Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Science, Art, Helicoprion, Ray Troll, more...

Dr H at Diary of a Mad Natural Historian just published a piece on Helicoprion, the impossible fossil shark that appears to have a circular saw in its mouth, and mentions artist Ray Troll. All natural history buffs mad or not should buy and read Troll (or wear him-- he does T shirts, and pins for William Spear), and his various writing partners like Brad Matsen and Kirk Johnson-- link here.

When Libby lived in Bozeman Troll and Matsen used to come down to do things at the Museum of the Rockies* and sell books, which resulted in some excellent discussions and the drawings in the second and third pic below. The first is taken from an old Natural History because Helicoprion and a diver are irresistible.

"Birds Get Off": cladistically ie not where say Feduccia says, In Our Arrogant Opinions:

Where is the data?


I have been neglecting science wonkery over the Holidays & deadlines but people like Retrieverman have been taking up the slack-- see here for Val Geist's mule deer theory and here and here for the almost science- fictional island species of Madagascar. With the help of invaluable info collectors like Walter Hingley, I hope to do better!

*Many years past, Libby and a very young Peculiar were volunteer diggers at Jack Horner's Egg Mountain Dino nest colony. Somewhere I have a photo of the tipi camp there...

1 comment:

N_C said...

Once upon a time when I was still young (so, maybe eight years ago) I was malingering outside the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Two fellows walked out, and I commented "oh hey, that's a Ray Troll shirt!"

"Why yes, it is. And this fellow here is Ray Troll! He's giving a talk about his new book Sharkabet this evening!"

I still have a signed copy of one of his books from that evening around here somewhere...