John OrcuttDec 14, 2022

#FossilAdventCalendar Day 13
#TerrestrialTuesday

#BritishColumbia is full of #lagerstätten (sites of exceptional #fossil #preservation), including the sites of the #Eocene #Okanagan. Here, a series of #ancient #lakes preserve #fossils of #leaves, #insects, and the oldest #salmon. Rarest of all are #arachnids: this fossil of the #spider Palaeoperenethis thaleri in the #RoyalOntarioMuseum is the only one of its kind, but it's #preserved well enough to identify it as a relative of fishing #spiders

John OrcuttDec 6, 2022

#FossilAdventCalendar Day 6
#TerrestrialTuesday

This #fossil, Erpetonyx aresnaultorum from the #RoyalOntarioMuseum, may look a bit like a #lizard, but it's something else entirely. Uncovered from the #Carboniferous #EgmontBay Formation on #PrinceEdwardIsland 🇨🇦, it's one of the oldest #parareptiles, a lineage of #animals related to but distinct from true #reptiles. While they were among the first vertebrates to transition to life on land, parareptiles went #extinct over 200 million years ago.

John OrcuttNov 29, 2022
With a snowstorm rolling in this #TerrestrialTuesday, I can't help reminiscing about warm weather and the #saguaro #cactus of the #SonoranDesert. These iconic #plants, seen here in #Phoenix's #DesertBotanicGarden, are important for #desert wildlife, including #birds. For the curve-billed #thrasher, it's a convenient perch. Gila #woodpeckers - which nest in them - and white-winged #doves - which rely on them as a source of food and water - have an even closer relationship with #saguaros.
Show threadJohn OrcuttNov 21, 2022
@alxsim This is an excellent idea! The big one I would add would be #FossilFriday. I've also been trying out #TerrestrialTuesday to complement #MarineLifeMonday, but I may be the only person on the whole Internet to have actually used that hashtag...
John OrcuttNov 15, 2022
Since #MarineLifeMonday is a thing (and I'm REALLY hoping it catches on here), how about #TerrestrialTuesday to feature your favorite land-living organisms? My offering is Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, a #squirrel known by many common names. While many #squirrels feed on seeds and nuts, this species prefers the cones of #conifers and is often found in places with more of these evergreen #trees. This one was spotted in #Gatineau, #Quebec at the far southern edge of #Canada's great northern #forests.