SLOTHS & BLUE GREEN ALGAE

Ever wonder why the slow moving sloth has a slightly greenish hue? Ever consider the sloth at all? Well, perhaps not. Location, location, location, is the mantra for many of us in our macro world, but it is also true for the small world of algae.

Blue green algae is a term used to describe any of a large, heterogeneous group of prokaryotic, principally photosynthetic organisms.

These little oxygenic (oxygen-producing) fellows appeared about 2,000,000,000 to 3,000,000,000 years ago and are given credit for greatly increasing the oxygen content of the atmosphere, making possible the development of aerobic (oxygen-using) organisms and some very special relationships with some of the slowest moving mammals on the planet, the sloths or Folivora.

The tribes of South America who live close to these insect and leaf-eaters, call these arboreal browsers "Ritto, Rit or Ridette, which roughly translates to variations on sleep, sleepy, munching and filthy. Not all that far off when you consider ths sloth and their lifestyle.

The sloth's body and shaggy coat, or pelage, provides a comfy habitat to two types of wee blue-green algae along with various other invertebrates. The hairs that make up the sloth's coat have grooves that help foster algal growth.

And, while Kermit the Frog says, "it's not easy being green," it couldn't be further from the truth for this slow-moving tree dweller. The blue-green algae gives the sloth a natural greenish camouflage, an arrangement that is certainly win-win.

BC'S FOSSIL BOUNTY: BEHIND THE SCENES

Eugene, Gavin, Julius & Eva BTS on BC's Fossil Bounty — Season Two

We have started filming Season Two of BC's Fossil Bounty. Here is a sneak peek of Eva Svobodova doing her last bit of hair & makeup magic to prep Dr. Julius Csotonyi for his interview for BC's Fossil Bounty.

What you are seeing here is Studio One at Shoreline Studios in Vancouver with some of the cast and crew. 

To the left are the profiles of Gavin Hamilton, Production and Camera Assistant along with Eugene Ko, our awesome Location Sound Mixer for both Season One and Two. 

We had three cameras in place to capture the best of Julius and the glorious painting he brought to life. Just to the right outside of this photograph, we have D'Arcy Hamilton, Cinematographer and Andrew de Villiers, Director from Film Vancouver Productions. 

We did a deep dive in Season One of the career of Dr. Julius Csotonyi, a Vancouver-based scientific illustrator and natural history fine artist. We wanted to have him back (you asked and we answered) to share a particular story of how he fills the walls of museums with murals and what goes into that process. 

Julius has a scientific background in ecology (MSc) and microbiology (PhD) which has taken him to study sensitive ecosystems, from sand dunes in the Rocky Mountain parks to hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Eugene Ko, Location Sound Mixer, BC's Fossil Bounty

These experiences have fuelled his strong resolve to work toward preserving our Earth’s biota. Painting biological subjects is one means that he uses to both enhance public awareness of biological diversity and to motivate concern for its welfare. 

For Season Two, along with the tale of how the Smithsonian's Deep Time Exhibit unfolded, we also show you how he creates art — live!

We chose a particular arthropod that is long extinct. You'll learn which palaeo creature he chose and see it come to life when his episode airs in 2023. 

To see his episode in Season One, you can watch it on TELUS Optik TV or visit the STORYHIVE YouTube link here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUerL9urNX8fHb6nHc_vrBQ

Thank you to all the awesome possums who made this production possible — cast, crew and sponsors. You truly delivered something amazing in Season One and we are tracking to do the same in Season Two. Funding is supported by TELUS STORYHIVE, DINO LAB INC. & DINOSTY FOSSILS. 

BC'S FOSSIL BOUNTY — SEASON TWO airs on TELUS Optik TV and the ARCHEA & TELUS YouTube Channels Summer 2023. 

A LUCKY PALEONTOLOGIST & THE TALE OF THREE SPLENDID CANADIAN FOSSILS

Palaeontology Lecture Series — March 20, 2022

Join us for an exciting talk with Kirk Johnson — A Lucky Paleontologist & the Tale of Three Splendid Canadian Fossils. 

In this lecture, Kirk draws on his experience as a working paleontologist who has led expeditions in eighteen US states and eleven countries.

Kirk is a geologist, paleobotanist, and the Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. His research focuses on fossil plants and the extinction of the dinosaurs, and he is known for his scientific articles, popular books, museum exhibitions, documentaries, and collaborations with artists. 

His recent documentaries include “Making North America” (2015) and “Polar Extremes” (2019). His recent books include “Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline: The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific” (2018); “Visions of Lost Worlds, the Paleoart of Jay Matternes” (2019); and “Trees are made of Gas, The Story of Carbon and Climate” (2021). Johnson is originally from Bellevue, Washington. 

Fossil Road Trip? Heck, Yeah!

Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline

Who's up for a fossil road trip? Paleoartist Ray Troll and paleobotanist Kirk Johnson published a travelogue of their journey to check out the fossils of the American west called Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway. 

It is not your average paleo book. Filled with Troll's whimsical pop-art illustrations — how many dinosaur books feature sauropods crossing the road? — and Johnson's entertaining descriptions of their journey, the book is simultaneously entertaining and informative. 

The equally entertaining Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline is a must-read and will do you proud as an addition to your library.

To read Riley Black's article for the Smithsonian on Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway, visit: 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/cruisin-the-fossil-freeway-59717763/

Fossil Talks & Field Trips — Palaeontology Lecture Series

To get the live Zoom link to Kirk Johnson's Free Lecture as part of the 2022 Palaeontology Lecture Series, visit: www.fossiltalksandfieldtrips.com

NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUBLISHED

In 1987, Wesley Wehr, a paleobotanist (and dear friend) who specialized in the fossil plants of the Okanagan Highlands of British Columbia and Republic, Washington published a paper with Jack Wolfe on Middle Eocene dicotyledonous plants from Republic. 

In it, they named a new species of early Eocene fossil linden leaf for Kirk Johnson, now Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, but then a young man with a keen eye for fossils. 

The species is Tilia johnsoni and it lives now at the Burke Museum in Seattle, Washington.

Kirk had found the leaf at the corner lot fossil site in Republic, Washington and generously given it to Wehr and Wolfe. 

The duo named the specimen for Kirk both because of his generosity and because he was someone they much admired. Me, too!

Palaeontological Lecture Series:  

Kirk Johnson is one of the speakers we will be hosting via Zoom later this year. Visit www.fossiltalksandfieldtrips.com

In the early 2000s, Wes Wehr was working on his last book, The Accidental Collector: Art, Fossils, and Friendship. In it, he weaves together all of the polite mentions briefly noted in his published papers into their larger stories and contexts. His tale in meeting Kirk is included. 

Wes was an extraordinary human being and delightful orator who knew how to tell a good story. Ours were over dinner and in the field, cherished because they are now lost in time. He could thrill you with a tale or tidbit about art, history, music or fossils.  

Photo: A single leaf from the extinct Tilia johnsoni. 49 million years old, Klondike Mountain Formation, Republic, Washington. Stonerose Interpretive Center Collections; Kevmin.