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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖

@thattalljacobite.bsky.social
164 followers 313 following 265 posts

Part-time fossil hunter 🦕 Part-time history buff ⚔️ (Opinions my own) Works at a fossil museum in Scotland - forever looking for prehistoric fish 🎣 www.instagram.com/that_tall_jacobite/

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Reposted by James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖
Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Magical creatures don’t exist, eh? Roughly 400 million years ago, before the birth of trees, there were giant mystery cones called “Prototaxites,” which grew nearly 30 feet tall. We literally have no idea what they were. Plant: no Mushroom: no Animal: no Tell me this isn’t a little bit magic
Sunset with giant mystery cones Prototaxites https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/prototaxites-fossil-explained-why-this-prehistoric-colossus-still-baffles-scientists-1773173
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Ben Miller @extinctmonsters.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
When Mantellisaurus was standing up
Ornithopod dinosaur mounted skeleton on an open platform. Upright godzilla pose.Same skeleton with horizontal posture. In a large case.
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Museums Association @museumsassociation.org · 27/08/2026
News | Call for ‘national treasure’ protections to cover natural history specimens Concern in museum sector after world-class fossil collection is sold overseas
museumsassociation.org
Call for 'national treasure’ protections to cover natural history specimens - Museums Association
Concern in museum sector after world-class fossil collection is sold overseas
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GHOULology Johnson @geologyjohnson.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
🎶Dinosaur theme tune🎶 😞
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I’ve never read the book - every e keeps telling me to avoid it. What is the point the author attempts to make?
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Two full days into my Lyme Regis adventure and, after an embarrassing fault start, found my first ever ichthyosaurus bone! 🐬 I’m on cloud nine - and still got a week of my trip to go!
A hand holding a small brown pebble (ichthyosaurus vertebrae). The background is light-brown sand on a beach
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Anyone attending Lyme Regis Fossil Festival next weekend? 🦖
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Look at the detail! You’ve done an amazing job! 🤩
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Michael LaFrance @mlafrance.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
A livestream of a volcano in the Philippines captured a meteor crashing to Earth today. What are the odds? Mayon Volcano, Location: Albay, Luzon, Philippines
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Scottish Geology Trust @scottishgeology.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Follow in the footsteps of Cromarty’s most famous historic figure. 🔍️ Examine the latest findings from scientific research conducted on Cromarty beach by modern scientists. 👩‍🔬 Discover the expeditions exploring Cromarty's deep time that took place after Hugh Miller made this shoreline famous! 🗺️
Graphic containing information regarding the event. Event Description: To commemorate the 185th anniversary of Hugh Miller’s book ‘The Old Red Sandstone’, explore the latest scientific and fieldwork findings from the Cromarty coastline in its legacy. Location: Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage and Museum. When: 1st June to 26th July, open 11am-3:30pm. Cost: General Admission to museum. Suitable for: Families. Image: Four people are in deep scientific conversation on Cromarty Beach, facing away from the photographer.
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Scottish Geology Trust @scottishgeology.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Join us for a guided walk along Cromarty beach 🌊 with an experienced guide to discover the rocks, fossils, and geological formations that captivated Hugh Miller. Have your name go alongside any new discoveries made and displayed at Hugh Miller's Birthplace Museum! 🦴
Graphic containing information regarding the event. Event Description: Join an experienced guide on a geological walk along Cromarty beach to discover the geological features that inspired Hugh Miller and shaped this famous stretch of coastline. Location: Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage and Museum. When: 5th June 9:30-11am, 6th June 10-11:30am, 26th June 2-3:30pm, 27th June 2-3:30pm. Cost: Adults (14+): £13, Concession (Students, 60+): £10, Child (Under 14): £5.50. Suitable for: Families Image: Close up of a gloved hand holding rounded pebbles containing fossils, with Cromarty Beach in the background.
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Scottish Geology Trust @scottishgeology.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Inspire the young geologists in your life with a fun and engaging kid's trail! 💡 This year marks the 300th birthday of James Hutton. As we celebrate this milestone, help Hugh Miller track down the perfect birthday present from objects housed at the museum. 🎁
Graphic containing information regarding the event. "Event Description: Marking the Tercentenary of James Hutton, help Hugh Miller track down the perfect birthday gift for Hutton in an engaging trail for kids throughout the museum. Location: Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage and Museum. When: 1st June to 30th August, open 11am-3:30pm. Cost: General Admission. Suitable for: Families". With an image depicting a cartoon Hugh Miller stood on Cromarty beach, and an inset of the facade of Hugh Miller's Birthplace Museum.
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
One of my favs - can’t wait to see it finished! 🐟
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The Geological Society of Glasgow @geolsocglasgow.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
🏡 Did you know you could visit the birthplace of Hugh Miller? Well you can! And they have a variety of events on this year! ⬇️ See below for details. #geology #hughmiller #fossils
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Is there a desire at the museum to address the colonial and imperial links the specimens at NHM may have (i.e. how they came to be part of the collection during an age of European imperialism)?
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Got to be there when they dug it out last year!
A man wearing blue clothes and glasses holds a large brown mass in his two hands. Behind him is a wooden building with large windows and a boulder to the middle-right of the screen
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The Onion @theonion.com · 06/04/2026
NASA Announces Plan To Put Moon On Mars By 2040 theonion.com/nasa-announces-plan-to…
NASA Announces Plan To Put Moon On Mars By 2040
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Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen comments on the crew surpassing the Apollo 13 record for humans to fly farthest from Earth. 🌔 Read more: www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...
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Culture Crave 🍿 @culturecrave.co · 05/04/2026
New look at crescent Earth 🌎 📷 Artemis II
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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 02/04/2026
Naturally, the comment section of this post has attracted those who believe otherwise.
Earth &
@earthcurated
X.com
NOT FLAT...
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Looking forward to attending my first one! 🙌
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Mark Tingay @mudvolcanoguy.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
🧪⚒️ A big eruption occurred at a mud volcano in Colombia on the night of the 25th February 2026. Thread… Video from @fluxfolio_
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Natural History Museum, London @nhm-london.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Say hello to Galahadosuchus! 👋🏻 This new species of crocodile, which looked like a 'reptilian greyhound', would once have roamed southern Wales and southwest England on the hunt for anything it could fit in its snappy little mouth 🐊🦴 Find out more about it 👇🏻 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
nhm.ac.uk
New species of ancient crocodile named in honour of Welsh school teacher | Natural History Museum
It has been called Galahadosuchus jonesi in recognition of David Rhys Jones.
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Lorraine Wilson @rainewilson.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
I am ABSOLUTELY reading this as HARD PROOF that Romans farmed ichthyosaurs. It is fact now. Sorry.
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Brandon Peecook @gondwannabe.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
A favorite for #FossilFriday: this exquisite skull of the late Permian therocephalian Ictidosuchoides from the upper Madumabisa Mudstone Formation of #Zambia 🇿🇲 Check out those post dentary bones! 👂🏻? @burkemuseum.bsky.social
A reddish brown skull with big eyes and little teeth looking to the left; black metal scale bar shows it is around 12cm long.A reddish brown skull with big eyes and little teeth looking to the right; black metal scale bar shows it is around 12cm long.
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Natural History Museum, London @nhm-london.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Guess who’s turning 217 today? It’s Charles Darwin! 🥳 Born in 1809, he transformed the way we understand the natural world. He developed the theory of evolution by natural selection in his 1859 best-seller, ‘On the Origins of Species’. Send him your birthday wishes in the comments! 👇
A white statue of Charles Darwin sitting crossed legged on a chair. On the image, there’s text saying ‘Happy 217th birthday Charles Darwin!’. A birthday hat with polka dots has been photoshopped on top of the statue’s head.
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DinoCon @dinoconuk.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
On and on the subject of that, the “Giants” exhibit is really great - lots of cool stuff to see. Any kid who loves fossils and dinosaurs and is visiting Edinburgh should defo see this 🦣 www.nms.ac.uk/exhibitions/giants
A museum featuring a variety of animal models each made of white panelsA museum featuring a crowd of people standing around a giant model shark made of white panelsThe skeleton of a sabre tooth cat standing on its hind legs and facing towards the left A model of a woolly mammoth made of white panels and surrounded by people
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
My new favourite information panels featuring in any museum is this one in the “Giants” exhibit at National Museum of Scotland featuring an elderly man who is so happy to see sloths he wants to give them a hug 🦥
A museum information panels featuring a large hairy ground slot (left), a modern day sloth on a wooden pole (centre), and an elderly man with outstretched arms (right)
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Jay @kakapojay.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
HELLO?? Unbelievably cool critter here!! My paleoart plans for the weekend have changed dramatically
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Steve Brusatte @stevebrusatte.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Jeffrey Epstein was a monster who ruined the lives of many young women. It's maddening how many scientists & universities were chasing after his money, even after his crimes were known. Were I in that generation of scientists, I pray I would have had the fortitude to avoid this psycho.
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Crystal Palace Dinos @cpdinosaurs.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
We’re obsessed with this Tylosaurus from the Saint-Vrain Zoological Park, South of Paris, that opened in the mid-1970s and closed in 1999. The site has remained in an abandoned state, and it seems that this and various other prehistoric statues are still there!
Old Polaroid-y colour photo a model of the front half of a Tylosaurus in water. It could be styled as leaping, otherwise it frankly looks like it’s wading out of the water. It has a row of frills on its back, mouth open with very thin teeth, and vaguely human eyes
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Good news: Fossil walks are back at Hugh Miller’s Birthplace! 🎉 Join us in Cromarty & travel back 385 million years to find the fossilised remains of animals that lived long before the dinosaurs! 🦖 Find out more & book tickets online - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fossil-walks-2026-tickets-1980371654930
A small white cottage with a brown thatched roof. To the left of it is a green iron fence and behind it a brown shed sits in front of a large green treeFive people standing on a shingle beach next to a sea. A tree covered hill pokes out from the right side of the frameTwo hands hold two pale beige rocks with brown fossil in the centre of each. The head of a person is in the lower right corner, and a pebbly beach is in the backgroundA girl wearing black trousers stand in the middle of the frame holding a pebble. In the background is a series of small white houses
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Absolutely beautiful! 🤩
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Wait did Burns and Hutton actually meet? That’s pretty cool if true!
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Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
I think one of the most frustrating things for many neurodivergent people is that we cannot understand why people don’t give a fuck about things that could make the world a better and kinder place - that’s what happens when your emotional circuitry doesn’t work “effectively”
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Steve Brusatte @stevebrusatte.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Jurassic World: Rebirth. Now we can say: the Oscar-nominated Jurassic World: Rebirth! Huge congrats to everyone at @ilmvfx.bsky.social , especially pal David Vickery! The visual effects in the film are truly awesome. Just look at those titanosaurs. So well deserved!
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
A fossil from a lifeform which once towered over the ancient landscape is to go on display at the National Museum of Scotland
thenational.scot
Fossil of dead-end branch of life which became extinct to go on display
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Always fun saying these things existed on our Hugh Miller museum fossil walks
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Wonderful things 🌌
A photograph of a man looking up with his arms spread out. In the background is a green and red Aurora A large stone structure stands in the centre of the picture with the red/green aurora in the backgroundA a tree and small stone cottage stand in the centre of the picture with the red/green aurora in the backgroundA photo of a red/green aurora with two trees at the bottom of the photo
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Happy post-Christmas 🎄
A photograph of a black dog looking at the camera and sitting on a windowsill next to a small Christmas tree (left)
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Casual reminder than Jaws 4 is a Christmas movie 🦈
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Some Christmas Eve stargazing whilst searching for Santa Claus 🪐
A photograph of the crescent moon A photograph of Jupiter (large bright spot) and two of its moons (two small spots)
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History of Geology @historyofgeology.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Holiday greeting cards from ~ 1880 by London based publisher De La Rue based on the newest paleontological discoveries of the time 🦖🎄🐘
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Natalia (娜塔莉) @wrycritic.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
British folk. If Farage gets his way, it's a guarantee, life for British immigrants will turn hellish. People like me and my family could get deported. This will destroy our lives, but also make your lives worse. Please, do not sit in silence.
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Southern Minnesota Museum of Natural History @smmnh.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
This fossil is of a lobed-finned fish named Osteolepsis macrolepidotus and was found in Scotland. The Devonian Period (named after fossils first found in Devon, England), is known as "The age of fishes" and was fish transformed into three major groups: lobe-finned, ray-finned, and sharks.
This fossil is of a lobed-finned fish named Osteolepsis macrolepidotus and was found in Scotland. The Devonian Period (named after fossils first found in Devon, England), is known as "The age of fishes" and was fish transformed into three major groups: lobe-finned, ray-finned, and sharks.
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Equally atmospheric here in the highlands too!
A photograph of a line of trees along the horizon
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Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life.
Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage.
I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys.
I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show,
A show that I named and helped develop over all those years.
Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry.
These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenterIn a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices.
Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'.
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I chose the latter.
It broke my heart.
I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make.
I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer.
I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence.
One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career.I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more.
I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost".
James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice.
Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences.
I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness.
Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire.
I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal.
I am so sorry to let you down.
I hope that you can understand my reasoning.
I have to accept that I am not what the current
BBC expects of their freelance presenters.Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not
"just a job"
I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world.
From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too.
The strawberry is dead.
Long live the strawberry. B
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Laura Woods @woodsiegirl.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
Just listened to the 'eels' episode of @robinince.bsky.social's Infinite Monkey Cage, and I have to say that if I'd seen all this series' episode titles in advance, I would NOT have predicted that would end up being the most fascinating episode so far 🤯 share.google/RrijNuqRkYNQ...
share.google
BBC Radio 4 - The Infinite Monkey Cage, Series 34, What’s the deal with eels? – Lucy Porter, David Righton and Caroline Durif
Brian Cox and Robin Ince dive into the slippery science of the elusive eel.
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James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦖 @thattalljacobite.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
This is without question the most realistic cgi creature I have ever seen - absolute stellar job the animators on Prehistoric Planet Ice Age did, I was blown away by this Gigantopithecus 🦧 The segment itself was also absolutely heartbreaking on top of that…
A screen grab off a television of a large grey ape sitting in the middle of a jungle
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