Danny Anduza

Metazooa Become an evolutionary detective to find the Mystery Animal!

When you're clever about these things, it makes it easier to get lucky 😉

🐹 Animal #945 🪿
I figured it out in 3 guesses!
🟨🟨🟩
🔥 3 | Avg. Guesses: 5.2

metazooa.com
#metazooa

Twitch screenshot of me in my office, surrounded by various stop motion dinosaur film posters, framed photos of Willis O'Brien, and a 3D-printed Brontosaurus à la King Kong

140 years ago today, stop motion animation pioneer WILLIS O'BRIEN was born right here in Oakland, California.

We'll be talking all about his work & legacy on today's #paleontology stream on #Twitch — and how he introduced dinosaurs to a wide audience through his films

🦕 twitch.tv/paleontologizing

I'll be there!

Photo of four books in a stack: Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin; "Young Illustrated Classics" adaptation of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville; My Beloved Brontosaurus by Riley Black; and The Human Evolution Coloring Book by Adrian L Zihlman

THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S HUNGER FOR NATURAL HISTORY IS INSIATIABLE

"PLEASE!" they say, "GIVE US MORE! WE MUST FEED OUR SENSE OF WONDER WITH MUSINGS ON HUMANKIND'S PLACE IN NATURE!"

Spot on, @bobkopp.net.

“…saving American climate science—and American science in general—requires that the community discard the myth of political neutrality, engage in a concerted defense of liberal democracy, and stand in solidarity with this administration’s other targets.”

I am specifically decrying *American* imperialism and you're trying to distract with whataboutism. Please don't come into my mentions and derail. It's rude and unhelpful.

Modern Russian imperialism is a byproduct of American imperialism.

macmillan.yale.edu/reees/events...

Not voicing it feels cowardly, so I'll say it:

American imperialism is a death cult.

Greed, exploitation, and WAR — like we're seeing now — are its sacraments. It's driven multiple species to extinction already, with more to follow. If current trends continue, it will doom the human species too.

I went to Crissy Field this morning in hopes of seeing some marine mammals — and while I didn't encounter any this huge, I spotted a bunch of harbor porpoises, several common dolphins, and the largest harbor seal I've ever seen.

This place is such a gem

(To be clear though, I literally *can* wait, patiently, and I hope you're taking all the time you need. Bradley's illustrations were a big part of my childhood too, and I'm thrilled that you're working on this. Good things take time!)

I'd say "don't let the bastards get you down," but that might sound trite. Find solace where you can, take your time, and know that other folks are there too, feeling the same way you are.

We're excited to see your article when you're done — I know I can't wait to admire the JPI art in high res!

Photo of me, wearing a leather jacket and some binocular straps, next to a replica of a large fossil sea turtle. The skull is large compared to the body, much like in a loggerhead turtle, but the upper shell (carapace) has large open spaces between the ribs, calling to mind the hyper-reduced carapace of Dermochelys coriacea, the modern leatherback turtle. Opinions are still divided as to whether these Cretaceous protostegids are related to today's leatherback turtles, or whether they represent an entirely separate family of marine turtles.

For this week's #FossilFriday, here's me and a fossil protostegid cast at @oaklandzoo.bsky.social

Protostegids (such as the famously gigantic Archelon) are a group of sea turtles from the Cretaceous which *might* be close relatives of the modern leatherback turtle.

Note the reduced carapace 👀

Metazooa Become an evolutionary detective to find the Mystery Animal!

Well, well, well... pretty good today!

🐲 Animal #941 🐬
I figured it out in 4 guesses!
🟧🟩🟩🟩
🔥 4 | Avg. Guesses: 5.2

metazooa.com
#metazooa

Twitch screenshot of the "CAT CAM," with longhair domestic cat Sweetie Pie glowering into the lens as I brush her. There's various theropod dinosaur (including bird) miscellanea on the wall behind us

We're talkin' early dinosaur jumping ability, oceanic amphibians (!) and more on today's #paleontology #Twitch stream -- and you're free to join us @ twitch.tv/paleontologizing

We'll likely be having LOTS of feline interruptions as well, so don't worry about being disruptive with your own questions

The Cambrian Identity
The Cambrian Supremacy
The Cambrian Ultimatum

THANK YOU! I hadn't seen the email yet

a procession of glowing golden plesiosaurs drift across a road through a conifer forest

pictures I painted at 3 am

3/4 „Procession“

Down to an average of 5.2 guesses, though! 💪🏽

Metazooa Become an evolutionary detective to find the Mystery Animal!

It was a 50/50 shot at the last turn, and I guessed wrong. Still, four guesses ain't bad

🐕 Animal #940 🐴
I figured it out in 4 guesses!
🟥🟥🟧🟩
🔥 3 | Avg. Guesses: 5.2

metazooa.com
#metazooa

Twitch screenshot of the "CAT CAM" as Sweetie Pie headbutts my face

We've got #paleontology news (and feline interruptions) galore on today's #Twitch stream — from theropods running like birds to alvarezsaur phylogeny shake-ups and four-eyed chordate ancestors 👓

Join us @ twitch.tv/paleontologizing

Metazooa Become an evolutionary detective to find the Mystery Animal!

I squandered that first guess, but this still isn't too bad

🐳 Animal #939 🦎
I figured it out in 6 guesses!
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟩
🔥 2 | Avg. Guesses: 5.3

metazooa.com
#metazooa

Twitch screenshot of me in my office. There's a slightly goofy pterosaur LED light on the wall behind me, as well as a lovely poster showcasing amniote phylogeny, as well as a huge Allosaurus skull 3D print (and a little life-sized Scelidosaurus skull print, too)

It's a casual #paleontology Q&A stream today on #Twitch, and we'll be trying to identify and remedy some common public misconceptions about dinosaurs and Earth history.

Feel free to join us and chat @ twitch.tv/paleontologizing

Selfie photo of me and UCMP's Tyrannosaurus and Pteranodon skeleton casts

Broadcast is going to be late today

(catching up with some old friends this morning)

Nine is pretty darn good for a first time! Especially since they give you twenty guesses

Metazooa Become an evolutionary detective to find the Mystery Animal!

Got this one *just* before Metazooa reset for the day. Not my best showing, but not the worst either

🦗 Animal #938 🐝
I figured it out in 6 guesses!
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟩🟩
🔥 1 | Avg. Guesses: 5.3

metazooa.com
#metazooa

Twitch screenshot of me in my office. Behind me on the wall are a life-sized 3D-printed Spinosaurus dorsal vertebra and Baryonyx claw, plus various framed prints of spinosaur- and phylogeny-related images

We're talking more about Spinosaurus mirabilis today, and also discussing why #paleontology is important to modern society — and what paleontologists can do to improve public understanding of our science.

Join us and chat @ twitch.tv/paleontologizing

Photo of small-ish plant-eating dinosaur's skull on exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Here's a Thescelosaurus skull at DMNS for #FossilFriday — one of the better skulls of this dinosaur I've seen. Apparently this one is going off exhibit soon, so I'm glad I was able to catch it last week

Twitch screenshot featuring the CAT CAM, with feline landlord Minnie Pie stealing the show. I'm next to her, and there's various paleontological ephemera and miscellanea on the office wall behind me

We've got a brand-new spinosaurid to discuss today (Spinosaurus mirabilis!) plus whatever other topics the viewers are curious about.

Come join the discussion @ twitch.tv/paleontologizing

Don't get too attached to this idea 😅

Opisthocoelicaudia was named in the 1970s
Gigantoraptor was 2007

Likewise, Poekilopleuron was published in 1836, and Thanos was in 2020

There are certainly trends to be explored in the naming of dinosaurs, but it's not as simple as "newer = more arcane/worse"

NICELY done!