fossil – Page 4 – Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve

Recent Discoveries in the Science of Paleontology

May 14, 2020June 3, 2020Penn Dixie

Wednesday June 3, 7 pm – Virtual Presentation

By Dan Krisher, Retired Fossil Hunter

The advancement of knowledge in many fields of study typically proceeds at a relatively slow and incremental pace. If you were to look back over the years in fields such as economics, engineering, the social sciences, and mathematics you would see a slow progression where one advancement builds upon another. The “hard” sciences such as physics, astronomy, biology, and geology tend to display a somewhat different pattern.

The slow accumulation of knowledge certainly takes place, but these sciences also have an inherent tendency toward rapid and dramatic discoveries and reinterpretations which can dramatically change a given field of study. This talk will touch on some of the recent discoveries and concept changes which have occurred in the field of paleontology over the past year.

Dan is a paleontologist who retired from Ward’s Natural Science a few years ago where he was the head of Geology and Paleontology. Since his retirement, he has had more time to pursue research which is focused primarily on the Silurian and Devonian coral faunas of NYS. He has also been very involved in public outreach in a wide variety of venues and settings including being a volunteer at Penn Dixie for 6 years (as of the 2020 season).

To participate you’ll need to Register Here and download Zoom. We’ll email a link to the talk shortly before 7 pm.

Virtual Fossil ID

April 14, 2020May 1, 2020Penn Dixie

Dig up your unidentified fossil specimens and join us at 4 pm on Friday May 1 for Virtual Fossil ID. Through the magic of Zoom, Penn Dixie experts will identify your fossils and provide some background information about your geological treasures. There is no charge for this program and all ages are welcome to participate. Register below before May 1 to be included in the virtual program.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Computer with webcam, speakers, & microphone/headset; tablet; or smartphone
Fossils to identify
Any information you can provide about where the fossils were found
A ruler or tape measure to show scale
Notepad or paper to label specimens

Be sure that your equipment is up and running and that your space is well lit so we can see the specimens. Capacity is limited. We will do our best to make sure that everyone gets a chance to participate but cannot guarantee that we can look at your entire collection. Please note that we cannot appraise fossils — this program is for educational purposes only.

Support for this program is provided by Erie County and the Town of Hamburg.

She Sells Sea Shells

April 9, 2020April 27, 2020Penn Dixie

Science in the Virtual Pub – April 23, 7:30 pm

Mary Anning spent her youth searching for fossils along the Lyme Regis coast in southern England. At the age of 12, Mary uncovered the world’s first ichthyosaur, which was a previously unknown animal whose discovery paved the way for our understanding of evolution and extinction. During his talk, Dr. Phil Stokes, the Executive Director of Penn Dixie Fossil Park will delve into Mary’s discoveries and illustrate the surprising connections between the ancient histories of southern England and Buffalo, NY.

Click here to register for Science in the Virtual Pub sponsored by the Paleontological Research Institution. Enter your info and you will receive a link shortly before the presentation.

Killing the Cockroach

February 25, 2020May 14, 2020Penn Dixie

Cockroaches are feared, hated, sprayed, and stomped. But, we can’t seem to get rid of them. They have survived multiple global disasters and even outlasted the dinosaurs, but can all of their fancy adaptations save them from the current extinction crisis? In his 2019 TEDxBuffalo talk, Penn Dixie Executive Director Dr. Phil Stokes explores why some species are more prone to extinction than others.

An Eyecatching Trilobite

June 5, 2019June 5, 2019Penn Dixie

By Dr. Phil Stokes, Executive Director

I’m always elated when a guest finds a really neat fossil and 2019 Dig With The Experts provided enough excitement to carry me forward for a long while! Many collectors uncovered large, excellently preserved specimens from the newly-excavated portion of Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve. Complete trilobites were on the menu, and the dig did not disappoint hundreds of enthusiastic diggers like Jimmy Cyrus from Kentucky.

Jimmy large phacops 1 — The unprepared trilobite as found by Jimmy Cyrus at Dig With The Experts.

The unprepared trilobite as it would have appeared on the day of the dig.

Preparation a little further along.

Jimmy large phacops 2 — Preparation a little further along.

Jimmy submitted these photos of this beautifully-prepared Eldredgeops (Phacops) rana trilobite. As you can see, the carapace is entirely intact and all of the distinctive Eldredgeops features are visible. Malcolm Thornley — one of Penn Dixie’s amazing volunteer experts — did an incredible job preparing this specimen.

My most favorite attribute of our trilobites is the eyes. Once prepared, you can — with a magnifier — count the dozens of eyelets on each compound eye. But, that’s not the weirdest thing. Did you know that the eyes were located on turret-like organs which could swivel? Trilobites could rotate their eyes in nearly 360 degrees!

Jimmy’s eyecatching trilobite!

Even the trilobite name — ‘Rana’ — refers to the eyes. In Latin, it means ‘frog’ due to the frog-like nature of the eyes! But, maybe there’s one more language connection to make. In Arabic, Rana is a somewhat common name. The meaning? Eyecatching.