rljohnson8 – Research & Collections

New fossil shark records from Alabama

February 14, 2024

Paleozoic rock formations outcrop throughout northern Alabama and have been studied heavily due to their invertebrate diversity and abundance. Despite this heavy invertebrate literature base, vertebrates have been understudied. Recently, the Bangor Limestone of northern Alabama has had multiple new ~330 million-year-old shark species discovered within it. These investigations have led to further fieldwork and museum studies of previously collected shark teeth, including specimens discovered by University of Alabama Museums’ Research Associate of Paleontology Gabe Ward during his undergraduate degree […]

Summer Cicada Surge Could Make for a Tasty Treat

February 2, 2024

In Alabama, the sound of cicadas often signals the beginning of summer. This year, their signature seasonal signal is expected to be a little louder. Every year, the annual cicadas emerge in broods in different locations all around the United States. They have a greenish to dark gray colored body and black eyes. However, this year in Alabama, two broods of periodical cicadas are set to emerge at the same time. These insects have red eyes. Brood XIII and Brood XIX are expected to […]

Student develops new fossil exhibit for Blount Scholars Program

December 13, 2023

The course Paleontology and Society (BUI 301) has been taught through the selective liberal arts Blount Scholars Program for undergraduate students since 2021 by Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, UA Museums’ Curator of Paleontology. Additionally, several students have taken the new Blount Scholars museum internship (BUI 399) focusing on various aspects of paleontology such as curation, exhibit development, and research. During the last couple of years of the course, students visited and collected fossils at key sites in Alabama while also interacting […]

New mosasaur species from Alabama discovered

November 21, 2023

Alabama is a global hotspot for mosasaurs. These extinct relatives of lizards were the top predators in the oceans during the late part of the Cretaceous Period.

National Fossil Day

October 11, 2023

Visit the Alabama Museum of Natural History on October 28, 2023 from 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM for a free National Fossil Day event! The museum will be celebrating the rich fossil record Alabama has to offer with this year’s theme featuring mosasaurs, ancient predators of up to ~50 ft long that lived in the ocean covering most of Alabama during the Cretaceous. “National Fossil Day at the Alabama Museum of Natural History is the largest event in Alabama where people with an interest in […]

Bing Blewitt to receive the Alabama Avocational Paleontologist Award

September 29, 2023

For many decades, avocational (hobby/amateur) paleontologists have made very substantial contributions to this fascinating science in Alabama.

Fish’s big mistake preserved an unusual fossil for us

September 20, 2023

Some extinct species left copious fossil remnants of their existence. Ammonites—an extinct type of cephalopod—are one such example.

A new species of bannerwing damselfly

September 14, 2023

The traditional method of classifying the twenty-one species within the South American genus Polythore has been relying on wing color patterns and male genital ligula shape.

New study on predator-prey interactions of snails

September 13, 2023

Most research on predation in the marine fossil record has focused on specimens from North America and Europe.

The Legacy of Labels

August 29, 2023

University of Alabama undergraduate student Maddy Dissinger is majoring in Biology and she is also enrolled in the Blount Scholars Program.

Research & Collections

University of Alabama Museums

Author: rljohnson8

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