Archiv des Autors: Markus Bühler

A moustache for the elephant bird – had Aepyornis facial bristles?

A recent study in which digital endocasts of elephant bird skulls from Madagascar were examined, has shown that those gigantic flightless birds had extremely reduced optical lobes. At the same time, their olfactory lobes were very large, what indicates that … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter ausgerottete Arten, Megafauna, Vögel | Schreib einen Kommentar

The amazing Nautilid Diversity of the Post-Cretaceous Seas

The modern nautilus is usually seen as some sort of archaic relic from an ancient era, unaffected by the changes of time. They are often considered as an anachronistic remnant of an age when the seas were populated by marine … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Cephalopoden, Paläontologie, Populäre Irrtümer | Schreib einen Kommentar

The Narwhal´s lesser Tusk

I have seen a whole lot of narwhal tusks in museums, many skulls of narwhals (Monodon monoceros), some fully mounted narwhal skeletons and even several specimens with  double tusks. But so far I have never ever seen the vestigal right … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Anatomie, Wale | 2 Kommentare

A new model of Meyerasaurus – or how to bodypaint a plesiosaur

Today I wanted to show you some photos of a life-sized model of Meyerasaurus, a rhomaleosaurid from the Toracian stage of the early Jurassic, whose fossils were found at Holzmaden. The model was made by my friends from kamyk.pl, a … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Evolution, Fische, Haie und andere Knorpelfische, Paläontologie, Skulpturen, Wale | 2 Kommentare

A King of Cods

Today I want to show you a „Dorschkönig“ or „king of cods“ from the collection of the Zoological Museum Kiel: „King of cods“  was the Name given by fishermen to Atlantic cods (Gabus morhua) with a rare cranial malformation of … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Bild des Tages, Fische, Teratologie | Schreib einen Kommentar

The bearded Leviathan – not your everyday Basilosaurus

Basilosaurus – the great mammalian leviathan of the Eocene – was beyond doubt one of the most spectacular creatures which ever swam the oceans of the world.  But despite the fact that fossils of this ancient cetacean have been known … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Paläontologie, Populäre Irrtümer, Säugetiere, Wale | Schreib einen Kommentar

Why maned lionesses are not that special (and why they don´t baffle scientists)

Perhaps you have heard about the recent report about a lioness at Oklahoma City Zoo, which „mysteriously“ grew a mane. As usual „scientists are baffled“, at least according to the news-site which spreads the story.  However, the whole case is … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Populäre Irrtümer, Säugetiere, Teratologie | Schreib einen Kommentar

Photo of the Day: Chiemsee Pike

Pikes have always been among my favourite native European freshwater fishes. Their taxonomy has  become much more complex in recent years, when two additional European species were described, so that Esox lucius is no more the only of its kind … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Bild des Tages, Fische | Schreib einen Kommentar

The Art of Xylotheques – Wooden Books about Woods

Xylotheques are quite likely the most artistic and beautiful examples of herbaries. Dating back to the early 18th century, they were still to some degree made in the tradition of the old cabinets of curiosities, which combined all fields of … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Curiosity of the Day | Schreib einen Kommentar

The Tarbosaurs of Warsaw

Last year I made a city holiday at Warsaw and took the opportunity to visit a lot of museums there. I was especially eager to see the Museum of Evolution, which is located in the monumental Palace of Culture and … Weiterlesen

Veröffentlicht unter Dinosaurier | 4 Kommentare