Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier podcast

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Action Academy | Replace The Job You Hate With A Life You Love

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Ready to replace your 6-figure salary with real freedom? This is the podcast for high earners who feel stuck in jobs they’ve outgrown. If you’re asking, “How do I actually replace $10K–$20K/month so I can quit and never look back?” — welcome home. At Action Academy, we teach you how to buy small businesses and commercial real estate to create cash flow that actually replaces your job. Monday through Friday, you’ll learn from 7–9 figure entrepreneurs, real estate moguls, and acquisition pros who’ve done it — and show you how to do it too. Hosted by Brian Luebben (@brianluebben), who quit his 6-figure sales role in 2022 to build a global business while traveling the world. If you're a high-income earner ready to become a high-impact entrepreneur, this show is your playbook. Subscribe now and start your path to freedom — or keep pretending your job will get better someday....

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Geeky Goodness from the Fossil Huntress. If you love palaeontology, you'll love this stream. Dinosaurs, trilobites, ammonites — you'll find them all here. It's dead sexy science for your ears. Want all the links? Head on over to Fossil Huntress HQ at www.fossilhuntress.com

117 episode

#Science #Geology #Fossil Huntress

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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117 episode

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Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Dinosaurs, Ammonites, Trilobites: What is Paleontology 6:22

7 hari yang lalu6:22

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Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of paleontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs.

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Stone, Bone & Water: Cretaceous Capilano Fossil Field Trip 7:17

17 hari yang lalu7:17

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Cretaceous Capilano Fossil Field Trip — From downtown Vancouver, drive north through Stanley Park and over the Lion’s Gate Bridge. Take the North Vancouver exit toward the ferries. Turn right onto Taylor Way and then right again at Clyde Avenue. Look for the Park Royal Hotel. Park anywhere along Clyde Avenue. From Clyde Avenue walk down the path to your left towards the Capilano River. Watch the water level and tread cautiously as it can be slippery if there has been any recent rain. Look for beds of sandstone about 200 meters north of the private bridge and just south of the Highway bridge. The fossil beds are just below the Whytecliff Apartment high rises. Be mindful of high water and slippery rocks. For more geeky goodness visit Fossil Huntress HQ at www.fossilhuntress.com…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Woolly Mammoths: Trumpeting Through the Tundra 11:10

22 hari yang lalu11:10

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Woolly Mammoths – Picture a towering, shaggy titan lumbering across a frozen expanse, as winds howl through its dense, draping fur. This is the Woolly Mammoth—an Ice Age icon that could stand up to 11 feet tall, placing it nose-to-nose with a modern African elephant and utterly dwarfing most other terrestrial creatures of its time. Just imagining the primal force of such a beast stirs excitement, as they stomped across the tundra in herds, trumpeting through the bitter winds and surviving on a variety of tough, frosty vegetation. Though their colossal footprints echo through history, it wasn’t just size that made Woolly Mammoths unforgettable. Their massive, spiraling tusks—sometimes measuring over 10 feet—were invaluable tools for excavating snowdrifts in search of edible grasses or fending off fierce predators. And with all that dense, oily fur keeping them warm, these creatures likely carried an intense, pungent musk wherever they roamed, hinting at a mix of sweat, earthy scents, and the lingering aroma of moist vegetation lodged in their coats. You might catch a whiff of something akin to a barnyard on steroids—an odor that would have signaled their presence long before you actually saw one. Throughout the Pleistocene, these mighty mammals forged a path through some of the toughest environments on Earth, coexisting with a host of other megafauna. While many factors—such as changing climates and relentless human hunters—eventually spelled their downfall around 4,000 years ago, the Woolly Mammoth still kindles our imaginations today. The countless fossils and remarkably preserved specimens unearthed from permafrost remind us of an age dominated by larger-than-life beasts, and the enduring allure of these magnificent giants continues to shape our understanding of prehistoric worlds.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Theropods of a Feather: Living Dinosaurs, the Birds 8:12

28 hari yang lalu8:12

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Welcome to the Fossil Huntress Podcast. Today on the show we’re talking about living dinosaurs—our avian friends, the birds. From the tiniest hummingbird to the towering ostrich, these feathered creatures carry the legacy of the mighty theropods, bridging millions of years of evolution in their lightweight skeletons and high-powered hearts. So join me as we explore both the link between the sweet little chirpers you see in your yard and impressive predators like T. Rex and Velociraptor. For more like this, visit Fossil Huntress HQ www.fossilhuntress.com to connect with the ARCHEA Blog, Facebook and Instagram for more geeky goodness!…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Devonian Fossils from Miguasha on the Gaspé Peninsula 18:28

30 hari yang lalu18:28

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Today on the show, we'll explore the first fossil finds from Miguasha Provincial Park, a protected area near Carleton-sur-Mer on the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec in Canada, from the mid-1800s. Miguasha is known for its exceptional preservation of Late Devonian (370 million years ago) fossil fish, including lobe-finned fish that played a crucial role in the transition of vertebrates from water to land. The park's cliffs contain fossils of various fish groups, including Agnathans (jawless fishes), Placoderms (heavily armored fish), Acanthodians (spiny fish), and Sarcopterygians (fleshy-finned fish with lungs), as well as invertebrates like crustaceans, worms, and Eurypterids (giant cousins of land scorpions). Two well-known sarcopterygians found at Miguasha are Eusthenopteron foordi and Elpistostege watsoni, which are important for understanding the transition of vertebrates from water to land. If you would like to read more about the find, head on over to www.fossilhuntress.com and click on the ARCHEA Blog for more details, photos and insights on the yummy fossil finds from the area.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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The Burgess Shale – A Window into Deep Time 8:18

5 weeks yang lalu8:18

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Welcome to the Fossil Huntress Podcast. Today, we're taking a journey half a billion years back in time to one of the most extraordinary fossil sites on the planet — the Burgess Shale — nestled high in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. So close your eyes and fly with me up to the top of North America, find Canada’s far western shores then head east. If you were driving from Vancouver to Burgess in Yoho National park the trip takes about 9 hours. But as we are flying, we arrive rather instantly. This site isn’t just famous — it’s legendary. Why? Because the Burgess Shale preserves an astonishingly detailed snapshot of early life on Earth, dating back to the Middle Cambrian , about 508 million years ago . The creatures found here represent some of the earliest complex life forms — a mind-blowing cast of characters from a time when life was exploding in diversity and complexity. Think of it as nature’s original experiment lab, full of alien-looking arthropods, spiny worms, bizarre filter feeders, and some of the earliest chordates — animals that share our evolutionary ancestry. Some of the headliners include: Anomalocaris – a meter-long predator with grasping appendages and a circular mouth lined with teeth. It looks like something straight out of a sci-fi film. Opabinia – with five eyes and a long proboscis, it's one of the weirdest creatures ever discovered. Wiwaxia , Hallucigenia , Marrella – each one stranger than the last. And then there’s Pikaia , a tiny, worm-like creature with a notochord — a feature shared by all vertebrates. That includes you and me. It’s one of the earliest known members of our own evolutionary lineage. What Do These Fossils Tell Us? The Burgess Shale helps us understand the Cambrian Explosion , that dramatic moment in Earth’s history when most major animal groups first appeared. It shows us that early life was more diverse — and stranger — than we ever imagined. Evolution involves a lot of experimentation — many of the creatures found here left no descendants. Even tiny creatures like Pikaia played a major role in our own evolutionary history. It’s a story of ancient oceans, evolutionary innovation, and a delicate moment frozen in shale. A time capsule from a world we barely recognize — yet one that gave rise to us all. You can visit the fossils. There are three main hikes: Walcott Quarry Hike – This is the classic. A full-day, 21 km round-trip hike with stunning views and up-close looks at where Charles Doolittle Walcott first discovered these fossils in 1909. Mount Stephen Trilobite Beds – A bit shorter but still steep, this hike rewards you with a literal ground covered in trilobites! Stanley Glacier Hike in Kootenay National Park – A more recent site with new discoveries and another great option to experience the Burgess Shale in the wild.The hikes are moderately to very strenuous , and must be booked in advance through Parks Canada’s website. The guides are knowledgeable interpreters — often geologists or paleontologists themselves — and they bring the whole story to life.I highly recommend visiting Yoho National Park and joining one of those hikes. Standing on that mountainside, with half-a-billion years of history beneath your boots, is a humbling, awe-inspiring experience.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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King of the Trilobites: The Discovery of Isotelus rex 9:42

5 weeks yang lalu9:42

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Today we’re setting sail—back in time—to meet the king of the trilobites: Isotelus rex , the largest complete trilobite ever discovered. Now, I know trilobites are often tiny—beautiful, delicate little creatures. But this one? This one was a behemoth . Over 70 centimeters long , with a thick armored body and wide paddle-shaped tail, Isotelus rex was the apex of its kind, scuttling across the seafloor of a vast inland sea that once covered much of what we now call Canada. But the fossil didn’t just appear. It was discovered by two dedicated scientists— Dr. David Rudkin and Dr. Graham Young —whose lives and work have been shaped by a passion for ancient life. We’ll dive into their stories too. So grab a cup of something warm, sit back and enjoy this tale of discovery!…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Time Travelers in Stone: What Are Trilobites? 11:00

5 weeks yang lalu11:00

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Welcome to The Fossil Huntress Podcast —your window into the deep time of ancient oceans, lost worlds, and beautiful traces left behind. I'm your host, Heidi Henderson, coming to you from the rain-kissed coastline of British Columbia on Canada's far western shores. Today on the show, we’re diving into one of the most iconic fossils of all time: trilobites —those segmented, alien-looking creatures that once ruled our ancient seas. So grab a cup of something warm, cozy up, and let’s take a journey—travelling in time way back more than half a billion years . Highlights from the Show... One of the most famous trilobite sites in the world is Burgess Shale in Yoho National Park, British Columbia . While the Burgess is better known for its soft-bodied creatures like Anomalocaris and Hallucigenia , it also preserved some incredibly detailed trilobites, like Olenoides serratus . You can actually see their legs preserved—a rare thing in the fossil record! Farther east, in Manitoba , you’ll find Isotelus rex , the largest complete trilobite ever discovered. This big boy stretched 70 centimeters long—over two feet! Isotelus roamed the ancient Ordovician seas that once covered much of central Canada. Imagine snorkeling and coming face-to-face with one of those… Fun Trilobite Facts Trilobites were among the first animals to develop complex eyes . Some had excellent vision, while others were blind—adapted to deep, dark ocean floors. They molted their exoskeletons like modern-day crabs. That’s why we find so many trilobite fossils—many are actually molted skins , not full bodies.Some species rolled up into tight balls, just like modern pill bugs—a defense mechanism against predators. Over 20,000 species of trilobites have been identified, making them one of the most diverse fossil groups ever. Wrap Up Trilobites are more than just pretty fossils; they’re storytellers, time travelers in stone. And they continue to surprise us.If you ever find yourself walking an ancient seafloor—maybe on the shores of Newfoundland, the cliffs of Anticosti Island, or the dry bed of a long-gone sea in Manitoba—keep your eyes open. You might just meet a trilobite, frozen mid-crawl in a 400-million-year-old journey.Thanks for joining me, my fossil friends. Until next time, keep seeking, keep wondering, and keep listening to the whispers of the stone.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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The Bone Wars: Cope & Marsh 5:13

5 weeks yang lalu5:13

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Welcome back to the Fossil Huntress Podcast, the show where we dig into the dirt—literally—to uncover the most fascinating stories from Earth’s deep past. Here you'll find ammonites, trilobites, dinosaurs and more! I’m Heidi Henderson, the Fossil Huntress, your host, and today… we’re diving into one of the most epic rivalries in science history. It’s got fossils. It’s got sabotage. It’s got exploding railcars and a whole lot of dinosaur bones. It was one of the most famous of all paleo feuds we affectionately call the Bone Wars —the intense feud between two 19th-century paleontologists: Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh . Alright, let’s set the scene. It’s the late 1800s. Paleontology is still a young science, and the American West is full of undiscovered fossil treasure. Into this world step two brilliant, ambitious, and very competitive scientists: Cope and Marsh. Edward Drinker Cope was a Philadelphian—charismatic, energetic, a bit hot-headed. He published tons of papers, traveled constantly, and had a deep love for reptiles and amphibians. Othniel Charles Marsh was from Connecticut—quiet, methodical, and extremely well-connected. In fact, his wealthy uncle was the founder of Yale’s Peabody Museum. At first, they were friends. Briefly. They even went fossil hunting together in New Jersey. But that didn’t last long. So what went wrong? Well, the drama really kicked off over a fossil of an extinct marine reptile called Elasmosaurus . Cope reconstructed the skeleton and proudly published it—except he put the skull on the wrong end . Marsh gleefully pointed out the mistake, and let’s just say Cope didn’t take it well. From that moment on, it was war . The two men started competing furiously—racing to out-discover, out-name, and out-publish each other. They hired entire fossil-hunting teams, often sending them to the same dig sites in the American West. And they didn’t play fair. They bribed each other’s workers.They spied on dig sites.They even dynamited fossils to keep the other from getting them. (Yes, really.) But here's the wild part: in their rush to beat each other, Cope and Marsh made some of the most important fossil discoveries in history . Between them, they described over 130 new dinosaur species —including some names you might recognize: Stegosaurus Apatosaurus Diplodocus Allosaurus And dozens more. Their discoveries laid the groundwork for modern paleontology—even though they were practically trying to ruin each other the whole time. By the time the Bone Wars fizzled out in the 1890s, both men were basically broke. They’d spent their fortunes on fossil digs, museum battles, and publishing wars. But despite the chaos, their work helped turn dinosaurs into a global fascination—and opened the door to one of the greatest eras of fossil discovery the world had ever seen. So what’s the legacy of the Bone Wars? Well, it’s a cautionary tale about how ego and rivalry can warp science—but also a story about passion, persistence, and the thrill of discovery. Today, paleontologists continue to refine, revise, and build on the work that Cope and Marsh started—even correcting some of the mistakes they made in their rush to be first. Because science isn’t about who gets the credit. It’s about uncovering the truth, one bone at a time.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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What is Paleontology & What is a Fossil? 4:40

5 weeks yang lalu4:40

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Welcome to the Fossil Huntress Podcast, the podcast where we dig into the past—literally! Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of palaeontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs. Learn about the interwoven disciplines of natural history, ecology, geology, conservation & stewardship of our world. Today, we’re talking about paleontology—what it is, what paleontologists actually do, and what exactly counts as a fossil. So grab your metaphorical shovel, and let’s get digging. I’m your host, Heidi Henderson, and today we’re going to crack open a topic that’s millions of years in the making. So first off, what is paleontology? It’s a big word, but let’s break it down. “Paleo” means “ancient,” and “-ology” means “the study of.” So paleontology is the study of ancient life. That means anything that lived on Earth long before humans showed up—from tiny trilobites to towering T. rex. But paleontology isn’t just about dinosaurs. It includes ancient plants, sea creatures, insects, and even microscopic organisms. If it lived a really, really long time ago and left behind a trace, paleontologists want to know about it. So how do we study life that’s been gone for millions of years? That’s where fossils come in. A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of a once-living organism. That could be bones, teeth, shells—or even footprints, burrows, or plant imprints. Some fossils are what you’d expect: hard bones turned to stone. But others can be things like petrified wood, fossilized poop—yes, that’s a thing and it’s called coprolite —or impressions of leaves. Fossils form over really long periods of time. Usually, the process starts when an animal or plant gets buried quickly under sediment—like mud or sand. Over time, more layers build up, pressure increases, minerals seep in, and eventually, the organic stuff gets replaced or preserved. Fast-forward a few million years and boom—you’ve got a fossil. If you would like to learn more about different types of fossils or head out virtually on some fossil adventures, head on over to Fossil Huntress HQ at www.fossilhuntress.com. Be sure to check out the ARCHEA Blog for great content and learning tools.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Sclater, Wallace & Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution 30:41

16 weeks yang lalu30:41

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On today's show, you'll hear about a paper delivered on a chilly December evening in 1857 by Philip Sclater that hugely inspired Alfred Wallace and eventually led to the publication of the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Both Sclater and Wallace were extraordinary in their own right. Both were passionate about natural history, keen observers of our natural world, world travellers and gracious in their gifts to the world. Season Ten, Episode 106…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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15th BCPA Symposium with Kirk Johnson 8:09

51 weeks yang lalu8:09

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In this episode you’ll learn the dates, location and exciting line up of speakers at the 15th BCPA Symposium

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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2024 Fossil Lecture Series & British Columbia’s New Provincial Fossil 7:42

1 year yang lalu7:42

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In this episode, you'll hear about some wonderful free Zoom Fossil Talks in March and May 2024. There is no need to register. You can head on over to www.fossiltalksandfieldtrips.com and note the talk dates and times. The link will be shared live on the site on the day of the talk. Upcoming Free Fossil Lectures via Zoom: Sun, March 24, 2024, 2PM PST — Dan Bowen — Struck by Lightning: The Mary Anning Story Learn about the history of Mary Anning from Dan Bowen, Chair of the Vancouver Island Palaeontological Society (VIPS) and British Columbia Palaeontological Alliance (BCPA). Mary Anning was an English fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist who became known worldwide for her discoveries in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Channel at Lyme Regis in the county of Dorset in Southwest England. Sat, May 4, 2024, 1PM PST — Jean-Bernard Caron, Lower Cambrian Cranbrook Lagerstätte in the East Kootenay region of south-eastern British Columbia, Canada Jean-Bernard Caron is a French and Canadian palaeontologist and curator of invertebrate palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He will share his insights on the weird and wonderful marine fossil fauna from the many outcrops of the Lower Cambrian Eager Formation near the town of Cranbrook. His team did some extensive field work—particularly at the Silhouette Range locality—a few summers ago and we are keen to hear the results of their efforts. The fossils we find in the Eager Formation are slightly older than those found at the Burgess Shale Lagerstätte. Burgess is Middle Cambrian and the species match the Eager fauna one for one but the Eager fauna are much less varied. The specimens we find are wonderfully preserved and a few have recently been re-named. Learn about new insights into the species we find here and more about the diverse team that has been studying them. Sound the horns, beat the drums and stomp your feet—it's official! The Puntledge Elasmosaur is now British Columbia's Provincial Fossil. Mike Trask found the first elasmosaur in 1988 while exploring the Puntledge River with his daughter. He found the first terrestrial dinosaur remains from Vancouver Island and coined the term "sabre-toothed salmon" of legendary fame. It was Mike's twin brother Pat Trask, who led the excavation of the juvenile elasmosaur from the Trent River back in August 2020. Many talented souls from the Vancouver Island Palaeontological Society and Courtenay Museum joined him. Visit www.fossiltalksandfieldtrips.com for Free VIPS Paleo Talks & ARCHEA at www.fossilhuntress.blogspot.com or www.fossilhuntress.com for more yummy goodness!…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Dr. Victoria Arbour — Royal BC Museum Fieldwork at the Carbon Creek Basin Dinosaur Tracksite 36:40

1 year yang lalu36:40

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Victoria is a vertebrate palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist and is the leading expert on the palaeobiology of the armoured dinosaurs known as ankylosaurs. She has named several new species of ankylosaurs, studied how they used and evolved their charismatic armour and weaponry, and investigated how their biogeography was shaped by dispersals between Asia and North America. British Columbia has a rich fossil record spanning over 500 million years of the history of life on Earth. Victoria’s research at the Royal BC Museum will investigate how the ancient plants and animals that lived here responded to changing climates, shifting continents, and mass extinctions. The Carbon Creek Basin site is located just west of Hudson’s Hope in the Peace River area and boasts nearly 1,200 dinosaur tracks from at least 12 different types of dinosaurs—including two dinosaur track types that have not been observed at any other site in the Peace Region…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Vancouver Island Mosasaur 11:53

2 years yang lalu11:53

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Vancouver Island holds many wonderful fossils and incredible folk excited to explore them. The Dove Creek Mosasaur, which includes the teeth and lower jawbone of a large marine reptile was discovered by Rick Ross of the Vancouver Island Palaeontological Society, during the construction of the Inland Highway, near the Dove Creek intersection on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Mosasaurs had a hinged jaw that allowed them to swallow prey larger than themselves. They evolved special pterygoid teeth projecting back into the roof of their mouths that acted as guards against escaping prey. The jawbones Rick found were exposed just up to the hinge. Given the size, this toothy fellow could have been as much as seven (7) metres long and weighed up to a tonne.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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A Taste for Studies: Tortoise Urine, Armadillos, Fried Tarantula & Goat Eyeballs 6:53

2 years yang lalu6:53

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A Taste for Studies: Tortoise Urine, Armadillos, Fried Tarantula & Goat Eyeballs While eating study specimens is not in vogue today, it was once common practice for researchers in the 1700-1880s. Charles Darwin belonged to a club dedicated to tasting exotic meats, and in his first book wrote almost three times as much about dishes like armadillo and tortoise urine than he did on the biogeography of his Galapagos finches. One of the most famously strange scientific meals occurred on January 13, 1951, at the 47th Explorers Club Annual Dinner (ECAD) when members purportedly dined on a frozen woolly mammoth. The prehistoric meat was supposedly found on Akutan Island in Alaska, USA, by the eminent polar explorers' Father Bernard Rosecrans Hubbard, “the Glacier Priest,” and Captain George Francis Kosco of the US Navy. This much-publicized meal captured the public’s imagination and became an enduring legend and source of pride for the Club, popularizing an annual menu of “exotics” that continues today, making the Club as well-known for its notorious hors d’oeuvres like fried tarantulas and goat eyeballs as it is for its notable members such as Teddy Roosevelt and Neil Armstrong. The Yale Peabody Museum holds a sample of meat preserved from the 1951 meal, interestingly labeled as a South American Giant Ground Sloth, Megatherium, not Mammoth. The specimen of meat from that famous meal was originally designated BRCM 16925 before a transfer in 2001 from the Bruce Museum to the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History (New Haven, CT, USA) where it gained the number YPM MAM 14399. The specimen is now permanently deposited in the Yale Peabody Museum with the designation YPM HERR 19475 and is accessible to outside researchers. The meat was never fixed in formalin and was initially stored in isopropyl alcohol before being transferred to ethanol when it arrived at the Peabody Museum. DNA extraction occurred at Yale University in a clean room with equipment reserved exclusively for aDNA analyses. In 2016, Jessica Glass and her colleagues sequenced a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene and studied archival material to verify its identity, which if genuine, would extend the range of Megatherium over 600% and alter views on ground sloth evolution. Their results showed that the meat was not Mammoth or Megatherium, but a bit of Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas. So much for elaborate legends. The prehistoric dinner was likely meant as a publicity stunt. Glass's study emphasizes the value of museums collecting and curating voucher specimens, particularly those used for evidence of extraordinary claims. Not so long before Glass et al. did their experiment, a friend's mother (and my kayaking partners) served up a steak from her freezer to dinner guests in Castlegar that hailed from 1978. Tough? Inedible? I have it on good report that the meat was surprisingly divine. Reference: Glass, J. R., Davis, M., Walsh, T. J., Sargis, E. J., & Caccone, A. (2016). Was Frozen Mammoth or Giant Ground Sloth Served for Dinner at The Explorers Club?. PloS one, 11(2), e0146825. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146825…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Predators and Prey in Devonian Seas 12:09

2 years yang lalu12:09

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Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Earth’s First Four-Legged, Air-Breathing Vertebrates 13:52

2 years yang lalu13:52

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Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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North America’s Rocky Mountain Trench 6:39

2 years yang lalu6:39

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North America's Rocky Mountain Trench, also known as the Valley of a Thousand Peaks, is a large valley on the western side of the northern part of North America's Rocky Mountains. This massive rift valley stretches all the way from the British Columbia-Yukon border south to the St. Ignatius area and can be seen from space.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Oh, Shiny! Pyritized Fossils 3:32

2 years yang lalu3:32

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We sometimes find fossils preserved by pyrite. They are prized as much for their pleasing gold colouring as for their scientific value as windows into the past. If you have pyrite specimens and want to stop them from decaying, you can give them a 'quick' soak in water (hour max) then wash them off, and dry them thoroughly in a warm oven. Cool, then soak in pure acetone for a couple of days. Then soak in paraloid, a thermoplastic resin surface coating or acetone for a couple of days. Keep them in a sealed container with a desiccant pack afterwards to keep them dry — or leave them out on display to enjoy knowing that the decay will come in time. We do this with cut flowers so why not fossils sometimes? A friend gives her pyrite fossils on display a quick thumb wipe with vaseline or petroleum jelly. I'm not sure if the hydrocarbons there will play nice over time but they will act as a protective barrier.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Bitten and Smitten by the Mineral Bug 8:17

2 years yang lalu8:17

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This is a blast from the past and the tale of how I was bitten and smitten by the mineral bug. I hope you enjoy this story from my youth growing up on the northern end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada—and the minerals that can be found there.

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Extinct Giants: Woolly Mammoths 12:32

2 years yang lalu12:32

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Extinct Giants: The Woolly Mammoths. These massive beasts roamed the icy cold tundra of Europe, Asia, and North America from about 300,000 years ago up until about 10,000 years ago making a living by digging through the snow and ice to get to the tough grasses beneath. The last known group of woolly mammoths survived until about 1650 B.C.—over a thousand years after the Pyramids at Giza were built. Will we bring them back? I cannot say for sure but they are a captivating animal in our Earth's history.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Fossil Gear: What to Bring Fossil Collecting 8:21

2 years yang lalu8:21

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Learn all about the gear you might need out in the field fossil collecting. What you'll need depends on where you collect and what time of year you go but this will get you started and set up for success.

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Hunting Ichthyosaurs in the Norwegian Archipelago of Svalbard 7:33

2 years yang lalu7:33

7:33

Join in for a chilly visit to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard between mainland Norway and the North Pole. This one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas with rugged terrain, glaciers and polar bear. The rocks here house beautiful Triassic ammonoids, bivalves and primitive ichthyosaurs. To see some of the fossils from here, visit: https://fossilhuntress.blogspot.com/2020/12/ammonoids-and-bivalves-of-svalbard.html…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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The Weird and the Wonderful: Lessons from the Cambrian 55:54

3 years yang lalu55:54

55:54

Joe Moysiuk is a palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist, with research interests in macroevolution, evolutionary developmental biology, and the origin of animal life. He has extensive experience with fossils from the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada, one of the world’s most significant fossil sites. As part of his continuum of Burgess Shale-related research, he is currently pursuing a PhD focusing on the earliest evolution of today’s most diverse animal group: the arthropods. Link to Video of the Talk on ARCHEA: https://youtu.be/4UZ-QwgDozk…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Welcome to Season Seven 6:27

3 years yang lalu6:27

6:27

Welcome to Season Seven of the Fossil Huntress Podcast. In this episode you’ll hear about the many yummy fossil projects and field trips over the past few months including a trip to Vancouver Island’s Wild West Coast, great talks & a TV project.

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Kirk Johnson — A Lucky Paleontologist & the Tale of Three Splendid Canadian Fossils 1:25:13

3 years yang lalu1:25:13

1:25:13

Kirk Johnson is a geologist, paleobotanist, and the Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. His research focuses on fossil plants and the extinction of the dinosaurs, and he is known for his scientific articles, popular books, museum exhibitions, documentaries, and collaborations with artists. Bright, funny and a delightful human being, Kirk Johnson is a leader in his field and beyond. He has collaborated on numerous projects including two recent documentaries, “Making North America” (2015) and “Polar Extremes” (2019). His recent books include “Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline: The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific” (2018); “Visions of Lost Worlds, the Paleoart of Jay Matternes” (2019); and “Trees are made of Gas, The Story of Carbon and Climate” (2021). The video version of this talk with visuals will be up on YouTube. Head to www.fossiltalksandfieldtrips.com or www.fossilhuntress.com and click the YouTube link.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Palaeontology Lecture Series — Spring 2022 7:32

3 years yang lalu7:32

7:32

2022 Palaeontology / Paleontology Lecture Series with all of you. Zoom Link: www.fossiltalksandfieldtrips.com SPRING 2022 Kicking off 2022 is Danna Staaf, the Cephalopodiatrist with Cephalopods are the New Dinosaurs, Sun, February 12, 2022 at 2PM PST. Cephalopods, Earth's first truly substantial animals, are still among us. Their fascinating family tree is a whose-who of squid, octopus, cuttlefish, nautilus, and their brethren. Cephalopods number more than 800 species with new species still being found. As the inventors of swimming, cephalopods presided over the sea for millions of years. When fish eventually evolved jaws, the cephalopods had to up their game. Sunday, March 20, 2022, 2PM — Kirk Johnson — A Lucky Paleontologist & the Tale of Three Splendid Canadian Fossils. Join us for a talk with the Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History & Paleontologist who has led expeditions in eighteen US states and eleven countries Sunday, April 24, 2022, 2PM PST — John-Paul Zonneveld — Brave New World: Recovery from the Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction & the Significance of Marine Faunas in Northeastern British Columbia. Hear JP's multidisciplinary approach to questions arising between geological and biological systems as he turns his eye to our world 250 million years ago Sunday, May 22, 2022, 2PM PST — Russell Shapiro — Stromatolites, Methane Seeps & Metamorphosed Fossils on Mars. Learn about his work as a paleontologist exploring fossils from the present day to over three billion years ago in our deep seas & searching for fossils on Mars for NASA Sun, June 19, 2022, 2PM PST — Dan Bowen — Struck by Lightning: The Mary Anning Story. Learn about this history of Mary Anning from the Chair of the Vancouver Island Palaeontological Society…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Valley of a Thousand Peaks in the Rocky Mountains 6:39

3 years yang lalu6:39

6:39

The Rocky Mountain Trench is one of the few geologic wonders we can see from space. It is known as the Valley of a Thousand Peaks or simply the Trench — a large valley on the western side of the northern part of North America's Rocky Mountains.

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Solving an 85 Million-Year-Old Puzzle — Excavating An Elasmosaur 15:31

3 years yang lalu15:31

15:31

A mighty marine reptile was excavated on the Trent River near Courtenay on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The excavation is the culmination of a three-year palaeontological puzzle. The fossil remains are those of an elasmosaur — a group of long-necked marine reptiles found in the Late Triassic to the Late Cretaceous some 215 to 80 million years ago. In the case of the Trent River, it is closer to 85 million years old. The marine reptile fossil was excavated 10-meters up high on the cliffs that line the river. It took a month of careful planning, building scaffolding, and amassing climbing gear to aid the team of dedicated souls in unearthing this juvenile elasmosaur. Bits and pieces of him have been eroding out for years — providing clues to the past and a jigsaw puzzle that has finally had the last pieces put together. The first piece of this marine reptile puzzle was found three years ago.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Celebrating 2021 With All of You & Welcoming 2022 With An Epic Fossil Contest 3:23

3 years yang lalu3:23

3:23

Nothing says Happy 2022 like free prizes. Thank you to each and every one of you who spent time with me in 2021. It is time to wrap up the year and welcome in 2022. I wish you health, happiness and many fossils.... perhaps as prizes. That's right. It is time to celebrate you! We're starting off 2022 with some great giveaways. Head on over to the ARCHEA YouTube Channel to learn how you could add a few nice fossils, some collecting gear and oodles of tasty fossil goodness to your collection in 2022. It is free to enter... and shameless bribery. I look forward to spending time with all of you in the New Year! Head to www.fossilhuntress.com to find all the links you'll need to win.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Love the Wild: Moose / Alces alces 10:47

3 years yang lalu10:47

10:47

Love the Wild: Moose. One of the most impressive mammals of the Pacific Northwest and the largest living member of the deer family are Moose. They are taller than everyone you know and weighs more than your car. You may encounter them lumbering solo along the edge of rivers and lakes, taking a refreshing swim or happily snacking on short grasses, water plants, woody shrubs and pinecones. You can often see them in Canada and some of the northern regions of the USA going about their business of eating and swimming. The males are called bulls and make quite a racket during mating season, also known as the Rut, using their bugle-like calls to attract a mate. Their impressive headgear can grow up to six feet and are used in displays of posturing, fighting or self-defence with other bulls — generally regarding a lady-moose or cow. Females do not have antlers but certainly, notice them. Once a mate is chosen, the new parents will produce one or two babies or calves. Fully grown, their new young will one day be able to run 55 km per hour and have excellent hearing and sense of smell. Their vision is not that good but their other senses make up for it. The scientific or binomial name for Moose is Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758). The word moose is borrowed from Algonquian. In Narragansett, moose are called moos and in Eastern Abenaki, this large mammal is called mos . Both are likely derived from moosu , meaning he strips off . The Proto-Algonquian form was mo·swa. In the Kwak̓wala language of the Kwakiutl or Kwakwaka'wakw, speakers of Kwak'wala , of the Pacific Northwest, moose are known as t̕ła̱wa̱l's — and their large crown of antler are known as wa̱t'łax̱ . I had a close encounter on the Bowron Lake Circuit with a mamma moose, her new calf and a fully grown Grizzly chasing them. I can share that whatever the guidebooks say, a motivated mother and calf can outrun a bear. Maybe not always, but they certainly did that time. Moose are ungulates, mammals with hooves. The first ungulates appear in the fossil record about 50 million years ago. The lineage split, evolving into two groups: those with an even number of toes (Artiodactyls) and those with an uneven number of toes (Perissodactyls). We see the first proto-deer about 35 million years ago. These are the proto-deer like Syndyoceras who shared features with deer, horses, giraffes and antelopes. They had bony skull outgrowths similar to antlers and were found in North America during the Miocene, some 35 million years ago. Ten million years later, we see the first animals you and I would recognize as deer. Moose first appear in the fossil record during the Upper Pleistocene, a time of global glaciation. Moose are gentle creatures if unprovoked. They sometimes ramble into town or buildings if they lose their way. We find them enjoying the water from garden sprinklers, randomly making their way into homes, barns and classrooms in Canada — and likely elsewhere. It is worth doing a Google search of their antics to see all that these massive mammals get up to. They are smart enough to know that living in the woods in hunting season can go poorly, so Moose will gather in downtown Banff and Lake Louise, hiding in plain sight to avoid becoming someone's dinner or trophy. Across Canada today, we live alongside 500,000 to 1,000,000 of their number. Another 200,000 or so live south of us in the northern United States. Across Europe and Asia are another million-plus of their relatives.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Cretaceous Capilano Fossil Field Trip 8:08

3 years yang lalu8:08

8:08

Fossil Field Trip to the Cretaceous Capilano Three Brothers Formation — Vancouver has a spectacular mix of mountains, forests, lowlands, inlets and rivers all wrapped lovingly by the deep blue of the Salish Sea. When we look to the North Shore, the backdrop is made more spectacular by the Coast Mountains with a wee bit of the Cascades tucked in behind. If you were standing on the top of the Lion's Gate Bridge looking north you would see the Capilano Reservoir is tucked in between the Lions to the west and Mount Seymour to the east on the North Shore. The bounty of that reservoir flows directly into your cup. If you look down from the reservoir you see the Capilano River as it makes its way to the sea and enters Burrard Inlet. The Capilano River on Vancouver's North Shore flows through the Coast Mountains and our coastal rainforest down to the Capilano watershed en route to Burrard Inlet. The headwaters are at the top of Capilano up near Furry Creek. They flow down through the valley, adding in rainwater, snowmelt and many tributaries before flowing into Capilano Lake. The lake in turn flows through Capilano Canyon and feeds into the Capilano River. This area was once the exclusive domain of the Coast Salish First Nations — xʷmə?kʷəyəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations until the early 1800s. Many things have changed since then, including the Capilano River's path, water levels and sediment deposition. We have Ernest Albert Cleveland to thank for the loss of that salmon but can credit him with much of our drinking water as it is caught and stored by the dam that bears his name. It was his vision to capture the bounty from the watershed and ensure it made its way into our cups and not the sea. Both the water and a good deal of sediment from the Capilano would flow into Burrard Inlet if not held back by the 91-metre concrete walls of the Cleveland Dam. While it was not Ernest's intention, his vision and dam had a secondary impact. In moving the mouth of the Capilano River he altered the erosion pattern of the North Shore and unveiled a Cretaceous Plant Fossil outcrop that is part of the Three Brothers Formation. The fossil site is easily accessible from Vancouver and best visited in the summer months when water levels are low. The level of preservation of the fossils is quite good. The state in which they were fossilized, however, was not ideal. They look to have been preserved as debris that gathered in eddies in a stream or delta. There are Cretaceous species found only in the sandstone. You will see exposed shale in the area but it does not contain fossil material. Interesting, but again not fossiliferous, are the many granitic and limestone boulders that look to have been brought down by glaciers from as far away as Texada Island. Cretaceous plant material (and modern material) found here include Poplar (cottonwood) Populus sp. Bigleaf Maple, Acer machphyllum , Alder, Alnus rubra , Buttercup Ranvuculus sp ., Epilobrium , Red cedar, Blackberry and Sword fern. Capilano Fossil Field Trip: From downtown Vancouver, drive north through Stanley Park and over the Lion’s Gate Bridge. Take the North Vancouver exit toward the ferries. Turn right onto Taylor Way and then right again at Clyde Avenue. Look for the Park Royal Hotel. Park anywhere along Clyde Avenue. From Clyde Avenue walk down the path to your left towards the Capilano River. Watch the water level and tread cautiously as it can be slippery if there has been any recent rain. Look for beds of sandstone about 200 meters north of the private bridge and just south of the Highway bridge. The fossil beds are just below the Whytecliff Apartment high rises. Be mindful of high water and slippery rocks.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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The Fossils and Geology of Haida Gwaii 11:19

3 years yang lalu11:19

11:19

The islands have gone by many names. To the people who call the islands home, Haida Gwaii means Island of the People , it is a shortened version of an earlier name, Haadala Gwaii-ai, or taken out of concealment. Back at the time of Nangkilslas, it was called Didakwaa Gwaii , or “shoreward country.” By any name, the islands are a place of beauty and spirit and enjoy a special place in both the natural and supernatural world. Haida oral history traces the lineage of their families back to the ocean’s origins. Spear points from Huxley Island confirm a date of between 12,500 - 13,500 years ago. Their stories bear witness to the last ice age, great floods, changes in sea levels and the arrival of the first tree – each binding them closer to the land and sea and enriching our understanding of this special place. The islands form part of Wrangellia, an exotic terrane that includes parts of western British Columbia, Vancouver Island and Alaska. Today, the mist-shrouded archipelago of Haida Gwaii is separated from the British Columbia mainland by Hecate Strait, a 40-mile wide channel of tempestuous water. Haida oral tradition tells of a time when the strait was mostly dry, dotted here and there with lakes. And indeed, during the last ice age, glaciers locked up so much water that the sea level was hundreds of feet lower than it is today. Soil samples from the seafloor of Hecate Strait contain wood, pollen, and other terrestrial plant materials that tell of a tundra-like environment. Whether or not the strait was ever completely dry during these times, it seems that it did at least contain a series of stepping-stone islands and bridges that remained free of ice.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Fossil Collecting Austria's Triassic Limestones 9:12

4 years yang lalu9:12

9:12

Fly with me over to Austria in Europe to visit the Hallstatt Limestones. These are the world's richest Triassic ammonite outcrops. Along with diversified cephalopod fauna — orthoceratids, nautiloids, ammonoids — we also see gastropods, bivalves, especially the late Triassic pteriid bivalve Halobia (the halobiids), brachiopods, crinoids and a few corals. We also see a lovely selection of microfauna represented. For microfauna, we see conodonts, foraminifera, sponge spicules, radiolaria, floating crinoids and holothurian sclerites — polyp-like, soft-bodied invertebrate echinozoans often referred to as sea cucumbers because of their similarities in size, elongate shape, and tough skin over a soft interior.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Fossil Collecting Wrangellia 11:19

4 years yang lalu11:19

11:19

Fossil Collecting in the islands of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada. The mist-shrouded islands of Haida Gwaii are at the western edge of the continental shelf and form part of Wrangellia, an exotic terrane of former island arcs, which also includes Vancouver Island, parts of western mainland British Columbia and southern Alaska. This is a trip that takes some level of planning but is well-worth every moment. I consider a visit to these sacred islands a "trip of a lifetime." And if you are lucky, the first of many more!…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Harrison Lake Fossil Collecting 101 24:09

4 years yang lalu24:09

24:09

If you are planning a fossil field trip to Harrison Lake, this is the episode for you! We'll talk about getting there. What to bring and what you'll find. Drive the 30 km up Forestry Road #17, stopping just past Hale Creek at 49.5° N, 121.9° W: paleo-coordinates 42.5° N, 63.4° W, on the west side of Harrison Lake. You'll see Long Island to your right. The first of the yummy fossil exposures are just north of Hale Creek on the west side of the lake on the west side of the road. Drive just past them and park on your right. You are looking for the dark grey rock with the fossils showing up either dark grey, grey-brown or black. You will want to look both in the bedrock, in the loose material that gathers in the ditches and for large dark grey boulders the size of dishwashers packed with Buchia — sometimes made entirely of these densely packed bivalves. Buchia populated our Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous waters like a team sport. When they thrived they really thrived, building up large coquinas of the material that make up much of the rock you will find at Harrison and other sites in the Northern Hemisphere. WHAT TO BRING: As with all trips into British Columbia's wild places, you will want to dress for the weather. This is a good site for hiking boots, raingear, gloves, eye protection and a good geologic hammer and chisel. Fill your gas tank and pack a tasty lunch. You will definitely want to bring your camera for the blocks of Buchia too big to carry. If you take some good photos, I would love to see them. Wear bright clothing and keep your head covered. If it is a larger group, those collecting below may want to consider hardhats in case of small rock falls. These are most often chunks of rock the size of your fist up to the size of a grapefruit — and they pack a punch. Bring a colourful towel or something to lay your keepers on. Once you set down a rock, it is hard to find that keeper pile again as they often blend in with the surroundings. I like to wear one of those lightweight yellow construction vests over whatever I am wearing so my crew and cars can spot me. When you have finished for the day, you can compare your various treasures to see which ones you would like to keep. In British Columbia, you are a steward of the fossil, meaning these all belong to the province but you can keep them safe though cannot sell them or ship them outside British Columbia without a permit. You should be all set to celebrate a glorious day in the beautiful outdoors. I have been asked about collecting four seasons. What do we do about the weather? We live in a rainforest so collecting in sun and rain means your field season is longer. Everyone has a preference. I prefer not to collect in the snow, but I have done. While sunny days are lovely, it can be easier to see the fossil specimens at Harrison when the rock is wet. So, do we do this in the rain? Heck, yeah. Once you get home you can wash and ID your finds. I have put the scientific names here but if they occur as gobblygook, don't worry. Harrison does not have a huge variety of fossil fauna. Essentially, if your find is coiled and round, it is an ammonite. If it is long and straight, it is a belemnite. And if it looks like a wee fat baby oyster, it is Buchia. That is not always true, but it is mostly true. And, you can proudly say that your new fossil babies are between 164.7 - 161.2 million years old. Wow, right? I know. Mindblowing. If you find something you cannot ID, send me a photo on the Fossil Huntress Facebook page and I will help you to identify it. Oh, and do be on the lookout for anything that looks like bone. This site is ripe for finding a marine reptile. Think plesiosaur, mosasaur, elasmosaur, you get the idea. Maybe the next Indiana Jones to get a new species named for them is you!…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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British Columbia’s Iconic Spirit Bears 11:08

4 years yang lalu11:08

11:08

Visiting the Great Bear Rainforest takes planning and is well worth the trip. You will want to book a guide to lead you through this 6.4 million hectare wilderness on British Columbia's north and central coasts. I recommend searching www.indigenousbc.com for some wonderful knowledgeable First Nation partners on your excursion. This is a journey, an experience you will never forget, so savour every part. As you enter your footfalls are muffled by lush undergrowth, a crush of salal, fallen needles and wood debris that make up this rich, fertile soil. In this temperate rainforest live some of the oldest and largest stands of timber on the planet. This is sacred ground, hallowed ground — though one could say that for every place on Earth — this feels different somehow, older, deeper. This is a forest that whispers secrets for those with ears to hear — in the language of the trees, streams and hidden within every bit of underbrush, every perfectly formed Deer fern ( Struthiopteris spicant ) and Western sword fern, ( Polystichum muntum ) as you gently bushwhack your way through — honouring a leave no trace ethos. As you explore deeper, each breath you take is filled with moist air mingled with the smells of decaying vegetation and fresh growth, new rain and the deep earthy musk of fungi busily at work on the forest floor. The forest itself has a leave no trace mentality in part. Every visible bit of life is a mix of old and new, the fungi breaking down the plant and animal remains, repurposing their life-giving nutrients. It is because of this that we find so few fossils within a rainforest. They are here but not in the way we might think to look for them, at least not with our eyes in the macro-world. Their lineage lives on at the micro-level, bits and pieces embedded within the trees, animals and soil — they form this regions' goût de terroir , the essence of an abiding woodland sphere. The animals that call this forest home live amidst multistoried canopies of Sitka spruce ( Picea stichensis ), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla ), amabilis fir ( Abies amabilis ) and Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) — each of these pillars of the forest are woven together by salal, lichen and a rich mycorrhizal network beneath the ground. The trees here talk to one another using these fungal networks that connect individual trees and plants together to help transfer water, carbon, nitrogen, nutrients and minerals from the earth to needle and leaf. You are walking through time, literally — each footfall retracing history and those that have come before you, both human and animal. As you explore deeper you come across a vision so remarkable it takes your breath away. Deep in this ancient forest where moss overflows every surface and wilderness abounds, British Columbia's Spirit Bear — Ursus americanus kermodei — reigns supreme.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Our Palaeontological History: From Fish to Tetrapods 17:44

4 years yang lalu17:44

17:44

In the late 1930s, our understanding of the transition of fish to tetrapods — and the eventual jump to modern vertebrates — took an unexpected leap forward. The evolutionary a'ha came from a single partial fossil skull found on the shores of a riverbank in Eastern Canada. Meet the Stegocephalian, Elpistostege watsoni, an extinct genus of finned tetrapodomorphs that lived during the Late Givetian to Early Frasnian of the Late Devonian — 382 million years ago. Elpistostege watsoni — perhaps the sister taxon of all other tetrapods — was first described in 1938 by British palaeontologist and elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London, Thomas Stanley Westoll. Westoll's research interests were wide-ranging. He was a vertebrate palaeontologist and geologist best known for his innovative work on Palaeozoic fishes and their relationships with tetrapods. As a specialist in early fish, Westoll was asked to interpret a single partial skull roof discovered at the Escuminac Formation in Quebec, Canada. His findings gave us the publication that would name Elpistostege watsoni and helped us to better understand the evolution of fishes to tetrapods — four-limbed vertebrates — one of the most important transformations in vertebrate evolution. Hypotheses of tetrapod origins rely heavily on the anatomy of a few tetrapod-like fish fossils from the Middle and Late Devonian, 393–359 million years ago. These taxa — known as elpistostegalians — include Panderichthys, Elpistostege and Tiktaalik — none of which has yet revealed the complete skeletal anatomy of the pectoral fin. None until 2010, that is when a complete 1.57-metre-long articulated specimen was described by Richard Cloutier et al. in 2020. The specimen helped us to understand the origin of the vertebrate hand. It revealed a set of paired fins of Elpistostege containing bones homologous to the phalanges (finger bones) of modern tetrapods and is the most basal tetrapodomorph known to possess them. Once the phalanges were uncovered, prep work began on the fins. The fins were covered in scales and lepidotrichia (fin rays). The work was tiresome, taking more than 2,700 hours of preparation but the results were thrilling. We could now clearly see that the skeleton of the pectoral fin has four proximodistal rows of radials — two of which include branched carpals — as well as two distal rows organized as digits and putative digits. Despite this skeletal pattern — which represents the most tetrapod-like arrangement of bones found in a pectoral fin to date blurring the line between fish and land vertebrates — the fin retains lepidotrichia (those wee fin rays) distal to the radials. This arrangement confirmed an age-old question — showing us for the first time that the origin of phalanges preceded the loss of fin rays, not the other way around. This was evidence for the origins of the vertebrate hand that you and I use today.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Fossil Field Trip to the Oregon Coast 11:59

4 years yang lalu11:59

11:59

The Oregon Coast on the western edge of the USA is a wonderful place to collect fossils. The area has been known for its wonderful fossil fauna since the 1830s. Here we find middle Miocene (along with a wee bit of Eocene) outcrops with delicious fossil whale bone, fish teeth, turtle shell, and a magnificent assortment of molluscs — the gastropods Chlorostome pacificum, Turritella oregonensis, Crepidula, Cryptontica oregonensis, Polinices canalis, Neverita, Sinum scopulosum and the large and lovely Liracassis petrosa. Some bits of terrestrial material are sometimes washed into the mix and give us some insights into the local tree fauna at that time. We also find lovely wee foraminifera, so well worth bringing a hand lens. I had mentioned connecting with Kathryn Abbott, Spino Queen during the episode. You can find her at @kathronodon on Instagram or as co-host on the podcast @dinosaurpostcast. She is a delight and I highly recommend you connect with her!…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Burgess Shale Biota: Life in Middle Cambrian Seas 14:57

4 years yang lalu14:57

14:57

High up in the Canadian Rocky Mountains there are mysteries more than half a billion years old. These are the outcrops of the Burgess Shale Biota — more than 150 species that provide a window into life in our Cambrian seas. Charles Doolittle Walcott will be forever remembered for his extraordinary discovery of the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of Yoho National Park in southeastern British Columbia — delivering to the world one of the most important biota of soft-bodied organisms in the fossil record. Here we find a fairly complete look at an ancient ecosystem with algae, grazers and filter feeders, scavengers and active predators. Remarkably, soft-bodied organisms make up 98% of individuals and 85% of the genera. These animals lived and died in the deep waters at the base of what would later become known as the Cathedral Escarpment.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Love the Wild: Gentle Gentoo Penguins 6:19

4 years yang lalu6:19

6:19

Gentoo Penguins with their black, white natural colouring akin to formal wear — are some of my favourite animals. They are foraging predators — dining on crustaceans, fish and squid in the cold nearshore waters of the Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Sandwich Islands. South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and the Falklands are inhospitable British Overseas Territories in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The first scientific description of these romantic seabirds was done by Johann Reinhold Forster in 1781. He used the Falkland Islands population for both the type specimen and locality. These diminutive penguins are in the genus Pygoscelis , and are most closely related to their penguin cousins — the Adélie and Chinstraps. The gentoo penguin is one of three species in the genus Pygoscelis . Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence suggests the genus split from other penguins around 38 million years ago, about 2 million years after the ancestors of the genus Aptenodytes . In turn, the Adelie penguins split off from the other members of the genus around 19 million years ago, and the chinstrap and Gentoo finally diverged around 14 million years ago. Two subspecies of this penguin are recognised: Pygoscelis papua papua (the subantarctic Gentoo) and the smaller Pygoscelis papua ellsworthi (the Antarctic Gentoo). We will likely need to reclassify the gentle Gentoos into a species complex of four morphologically similar but separate species: the northern gentoo penguin ( P. papua sensu stricto ), the southern gentoo penguin ( P. ellsworthi ), the eastern gentoo penguin ( P. taeniata ), and the newly-described South Georgia gentoo penguin ( P. poncetii ). We find breeding colonies of gentoo penguins on ice-free surfaces either directly on the shoreline or far inland. They prefer shallow coastal areas and often nest between tufts of grass. In South Georgia, breeding colonies are 2 km inland. In colonies farther inland, where the penguins nest in grassy areas, they shift location slightly every year because the grass will become trampled over time. Gentoos breed on many sub-Antarctic islands. The main colonies are on the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Kerguelen Islands; smaller colonies are found on Macquarie Island, Heard Islands, Crozet Islands, South Shetland Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Their breeding populations number well over 600,000 birds. Once a breeding pair decide that their romance is a go, they stay together for life — and infidelity is frowned upon. Punishment is banishment from the colony — strict but these birds know how to draw a firm line in the pebbles. Nests are usually made from a roughly circular pile of stones and can be quite large — up to 20 cm (7.9 in) high and 25 cm (9.8 in) in diameter. The chosen rocks are prized and jealously guarded. Just who owned which pebble is the subject of many noisy debates — some escalating to nasty physical altercations between disagreeing parties. "That rock is mine. Mine!" The pebbles are especially prized by the females, to the point that a male penguin can woo his lady love and secure a lifetimes' devotion by proffering a particularly choice stone — not unlike some human females.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Earth’s Earliest Atmosphere: Cyanobacteria 7:11

4 years yang lalu7:11

7:11

We owe a huge nod of gratitude to the wee photosynthetic microbes known as cyanobacteria for their work in helping to create the first oxygen to enter our atmosphere and make you and I — & indeed all life on Earth — possible. When the Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago, it was an inhospitable place. Even with a Sun some 25 per cent weaker than it is today, ours was a molten world that needed to undergo a long period of cooling before the conditions for life would arise. And arise they did. On the planet's surface, volcanoes spewed lava and volatile gasses into what would become our earliest atmosphere. It looked very different from the one we know today — nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane and small amounts of water vapour made up the gassy soup surrounding our world. But that first water would change everything. As the water vapour condensed, it came back to the surface bit by bit. Over a very long period of time, those waters pooled and gathered and became our first oceans. It was in this early ocean some 2.7 billion years ago that cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, wonderous photosynthetic microbes, would take up that weakened sunlight and water vapour to process the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, producing other chemical compounds and oxygen as a by-product.…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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Fool’s Gold: Betting On Gold Prospects 8:17

4 years yang lalu8:17

8:17

When I was little, maybe 5 or 6 years old, I struck gold! Well, it wasn't real gold, but I was most convinced. Someone had dumped a tailings pile near the woods where I lived and in the sun, those crushed pieces of rock sparkled. I had already been bitten by the love of minerals and fossils and so naturally I filled my pockets and brought as much home as a youngster can carry. Where I was told that it was Fool's Gold. But, still... it was so compelling and just so gold-like. So, secretly I continued my forays and dragged as many of those lovely sparkly bits home as I could. The pile soon amassed to what could not be concealed in a youngsters room — those socks have to live somewhere. So we struck a bargain. My folks would let me keep my gold if I kept it under the house. I suspect it is still there to this day. I did eventually find gold up in Atlin, British Columbia — and loads of it — but none that I could keep. I met a fellow who pans for it and had built out a sluicing system to great success. He showed me an ice cream bucket full of gold nuggets that I still ponder to this day. So, what exactly is Fool's Gold? Is it gold mixed with another mineral or something else altogether? Turns out it is pyrite which has a brass-yellow colour and metallic lustre similar to gold, but pyrite is brittle and will break rather than bend as gold does. A good field test is to give it a streak test. Gold leaves a yellow streak, while pyrite’s streak is brownish-black. Pyrite is named from the Greek word for fire (pyr) because it can create sparks for starting a fire when struck against metal or stone — also fun to try in the field. Pyrite was once a source of sulfur and sulfuric acid, but today most sulfur is obtained as a byproduct of natural gas and crude oil processing. We sometimes see pyrite sold as a novelty item or made into costume jewellery. But pyrite does have its uses beyond amusing youngsters dreaming of their own gold rush. Pyrite can sometimes help you find real gold because the two form together under similar conditions. Gold can even occur as inclusions inside pyrite, sometimes in mineable quantities depending on how effectively the gold can be recovered. Fool’s Gold is truly pyrite or iron sulfide (FeS2) and is one of the most common sulfide minerals. Sulfide minerals are a group of inorganic compounds containing sulfur and one or more elements. I still have a fondness for it and share a wry smile when I find it out in the field. It is remarkably common. And, I do still want it to be real gold even though my grown-up brain knows it is not. When I am very lucky, however, I find pyritized fossils — even better than gold!…

Fossil Huntress — Palaeo Sommelier

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José Bonaparte: Master of the Mesozoic 6:03

4 years yang lalu6:03

6:03

One of the most delightful palaeontologists to grace our Earth was José Fernando Bonaparte (14 June 1928 – 18 February 2020). He was an Argentinian paleontologist who you'll know as the discoverer of some of Argentina's iconic dinosaurs — Carnotaurus (the "Bull" dinosaur we've talked about in a previous episode), along with Amargasaurus, Abelisaurus, Argentinosaurus and Noasaurus. His first love was mammals and over the course of his career, he unearthed the remains of some of the first South American fossil mammals from the Mesozoic. Between 1975 and 1977, Bonaparte worked on excavation of the Saltasaurus dinosaur with Martín Vince and Juan C. Leal at the Estancia "El Brete." Bonaparte was interested in the anatomy of Saltasaurus, particularly the armored plates or osteoderms embedded in its skin. Based on this discovery, together with twenty examples of Kritosaurus australis and a lambeosaurine dinosaur found in South America, Bonaparte hypothesized that there had been a large-scale migration of species between the Americas at the end of the Mesozoic period. The supercontinent of Pangea split into Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south during the Jurassic. During the Cretaceous, South America pulled away from the rest of Gondwana. The division caused a divergence between northern biota and the southern biota, and the southern animals appear strange to those used to the more northerly fauna. Bonaparte's finds illustrate this divergence. His work is honoured in his moniker given to him by paleontologist Robert Bakker — "Master of the Mesozoic"…

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