Paleo Nerds Podcast
@paleonerdspod.bsky.social
A prehistoric paleontology podcast 🦖⛏️ with Dave Strassman and Ray Troll for paleo nerds by paleo nerds. 🔊 Listen now! https://www.paleonerds.com
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...
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
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...
To hear more about Doug's inspiration, techniques, and more, listen to episode #91:
🔊 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
Happy #TheropodThursday! Theropods🦖 are a hot topic in the news today with a new publication about the validity of #Nanotyrannus!
🎨 Two Albertosaurus feast on hadrosaur on a sandbar in Montana 80 mya.
🔊 Listen to this week's episode with Doug Henderson now!
🔗 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
🎨 Two Albertosaurus feast on hadrosaur on a sandbar in Montana 80 mya.
🔊 Listen to this week's episode with Doug Henderson now!
🔗 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
October 30, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Happy #TheropodThursday! Theropods🦖 are a hot topic in the news today with a new publication about the validity of #Nanotyrannus!
🎨 Two Albertosaurus feast on hadrosaur on a sandbar in Montana 80 mya.
🔊 Listen to this week's episode with Doug Henderson now!
🔗 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
🎨 Two Albertosaurus feast on hadrosaur on a sandbar in Montana 80 mya.
🔊 Listen to this week's episode with Doug Henderson now!
🔗 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
Doug Henderson's use of background and lighting when creating paleo art is unmatched.
A pod of Mixosaurs, Triassic icthyosaurs, ply southern high latitude seas in moonlight🌙.
🔊 Listen to Episode #91 - out now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
A pod of Mixosaurs, Triassic icthyosaurs, ply southern high latitude seas in moonlight🌙.
🔊 Listen to Episode #91 - out now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
October 29, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Doug Henderson's use of background and lighting when creating paleo art is unmatched.
A pod of Mixosaurs, Triassic icthyosaurs, ply southern high latitude seas in moonlight🌙.
🔊 Listen to Episode #91 - out now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
A pod of Mixosaurs, Triassic icthyosaurs, ply southern high latitude seas in moonlight🌙.
🔊 Listen to Episode #91 - out now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
It's Halloween week 🎃 and we just dropped Episode #91 with paleo artist Doug Henderson!
🔊 Listen to Episode #91 now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
📸: Two dead Einiosaurs drowned during a stream crossing 🌊, the animals’ carcasses will eventually decompose, scattering their remains.🦴
🔊 Listen to Episode #91 now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
📸: Two dead Einiosaurs drowned during a stream crossing 🌊, the animals’ carcasses will eventually decompose, scattering their remains.🦴
October 29, 2025 at 4:11 PM
It's Halloween week 🎃 and we just dropped Episode #91 with paleo artist Doug Henderson!
🔊 Listen to Episode #91 now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
📸: Two dead Einiosaurs drowned during a stream crossing 🌊, the animals’ carcasses will eventually decompose, scattering their remains.🦴
🔊 Listen to Episode #91 now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
📸: Two dead Einiosaurs drowned during a stream crossing 🌊, the animals’ carcasses will eventually decompose, scattering their remains.🦴
Episode #91 is here and you won't want to miss this one!
Ray and Dave explore the mind of paleo artist 🎨 Doug Henderson and chat techniques, inspirations, and his breathtaking body of work that re-imagines ancient worlds.
🔊 Listen now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
Ray and Dave explore the mind of paleo artist 🎨 Doug Henderson and chat techniques, inspirations, and his breathtaking body of work that re-imagines ancient worlds.
🔊 Listen now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
October 29, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Episode #91 is here and you won't want to miss this one!
Ray and Dave explore the mind of paleo artist 🎨 Doug Henderson and chat techniques, inspirations, and his breathtaking body of work that re-imagines ancient worlds.
🔊 Listen now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
Ray and Dave explore the mind of paleo artist 🎨 Doug Henderson and chat techniques, inspirations, and his breathtaking body of work that re-imagines ancient worlds.
🔊 Listen now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/doug...
Something is FISHY 🐟 around here...and it's our latest episode with Dr. Kerin Claeson!
Learn how Disney World inspired her to become a paleontologist, what causes salmon to change so drastically during spawning, and so much MORE.
🔊 Listen to Episode #90 now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/keri...
Learn how Disney World inspired her to become a paleontologist, what causes salmon to change so drastically during spawning, and so much MORE.
🔊 Listen to Episode #90 now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/keri...
September 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Something is FISHY 🐟 around here...and it's our latest episode with Dr. Kerin Claeson!
Learn how Disney World inspired her to become a paleontologist, what causes salmon to change so drastically during spawning, and so much MORE.
🔊 Listen to Episode #90 now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/keri...
Learn how Disney World inspired her to become a paleontologist, what causes salmon to change so drastically during spawning, and so much MORE.
🔊 Listen to Episode #90 now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/keri...
The authors discovered that the fish's conical 'fangs' in the upper jaw pointed sideways, not downward like sabers, helping us better understand the behaviors and morphology of this fascinating extinct fish. (Figure from Claeson 2024).
September 25, 2025 at 1:46 PM
The authors discovered that the fish's conical 'fangs' in the upper jaw pointed sideways, not downward like sabers, helping us better understand the behaviors and morphology of this fascinating extinct fish. (Figure from Claeson 2024).
Would you believe within mere WEEKS 🗓, the skull of a Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) will DRASTICALLY change morphology, or shape? [THREAD ⬇️]
September 25, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Would you believe within mere WEEKS 🗓, the skull of a Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) will DRASTICALLY change morphology, or shape? [THREAD ⬇️]
Episode #90 is out 🎉! Ray shares morning coffee ☕️ in Ketchikan with Dr. Karin Claeson, exploring fish evolution 🐟, anatomy, development, and variability across deep time.
🔊 Listen now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/keri...
🔊 Listen now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/keri...
September 24, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Episode #90 is out 🎉! Ray shares morning coffee ☕️ in Ketchikan with Dr. Karin Claeson, exploring fish evolution 🐟, anatomy, development, and variability across deep time.
🔊 Listen now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/keri...
🔊 Listen now:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/keri...
Are you familiar with Rudolph Zallinger's magnificent "Age of Reptiles" mural?
This 110 ft long fresco mural 🎨🖌 was completed by Zallinger in 1947 for the Yale Peabody Museum after five years of work.
[THREAD ⬇️]
This 110 ft long fresco mural 🎨🖌 was completed by Zallinger in 1947 for the Yale Peabody Museum after five years of work.
[THREAD ⬇️]
September 1, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Are you familiar with Rudolph Zallinger's magnificent "Age of Reptiles" mural?
This 110 ft long fresco mural 🎨🖌 was completed by Zallinger in 1947 for the Yale Peabody Museum after five years of work.
[THREAD ⬇️]
This 110 ft long fresco mural 🎨🖌 was completed by Zallinger in 1947 for the Yale Peabody Museum after five years of work.
[THREAD ⬇️]
Be a brachiopod this Labor Day weekend! RELAX and let the food 🍔🌭 come to YOU!
Brachiopods have a built-in filter called a lophophore (LOW-fo-four). Tiny tentacles covered in super-fine hairs called cilia whip up the water, pulling in food like a vacuum cleaner.
[THREAD ⬇️]
Brachiopods have a built-in filter called a lophophore (LOW-fo-four). Tiny tentacles covered in super-fine hairs called cilia whip up the water, pulling in food like a vacuum cleaner.
[THREAD ⬇️]
August 31, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Be a brachiopod this Labor Day weekend! RELAX and let the food 🍔🌭 come to YOU!
Brachiopods have a built-in filter called a lophophore (LOW-fo-four). Tiny tentacles covered in super-fine hairs called cilia whip up the water, pulling in food like a vacuum cleaner.
[THREAD ⬇️]
Brachiopods have a built-in filter called a lophophore (LOW-fo-four). Tiny tentacles covered in super-fine hairs called cilia whip up the water, pulling in food like a vacuum cleaner.
[THREAD ⬇️]
Did you know 💡 that brachiopods are an important food source?
One genus, Lingula, are collected by local people for consumption in Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand 🍴.
🔊 Listen to our latest episode #89:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
One genus, Lingula, are collected by local people for consumption in Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand 🍴.
🔊 Listen to our latest episode #89:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
August 30, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Did you know 💡 that brachiopods are an important food source?
One genus, Lingula, are collected by local people for consumption in Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand 🍴.
🔊 Listen to our latest episode #89:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
One genus, Lingula, are collected by local people for consumption in Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand 🍴.
🔊 Listen to our latest episode #89:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
🎉 Happy #FossilFriday! 🎉
This week's guest, Dr. Susan Butts, tells us why brachiopod paleocommunities are fascinating for what they tell us about ancient marine environments 🌊 and about global climate change 🌎 throughout geologic history.
Listen to episode #89:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
This week's guest, Dr. Susan Butts, tells us why brachiopod paleocommunities are fascinating for what they tell us about ancient marine environments 🌊 and about global climate change 🌎 throughout geologic history.
Listen to episode #89:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
August 29, 2025 at 4:58 PM
🎉 Happy #FossilFriday! 🎉
This week's guest, Dr. Susan Butts, tells us why brachiopod paleocommunities are fascinating for what they tell us about ancient marine environments 🌊 and about global climate change 🌎 throughout geologic history.
Listen to episode #89:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
This week's guest, Dr. Susan Butts, tells us why brachiopod paleocommunities are fascinating for what they tell us about ancient marine environments 🌊 and about global climate change 🌎 throughout geologic history.
Listen to episode #89:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
What's the difference between clams 🦪 and brachiopods?
At first glance, brachiopods might trick you into thinking they're clams or mussels—but don’t be fooled!
Listen to this week's episode with Dr. Susan Butts to learn more: www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
Figure from University of Kentucky.
At first glance, brachiopods might trick you into thinking they're clams or mussels—but don’t be fooled!
Listen to this week's episode with Dr. Susan Butts to learn more: www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
Figure from University of Kentucky.
August 28, 2025 at 8:49 PM
What's the difference between clams 🦪 and brachiopods?
At first glance, brachiopods might trick you into thinking they're clams or mussels—but don’t be fooled!
Listen to this week's episode with Dr. Susan Butts to learn more: www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
Figure from University of Kentucky.
At first glance, brachiopods might trick you into thinking they're clams or mussels—but don’t be fooled!
Listen to this week's episode with Dr. Susan Butts to learn more: www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
Figure from University of Kentucky.
SHELL'O, paleonerds! Episode #89 just dropped and it will make you as happy as a...brachiopod 🦪!?
Ray and Dave learn all about brachiopods with Susan Butts, Director of Collections and Research at the famous Yale Peabody Museum.
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
Ray and Dave learn all about brachiopods with Susan Butts, Director of Collections and Research at the famous Yale Peabody Museum.
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
August 28, 2025 at 6:58 PM
SHELL'O, paleonerds! Episode #89 just dropped and it will make you as happy as a...brachiopod 🦪!?
Ray and Dave learn all about brachiopods with Susan Butts, Director of Collections and Research at the famous Yale Peabody Museum.
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
Ray and Dave learn all about brachiopods with Susan Butts, Director of Collections and Research at the famous Yale Peabody Museum.
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/susa...
What time period would Dr. John Scannella travel back to ⏳️🚔, and which animal would he want to see?
Triceratops in the Late Cretaceous, of course!
Triceratops had massive horns—but what was the purpose of their large frill? ⬇️
Triceratops in the Late Cretaceous, of course!
Triceratops had massive horns—but what was the purpose of their large frill? ⬇️
August 2, 2025 at 2:17 PM
What time period would Dr. John Scannella travel back to ⏳️🚔, and which animal would he want to see?
Triceratops in the Late Cretaceous, of course!
Triceratops had massive horns—but what was the purpose of their large frill? ⬇️
Triceratops in the Late Cretaceous, of course!
Triceratops had massive horns—but what was the purpose of their large frill? ⬇️
Working with fossils can feel like you're walking on eggshells 🥚—and sometimes, you are!
Dr. John Scannella holds 76-million-year-old dino eggshell at Egg Mountain - declared an International Geoheritage Site in 2025.
🔊 Listen now to learn more!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
Dr. John Scannella holds 76-million-year-old dino eggshell at Egg Mountain - declared an International Geoheritage Site in 2025.
🔊 Listen now to learn more!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
August 1, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Working with fossils can feel like you're walking on eggshells 🥚—and sometimes, you are!
Dr. John Scannella holds 76-million-year-old dino eggshell at Egg Mountain - declared an International Geoheritage Site in 2025.
🔊 Listen now to learn more!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
Dr. John Scannella holds 76-million-year-old dino eggshell at Egg Mountain - declared an International Geoheritage Site in 2025.
🔊 Listen now to learn more!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
Eggs 🥚, embryos, and…dinosaur poop 💩?
Near Choteau, Montana, the Two Medicine Formation, a 76 million year old snapshot of time, preserves more than just eggs: it also preserves COPROLITE, or fossil poop!
Learn more in our latest episode with Dr. John Scannella:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
Near Choteau, Montana, the Two Medicine Formation, a 76 million year old snapshot of time, preserves more than just eggs: it also preserves COPROLITE, or fossil poop!
Learn more in our latest episode with Dr. John Scannella:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
July 31, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Eggs 🥚, embryos, and…dinosaur poop 💩?
Near Choteau, Montana, the Two Medicine Formation, a 76 million year old snapshot of time, preserves more than just eggs: it also preserves COPROLITE, or fossil poop!
Learn more in our latest episode with Dr. John Scannella:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
Near Choteau, Montana, the Two Medicine Formation, a 76 million year old snapshot of time, preserves more than just eggs: it also preserves COPROLITE, or fossil poop!
Learn more in our latest episode with Dr. John Scannella:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
Dr. John Scannella is a true paleo nerd!
At just three years old, he loved dinosaurs so much that he once ran up and tried to hug 🫂 them at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. [⬇️THREAD]
At just three years old, he loved dinosaurs so much that he once ran up and tried to hug 🫂 them at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. [⬇️THREAD]
July 31, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Dr. John Scannella is a true paleo nerd!
At just three years old, he loved dinosaurs so much that he once ran up and tried to hug 🫂 them at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. [⬇️THREAD]
At just three years old, he loved dinosaurs so much that he once ran up and tried to hug 🫂 them at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. [⬇️THREAD]
🚨 NEW! Episode #88 is out! 🚨
Dr. John Scannella, the John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology at @museumoftherockies.bsky.social, discusses the famous Egg Mountain area—the world’s first 🏆 site where dinosaur embryos were discovered!
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
Dr. John Scannella, the John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology at @museumoftherockies.bsky.social, discusses the famous Egg Mountain area—the world’s first 🏆 site where dinosaur embryos were discovered!
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
July 30, 2025 at 12:48 PM
🚨 NEW! Episode #88 is out! 🚨
Dr. John Scannella, the John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology at @museumoftherockies.bsky.social, discusses the famous Egg Mountain area—the world’s first 🏆 site where dinosaur embryos were discovered!
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
Dr. John Scannella, the John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology at @museumoftherockies.bsky.social, discusses the famous Egg Mountain area—the world’s first 🏆 site where dinosaur embryos were discovered!
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/john...
🚨 Word of the Day: Tenaculum!
One of the most bizarre and fascinating features of the male ratfish is the tenaculum—a retractable, rod-like appendage that juts from its forehead like a sci-fi weapon.
[THREAD] ⬇️
One of the most bizarre and fascinating features of the male ratfish is the tenaculum—a retractable, rod-like appendage that juts from its forehead like a sci-fi weapon.
[THREAD] ⬇️
July 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
🚨 Word of the Day: Tenaculum!
One of the most bizarre and fascinating features of the male ratfish is the tenaculum—a retractable, rod-like appendage that juts from its forehead like a sci-fi weapon.
[THREAD] ⬇️
One of the most bizarre and fascinating features of the male ratfish is the tenaculum—a retractable, rod-like appendage that juts from its forehead like a sci-fi weapon.
[THREAD] ⬇️
What was this weird, rigid, toothy appendage in Akmonistion used for?
This artwork 🎨 by Ray Troll depicts the 'Anvil Shark', Akmonistion zangerli, a Stethacanthid ghost shark that lived in the Early Carboniferous in Scotland.
🔊 Learn more from Dr. Michael Coates:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
This artwork 🎨 by Ray Troll depicts the 'Anvil Shark', Akmonistion zangerli, a Stethacanthid ghost shark that lived in the Early Carboniferous in Scotland.
🔊 Learn more from Dr. Michael Coates:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
June 30, 2025 at 6:28 PM
What was this weird, rigid, toothy appendage in Akmonistion used for?
This artwork 🎨 by Ray Troll depicts the 'Anvil Shark', Akmonistion zangerli, a Stethacanthid ghost shark that lived in the Early Carboniferous in Scotland.
🔊 Learn more from Dr. Michael Coates:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
This artwork 🎨 by Ray Troll depicts the 'Anvil Shark', Akmonistion zangerli, a Stethacanthid ghost shark that lived in the Early Carboniferous in Scotland.
🔊 Learn more from Dr. Michael Coates:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
Ray's "family 🌳 tree" depicts the cartilaginous fishes 🦈 (Condrichthyans).
Dr. Mike Coates studies the origins of these vertebrates. Ray is fairly certain that Mike would suggest some changes to this tree based on his latest findings!
🔊 Listen now to Episode #87!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
Dr. Mike Coates studies the origins of these vertebrates. Ray is fairly certain that Mike would suggest some changes to this tree based on his latest findings!
🔊 Listen now to Episode #87!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
June 30, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Ray's "family 🌳 tree" depicts the cartilaginous fishes 🦈 (Condrichthyans).
Dr. Mike Coates studies the origins of these vertebrates. Ray is fairly certain that Mike would suggest some changes to this tree based on his latest findings!
🔊 Listen now to Episode #87!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
Dr. Mike Coates studies the origins of these vertebrates. Ray is fairly certain that Mike would suggest some changes to this tree based on his latest findings!
🔊 Listen now to Episode #87!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
You had me at HELODUS 💕.
Top 📸: Ray's drawing of Helodus, a toothy Carboniferous ghost shark.
Bottom 📸: A beautifully preserved Helodus skull as revealed by a high resolution CT scan by the Michael Coates lab.
🔊 Listen now to Episode #87 with Dr. Michael Coates:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
Top 📸: Ray's drawing of Helodus, a toothy Carboniferous ghost shark.
Bottom 📸: A beautifully preserved Helodus skull as revealed by a high resolution CT scan by the Michael Coates lab.
🔊 Listen now to Episode #87 with Dr. Michael Coates:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
June 28, 2025 at 3:09 PM
You had me at HELODUS 💕.
Top 📸: Ray's drawing of Helodus, a toothy Carboniferous ghost shark.
Bottom 📸: A beautifully preserved Helodus skull as revealed by a high resolution CT scan by the Michael Coates lab.
🔊 Listen now to Episode #87 with Dr. Michael Coates:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
Top 📸: Ray's drawing of Helodus, a toothy Carboniferous ghost shark.
Bottom 📸: A beautifully preserved Helodus skull as revealed by a high resolution CT scan by the Michael Coates lab.
🔊 Listen now to Episode #87 with Dr. Michael Coates:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
🎉 Happy #FossilFriday! Episode #87 is here! 🎉
Explore fossil fish 🦈 and the deep origins of vertebrate life with Dr. Michael Coates, Vertebrate Paleontologist and Chair of Organismal Biology and Anatomy Professor at the University of Chicago.
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
Explore fossil fish 🦈 and the deep origins of vertebrate life with Dr. Michael Coates, Vertebrate Paleontologist and Chair of Organismal Biology and Anatomy Professor at the University of Chicago.
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
June 27, 2025 at 1:57 PM
🎉 Happy #FossilFriday! Episode #87 is here! 🎉
Explore fossil fish 🦈 and the deep origins of vertebrate life with Dr. Michael Coates, Vertebrate Paleontologist and Chair of Organismal Biology and Anatomy Professor at the University of Chicago.
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...
Explore fossil fish 🦈 and the deep origins of vertebrate life with Dr. Michael Coates, Vertebrate Paleontologist and Chair of Organismal Biology and Anatomy Professor at the University of Chicago.
🔊 Listen now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/mich...