Mastodons and pumpkins

Pumpkins are an interesting fruit. Curcurbita pepo is one of several domesticated species of the genus Curcurbita, vines that are native to the Americas. Curcurbita is a ecologically diverse genus, with some species needing a continuous water supply while others can live in arid conditions, so it is found natively in a variety of habitats. The fruits, which are technically berries, generally have a thick rind with a softer interior where the seeds are located. In most species the rinds are bitter, but the interior is often more palatable and rich in nutrients. As a result it became one of the first domesticated plants in North America more than 8,000 years ago.

Fossil Friday – traces on a mammoth rib

Organisms don’t exist in a vacuum. The whole concept of an ecosystem emphasizes the interactions between an organism and its environment, including with other organisms. A large organism like a mammoth can have wide-ranging effects on numerous other organisms, even after its death.

Fossil Friday – camel elbow

We’re continuing our focus on Pleistocene fossils from Murrieta, California this week with a single bone fragment that has a lot going on.

Fossil Friday – proboscidean ulna

Over the last few weeks we’ve started pulling a lot of mastodon material from the collections (more on that in a future post). Some of the bones that are turning up are pretty interesting.

Fossil Friday – chewed-up Bison tibia

I recently finished reading Anthony Martin’s book about dinosaur trace fossils, Dinosaurs Without Bones, so I’ve had trace fossils on my mind. Even though I’m not a trace fossil specialist I find them intriguing, because they are essentially fossilized behavior. 

Fossil Friday – camel lumbar vertebra

While we only have one well-preserved skull of the extinct camel Camelops hesternus from Diamond Valley Lake, we have a large number of post-cranial remains.

Fossil Friday – Carnivore traces

In any large collection of vertebrate fossils, one of the more common specimen labels  will be “unidentified bone fragment”. But even an unidentified fragment can provide useful information. 

Fossil Friday – Stories from Bones exhibit

For Fossil Friday this week, I want to highlight Western Science Center’s new exhibit “Stories from Bones”, which opens tomorrow.

Western Science Center theropod invasion?

I arrived at work this morning to find what appeared to be several muddy tracks in the museum parking lot. While they weren’t arranged in an organized trackway, they were numerous. 

Fossil Friday – “Then the rats got him”

Bison are among the most common large animals in the Pleistocene Diamond Valley Lake fauna, but like almost all the remains from these deposits they are usually fragmentary. But even fragmentary fossils can provide a lot of information, including the bison right lower jaw fragment shown here.