Geobulletin alpha

Did Dinosaurs Invent Flowers? (with a big assist from flies and beetles) 

There was a Veggie-saur revolution at the start of the Cretaceous Period — did it cause flowers to appear? Brief History of Land Plants and Critters Who Ate ThemIn today’s world, on dry land, flowering plants — aka angiosperms — are the … Continue reading

Crocodiles feeling the heat of extinction 

New research on crocodiles shows that a combination of changing sea levels and temperatures were responsible for driving their biodiversity over millions of years. Living crocodiles are threatened by climate change, with 10 out of 23 species at a high risk of extinction. As ectotherms, animals which require external sources of heat to function, they are sensitive to changes in temperature. With 2-4 degrees of increasing global temperatures predicted over the next century, these ruling reptiles [...]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Tombstones Mountains 

This week’s Imaggeo image is brought to you by one of our network bloggers, Matt Herod. Of the image, Matt said ” this particular one is one of my all time favourites. I have even blown it up and hung it on my wall at home,” and we couldn’t agree more; this Canadian landscape is breathtaking. Dive into this post and let Matt take you on a tour of the hydrology, archaeology and volcanic history of the Tombstone Mountain Range. The Yukon Territory in the fall is a [...]

Nessie dwarfed by new Scottish crocodile 

Yes, Nessie had to be in the title. Am I sorry? A little. But not enough to not use it. Colleagues from the University of Edinburgh and myself have described the first Scottish crocodile fossil! It’s from the Isle of Skye, from a time known as the Middle Jurassic, and dates back around 160 million years ago. Based on a partial bit of a jawbone (the dentary), it’s hardly the most spectacular fossil we’ve ever found, but it tells quite a neat story. Based on the features we [...]

Lizard lizard on the wall 

When you think about fossils, lizards might be not be one of the first groups that springs to mind. However, they do have a pretty neat fossil record, stretching back over 150 million years. One group of lizards, iguanians, are still around today and comprises about 1700 different species! One sub-group of these iguanians, acrodonts, are thought to have originated in east Gondwana – part of the ‘old world’ including Africa. Acrodonts are named after weird features in their [...]

Plant Fossils at Mesa Verde 

This plant fossils are on display at the Mesa Verde National Park as of August 2014. The area is rich in geological history going back 2 billion years. The national park was founded in 1906 to protect the Anasazi Native American sites found on the mesa tops, cliffs, and canyons. The exposed areas found in the park are from the Mesozoic Era, Cretaceous Period (about 100-78

Volute Gastropod Fossil 

This Volute gastropod fossil is on display at the Mesa Verde National Park as of August 2014. The area is rich in geological history going back 2 billion years. The national park was founded in 1906 to protect the Anasazi Native American sites found on the mesa tops, cliffs, and canyons. The exposed areas found in the park are from the Mesozoic Era, Cretaceous Period (about

How fast was the demise of the dinosaurs? 

It’s dark. It’s always dark these days. Lights in the sky burn your eyes, so you keep your face to ground in the hopes that they’ll go away. But they don’t. The air is heavy. Heavy with poisons that make it difficult to breathe. Heavy with foreboding dread. You, my unfortunate friend, are going through a mass extinction! There have been five periods of mass extinction in the past. These represent major phases in the history of life where we see global reorganisations of ecosystems and [...]

Porosphaera globularis Fossil From Spain 

This sponge fossil is called Porosphaera globularis from the Cretaceous Period. They were found in the region of Navarra, Spain. According to the Natural History Museum of the U.K, people sometimes use these fossils as beads in necklaces. One was even found at a Bronze Age burial site with a skeleton from the Higham Marshes of Kent in south east England.Thanks to Herb for these

Ptychotrygon triangularis Fossil 

This fossil was found in the Carlile Shale Formation of Grant County, South Dakota, USA. He has been carefully extracting the hidden fossil shark teeth.  The fossils date to the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). The picture shows what appears to be a Ptychotrygon triangularis sawfish rostral denticle fossil. Field of view (FOV) is about 3 mm. Thanks to Kenny for the image. Info Sources:

Cantioscyllium decipiens Shark Fossil Tooth 

My cousin has been working on some Carlile Shale Formation matrix. It was found in Grant County, South Dakota, USA. He has been carefully extracting the hidden fossil shark teeth.  The fossils date to the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). The picture shows what appears to be a Cantioscyllium decipiens tooth fossil. Field of view (FOV) is about 3 mm. Thanks to Kenny for the image. Info

Brachyrizodus (Pseudohypoluphus) Fossil Tooth 

My cousin has been analyzing some Carlile Shale Formation matrix. It was found in Grant County, South Dakota, USA. He has been carefully breaking it down to extract the hidden fossil shark teeth.  The fossils date to the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). The picture shows what appears to be a Brachyrizodus (Pseudohypoluphus) sp. tooth fossil. Field of view (FOV) is about 3 mm. Thanks to Kenny

Extinct Goblin Shark Tooth Fossil 

My cousin has been extracting fossils from some Carlile Shale Formation matrix. It was found in Grant County, South Dakota, USA. He has been carefully breaking it down to extract the hidden fossil shark teeth.  The fossils date to the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). The picture shows what appears to be a Scapanorhynchus raphiodon. Field of view (FOV) is about 5 mm. Thanks to Kenny for the

Scapanorhynchus raphiodon Fossil Shark Teeth 

My cousin has been extracting fossils from a piece of Carlile Shale Formation matrix. It was found in Grant County, South Dakota, USA. He has been slowly breaking it down to reveal the hidden fossil shark teeth.  The fossils date to the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). The picture shows Scapanorhynchus raphiodon shark teeth fossils. Thanks to Kenny for the image. Info Source:

South Dakota Mosasaur Fossil Tooth? 

My cousin has been extracting fossils from a piece of Carlile Shale Formation matrix. It was found in Grant County, South Dakota, USA. He has been slowly breaking it down to reveal the hidden fossil teeth.  The fossils date to the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). The picture shows what might be a mosasaur fossil tooth. Each scale division is a mm. Thanks to Kenny for the images.

Ptychodus whipplei Shark Teeth Fossils 

My cousin has been extracting fossils from some Carlile Shale Formation matrix. It was found in Grant County, South Dakota, USA. He has been carefully breaking it down to extract the hidden fossil shark teeth.  The fossils date to the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). The picture shows two Ptychodus whipplei shark teeth fossils. Thanks to Kenny for the image. Info Source:

Cretaceous Clam Fossil 

While touring the Natural History section of the Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park (1300 N. College Ave, Tempe Arizona 85281) I saw this clam fossil specimen (AHS-NH#21712) This fossil was probably found in the Pierre Shale Formation of Glendive, Dawson County, Montana, USA. It dates to the Cretaceous Period. Image was taken in October 2014. Sources: Neat image of

Fossil Shark Teeth of South Dakota 

My cousin recently received some matrix from the Carisle Formation of Union County, South Dakota, USA. He has been carefully breaking it down to extract the hidden fossil shark teeth.  The fossils date to the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). We have been trying to identify what they are. So far names I am considering are Leptostyrax, Cretalamna (Otodus), and Cretodus. Thanks to Kenny

Crassatella Pelecypod Fossil Evidence of Predation 

The shell fossil in the first picture shows signs of predation probably from some sort of gastropod. These fossils appear to be Crassatella vadosus pelecypods (named by Morton 1834). They existed during the Cretaceous Period (about 70 million years ago). This fossil was found in McNairy County, Tennessee (Ripley Formation). See their identification PDF at this LINK. Learn more about

Cyprimeria Pelecypod Fossil 

The fossil appears to be Cyprimeria alta pelecypod fossil. It existed during the Cretaceous Period (about 70 million years ago). This fossil was found in McNairy County, Tennessee (Ripley Formation). Fossils from this locality have an identification PDF at this LINK. Learn more about these fossils at the Coon Creek Science Center web