Mesozoic Miscellany #25

And we're back. April's here, which for me means the return of some of my favorite mimids. It seems the first on the scene is the Brown Thrasher. But you're not here to hear about my backyard birding exploits, are you?

New Research

ZT is here. Dave Hone of Archosaur Musings fame is the lead author on the description of a new giant tyrannosaur from China, Zuchengtyrannus. Described from a maxilla and dentary, this broadens our understanding of the tyrannosaur's range. How long before some wisacre paleontologist names one Darthtyrannus? More at Archosaur Musings, naturally, and at Dinosaur Tracking.

A smaller tyrant is in the news, too; the Nanotyrannus skull at Cleveland Museum of Natural History has been CT scanned. More at Palaeoblog, written by CMNH's own Michael Ryan, and Saurian.

Around the Dinoblogosphere
Everything Dinosaur: The ED team has written a good summary post of Oxalaia, the new Brasilian spinosaur.

Rappy's Review Board: Rappy Winters watches the Dinotopia TV series... so you don't have to.

Other Branch: For a more enjoyable trip to Dinotopia, read Ian's review of Journey to Chandara.

Project Dryptosaurus: Keep up with new happenings with Gary Vecchiarelli's quest to bring back Dryptosaurus, and a partnership with Terry of JP Legacy!

Tetrapod Zoology: Darren Naish has a bit of April Fool's fun with Mokole-Mbembe.

Chinleana: Bill Parker does the same, reporting the cancellation of the Triassic, that woefully neglected period when the earliest dinosaurs evolved.

Paleo Illustrata: Check out Stu Pond's new Allosaurus sketch.

The Great Cretaceous Walk: "Professional fossil collectors, looking to sell the tracks to a buyer, went to the site and cut out the tracks with a rock saw." There's a teaser for you! Read Tony's harrowing tale of scientific scandal at the Great Cretaceous Walk.

Saurian: Meet Misty Bluff, home locality to Baryonyx.

ART Evolved: Andrey Atuchin shares some incredible pieces he's done of Permian reptiles from Russia. Typically gorgeous work from one of my favorite young paleoartists. Also, David Maas contributes a great promo image to Ask A Biologist.

The Guardian: Brian Switek explores the evidence for pack-hunting behavior in dromaeosaurs.

Laelaps: Switek also announced his new book Date with a Dinosaur, which will surely be of interest to all of us dinosaur lovers, no matter what our knowledge level is.

Clever Apes: As reported yesterday here, WBEZ Chicago's Clever apes, hosted by Gabriel Spitzer interviews Paul Sereno of University of Chicago, who thankfully slams the "bunny hand syndrome." And he drops a hint about his current research... into a burrowing carnivore! Spitzer also gets a healthy dose of the funnies from plucky up-and-coming Windy City comic Dan Telfer, who has honed his "The Best Dinosaur" bit. Really, if you haven't purchased Telfer's Fossil Record yet, you're a buffoon of the highest order.

Skeletal Drawing: Scott Hartman pleads for artists not to subject theropods to horribly broken tails!

Dinosaur National Monument: Dan Chure announces the date for the Quarry Visitor Center's grand re-opening.

New blog alert! The Dinophile: Swiss Edition is a new one written by Yale student Ariel Revan. Check out her adventures in Switzerland with the holotype of Stegosaurus.

Twit Picks
Assorted gems from my week of tweeting:

• Reading the most epic - in the strict meaning of the word - autobio in all of dinosaur paleontology.
• From earlier this month, my post on the Utah "dinosaur" petroglyph that's been in the news this week.
• A eudicot from the Early Cretaceous of China, new in Nature.
• Really enjoyed this musing on creationism by @johnhawks. Great perspective regarding belief systems.
• Chinleana: Middle Triassic Lobsters from the Netherlands
• Louisville Fossils and Beyond: shares a beautiful Plumulina "Mystery Animal" Fossil
• You don't see this bird and just shrug and shuffle off into another day of tedium. It *changes* you. Forever.

Paleoart of the Week
Matt Van Rooijen's new Quetzalcoatlus is a no-brainer for this spot in the roundup. I love the humor implicit in the great difference of scale between the titanic pterosaur and its lunch, Champsosuchus.


Copyright Matt Van Rooijen. Used with the his permission.

Outrageously Off-Topic Indulgence
I'm a sucker for well done period dramas, and Downton Abbey is a great one. It starts just before World War I and deals with the massive societal changes in England and how they affected members of all classes. Check it out.