slideshow

Rudist Reefs

About 100 million years ago, during the heyday of the dinosaurs, reefs were built...

Photo

Elevator Rudists

These "elevator" rudists, an ancient bivalve, used one long heavy valve to anchor...

Photo

Recliner Rudists

Where ocean currents were strong, ancient rudist “recliners” lay unattached on...

Photo

Rudist Clams

Rudist clams are mollusks that went extinct about 65 million years ago. They were...

Article

Unearthing History: Mary Anning's Hunt for Prehistoric Ocean Giants

You may not have realized it, but you’ve been acquainted with Mary Anning since...

Personal Perspectives

Fossil Whale Found, Excavated, Jacketed, and Returned to STRI!

Jorge and I packed up the night we arrived in Panama with Aaron O'Dea and his team...

video

Excavating an Extinct Toothed Whale

A time-lapse video shows researchers from the Smithsonian's National Museum of...

Personal Perspectives

At STRI, No Whales Yet, But There Are Fossil Sea Cows...

Jorge and I arrived in Panama City around 3 pm this afternoon, and took a taxi to...

Long Before Coral, Mollusks Built the Ocean's Reefs

About 100 million years ago, during the heyday of the dinosaurs, reefs were built...

Photo

Carbonate Reef (Cretaceous Period: 145 - 65 Million Years Ago)

This illustration shows the edge of a warm inland sea during the Cretaceous Period,...

Personal Perspectives

Expedition to Excavate a Fossil Whale

My graduate student Jorge and I are departing today for Panama, to excavate a...