Geobulletin alpha

Top 4 Most Annoyingly-popular Dino Hypotheses 

This post was inspired by the Nostalgia Critic's "Top 10 Films Doug Hates But Everyone Else Loves" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XG9ZQyExe4 ). It's nothing formal, just a list of what I (as a non-expert dino fan) think are the most annoyingly-popular (I.e. More popular than they should be, given the evidence) dino hypotheses in recent years (I.e. Post-2000) & why. Even still, I hope that at least some of you will get something out of it. As for why "Top 4", to quote Santa Claus ( [...]

Of Dragons and Diminutive Elephants 

Did Komodo dragons evolve to eat pygmy elephants? When Jared Diamond posed this question in a 1987 Nature article, he answered in the affirmative. The ten-foot lizards owed their origin to a diet of diminutive elephants isolated on Indonesian islands. But, thanks to research that will no doubt disappoint fans of sensational prehistoric vignettes, Diamond’s

The Demise of the Komodo Kings 

After Komodo dragons were re-discovered by Western science and two brought to zoos, the species took a turn for the worse. Laelaps blogger Brian Switek

Skeletonizing a Komodo for research 

As many of you know, Komodo dragons are pretty good stand-ins for the basic anatomy of mosasaurs. Ignore the sacrum and those pesky land-going limbs, and they basically look identical. Recently, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's 18 year old female Komodo dragon, Hektor, unfortunately passsed away. After the necropsy was performed the decision was made to prepare the skeleton for use as an educational biomaterial. This means getting the skin and flesh off of the bones.Anthony, Scott and Jacob removing [...]

New Species of the Late Triassic Venomous Archosauriform Uatchitodon 

Mitchell, J. S., Heckert, A. B., and H.-D. Sues. 2010. Grooves to tubes: evolution of the venom delivery system in a Late Triassic “reptile”. Naturwissenschaften, online first. DOI 10.1007/s00114-010-0729-0 Abstract - Venom delivery systems occur in a wide range of extant and fossil vertebrates and are primarily based on oral adaptations. Teeth range from unmodified (Komodo dragons) to

An early look at Life: A Komodo dragon hunt 

When it comes to nature documentaries the BBC's natural history unit is the best of the best. Over and over again they have produced top-notch programming, and their new multi-part series Life is perhaps the best I have ever seen. The series contains some familiar moments, such as a sengi running down its carefully-groomed pathways, but the bulk of the series consists of vignettes that I have never seen on screen before. One of the most compelling is the story of the slow death of a water [...]

Dinosaurs come out to play (so do turtles, and crocodilians, and Komodo dragons) 

The proofs for one of my books arrived the other day, so I have been busy busy busy. This (in part) explains the lack of action here on the blog, and the preponderance of recycled stuff. Sorry about that. In fact, sorry, here's another recycled article from Tet Zoo ver 1. Hopefully I'll have the time to produce some new content over the next week, but don't hold your breath. And sorry about all the dinosaur stuff: I know you much prefer it when I post on frogs, lizards, mice and passerines. [...]

Komodo Dragons Kill Fisherman 

If you are doing field work in Indonesia stay out of the restricted areas in Komodo National Park. They are restricted because it is dangerous there. The Park’s Komodo dragons (the world’s biggest lizard - up to ten feet long) recently killed a trespassing fisherman. A few months earlier five scuba

Global Warming's Effect on Tropical Lizards 

From geckos and iguanas to Gila monsters and Komodo dragons, lizards are among the most common reptiles on Earth. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. One even pitches car insurance in TV ads. They seemingly can adapt to a variety of conditions, but are most abundant in the tropics.However, new research that builds on data collected more than three decades ago demonstrates