Stephanie Drumheller
@uglyfossils.bsky.social
Studying the evolution of archosaurs and their behaviors, one ugly fossil at a time. she/her
Pinned
My handle is UglyFossils because I study how #fossils form and what that can tell us about the ecosystems where these animals lived and died (taphonomy). While I do sometimes work on pretty fossils, I spend more time looking at ugly, scrappy bits that only another taphonomist could love.
The mommy guilt presents from my recent conference travel were a hit.
November 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
The mommy guilt presents from my recent conference travel were a hit.
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
Alas, this article on our reptile decomposition research does not come in a scratch-and-sniff format. However, if you'd like to see what my students, colleagues, and I have been up to with our decomposing lizards and crocodylians, here's your chance. 🧪
CSI: Cretaceous. A reptile body farm is shedding light on how dinosaurs died.
Here’s how scientists are solving the “dinosaur death pose” mystery and others.
www.nationalgeographic.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Alas, this article on our reptile decomposition research does not come in a scratch-and-sniff format. However, if you'd like to see what my students, colleagues, and I have been up to with our decomposing lizards and crocodylians, here's your chance. 🧪
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
🚨New Pub!🚨Australia’s oldest crocodylian eggshell: insights into the reproductive paleoecology of mekosuchines🐊🥚by Blas et al.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Australia’s oldest crocodylian eggshell: insights into the reproductive paleoecology of mekosuchines
Alongside large madtsoiid snakes, the largest known lizards, thylacoleonid marsupials and a range of other terrestrial carnivores, the now extinct mekosuchine crocodylians were significant predator...
www.tandfonline.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:40 PM
🚨New Pub!🚨Australia’s oldest crocodylian eggshell: insights into the reproductive paleoecology of mekosuchines🐊🥚by Blas et al.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
Happy #FossilFriday! #Fossils can come in a variety of colors! These are all #tyrannosaur #teeth from the Upper #Cretaceous #TwoMedicineFormation in #Montana. The different colors reflect conditions and processes that occurred after burial.
November 14, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Happy #FossilFriday! #Fossils can come in a variety of colors! These are all #tyrannosaur #teeth from the Upper #Cretaceous #TwoMedicineFormation in #Montana. The different colors reflect conditions and processes that occurred after burial.
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
She sees dead things.
@uglyfossils.bsky.social totally killed it with her talk at #2025SVP today on the decomposition of reptiles and implications for Dinosaur Mummy formation.
If you missed it, be sure to find her today... as it is the last day of the conference.
@uglyfossils.bsky.social totally killed it with her talk at #2025SVP today on the decomposition of reptiles and implications for Dinosaur Mummy formation.
If you missed it, be sure to find her today... as it is the last day of the conference.
November 15, 2025 at 2:25 PM
She sees dead things.
@uglyfossils.bsky.social totally killed it with her talk at #2025SVP today on the decomposition of reptiles and implications for Dinosaur Mummy formation.
If you missed it, be sure to find her today... as it is the last day of the conference.
@uglyfossils.bsky.social totally killed it with her talk at #2025SVP today on the decomposition of reptiles and implications for Dinosaur Mummy formation.
If you missed it, be sure to find her today... as it is the last day of the conference.
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
November 2, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Dear colleagues,
I know we all have #SVP2025 next week, but could you maybe not inundate me with peer review requests right now?
Because I am also trying to get paper revisions sent back so I don't have to think about them while attending the conference.
Sincerely,
A Hypocrite
I know we all have #SVP2025 next week, but could you maybe not inundate me with peer review requests right now?
Because I am also trying to get paper revisions sent back so I don't have to think about them while attending the conference.
Sincerely,
A Hypocrite
a close up of a gauge that says hypocrisy on it .
Alt: a close up of a gauge that says hypocrisy on it, needle is far over on the "high" readings detected side
media.tenor.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Dear colleagues,
I know we all have #SVP2025 next week, but could you maybe not inundate me with peer review requests right now?
Because I am also trying to get paper revisions sent back so I don't have to think about them while attending the conference.
Sincerely,
A Hypocrite
I know we all have #SVP2025 next week, but could you maybe not inundate me with peer review requests right now?
Because I am also trying to get paper revisions sent back so I don't have to think about them while attending the conference.
Sincerely,
A Hypocrite
For Halloween, I dressed up as the scariest thing I could imagine.
No, not the skeleton.
No, not the skeleton.
October 31, 2025 at 5:12 PM
For Halloween, I dressed up as the scariest thing I could imagine.
No, not the skeleton.
No, not the skeleton.
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
“The sort of basic [fossilization] question of ‘How did this thing fossilize in the first place?’ hasn’t received as much attention in the past. I think this was a really great deep dive into this one area where we do see several specimens." @uglyfossils.bsky.social
How to Make a 'Dinosaur Mummy' (If You Have Millions of Years, Some Microbes, and a Whole Lot of Clay) 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/duck...
Dinosaur Mummies Are Clay Molds, Not Soft-Tissue Fossils, New Study Reveals
Wyoming’s “dinosaur mummies,” once thought to preserve fossilized flesh, are actually detailed clay molds formed by microbes as the creatures decayed
www.scientificamerican.com
October 26, 2025 at 8:12 PM
“The sort of basic [fossilization] question of ‘How did this thing fossilize in the first place?’ hasn’t received as much attention in the past. I think this was a really great deep dive into this one area where we do see several specimens." @uglyfossils.bsky.social
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
Mesquite 4.02 update released! It fixes a few bugs and adds Codon Alignment and various other improvements. Also, much faster with genomics files with 1000s of loci. www.mesquiteproject.org 🧪 #evolbio
@bembidion.bsky.social
@bembidion.bsky.social
October 25, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Mesquite 4.02 update released! It fixes a few bugs and adds Codon Alignment and various other improvements. Also, much faster with genomics files with 1000s of loci. www.mesquiteproject.org 🧪 #evolbio
@bembidion.bsky.social
@bembidion.bsky.social
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
On @cnn.com Science, @uglyfossils.bsky.social & Yours Truly were quoted with our takes on newly interpreted clay "death mask" interpretation for preservation of Late Cretaceous dinosaur "mummies," reported in the news elsewhere yesterday. www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/s... 🧪🦖🦕🪨
66 million-year-old dinosaur ‘mummy’ skin was actually a perfect clay mask | CNN
New research in a North American “mummy zone” in eastern Wyoming reveals how giant duck-billed dinosaurs were preserved in striking detail.
www.cnn.com
October 24, 2025 at 11:35 AM
On @cnn.com Science, @uglyfossils.bsky.social & Yours Truly were quoted with our takes on newly interpreted clay "death mask" interpretation for preservation of Late Cretaceous dinosaur "mummies," reported in the news elsewhere yesterday. www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/s... 🧪🦖🦕🪨
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
New paper today in @science.org: we date the Naashoibito Member (New Mexico) to 66.4–66.0 Ma, coeval with the Hell Creek, with important remarks on pre-extinction dinosaur diversity & regionalisation in North America 🦖🦕☄1/
Art: @nataliajagielska.bsky.social
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Art: @nataliajagielska.bsky.social
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 23, 2025 at 6:11 PM
New paper today in @science.org: we date the Naashoibito Member (New Mexico) to 66.4–66.0 Ma, coeval with the Hell Creek, with important remarks on pre-extinction dinosaur diversity & regionalisation in North America 🦖🦕☄1/
Art: @nataliajagielska.bsky.social
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Art: @nataliajagielska.bsky.social
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
How to Make a 'Dinosaur Mummy' (If You Have Millions of Years, Some Microbes, and a Whole Lot of Clay) 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/duck...
Dinosaur Mummies Are Clay Molds, Not Soft-Tissue Fossils, New Study Reveals
Wyoming’s “dinosaur mummies,” once thought to preserve fossilized flesh, are actually detailed clay molds formed by microbes as the creatures decayed
www.scientificamerican.com
October 23, 2025 at 8:54 PM
How to Make a 'Dinosaur Mummy' (If You Have Millions of Years, Some Microbes, and a Whole Lot of Clay) 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/duck...
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
You didn’t think you were just getting one dinosaur article from me today, did you?
In another for NatGeo, I dig into how dinosaur “mummies” are preserved - and why there are probably many more exceptional dinosaur fossils out there than we ever dreamed. 🧪
In another for NatGeo, I dig into how dinosaur “mummies” are preserved - and why there are probably many more exceptional dinosaur fossils out there than we ever dreamed. 🧪
Here's how dinosaur ‘mummies’ are helping scientists solve fossil mysteries
A new study sheds light on how these reptiles become “mummies” and paints a picture of what these ancient animals looked like.
www.nationalgeographic.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:12 PM
You didn’t think you were just getting one dinosaur article from me today, did you?
In another for NatGeo, I dig into how dinosaur “mummies” are preserved - and why there are probably many more exceptional dinosaur fossils out there than we ever dreamed. 🧪
In another for NatGeo, I dig into how dinosaur “mummies” are preserved - and why there are probably many more exceptional dinosaur fossils out there than we ever dreamed. 🧪
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
Duck-billed dinosaur fleshy midline and hooves reveal terrestrial clay-template “mummification” | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Duck-billed dinosaur fleshy midline and hooves reveal terrestrial clay-template “mummification”
Two “mummies” of the end-Cretaceous, duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens preserve a fleshy crest over the neck and trunk, an interdigitating spike row over the hips and tail, and hooves cappi...
www.science.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Duck-billed dinosaur fleshy midline and hooves reveal terrestrial clay-template “mummification” | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
Wyoming's famed dinosaur "mummy zone" has yielded two more remarkable Edmontosaurus mummies!
In a new paper, scientists describe the microbe-led process that delicately preserved these dinosaurs' scaly hides and hooves in clay.
Latest for
@nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/s...
In a new paper, scientists describe the microbe-led process that delicately preserved these dinosaurs' scaly hides and hooves in clay.
Latest for
@nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/s...
Two New Dinosaur Fossils Emerge From the ‘Mummy Zone’
www.nytimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Wyoming's famed dinosaur "mummy zone" has yielded two more remarkable Edmontosaurus mummies!
In a new paper, scientists describe the microbe-led process that delicately preserved these dinosaurs' scaly hides and hooves in clay.
Latest for
@nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/s...
In a new paper, scientists describe the microbe-led process that delicately preserved these dinosaurs' scaly hides and hooves in clay.
Latest for
@nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/s...
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
Decades of Drought Are Changing How Paleontologists Search for Fossils
As the planet gets hotter, relics of history are receding from view by Riley Black (restingdinoface.bsky.social)
www.sierraclub.org/sierra/decad...
As the planet gets hotter, relics of history are receding from view by Riley Black (restingdinoface.bsky.social)
www.sierraclub.org/sierra/decad...
Decades of Drought Are Changing How Paleontologists Search for Fossils
As the planet gets hotter, relics of history are receding from view
www.sierraclub.org
October 23, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Decades of Drought Are Changing How Paleontologists Search for Fossils
As the planet gets hotter, relics of history are receding from view by Riley Black (restingdinoface.bsky.social)
www.sierraclub.org/sierra/decad...
As the planet gets hotter, relics of history are receding from view by Riley Black (restingdinoface.bsky.social)
www.sierraclub.org/sierra/decad...
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
At the empty USGS booth at GSA. More out of view on both sides
October 22, 2025 at 2:04 AM
At the empty USGS booth at GSA. More out of view on both sides
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
New paper on crocodylian locomotor evolution led by Masaya Iijima, w/Richard Blob & me!
More erect hindlimb postures help extant gators support their weight (esp. at ankle), & how these mechanics constrained giant Deinosuchus to a slow walk at best!
The paper-- www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
More erect hindlimb postures help extant gators support their weight (esp. at ankle), & how these mechanics constrained giant Deinosuchus to a slow walk at best!
The paper-- www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Biomechanical simulations of hindlimb function in Alligator provide insights into postural shifts and body size evolution
Locomotor simulations in alligators reveal that transitions to erect limb postures facilitate the evolution of larger body sizes.
www.science.org
October 22, 2025 at 6:40 PM
New paper on crocodylian locomotor evolution led by Masaya Iijima, w/Richard Blob & me!
More erect hindlimb postures help extant gators support their weight (esp. at ankle), & how these mechanics constrained giant Deinosuchus to a slow walk at best!
The paper-- www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
More erect hindlimb postures help extant gators support their weight (esp. at ankle), & how these mechanics constrained giant Deinosuchus to a slow walk at best!
The paper-- www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Stephanie Drumheller
The secret to making happy little Edmontosaurus mummy murder mittens is lots of duct tape and really loud Ladytron while waiting for adhesive to cure. My methods certainly do get results i guess.
April 23, 2025 at 11:45 PM
The secret to making happy little Edmontosaurus mummy murder mittens is lots of duct tape and really loud Ladytron while waiting for adhesive to cure. My methods certainly do get results i guess.