Terrible Lizards

In this archive discussion, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone answer listener questions about museum exhibits, dinosaur reconstructions, Spinosaurus, and which prehistoric animal could become the next global superstar.

You can watch this episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/AL5bquwdpcQ

🦖 Harry (age 8) asks:

• We saw Titus the T. rex and the supposed bite mark on its tail — is it really a bite, and what other pathologies does Titus have?

🎨 Phil asks:

• What does Dave think of the life-size Spinosaurus model unveiled in Germany?

🏛️ Listener question:

• Is there a clade-specific or thematic dinosaur exhibition we would love to create or contribute to?

⭐ Listener question:

• Which dinosaur has the potential to become the next major superstar in the way Velociraptor and Spinosaurus did?

Along the way, Dave explains why consultants don't always agree with every detail in a museum display, discusses the challenges of interpreting fossil injuries, and reveals his dream of creating a Dromaeosaur or Pterosaur exhibition.

Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at:

https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

If you enjoy Terrible Lizards, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with a fellow dinosaur fan. It really helps us keep making new episodes.

With another Tyrannosaurus rex making headlines at auction, we're revisiting this discussion from 2020, recorded just after the famous sale of Stan.

Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone explore why the sale stunned palaeontologists, what it could mean for museums and scientific research, and whether record-breaking prices change the fossil market forever.

This is an archive discussion, but many of the questions it raises remain just as relevant today. If you'd like to hear more, we'll have a brand new episode on 29th July looking at the sale of large fossils, the ethics of collecting, and how these extraordinary specimens end up in museums and/or private hands.

Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at: https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

If you enjoy Terrible Lizards, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with a fellow dinosaur fan. It really helps us keep making new episodes.

In this 2021 clip from Terrible Lizards, Iszi and Dave discuss the fossilised Oviraptor nest that made headlines around the world. Was this really evidence that dinosaurs sat on their eggs like birds, or was the story more complicated?

Discover what embryos inside the eggs reveal about dinosaur parenting, asynchronous hatching, brooding behaviour, and why some palaeontologists think male Oviraptors may have guarded the nest. Along the way, the conversation explores ostriches, crocodiles, chickens, and how scientific discoveries can change as new evidence comes to light.

Support Terrible Lizards and get bonus content at: https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

Watch this episode as a video on iszitube: https://youtu.be/55ppw-nPhno

#Dinosaurs #Palaeontology #Oviraptor #Fossils #SciencePodcast

Recorded live at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2026, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone tackle questions from the audience on everything from Spinosaurus salt glands and Jurassic World to feathered pterosaurs, Troodon taxonomy, AI in palaeontology and where the next great dinosaur discovery might be hiding. Questions featured in this episode include:

• Could pterosaurs perch, hover or even fly backwards?

• Did Spinosaurus have salt glands?

• Has the Jurassic World franchise helped or harmed public understanding of dinosaurs?

• Should amateur fossil collecting be restricted?

• Is Troodon formosus valid again?

• Do you need a PhD to work in palaeontology?

• How little fossil material is needed to name a new species?

• What made Troodon teeth so unusual?

• What prehistoric animal would Dave and Iszi dress up as?

• Has anyone tried reconstructing pterosaur calls?

• Is AI useful in palaeontology?

• Are pterosaur pycnofibres really feathers?

• Why are Triassic ornithischian fossils so rare?

• Where might the next big dinosaur discovery come from?

• Have Dave or Iszi found any fossils recently?

Support Terrible Lizards on Patreon: https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

Iszi Lawrence NEW audiobooks (release date: 25-06-26) https://www.audible.co.uk/author/Iszi-Lawrence/B0865T388B

https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/domesday-cows-9781801999274/

Find out more about the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival: https://fossilfestival.com/

Watch this episode on youtube (Search iszitube) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lujwm8nrvRA

Mary Anning is one of the most important figures in the history of paleontology but how much do we really know about her?

Recorded live at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone are joined by Kieran Satchell from Lyme Regis Museum to explore the life, discoveries and legacy of the pioneering fossil hunter who helped transform our understanding of prehistoric life. From ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs to the early days of fossil collecting on the Jurassic Coast, this episode dives into the science, history and myths surrounding Mary Anning.

If you love paleontology, fossil hunting, history, dinosaurs, marine reptiles or the story of science, this one's for you.

Support Terrible Lizards on Patreon: https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

Watch this live on our Patreon or on youtube

https://youtu.be/gtlA6kp58KA

Find out more about the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival: https://fossilfestival.com/

Were dinosaur horns brightly coloured? And is there really such a thing as a "top predator"? In this extract of a Terrible Lizards bonus we recorded last year, we tackle two surprisingly big dinosaur questions from our listeners. First: what colour were dinosaur horns and frills? Could horned dinosaurs like Triceratops and other ceratopsians have had vivid displays like modern birds? We explore colourful toucans, puffins, flamingos, and even vultures that deliberately dye themselves red to ask whether dinosaurs may have been much brighter and stranger than we usually imagine. Then an argument with sharp teeth: is T. rex really a "top predator"? If killer whales sometimes hunt great white sharks, are sharks apex predators? Is the whole idea of a "top predator" actually misleading?

Support the podcast, ask questions and get all the full bonus episodes here: https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

You can watch this episode on patreon or on youtube here: https://youtu.be/EVSC9hQckrI

Can you make a prehistoric documentary without relying on T. rex? We chat to Tim Haines, the man behind Walking with Dinosaurs and the new series Surviving Earth about mammal-like reptiles, giant extinctions, documentary trickery, CGI dinosaurs, weird prehistoric noises and how you make audiences emotionally invest in creatures that may or may not have peed. From gorgonopsians to giant climate shifts, this is a deep dive into both prehistory and documentary filmmaking.

Want bonus episodes and extra Terrible Lizards goodness? Head to https://patreon.com/terriblelizards

Watch the series in USA THURS 6/11 NBC and peacock.

#Dinosaurs #Paleontology #Documentary #WalkingWithDinosaurs #SurvivingEarth

In this short discussion, palaeontologist Dave Hone and Iszi Lawrence chat with podcaster Suzy Buttress about the strangeness of bird eyes... from iris colour and pupil shape, to owls, crocodiles and the frustrating problem of soft tissue in fossils.

Could dinosaurs really have had the slit pupils made famous by Jurassic Park? Or have we been picturing dinosaur eyes all wrong? Expect: birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, giant marine reptile eyeballs, weird owl anatomy, and some surprisingly unsettling turkey dissection stories.

This is an extract from Series 5 Episode 4 with Suzy Buttress from the Casual Birder podcast.

You can watch the footage of this recording here: https://youtu.be/czcOPj8_jC8

Support the show and grab extra content: https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

Could a dinosaur hear you whistle? Did giant dinosaurs have gigantic feathers? And would a head-butting dinosaur really scrape the ground like a bull before charging?

In this Dinosaur Bite episode, palaeontologist Dr Dave Hone and Iszi Lawrence tackle your brilliantly weird dinosaur questions—exploring how dinosaurs heard the world around them, what their feathers were really like, and whether famous scenes in Prehistoric Planet are grounded in science or artistic licence.

From tiny, high-pitched dinosaurs to booming giants, from Velociraptor quill knobs to the mystery of feather size in creatures like Gigantoraptor, this episode dives into what we really know—and what we're still figuring out—about dinosaur biology and behaviour.

Support the show and get extra content for as little as $1 dollar! https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/giB-id1iEZE

When people think of dinosaurs, it's usually the giants that come to mind—but most dinosaur groups began with much smaller, often overlooked species.

Among them are the small ornithopods: fragmentary, tricky to classify, and frequently lost in a tangle of confusing names and incomplete fossils. Yet these modest dinosaurs are hugely important. They paved the way for the later success of major groups like iguanodontids and hadrosaurs, shaping the evolutionary story of herbivorous dinosaurs.

In this episode, Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum joins hosts Dave Hone and Iszi Lawrence to explore these fascinating underdogs—focusing on Enigmacursor, a recently named species that helps shed light on this often-neglected corner of dinosaur history. Settle in for an hour of small dinosaurs, big questions, and the challenges of working with fossils that are incomplete, confusing—and surprisingly revealing.

Prof Paul Barrett | Natural History Museum: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/people/paul-barrett.html

To support the show and get extra content: https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards