PORTAL:PALEONTOLOGY DYK 30

... that a revolution in burrowing marks the base of the Cambrian period, and is followed by the Cambrian explosion of animal diversity?
... that the extinct Chamaecyparis eureka is the oldest confirmed member of the genus Chamaecyparis?
... that when first described, the extinct bird Cruschedula was thought to be a "dry-land" penguin?
... that Puppigerus, an extinct sea turtle, had a specialized jaw structure which kept it from accidentally inhaling water?
...that Kirill Eskov named a genus from the Linyphiidae spider family discovered by him in 1988 after Kikimora, a female spirit in Slavic mythology?

... that both Fordilla and Pojetaia, Cambrian members of the extinct bivalve family Fordillidae, are part of the Turkish small shelly fauna?
... that, being a descendant of Pliohippus, Astrohippus is not considered to be an ancestor to modern horses?
... that the ichnogenus Chondrites (pictured) can be used as an indicator of anoxia in sediments?
... that the extinct plant species Eucommia jeffersonensis and Eucommia rolandii were both described from fossils in 1997?
... that, when described, the brown lacewing species Wesmaelius mathewesi was the most ancient member of its subfamily?

Videos