PaleoJim
@paleojim
State Paleontologist for Utah; exploring and promoting the history of life in our southwestern deserts for the public good and the wonder of it all
#FossilFriday The holotype and paratype of the new species of Hoplitosaurus have dorsal osteoderms with distinct "invertebrate" induced pathologies that clearly different from the irrgular "fungal-bacterial" pathologies in the older Gastonia. @ichnologist.bsky.social @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social
We will have Starlink with Paleontologizing live streaming every day from 3-5, -- August 6. #FossilFriday www.twitch.tv/paleontologi... Early work at Jim's Place at Doellings Bowl at the Dawn of the Cretaceous in eastern Utah. @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social
Thing of the Dinosaurs of Utah palace(s) that could be built as a focal point for research and education in a more rural setting such as in Green River, St. George, Cedar City, or Tropic Utah with a fraction of this kind of money.
Worse than I could have imagined with near total loss of our Campanian dinosaur beds. @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social @agu.org @natgeosci.nature.com @paleosoc.bsky.social No one asked my opinion as Utah's State Paleontologist! @paleontologizing.bsky.social
Don DeBlieux has been overseeing a paleontological inventory for Canyonlands NP over the past 5 years. The Early Triassic Moenkopi story has turned out to be the most exciting, hopefully some of the more accessible sites will be interpreted. @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social @paleontologizing.bsky.social
Making my osteoderm figures for the new Utah species of the polacanthid, Hoplitosaurus and these pathologies are driving me nuts. Parasites?, too consistent for fungal or bacterial infections, so.. another gift for #FossilFriday @ichnologist.bsky.social @paleosoc.bsky.social
Love me some Cretaceous freshwater elasmobranchs for #FossilFriday . The Myledaphus line is very well represented in Utah. Glad to see this magnificent Myledaphus mummy properly described.! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... @paleontologizing.bsky.social @heatherfsmith.bsky.social
For Trace #FossilFriday from Gale Bishop in 2028; "First and only fossilized sea turtle nest (left) from the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway compared with analogous modern structures from St. Catherine's (right) .." Keep looking for these amazing vertebrate traces. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social
Preparator – Field Paleontologist The Geologic Mapping and Paleontology Program of the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) seeking a full time permanent Preparator – Field Paleontologist. This is a unique opportunity to build a career focused on Field Paleontology in Utah. @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social
I think I'm done with documenting North America's youngest polacanthid. Based on its distinct osteoderms, it occurs at 3 localities in the upper Poison Strip Mbr. of the CM Fm.on either side of Arches NP. Thanks to BYU Paleontological Museum. The second older specimen loaded with patholgies.
Utah Friends of Paleontology Annual meeting is coming up at the end of August, in Salt Lake City. utahpaleo.org/2026-ufop-an... @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social @paleosoc.bsky.social @prehistoricmuseum.bsky.social @sltrib.com.web.brid.gy @dinosaurjoe.bsky.social
Another productive research day at BYU Paleontology Museum working on the huge polacanthid ankylosaur. If you want big, here is museum director Rod Scheetz putting a Supersaurus dorsal vertebra back on the shelf. @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social @jeremybroberts.bsky.social @paleontologizing.bsky.social
#FossilFriday Lower Jurassic Kayenta ornithischian anterior tooth. What makes for a better figure; upper of lower row? @andrewtracks.bsky.social @notthatmarsh.bsky.social
Further update on May,1996 joint meeting of Western Ass. of Vert. Paleo. & Utah Friends of Paleo. Need more IDs. Weak on california folk. @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social @captainfossil.bsky.social @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social @geosociety.bsky.social @agu.org
With Martha Hayden retiring after 47 years, we labeled the group picture of the May, 1996 joint meeting of WAVP and UFOP in Vernal, Utah. Certainly a unique grouping of Utah's Paleontologists from this century. Three Utah State Paleontologists and representives from every museum in the area.
For those of you that are were asking me just how primitive the shoulder girdle Utahraptor really is? We have several scapula-coracoids of different sizes in the Utahraptor megablock. This is the largest for #FossilFriday ! www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU4h... @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social
#FossilFriday New ichnogenus of possible tritylodont tracks associated with newly discovered tritylodont bonebeds under study by @andrewtracks.bsky.social from Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. What long toes you have grandpa?
Last day at SGDS needing to borrow the ornithischian teeth to my descriptions. So for #FossilFriday some nice semionotids; undescribed Latest Triassic Fish from the Bell Ranch Fm. west of Spanish Fork near SLC & basal Jurassic Lophinotus (sp.) from sw Utah at SGDS. @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social
Down at St. George looking a Lower Jurassic basal ornithischian teeth. After hours at SGDS. @altnps.bsky.social I hear we are losing paleontologist at Glen Canyon Nat. Rec. Area...Letters to superintendent please. @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social
Now that I have gotten the paper on our new basal Cret. polacanthid into review, here are a few figure of comparisons of significant skeltal elements across ankylosauria for #FossilFriday @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social @paleosoc.bsky.social @palaeontosoc.bsky.social
Then of course Harvard has real specimens from that amazing localty. Protosuchus MCZ 6727 #FossilFriday too. @andrewtracks.bsky.social
Protosuchus AMNH 3024 type cast at Harvard Museum of Natural History MCZ 2754 from the basal Jurassic Moenave Fm. on Ward Terrace, Navajo Nation, AZ for #FossilFriday @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social @andrewtracks.bsky.social @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social
Some Lower Jurassic tritylodonts from the Kayenta Formation I photographed in the collection of the Harvard Museum of Natural History from a few years ago that I should have been shared for #FossilFriday. @andrewtracks.bsky.social @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social
UFOP lecture May 14, 7:00 PM MT Jacob Freewin "New evidence of a large theropod dinosaur in the Yellow Cat Member (Barremian) of the Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA." Utah Dept. of Nat. Res., 1594 W North Temple St, SLC. The online meeting link is: meet.google.com/kyg-eyoe-pdf
For #FossilFriday as we work on describng the new ornithischian teeth from the lower Kayenta Fm. in southwestern Utah: Curtis and Padian, 1999's 2 smaller, related teeth from upper Kayenta at Gold Springs, AZ at Harvard (thanks guys). @andrewtracks.bsky.social @richardjbutler.bsky.social
Learn more about the National Science Board (NSB) gutting in the AIBS statement linked here: t.congressweb.com/w/?FGXZQRCLJI Everyone needs to realize that the War on Science is far worse for our nation than the "Trumpian War on Xmas." @agu.org @sciam.bsky.social @scinews.bsky.social
Cross' new paper is pretty interesting, but obviously I have a problem with some of the age data for CM ankies. Peleroplites and Cedarpelta are from U. Albian. M. Suarez date is mid Aptian. And you cannot say that I do not like teeth! academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a... @utahpaleo-ufop.bsky.social