Paleo Bites

(image source: https://www.deviantart.com/willemsvdmerwe/art/Anteosaurus-340867141 ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Anteosaurus , a really big stem mammal that ate and chomped and crawled and stomped all over. At least, I assume it did. We don’t really know, it could have moved exclusively via unicycle. From the Late Permian, this 20-foot dinocephalian was in the group...

(image source: https://prehistoria.fandom.com/es/wiki/Dakotadon ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Dakotadon , also known as the genus name that usurped the North American species of Iguanodon and thus any work featuring a North American Iguanodon retroactively is this. Hey, Aladar? You’re a Dakotadon now. Take all the time you need to process this, bro. From the Early Cre...

(image source: https://www.deviantart.com/fish98/art/Antipodes-Quinkana-Concept-969634441 ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Quinkana , a galloping terrestrial crocodile from Australia, because why wouldn’t this be a thing? Especially on that continent, AKA Death World. From the Late Miocene to the Late Pleistocene, this 13-foot mekosuchine was also encountered by early...

(image source: https://theconversation.com/history-mystery-solved-the-origins-of-the-falkland-islands-wolf-12637 ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Dusicyon , a wolf that encountered humans on its isolated island home and then got promptly killed off by the colonists… yeah, this is a sad episode. We try our best to lighten it up, but there’s only so much you can do! From...

(image source: https://www.sci.news/paleontology/gremlin-slobodorum-12547.html ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Laura Owsley discuss Gremlin , a monstrous little critter with a big head and a mischievous demeanor, particularly if you feed it after midnight. Come on, we all knew that’s where these jokes were heading, huh? We’re all on the same page? Good. From the Late Cretaceous, this 6-foo...

(image source: https://a-z-animals.com/animals/eryops/ ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Eryops , a large amphibian with curved teeth, oval bumps, and a big head. Hey, Eryops , why the drawn-out face? Thank you, I’m here ‘til Tuesday. From the Early Permian, this 8-foot temnospondyl had the species name megacephalus , meaning this creature’s binomial name means “drawn-o...

(image source: https://fossil.fandom.com/wiki/Kaprosuchus ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Spencer Mayhew discuss Kaprosuchus , a running crocodilian from Cretaceous Africa that lived alongside the far bigger crocodilian Sarcosuchus , the croc-like dinosaur Suchomimus , and the croc-jawed sail-backed dinosaur Spinosaurus . It’s like a who’s who of croc mimics, one of whom’s name literally m...

(image source: https://pixels.com/featured/camelops-hesternus-front-view-corey-ford.html ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Camelops , a… well, it’s a camel, guys. Yeah, news flash, Camelops is a camel. God, we really need another dinosaur episode soon. From the Late Pleistocene, this 7-foot camel lived in North America and lived alongside elephants, lions, bison, and wol...

(image source: https://eartharchives.org/articles/saber-toothed-salmon-teeth-more-like-tusks-than-fangs/ ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Oncorhynchus rastrosus , AKA the saber-toothed salmon, AKA the coolest name for a fish ever, but FYI it’s not actually a valid descriptor anymore, so AKA it’s a massive disappointment. A big flop. Like a fish. Flop, flop. From the La...

(image source: Max Bellomio, @digital_duck on Twitter) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Macrauchenia , a big hoofed mammal that either had a trunk or didn’t, kind of like me when I travel or go to the pool. Either trunks or no trunks. It depends on how lazy I’m feeling. From the Pleistocene epoch, this 10-foot-tall litoptern ungulate was part of a group of mammals unique t...

(image source: https://www.sci.news/paleontology/south-african-inostrancevia-11935.html ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Inostrancevia , potentially the largest of the gorgonopsids, which are a super-awesome group of creatures you should be ashamed you haven’t heard of before. Have you not heard of them before? Shame, shame! From the Late Permian, this 14-foot therapsid...

(image source: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/zDoGPq ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Carcharodontosaurus , a big super-predator that competed with a croc-jawed dino with a sail and a croc-jawed dino without. Oh, and also a big croc. Good ol’ carchar stood out by not following the croc trend! What a rebel. From the Mid Cretaceous, this 40-foot theropod was one of t...

(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_lion ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Panthera atrox , which might also be Panthera leo atrox , making this an extinct subspecies rather than species. Which would be lame. I want differences in my prehistoric monsters! From the Pleistocene epoch, this 7-foot cat is perfectly themed for this great national holiday ar...

(image source: https://dinosaurpictures.org/Erketu-pictures ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lawrence Mack discuss Erketu , an obscure dinosaur named after a principle deity in Mongolian Shamanism, which means the jokes we make on this episode will surely send us straight to Mongolian hell. From the Late Cretaceous, this 50-foot macronarian sauropod had the longest neck relative to its body...

(image source: https://walkingwith.fandom.com/wiki/Leptictidium ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Leptictidium , a cute little mammal trying to be a theropod dinosaur, a kangaroo, and a squirrel all in one. Don’t ever say this creature didn’t have goals. From the Early Eocene, this 3-foot leptictidan was part of a family that didn’t leave any descendents and died a terrib...

(image source: https://www.deviantart.com/inkabg2/art/Ichthyotitan-severnensis-1049125055)   Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Ichthyotitan , the recently discovered big boy of the early Mesozoic seas that is up there with the biggest boys of all time, along with Perucetus and the modern blue whale. These weren’t just boys. They were men . Whatever that means. Frick t...

(image source: https://252mya.com/products/baryonyx-walkeri-stock-photo ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Baryonyx , a paramount piscivorous predator with crocodile-like jaws and two very big claws. Yeah, this show can be poetic sometimes. From the Early Cretaceous, this 28-foot spinosaurid theropod has had some high profile appearances in popular culture that have been...

(image source: https://www.deviantart.com/cisiopurple/art/Martharaptor-760488972 ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lawrence Mack discuss Martharaptor , a lovely creature with a pot belly and long fingernails, kind of like my great aunt Martha. She makes some great cookies, I gotta say. And brownies. Duuuude. From the Early Cretaceous, this 14-foot therizinosaurid was one of the earliest memb...

(image source: https://naturerules1.fandom.com/wiki/Lythronax ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Lythronax , a potential contender for one of the edgiest genus names of any dinosaur, right up there with Dynamoterror and Atrociraptor . It’s not enough for these dinosaurs to be scary in appearance; their names have to sound scary too! Gore King! Aaagh! From the Late Cretace...

(image source: https://www.pteros.com/pterosaurs/dsungaripterus.html ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Dsungaripterus , a pterosaur that by God Almighty looks like a mouthful to pronounce. SUN-ga-RIP-turr-US. There, I just saved you a lot of time and energy. You’re welcome. From the Early Cretaceous, this 16-foot ornithocheiroid had a really rocking piece of headgear and...

(image source: https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Sarcosuchus ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Laura Owsley discuss Sarcosuchus , one of the biggest crocodilians in the fossil record that lived alongside some big hitters like Spinosaurus , Carcharodontosaurus , and Suchomimus . Oh, and also a giant sawshark. A truly terrifying swamp, that was. From the Mid Cretaceous, this 38-foot crocodylom...

 (image source: https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Glacialisaurus ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lawrence Mack discuss Glacialisaurus , another dinosaur from Antarctica that lived alongside Cryolophosaurus and ate ferns and such. It’s a basic leaf-eating dinosaur, what more do you want from it? From the Early Jurassic, this 20-foot sauropodomorph lived millions of years before its hot...

(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrannasorus_rex ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Tyrannasorus rex , a real PUNK’d of an animal by being just a plain-ass beetle named after the most fearsome dinosaur ever. Paleontologists have too much fun sometimes. Someone should rein them in. From the Miocene epoch, this 1-inch beetle was, well, a beetle. You ever seen a...

(image source: https://jurassicpark.fandom.com/wiki/Sauroposeidon ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Sauroposeidon , an abso-giganto-freaking-mongus dinosaur and the state dinosaur of Texas, because they like everything big down there. They ain't compensatin' for nuthin’, those durn cowboys. From the Early Cretaceous, this 70-foot macronarian sauropod lived alongside som...

(image source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/triassic-bites-and-a-carnivore-conundrum ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Fasolasuchus , the biggest terrestrial non-dinosaur predator of all time. What a hyper-specific superlative. I bet I’m the biggest human named Matthew that wrote a dinosaur sci-fi series called Megazoic. Except probably not, there’s...