60 days until the paperback release of When the Earth Was Green

235 days until the release of Tyrant Lizard Queen

Giraffes look prehistoric. I realize this is a ridiculous thing to say. The very concept of the prehistoric - divided from history - is its own can of colonialist worms I frankly don’t have the strength to get into right now (but perhaps in a future essay). And many animal species around us today have deep fossil records, whether we’re talking about coyotes or blue whales. Nevertheless, the tall herbivores simply seem like they’re from another age, survivors who might have known the likes of Deinotherium and Andrewsarchus.

Watching the large mammals move is a lesson in compromise. Long legs carry the beasts far, but make drinking a real pain. A long neck can reach above the heads of other herbivores, but requires an incredible heart to maintain blood pressure. They can deliver a powerful kick to nosy predators, but are so ungainly that it’s often safer to travel in a group.

I wonder what the giraffes of other times shared with the mammals as we know them today. Discokeryx, Sivatherium, Giraffokeryx, Bohlinia, and more, a profusion of short- and long-necked herbivores that evolved domes, multiple horns, and even ornaments that seemed to mimic moose antlers, various fashions through millions of years as varied as the found among horned dinosaurs. We know so little about them. Fossil mammals, wrongly, are understudied compared to dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles, often only understood in terms of their dental formulae, diet, and perhaps how one form differed from another. It doesn’t get us very close to envisioning them alive, especially when we only have modern Giraffa and Okapi to learn from. But if we could see them, I wonder what would seem familiar. And what we’d never be able to expect.

Scribblings

• Next week I’ll be at the Tucson Festival of Books! I’ll be on two panels, as well as be running a workshop on getting your brain and body ready to write, so check out the festival site for details.

• Premium subscribers got a new piece on how baby sauropods supported the existence of the Morrison Formation’s iconic predators. I’m doing my best to bring original science reporting to you during a time when magazines are cutting back paleo stories, so many thanks to all of you who’re already supporting my work through the premium tier!

• Last week’s premium story, on a Cretaceous face bite, is up on my blog.

• I’ve got a few freelance pieces in the works, but nothing out quite yet. In the meantime here’s a piece I recently did for Smithsonian about fossil camels. Much like giraffes, they’re amazing herbivores with a rich fossil history that rivals the classic tale of horse evolution.

Ear Perks

• On March 11, paleontologist Advait Jukar is giving a free open access webinar on paleontology in South Asia. Get the details and sign up over at the American Association for Anatomy.

• Buddy Guy’s Tiny Desk Concert is great. I’ll always treasure seeing him play “Feels Like Rain” at an outdoor show under some heavy clouds.

• Following Hans Sues’ passing, Tim Fedak reposted one of Sues’ lectures on the Triassic fossils of Nova Scotia. It’s such an important area for fossils and well worth the watch.

• If you haven’t seen Gorillaz love letter to 2D animation, what are you waiting for?

  https://youtu.be/ucRulNQsuYQ?si=zj3hYXZAnpqvE9Y6