – Mistaken Point, Newfoundland and Labrador. Starting at 94/150: 94. Mistaken Point, on the island of Newfoundland, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, just last year. It was first discovered in … More Mistaken Point – 150 things about Canadian palaeo, part 13
For those that haven’t been following this post, here’s a brief recap. This year on July 1 is Canada’s 150th birthday. To celebrate, I’m writing 150 things about Canadian palaeontology, ranging from sites to people to museums. This post is going to focus on some of the important fossils that have been found in Canada, … More Significant Canadian fossils – 150 things about Canadian palaeo, part 11
This week, I’m going to introduce you to the 3rd of 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites based on palaeontology that are found in Canada, the Joggins Fossil Cliffs. Starting at 70/150: 70. Joggins Fossil Cliffs is located on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, where more than 15 km of fossil-bearing cliffs and coastline are exposed. … More Joggins Fossil Cliffs – 150 things about Canadian palaeo, part 10
Last week, the first of our journey of 150 things about Canadian palaeontology, I introduced the history and some of the important facts palaeo in Canada. This week, I’m going to talk about one of the most significant finds, the Burgess Shale. Continuing with our numbering from before, so we don’t lose count… 8. The Burgess Shale is … More 150 things about Canadian palaeo – part 2, the Burgess Shale #FossilFriday
For some time it’s been known (or at least mostly accepted, aside from a few outsiders) that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs. This is known thanks to a lot of anatomical features, and a good transitional sequence leading to avians. However, for a long time it wasn’t really known how feathers fit into this. Since … More Feathered dinosaur tail in amber!
New pterosaurs, and especially new well preserved pterosaurs, are rarely found. As I’ve mentioned in the past, pterosaurs exhibit significant skeletal pneumaticity, meaning their bones are often filled with air. This is common in skulls of animals (like the sinuses in your own head), and is especially prevalent in pterosaurs. For this reason, pterosaur skulls … More Meet Allkaruen – the new Argentinian pterosaur
There’s an ongoing theme/belief in vertebrate palaeontology that if you want to work on Mesozoic mammals, you have to like teeth. This stems from the fact that a large number of early mammal or mammaliaform fossils are actually teeth, and the different species, genera, or even families are primarily distinguished from each other due to … More Exceptionally preserved Early Cretaceous mammal
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in Kelowna, BC. It was a fantastic meeting full of Canadians, and people working in Canada on vertebrate palaeo including some of the fields brightest minds. We had 2 full days devoted to talks and posters, ranging from … More Palaeontology in Canada
This post is part of the Science Borealis Blog Carnival discussing the most important science news in our fields. As a pterosaur palaeontologist, I’ve chosen to talk about pterosaur bonebeds – enjoy! Pterosaurs (extinct flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs) are rare in the fossil record. Most species are known from a few specimens, and … More 2014 – The year of pterosaur bonebeds
As part of my PhD, and with the help of the Geological Association of London, I’ve been fortunate enough to go on several research trips to some museums in Germany including Tübingen, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, and Munich. Stuttgart and Munich in particular have excellent pterosaur collections, including many historically significant specimens. Stuttgart The Staatsliches Museum für … More Pterosaurs of Stuttgart and Munich
Musings of a Clumsy Palaeontologist 