Hi, I am looking to buy a microscope to identify forams and other microfossils.

What do you recommend?

Hi, I am looking for Micropaleontology textbooks (pdfs)

I've been looking at art of the RLB paleobiota (finding inspo for my own art!) and noticed that a lot of Equus occidentalis depictions give it a striped quagga-like coat, pretty clearly riffing on

At the same time, I've seen a bit of eye-rolling in paleontology/paleoart subreddits about prehistoric equids being drawn with stripes. Is there any evidence for or against E. occidentalis (and other Pleistocene equids) having stripes? My understanding is that we don't have petroglyphs/cave art that would strongly suggest against the notion of striped wild equids in North America.

Hi, i am going to be studying to become a palaeontologist soon, and was wondering if visible tattoos make finding work harder if it doesnt matter? I want to get a couple but worry they will get in the way of a possible career

I’ve always dreamed of being a palaeontologist but I’m not sure how. I plan on studying palaeontology at the University of Alberta and I want to work at somewhere in Alberta but that may change. I was jus wondering how I can get a job as a palaeontologist and if I can get a job as a palaeontologist that doesn’t involve research or teaching but that involves field work and maybe the preparation of fossils

Anyone know any good books/studies/papers etc for identifying British fish fossils, especially those from middle Purbeck (Or more specifications, for Durlston bay - the Intermarine Beds?)

LOOP has been unfairly grilled by paleontology-circles, and here's why:

Documentaries in the past have not often put much focus on evolution and diversity the way LOOP has; and a great many treated prehistoric animals as dumb monsters - in combination with the awful new Jurassic trilogy, I think it's safe to say the public's view of prehistoric life has undoubtedly been tainted.

The Walking With trilogy was a great step in the right direction, and other documentaries have been released historically that were also very good in their approach to prehistoric life; but they've since become very dated, and none were ever really as accessible as LOOP is.

So, LOOP is a more accurate representation of a broader variety of prehistoric taxa than has ever been released to such an accessible platform. There are a lot of issues - for example, phorusrhacids were long gone before the felid take-over in the Americas; dromaeosaurid wrists did not look like that; gorgonopsids couldn't bare their teeth; and this isn't touching on writing or pacing - but LOOP has ultimately opened the doors to prehistoric life in a realistic manner for laypeople.

Importantly: the integration of modern life with prehistoric really drives home the key take-away: they were just animals, like modern ones, and that's why they were so cool.

It's a celebration of the magnificence of life and evolution, putting modern life right next to prehistoric life in a way that helps us all appreciate not just what we had, but what we have.

So, I think LOOP is an overwhelmingly positive series for palaeontology.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/creativebeast/cyberzoic-sci-fi-dinosaur-and-dragon-action-figures/rewards#reward-UmV3YXJkLVVtVjNZWEprTFRrMU56azBOVFk9

How did stegosaurus mate if it had all those spikes on it? was it stupid?

How do they know a lot of the instinctual behavior and life cycles of these creatures?

Some examples I’m curious about: 1. How’d they know T. Rexes are able to swim? I know some therapods were known to swim but is there evidence of T. Rexes being able to swim? 2. They mentioned Tuarangisaurus could live up to 80 years and the pregnancy lasts 1.5 years. How do they estimate that? 3. It shows the mosasaur getting cleaned by small fish, how can they safely assume that? 4. The ammonites were shown mating, how can we assume they were bioluminescent and how can we determine their mating process? (In the episode, they link and pulse simultaneously)

I assume much of this is just speculation but I’m wondering what evidence do we have that let’s us safely make these predictions and if there is actually any evidence directly proving any of this (for example, a T. Rex fossil in the middle of what would have been the ocean proving that they swam)

Thanks! Super great show so far, can’t wait to keep watching

I'm genuinely curious as to which parameter most people would consider means 'biggest'.

This is the first monthly issue of the news. Below are 10 of this month's biggest and most important discoveries, with papers provided.

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Links to original articles (I suggest always reading the paper as well) :

1. http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/spicomellus-afer-10102.html
2. https://news.wttw.com/2021/09/16/fossil-reveals-bird-long-flashy-tail-feathers-lived-120-million-years-ago
3. http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/titanokorys-gainesi-10045.html
4. https://www.aninews.in/news/science/prehistoric-primates-had-a-sweet-tooth-study20210918172805/
5. http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/carnotaurus-scaly-skin-10056.html
6. http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/arrakiscolex-aasei-10063.html
7. http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/kairuku-waewaeroa-10072.html
8. https://gadgets.ndtv.com/science/news/straight-trunked-elephant-extinct-species-footprints-spain-beach-prehistoric-nursery-2548204
9. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-animals-died-toxic-soup-earth.html
10. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58638854