The Ambarvalia was an ancient Roman festival held on May 29 in honor of the war god Mars and to Ceres, the goddess of agriculture and the patron goddess of farmers. The word Ambarvalia means “I go around the field”,… Read More ›
Europe
May Eve: The Spooky History of April 30
Manes, Lares, and Lemures. © Jason R. Abdale (August 21, 2021). When is the most fearful time of year, a time of ghosts, ghouls, and monsters? One might naturally say “Halloween, of course” with a certain undertone of irritation. After… Read More ›
Diplodoselache
Diplodoselache, meaning “double-toothed shark”, was a prehistoric freshwater proto-shark which lived in Scotland during the early Carboniferous Period 345-330 million years ago. Teeth of this animal were discovered in the Wardie Shale Formation of Scotland’s Midland Valley during the 1840s,… Read More ›
Stenopterygius
Stenopterygius, meaning “narrow fin”, was a genus of ichthyosaur which lived around Europe during the early to middle Jurassic Period 184-175 million years ago. Multiple fossils of this marine reptile including whole skeletons have been found in England, France, Luxembourg,… Read More ›
Rhamphorhynchus
Rhamphorhynchus, meaning “prow beak”, is one of those iconic creatures which appears in practically every children’s book about prehistoric life. It was a pterosaur with a 6 foot wingspan which lived in Europe during the late Jurassic Period 150-145 million… Read More ›
Uktenadactylus
Uktenadactylus was a genus of pterosaur with a possible 25-30 foot wingspan which lived in North America and Europe during the early and middle Cretaceous Period 125-100 million years ago. In 1992, a man named Chris Wadleigh found the front… Read More ›
Nannopterygius
Nannopterygius, meaning “tiny fin”, was a genus of ichthyosaur which lived around Europe from the late Jurassic to the early Cretaceous Period approximately 152-140 million years ago. There are currently six species assigned to this genus: Nannopterygius saveljeviensis. © Jason… Read More ›
Brachypterygius
Brachypterygius, meaning “short fin”, was an ichthyosaur which lived around England during the late Jurassic Period 155-150 million years ago. Fossils of this animal were found at Smallmouth Sands near the seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, England within the rock… Read More ›
Undorosaurus
Undorosaurus was a medium-sized ichthyosaur which lived in northern Europe during the late Jurassic Period 150-145 million years ago. Fossils of this animal have been found in Norway, Poland, and western Russia. In fact, it was named after the village… Read More ›
Onchopristis
Onchopristis was a 4 meter (13 foot) long sawfish which lived during the middle Cretaceous Period approximately 105-95 million years ago. Onchopristis belonged to the sub-order Sclerorhynchoidei of the order Rajiformes, “ray-shaped”. Despite a superficial resemblance to a modern-day sawfish,… Read More ›
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS 