My latest! In this month's cover story for the @texasobserver.org, I wrote an expansive, oddly philosophical deep dive into the western diamonback rattlesnake, a much-maligned animal I've come to have a lot of respect and affection for

The teeth of the Californian Horn #shark (Heterodontus francisci) are incredible - this CT image by @ellanicklin.bsky.social shows the first rows of the juvenile dentition. How scary can this shark be when it has jazz-hands for teeth!? 🦈🦷 @ufresearch.bsky.social 👐

Say hello to my newest Alligator #Gar friend that I met this past weekend at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.

Out now in Contributions from me and @gilespalaeo.bsky.social, a deep dive into an early member of the sturgeon and paddlefish lineage. Bear with me, but there’s a long backstory highlighting uncertainty about the anatomy of living species and how well-studied fossils can still yield new insights.

🦖 Free Webinar: 200 Years of Vertebrate Paleontology in South Asia Join Dr. Advait Jukar for a fascinating look at the history and future of vertebrate paleontology in South Asia. 📅 March 11 | 12-1 PM ET 🔗 Register: anatomy.org/ANATOMY/Meet...

Meet the Blacktip Reef Shark! #LetsChangeThat

Osteichthyans--the bony fishes--are by far the most diverse group of living jawed vertebrates. Two papers out today in @nature.com feature remarkable new Chinese fossils that paint a picture of substantial morphological diversity among stem osteichthyans.

A tiny fossil fish (less than 3cm long) from the 436-million-year-old Chongqing Fish Bed represents the earliest articulated remains of any bony fish in the fossil record, and informs our understanding on the origins of all bony fishes today.🧪👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Look at my fesh, but animated, and blame fesh for your toothache.

While the French were establishing a settlement in New Orleans and Blackbeard was killed off the Outer Banks of NC in 1718, a printer and bookseller in Amsterdam was producing a wondrous book on Indonesian fishes of which only 16 known copies survive today. 🐠 #SciArt

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Lead by Jeremy McCormack of @goetheuni.bsky.social, and with a miniscule contribution from me, we present geochemical evidence that sharks were marine apex predators since at least the Late Cretaceous. 🐟🦈🧪 #paleobiology #geochemistry

Shark!

Since February 27 is recognized as #PokemonDay, here's a look at the cards (which included holographic Shiny Pokemon Cards) that University of Alabama student Maddy Phillips (Madison Phillips Designs) created for our "Family Day at the Museum" event!

#fossilfriday Oregon, part 2 - I saw some beautifully preserved gigantic fish while visiting UOMNH in Eugene - the saber toothed salmon, "Smilodonichthys", recently reclassified as Oncorhynchus rastrosus.

In northern fishing communities, the rostral teeth of the largetooth sawfish, once thought extinct in the waters off Peru, have long been carved into razor-sharp spurs for cockfights news.mongabay.com/video/2026/0...

Last week, amidst the hoopla over a new Speen, @fishfetisher.bsky.social suggested a review of naming papers in fancy journals in response to a post by @daveyfwright.bsky.social - I got bored after work and now I have (some) data! 🧵👇 #FossilFriday #CharismaticTaxaAreOverrated

Bumping to the Fishes! and Science feeds. 🐟🧪

🎉 Huge news for BHL: The Field Museum is taking over the hosting of BHL’s website, servers & infrastructure, ensuring long-term stability and access for its 63+ million pages of open biodiversity literature. Learn more: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/02/tran... #BHLTransition #ILoveBHL 🌍 📚 🧪

How many fossils does it take to accurately train an image-based AI algorithm? According to a new study, the answer is much smaller than previously thought, with big implications for the field of paleontology. Story: www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/vert... Study: doi.org/10.1017/pab....

A few years back, a very unexpected relationship was found between Cichlids and convict fish. We have now explored this relationship further, and found that it might not be nearly as clear as once thought..... (photo by Ian Roussopoulos) www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S105....

Episode #95, From Fossils 🦴 to Film 📽 and the Science of Motion with Stuart Sumida, is out now! Ray and Dave talk with vertebrate paleontologist Stuart Sumida about his work advising filmmakers and animators on how animals should move and behave. 🔊 Listen now! www.paleonerds.com/podcast/stua...

They hate it when you call them insentient.

We are devastated to learn about the passing of the great palaeontologist Hans Sues. May his legacy live on through all that knew him and the students he mentored. Our thoughts are with his family at this incredibly difficult time 💔. 🔊 www.paleonerds.com/podcast/hans...

We have 30 members now!!!!!! Super excited to help build some community, and we would be happy to have anyone else join. 🥰

Rapid and repeated evolution of pigmentation patterns in reef fishes #ichthyology link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Heroes aren’t born. They’re built. Join us at the Alabama Museum of Natural History on February 21 from 1-4:00 p.m. for “Family Day at the Museum”! This is a free hands-on exploration of subjects being studied by The University of Alabama’s Graduate Students. Video: UA Student Anna Mullins

Please enjoy some speculative reconstruction humor for #FossilFriday

Based on available data for living species, there are 37,520 species of non-tetrapod fishes vs. 33,281 tetrapod species. 🤓 #TheMoreYouKnow Source for non-tetrapod fish species data: researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ich... Source for tetrapod species data: zenodo.org/records/1053...

Gotta Catch 'Em All! Behold these #Pokémon themed cards created by #ALMNH staff and students for an upcoming public event. Each card features common fossil shark teeth found in the Black Belt region of Alabama. #FossilFriday

Awesome # ichthyology work by @lampichthys.bsky.social and co. A pugnosed ponyfish that glows two ways: Bacterial bioluminescent wavelengths elicit biofluorescent emissions in the ponyfish genus Deveximentum link.springer.com/article/10.1...

I want to believe a real Sea Toad is moderating this episode. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_toad

Looking for something Marsh-velous to do this weekend? Visit the Alabama Museum of Natural History on February 21 from 1-4 p.m. for “Family Day”! This event is a free hands-on exploration of subjects studied by The University of Alabama’s Graduate Students. Video: UA Student Anna Mullins

🚨🚨🚨 Attention science communicators! 🚨🚨🚨 The 2026 Science IRL mini-grant application is NOW OPEN! Submit your creative ideas for connecting people with actionable science information *offline*. The deadline for this round of grants is March 23, 2026. Apply here! forms.gle/4emvpRPddmEt...

Don’t be invisible and see us at the Alabama Museum of Natural History this February 21 from 1-4:00 p.m. for “Family Day at the Museum”! This event is a free and family-friendly hands-on exploration of subjects being studied by The University of Alabama’s Graduate Students. Video: Anna Mullins

“Family Day at the Museum” at the Alabama Museum of Natural History is going to be terrific! Join us on February 21 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.! Enjoy a free hands-on exploration of subjects being studied by The University of Alabama’s Graduate Students. Video: UA Student Anna Mullins

Our annual shark bite report for 2025 is now available online. The global shark bite numbers return to average last year, with a smaller proportion in the United States. 📉 Full story and data: www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/glob... Summary report: www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attack...

One of the coolest ichthyology discoveries I’ve heard about in a while. Large pregnant female livebearers with male reproductive organs found in the wild. Goes to show how fluid sex and sexual traits can be. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Manuelli, L., Clément, G., Herbin, M. et al. A dual respiratory and auditory function for the coelacanth lung. Commun Biol (2026). 🐟🧪 doi.org/10.1038/s420...

Stumpf, S., Türtscher, J., López-Romero, F.A. et al. Reappraisal of the extinct barbelthroat shark †Bavariscyllium and the nebulous origin of carcharhiniform galeomorphs. Commun Biol 9, 158 (2026). 🦈🧪 doi.org/10.1038/s420...

🐍🧪🌎🧬🔬 www.science.org/content/arti... Magazine

One instance where less is moa

Laissez les bons temps rouler! A coworker just gifted me this bead necklace featuring the infamous sketch of Crichton Leprechaun for use on both Mardi Gras and St. Patricks Day in Alabama. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crichto...

Activate your Spider-Sense with us during "Family Day at the Museum" on February 21 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.! Enjoy a free hands-on exploration of subjects being studied by The University of Alabama's Graduate Students. Video Created by UA Student Anna Mullins

Frog toxins are in the news with the evidence that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was posioned with epibatidine. Here's more on frog toxins and how poisonous frogs avoid poisoning themselves: www.compoundchem.com/2017/09/26/p... #ChemSky 🧪

Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google. My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence! go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT

Had a chance to catch a temporary exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History featuring paleo-inspired art by Derek Hess. More info here: www.cmnh.org/explore/curr...

China’s Yangtze River shows signs of remarkable recovery after fishing ban Doubling of fish biomass and rebounding of endangered species shows government measures starting to work, biologists say www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Roses are red You're kinda a dish I like you way more Than that stupid fish Happy valentine's day everyone