@elevationscience.bsky.social
Hands-on paleontology in Montana. Research. Education. Outreach. Fossil digs, field courses, and behind-the-scenes science!
Maybe a bit late for web timing, but ehy, NEW PAPER ON #fossilfriday!!!
I am proud to present you Haolong dongi gen. nov. sp. nov., a new hadrosauroid from the Early Cretaceous of China!
The specimen, almost complete, is a juvenile iguanodontian from the Yixian Formation of the Barremian (125 Mya).
"Move over Pachycephalosaurus, there's a new headbutting dinosaur from late Cretaceous western North America!"
#Dinosaurs #Paleontology #Mexico
Illustration of Haolong dongi with Laura Dern for scale (the animal is about the size of a large dog or a minature pony)
Haolong dongi shown alongside the fossil with various close-ups of the preserved skin from Huang et al. 2026.
The new iguanodont with novel skin coverings. In addition to the large scute-like scales on the tail, the body is covered with what the author's describe as "spikes". The largest ones are about 4 cm long but almost a cm thick, resembling short quills. The smaller ones are hair or eyelash-like.
09.02.2026 00:04 — 👍 114 🔁 37 💬 1 📌 1
Hands-on science experiences are some of the most memorable, especially for families.
We’re excited for Dinosaur Discovery Days and the chance to help people connect with fossils, Earth history, and real paleontology.
There really is nothing like seeing something no one else has ever laid eyes on!
06.02.2026 17:08 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
One of the best things about fieldwork is how it slows you down; you learn to notice small details that most people walk right past.
05.02.2026 18:39 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Sometimes, the unglamorous parts of science are the ones that teach us the most...
Like how to dig a drainage trench to keep the rainwater away!
What is prospecting?
In paleontology, prospecting means carefully scanning and exploring the landscape for fossils exposed at the surface. Several of our active dig sites were first discovered this way by participants, proof that just being observant can lead to real scientific discoveries!
Awesome new blog post about our latest research paper! 🦕
29.01.2026 21:40 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Paleo Bites Episode 4: Types of Fossilization (Part Two)
In this episode of Paleo Bites, we explore some of the more rare preservation pathways; soft-tissue fossils, amber, freezing, and natural asphalt.
Diagram showing the evolution of jaw joint structure across archosaurian reptiles, especially coelurosaurian theropods (including birds).
Evolution of the avian jaw joint and middle ear: bioone.org/journals/zoo... 🪶🧪 (📷Watanabe et al.)
27.01.2026 19:48 — 👍 63 🔁 21 💬 1 📌 2
Our window for scholarship applications closes February 5th! Apply today and join us for fun and nature this summer!
Learn more: www.montananaturalist.org/summer-camps/
#MNHCcamps #summercamps #scholarships
🚨Our new study is out! We've put AI to good use, to classify and identify dinosaur footprints!
Dinosaur footprints are more common than bones. But to figure out which dinosaur made a track, we need to do the Cinderella thing, and match a footprint to a foot. And that's hard.
Big news! 🎉
The David B. Jones Foundation has fully funded our field internship program for the next five years, the largest foundation grant in Elevation Science history! This support ensures long-term, hands-on field training for future paleontologists. We're incredibly grateful!
We're so thrilled that this paper is out! 🦴🦕
Thanks a million (or 150...) to Dr. Woodruff for collaborating with us on this. Here's to many more!
Skull of Scyllacerta, reconstructed based on scans of four nearly complete skulls.
Introducing a new Permian reptile: Scyllacerta creanae
With a tympanic fossa on the quadrate and no lower temporal bar, Scyllacerta challenges long-standing ideas about when-and-how hearing evolved in reptiles 🦎👂
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/pala...
We are so excited and honored to be part of such an amazing volume of papers! 🦕⛏️
23.01.2026 19:13 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0All fossils are not created equally! 🦴
In this episode of Paleo Bites, we look at the most common ways fossils form, from mineral-filled bone to chemical replacement and compression fossils. Each process preserves different kinds of information about past life.
#paleontology #fossils #earthscience
22.01.2026 12:50 — 👍 15 🔁 6 💬 1 📌 0
Some of the most important moments in science happen when you stop trying to force an answer and just observe.
22.01.2026 18:37 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
It's #MuseumSelfieDay, so enjoy these that I took on my last visit to the AMNH!
I will forever be grateful to museums, these monuments to learning that are a big part of keeping science and history alive. Consider going to your local museum today and telling the dinosaurs I said hi!
Dental replacement patterns and morphological diversity in Lower Jurassic sauropods from the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, Patagonia, Argentina: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
21.01.2026 16:28 — 👍 18 🔁 8 💬 0 📌 0
Rowe, A.J., Cerroni, M.A. & Rayfield, E.J. Southern hemisphere ceratosaurs evolved feeding mechanics paralleling those of Northern hemisphere tyrannosaurids. Sci Rep 16, 2804 (2026). doi.org/10.1038/s415...
21.01.2026 15:30 — 👍 29 🔁 14 💬 0 📌 1This. Is so. Cute! 🦕❤️
22.01.2026 00:50 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Last summer, members of the MT Geo Society joined us in the field for a day of real, hands-on paleontology. One of them, Jess, captured the experience in this fun, educational vlog. Definitely worth a watch and checking out her other videos!
youtu.be/1B02gy81ejk?...
Hi! 🦕 We're a dino-focused nonprofit based in Montana that excavates, researches, and shares dinosaurs with everyone!
20.01.2026 18:51 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0What’s the science concept that didn’t click for you until you saw it in real life?
20.01.2026 18:49 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
What I did this fall
www.nps.gov/dino/learn/n...
One of the best parts of fieldwork is watching interns go from unsure to confident, learning skills you just can’t get anywhere else. 🦴⛏️
19.01.2026 18:46 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
