earthstory reblogged
Giant ground sloth, Natural History Museum-Summer 2018
earthstory reblogged
3D printed mount of “Sauropodomorph A” at the Antarctic Dinosaurs travelling exhibit (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles). Sauropodomorph A is a still unnamed Sauropodomorph (larger group that contains the Sauropods or “long necked” dinosaurs) from the Early Jurassic period of Antarctica, and is one of the few dinosaurs discovered on the continent so far. It is known from a fairly complete juvenile specimen from Mt. Kirkpatrick. Interestingly, this genus seems most closely related to Ignavusaurus (from southern Africa) rather than the other two known Antarctic Sauropodomorphs (Glacialisaurus, Sauropodomorph B). The most interesting thing about this mount, however, is that it was entirely 3D printed! With modern technology that involves scanning and digitizing fossils, paleontologists no longer have to fully remove fossils from pieces of a matrix, which minimizes the possibility of damage to the fossil. It also allows researchers to “unflatten” fossils, see inside fossils, see between two fossils that may be overlapping each other, and piece together fragmented pieces, all without manipulating and possibly destroying the original fossil. Here, you can see the original fossils of Sauropodomorph A, which may appear as a jumble of rocks to the untrained eye: A rib fragment (bottom left), the tail, most of the torso, arm, and leg (top), as well as the skull and lower jaw (bottom right).
Sophie the Stegosaurus
The most complete skeleton of a young adult stegosaur who died around 150 million years ago is the first whole dinosaur to go on exhibition in over a century in the grand entry hall of London's Natural History Museum's Earth wing (a place I have haunted since childhood, and worked in as a volunteer). She was originally discovered in Wyoming, which was a subtropical forest when Sophie roamed the world.
Sophie was bought from a private dealer, and named after daughter of the hedge fund manager who paid for her. She is a mere 5.6 metres long by 2,9 tall, compared to the largest known specimen that measures over 9 metres.
Before being mounted the bones were CT and laser scanned for research purposes, before being set up to wow those entering that lovely and quirky building. Richard Fortey wrote a worthy book on the back half of the place some years back that I'd recommend to anyone who loves this special place. Owning the most complete known specimen will no doubt allow the museum's scientists to discover some interesting things about how these beasts lived and died.
Loz
Source: facebook.com
evolution_soup
Fossil cast of Turkana Boy at the National History Museum London.
•••••
Turkana Boy, also called Nariokotome Boy, is the name given to fossil KNM-WT 15000, a nearly complete skeleton of a Homo erectus (Homo ergaster) youth who lived at c. 1.5 to 1.6 million years ago. This specimen is the most complete early human skeleton ever found.
•••••
Although only 8 years old at time of death, the boy would have appeared as an adolescent due to a more precocious growth-spurt of this species.
•••••
Source: instagram.com
Source: instagram.com
Natural History Museum, London
- Tyrannosaurus's tiny arms are often joked about. But how did they really use their surprisingly muscular limbs? 🦖 Museum scientist Kieran Miles explains some of the theories on what T. rex's disproportionately small appendages actually were for.
natural_history_museum
Source: instagram.com
National History Museum of London. Needs more feathers.
joshuaballze People ask me, how big were Pterosaurs? And I tell them, "See exhibit A..." From the Natural History Museum here in LA!
earthstory reblogged
Rhamphorhynchus muesteri at the Natural History Museum of LA County.
Rhamphorhynchus is a genus of small, piscivorous (fish-eating) Pterosaur. It’s a very well known genus with fossils found throughout Europe (Bavaria, Germany in particular is known for very well preserved specimens, and is where the pictured specimen was found).
It is one of the oldest Pterosaur discoveries, and therefore it has a history of name changes and misclassofication. The first recorded Rhamphorhynchus fossil was found in 1825, and originally thought to be an ancient bird (It was reclassified as a Pterosaur soon after). It wasn’t until the 1840’s that Rhamphorynchus was recognized as a unique genus and earned it’s name. Despite this resolution, the apparent anatomical variations from hatchling to adult has also caused mass confusion when naming new found specimens.
Recent research suggests they may have been adequate swimmers. This would mean they probably frequently died in or around water, which (along with their fairly small size) would probably be why their fossil record is so rich.
earthstory reblogged
Analog Impressions from the Natural History Museum in Vienna
palaeoart This is a quick video I took in the London Natural History Museum last month. This great display showcases the evolution of Proboscidean molars. Tracking from some of the earliest elephant ancestors - the Eocene Moeritherium - to the more recent but extinct Pleistocene Stegodons and Mammoths. This illustrates 40 million years of molar evolution and how teeth adapted to the different vegetation on offer.
earthstory reblogged
Neoparadoxia is a genus of extinct paleoparadoxid mammal from the Miocene of North America. It falls in the order Desmostylia, the only known order of marine mammals to be completely extinct. It’s closest extant relatives are animals such as elephants and manatees.
The genus contains two known species; N. repenningi and N. cicilialina.
This specific mount of N. cicilialina , located at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, is the most complete Desmostylian skeleton to have been found in North America.
earthstory reblogged
July is the month that Cutesaurus goes to the Natural History Museum, in London, England!
Gosh, the Diplodocus has a long neck.
This was the beast that sparked a scientific revolution: pulled from the cliffs of Lyme Regis in 1811, bartered and sold across England, it now rests in the Natural History Museum in London. It was not the first fossil of its kind found, nor the most impressive, but instead acted as a catalyst for the study and popularity of the reptiles that became known as the dinosaurs.
The siblings, Joseph and Mary Anning, children of curiosity sellers (and later to become the leading field geologists of the period) excavated the skull and torso over a period of a year. Passing from museum to museum, it was chanced upon by Everard Home, who took it upon himself to publish a paper on the unusual animal, which was thought to have perished in the Great Deluge of the Bible. Classifying it perplexed him; he considered it to be an intermediate between crocodiles and fish, something that could be considered a transitional form (although the concept of evolution was unheard-of, this being several decades before Darwin's seminal voyage).
Home's colleagues, Conybeare and De la Beche, originated the name 'Ichthyosaurus platyodon' for the specimen. Modern systemics has led to it being reclassified into the genus Temnodontosaurus, which lived roughly 200 million years ago; ichthyosaurs in general are now known to be a reptile lineage, now extinct, and well-separated from fish and crocodiles, with features that draw comparisons to marine mammals of today (such as live birth). The famous specimen is still on display, and can be seen in the fossil gallery of the Natural History Museum, London.
For information on the discoverers and the Natural History Museum in London, visit: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/science-of-natural-history/biographies/mary-anning/index.html
The illustrations show the skull and torso of the ichthyosaur, and were produced to accompany Everard Home's monograph on the 1811 find (wikimedia commons)
Source: facebook.com
Sophie the Stegosaurus The most complete skeleton of a young adult stegosaur who died around 150 million years ago is about to become the first whole dinosaur to go on exhibition in over a century in the grand entry hall of London's Natural History Museum's Earth wing (a place I have haunted since childhood, and worked in as a volunteer). She was originally discovered in Wyoming, which was a subtropical forest when Sophie roamed the world. Sophie was bought from a private dealer, and named after daughter of the hedge fund manager who paid for her. She is a mere 5.6 metres long by 2,9 tall, compared to the largest known specimen that measures over 9 metres. Before being mounted the bones were CT and laser scanned for research purposes, before being set up to wow those entering that lovely and quirky building. Richard Fortey wrote a worthy book on the back half of the place some years back that I'd recommend to anyone who loves this special place. Owning the most complete known specimen will no doubt allow the museum's scientists to discover some interesting things about how these beasts lived and died. Loz Image credit: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/04/sophie-stegosaurus-london-natural-history-museum