Graphic used with permission. Daniel D. Brown, LaughingMantis.com. Echinoderms are one of the most highly derived groups of animals with many species as significant components of several marine communities. They’re classified by three fundamental shared characteristics: 1) pentaradial symmetry, 2) skeleton made of three-dimensional calcitic elements, and 3) the presence of a water . . . → Read More: Veins of Water: The Evolution of the Echinoderm Water-Vascular System
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By Kevin Zelnio, on  March 20th, 2012  One comment  Adaptations, Evolution, Paleobiology  Echinodermata, echinoderms, Evolutionary History, fossil, Madreporite, Phylogeny, Radial Symmetry, Water Vascular System, Xyloplax By para_sight, on January 31st, 2012 5 comments Biodiversity, Critters, Paleobiology, Ramblings ammonite, brachiopod, eocrinoid, fossil, Trilobite I celebrated another lap around the sun this weekend, and in honour of that my friend Betty, who lives in Arizona, sent me a rather awesome gift. It wasn’t elegantly wrapped; in fact, its contents were variously contained in a decidedly pedestrian mix of old bubble wrap, styrofoam noodles and plastic bags from Target AND . . . → Read More: Extinct life is like a box of chocolates
By Dr. M, on December 1st, 2010 2 comments Cephalopods!, Ecology, Evolution, Paleobiology, Paleobiology ammonite, Cephalopod, fossil, Predation, predator New work in the Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society indicates that ammonites were likely preyed upon beaked squids. The Chamouth Mudstone Formation on the British Coast is famous for its ammonite fauna from 183-195 million years ago. Twenty percent of the ammonites were found to have damage toward the rear of shell. This spot . . . → Read More: Cephalopod on Cephalopod Crime
By Kevin Zelnio, on October 27th, 2010 One comment Biodiversity, Evolution, New Research, New Species, Paleobiology Anatomy, Anemone, Anthozoa, Best of Zelnio, Cambrian, China, Cnidaria, Eolympia pediculata, fossil, Hexacorallia, Mesentery, Microfossil, plos one Continuing its trend as one of the top destinations for out-of-this-world fossil finds, China is yielding yet another piece to the evolutionary jigsaw puzzle. In a recent PLoS One article, Han and colleagues report the findings of a new squishy sea anemone from the Lower Cambrian. The new find lends support to genetic data . . . → Read More: New Fossil Anemone Reveals Innard Secrets
By Kevin Zelnio, on August 30th, 2010 Leave a comment Adaptations, Biodiversity, Evolution, New Research, Paleobiology Best of Zelnio, China, Crustacea, fossil, Yicaris Finding any new fossil is rare. Finding invertebrate fossils is made even more rare because of the squishy nature of most invertebrates. Sometimes the wandering paleontologist, toiling away with utmost care through dust and debris, can find parts of squishy invertebrates like scolodonts (polychaete jaws), coral rubble, carbonate shell cement, or maybe sea star or . . . → Read More: Yicaris – Progenitor of the Crustacea
By Dr. M, on July 5th, 2010 4 comments Biodiversity, Conservation & Environment, Geology, Industry & Government, Megavertebrate, Mining, New Research, Open Access, Scientist!, Seeps, Vent, & Whale Falls Azores, conservation, extinction debt, fossil, Hydrothermal Vent, insects, mining, Miocene, Paleobiology, raptor, species-area, sperm whale, sulphide deposit, The Tide Pool An occasional series where we briefly report 3 new studies and tell you why they are cool! A new report from Lambert et al. reports on a new fossil sperm whale skull, teeth, and mandible from Peru. Dating back to the 12-13 Mya from the Middle Miocene, Leviathan melvillei possessed a 3 meter (~10 feet) . . . → Read More: The Tide Pool: Super Sperm Whales, Extinction Debts, and Vent Conservation
By Kevin Zelnio, on June 7th, 2010 7 comments Biodiversity, New Research, Zooplankton Best of Zelnio, Cambrian, Chaetognath, Current Biology, Deuterostome, Ecdysozoa, evolution, fossil, molecular phylogeny, Phylogenetics, Platyhelminthes, Priapulida, Protostome, RB Editor's Selection Lynn Margulis classified the Chaetognaths, known as arrow worms, as deuterostomes. Deuterostomy is characterized by several developmental characteristics including radial, indeterminate cleavage, a posterior position of the blastopore (deuterostomy=”second mouth”), enterocoelous coelom formation and a tripartite adult body plan with a post-anal tail. At least this is what I was taught “growing up”. Three . . . → Read More: What in Darwin’s Name Are Chaetognaths?!
By Kevin Zelnio, on April 24th, 2010 One comment Biodiversity, Fish, New Research, New Species, Paleobiology 6-Gill Shark, Anatomy, Bathykorus bouilloni, Cnidaria, fossil, Hydrozoa, jelly, jellyfish, Ostracod, Raskoff, shark, The Tide Pool KAZ – A new occasional series modeled from Ed Yong’s Pocket Science where I will briefly report a few cool studies and tell you why I think they are cool! ———————————- Bathykorus bouilloni, new species. Kevin Raskoff from Monterey Peninsula College (where I got my start in science!) describes a new genus and species of . . . → Read More: The Tide Pool: New Jelly, Misplaced 6-Gill, Old Ostracods
By Dr. M, on June 28th, 2009 4 comments Adaptations, Biodiversity, Geology, Megavertebrate, Paleobiology Age of Fishes, armor, Arthrodires, computer model, Devonian, Dunkleosteus, force, fossil, jaw, Ohio, placoderms, predator, shark Dunkleosteus skull at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History Way before even your great-great-grandpappy was born and Ohio was ocean instead of cornfields, it was the “Age of the Fishes”. During this Devonian (400-360 million years ago), the placoderms, giant, shark-like, armored fishes, ruled the oceans. Among the largest and most fearsome of these were . . . → Read More: Easy Big Fella
By Kevin Zelnio, on May 21st, 2009 3 comments Biodiversity, Mating & Reproduction, Paleobiology Aggregation, fossil, Geology, Gregarious, Paleontology, Portugal, Sex Week, Trilobite A new paper published recently in the journal Geology reports on peculiar conga party lines of our paleo-friend, the Trilobite. Gutierrez-Marco and colleagues discovered a quarry replete with marine invertebrate fossil, including potentially some of the largest trilobite specimens ever found. Curiously though, these capricious little critters were found exhibiting some rather gregarious behavior! They . . . → Read More: Trilobites Ride the Crazy Train
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