Okay, before some wag makes this point, the gator is missing a good chunk of its tail, so this is more like the left half of the anterior two-thirds of a gator. But that would make a lousy title. We might have more to say about this in the future, but for now, I’m going to let this 1000-word-equivalent speak for itself. Many thanks to Elizabeth Rega for the use of the gator.

Another picture from the recent ostrich dissection (click for full-size, unlabeled version). Last time we were in the middle of the neck, looking from anterior to posterior. This shot is from closer to the base of the neck, looking from posterior to anterior.

Those ostrich necks I went to Oro Grande to get last Thursday? Vanessa and I started dissecting them last Friday. The necks came to us pre-cut into segments with two to three vertebrae per segment. The transverse cuts were made without regard for joints so we got a bunch of cross sections at varying points through the vertebrae. This was fortuitous;

An important new paper is out: R. Kent Sanders and Colleen G. Farmer.  2012.  The pulmonary anatomy of Alligator mississippiensis and Its similarity to the avian respiratory system.

Here at SV-POW! we are ardently pro-turkey. As the largest extant saurischians that one can find at most butchers and grocery stores, turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo ) are an important source of delicious, succulent data. With Thanksgiving upon us and Christmas just around the corner, here’s an SV-POW!-centric roundup of turkey-based geekery.

This is the third in a series of posts on the Apatosaurus maquette produced by Sideshow Collectibles. The rest of the series: Part 1: introduction Part 2: the head Part 4: body, tail, limbs, base, and skull Part 5: posture Part 6: texture and color Part 7: verdict It is probably no surprise, given my proclivities, that I have more to say about the neck than about anything else.

Okay, special dissection post, coming to you live from the Symposium  of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy in Lyme Regis, on the Jurassic coast of England, well past my bedtime. First, check out this comment from Neil and see the linked image of some neck muscles in the anhinga. Here’s a small version I’m swiping.

Not always solemnly.

Wedel’s Theorem: freezer full of interesting dead animals + great anatomy student who actually wants to get up on Saturday morning and dissect = happiness The rhea has been the gift that keeps on giving.

It’s an anniversary of sorts. Not today, nor any particular day this year, but this year, 2011, marks my 15th year doing research. The last time I blogged about this was the 10th anniversary, back in 2006. Back then I was in my fifth year as a PhD student in Kevin Padian’s lab at Berkeley. I knew I’d have to finish and get a job, but I had no idea how either of those things was going to happen.