Peter Ralph · @petrelharp
347 followers · 60 posts · Server ecoevo.socialGee, it was fun looking through the whole #FossilAdventCalendar - lots of neat things!
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
272 followers · 70 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 24
Our journey #north ends with one of the most important #fossils ever found. Like Puijila, Tiktaalik roseae is known from #Nunavut 🇨🇦, has an #Inuktitut name (meaning "large freshwater #fish"), and records an important #evolutionary transition, this time from #sea to #land. #Tiktaalik shares traits with both fish and #tetrapods, making it a close relative of all of us land-living #vertebrates. This replica and model are from the #CanadianMuseumOfNature.
#fossiladventcalendar #north #fossils #nunavut #inuktitut #fish #Evolutionary #sea #land #tiktaalik #tetrapods #vertebrates #canadianmuseumofnature
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
269 followers · 68 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 23
#FossilFriday
The #Canadian 🇨🇦 #Arctic has yielded some especially important #fossils documenting major #evolutionary changes. This 3D-printed replica of a #fossil from #Nunavut and displayed in the #CanadianMuseumOfNature is one of these. It's Puijila darwini, whose name means "young sea #mammal" in #Inuktitut. It looks like an otter, but it's one of the earliest relatives of #seals and #sealions - with still-functional hands and feet, unlike modern #pinnipeds.
#fossiladventcalendar #fossilfriday #canadian #arctic #fossils #Evolutionary #fossil #nunavut #canadianmuseumofnature #mammal #inuktitut #Seals #sealions #pinnipeds
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
268 followers · 67 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 22 (delayed due to time with the family)
Our first #fossil from north of the #Arctic Circle is from the most iconic of #IceAge #megafauna. This woolly #mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius, was found over a century ago in the far #north of Siberia and gifted to Paris' #MuseumNationalD'HistoireNaturelle by the tsar. Like the squirrel featured yesterday, this mammoth was partially preserved in #permafrost; you can see its #mummified face and leg in the case at the right.
#fossiladventcalendar #fossil #arctic #IceAge #megafauna #mammoth #north #museumnationald #permafrost #mummified
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
268 followers · 66 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 21 (delayed by a busy travel day)
As we move towards the far #North we encounter one of the (literally) coolest kinds of #fossilization. When the #frozen ground known as #permafrost forms, it can #freeze dry #animals buried in it. This ground #squirrel, Urocitellus undulatus from #Alaska 🇺🇸 and displayed in the #AmericanMuseumOfNaturalHistory, burrowed into the ground in life and was #mummified by it after death, providing a remarkable window into life in the #IceAge.
#fossiladventcalendar #north #fossilization #frozen #permafrost #freeze #animals #squirrel #alaska #americanmuseumofnaturalhistory #mummified #IceAge
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
268 followers · 65 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 20
#Terrestrial Tuesday
Today we think of #lions as predators of the African savanna, but during the last #IceAge, they had a much wider distribution. Some lived in what's now the continental US, while another - the so-called cave #lion - lived in cold environments across the #Northern Hemisphere. This skull, displayed in the #AmericanMuseumOfNaturalHistory in front of its distant relative Smilodon, was found in #Alaska 🇺🇸 - our first specimen from the Last Frontier!
#fossiladventcalendar #terrestrial #lions #IceAge #lion #northern #americanmuseumofnaturalhistory #alaska
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
267 followers · 64 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 19
It's appropriate that this #MarineLifeMonday our journey #north reaches the shores of #Hudson'sBay at #Churchill, #Manitoba 🇨🇦. It's here that the largest complete #trilobite #fossil ever found was uncovered from #Ordovician rocks. If you want to see the more than two foot long Isotelus rex in person, head to #Winnipeg's #ManitobaMuseum, where it's displayed in all its splendor.
#fossiladventcalendar #MarineLifeMonday #north #hudson #churchill #manitoba #trilobite #fossil #Ordovician #winnipeg #manitobamuseum
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
257 followers · 61 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 18
The original of this cast #skeleton, displayed in the #ArizonaMuseumOfNaturalHistory, was found along the Northern Dvina River. It's from Inostrancevia alexandri, a #gorgonopsian from the #Permian. Its huge size is the first thing you'll notice about it; this #animal and its relatives were clearly among the most imposing #predators of their time. Look closer and you'll see that it shares many traits with #mammals, of which it was a not-very-distant relative.
#fossiladventcalendar #skeleton #arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory #gorgonopsian #permian #animal #predators #mammals
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
253 followers · 60 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 17
This #whale-sized #marine #reptile in the #RoyalTyrrellMuseum is the #ichthyosaur Shastasaurus sikkaniensis. Unusually, it was not only one of the earliest members of its group, but one of the very largest. Its #species name comes from where it was found, along the Sikanni Chief River which flows out of the #RockyMountains of #BritishColumbia 🇨🇦. Its #genus name comes from Mt. #Shasta in the #CascadeRange, where other species of this Triassic titan have been found.
#fossiladventcalendar #whale #marine #reptile #royaltyrrellmuseum #ichthyosaur #species #RockyMountains #britishcolumbia #genus #shasta #cascaderange
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
245 followers · 59 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 16
#FossilFriday
This exploration of fossils from the #Arctic nations wouldn't be complete without one of the most spectacular #dinosaur #fossils ever found that happens to be named for the #North. Borealopelta, meaning "#Northern Shield," is a #nodosaur, a type of #ankylosaur, or #armored dinosaur. This #fossil, uncovered in the tar sands of #Alberta and displayed in the #RoyalTyrrellMuseum, preserves much of that armor in incredible detail.
#fossiladventcalendar #fossilfriday #arctic #dinosaur #fossils #north #northern #nodosaur #ankylosaur #armored #fossil #alberta #royaltyrrellmuseum
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
243 followers · 58 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 15
Today we return to the #Nordic countries, specifically to the #Nationalmuseet in #Copenhagen 🇩🇰 to meet the #aurochs (Bos primigenius), the #extinct wild ancestor of modern #cattle. This #bull lived and died over 10,000 years ago in #Vig, on the #Danish island of #Sjaelland, but unlike many #IceAge #megafauna, it survived until surprisingly recently. In #Denmark, it persisted in #Jutland until around 2000 years ago; the last aurochs died in #Poland only in 1627.
#fossiladventcalendar #nordic #nationalmuseet #copenhagen #aurochs #extinct #cattle #bull #vig #danish #sjaelland #IceAge #megafauna #denmark #jutland #poland
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
242 followers · 57 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 14
This #fossil of Albertonia cupidinia, from Wapiti Lake, #BritishColumbia and displayed in the #RoyalOntarioMuseum, comes from an important time in fish #evolution. It was during the #Triassic Period, as dinosaurs and mammals were getting their start on land, that #ray-finned fish (the group that dominates our planet's #waters today) were really starting to take off. Its large fins supported by thin bony rays show that Albertonia was was part of this #radiation.
#fossiladventcalendar #fossil #britishcolumbia #RoyalOntarioMuseum #Evolution #triassic #ray #waters #radiation
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
239 followers · 56 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 13
#TerrestrialTuesday
#BritishColumbia is full of #lagerstätten (sites of exceptional #fossil #preservation), including the sites of the #Eocene #Okanagan. Here, a series of #ancient #lakes preserve #fossils of #leaves, #insects, and the oldest #salmon. Rarest of all are #arachnids: this fossil of the #spider Palaeoperenethis thaleri in the #RoyalOntarioMuseum is the only one of its kind, but it's #preserved well enough to identify it as a relative of fishing #spiders
#fossiladventcalendar #terrestrialtuesday #britishcolumbia #lagerstatten #fossil #preservation #eocene #okanagan #ancient #lakes #fossils #Leaves #insects #salmon #arachnids #spider #RoyalOntarioMuseum #preserved #spiders
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
230 followers · 55 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 12
#MarineLifeMonday
#BritishColumbia's 🇨🇦 #BurgessShale is one of our planet's most important important (and beautiful) #fossil sites. Sitting high in #BC's #RockyMountains, it's a window into the early evolution of #animals. Among its weird wonders is Hallucigenia (seen here in fossil and sculpture form at the #RoyalOntarioMuseum), a distant relative of #arthropods 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
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
226 followers · 54 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 11
The #badlands of eastern and central #Alberta 🇨🇦 are probably the best place in the world to find #hadrosaurs ("duck-billed" #dinosaurs like this #Hypacrosaurus in the #CanadianMuseumOfNature). While they're immediately recognizable by their broad mouths and (in many species) large crests, their #teeth 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 #animals.
#fossiladventcalendar #badlands #alberta #hadrosaurs #dinosaurs #hypacrosaurus #canadianmuseumofnature #teeth #animals
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
226 followers · 53 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 10 (belated, thanks to a busy weekend)
It's no secret what #DinosaurProvincialPark, #Alberta 🇨🇦 is famous for, but it's the #plants from this #WorldHeritageSite that tell the clearest story about this #Cretaceous #ecosystem. #PetrifiedWood like this, along with other aspects of the park's #geology and #paleontology, paint a picture of a low-lying coastal #wetland, perhaps similar to the #bayous of the modern Gulf Coast.
#fossiladventcalendar #dinosaurprovincialpark #alberta #plants #worldheritagesite #cretaceous #ecosystem #petrifiedwood #geology #paleontology #wetland #bayous
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
223 followers · 52 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 9
#FossilFriday
The #extinction that wiped out all non-bird dinosaurs didn't affect every organism the same way. These #gar fossils, found in #Okotoks, #Alberta 🇨🇦 and displayed in the #RoyalTyrrellMuseum, represent a group of #fish that weathered the #extinction fairly well. #Gars are great survivors, with many species having been found alongside #dinosaurs, many - like these - at post-extinction sites, and many still plying the rivers of #NorthAmerica today.
#fossiladventcalendar #fossilfriday #extinction #gar #okotoks #alberta #royaltyrrellmuseum #fish #gars #dinosaurs #northamerica
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
222 followers · 50 posts · Server ecoevo.social
Because I can't resist a local-#fossil-makes-good story, I feel compelled to post a follow-up to this #FossilAdventCalendar entry. The #PuntledgeRiver #elasmosaur is so well-preserved that casts of its #skeleton are a star of #museum exhibit halls from the #UniversityOfWashington's #BurkeMuseum to #Ottawa's #CanadianMuseumOfNature. Running across it in #museums is always a pleasant surprise, like unexpectedly meeting an old friend.
#fossil #fossiladventcalendar #puntledgeriver #elasmosaur #skeleton #museum #universityofwashington #BurkeMuseum #Ottawa #canadianmuseumofnature #museums
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
222 followers · 49 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 8
The #PacificNorthwest makes its #AdventCalendar debut today in the form of one of our most impressive #fossils: the #PuntledgeRiver #elasmosaur. #Cretaceous #marine #reptiles are common from the Great Plains, but this specimen is from #VancouverIsland, #BritishColumbia 🇨🇦. Found in 1988 by a 12 year old taking a walk with her dad, the #fossil, housed in the #Courtenay museum shows that these long-necked #plesiosaurs inhabited the #ancient #seas of the #PNW as well.
#fossiladventcalendar #pacificnorthwest #adventcalendar #fossils #puntledgeriver #elasmosaur #cretaceous #marine #reptiles #VancouverIsland #britishcolumbia #fossil #courtenay #plesiosaurs #ancient #seas #pnw
John Orcutt · @GonzagaMEATLab
221 followers · 47 posts · Server ecoevo.social
#FossilAdventCalendar Day 7
This #bird #skeleton is from #Newfoundland, but it's displayed in #Reykjavik's #Safnahúsið, because it was in #Iceland 🇮🇸 that the great #auk (Pinguinus impennis) last lived. Its black and white #feathers, #flightlessness, and ability to swim make it look like a #penguin, but #auks are really #puffin relatives. Driven to #extinction only in 1844, it's become a cautionary tale in #conservation #biology and an illustration of the impact our species has on #biodiversity.
#fossiladventcalendar #bird #skeleton #newfoundland #reykjavik #safnahusid #iceland #auk #feathers #flightlessness #penguin #auks #puffin #extinction #conservation #biology #biodiversity