iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

That's a good point - at this point, purely descriptive; I am at the point of scoring what we can see, but nothing that requires that much wrt exact measurements. I 'wanted' to piece it all together, but I kept running into the 'do I really need to'

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

This kind of reconstruction would take a bit of time, and I am not sure if others have encountered this or not - any advice or thoughts on cost/benefit of 'rebuilding' these elements? Just looking to croudsource some thoughts/experiences of others! (2 of 2)

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Hi paleo pals, I have a CT dataset where each of the bones has numerous cracks such that the bone is in a very slight 'exploded diagram' like displacement. Question: should I reconstruct the specimens by moving each isolated fragment digitally to remove as much of the space as possible? (1 of 2)

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Take a look at this wonderful piece featuring Ahvaytum! Be sure to check out the other works by @stavrossk.bsky.social

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

That is a stunning composition! Thanks for bringing these extinct critters to life through your art.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Really great story by Taylar Stagner (Grist) @siisiiko.bsky.social on restoration of buffalo as an integral part of the ecosystem and the Eastern Shoshone' vote to classify buffalo as wildlife. Important read. apnews.com/article/wyom...

apnews.com

In Wyoming, the Eastern Shoshone tribe decided to classify buffalo as wildlife. Here is why

Earlier this month, the Eastern Shoshone voted to classify buffalo as wildlife instead of livestock.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

pretty amazing work by @akufner.bsky.social (and others) on the #taphonomy of a metoposaurid mass mortality assemblage from the Late Triassic Popo Agie Fm.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

🤯 I grow my own, but, heard. Is this like not wanting to convert to metric... "i don't know how many litres my gas tank is?!!" all I know is when the handle goes click it is full...

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

This is an awesome group of people doing some really good work in sci-comm and beyond! Follow them and see what kind of shenanigans we get up to!

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Another fun paper on deep(er) time mechanistic ecological modeling by Deak and co-authors!

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Agreed, that's the power ichnology: Capturing the hidden biodiversity through traces life leaves behind. To bad this, like the poor rabbit, is a short lived story... if only this one could be preserved in the fossil record it would live on.

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Reposted by Dave Lovelace

Richard Butler @richardjbutler.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Also true in palaeontology. In the UK, there is a risk averse approach to funding fieldwork by funding panels: as a result, field-based palaeontological work is in steep decline (along with taxonomy and systematics). Where will we end up if no-one is generating primary data anymore?

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

You're killing it Xavier, this is awesome!

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

and another great study. can't wait to see this incorporated in very paleo!

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

ok, this is just straight up badass.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Vert paleo here... there is a huge element of time that is implicit in the answers. Yes, we have some very good fossil record from mountains (usually intamontane basins as mentioned above) from 40+ mya, more from more recent, and exceedingly rarer the deeper in time you go... pesky erosion.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

some of the oldest dinosaurs in the northern hemisphere are from coeval cave deposits! See Simms and Drost, 2024.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

with a Native community, start with an understanding of the six R's. Then, if your idea tracks well under that framework, reach out! I honestly think this holds true for just about any relationship with any community - it is a good way to work with people. tribalcollegejournal.org/the-six-rs-o...

tribalcollegejournal.org

The Six Rs of Indigenous Research

Respect, relationship, representation, relevance, responsibility, and reciprocity are the cornerstone principles in a new conceptual framework that offers a powerful guideline for those conducting res...

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Collabs can often be more transactional, one-time events that don't lead to relationship building. Long-term partnerships help to build trust and respect over time and, ideally, yield greater benefits to the Native partners than to you as a non-Native. So, if you have an idea or reason to partner

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

This is a poster we presented last year at SVP drive.google.com/file/d/1PtY3... that walks through our 1st steps to partnership and might be of help. But please keep in mind the difference between collaboration and a long-term partnership. I've been warned that collabs often benefit the non-native.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

director of Native Relations at UW-Madison when i first asked a similar question. You may be well aware already (but i wasn't) of the four R's [or now six R's as one of my co-authors shared with me] but that is where i would start. Read, digest, think, then act with those core principles in mind.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Thank you. I've been very fortunate to have kind and gracious partners who have been understanding of any missteps as i leaned into the idea of decolonizing scientific practices inherent in field based research. I'll pass on the first piece of advice i received from the former

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

I want to thank @serpenillus.bsky.social Gabriel Ugueto for yet another amazing reconstruction of an extinct taxon from the Popo Agie Formation! Absolutely stunning.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Conclusion: Trace fossil evidence supports a global distribution of dinosauromorphs prior to the Carnian Pluvial Episode (234-232 Ma) and the oldest saurischian body fossils show a global distribution by ca 230 Ma. (fin)

Blue sky above an outcrop of mudstone that is purple in color. A tent-like structure is seen in the foreground and several people working on the outcrop are seen in distance.

Two people prospecting for fossils on a purple and red mudstone outcrop

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

…are shared with the Popo Agie which adds a sauropodomorph and at least 2 rhynchosaurs (doi.org/10.3390/d150...) to a fauna that mirrors dinosaur-bearing faunas from Gondwana suggesting a more cosmopolitan distribution of these clades than previously recognized. (17/x)

Figure 10. Paleogeography of 12 Pangaean basins with Carnian-aged vertebrate assemblages (A) and the relative distribution of 11 clades (B) across north and south latitudes. Areal representation of Triassic strata exposed at Earth’s surface (macrostrat.org) (C) coincides with the total metazoan record for the entire Triassic (D), only the Carnian (E), and the Carnian amniote record (F). (PaleobioDB.org; accessed Feb, 2024; Supporting Information, Data S1). Four palaeobiogeographic maps demonstrate the spatial distribution of amniote clades that are: largely water bound (G), small bodied (H), or large bodied forms (I, J). Circles = present, blank = unknown, ? = uncertainties exist (age control, taxonomic status, etc.). Silhouettes from Phylopic.org; credits provided in Supporting Information, Text S1.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Recent work (doi.org/10.1130/B368...) supports a Carnian to Carnian-Norian boundary age for classic lower Dockum Group Otis Chalk quarries whose fauna includes the theropod dinosaur *Lepidus*, aetosaurs, and allokotosaurs. Silesaurs, *Buettnererpeton bakeri*, and *Parasuchus*...(16/x)

From Lovelace et al., 2024: https://doi.org/10.1130/B36807.1 Figure 8. Hypothesized chronostratigraphic relations of Late Triassic rocks in the Mountain West and High Plains, USA. Blue asterisklaser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry; red asterisk—chemical abrasion–thermal ionization mass spectrometry. Cnty—County; Mb.—Member; PEFO—Petrified Forest National Park; Fm.—Formation; SS—sandstone.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

As part of this study we scanned the type specimen of *Lepidus* in order to digitally separate the astragalus from the distal tibia/fibula to observe previously hidden morphology which is now coded in our matrix. Resultant scan data and reconstructions are hosted on Morphosource,org, (15/x)

Fig. S5. 3D model from μCT scan (segmented in Dragonfly 2022.2) of the left astragalocalcaneum of Lepidus praecisio (TxVP41936-1; Loc. 41936, Dockum Site 7 general; Dockum Group; Triassic; collected by Works Progress). Orthographic views in (a) proximal (dorsal), (b) distal (ventral), (c) posterior, and (d) medial views.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

The presence of a silesaurid is not unexpected considering traces of *Atriepus*, commonly considered to represent dinosaur-like trace makers such as silesaurids, are known from early-mid Late Triassic strata around the globe, and now known from the Jelm FM a few m below the Popo Agie FM. (14/x)

Figure 5. UWGM 7435 (left) is an isolated slab containing a single tridactyl pes and possible manus impression attributed to an AtreipusGrallator plexus tracemaker from the upper Jelm Formation, Natrona County, WY, USA. A digital surface-depth map (right) produced in METASHAPE (v.2.0.3; Agisoft) from surface light-scans demonstrates the depth and toe pad delineations of pes (p) digits II–IV. The manus impression may be present (m?); other than a very slight depression there are no morphological features to confidently identify it as such. Scale bar is in 1-cm increments. Data reposited on Morphosource.org, ID: 000607578.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

We also report an indeterminate sulcimentasaurian silesaurid from the same site which is another first for the Popo Agie Fm (and possibly tied for oldest dinosaur in NA if you believe our phylogeny 😉). (13/x)

Figure 4. Photographs of sulcimentisaurian silesaurid elements from the Garrett’s Surprise locality. Distal end of a left humerus UWGM 7550 (A–E) in (A) anterior, (B) posterior, (C) medial, (D) lateral, (E) and distal views. Proximal end of a right femur UWGM 7407 (F–J) in (F) proximal, (G) anterolateral, (H) posteromedial, (I) posterolateral, and ( J) anteromedial views. Abbreviations: alt, anterolateral tuber; amt, anteromedial tuber; at, anterior trochanter; dlt, dorsolateral trochanter; ect, ectepicondyle; ent, entepicondyle; g, groove; gt, ‘greater trochanter;’ ipmt, incipient posteromedial tuber; n, notch; rc, radial condyle; uc, ulnar condyle. Arrows point in the anterior direction. Scale bar equals 1 cm.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

All of that is to say, we don’t really have much to say on the phylogeny of early ornithodirans, just that Ahvaytum seems to group with some traditional early sauropodomorphs like Eoraptor and Buriolestes. Statistical support for most nodes is low. (12/x)

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Our character matrix is derived from work by Garcia and colleagues doi.org/10.1002/ar.2... which was selected for its wide taxonomic sample of early avemetatarsalians. Plus - we added some sauropodomorphs. Although silesaurids come out as early ornithischians, we remain agnostic. (11/x)

Figure 8. Strict consensus tree of avemetatarsalians and Euparkeria capensis using the combined OTU of Ahvaytum bahndooiveche obtained through maximum parsimony implemented in TNT v.1.5. The shaded interval (left) is the approximate duration of the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE), and the shaded interval (right) is the ‘Norian gap’ in the dinosaur record. Branches with filled in dots indicate northern hemisphere taxa and branches with hollow dots indicate southern hemisphere taxa. Dots at the end of branches are the approximate earliest occurrences of each taxon. For any higher taxon labels with two names, the latter name represents a widely used taxon that in the current analyses would be a junior synonym of the former. Statistical support values at nodes are: Bremer support decay indices/bootstrap resampling/jackknife resampling. All nodes with resampling values less than 15 indicate low support. Ahvaytum bahndooiveche and UWGM 7407+7550 are indicated in bold text.

Figure 9. Consensus tree of avemetatarsalians and Euparkeria capensis using the combined OTU of Ahvaytum bahndooiveche obtained through Bayesian inference implemented in MrBayes v.3.2.6. The shaded interval (left) is the approximate duration of the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE), and the shaded interval (right) is the ‘Norian gap’ in the dinosaur record. Branches with filled in dots indicate northern hemisphere taxa and branches with hollow dots indicate southern hemisphere taxa. Dots at the end of branches are the approximate earliest occurrences of each taxon. For any higher taxon labels with two names, the latter name represents a widely used taxon that in the current analyses would be a junior synonym of the former. Statistical support values at nodes are posterior probabilities. All nodes with posterior probability < 0.5 were considered poorly supported and thus collapsed. The fully bifurcated tree can be found in Supporting Information, Fig. S3 in Text S1. Ahvaytum bahndooiveche and UWGM 7407+7550 are indicated in bold text.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Side note: Simms and Drost (2024) present data that shows karst deposits in the UK that produce *Thecodontosaurus, Pantydraco*, and *Pendraig* are dominantly Carnian in age, but precise age control on these specimens remains elusive doi.org/10.1016/j.pa... (10/x)

From the original paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112041 Fig. 7. Triassic chronostratigraphy and radiometric dates (with 2σ errors) from Triassic caves at Cromhall and Garwa quarries. The coloured boxes represent the mean and 2σ errors for the flowstone samples. The approximate positions of the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE) and Penarth Group are indicated.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Our age constraint of ca. 230 Ma is supported by CA-ID-TIMS ages from youngest zircons recovered from 3 successive stratigraphic levels from the upper Popo Agie, well above the dinosaur site. An age model predicts *Ahvaytum* to be ca. 230 Ma, and the base of the Popo Agie to be ~ 231 Ma. (9/x)

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

It is the oldest known North American dinosaur, and the oldest (with radioisotopic age-control) from the northern hemisphere. However, as reported in the article, we suggest there are several other contenders from the US & UK that are, at minimum, among the northern hemisphere’s oldest. (8/x)

(B) shows the relative stratigraphic positions for first occurrences of dinosaurian body and trace fossils tied to a generalized stratigraphic section (C) of the upper Chugwater Group [after Lovelace et al. (2024)]. The shaded box highlights the stratigraphic position of UWGM 1975 and UWGM 7407 within the Popo Agie Formation. Localities: 1, Argentina; 2, Brazil; 3, Zimbabwe; 4, India; 5, Germany; 6, Britain; 7, Morocco; 8, Texas, USA (Dockum Group); 9, south-western USA (Chinle/Moenkopi formations); 10, Wyoming, USA (Chugwater Group). Silhouettes (not to scale) on outcrop demonstrate faunal distribution within the Popo Agie and Jelm formations. At, Atreipus sp.; At–Gr, Atreipus–Grallator plexus; An, Anaschisma browni; Be, Beesiiwo cooowuse; Bu, Buettnererpeton bakeri; Br, Brachychirotherium sp.; Eu, Eubrachiosaurus browni; He, Heptasuchus clarki; Pa, Parasuchus bransoni; Po, Poposaurus gracilis; Ni, Ninumbeehan dookoodukah. Artist credits for silhouettes from Phylopic.org and abbreviated formation names provided in the Supporting Information, Text S1. Previously published dinosaur-bearing localities recovered from PBDB (PaleobioDB.org; accessed Feb, 2024; Supporting Information, Data S1).

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

We suggest the femur shows signs of osteological maturity implying this animal is near maximum body size which is fairly small. Not larger than Eoraptor. Thin section + images by Dr. K. Curry Rogers. (7/x)

Figure 7. Femoral histology of Ahvaytum bahndooiveche UWGM 1975 General view of femoral histology in (A) plane polarized light (PPL) and (B) cross-polarized light with a lambda compensator (XPL). Letters in (A) indicate positions of higher magnification photomicrographs (C–F). Anterior is toward the top in (A–B). Scale bar = 1 mm. C, PPL image of a thin, highly vascularized cortex (left) that surrounds an open medullary space (right) surrounded by thin bony trabeculae. Fibrolamellar primary cortical bone tissue is vascularized by irregular reticular and longitudinal primary osteons with occasional radial anastomoses. Scale bar = 500 microns. Rectangle indications position of image (D). D, XPL image highlighting secondary bone remodeling in the deep cortex indicated by the Internal Fundamental System (IFS). The IFS consists of layers of centripetally deposited, avascular lamellar fibered bone (LFB) lining the open medullary cavity. Scale bar = 300 microns. E, XPL image documenting the external primary cortex. Most of the preserved primary cortex is well vascularized fibrolamellar bone, dominated by longitudinal primary osteons with occasional circular anastomoses. A transition to more poorly vascularized lamellar fibered characterizes the most external cortex. Black rectangle indicates position of image (F) Scale bar = 500 microns. F, XPL image of the most superficial cortex. In this image the woven bone component of the fibrolamellar complex is indicated by pinker regions, while more organized LFB surrounds primary osteons, is layered at the periosteal surface, and is indicated by turquoise and orange regions. Scale bar = 150 microns.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

We also refer a proximal femur from the site to *Ahvaytum* due to clear saurischian dinosaur affinities, but it does look a lot like *Chindesaurus*. Symplesiomorphies? Another taxon? We need more data! (6/x)

Figure 3. Proximal end of a left femur UWGM 7549 (A–E) referred to Ahvaytum bahndooiveche gen. et sp. nov.). 3D model in (A) anteromedial, (B) posterolateral, (C) proximal, (D) anterolateral, and (E) posteromedial orthographic views. Abbreviations: alt, anterolateral tuber; amt, anteromedial tuber; ce, concave emargination; dlt, dorsolateral trochanter; ft, fossa trochanterica (= facies articularis antitrochanterica); gt, ‘greater trochanter’; pmt, posteromedial tuber; ve, ventral emargination. Arrows indicate anterior direction. Scale bar = 1 cm. STL models archived online (morphosource.org ID: 000607572).

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

UWGM 1975: It’s not much to look at, but it’s arguably the most important ankle bone in the UW Geology Museum and is the holotype of *Ahvaytum bahndooiveche*’s. Cataloged and accessioned by @carriethecurator.bsky.social (5/x)

Figure 2. Holotype left astragalus of Ahvaytum bahndooiveche gen. et sp. nov. (UWGM 1975). 3D model in (A) medial, (B) lateral, (C) lateral transparent, (D) posterior transparent, (E) distal, (F) proximal, (I) anterior, and ( J) posterior orthographic views. Photographs in (G) proximal and (H) distal views. Abbreviations: amc, anteromedial corner; ap, ascending process of the astragalus; g, groove; f, foramen; ff, fibular facet; ldn, laterodistal notch (= lateroventral depression); mf, medial fossa; nf, non-articular fossa (= dorsal basin, = semi-elliptical fossa); p, platform; plp, posterolateral process; plr, posterolateral ridge; tf, tibial facet. Diagonal lines indicate broken surfaces. Arrows indicate anterior direction. Scale bar = 1 cm. STL models archived online (morphosource.org ID: 000607569).

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

The name *Ahvaytum bahndooiveche* [long ago dinosaur] is pronounced ‘ah-vay-tum’ ‘bon-do-ee-vee-chee’, from the Shoshone ‘Anva·tum’, meaning ‘long ago’ in reference to the ancient nature of UWGM 1975 and ‘ban·döi·ve·che’, which in this context means ‘dinosaur’. (4/x) youtu.be/JfbU_YcI2XM

youtu.be

Reba Teran, Shoshone Elder speaking taxon name from 'What's in a Name' unreleased documentary

YouTube video by David Lovelace

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Many things make *Ahvaytum* special including its name given by co-author Reba Teran (Eastern Shoshone Elder) as part of a multigenerational collaboration between the Fort Washakie Schools 7th grade cohort (2022), educators, Elders, and the Eastern Shoshone THPO (3/x) www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEsW...

youtube.com

What's in a Name? (Official Trailer)

YouTube video by Whispering River Media (Ethan Parrish)

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Our paper, “Rethinking dinosaur origins” was co-led by myself and @akufner.bsky.social, and co-authored by @adamfitch.bsky.social, Kristi Curry Rogers, Mark Schmitz, Darin Schwartz, @aleclairdiaz.bsky.social, Lynette St.Clair, Josh Mann, and Reba Teran. (2/x)

The title 'Rethinking dinosaur origins' is shown with authors and their institutional information

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

I am incredibly excited to share our new Open Access publication in the @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social that was released today. Please welcome *Ahvaytum bahndooiveche*, a new species of sauropodomorph(?) dinosaur from the Popo Agie Formation, WY, USA. tinyurl.com/3zx7s3mx (1/x)

Image contains a small theropod dinosaur checking out a dead amphibian in a wetland forested ecosystem

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Thanks @sterlingwright.bsky.social for the connections! As well as restoring areas of the 'farm' we definitely plant to incorporate natives. We are starting to make connections through local DNR, and TNC, and the University environmental depts. it's going to be a long but rewarding process.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Aha! The ever elusive 𝐴𝑟𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑠! A most impressive specimen, well done. I remember a great field trip to Warren dunes where we did a few trenches to look at structures within the bedform. Beautiful area!

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Our major goal over the next decade is to restore the grasslands (so many invasives!), and begin establishing appropriate plantings in different areas. there is so much potential. From apiaries, maple sugar, berries (crazy amount of raspberry in patches), etc. So much work ahead.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

The scale of what my BiL is dreaming of is a bit daunting to me - but diving into the ecology and conceptual/actualistic implementations of permaculture right now to get my brain wrapped around it all.

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

I garden at home (my whole back yard is now garden; my dad has helped build a number of community gardens in local food deserts in central Wyoming, so it definitely is a family passion).

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Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Thanks for sharing all of this! My brother in law just bought a 400+ acre farm in WI as a family space (Some of it is farmed for corn less than 1/4 of it, the rest is native forest and grassland) The intent is to create a permaculture for community kitchens and food banks in the region.

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Reposted by Dave Lovelace

John Bird @johnbird001.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Acidification of the oceans as shown by the saturation state of aragonite (Ωarag), the free proton concentration ([H+]), pH on the total scale (pHT), and the anthropogenic carbon concentration. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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