Paleo Bites

(image source: https://dinosaurpictures.org/Iberomesornis-pictures)

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Iberomesornis, a tiny Mesozoic bird with teeth and claws but also a beak and no tailbones, almost like evolution exists or something. From the Early Cretaceous, this 6-inch enantiornithine theropod coexisted with pterosaurs while watching them with sneaky eyes, knowing eventually they’d take over their throne as the dominant flying vertebrates. Or their perch, since, you know, they’re birds.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: https://bit.ly/3HcF8iE)

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Laura Owsley discuss Platybelodon, a scoop-tusked elephant relative that proves duckbilled creatures aren’t limited to hadrosaurs and platypi… or ducks. From the Miocene epoch, this 6-foot-tall proboscid stripped bark off trees like a giant beaver, and may have also scooped water plants from rivers like a hippo, but that theory is outdated currently. Ugh, why must science change?! I hate change! I want things to stay the same forever! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to buy the latest smartphone and download the newest fad on the play store.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludodactylus by FunkMonk)

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lawrence Mack discuss Ludodactylus, a pterosaur that’s been accidentally depicted in toys of Pteranodon for decades due to having the crest of Pteranodon as well as teeth which Pteranodon lacked. From the Early Cretaceous, this 20-foot-wingspan anhanguerid proves that nature can sometimes be just as interesting as human imagination. I wonder if we’ll find out those DIno Rider toys are also accidentally accurate. That’d be cool.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: https://ideas.fandom.com/wiki/Epicyon_(SciiFii))

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Epicyon, a bone-crushing dog that looks a lot like Zuul; the Ghostbusters hellhound, not the ankylosaur Zuul we’ll surely cover someday. From the Miocene epoch, this 6-foot canid has the audacity to say it’s more than a dog, rather than just accepting that it is still in fact a dog, just a really big one. C’mon, Epicyon; self-acceptance is key!

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: http://animaladay.blogspot.com/2012/06/proailurus.html)

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lexi Ryan discuss Proailurus, the first cat in the fossil record, followed shortly by the first hairball and the first shock from petting after rubbing your socks on the carpet. From the Oligocene epoch, this 3-foot felid predated humans and hominids in general by millions of years, which explains why cats believe themselves above humanity. They were here before us, and they’ll be here after us. The sooner you accept it, the better.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/kD5D20 by Giorgio Rizzo)

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Natasha Krech discuss Camarasaurus, a huge thunderous longneck that still somehow managed to be boring. From the Late Jurassic, this 70-foot sauropod wasn’t the biggest, tallest, or longest dinosaur of its time, so most documentaries tend to ignore it for the cooler, more striking species. As someone who was never picked in his neighborhood kickball teams, I can relate. I had a rough childhood, folks.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: https://novum-terram.fandom.com/wiki/Sivatherium_giganteum_(SciiFii))

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Laura Owsley discuss Sivatherium, a hoofed mammal that might have lived both before and a little after the Ice Age, which is impressive, since I can barely make it through winter in my apartment. From the Miocene to the Pleistocene, this 12-foot-tall giraffid looked like an okapi on steroids. Hey, how did it clean out its bowels? With a colonos-okapi! ...I’m going home now.

(side note: this episode was recorded before Bob Saget's death, so don't hate our joke at the end for being tasteless. Hate it for other reasons)

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: https://bit.ly/3sOeVlW)

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lawrence Mack discuss Triceratops, the last of the big four of five dinosaurs any witless schmuck can name to cover on this show. From the Late Cretaceous, this 30-foot chasmosaurine ceratopsian was identified after being uncovered by a cowboy in Wyoming, making it by default the most interesting thing to ever happen in that godforsaken state. Seriously, they could do atom bomb testing in Wyoming and no one would notice or care.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Opabinia)

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Opabinia, a freakish alien bugger that looks like it stepped straight out of a Doctor Who set. From the Mid Cambrian, this 3-inch stem arthropod had a digestive system in the shape of a U, which as a recovering bulimic, I can relate. Is that too dark of a joke? Eh, who cares, I don’t get paid enough to write these descriptions.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_(dinosaur) by Emily Willoughby)

Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Lexi Ryan discuss Yi, a tiny flying dinosaur before flying dinosaurs were cool, as in evolving-into-birds cool. From the Late Jurassic, this 2-foot scansoriopterygid had the shortest genus name of any dinosaur, and with its full scientific name Yi qi had the shortest binomial name allowed in taxonomy. Shame, I wanted to describe a dinosaur named Z. “A pack of Z are hunting the sauropods in the fern prairies.” Wouldn’t that be awesome?! Alas...

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

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