Mesozoic Miscellany 58

Robert Krulwich of Radiolab fame wrote a bit about how wild and woolly dinosaurs have become in the last couple decades, featuring illustrations by the likes of Csotonyi, Tamura, and Bogdanov, among others. It's a nice surface overview of how the popular view of prehistoric life is changing due to fossils bearing feathers and other integument. To pick a nit, maybe next time don't call Dimorphodon a dinosaur? Pardon me as I duck the rotten fruit hurled my way by the Pedant Patrol.

Katrina von Grouw's The Unfeathered Bird is at the top of my wishlist of books right now, and James Gurney took a look at it on his blog recently.

Trish Arnold loves The Dinosaurs, the old PBS paleontology doc, especially for its focus on the science of paleontology as it's done.

At TetZoo, Darren Naish wrote about a new pterosaur, Eurazhdarcho. It's another beast from Transylvania, and Darren was on the team to describe its remains, which while very fragmentary are still the most complete azhdarchid remains from Europe.

Australian paleontologist and science journalist Paul Willis wrote about his passion for prehistoric crocodiles at his RiAus blog. Willis also hosts a vodcast, A Week in Science, the most recent episode of which I shall embed here for your viewing pleasure.

A Week in Science with Paul Willis - 8 February 2013 from RiAus on Vimeo.

Marvelling at the diversity of the dinosaurs, Mark Wildman wrote about some notable specialists within their niches at Saurian.

If you're into puzzles, the Lyme Regis museum has a real doozy for you in eighteen pieces.

Skeletal diagram master and all around sharp fella Scott Hartman was interviewed at Jersey Boy Loves Dinosaurs.

Jaime Headden has written a series on the muscles of oviraptorid jaws, wonderfully illustrated. Oviraptorids had crazy skulls. Bonkers. Parts 1, 2, and 3 at The Bite Stuff.

The Prokopi Tarbosaurus smuggling case has progressed, with him finally surrendering his rights to the fossils. A great New Yorker article prompted a response from Victoria Arbour at Pseudoplocephalus. Donald "D-Pro" Prothero also vented his spleen at Skepticblog.

At the RMDRC Paleo Lab blog, Anthony Maltese shared images of a newly completed Protostega mount. Poor guy seems to have attracted the attention of a hungry mosasaur.



The fund drive for Dave Hone's Project Daspletosaurus marches on! Get in on the ground level of this exciting opportunity to reveal the dastardly, cannibalistic ways of the Tyrant Lizards by donating to Hone's Microryza site or purchasing a garment, post card, or sticker from my Redbubble shop. If you have ordered anything from the shop to support the project, feel free to let me or Dave know. If you send a photo of yourself wearing it, I'll even post it so you can let the world know what a cool customer you are! I recently sent the proceeds from the first batch of orders to the Microryza site, and it felt goooooooood. I'd love to do it again.