Category Archives: Paleoecology

Wherein I attempt a bit of humor

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Jaime A. Headden

A recent paper (Pahl & Ruedas, in press at this time) suggested that large carnosaurs from the Morrison Formation would have preferrentially or obligately been scavengers, but because they were also the largest theropods of the region, they would have … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Media, Meta, Paleoecology, Paleontology, Philosophy | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Herbivores All the Way Down

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Jaime A. Headden

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, a revolution in the way dinosaurs were conceived to have evolved occurred, in which a basal stock of croc-ish animals (this was during the “thecodont origin of … everything (?)” phase of archosaur relationship … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biological Comparison, Paleoecology, Paleontology, Reconstruction, Science Reporting | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Toothed Birds

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Jaime A. Headden

It soars over the tossing waves on enormous, outspread wings. With nary a flap, the bird is soaring dynamically high above the ocean, its eyes scanning the sky around it and sea below. It may seem unremarkable to us today: … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Comparison, Biology, Biomechanics, Paleobiology, Paleoecology, Paleontology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A Short Piece on Piscivores – Not All The Same

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Jaime A. Headden

So you think you know a piscivore if you saw one? Not so fast. Take a look: Piscivores come in a large array of sizes and morphologies. Not all have teeth. Some are slender-snouted, others broad. What mostly defines a … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Comparison, Biology, Paleoecology, Paleontology, Terminology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

An Edentulous Dsungaripterid? 10 Facts About Banguela

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Jaime A. Headden

So I’ve gone on and on about all this boring stuff about writing papers and my personal experience and analysis and what not. But you probably want to know about Banguela oberlii, the pterosaur. Let’s talk about what the paper … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleobiology, Paleoecology, Paleontology, Science Reporting | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Better Know a Diet

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Jaime A. Headden

Everyone eats, everyone consumes. Everything consumes. Regardless of whether you’re a bacterium or a tree or a giant tyrannosaur, organisms consume parts of other things to produce energy to live. Sometimes, those “things” are other organisms. When organisms are sufficiently … Continue reading →

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