(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 beetle? Then you’ve seen Tyrannasorus rex . They’re all the same. You don’t make up over half of al...
Apr 30, 2024•10 min•Ep. 236
(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 some heavy hitters like Acrocanthosaurus , Deinonychus , and Sauropelta , all of which we’ve covered on...
Apr 23, 2024•27 min•Ep. 235
(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 a lot of Matthews out there. From the Mid Triassic, this 35-foot rauisuchian got a big bit of cinema...
Apr 16, 2024•24 min•Ep. 234
(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskacephale ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lawrence Mack discuss Alaskacephale , a northern dinosaur that somehow had enough minor differences to escape being lumped into the genus Pachycephalosaurus , but the wildly different and far more spiky Dracorex and Stygimoloch didn’t. Yeah, I’m never letting that go. From the Late Cretaceous, this 8-foot pachycephalosaurid lived alongside the other arctic dinosaurs like Pachyrhinosaurus and Nanuqs...
Apr 09, 2024•23 min•Ep. 233
(image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/583708801714650808/ ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Laura Owsley discuss Simosuchus , an adorable little burrowing critter that despite its herbivory and cuddly appearance was actually an ancient crocodylomorph. I bet its death rolls would be so cute. From the Late Cretaceous, this 3-foot notosuchian lived alongside some big frogs and mammals as well as dinosaurs in their Madagascar home, which sounds nice. I wager they all got along and there...
Apr 02, 2024•24 min•Ep. 232
(image source: https://alphynix.tumblr.com ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Tenontosaurus , a poor schmuck of a dinosaur whose entire existence seems to be cannon fodder for packs of Deinonychus . Hence why I chose this picture for the episode image, because it’s funny seeing the tables turned. Mwuahahaha. From the Early Cretaceous, this 20-foot basal ornithopod was also notable in having a really long tail, which really would have been useful in fighting off those D...
Mar 26, 2024•27 min•Ep. 231
(image source: https://dinosaurpictures.org/Anchisaurus-pictures ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lexi Ryan discuss Anchisaurus , a long-necked lizard thing of a dinosaur that had far more interesting ancestors and even more interesting descendants. It really was ‘intermediate’ in how mid it was. Boo. From the Early Jurassic, this 10-foot basal sauropodomorph was the basis behind a familial vow to track the owner of its footprints, a task started by a paleontologist father but completely ...
Mar 19, 2024•25 min•Ep. 230
(image source: https://pixels.com/featured/maiasaura-and-nest-phil-wilson.html ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lawrence Mack discuss Maiasaura , a real mommy of a dinosaur in that it was the first one with direct evidence of parental care. A real nurturer, Maiasaura . I could use that. No, I don’t have mommy issues. From the Late Cretaceous, this 30-foot saurolophine hadrosaurid seemingly put leaves on its eggs and fed them with its beak when they hatched, which is nice. Again, I could u...
Mar 12, 2024•27 min•Ep. 229
(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simbakubwa ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Laura Owsley discuss Simbakubwa , possibly the largest terrestrial mammalian predator of all time and the true holder of the title of Lion King. Naaaaaants ingonyamaaaa bagithiiiii baba sithi uhm ingonyamaaaa! Disney, making children scat faux Swahili since 1994. From the Early Miocene, this 10-foot hyaenodont had a slashing bite and could potentially bring down giant elephants and rhinos. The ultimat...
Mar 05, 2024•25 min•Ep. 228
(image source: https://bit.ly/3T1rkyC ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Australopithecus , one of our definitive ancestors and the first to walk upright, which is kind of a big deal. I don’t think I could handle walking on my knuckles all day, so thank you, Australopithecus . From the Late Pliocene, this 4-foot-tall hominid ate fruit and meat and overall just kinda aped about. You ever watched the Planet of the Apes movies? Then you’ve seen Australopithecus . Please ign...
Feb 27, 2024•30 min•Ep. 227
(image source: https://dinosaurpictures.org/Megalosaurus-pictures ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Megalosaurus on this very special day, as exactly 200 years ago on this date Megalosaurus was officially the first described dinosaur, marking two centuries of dinosaur knowledge! Awesome! Oh yeah, the animal is cool too, whatever. From the Middle Jurassic, this 30-foot theropod used to have hundreds of different species in its genus before settling with Megalosaurus bu...
Feb 20, 2024•28 min•Ep. 226
(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilosaurus ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Basilosaurus , a ginormous flesh-eating whale with a bulbous body and tiny back legs. Bet you didn’t know your mom was featured in this podcast, huh? From the Late Eocene, this 60-foot cetacean had a dinosaur-esque name due to its serpentine-esque body, which I think shouldn’t be allowed. Only dinosaurs should end in ‘saurus’ just as only mammals should end in ‘therium’! None of...
Feb 13, 2024•28 min•Ep. 225
(image source: https://metode.org/issues/monographs/the-dinosaurs-of-the-maestrat-basin.html ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Laura Owsley discuss Proa , a dinosaur who lived in Spain and is on display in a huge museum there called Dinopolis, a place I have promptly scheduled on my calendar to visit on a moments’ notice! Oh wait, plane tickets are expensive. Damn. From the Early Cretaceous, this 22-foot iguanodont was chosen by our production team by using a random dinosaur generator beca...
Feb 06, 2024•26 min•Ep. 224
(image source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/the-other-pandas-thumb ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lexi Ryan discuss Simocyon , a creature that looks like a cougar and whose name says it’s a dog but is more closely related to red pandas. That’s a running joke on this show, I swear. “It looks like a baboon, eats like a llama, but its closest relatives are actually… cuttlefish.” From the Early Pliocene, this 7-foot carnivoran mammal is from a previously wide-ranging f...
Jan 30, 2024•23 min•Ep. 223
(Image source: https://www.science.org/content/article/one-ancient-human-relative-use-early-stone-tools ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Paranthropus , one of our ancestors’ relatives that didn’t fully make the transition into cavemen and died off before they could see what humanity would become. They were the lucky ones. From the Late Pliocene, this 4-foot-tall hominid used simple tools like sticks and rocks and plucked fruit off of trees and basically were just monke...
Jan 23, 2024•26 min•Ep. 222
(image source: https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Ambulocetus ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Ambulocetus , a walking whale that might not have actually walked all that much, but boy it could swim! So a whale then, basically. A whale with feet. Ehhh. From the Late Eocene, this 10-foot cetacean swam through the rivers of Pakistan and chomped fish, crocodiles, small mammals, and whatever else dared get in its way. I bet I could take it though, personally. How hard could...
Jan 16, 2024•27 min•Ep. 221
(image source: https://dinosaurpictures.org/Coahuilaceratops-pictures ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Coahuliaceratops , one of the few dinosaurs we have evidence of from Mexico due to something… explosive happening there at the end of the Cretaceous that wiped out most of the fossils. And no, it wasn’t the aftermath of a burrito dinner. From the Late Cretaceous, this 16-foot chasmosaurine ceratopsian had the longest horns of any member of its family, so that’s pret...
Jan 09, 2024•28 min•Ep. 220
(image source: https://sciifii.fandom.com/wiki/Coelurosauravus ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Coelurosauravus , the reptiles’ first of many, many attempts to get the hell off the ground and into the air. It seems like reptiles might be playing a geologic time scale level game of The Floor Is Lava. From the Late Permian, this 1-foot neodiapsid was unfortunately one of the losers of the Permian extinction event, where the whole world played a literal game of The Floo...
Jan 02, 2024•18 min•Ep. 219
(image source: https://bethzaiken.com/royal-saskatchewan-museum-prognathodon ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lexi Ryan discuss Prognathodon , a very unmerry creature that only has its episode released near Christmas due to the predetermined release schedule. Jingle bells! Chomp. From the Late Cretaceous, this 45-foot mosasaurid was smaller than its more famous cousin but had a far stronger bite, which means it could open presents real easily… yeah, I’m forcing this Christmas theme upon i...
Dec 26, 2023•30 min•Ep. 218
(image source: https://eartharchives.org/articles/the-evolution-of-whales/ ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Allen Brooks discuss Pakicetus , the very first cetacean and thus very first whale, so that’s neat I guess. Evolution and stuff. Intermediary fossils. Woo. From the Early Eocene, this 5-foot artiodactyl had many features of both land-dwelling and aquatic animals, which sounds indecisive if you ask me. Land or water, pick one! I mean, I suppose it eventually did. So that’s good I gue...
Dec 19, 2023•27 min•Ep. 217
(image source: https://a-dinosaur-a-day.com/post/185693540635/euryapteryx-curtus ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Don Hall discuss Euryapteryx , another one of those giant birds the Maori people had to deal with when they migrated to New Zealand. They had a rough time. The birds, not the people. From the Early Holocene, this 3-foot-tall ratite laid relatively giant eggs and was hunted to extinction by the humans. Because humans. We’re a blight upon the earth. COVID-19 was a nice try, natu...
Dec 12, 2023•18 min•Ep. 216
(image source: https://novataxa.blogspot.com/2023/09/megamonodontium.html ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Megamonodontium , the most nope nope to have ever noped. A giant spider lunging in a hole in Australia? Nope, nope, nope. From the Late Miocene, this 2-inch spider trapped and ate giant dinosaurs and sunk its venomous fangs into the necks of cavemen… okay, not really, it more likely hunted insects and small vertebrates and was overall just another harmless anima...
Dec 05, 2023•23 min•Ep. 215
(image source: https://dinosaurpictures.org/Tropeognathus-pictures ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Tropeognathus , a genus split off from Ornithocheirus , well-known from that Walking with Dinosaurs episode where one of them was too old to get laid. From the Early Cretaceous, this 25-foot-wingspan pterosaur lived in Brazil alongside frugivore Tapejara , also depicted in that same episode where one of them got sprayed on by water too much to get laid. Quality televisio...
Nov 28, 2023•22 min•Ep. 214
(image source: https://www.deviantart.com/tuomaskoivurinne/art/Saurian-Anzu-778336693 ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Don Hall discuss Anzu , a dinosaur that looks so damn much like a bird it’s hard to believe it’s not in the clade of theropods that evolved into them. Them dinos really wanted them feathers. From the late Cretaceous, this 13-foot oviraptorosaur lived alongside some famous heavy-hitters like T. rex and Triceratops , and may I say the name Anzu really stands out among those...
Nov 21, 2023•17 min•Ep. 213
(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostida ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Han solo , an actually real genus and species of animal because paleontologists, believe it or not, are nerds. From the Early Ordavician, this 2-inch trilobite may not have looked like much, but it’s got it where it counts, kid. Yeah, we make a bunch of forced Star Wars references in this episode… oh, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Want to further support the show? Sign up to ...
Nov 14, 2023•14 min•Ep. 212
(image source: https://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?p=2122 ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Platyceramus , the biggest clam in the entire paleontological record, which sounds like something one of those tourist traps on I-70 would claim to have if you ask me. From the Late Cretaceous, this 10-foot bivalve got eaten by giant turtles and had highly enlarged pearls within its shells… oh, now you’re interested, huh? Now that there’s money involved? I swear, late stage capi...
Nov 07, 2023•20 min•Ep. 211
(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuul ) Happy Halloween! Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Frankyansteilert (the sewn-together bodies of previous co-hosts reanimated after their unfortunate deaths) discuss Zuul , a dinosaur indeed named after the Ghostbusters demon dog, because why not at this point? From the Late Cretaceous, this 20-foot ankylosaur had the biggest tail club of any of its kind in North America and had some fossilized scale imprints uncovered, which we definitely ...
Oct 31, 2023•16 min•Ep. 210
(image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/things-of-beauty-i-like-to-see--543528248785595561/ ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host and Matt’s dad Don Hall discuss Ectopistes , another great example of human-caused extinction because we didn’t depress our listeners enough with the Dodo and Tasmanian Tiger episodes. From the Late Pliocene to the Early Holocene, this 1.5-foot columbid bird used to have flocks in the billions before being shot, batted, and netted by greedy and terrible Europea...
Oct 24, 2023•23 min•Ep. 209
(image source: https://www.thoughtco.com/moeritherium-lake-moeris-beast-1093246 ) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Laura Owsley discuss Moeritherium , a pig-hippo-tapir thing that was actually closer related to elephants than any of those other creatures, because the only thing nature is consistent at is being inconsistent. From the Late Eocene, this 6-foot proboscid lived in the mangrove swamps of its Egyptian home while blissfully unaware of the bleak desert it would become a few minor ex...
Oct 17, 2023•26 min•Ep. 208
(image source: https://dino.fandom.com/wiki/Suuwassea) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Suuwassea , a dinosaur named after terms in the language of the Native American Crow Tribe just in time for Indigenous People's Day, because I'm really good at planning these things. It's not a coincidence, I swear. Pinkily so. From the Late Jurassic, this 45-foot dicraeosaurid sauropod was still plenty big but definitely one of the smaller long-necked dinosaurs of Jurassic North Am...
Oct 10, 2023•23 min•Ep. 207
