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dr-crocogator.bsky.social

@dr-crocogator.bsky.social
118 followers 33 following 83 posts

Paleontologist at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Fossils are the best, like, really the best.

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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! This week we did CROCtoberfest at @badweatherbrew.bsky.social We brought cool #fossil #crocodiles from the Science Museum of Minnesota, there were live #alligators, I gave a talk on my croc research from #Germany and we even got to hold a lil’ gator. Good times and good brews! 🐊
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! 🐊🐊🐊 We are gearing up for Croctoberfest, TOMORROW at @badweatherbrew.bsky.social We’re bringing a BUNCH of fun #fossil #crocodiles from the Science Museum of Minnesota. We’ll be there 12-4pm (Saturday, Sept 19) plus a special presentation at 5pm. Come say hi! 🐊🐊🐊
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! The big #Minnesota State Fair has wrapped and alongside the #dinosaur exhibit & outreach, we did 6 TV interviews plus quotes for a magazine and a newspaper. It’s been great exposure for the Science Museum of Minnesota and a fun opportunity for folks to learn about ancient life!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Right now, you can see some of the Lyle Mammoth on exhibit at the #Minnesota State Fair, part of the Science Museum’s Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit at the North End Event Center. It was found in 1996 by William Lyle and included a skull, both tusks, vertebrae, ribs and a femur 🦣
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Come check out the Science Museum of Minnesota’s exhibit Ultimate Dinosaurs at the Minnesota State Fair, it’s up the whole time at the North End Event Center! It features 16 Dino skeletons from the southern hemisphere and SO much more!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Why’d the Giant Beaver lose its head? Because it’s going to the Minnesota State Fair! Our actual Giant Beaver skeleton is traveling to the North End Event Center, in the Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit, celebrating it officially becoming our State Fossil. Come see it for yourself! 🦫
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! The outreach continues! Today I presented for a summer youth program hosted at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota. We covered lots of dinos, Ice Age beasts, the state fossil and a titanic snake. Such a great crowd!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! This past week the paleo team from the Science Museum of Minnesota was at TWO breweries talking science! First up was Bad Weather Brewing for their Summer Block Party then Indeed Brewing last night to do a talk & table on #dinosaurs (and other ancient life). Great times! 🦖🍻
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! This past weekend I drove up to the Cuyuna Rock & Mineral Club (Breezy Point, #Minnesota) to give a talk about Minnesota’s State Fossil, the Giant #Beaver. 🦫🦫🦫 They were a great crowd with lots of fun rocks! 🪨 🪨🪨
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Check out the holotype (first of its kind) for Kosmodraco dakotensis! It’s about 60 million yrs old from #NorthDakota, collected in the 1970s, from an extinct reptile line called choristoderes, amazingly bizarre with no living relatives, at the Science Museum of Minnesota
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Check out some recent finds from fieldwork in #NorthDakota! A claw, tooth, and osteoderms (armor plates) of Borealosuchus + some turtle shell. These are all about 60 million years old from life’s recovery phase after the big extinction that ended the Age of the Dinosaurs.
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Check out these cast lower and upper jaws of Procoptodon, the giant, short-faced kangaroo of #Australia, at the Science Museum of Minnesota! One species (P. goliah) could get over 8 feet tall! These herbivores went extinct about 45,000 yrs ago, possibly due to human hunting.
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Check out this holotype (first of its kind) of Borealosuchipus, an extinct #crocodile track from #NorthDakota, about 60 million years ago, in the vault at the Science Museum of Minnesota. It shows 2 hind and 2 fore feet prints plus a belly slide! Happy #WorldCrocDay on June 17!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Check out this lovely extinct rhino skeleton, Menoceras, on exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota! It lived about 20 million years ago, and is likely female since it’s lacking the pair of nose horns found in males. We also have a preserved Menoceras bone bed on display!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Today a team from the Science Museum of Minnesota went to Garden City Elementary school in Brooklyn Center, #Minnesota to talk about the fun & interesting science careers at the museum. I, of course, brought some fun #fossils to share. Great to talk to so many kids!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! This week, the paleo team from the Science Museum of Minnesota was at Beaver Fest, at lovely Carleton College in Northfield, #Minnesota. It was our 3rd year there but the first with the Giant Beaver as Minnesota’s official state fossil. Such a good time!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Our Giant Beaver skeleton just moved to its new spot in the fossil gallery (now on level 3) at the Science Museum of Minnesota. This skeleton of a juvenile Castoroides was found right here in St Paul & lived at the end of the last Ice Age. New signage will be next!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Mother’s Day is coming up so check out this gorgeous fossil mother croc we published from Geiseltal, Germany! It’s a 45 million year old Diplocynodon amazingly preserved with 5 of her eggs. Now also published in Dean Lomax’s book Secret Lives of Dinosaurs!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Last night the Science Museum of Minnesota had its big Science Celebration night. We of course brought out lots of cool #fossils, including from our recent fieldwork and the new state fossil. Thanks to all who came and helped out to make the evening a success!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! We have a new publication out this week on extinct #crocodiles! We revise a bunch of higher level group names and propose an all new one to help streamline discussion of evolution in this awesome group of crocs! 🐊🐊🐊 Message if you want a copy! academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
academic.oup.com
The systematics and nomenclature of Tethysuchia (Archosauria: Crocodylomorpha) under the International Code of Phylogenetic Nomenclature
Abstract. Over the past two decades, numerous species of tethysuchian crocodyliforms have been described, and their phylogenetic relationships have increas
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! The paleo crew from the Science Museum of Minnesota has been attending the annual meeting of the Association for Materials & Methods in Paleontology here in Bismarck, #NorthDakota! Great time presenting and learning about fossil methods & winning trivia!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Meet Ptilodus, an extinct mammal from ~60 million yrs ago. They’ve been found across western North America, including the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Wannagan Creek site in #NorthDakota. They had blade teeth in their lower jaw and were roughly the size of a squirrel. 🐿️
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! International Beaver Day is April 7, so check out this lovely incisor of the giant #beaver from Freeborn County, #Minnesota! It’s the southernmost record from the state, found on a farm when digging a sump pit in 1958. From the vault at the Science Museum of Minnesota!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Today I had the priveledge of talking #dinosaurs on the @jasonshowtv.bsky.social with great #fossils from the Science Museum of Minnesota. We talked tiny heads on sauropods, dome-headed pachycephalosaurs and, of course, T. rex, fun times!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Very happy to have a grant-funded summer position open at the Science Museum of Minnesota! Apply here for a great chance to work in our Paleontology Dept + good volunteer opportunities to join us in the field in North Dakota & Montana! recruiting.ultipro.com/SCI1003/JobB...
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! It’s almost #StPatricksDay, so check out this impressive skull of Megaloceros, the extinct #Irish Elk! They lived during the Ice Ages and males had antlers up to 11 feet across! Their antlers alone could weigh over 70 pounds! On display at the @lapworthmuseum.bsky.social
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! This lovely horse tooth from the Wright County Historical Society is the final part of our dozen horse teeth being analyzed for potential Ice Age horses in #Minnesota! Part of research at the Science Museum of Minnesota funded by the MN Legacy Amendment.
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! We picked up another #fossil #horse tooth from the Goodhue County Historical Society, part of research at the Science Museum of Minnesota to see if horses lived in #Minnesota during the Ice Age. Thanks in part to funds from the MN Legacy Amendment.
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Yesterday we went from the Science Museum of Minnesota to the Crow Wing Historical Society to pick up this beautiful #fossil #horse tooth. This is part of a project to determine if horses lived with the first people in #Minnesota! Funded in part by the MN Legacy Amendment.
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! The Science Museum of Minnesota’s T. rex is in the #Olympic spirit and testing its skills at curling! #Minnesota’s own are representing team USA in Italy right now, but you can see this majesty for yourself at the museum!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Many thanks to @iknowdino.bsky.social for the spotlight on the Science Museum of Minnesota with everything that's been happening in #Minnesota. We appreciate the support and acknowledgement that everything here is affected by this, even #dinosaur #paleontology. iknowdino.com
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Last night the Science Museum of Minnesota held a fashion-themed science night. Paleo connected w/ the shark tooth necklace, worn by many across the world, for many years people have expressed themselves w/ sharks. Pics 2 & 3 show off my part at the herps & fishes table!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Check out this lovely megalodon tooth from South Carolina! 🦈 It shows off the shark’s size & has great serration preservation (an adaptation for whale-eating! 🐋). This is just one of many #fossils recently donated to the Science Museum of Minnesota. Stay tuned for more!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Fossil fans may know about #stromatolites, remains of bacteria that go back billions of years. But they are still alive, even in #Minnesota! This specimen is less than 10,000 yrs old (at the Science Museum of Minnesota) and will be the subject of an upcoming study. Stay tuned!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! Ice Age horses in #Minnesota? Maybe! They’ve never been verified but these lovely horse teeth from the Science Museum of Minnesota and more will be headed for carbon dating to find out if they are, thanks to funding from the MN Historical Society (and MN Legacy Amendment).
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Happy #FossilFriday! In honor of the World Juniors Hockey Championship happening across the street now, the Science Museum of Minnesota’s #Trex got a new hockey stick. Not sure how it’ll get the skates on, but it’s ready for some action!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! Part 3 from the @childrensmuseum.bsky.social in #Indiana! Seriously so much there even beyond the Dinosphere, from giant ammonites to marine reptiles (this one is Plioplatecarpus) to Dracorex to a local Mastodon. Floor after floor, there is more to find!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! Part 2 from the @childrensmuseum.bsky.social: the DinoSphere! Such an amazing packed exhibit with lots of mounted skeletons (including real fossils) and loads of extra displays jammed into every space. Sooo many #dinosaurs! Highly recommend a visit! 🦖🦕
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! Not long ago I got to visit the @childrensmuseum.bsky.social and see all their #dinosaurs! Right off the bat you get this family of 3 Alamosaurus sculptures. So much great detail on these 70-ish million years old sauropods. Stay tuned for some more from this awesome #museum!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! A little while back some of us from the Science Museum of Minnesota visited the Southern Minnesota Museum of Natural History (@smmnh.sky.social) in Blue Earth, #Minnesota. Nice place with a great cast of Lythronax (type of tyrannosaur), touchable footprints and so much more!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! Turkeys, like other birds, have fused toe bones (metatarsals). In their ancient cousin, T. rex, the bones are separate but still bare a lot of similarity to parts of the turkey, because they share a common ancestor. Can you see the family resemblance?
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! We are back from another great meeting of the @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social , this year in Birmingham, #England. We presented a poster each on collections problem-solving and 3D prints for outreach + loved getting to see the @lapworthmuseum.bsky.social
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! We’re in #England for a conference and went to the #Jurassic Coast, in Lyme Regis. The shore here has loads of #fossil marine creatures from about 150 million years ago, like ammonites and belemnites, home of famed paleontologist Mary Anning in the early 1800s.
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! It’s #GarWeek so check out these 50 million year old #gar fish from #Utah at the Science Museum of Minnesota! This genus, Lepisosteus, goes back to the Cretaceous and is still swimming today! Thanks to @bellmuseum.bsky.social & @garlab.bsky.social for hyping these cool #fish!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! It’s the last day of #Croctober so check out this amazing cast Macrospondylus 🐊, from the #Jurassic of #Germany at the Science Museum of Minnesota! It lived about 180 million years ago and would have spent nearly its whole life at sea, & even had super reduced front legs!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! It’s #Croctober, so check out these #fossil teeth of Thoracosaurus at the Science Museum of Minnesota, an extinct #croc from the end of the age of the #dinosaurs and a bit after, that’s right, it survived the mass extinction! All from #SouthCarolina!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! This week the paleo team from the Science Museum of Minnesota was out picking up ancient #Bison bones here in #Minnesota! 🦬🦬🦬 The bones are in the river itself, which has zero visibility, so they have to be found by feel. A little chilly & mucky but some cool fieldwork!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! It’s #Croctober so check out these #fossils of the ‘Terror Croc’ Deinosuchus! These’re from South Carolina, about 80 million years ago, now at the Science Museum of Minnesota, incl. osteoderms (armor plates), & parts of 2 vertebrae from this croc that reached up to 35 feet long!
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Recently the #paleontology team from the Science Museum of Minnesota + Hill Annex Paleontology Project visited the Southern Minnesota Museum of Natural History in Blue Earth, #Minnesota and made the local news! Check it out! www.faribaultcountyregister.com/news/local-n...
faribaultcountyregister.com
Blue Earth Museum has some special guests
The Southern Minnesota Museum of Natural History in Blue Earth, often called the Dinosaur Museum, had some very special guests come and visit recently. It was a group of professional and amateur paleo...
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dr-crocogator.bsky.social @dr-crocogator.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Happy #FossilFriday! This past weekend the paleo team from the Science Museum of Minnesota brought a bunch of fun #fossils to the annual show of the #Minnesota Mineral Club. We had fun talking #dinosaurs 🦕, #crocodiles 🐊, Giant #Beavers 🦫 (the new state fossil!) and sooo much more!
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