Peter Ralph · @petrelharp
347 followers · 60 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Gee, it was fun looking through the whole - lots of neat things!

#fossiladventcalendar

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
272 followers · 70 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 24

Our journey ends with one of the most important ever found. Like Puijila, Tiktaalik roseae is known from ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ, has an name (meaning "large freshwater "), and records an important transition, this time from to . shares traits with both fish and , making it a close relative of all of us land-living . This replica and model are from the .

#fossiladventcalendar #north #fossils #nunavut #inuktitut #fish #Evolutionary #sea #land #tiktaalik #tetrapods #vertebrates #canadianmuseumofnature

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
269 followers · 68 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 23

The ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ has yielded some especially important documenting major changes. This 3D-printed replica of a from and displayed in the is one of these. It's Puijila darwini, whose name means "young sea " in . It looks like an otter, but it's one of the earliest relatives of and - with still-functional hands and feet, unlike modern .

#fossiladventcalendar #fossilfriday #canadian #arctic #fossils #Evolutionary #fossil #nunavut #canadianmuseumofnature #mammal #inuktitut #Seals #sealions #pinnipeds

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
268 followers · 67 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 22 (delayed due to time with the family)

Our first from north of the Circle is from the most iconic of . This woolly , Mammuthus primigenius, was found over a century ago in the far of Siberia and gifted to Paris' 'HistoireNaturelle by the tsar. Like the squirrel featured yesterday, this mammoth was partially preserved in ; you can see its face and leg in the case at the right.

#fossiladventcalendar #fossil #arctic #IceAge #megafauna #mammoth #north #museumnationald #permafrost #mummified

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
268 followers · 66 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 21 (delayed by a busy travel day)

As we move towards the far we encounter one of the (literally) coolest kinds of . When the ground known as forms, it can dry buried in it. This ground , Urocitellus undulatus from ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ and displayed in the , burrowed into the ground in life and was by it after death, providing a remarkable window into life in the .

#fossiladventcalendar #north #fossilization #frozen #permafrost #freeze #animals #squirrel #alaska #americanmuseumofnaturalhistory #mummified #IceAge

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
268 followers · 65 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 20
Tuesday

Today we think of as predators of the African savanna, but during the last , they had a much wider distribution. Some lived in what's now the continental US, while another - the so-called cave - lived in cold environments across the Hemisphere. This skull, displayed in the in front of its distant relative Smilodon, was found in ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ - our first specimen from the Last Frontier!

#fossiladventcalendar #terrestrial #lions #IceAge #lion #northern #americanmuseumofnaturalhistory #alaska

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
267 followers · 64 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 19

It's appropriate that this our journey reaches the shores of 'sBay at , ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ. It's here that the largest complete ever found was uncovered from rocks. If you want to see the more than two foot long Isotelus rex in person, head to 's , where it's displayed in all its splendor.

#fossiladventcalendar #MarineLifeMonday #north #hudson #churchill #manitoba #trilobite #fossil #Ordovician #winnipeg #manitobamuseum

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
257 followers · 61 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 18

The original of this cast , displayed in the , was found along the Northern Dvina River. It's from Inostrancevia alexandri, a from the . Its huge size is the first thing you'll notice about it; this and its relatives were clearly among the most imposing of their time. Look closer and you'll see that it shares many traits with , of which it was a not-very-distant relative.

#fossiladventcalendar #skeleton #arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory #gorgonopsian #permian #animal #predators #mammals

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
253 followers · 60 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 17

This -sized in the is the Shastasaurus sikkaniensis. Unusually, it was not only one of the earliest members of its group, but one of the very largest. Its name comes from where it was found, along the Sikanni Chief River which flows out of the of ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ. Its name comes from Mt. in the , where other species of this Triassic titan have been found.

#fossiladventcalendar #whale #marine #reptile #royaltyrrellmuseum #ichthyosaur #species #RockyMountains #britishcolumbia #genus #shasta #cascaderange

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
245 followers · 59 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 16

This exploration of fossils from the nations wouldn't be complete without one of the most spectacular ever found that happens to be named for the . Borealopelta, meaning " Shield," is a , a type of , or dinosaur. This , uncovered in the tar sands of and displayed in the , preserves much of that armor in incredible detail.

#fossiladventcalendar #fossilfriday #arctic #dinosaur #fossils #north #northern #nodosaur #ankylosaur #armored #fossil #alberta #royaltyrrellmuseum

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
243 followers · 58 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 15

Today we return to the countries, specifically to the in ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ to meet the (Bos primigenius), the wild ancestor of modern . This lived and died over 10,000 years ago in , on the island of , but unlike many , it survived until surprisingly recently. In , it persisted in until around 2000 years ago; the last aurochs died in only in 1627.

#fossiladventcalendar #nordic #nationalmuseet #copenhagen #aurochs #extinct #cattle #bull #vig #danish #sjaelland #IceAge #megafauna #denmark #jutland #poland

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
242 followers · 57 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 14

This of Albertonia cupidinia, from Wapiti Lake, and displayed in the , comes from an important time in fish . It was during the Period, as dinosaurs and mammals were getting their start on land, that -finned fish (the group that dominates our planet's today) were really starting to take off. Its large fins supported by thin bony rays show that Albertonia was was part of this .

#fossiladventcalendar #fossil #britishcolumbia #RoyalOntarioMuseum #Evolution #triassic #ray #waters #radiation

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
239 followers · 56 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 13

is full of (sites of exceptional ), including the sites of the . Here, a series of preserve of , , and the oldest . Rarest of all are : this fossil of the Palaeoperenethis thaleri in the is the only one of its kind, but it's well enough to identify it as a relative of fishing

#fossiladventcalendar #terrestrialtuesday #britishcolumbia #lagerstatten #fossil #preservation #eocene #okanagan #ancient #lakes #fossils #Leaves #insects #salmon #arachnids #spider #RoyalOntarioMuseum #preserved #spiders

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
230 followers · 55 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 12

's ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ is one of our planet's most important important (and beautiful) sites. Sitting high in 's , it's a window into the early evolution of . Among its weird wonders is Hallucigenia (seen here in fossil and sculpture form at the ), a distant relative of so unlike anything alive today that for years it was reconstructed upside down and backwards.

#fossiladventcalendar #MarineLifeMonday #britishcolumbia #burgessshale #fossil #bc #RockyMountains #animals #RoyalOntarioMuseum #Arthropods

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
226 followers · 54 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 11

The of eastern and central ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ are probably the best place in the world to find ("duck-billed" like this in the ). While they're immediately recognizable by their broad mouths and (in many species) large crests, their also set them apart. Their large, grinding teeth allowed them to chew their food, a behavior that's the norm in us mammals but rare in other .

#fossiladventcalendar #badlands #alberta #hadrosaurs #dinosaurs #hypacrosaurus #canadianmuseumofnature #teeth #animals

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
226 followers · 53 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 10 (belated, thanks to a busy weekend)

It's no secret what , ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ is famous for, but it's the from this that tell the clearest story about this . like this, along with other aspects of the park's and , paint a picture of a low-lying coastal , perhaps similar to the of the modern Gulf Coast.

#fossiladventcalendar #dinosaurprovincialpark #alberta #plants #worldheritagesite #cretaceous #ecosystem #petrifiedwood #geology #paleontology #wetland #bayous

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
223 followers · 52 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 9

The that wiped out all non-bird dinosaurs didn't affect every organism the same way. These fossils, found in , ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ and displayed in the , represent a group of that weathered the fairly well. are great survivors, with many species having been found alongside , many - like these - at post-extinction sites, and many still plying the rivers of today.

#fossiladventcalendar #fossilfriday #extinction #gar #okotoks #alberta #royaltyrrellmuseum #fish #gars #dinosaurs #northamerica

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
222 followers · 50 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Because I can't resist a local--makes-good story, I feel compelled to post a follow-up to this entry. The is so well-preserved that casts of its are a star of exhibit halls from the 's to 's . Running across it in is always a pleasant surprise, like unexpectedly meeting an old friend.

#fossil #fossiladventcalendar #puntledgeriver #elasmosaur #skeleton #museum #universityofwashington #BurkeMuseum #Ottawa #canadianmuseumofnature #museums

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
222 followers · 49 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 8

The makes its debut today in the form of one of our most impressive : the . are common from the Great Plains, but this specimen is from , ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ. Found in 1988 by a 12 year old taking a walk with her dad, the , housed in the museum shows that these long-necked inhabited the of the as well.

#fossiladventcalendar #pacificnorthwest #adventcalendar #fossils #puntledgeriver #elasmosaur #cretaceous #marine #reptiles #VancouverIsland #britishcolumbia #fossil #courtenay #plesiosaurs #ancient #seas #pnw

Last updated 2 years ago

John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
221 followers · 47 posts · Server ecoevo.social

Day 7

This is from , but it's displayed in 's , because it was in ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ that the great (Pinguinus impennis) last lived. Its black and white , , and ability to swim make it look like a , but are really relatives. Driven to only in 1844, it's become a cautionary tale in and an illustration of the impact our species has on .

#fossiladventcalendar #bird #skeleton #newfoundland #reykjavik #safnahusid #iceland #auk #feathers #flightlessness #penguin #auks #puffin #extinction #conservation #biology #biodiversity

Last updated 2 years ago