James Lamsdell, PhD
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fossildetective.bsky.social
James Lamsdell, PhD
@fossildetective.bsky.social
1.5K followers 240 following 570 posts
Palaeobiologist, Associate Professor at West Virginia University • Arthropod paleobiology, phylogenetic paleoecology • An Englishman in America
Formerly: AMNH, Yale, U of Kansas, U of Bristol, U of Birmingham
Opinions my own (he/him)
jameslamsdell.com
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fossildetective.bsky.social
James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · Jun 11
It's finally out! 200 years since the description of Eurypterus remipes, the first eurypterid named in the scientific literature, I present a summary of the history of eurypterid research and an updated taxonomy of every known species.🧪⚒️

doi.org/10.1206/0003...
Codex Eurypterida: A Revised Taxonomy Based on Concordant Parsimony and Bayesian Phylogenetic Analyses
Eurypterids, also known as sea scorpions, were aquatic chelicerate arthropods that were important components of Paleozoic marine and freshwater ecosystems from the Ordovician to the Permian. The group...
doi.org
fossildetective.bsky.social
Excellent news from PRI and a wonderful start to the new year.

www.priweb.org/blog-post/pr...
PRI's Wonderful Life — Paleontological Research Institution
By Dr. Warren Allmon , Director of the Paleontological Research Institution December 30, 2025 The holidays are a time for “Christmas movies” in my house, and one that is always on our list is&nbs...
www.priweb.org
January 1, 2026 at 12:17 AM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Pinball* wizard.

*2p slots
A photograph of myself with a ton of arcade reward tickets jammed into my fleece. A total count of the number of tickets acquired (3,011). Pondering my orb (a pokeball)
December 31, 2025 at 6:47 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Can now share thr latest bit of art I've been working on for my sister in law, one of their family cats.
An acrylic painting of a tabby cat sitting on a book. A photograph of the same cat in the same position.
December 25, 2025 at 1:57 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
The Mesozoic mammal Sinodelphys, discovered in China and photographed at the Carnegie Museum, for #FossilFriday. Originally described as a marsupial but now thought to be an early placenta mammal, in my considered opinion this is clearly a creachure. 🧪⚒️
A photograph of a fossil mammal with spiky fur and a long face.
December 12, 2025 at 2:34 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Bug and I got upgraded.
The cutest little possum toy ever with a glass of champaign.
December 11, 2025 at 2:28 AM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Lol no
the-independent.com The Independent @the-independent.com · 22d
IN DEPTH | If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
www.independent.co.uk
December 11, 2025 at 12:50 AM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Just got notification that a video I was interviewed for on Paleozoic lagerstatten is out, also featuring numerous excellent people including Brenda Hunda, Nigel Hughes, and Derek Briggs.

(I did not know about the unfortunate use of AI generated "animals", I'm sorry T_T)

youtu.be/DJOm5PQnhN8?...
The Amazing World of Fossils: Decoding Early Life
YouTube video by Ambrose-Meyer Entertainment & Educational Channel
youtu.be
December 10, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
minouette.bsky.social
Day 7 #artAdventCalendar my #linocut horseshoe crab (Tachypeus gigas) in grey, blue-bronze and dark brown on 8” x 8” cream-coloured Japanese paper with bark inclusions. 🧪🐡 They get their name from their horseshoe like shape but they are not crabs; they are chelicerates, more closely related to 🧵
My linocut horseshoe crab is hand printed on 8” x 8” cream coloured Japanese paper speckled with some tiny brown bark inclusions. The crab is viewed from above and its body is printed with a base of grey, with some darker gold-green especially around the edges to give the impression it is a bit domed and then texture, edges, hairs around the edge of the horseshoe shape and the tail are printed in dark brown.
December 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Happy #fossilfriday everyone,

Enjoy a feel good story about one of the Museum of the Earth's high school supporters!

Thanks to big giving Tuesday support, PRI is now within ~400,000 of its end of year goal of ~4 million for the mortgage+ops. We can #SavePRI !🧪⚒️🦣🐚

www.localsyr.com/news/local-n...
www.localsyr.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:25 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
One of the earliest large predatory eurypterids, Megalograptus, for #FossilFriday. Megalograptus is known from abundant - and very unusual - material from the Ordovician of #Ohio, affording an important insight into the morphology of this rather bizarre species. ⚒️🧪
A view of the headshield of Megalograptus, preserved as reddish-brown cuticle on a pale grey rock. The headshield is generally equilateral in shape, with a rounded front bearing small spiny projections. A pair of round eyes are also located at the front of the head. The surface of the headshield is curved in dense, pustule-like scales. A fossil of the second appendage of Megalograptus, preserved as dark cuticle on a light grey rock. The appendage is short with robust spines coming off of it. A view of the body segments of Megalograptus, preserved as dark cuticle on pale grey rock. Four body segments are present, again preserving small, pustule-like scales.
December 5, 2025 at 11:07 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Fun to see what I've been listening to over the course of what has been, in all honesty, an absolutely terrible year.
Top songs from Spotify wrapped, featuring Suspirium for the 5th year in a row. 1. Short Change Hero (The Heavy), 2. Suspirium (Thom Yorke), 3. Precinct 4q Major Crime Unit (Sea Power), 4. Francis Forever (Mitski), 5. Enemy (Imagine Dragons, JID) Top albums from my Spotify wrapped, all soundtracks - 1. Scavengers Reign, 2. Disco Elysium, 3. Hollow Knight, 4. Battletech, 5. Baldur's Gate 3 A view from my Spotify wrapped showing that my listening age is 30.
December 3, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
mattepritchard.bsky.social
Today I’m joining the #GivingTuesday challenge to save the Museum of the Earth. As a Board of Trustee emeritus member, I see first-hand the Museum's impact on educating our community and the world about climate change, biodiversity, and our home planet. Please donate at priweb.org/support.
Save the Museum of the Earth and PRI – Secure Its Future!
In these challenging times, places like the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) stand as beacons of hope, fostering understanding of the natural world and inspiring action for a sustainable fut...
priweb.org
December 2, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
snnielsen.bsky.social
Now, that could prove useful 🧪
December 1, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
palaeoepidemiology.bsky.social
A great overview on benefits, pitfalls, and limitations.
December 1, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
fossildetective.bsky.social
Out late for #FossilFriday, it's our invited @annualreviews.bsky.social paper with @sarahlsheffield.bsky.social and @bigfacecats.bsky.social on why Phylogenetic Paleoecology is useful and how to do it.

doi.org/10.1146/annu...
A Practical Guide to Phylogenetic Paleoecology
The burgeoning field of phylogenetic paleoecology combines paleoecological data with hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships to tease apart the roles that ecology and relatedness both play in the evo...
doi.org
November 29, 2025 at 12:31 AM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Out late for #FossilFriday, it's our invited @annualreviews.bsky.social paper with @sarahlsheffield.bsky.social and @bigfacecats.bsky.social on why Phylogenetic Paleoecology is useful and how to do it.

doi.org/10.1146/annu...
A Practical Guide to Phylogenetic Paleoecology
The burgeoning field of phylogenetic paleoecology combines paleoecological data with hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships to tease apart the roles that ecology and relatedness both play in the evo...
doi.org
November 29, 2025 at 12:31 AM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Always enjoy running into Kjellesvig-Waering's notes in collections. #FossilFriday
A tubular fossil with bumps on it next to a hand written note by Erik N. Kjellesvig-Waering, a prominent eurypterid researcher. The note reads "I give up - what is it?"
November 21, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
flemtheparrot.bsky.social
Morning.
November 20, 2025 at 4:48 AM
fossildetective.bsky.social
New earliest record of eurypterids from the Fezouata biota in Morocco!

doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Early Ordovician sea scorpions from Morocco suggest Cambrian origins and main diversification of Eurypterida | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Eurypterida were a diverse clade of aquatic euchelicerates that occupied environments ranging from freshwater to fully marine and included several of the largest euarthropods on record. Although a Mid...
doi.org
November 12, 2025 at 6:14 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Had a great time talking to the Dry Dredgers about eurypterids last night, and getting to look through the Cincinnati collections was a huge treat.
October 25, 2025 at 11:46 AM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Happy #FlatFuckFriday to all who celebrate.
A very long, very flat model of the eurypterid Acutiramus at the Cincinnati Museum. A front view of the eurypterid, equally flat.
October 24, 2025 at 3:01 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Happy #FlatFuckFriday to all who celebrate.
A very long, very flat model of the eurypterid Acutiramus at the Cincinnati Museum. A front view of the eurypterid, equally flat.
October 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
A view if Cladoselache, the first well-preserved shark from the Devonian, on display in the Cincinnatti Museum for #FossilFriday.

I love this specimen, look at how long the fins are!
A picture of a well lit fossil of a shark, with the outline of the body visible due to the difference in rock texture and colour. The nose is to the right, and a beautifully preserved triangular fin can be seen projecting toward the top of the slab.
October 24, 2025 at 12:07 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Museum collections are my happy place.
A photograph of several grey fossils in a draw.
October 23, 2025 at 6:58 PM
fossildetective.bsky.social
Amanda looked up this reconstruction of Exaeretodon while going through papers for the podcast yesterday and I can only see one thing.
A strange reconstruction of a creature with a horse-like mane running down its back, pained human eyes, a cat-like face with a goatee, emaciated ribs, and a stubby tail. It looks like a creature from Bloodborne. Nina Tucker in her second health bar form from Fullmetal Alchemist.
October 5, 2025 at 6:02 PM