Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
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ichnologist.bsky.social
Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
@ichnologist.bsky.social
7.2K followers 780 following 2.4K posts
Traces & trace fossils. Wrote 'Life Sculpted' (2023), 'Dinosaurs Without Bones' (2014), 'The Evolution Underground' (2017), & more. Hubby, Trekkie, reading, cooking, craft-beer imbibing, childless cat dude. 🧪🐾🦖🦕🪨⚒️🌍📚✍️ 🖖 https://ajmartinauthor.com
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ichnologist.bsky.social
Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · Aug 21
Hello Bluesky science appreciators! I'm a geologist, paleontologist, & (most importantly) an ichnologist, which means I study modern traces (tracks, burrows, etc.) & trace fossils. I teach undergrad students in environmental sciences, write books about ichnology, & do lots of public outreach. 🧪🪨⚒️🐾🦕🦖
Alligator tracks on a beach, showing the direction of movement by a large alligator from the lower part of the beach and up to its dunes, with a prominent sinuous tail drag in its middle and front-rear track pairs on either side. I am squatting to the left of the tracks, wearing a hat, sunglasses, shirt, shorts, and sandals. Tracks were on Sapelo Island, Georgia (USA). Cover of my latest book LIFE SCULPTED (2023, U. of Chicago Press), with black background and cut section of a grayish tree trunk as its central image, in which the trunk has many borings made by insects and fungi. The book title and subtitle at the top of the cover says, "LIFE SCULPTED: Tales of the Animals, Plants, and Fungi that Drill, Break, and Scrape to Shape the Earth," and my author name (Anthony J. Martin) is in the lower right corner. Sauropod dinosaur tracks evident as semi-circular depressions in a slanted sandstone surface, with me wearing a broad-brimmed hat while sitting next to the tracks on that surface and facing downslope. Tracks were in a Jurassic formation in southern Portugal. Rear view of a camera crew (two people) filming me in the atrium of Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, GA (USA), with me sitting and partial views of dinosaur skeletons in the background, which are replicas of Argentinosaurus (left) and Gigantosaurus (right), dinosaurs that lived in what is now Argentina about 100 million years ago.
ichnologist.bsky.social
Joyce Carol Oates, talking about some guy on social media:
Still from the movie "Aliens" (1986) with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) saying, "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure," a solution met by approval by Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn) and Private Hudson (Bill Paxton).
November 10, 2025 at 11:01 PM
ichnologist.bsky.social
In my 'Evolution of the Earth' class today, overview of the Silurian and Devonian Periods: life's recovery after end-Ordovician mass extinction, with coral reefs, armored fishes, land plants, & tetrapods; the Acadian Orogeny; & mass extinctions by end of the Devonian. Today's extinction memes:
Meme with Jason Momoa about to tackle Henry Cavill, with Momoa labeled as "Devonian Land Plants" and Cavill as "Devonian Marine Biota." "Hotdog guy" meme with him labeled as "Plants" and saying, "We're all trying to find the guy who did this!", with "Devonian Extinctions" at the bottom.
November 10, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
dragonsofwales.bsky.social
A walk in the woods.
Cretaceous style.
#SciArt
A digital illustration of a T.rex walking through a forest of towering trees. Rays of sunlight pour between the trunks, silhouetting the dinosaur.
November 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
ksepkalab.bsky.social
Wonderful tribute to Mark Norell by Peter Makovicky, Jim Clark, and Steve Brusatte:

Mark Norell (1957–2025): Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Mark Norell (1957–2025)
Pete Makovicky, Jim Clark and Steve Brusatte remember dinosaur paleontologist par excellence and all-around cool dude Mark Norell.
www.cell.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
paleonerdspod.bsky.social
You know paleo artist Doug Henderson's 🎨 dinosaurs, but he is a brilliant illustrator of ALL things prehistoric! Check out his 'stem mammals'!

To hear more about Doug's inspiration, techniques, and more, listen to episode #91:

🔊 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
November 10, 2025 at 3:44 PM
ichnologist.bsky.social
In my #ENVSCOMM25-2 class today, thrilled to host @dghaskell.bsky.social as a guest lecturer. Dr. Haskell, who is now an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Environmental Sciences here at @emorycollege.bsky.social, will be sharing his thoughts about environmental writing.
dghaskell.com 🧪📚✍️
David George Haskell
Visit the post for more.
dghaskell.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
alinemghilardi.bsky.social
🚨New paper alert!🚨🤩

🧪⚒️Welcome the first filter-feeding pterosaur from Brazil: Bakiribu waridza, from the Araripe Basin!! 🥳

The new species is AWESOME and was discoverd inside a regurgitalite 😱🤍

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A regurgitalite reveals a new filter-feeding pterosaur from the Santana Group - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - A regurgitalite reveals a new filter-feeding pterosaur from the Santana Group
www.nature.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
callanbentley.bsky.social
⚒️
GEOLOGY FOR EARTHLINGS in the style of the sign ZOHRAN FOR NEW YORK CITY
November 9, 2025 at 11:41 AM
ichnologist.bsky.social
One of my favorite marine snails on the Georgia coast, the knobbed whelk (Busycon carica), a bivalve-killing predator that lives in sandy shallow-marine environments, but is occasionally seen buried (by its burrowing) in intertidal zones. 🧪🌊🐌
Very large and very much alive knobbed whelk, a marine snail with a bright orange lip to its shell framing its extruded fleshy foot, which has its brown oval "trapdoor" operculum attached to it. A person's hand is holding it above a gray sandy beach surface, where it had buried itself during low tide.
November 9, 2025 at 6:31 PM
ichnologist.bsky.social
Hey paleo-friends: Did I do this right?
Mamdani campaign sticker meme, with blue background and two lines of text with yellow letters highlighted by red, saying (top line) TRACE FOSSILS (bottom line) The REAL FOSSIL RECORD
November 9, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
tomsharperocks.bsky.social
9 November 1812: local newspaper reports the discovery of a fossil 'crocodile' 17 feet long at Lyme Regis. This was the recovery by Mary Anning of parts of the post-cranial skeleton related to a fossil skull found by her brother a year before. It was described and figured by Everard Home in 1814.
Extract from a newspaper: 'A few days ago, immediately after the late high tide, was discovered, under the cliffs between Lyme Regis and Charmouth, the complete petrifaction of a crocodile, 17 feet in length, in a very perfect state. It was dug out of the cliff nearly on a level with the sea, about 100 feet below the surface of the earth.' 1814 illustration of the fossil 'crocodile' skull found in 1811 with its large bony eye and long tapering snout with many small conical teeth. 1814 illustration of part of the fossil skeleton recovered in 1812 showing vertebrae, ribs and some shoulder and limb bones. 1814 illustration of a section through 3 vertebrae of the fossil showing their hour-glass shape.
November 9, 2025 at 5:55 AM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
diane.dianeduane.com
Never have. Never will. Not interested in going anywhere *near* a crap app built out of countless millions of hard-won words stolen from my colleagues, the use of which will (bonus!) begin progressively to degrade my cognitive skills and blunt the edge of the tool I’ve spent half a century honing. 🤨
clairesnonsense.bsky.social Claire Waller / Ellie Graves/ Claire Lunn @clairesnonsense.bsky.social · 2d
Hands up if you've never used Chat GPT ✋

(I feel like Dozer and Tank in The Matrix right now - at first I didn't use it because, rather ironically, I'm lazy and stubborn (peak Taurus energy there) - literally no, don't make me use the new thing I don't wanna. Now I'm glad I didn't 😅)
baddestmamajama.bsky.social Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 3d
Probably a good way to tell right now if the job you’re applying for is run by absolute dumbfucks is to ask if they’re using AI.
November 9, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
lacerdajulio.bsky.social
Foggy morning in Late Pleistocene Patagonia.

#Art #SciArt #artbyjulio
A scene depicting the Patagonian scrubland in the early morning, dotted with araucarias and framed by foggy mountains in the background. A pair of Macrauchenia, four guanacos and a patagonian mara are seen among the grass. A Megatherium walks by further away and a crested caracara flies over the scene.
November 8, 2025 at 6:01 PM
ichnologist.bsky.social
In local culture news, went to the Tara Theatre in Atlanta GA last night to see "Natchez," with discussion by director Suzannah Herbert & producer Darcy McKinnon. Well done film revealing how Natchez MS reflects deep wounds of slavery, Jim Crow, & systemic racism. www.taraatlanta.com/movie/natchez/
Natchez
*All Q&As with director Suzannah Herbert and producer Darcy McKinnon.* The Friday, Nov. 7th, 7:00p screening will be hosted by the National Center for Human and Civil Rights with a Q&A modera...
www.taraatlanta.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
jesswithacamera.bsky.social
Hey hey #FossilFriday . A beautiful Discoscaphites conradi from the Fox Hills Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of South Dakota. Not pictured: on the opposite side is nice partial Sphenodiscus. Personal collection, my own photo.

#ammonite #fossil #geology #paleontology #cretaceous
Photograph of a cream colored and slight iridescent ammonite lit by studio light and positioned on a black background. The ammonite has been professionally prepared, left partially attached to the gray matrix which serves as a base.
November 7, 2025 at 8:57 PM
ichnologist.bsky.social
Insect feeding traces in leaves are among the most common traces you can observe every day, wherever deciduous bushes & trees might be. These modern analogs then help guide paleontologists studying trace fossils preserved in leaves from the past. 🧪🌳🐛
ceiseman.bsky.social Charley Eiseman @ceiseman.bsky.social · 2d
A well-loved bunchberry plant (Cornus canadensis) with leaf mines of Phytomyza agromyzina (lower left), Antispila cornifoliella (other linear mines), Antispila freemani (big blotches), and a Caloptilia sp. (narrow blotch and leaf roll at right), as well as stippling from leafhopper feeding.
November 8, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
emilyhiggs-art.bsky.social
Pterosauria tree (vintage edition) ~ 🦅🌳
.
Alongside my ‘black edition’, I have also tested how my pterosaur illustration would look with a ‘vintage’ natural history illustration background’
.
What do you guys think? Which version do you prefer? The black or vintage background?

#paleoart
November 8, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
clarkeocrinus.bsky.social
Yes! Crinoids are sometimes called sea lilies because they look like under water flowers.

This Platycrinites has the arms and stem preserved.

#FossilFriday
July 25, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
literallymiguel.bsky.social
Barinasuchus arveloi: as an animal, you just cannot get any cooler than this #paleoart
made for wikipedia c:
November 7, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
geologyjohnson.bsky.social
Late #FossilFriday this tiny bebe frond on a siltstone bedding plane from an undisclosed UK location of suspected #Ediacaran age. Lots of interesting frond-like structures on these samples. #Geology #Paleontology ⚒️ 🧪
Two fingers (human) holding a piece of gray siltstone about 5 cm long. A red circle has been draw on the image where the impression of a feather or frond like form can be seen illuminated by low angled lighting.
November 7, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
meadekrosby.bsky.social
Thinking only of Rosalind Franklin today, and what was stolen from her (and so many other female scientists alongside her).
Rosalind Franklin and the damage of gender harassment
Spurred by a recent report on sexual harassment in academia, our columnist revisits a historical case and reflects on what has changed—and what hasn’t
www.science.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
davehone.bsky.social
Proper thread time! Today marks the publication of my fourth book, Spinosaur Tales, this one written with and illustrated by @markwitton.bsky.social. It's out now in the UK (hardback, audiobook, ebook) and will be out elsewhere in Jan 2026. It covers all things spinosaurian, including Spinosaurus.
November 6, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
wrenandbee.bsky.social
Here are four outstanding books I’ve read this year ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Each one tackles how we shape our natural world. And how, in turn, it shapes us.

Each one does it in its own unique way.

I highly recommend them all.

@ferrisjabr.bsky.social @chloedalton.bsky.social @johnvaillant.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 1:03 PM
ichnologist.bsky.social
For #FossilFriday, limestone steps filled with lovely, well-expressed & abundant invertebrate burrows, rendering fossil art in front of the @philamuseum.bsky.social (near the Rocky statue), seen there in March 2026; size 8 1/2 mens shoe for scale.
Looking down on limestone step surfaces filled with tubular structures that are fossil burrows; my black size 8.5 mens shoe is at the bottom of the photo for scale.
November 7, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
ezequielvera.bsky.social
#FossilFriday

_Paramatonia rafaherbstiana_, just published fern from the Lower Cretaceous of Patagonia
November 7, 2025 at 7:23 PM