As the sort of unremarkable kids’ book that you might find buried in a stack at a charity shop, looking a little forlorn (but I found on eBay, of course), you might not expect too much from the Oxford First Book of Dinosaurs (part of a series that included further volumes on animals, art, maths, science, and space). As you’ve no doubt guessed, it uses a lot of art recycled from earlier books. Ah, but in this case, it’s a…
utahraptor
As Don and Donna Month draws to a close, what better way to end this series of reviews than with the meanest, baddest, freshest dinosaur of the mid-to-late-nineties? It’s easy to take for granted these days, but back then, the newly-described Utahraptor was a pretty big deal. It was a case of life imitating art. Here we had what was, seemingly, a dead ringer for those oversized movie raptors, except released into the world only months after that movie came…
Halfway through 2020, and it’s time for another This Mesozoic Month roundup of news, writing, art, and merch. I’d like to take a moment to express my gratitude to all of the museum workers who have been so hard hit as this pandemic and its attendant financial crisis continue. Museums are basically a house of worship for me, and the work you all do matters so much. My deepest hope is that the pandemic will be brought to an end…
Stay safe. Stay at home, as best you can. Look out for each other. Flatten the curve. With that said, let’s look back at March 2020 in Mesozoic paleontology. In the News The world lost a paleontology giant this month as Dr. Jenny Clack, master of early tetrapods, passed away. Read Darren Naish’s wonderful tribute. Did non-avian dinosaurs glow? Spurred by a twitter conversation, Darren Naish, Cary Woodruff, and Jamie Dunning explore the possibility in Historical Biology [PDF link]. Read…
Time to close the door on August of 2019 with a look back at what this month brought us in Mesozoic paleontology, from the journals and news pages to the scattered paleontology community around the web. As is our custom. Before we begin a quick reminder that I am looking for a few good paleo-tattoos for an upcoming gallery post. Read my recent post about Glendon Mellow’s tattoo designs for more details! In the News Just missed this one last…
Moving further into 2019, here’s our second This Mesozoic Month roundup. Only two months in, and already we’ve received an incredible bounty of new publications. New stuff isn’t the only research to celebrate, as we had an auspicious occasion happen this week. A whole half century has passed since Ostrom’s publication of Deinonychus antirrhopus! Everyone here at LITC wishes this true icon of the dinosaur renaissance the happiest of name days. In the News Dicraeosauridae welcomed a freaky new member,…