#paleozoic — Public Fediverse posts

#WeekendReading: Dodd et al. about recurring marine phosphorus spikes during major Paleozoic mass extinctions, and how they might be driving anoxia.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70701-y

#MassExtinction #Ocean #Anoxia #Paleozoic

#WeekendReading: Dodd et al. about recurring marine phosphorus spikes during major Paleozoic mass extinctions, and how they might be driving anoxia.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70701-y

#MassExtinction #Ocean #Anoxia #Paleozoic

Prague metro construction leads to discovery of new prehistoric species https://english.radio.cz/prague-metro-construction-leads-discovery-new-prehistoric-species-8885616

A new species of Soomaspis (Naraoiidae) from the Upper #Ordovician of Bohemia http://www.geology.cz/bulletin/contents/art1955

"the most surprising aspect of the find is that its closest known relative was previously identified only in southern Africa... Much of #Prague stands on rock formations dating back to the #Paleozoic era, between 541 and 252 million years ago."

#Cambrian ( /ˈkæmbri.ən, ˈkeɪm-/ KAM-bree-ən, KAYM-) is the first geological period of the #Paleozoic Era and the #Phanerozoic Eon.[5] The Cambrian lasted 51.95 millio

What On Earth Were The Conodonts? - Benn G Thomas

https://quokk.au/c/videos/p/509898/what-on-earth-were-the-conodonts-benn-g-thomas

Low Sinuosity Meandering Rivers Before Vascular Plants - Cambrian Tapeats Formation, Arizona, USA
--
https://doi.org/10.1130/B38336.1 <-- shared paper
--
#water #hydrology #Arizona #bars #braided #streams #Cambrian #channels #clastic #conglomerate #floodplains #fluvial #hydromorphology #sedimentation #landscape #LowerCambrian #meander #mechanism #migration #mudstone #Paleozoic #Plantae #pointbar #rivers #sandstone #sedimentary #Silurian #sinuosity #UnitedStates #USA #TapeatsFormation
@GSA

Low Sinuosity Meandering Rivers Before Vascular Plants - Cambrian Tapeats Formation, Arizona, USA
--
https://doi.org/10.1130/B38336.1 <-- shared paper
--
#water #hydrology #Arizona #bars #braided #streams #Cambrian #channels #clastic #conglomerate #floodplains #fluvial #hydromorphology #sedimentation #landscape #LowerCambrian #meander #mechanism #migration #mudstone #Paleozoic #Plantae #pointbar #rivers #sandstone #sedimentary #Silurian #sinuosity #UnitedStates #USA #TapeatsFormation
@GSA

Another wonderful vintage paleoart review is up at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs:
Gemma covers beautiful ancient ocean life murals by Marie Hubrecht
https://chasmosaurs.com/2025/07/17/vintage-dinosaur-art-hubrecht-at-the-lyceum-part-2/

#marine
#paleozoic
#trilobites
#fossils

Another wonderful vintage paleoart review is up at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs:
Gemma covers beautiful ancient ocean life murals by Marie Hubrecht
https://chasmosaurs.com/2025/07/17/vintage-dinosaur-art-hubrecht-at-the-lyceum-part-2/

#marine
#paleozoic
#trilobites
#fossils

@KateShaw has made a great new episode about a mystery cambrian invertebrate, a mystery fish, and some other mysteries. Also, some donation links are included at the end, if you can donate to help people affected by Hurricane Helene and its aftermath.
https://strangeanimalspodcast.blubrry.net/2024/09/30/episode-400-four-mysteries/

#birds
#sharks
#invertebrates
#paleozoic

@KateShaw has made a great new episode about a mystery cambrian invertebrate, a mystery fish, and some other mysteries. Also, some donation links are included at the end, if you can donate to help people affected by Hurricane Helene and its aftermath.
https://strangeanimalspodcast.blubrry.net/2024/09/30/episode-400-four-mysteries/

#birds
#sharks
#invertebrates
#paleozoic

The source of #paleozoic (hemi-) #pelagic calcareous #mud (before the rise modern pelagic calcifiers) has been bugging me, again, recently.
I have seen arguments for calcification of #cyanobacterial filaments, calcareous #dinoflagellates, breakdown of thin-walled fossils, and I'm not negating #abiotic sources.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the topic?

The source of #paleozoic (hemi-) #pelagic calcareous #mud (before the rise modern pelagic calcifiers) has been bugging me, again, recently.
I have seen arguments for calcification of #cyanobacterial filaments, calcareous #dinoflagellates, breakdown of thin-walled fossils, and I'm not negating #abiotic sources.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the topic?

Giant ‘sea scorpions’ hunted #Australian waters like sharks.

The two NSW sea scorpion or “eurypterid” fossils, which are in the order of 400 million years old, shed new light on how these fearsome creatures reigned in the #Paleozoic era.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/350392767/giant-sea-scorpions-hunted-australian-waters-sharks #fossils

Giant ‘sea scorpions’ hunted #Australian waters like sharks.

The two NSW sea scorpion or “eurypterid” fossils, which are in the order of 400 million years old, shed new light on how these fearsome creatures reigned in the #Paleozoic era.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/350392767/giant-sea-scorpions-hunted-australian-waters-sharks #fossils

World Buildin'. #art #paleozoic #fish

Wye o el animal Y (Escumasia roryi), una enigmática criatura de finales del Paleozoico (307 MdA) con forma de saco con dos brazos y un pedúnculo con el que se adhería a superficies sólidas, pudiendo estar relacionado con los cnidarios, como medusas y anémonas. 📷 Apokryltaros #Paleozoico #Paleozoic

Wye o el animal Y (Escumasia roryi), una enigmática criatura de finales del Paleozoico (307 MdA) con forma de saco con dos brazos y un pedúnculo con el que se adhería a superficies sólidas, pudiendo estar relacionado con los cnidarios, como medusas y anémonas. 📷 Apokryltaros #Paleozoico #Paleozoic

Ancient #ocean oxygenation timeline revealed
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-ancient-ocean-oxygenation-timeline-revealed.html

Late Paleozoic #oxygenation of marine environments supported by #dolomite U-Pb dating https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46660-7

"Their record indicates a dramatic increase in the oxygenation of the #oceans during the Late #Paleozoic era, hundreds of millions of years after the emergence of the first #animals. This aligns with other evidence... supports the hypothesis that animals have evolved in oceans that were mostly oxygen-limited"

Ancient #ocean oxygenation timeline revealed
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-ancient-ocean-oxygenation-timeline-revealed.html

Late Paleozoic #oxygenation of marine environments supported by #dolomite U-Pb dating https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46660-7

"Their record indicates a dramatic increase in the oxygenation of the #oceans during the Late #Paleozoic era, hundreds of millions of years after the emergence of the first #animals. This aligns with other evidence... supports the hypothesis that animals have evolved in oceans that were mostly oxygen-limited"

First discovered in 2002, paleontologist draw comparisons of #Dinocephalosaurus_orientalis with other aquatic species having no modern day analogs - why did the entire family of #Tanystropheidae or the genera exhibiting these morphological functionalities not continue?

Perhaps just as interesting is the convergent evolution (especially with respect to their necks) between that of Dinocephalosaurus and members of the Tanystropheus genus. A close resemblance on the surface, yet Dinocephalosaurus orientalis was strictly an aquatic species.

I've included an artists reconstructive rendition of Tanystropheus longobardicus for comparison between the two, but note that Dinocephalosaurus had four flipper-like feet of the same size, and unable to exist, or at least thrive in a terrestrial environment, where Tanystropheus exhibited larger feet in the rear - not unlike your hands being smaller than your feet.

And yes, as Yuki (@youronlyone) offers up as a contemplative inference, the whole "Dragon" and "Loch Ness Monster" corollaries are uncanny, raising questions as to why would pre-industrial societies actually have such fables, or in the case of the latter, claims of sightings, if not rooted in some previous observation by humans?

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/23/world/dragon-fossil-240-million-years-old-intl-scli-scn/index.html

Dinocephalosaurus was extant from the late #Paleozoic (late Permian period) through the early #Mesozoic (early Triassic period) eras.

#tallship #Dinocephalosaurus #Triassic #Tanystropheus #Tanystropheus_longobardicus h/t to @youronlyone for bringing the latest news on this matter to me - I'm always fascinated with things related to #marine_biology - especially #Opisthobranchia

⛵️

.

RE: https://c.im/users/youronlyone/statuses/111985758251416307

@youronlyone

#paleozoic #marinelife

289-Million-Year-Old #Cave System Preserves Oldest-Known Fossilized Skin
https://www.sci.news/paleontology/captorhinus-aguti-skin-12605.html

#Paleozoic cave system preserves oldest-known evidence of amniote skin https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)01663-9

"The newly-described fossilized skin belonged to #Captorhinus aguti, a species of early #reptile that lived during the #Permian period... The #skin fragment, which is smaller than a fingernail, has a pebbled surface and most closely resembles #crocodile skin."

289-Million-Year-Old #Cave System Preserves Oldest-Known Fossilized Skin
https://www.sci.news/paleontology/captorhinus-aguti-skin-12605.html

#Paleozoic cave system preserves oldest-known evidence of amniote skin https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)01663-9

"The newly-described fossilized skin belonged to #Captorhinus aguti, a species of early #reptile that lived during the #Permian period... The #skin fragment, which is smaller than a fingernail, has a pebbled surface and most closely resembles #crocodile skin."

Malformed #trilobites from the Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian of Australia: most include examples of injuries from either failed #predation or moulting complications as well as a mangled carcass is ascribed to either successful predation or post-mortem #scavenging

https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16634 via @PeerJ #palaeontology #paleopathology #paleozoic #fossils

Look what arrived while I was out of town! @keeseycomics
#Paleozoic

Look what arrived while I was out of town! @keeseycomics
#Paleozoic

During what era did you join Mastodon?

#Cenozoic
#Mesozoic
#Paleozoic
#Neoproterozoic
#dinosaurs
#fossils

During what era did you join Mastodon?

#Cenozoic
#Mesozoic
#Paleozoic
#Neoproterozoic
#dinosaurs
#fossils

Ancient lake #microbes caused global warming during ice age
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ancient-lake-microbes-global-ice.html

Effects on #GlobalWarming by microbial #methanogenesis in #AlkalineLakes during the Late #Paleozoic #IceAge https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G51286.1/627322/Effects-on-global-warming-by-microbial

"Global warming has occurred numerous times over Earth's history, with one such event happening 304 million years ago during the #LatePaleozoicIceAge. Studies have discovered increased sea surface temperature, ice decline and oceanic environments flooding the land at the time."

Ancient lake #microbes caused global warming during ice age
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ancient-lake-microbes-global-ice.html

Effects on #GlobalWarming by microbial #methanogenesis in #AlkalineLakes during the Late #Paleozoic #IceAge https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G51286.1/627322/Effects-on-global-warming-by-microbial

"Global warming has occurred numerous times over Earth's history, with one such event happening 304 million years ago during the #LatePaleozoicIceAge. Studies have discovered increased sea surface temperature, ice decline and oceanic environments flooding the land at the time."

#WeekendReading: Been thinking a fiar bit on #Paleozoic #nutrients cycling, so I'm revisiting Sharon and Halevy's paper on Phanerozoic marine #phosphate levels regulation.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-01075-1

My other artwork which I never uploaded here, is the Dunkleosteus. Commissioned by Dr. Brian Curtice.

Thank you to Mr. Russell Engelman for providing me with fruitful comments about this drawing.

#Arthrodira #Sciart #Paleoart #Paleoartist #Devonian #Placoderm #Paleozoic

My other artwork which I never uploaded here, is the Dunkleosteus. Commissioned by Dr. Brian Curtice.

Thank you to Mr. Russell Engelman for providing me with fruitful comments about this drawing.

#Arthrodira #Sciart #Paleoart #Paleoartist #Devonian #Placoderm #Paleozoic

Which of these #Paleozoic periods is the most underrated?

#Gneiss boulder

I came upon this stream-polished boulder along the Quinebaug River, just below East Brimfield Reservoir near #Sturbridge, #Massachusetts. Because it has been transported and I just took a photo, I don’t know its origins…but it looks like either the Quinebaug or Marlboro formations, Ordovician and Cambrian, respectively. Laurentia, not Gondwana. Lovely banding, eh? Lens cap is about 4 cm in diameter.
#gneiss #Paleozoic #metamorphic #geology #photo 27 mm #Fujifilm

#Gneiss boulder

I came upon this stream-polished boulder along the Quinebaug River, just below East Brimfield Reservoir near #Sturbridge, #Massachusetts. Because it has been transported and I just took a photo, I don’t know its origins…but it looks like either the Quinebaug or Marlboro formations, Ordovician and Cambrian, respectively. Laurentia, not Gondwana. Lovely banding, eh? Lens cap is about 4 cm in diameter.
#gneiss #Paleozoic #metamorphic #geology #photo 27 mm #Fujifilm

Now the more #riebeckite facies of the #Paleozoic #Quincy #Granite

The Quincy granite was a prized architectural stone, most famously used in the #BunkerHill Monument in #Boston #Massachusetts. Current dating suggests it was intruded into #Avalonia before it glommed onto #Laurentia as #Laurasia and #Pangea were assembled. Today’s #photo set comes from a walk around the eponymous Bunker Hill Quarry. I’ll post more about the history later. Captions!
#Fujifilm #XH1 #igneous #intrusive #NewEngland

Now the more #riebeckite facies of the #Paleozoic #Quincy #Granite

The Quincy granite was a prized architectural stone, most famously used in the #BunkerHill Monument in #Boston #Massachusetts. Current dating suggests it was intruded into #Avalonia before it glommed onto #Laurentia as #Laurasia and #Pangea were assembled. Today’s #photo set comes from a walk around the eponymous Bunker Hill Quarry. I’ll post more about the history later. Captions!
#Fujifilm #XH1 #igneous #intrusive #NewEngland

Anyone have any recommendations for books/podcasts/other media about life in the #paleozoic ? I’m trying to do paleoart from different periods than usual but I’m really noticing my knowledge drops off sharply once I go before the Permian.

Lichens on boulder
Near Rattlesnake Hill in Sharon, Massachusetts USA, Paleozoic granite intrudes into the Proterozoic Dedham pluton. Pleistocene glaciation plucked and faceted boulders, and they’re now covered in lovely lichens here in the Holocene. Photographed in ambient light on our New Year Day stroll.
#granite #lichens #boston #Paleozoic #photography #abstract

Lichens on boulder
Near Rattlesnake Hill in Sharon, Massachusetts USA, Paleozoic granite intrudes into the Proterozoic Dedham pluton. Pleistocene glaciation plucked and faceted boulders, and they’re now covered in lovely lichens here in the Holocene. Photographed in ambient light on our New Year Day stroll.
#granite #lichens #boston #Paleozoic #photography #abstract

Similar to #EarthBeforeUS in some ways, #HannahBonner's "When" series, now collected into the single volume "When Fish Got Feet, Bugs Were Big, and Dinos Dawned", does have a narrower focus, so far only depicting the latter half of the #Paleozoic and the #Triassic. This means she is able to go into more detail in some ways, though, while maintaining a fun balance between serious & silly. I definitely recommend getting this one right alongside #AbbyHoward's series.
https://dinodadreviews.com/2021/03/25/when-fish-got-feet-bugs-were-big-and-dinos-dawned/

Similar to #EarthBeforeUS in some ways, #HannahBonner's "When" series, now collected into the single volume "When Fish Got Feet, Bugs Were Big, and Dinos Dawned", does have a narrower focus, so far only depicting the latter half of the #Paleozoic and the #Triassic. This means she is able to go into more detail in some ways, though, while maintaining a fun balance between serious & silly. I definitely recommend getting this one right alongside #AbbyHoward's series.
https://dinodadreviews.com/2021/03/25/when-fish-got-feet-bugs-were-big-and-dinos-dawned/