Dr Michael J Ryan
@drmichaeljryan.bsky.social
Dinosaurologist. Adjunct Research Professor, Earth Sciences, Carleton University. Horned dinos a specialty. Opinions my own. @panel.ontologist
Centrosaurus apertus (CMN 348). Look at the size of that postorbital horncore!
September 3, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Centrosaurus apertus (CMN 348). Look at the size of that postorbital horncore!
We published a new hadrosaur this week, Pleisolophus warnerensis. Lead by Brad McFeeters based on a specimen found by Wendy Sloboda, of course.
July 12, 2026 at 7:41 PM
We published a new hadrosaur this week, Pleisolophus warnerensis. Lead by Brad McFeeters based on a specimen found by Wendy Sloboda, of course.
Great to spend time with the basal neoceratopsian, Beg Tse, while visiting IP in Ulaanbaatar last week.
June 27, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Great to spend time with the basal neoceratopsian, Beg Tse, while visiting IP in Ulaanbaatar last week.
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Our most read article of 2025 examines the Canadian fossil record supporting anagenesis in Triceratops. Read it now ▶️ https://ow.ly/1KQC50XVNF1
👥 Jordan Mallon, Mathew Roloson, Emily Bamforth, John Scannella, Dr Michael J Ryan
#BestofCSP Canadian Museum of Nature Carleton University
👥 Jordan Mallon, Mathew Roloson, Emily Bamforth, John Scannella, Dr Michael J Ryan
#BestofCSP Canadian Museum of Nature Carleton University
January 15, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Our most read article of 2025 examines the Canadian fossil record supporting anagenesis in Triceratops. Read it now ▶️ https://ow.ly/1KQC50XVNF1
👥 Jordan Mallon, Mathew Roloson, Emily Bamforth, John Scannella, Dr Michael J Ryan
#BestofCSP Canadian Museum of Nature Carleton University
👥 Jordan Mallon, Mathew Roloson, Emily Bamforth, John Scannella, Dr Michael J Ryan
#BestofCSP Canadian Museum of Nature Carleton University
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
PREMIERED THIS DAY (1915): THE DINOSAUR & THE MISSING LINK. It features the earliest work of a young Willis O'Brien who would go on to bring King Kong to life. Watch the film thanks to The Library of Congress. youtu.be/so9Exr5Ammo?...
The Dinosaur And The Missing Link (1915) | Early Stop Motion Film
YouTube video by Screen Prism
youtu.be
May 19, 2025 at 3:20 PM
PREMIERED THIS DAY (1915): THE DINOSAUR & THE MISSING LINK. It features the earliest work of a young Willis O'Brien who would go on to bring King Kong to life. Watch the film thanks to The Library of Congress. youtu.be/so9Exr5Ammo?...
BORN THIS DAY: ELKANAH BILLINGS (May 5,1820-June 14,1896): Canada’s first paleontologist. His boss Sir William Logan wrote him (1869): "Your constant absence from the office is a worrying annoyance, particularly as I have reason to suspect that it does not arrive from rheumatism."
May 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
BORN THIS DAY: ELKANAH BILLINGS (May 5,1820-June 14,1896): Canada’s first paleontologist. His boss Sir William Logan wrote him (1869): "Your constant absence from the office is a worrying annoyance, particularly as I have reason to suspect that it does not arrive from rheumatism."
More for May the 4th: colleague Dr David West Reynolds standing at the bluff where Luke looked down on Mos Eisley. In the distance you can just see the palm trees that mark the location of the Well of Souls dig site from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Was this Tunisian adventure really 30 years ago?!
May 4, 2025 at 4:44 PM
More for May the 4th: colleague Dr David West Reynolds standing at the bluff where Luke looked down on Mos Eisley. In the distance you can just see the palm trees that mark the location of the Well of Souls dig site from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Was this Tunisian adventure really 30 years ago?!
For May the 4th: Me discovering the origin Krayt Dragon prop skeleton in Tunisia back in the early 90’s. The film quarry abandoned this & all the Star Wars props when they left. After I found them (and left them in place!), collectors followed in my footsteps and scoped them up. Hello Ebay!
May 4, 2025 at 1:52 PM
For May the 4th: Me discovering the origin Krayt Dragon prop skeleton in Tunisia back in the early 90’s. The film quarry abandoned this & all the Star Wars props when they left. After I found them (and left them in place!), collectors followed in my footsteps and scoped them up. Hello Ebay!
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
BORN THIS DAY: JOSEPH BARRELL (Dec 15, 1869–May 4, 1919: Proposed that sedimentary rocks were produced by the action of rivers, etc (1917); used radioactive dating to reinterpret Earth's age to billion years; argued that severe climate drove the evolution of air-breathing vertebrates
May 4, 2025 at 1:41 PM
BORN THIS DAY: JOSEPH BARRELL (Dec 15, 1869–May 4, 1919: Proposed that sedimentary rocks were produced by the action of rivers, etc (1917); used radioactive dating to reinterpret Earth's age to billion years; argued that severe climate drove the evolution of air-breathing vertebrates
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Died This Day: Joseph Leidy (Sept 9, 1823 - April 30, 1891). The Father of American Vertebrate Paleontology described the holotype of Hadrosaurus foulkii, the 1st American mostly complete dinosaur. He also mentored a young E.D. Cope and pointed he and Marsh to the rich fossil resources of the West
April 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Died This Day: Joseph Leidy (Sept 9, 1823 - April 30, 1891). The Father of American Vertebrate Paleontology described the holotype of Hadrosaurus foulkii, the 1st American mostly complete dinosaur. He also mentored a young E.D. Cope and pointed he and Marsh to the rich fossil resources of the West
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
DIED THIS DAY: LOUIS DOLLO (Dec 7, 1857–April 19, 1931). Dollo researched the Iguanodons found in 1878 in a mine at Bernissart, Belgium. He is also noted for ‘Dollo's Law of Irreversibility’ which states that a complex structure once lost in evolution never reappears exactly in its former state
April 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
DIED THIS DAY: LOUIS DOLLO (Dec 7, 1857–April 19, 1931). Dollo researched the Iguanodons found in 1878 in a mine at Bernissart, Belgium. He is also noted for ‘Dollo's Law of Irreversibility’ which states that a complex structure once lost in evolution never reappears exactly in its former state
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Died This Day: Erasmus Darwin (Dec 12, 1731 – April 18, 1802). Grandfather of Charles Darwin, he was a philosopher/naturalist who formulated one of the first theories of evolution in his ‘Zoonomia’ (1794-1796). In it he discussed how life evolved from a single common ancestor
April 18, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Died This Day: Erasmus Darwin (Dec 12, 1731 – April 18, 1802). Grandfather of Charles Darwin, he was a philosopher/naturalist who formulated one of the first theories of evolution in his ‘Zoonomia’ (1794-1796). In it he discussed how life evolved from a single common ancestor
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
phys.org/news/2025-04... Really? I thought that Martin Lockley described some years ago. Either way, congrats to Victoria and the team!
Footprints of tail-clubbed armored dinosaurs found for the first time
For the first time, footprints of armored dinosaurs with tail clubs have been identified, following discoveries made in the Canadian Rockies. The 100-million-year-old fossilized footprints were found ...
phys.org
April 14, 2025 at 2:56 PM
phys.org/news/2025-04... Really? I thought that Martin Lockley described some years ago. Either way, congrats to Victoria and the team!
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1... Thanks to Jordan Mallon for inviting me onto this nifty paper.
The Canadian fossil record supports anagenesis in Triceratops (Ornithischia, Ceratopsia)
Evolution of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops has been hypothesized to have proceeded anagenetically, with the geologically older Triceratops horridus having directly given rise to the younger Tric...
cdnsciencepub.com
April 4, 2025 at 2:31 AM
cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1... Thanks to Jordan Mallon for inviting me onto this nifty paper.
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
youtu.be/-UWRBzi0Heo?... Who doesn't love stop-motion dinosaurs?! "Radatron - Journey to the Dinosaurs" circa 1965. That looks a lot like Jack Kirby's Devil Dinosaur.
Radatron - Journey to the Dinosaurs - Stop Motion - 1960s?
YouTube video by 19king14 Film2Video Archiving
youtu.be
March 26, 2025 at 11:25 PM
youtu.be/-UWRBzi0Heo?... Who doesn't love stop-motion dinosaurs?! "Radatron - Journey to the Dinosaurs" circa 1965. That looks a lot like Jack Kirby's Devil Dinosaur.
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
DIED THIS DAY: JAMES HUTTON (June 3, 1726 – Mar 26, 1797). Scottish geologist known as the Father of Modern Geology for helping establish geology as a modern science. His Principle of Uniformitarianism states that modern geological features are the result of continuing natural processes over time.
March 26, 2025 at 1:43 PM
DIED THIS DAY: JAMES HUTTON (June 3, 1726 – Mar 26, 1797). Scottish geologist known as the Father of Modern Geology for helping establish geology as a modern science. His Principle of Uniformitarianism states that modern geological features are the result of continuing natural processes over time.
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Reposted by Dr Michael J Ryan
Died This Day: Othniel Charles Marsh (Oct 29, 1931 - Mar 18, 1899). One of the most important figures in North American dinosaur paleontology, Marsh is noted for naming numerous dinosaurs, including Stegosaurus and Triceratops, and his bitter rivalry with Edward Drinker Cope know as The Bone Wars.
March 18, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Died This Day: Othniel Charles Marsh (Oct 29, 1931 - Mar 18, 1899). One of the most important figures in North American dinosaur paleontology, Marsh is noted for naming numerous dinosaurs, including Stegosaurus and Triceratops, and his bitter rivalry with Edward Drinker Cope know as The Bone Wars.