This Mesozoic Month: May 2018

In the News

• It took almost a century and a half, but we finally have a good Ichthyornis skull reconstruction. It shows a surprising mix of primitive and derived features. See the Nature publication and coverage at NatGeo and SciAm.
• Andrea Cau published a huge summary of reptile-to-bird evolution. Read the paper; more at DinoGoss.
• Baby spinosaurs had to be just adorable, wouldn’t you imagine? A new toe bone identified as a juvenile Spinosaurus had been published, and it suggests that they were life long paddlers. Read more at PeerJ.
• We have a contender for earliest lizard, and it points to a Triassic origin for Squamata. Learn more from Nicola Davis at the Guardian, Sarah Kaplan at WaPo and the most recent episode of Palaeocast for more.
• A really interesting early sauropodomorph from Brazil has been published: Bagualosaurus agudoensis. Read more at the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Around the Dinoblogosphere

• Paleoporch offers an overview of Zdeněk Burian’s work, with a collection of high quality images to gawk at.
• Don’t neglect pseudosuchians, folks. Let Zach Miller tell you why.
• At Prehistoric Beast of the Week, Chris interviews paleontologist Jamale Ijouiher.
• You can never get enough Anning, right? And if you happen to not know the great fossil hunter of the Jurassic Coast, Fernanda Castano has you covered.
• Could something as outlandish as a giant azhdarchid actually achieve flight? Mark Witton says “yes,” and explains why.
• David Prus went to this year’s Paleofest, and he’s got the rundown.
• Victoria Arbour pens a review of Steve Brusatte’s The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs for Science. My review is coming soon!
• Gareth Monger has some thoughts about the backsides of ichthyosaurs, and it would behoove you to listen.
• Dave Hone hanging out with the Berenstain Bears: yes, it’s Herman Diaz’s latest round of book reviews at ART Evolved.

Dispatches from Himmapaanland

Wildlife viewing, a visit from Tiffany Turrill, #MerMay, and more prehistoric delights? Natee had a heck of a May. Here are just a few of their tweets to pique your interest.

Itty bitty sharp teefs. I suppose an elasmosaur's loong neck just about rescues it from plesiosaurian blandness. 👀 pic.twitter.com/D2FIV3gkER

— Natee: In pieces (@Himmapaan) May 24, 2018

What can this mean?! You'll have to read @Mhorridus' post on Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs to find out. #FordvNaish https://t.co/eaATOWnt0b pic.twitter.com/EGbO3fqTzf

— Natee: In pieces (@Himmapaan) May 16, 2018

Perhaps if I eat something, I might feel a little better. Or just more savage. I don't know. 🤷‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/1znQBPjbND

— Natee: In pieces (@Himmapaan) May 9, 2018

The LITC AV Club

Dr. Bolortsetseg Minjin of Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs gave a talk at the Royal Tyrrell Museum to talk about the future of paleontology in her home country.

Crowdfunding Spotlight

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  A new Paleozoic Pal is on its way! Check out the the Kickstarter campaign for the new Tully Monster plush.

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  Mexican artist Monarobot has created a new line of enamel pins for Paleo Pals, and they’ve got a Kickstarter campaign underway.

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  Also… little ol’ me just launched a new Kickstarter campaign today to make a set of flaming dinosaur skull enamel pins. I’ll put up a post about it soon.

The Empty Wallets Club

• A new edition of Dougal Dixon’s After Man has been released by Breakdown Press!
• And a new edition of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How they Lived and Evolved is coming, with awesome new Tianyulong cover by Robert Nicholls! Amazon UK shoppers can already preorder.

Your Moment of Paleoart Zen

Not so much one piece of paleoart as a whole frickin’ museum exhibit! The team at Pteros and Studio 252 MYA were commissioned to create an exhibit for ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum in Ashland, OR. Check out a photo gallery of Pterosaurs: Ancient Rulers of the Skies at Behance, and enjoy this awesome dissection graphic featuring illustration by Joschua Knüppe and design by Franz Anthony. And if you’re in southwest Oregon, see it with your own eyes!