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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social

@fossilfamilytree.bsky.social
100 followers 244 following 377 posts
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teagan white @teaganwhite.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
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Chris Gug @gugunderwater.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
It’s hard to imagine that this stunningly beautiful larval-stage cardinalfish will metamorphose into one of the most average, common, and most overlooked fish of Bali’s reefs. In other locations, this would be a once-in-a-lifetime prize find on any blackwater dive, but here in Bali, it’s common-ish
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Stephne Tate @quailtea.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Boo! Have a deeply misunderstood friend, the Aye-Aye!
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Some small annoyances in modern (mainly secondary) education: - Taking notes away to grade them (and possibly not returning them) - Giving students fill-in-the-blank notes with 97% of the material already written in - Withholding exams and not letting students see which questions they missed
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PALAEONAVIX @palaeonavix.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Megaloceros in the tundra-woodland transition of today's Central Europe #pleistocene #IceAge #megaloceros #megafauna #quaternary #oilpainting
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Daily birds 86 - Nicobar pigeon
A bird with the grey head of a pigeon that transforms into long spiky feathers and a body with green and orange shiny feathers
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Official Derptiles ➡️ BLFC DD618 @derptiles.art · 10/10/2026
The blue tree monitor! I don’t always draw proper lizard toes, but sometimes it just makes sense, and this is one of those cases!
An illustration of a blue tree monitor in the forest.
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Daily birds 83 - European bee-eater
A bird with a blue belly and a brown cap and wings, a black band over red eyes, yellow cheeks and back and green shoulders and tail
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I like to play point-and-click adventure games with my friends, and this type of puzzle shows up surprisingly often. Every time, I assure my friends I'm good at these, and every time, my friends proceed to sit there watching me push blocks around for 25 minutes as I suffer for my hubris.
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Bethanne Wills @bethannewills.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
@aledthompson.bsky.social ‘s miniature bird series Mandarin Duck! A very extra little guy!
Embroidery of a mandarin duckDrawing of a colorful mandarin duck
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Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 06/10/2026
As promised to @falsemisfortune.bsky.social, fairly translucent gular pouch. Look at how chill those fish are in there! Just having their own little party. Wonder what happens to them next! 🪶
a pelican in the water, profile view, looking to the left, you can see 2 to 4 small fish in their gular pouch
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Going down a Wikipedia hole on fossil deer and I come across Dicrocerus, an early deer that has antlers growing on long bony pedicles. It was one of the first deer to have antlers, and appears to have shed them like modern deer. Very cool, I thought. It helps us understand how antlers evolved.
Dicrocerus skull fossil, with Y-shaped antlers made of two prongs on a long stem that attaches to the roof of the skull. This fossil does not have a lower jaw, but otherwise looks like a typical deer.
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Lecia Michelle @leciamichelle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Today's alt #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BadWeather. A Mexican Violetear hummingbird in the rain. Taken a few years ago in Costa Rica. #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky
Mexican Violetear hummingbird in flight in the rain.
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Pointy Harris Hawk
An angular brown hawk with a hooked yellow beak and long legs perched on a stump
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The word "spider" means "spinner," because when spiders make silk, it looks like a person spinning fiber. However, spiders don't actually rotate their spinnerets or the silk when they "spin." Human spinning, however, is very literal. Spiders are named for a thing that we do. WE are the spiders.
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Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Harlequin Ducks!! So many on rocks! I never get good shots of them. HARLEQUIN DUCKS!
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Daily birds 76 - Northern saw-whet owl
A small rounded brown and white owl with speckled patterns and yellow eyes
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Maryn McKenna @marynmck.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fake. USDA. Seals. Used by an NC meat processing plant on 83.5 TONS of meat. Produced entirely outside the federal inspection system, according to news reports. We are pretty close to The Jungle (second ed.) now, no? www.scrippsnews.com/life/recalls...
scrippsnews.com
Interactive: Meat recall linked to fake USDA labels
Pork, beef and goat products are being recalled after a company allegedly used fake USDA inspection labels. Explore our interactive guide to see which products are affected and what to look for.
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Guilherme Nunes @guilhernunes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
surfing anteater
painting of an anteater surfing, in the background there are buildings
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Third time's the charm! Genuinely, though, it's absurd that of the cases the Federal Supreme Court has had to review in the past month, THREE of those were just Missouri Republicans asking if they can have their gerrymandered map after the State Supreme Court already said no.
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Robert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
#fossilfriday An example of why the ANSP and its collections must be saved. Atlantochelys mortoni, a giant protostegid sea turtle - named in 1849 by Agassiz based on the proximal humerus fragment. In 2012, someone found a large distal humerus that FIT ONTO THE SAME BONE in ANSP collections. 1/ 🦖🧪
The reunited humerus of the gigantic sea turtle Atlantochelys, on display in a museum: you can clearly see the break that happened sometime prior to the 19th century.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Um. The William Penn foundation offered bridge funding to keep the academy of natural sciences open for a year, and the people in charge said “no one is helping things by offering Band-Aids”. Jesus Christ. share.inquirer.com/KXxZTj
share.inquirer.com
William Penn Foundation offers funding to keep Academy of Natural Sciences museum open
A Drexel spokesperson did not say whether the school had declined the offer, but said, “No proposal has been presented that would provide a permanent, sustainable path forward" for the museum.
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
c.org/9jzw5FhGpw I realize change.org petitions aren't often that effective at making meaningful change, but at the very least, it helps to spread awareness of the issue and show the people who see it that they aren't alone.
c.org
Sign the Petition
Save the Sternberg Museum of Natural History from Closure
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Pip Wren @lollibeepop.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A joyous fat bear week to all 🐻
A painting of fat blobby bears
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Daily birds 69 - Northern Shoveler
A duck with a broad beak and a green head, white body with a brown patch and pointy black tips
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Lecia Michelle @leciamichelle.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Today's #BirdoftheDay theme is #divers. This cutie is a Ruddy Duck, a diving duck. I hope I get to see them this winter. #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky
Ruddy duck with dark brown feathers and bill and tan feathers striped across its face swimming in lake.
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Have you ever tried to read a scientific journal article and been told “you don’t have access, pay to download this article?” Did you know that the author of that article gets $0 if you pay? Instead, you can email the author and ask for a free copy! I’d be delighted to help and answer questions!
Screenshot of a scientific journal paywall
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
One of the most surreal experiences I've ever had was the time some friends were trying to get hook out of a thrashing shark's mouth. I suggested they might calm the shark by turning it over and rubbing its belly, and no one (including me) really thought that would work, but it absolutely did.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Attention Philadelphia! We need your help saving the Academy of Natural Sciences! The Save the Academy Coalition needs volunteers to help hand out organizing flyers in front of the museum this weekend, Sept 25-27. Please sign up here if you can take a shift! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
Help Save the Academy: Volunteer to talk with visitors and hand out flyers at the Academy.
Sign up for a shift outside the Academy of Natural Sciences during its last open days: Fridays to Sundays, Sept 18 to 20 and 25 to 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Volunteers will be on the ground outside the Ac...
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Cinereous Vulture
An angular vulture with dark brown feathers and a bald pale head perched on a broken stump
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Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 18/09/2026
Humaning.
A four-panel comic. In panel 1, a Northern Cardinal and American Goldfinch perch above a busy crowd in a city, looking down. The cardinal says "It's a nice day to go humaning." The goldfinch says "Just look at them. Majestic." In panel 2, a close-up of the two birds. The cardinal says "Nobody tells you that you'll reach a certain age and suddenly get into humaning. I hit 3 years old, and then bam."The birds are looking out over the crowd scene. In panel 3, the cardinal says "Their calls sound funny to us, but each one has a unique meaning." Below, people are saying various things: "I'm tired." "Where's my phone?" "I'd murder a burrito." In panel 4, the birds look down excitedly at a man walking by. The cardinal says "Wait, is that a guy who got dressed in the dark and put his shirt on inside out and backwards?" And the goldfinch exclaims, "Holy... that's a lifer!"
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I find it very funny that the earliest, most primitive bat fossils we have just look like fully-formed modern bats. You would think, given how well-preserved these fossils are, and how heavily modified bat bodies are, that we'd have SOME intermediate forms, but no, we just don't.
Onychonycteris, a 52 million year old bat fossil from the Green River Formation of Wyoming. It doesn't have visible soft tissues, but you can see the skeletal outline of the bat with its folded wings formed from elongated fingers. The fossil has a long tail, legs splayed out to the side, and wide chest, and a relatively long snout.Icaronycteris, a fossil bat with a slightly shorter snout and tail, but otherwise very similar to the Onychonycteris fossil; it too has fully-formed wings and most of the anatomy one would expect of a bat.
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I was just on an AI chatbot call, and the thing made fake typing noises while it was generating an answer. That's not charming, it's gross. Don't drape a human skin over your robot -- if you're going to gouge your human workers, at least be honest about what you're replacing them with.
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I'm increasingly convinced that domestic dogs, wolves, and coyotes are just slight variations on the same animal. That's not to say we should treat wolves and coyotes as interchangeable, or as pets, but rather that we should view all three as varieties of highly social wolves.
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Helen Alexander @bawley.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Galah. Funniest bird without even trying.
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Miniature birds 59 - Common Goldeneye
A duck with a green head and brown and white feathers flying in side profile
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Menestune @menestune.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
When you weigh 500 lbs and walk on legs that look like stilts, it's no small thing to lie down. As this elk was kind enough to do right in front of our trail camera. Look at those antlers! #mammals #nature #deer #love #trailcam #Seattle #BeKind #wildanimals #goodnight #PNW #nokings #wildlife #elk
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Jonathan C Slaght @jonathanslaght.com · 13/09/2026
#BirdOfTheDay theme is #AngryBirds, any bird with an angry face. Here is a female Merlin from my #Minneapolis neighborhood in 2017, about to receive a dead songbird from her mate
female Merlin with tail feathers fanned, about to receive a prey delivery from her mate, Minneapolis, 2017, photo (c) Jonathan Slaght
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Really good stamp from @bittelmethis.bsky.social
Possum playing possum stamp
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Miniature birds 56 - Secretary bird
A tall bird with grey, black and white colouring
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Natee (they/them) @himmapaan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Light pencil sketch of a barnacle goose standing on rocky ground with wild grasses.
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Sandy Horne @sandyhorne.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Another wedge-tailed eagle photo taken on my drive up to Roxby Downs.
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Gusya @angrygooseberry.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
fish! fish! fish!
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🇨🇦 l.faraday 🇨🇦 @mizati.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
A perfect capture of a raven and the moon by British Columbia photographer Shelley Lewis. #Canada Goodnight
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Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Forest Raven
A black bird with a blue sheen and pale blue eye perched on a branch
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Brian ☀️🌏🌘 @balail.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Whistling Ducks #photography #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #thelittlethings
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 10/09/2026
🚨 HAPPENING NOW: The Missouri Supreme Court is holding a contempt hearing for Secretary of State Denny Hoskins over his handling of the state's congressional map fight. Watch live: demdock.com/46c910B
courts.mo.gov
Dockets and Oral Arguments
When the Supreme Court of Missouri or the Missouri Court of Appeals considers cases, it lists them on a “docket” for a particular day. Many cases receive “oral argument,” in which the judges ask questions and the parties have limited time to persuade th...
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David C. Simon @davidcsimon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Refusing to be upstaged by the other animals at Taronga Zoo, these wild Australian Wood Ducklings said "You want cute? WE'LL SHOW YOU CUTE!" #birds
Photograph of a female Australian Wood Duck with 11 (eleven!) ducklings foraging for greenery growing between flagstones. The ducklings are dark brown and white and very fuzzy with stripes on their face that resemble their mother's. The mother is mottled brown and cream with a solid brown head except for white stripes above and below the eyes.

Not pictured: The adult male duck (except for one foot at the very top of frame), and EVEN MORE DUCKLINGS (my lens was not wide enough).Photo of one of the ducklings trying to pull greenery from between flagstones. Its large feet are forward as it braces for the effort involved.Photo of two of the ducklings, one standing upright, the other with a leg raised as it walks. Both are looking in the general direction of the viewer.
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fossilfamilytree.bsky.social @fossilfamilytree.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The latest update is that Hoskins is trying to weasel his way out of being held in contempt of the state supreme court by asking for federal court to protect him, after the federal supreme court declined to hear the challenge to the state supreme court's decision.
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Stefscribbles @stefscribbles.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
<3
a drawing of a kakapo with her baby
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