World’s Deadliest Frog… Ever! Beezelbufo hunting a juvenile Masiakasaurus - artwork by Gustavo Monroy for Fossil Crates   Photo of Beelzebufo skeleton from Triebold Paleontology Inc., used with permission As if small Late Cretaceous (70 mya) Madagascar animals didn’t have enough to worry about when trying to get a drink of water from the local pond, what with Mahajangasuchus, a fearsome crocodile relative, Masiakasaurus, a toothy bipedal dinosaur with bizarre teeth jutting from the tips of its jaws, and Majungasaurus, the apex predator “T. rex” of its day, add the world’s deadliest fro ..read more

In Memoriam Dr. Jorge Calvo (April 27, 1961 - January 10, 2023) (Image from Proyecto Dino FB page) I met Jorge in the mid-90s at an SVP meeting where we had an amicably animated conversation about sauropod caudal vertebral characteristics.  It ended with, "Come to Argentina and take a look!"  And I did.  I spent a month in Argentina in 1998, and a memorable chunk of that time was with Jorge in Neuquén, Argentina.  He introduced me to Quilmes beer, maté, chimichurri, and the wonderful cuts of Argentine steak.  I hung out with his wife and son and we rode around to ..read more

What the heck is a Protrachodon (and should it even be italicized)?  (If you are thinking about being a paleontologist, this blog captures the steps I took to track down information) You'd think it'd be easy in this digital day and age to find information on any dinosaur, especially one with a name tied to the iconic Trachodon, *the* duck-billed dinosaur when I grew up. Nothing is easy as it turns out.  As a paleontologist, I often scour old tomes, often in languages I don't understand. If you read my forays with Yangchuanosaurus and Szechuanosaurus, I was looking at C ..read more

Chienkosaurus ceratosauroides Another theropod you likely haven't heard of, Chienkosaurus ceratosauroides, "Chien Ko Lizard Ceratosaurus-like'' (my best guess at the correct genus translation) was name by Young in 1942 from only teeth.  It was yet another dinosaur he named from teeth in the same paper, having also named Szechuanosaurus which you can read about here.   About Chienkosaurus Young wrote, "Four isolated teeth from loc. 47, V 237." and "The Chienkosaurus differs from the Szechuanosaurus not only the smaller size, straightness and bluntness but also by t ..read more

Modern Day Velociraptor?   (Link to YouTube video coming soon!) Meet the red-legged seriema, Cariama cristata.  This modern South American bird is the only surviving cousin to the famed "terror birds" like Phorushacos and Titanis, apex predators that roamed South America as recently as 2 million years ago.  It is also the closest living bird, claw-wise, to Velociraptor! Like "raptor" dinosaurs (paleontologists use the term deinonychosaurs), seriemas have a giant second toe claw.  Though a tad more compressed laterally, and kept off the ground by me ..read more

Not knowing much about noasaurs I found this paper rather interesting!  Released in September, 2020 and written by Souza et al., the team studied the bone growth (histology) of the small (4' long and 30 lbs.) Brazilian noasaurid theropod Vespersaurus paranaensis.  The name means "Parana's West Lizard" (named after the town of Western Cross [English translation]) and it has one one of the coolest dinosaur feet ever discovered as one toe bore the majority, if not all, of the weight of the animal.  This is Figure 10 D from its original description showing the long t ..read more

    The Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point is one of the best dinosaur museums in the world!  Located in Lehi, Utah and open Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 8 pm, the museum delivers one of the best paleontological experiences around.  At $20 for adults, $17 for 13-24 (Youth!  The only place we know of that considers 24 as youth :-)), and $15 for 3-12, the price of admission is more than offset by the quantity, and quality, of the displays.   Entering the gigantic building one realizes you aren't in a typical museum.  The multi-story entrance has a ..read more

Please meet our 2021 Ambassadors!   North America CarnivoreAllosaurus (with 67% of the vote) Ambassador Allosaurus has an illustrious past indeed!  Not only is it the Utah State Dinosaur, but it is also one of the best-known dinosaurs skeletally thanks to multiple nearly complete specimens and an entire growth series from the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry.  It is amongst the oldest of the Ambassadors, having been discovered in 1869 and formally named in 1877 by none other than arguably the most famous paleontologist of all time, Charles Marsh!   A ..read more

Noble Fossil Fans,      This June, Fossil Crates has teamed up with the Arizona Museum of Natural History to present a totally unique Dinosaur Virtual Summer Camp experience, led by Dr. Brian Curtice.         Begin in a dino-filled museum built by Mixed Reality Rooms and end with an interactive fossil hunt, the summer camp is designed to maximize camp members' interactions with actual paleontologists.  Join me one hour a day June 21-25 at Noon PST!            Each day I will cover a different aspect of dinosaur behavior ..read more

Noble Fossil Fans! International Dinosaur Day 2021 is upon us.  What is it?  Aside from a time for the world to come together for a day and celebrate all that is amazing about dinosaurs, it is also the date that Fossil Crates announces its Ambassadors.  Two dinosaurs, one carnivore and one herbivore, are selected to represent their continents throughout the year.  Let's take a moment to celebrate the 2020 Ambassadors for their service (in order of carnivore then herbivore)! Africa Spinosaurus and Ouranosaurus   Antarctica Cryolophososaurus and Antarctope ..read more