Pals in Palaeo
Join PhD student and Palaeontologist Adele Pentland, and explore the Form, Function and Family Groupings of Fossils from across geologic time
Episodes
31 episodes
VAMP: Virtual Australian Museum of Palaeontology
Introducing VAMP! The Virtual Australian Museum of Palaeontology is a digital collection spanning 600 million years of evolution. On this episode, Adele has a yarn with the three palaeontologist...
1. Anomalocaris
Join Adele on a wild ride through the Cambrian (510-500 million years ago) as we discuss the ancient apex predator Anomalocaris (a weird shrimpy boy with face fangs). We also touch on trilobite cannibalism, the advantages of compou...
2. Koolasuchus
Meet Koolasuchus cleelandi, a giant amphibian from the Cretaceous of Victoria, Australia (~125 million years ago) with the body of a salamander and a head as big as a wheelie bin lid. An animal that by all rights, SHOULD have gone extinct milli...
3. Ferrodraco
Adele talks about the species of pterosaur she named: Ferrodraco lentoni affectionately known as Butch, or the Iron Dragon a winged reptile with a wingspan of 4m (just over 13 feet!) Plus insight from fossil preparator Ali Calvey a...
4. Glossopteris
Introducing Glossopteris! A prolific fossil plant from the swamps of the southern supercontinent, Gondwana during the Permian period.We hear from Dr Anne-Marie Tosolini, a palaeontologist and palaeobotanist about this incredibl...
5. Cryolophosaurus
Join Adele and guest Dr Nathan Smith on an adventure through the Jurassic forests of Antarctica (180 million years ago) as we talk about one of the coolest dinosaurs, Cryolophosaurus (the overlooked cousin of Dilophosaurus).
6. Dunkleosteus
Adele dives into the Devonian oceans to talk about the colossal armoured fish Dunkleosteus. An ancient apex predator about as big as a shark, with bone-crushing jaws. You're gonna need a bigger boat!Plus tangents on coprolites and the a...
7. Arenaerpeton with Lachlan Hart
Adele chats with Australian Museum palaeontologist Lachlan Hart about the new Triassic temnospondyl species he named, Arenaerpeton supinatus! A fossil discovered in a sandstone block by a retired chicken farmer, that went on display as...
8. Hallucigenia
Join palaeontologists Adele Pentland and Dr Martin Smith on a fossil fever dream through the Cambrian! This episode we discuss the spicy noodle Hallucigenia (an inch long worm with spikes, claws and Cthulhu tentacles), family ties ...
9. Savannasaurus with Stephen Poropat
Adele is joined by sauropod expert Dr Stephen Poropat to about talk Savannasaurus elliottorum, the species he names in 2016! Recorded after a big day of dinosaur digging, we explore the Cretaceous of Queensland and get the facts on one of Austr...
Jurassic World Dominion with Gummmydragon
Join Adele and special guest Cella Siegelman aka Gummmydragon for a review of Jurassic World Dominion! We compare the dinosaurs from Dominion with Prehistoric Planet, talk Therizinosaurus claws, hype up the importance of palaeoart, plus...
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10. Megaraptors with Jake Kotevski
Adele’s joined by special guest and theropod fanboy Jake Kotevski to talk about megaraptors! We talk about pursuing palaeontology after genetics, T rex tattoos, digging with Dinosaur Dreaming and building the Bass Coast Dinosaur Trail. Plus wei...
11. Fossil Skinks with Kailah Thorn
Join Adele and Dr Kailah Thorn, the Australian lizard queen on an odyssey through the fossil skink record! We discuss the indestructible shingleback lizards, fieldwork at Lake Frome, lizards bulldozing through fields of flowers and the biggest ...
12. Trilophosuchus with Jorgo Ristevski
Crikey! Adele takes a trip in time to the Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene (25 - 13.5 million years ago) to explore fossil crocs with special guest Dr Jorgo Ristevski. We hear about the adorable but extinct Trilophosuchus, other fossils from th...
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13. Diamantinasaurus with Sam Beeston
Adele's partner in crime is the palaeo formerly known as Samantha Rigby and fellow Australian Age of Dinosaurs alumni! We revisit Winton in outback Australia to chat about sauropods, bones behaving like bubble wrap, bounding baby dinosaurs, and...
14. Caiuajara with Lucas Canejo
Join Adele and special guest Lucas Canejo to talk about the toothless pterosaur Caiuajara!We take a trip through an ancient animal graveyard, discover dinosaurs in the desert, discuss bizarre head shapes and about the secret life of win...
Jurassic Park with Travis Holland
Adele’s chats with special guest, Dr Travis Holland about Jurassic Park! We talk about the film 30 years on, how it changed the public perception of dinosaurs, especially theropods like Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor and Dilophosaurus...
15. Genyornis with Phoebe McInerney
Adele’s joined by special guest from Flinders Palaeo Lab Phoebe McInerney to talk about magnificent mihirungs and the giant flightless bird Genyornis! We chat about pivoting to paleontology after physiotherapy and dance, falling in love with bi...
17. Thylacoleo with Aaron Camens
Adele’s joined by special guest Dr Aaron Camens from Flinders University to talk about the original drop bear and so-called marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex! We talk about combining fossils with footprints and bite marks to ...
16. Fossil Eagles and Vultures with Ellen Mather
Adele chats with expert Dr Ellen Mather about ancient aves from Australia, and her work on extinct eagles and vultures from the Pleistocene period! We also touch on the pecking order of scavenging birds, crawling through caves to ...
18. Pelagornis with Ben Francischelli
Adele banters with Ben Francischelli aka A Fool's Experiment about the lost world of Beaumaris to talk about the prehistoric Pelagornis, a giant bird with a pseudo teeth. Plus tangents on short-faced kangaroos and other megafauna, ...
19. Trilobites with Alyssa Fjeld
Join Adele and special guest Alyssa Fjeld as they explore everyone's favourite extinct arthropods, Trilobites (AKA sea cockroaches)!We compare moulting in bugs to levelling up in a video game, discuss the advantages of having a punk pha...
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20. Zygomaturus with Jac O'Connor
Join Adele and digital necromancer Jac O'Connor on a deep dive into Zygomaturus! The so-called 'marsupial rhino' AKA a honking huge megafauna and close cousin of Diprotodon.Plus hot takes on scientific papers, science communication, the...
21. Ornithopods and Whales with Ruairidh Duncan
Adele’s joined by special guest Ruairidh Duncan to talk about ornithopod dinosaurs and whales! We reminisce about the 90s and get nostalgic over the Natural History Museum in London, get the facts on herbivores from the Cretaceous coast and div...
22. Moa Footprints with Kane Fleury
Adele speaks with special guest Kane Fleury, curator of Natural Science at Tūhura Otago Museum in Dunedin, New Zealand! Kane talks us through what steps were taken to move a fossil trackway made by the Moa, a famous flightless bird - plus extra...
