Beyond the Bones: Insights from Fossil Footprints

Description

As part of Paleontology Awareness Month in Nevada, guest researcher Paige DePolo will discuss her research on fossil footprints.

While the word ‘dinosaur’ often evokes ideas of spectacular skeletons in museums, the most common dinosaur fossils found are footprints. These trace fossils can be used to help understand the behavior and ecology of dinosaurs, particularly in areas where body fossils are rare like the Isle of Skye, Scotland. The exemplary dinosaur footprints from this island will be used to tell the paleontological story of the island and to demonstrate the many ways that trace fossils can help in understanding the lives of dinosaurs.

Paige dePolo is a visiting researcher at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas studying the ichthyosaur Shonisaurus popularis (our state fossil). A northern Nevada native, Paige graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2016 and recently finished a Masters degree in Palaeontology and Geobiology at the University of Edinburgh studying dinosaur footprints on the Isle of Skye. She will be headed back to Scotland this fall to begin PhD. studies on the mammals that lived right after the dinosaurs went extinct. When Paige isn’t spending time thoroughly puzzled by fossils, she enjoys reading science fiction novels, riding her bicycle, and sleeping in sunbeams.

This program is free with museum or Springs Preserve membership, or with general admission.