Fossil Fever

  We got up early today to make our way from London to Lyme Regis. Got up around 6:30 am and made our way to a continental breakfast at the hotel.  All packed up and on our way, we made a stop to see Stonehenge. An hour or so later, we arrived in Lyme Regis, Mary Anning's town.     Ammonites led the way to and decorated the town of Lyme Regis Finally arrived at the Lyme Regis Museum!   After arriving, my parents surprized me with a private tour guide of Mary Anning's life in Lyme Regis. Natalie Manifold took us all around town to show us the town's old post box (the wood still intact), the mill and the field where young Mary Anning was struck by lightning, Joseph Anning's (Mary Anning's older brother, who collected fossils with her) home, the Jurassic outcrops, the town church, and Mary Anning's grave stone. After the tour, we quickly made our way upstairs inside the museum (It was closing) and discovered two people who tu...

Beyond Bones Blog   To read the article about the meeting on the Beyond Bones blog click on either picture.  Or the link at the bottom of this post. Ecoteen earns Girl Scouts' highest honor

  Saturday, March 31st, 2011 Lysorophus: Permian (287 million years ago) burrowing carnivorous amphibian. They would estivate to escape the heat and the dry season. At this site they are found varying in shape and size, curled up in half donut looking burrows. Lung fish and a jaw (may be sillerpeton or Phlegethontia) in same area.  Lysorophus skeletons curled inside semi-donut shaped burrows The first bone found at site Area 51 was actually a neural spine bit from a larger amphibian called Eryops, a carnivore with primitive ear drums. The piece of neural spine was approximately two inches long, lying completely exposed on the east side of Area 51. I spotted the neural spine on my way back to join Dr. Bakker after visiting an "Adventure Bush". Many other bone bits from Eryops were found with the neural spine. A bit further from the Eryops remains appeared to be rocks scattered all over the hill. After taking a closer look, each of these rocks were ful...

Digging for Permian Animals    HMNS Paleo Dig Crew Dr. Robert T. Bakker, Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, David Temple, Myria Perez, Shana Steinhardt, Johnny Castillo         Click for video   Tuffy Dig Site   Fish Scales What could this be?  Maybe skin or amphibian skull? Amphibian Skull or Skin? Dr. Bakker and dimetrodon spine A perfect shed tooth - cool Ooooh....  So this is what you use a compass for! Johnny Castillo Prospecting for Gold? Almost! Prospecting for coprolites! Paleo Bond for all your Paleo needs! Occipital ? Willie Site !! A large dimetrodon.   Multiple sites including Tuffy where many Xenacanth spines have been found. Xenacanth Spines The cows anxiously waiting to be fed before the storm comes in.

  Mary Anning Club at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's GEMS (Girls Exploring Math and Science) Day.  Myself to the left and to the right, the associate curator of paleontology and my mentor, David Temple  My booth, modeled after Mary Anning (A famous Paleontologist from the 1800's), encouraged girls to become excited and interested in earth science.           Sharing to younger Girl Scouts the excitement of Earth Science