Eric Ekdale
@eekdale.bsky.social
I teach Biology at San Diego State University. And I study the ears of dead things. And whales. And mammals in general. And other things paleontological, comparative anatomical, and evolutionarily biological that strike my fancy. Opinions are my own.
Pinned
Eric Ekdale
@eekdale.bsky.social
· Dec 4
Variation in whale (Cetacea) inner ear anatomy reveals the early evolution of “specialized” high‐frequency hearing sensitivity
Our findings support sensitivity to low-frequency sound in the archaeocete Zygorhiza kochii and an early toothed mysticete cf. Aetiocetus. Narrow-band high-frequency hearing was present in Oligocene ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
I have a new paper out on the evolution of hearing in toothed whales! It looks like a narrow range of high-frequency auditory sensitivity in some living dolphins and porpoises may be an ancestral physiology rather than novel specializations in select groups.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
#worldwalrusday Walruses today live in the Arctic, but walrus fossils keep being discovered in ancient marine rocks from California! Read all about the 'toothless' walrus Valenictus sheperdi which we named from Santa Cruz last year: 🧪🦖🐬 coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2024/02/vale...
Valenictus sheperdi and friends: Miocene-Pliocene tusked walruses from the Purisima Formation in Santa Cruz, California
I had very much intended to be writing a part 2 of my Xenorophus blog series right now but the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology jumped the...
coastalpaleo.blogspot.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:34 PM
#worldwalrusday Walruses today live in the Arctic, but walrus fossils keep being discovered in ancient marine rocks from California! Read all about the 'toothless' walrus Valenictus sheperdi which we named from Santa Cruz last year: 🧪🦖🐬 coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2024/02/vale...
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Gelfo, J.N., Goin, F.J. & Vega, N.A. First unambiguous evidence of Multituberculata from the Late Cretaceous of South America. Sci Rep 15, 41500 (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s415...
First unambiguous evidence of Multituberculata from the Late Cretaceous of South America - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - First unambiguous evidence of Multituberculata from the Late Cretaceous of South America
doi.org
November 24, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Gelfo, J.N., Goin, F.J. & Vega, N.A. First unambiguous evidence of Multituberculata from the Late Cretaceous of South America. Sci Rep 15, 41500 (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
New paper alert!! Thanks to @tuttran.bsky.social for putting us all together for his first publication! It will be helpful to have much of this data in one place. Check it out: giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.ph...
#NPSpaleo
#NPSpaleo
November 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM
New paper alert!! Thanks to @tuttran.bsky.social for putting us all together for his first publication! It will be helpful to have much of this data in one place. Check it out: giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.ph...
#NPSpaleo
#NPSpaleo
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
I heard its #worldwalrusday , so have some art of these vastly underappreciated wonders.
#sciart #marinemammals
#sciart #marinemammals
November 24, 2025 at 1:45 PM
I heard its #worldwalrusday , so have some art of these vastly underappreciated wonders.
#sciart #marinemammals
#sciart #marinemammals
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Celebrating an incredible coincidence of history today: #OnThisDay in 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, and 115 years later, to the day, Lucy was found. 🏺
November 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Celebrating an incredible coincidence of history today: #OnThisDay in 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, and 115 years later, to the day, Lucy was found. 🏺
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Kestrels are such handsome birds. Lots out and about today, their plumage even more striking than usual. This shot captures the colors and patterns well.
November 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Kestrels are such handsome birds. Lots out and about today, their plumage even more striking than usual. This shot captures the colors and patterns well.
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
This (youtu.be/2AvfOhtmCZY?...) is an older @acollierastro.bsky.social video I must have missed, but it is brilliant in explaining the intensity of the bullshit of the adjunct system, for students and instructors.
the adjunct problem
YouTube video by Angela Collier
youtu.be
November 23, 2025 at 2:09 AM
This (youtu.be/2AvfOhtmCZY?...) is an older @acollierastro.bsky.social video I must have missed, but it is brilliant in explaining the intensity of the bullshit of the adjunct system, for students and instructors.
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are called the unicorn of the sea — for obvious reasons.
This illustration by Louis A. Sargent comes from "The wild beasts of the world", v. 2 (1909), contributed to BHL by @uoftlibraries.bsky.social: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/19657038 #SciArt #ILoveBHL 🧪 📖 🌊
This illustration by Louis A. Sargent comes from "The wild beasts of the world", v. 2 (1909), contributed to BHL by @uoftlibraries.bsky.social: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/19657038 #SciArt #ILoveBHL 🧪 📖 🌊
November 22, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are called the unicorn of the sea — for obvious reasons.
This illustration by Louis A. Sargent comes from "The wild beasts of the world", v. 2 (1909), contributed to BHL by @uoftlibraries.bsky.social: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/19657038 #SciArt #ILoveBHL 🧪 📖 🌊
This illustration by Louis A. Sargent comes from "The wild beasts of the world", v. 2 (1909), contributed to BHL by @uoftlibraries.bsky.social: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/19657038 #SciArt #ILoveBHL 🧪 📖 🌊
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
By studying #primates and closely related species, this new #RSOS study examines the evolution of the #cochlea, the mammalian hearing organ: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
November 22, 2025 at 10:01 AM
By studying #primates and closely related species, this new #RSOS study examines the evolution of the #cochlea, the mammalian hearing organ: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
#fossilfriday Sarah stands in for scale against the surprisingly large skeleton of the Jurassic pliosaur Rhomaleosaurus cramptoni, on display in the "Mary Anning hall" at @nhm-london.bsky.social. This is a cast of the type, from the Whitby Mudstone of Yorkshire. @tetrameryx.bsky.social #2025SVP
November 21, 2025 at 2:52 PM
#fossilfriday Sarah stands in for scale against the surprisingly large skeleton of the Jurassic pliosaur Rhomaleosaurus cramptoni, on display in the "Mary Anning hall" at @nhm-london.bsky.social. This is a cast of the type, from the Whitby Mudstone of Yorkshire. @tetrameryx.bsky.social #2025SVP
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Hey everyone! I’m excited to share that one of my thesis projects was just published in @currentbiology.bsky.social and featured on phys.org! In this paper, we use an old statistical approach developed by the US Navy in WW2 to predict the aquatic habits of various dinosaurs and marine reptiles 🦖🐊
November 20, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Hey everyone! I’m excited to share that one of my thesis projects was just published in @currentbiology.bsky.social and featured on phys.org! In this paper, we use an old statistical approach developed by the US Navy in WW2 to predict the aquatic habits of various dinosaurs and marine reptiles 🦖🐊
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Earlier today, I was notified that someone was at my door.
This is who it was:
This is who it was:
November 21, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Earlier today, I was notified that someone was at my door.
This is who it was:
This is who it was:
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Aaah! New preprint from the Sethuraman Lab has dropped! Tamsen and I have been working on this for a while, and we can’t wait for your feedback. Short thread on our swanky new polyploid genome simulator, DemographiKs, and its functionality.
Hidden in Plain Sight. How Ks histogram dynamics can reveal and obscure ancient whole genome duplications. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.19.689290v1
November 20, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Aaah! New preprint from the Sethuraman Lab has dropped! Tamsen and I have been working on this for a while, and we can’t wait for your feedback. Short thread on our swanky new polyploid genome simulator, DemographiKs, and its functionality.
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
While the range of physical diversity dogs show is often thought to be the result of intense breeding over the last 200 years, a new Science study suggests domestic dogs began developing their distinctive forms thousands of years before humans started shaping modern breeds. https://scim.ag/4nVRhNq
The emergence and diversification of dog morphology
Dogs exhibit an exceptional range of morphological diversity as a result of their long-term association with humans. Attempts to identify when dog morphological variation began to expand have been con...
scim.ag
November 18, 2025 at 8:11 PM
While the range of physical diversity dogs show is often thought to be the result of intense breeding over the last 200 years, a new Science study suggests domestic dogs began developing their distinctive forms thousands of years before humans started shaping modern breeds. https://scim.ag/4nVRhNq
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
TL;DR We're looking for biology/evolution instructors in the US and Canada to test the impacts of inclusive evolutionary biology educational materials on undergraduate learning (you will be compensated). Pasting the official recruitment info in thread below. sunybuffalo.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
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sunybuffalo.qualtrics.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:58 PM
TL;DR We're looking for biology/evolution instructors in the US and Canada to test the impacts of inclusive evolutionary biology educational materials on undergraduate learning (you will be compensated). Pasting the official recruitment info in thread below. sunybuffalo.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
The present is the key to the past, the past is the key to the present. Loss of Earth Science education would be devastating.
Geology and palaeobiology at the University of Leicester are under threat, with at least 14 staff expected to be made redundant. Support them, their postdocs, and their students by signing this petition: c.org/SK8Xm8dhqK
Sign the Petition
Save Geology at the University of Leicester
c.org
November 19, 2025 at 2:06 PM
The present is the key to the past, the past is the key to the present. Loss of Earth Science education would be devastating.
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
A Magnificent Spyhop. Read the full story here: buff.ly/0c2MouI
Photos by Roos
This is an encounter from 2025
#WhaleTales #orca
Photos by Roos
This is an encounter from 2025
#WhaleTales #orca
November 18, 2025 at 5:45 PM
A Magnificent Spyhop. Read the full story here: buff.ly/0c2MouI
Photos by Roos
This is an encounter from 2025
#WhaleTales #orca
Photos by Roos
This is an encounter from 2025
#WhaleTales #orca
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two
#marineecology
#research
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
#marineecology
#research
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two
The search for a ginkgo-toothed beaked whale had taken five years, when a thieving albatross nearly ruined it all
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:27 PM
These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two
#marineecology
#research
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
#marineecology
#research
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
November 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
When you think of bats, you probably don’t think of pollination - but bats are crucial pollinators, and the key to creating a certain drink! 🍸
See an (adorable) bat covered in pollen and learn why a world without bats would be a world without tequila in this week’s Surprising Science. 🦇
See an (adorable) bat covered in pollen and learn why a world without bats would be a world without tequila in this week’s Surprising Science. 🦇
November 17, 2025 at 3:09 PM
When you think of bats, you probably don’t think of pollination - but bats are crucial pollinators, and the key to creating a certain drink! 🍸
See an (adorable) bat covered in pollen and learn why a world without bats would be a world without tequila in this week’s Surprising Science. 🦇
See an (adorable) bat covered in pollen and learn why a world without bats would be a world without tequila in this week’s Surprising Science. 🦇
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
In Oct 2025, 'Charges dropped against former College of Charleston paleontologist in case of missing fossils': allegations made against marine mammal expert Dr Bobby Boessenecker said to stem from "personal animosities and hidden agendas" www.postandcourier.com/news/crime/c... #fossils #FossilFriday
Charges dropped against former College of Charleston paleontologist in case of missing fossils
Charleston prosecutors dismissed charges against Robert Boessenecker and Sarah Jo Michalies of stealing about $8,000 worth of fossils and models.
www.postandcourier.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
In Oct 2025, 'Charges dropped against former College of Charleston paleontologist in case of missing fossils': allegations made against marine mammal expert Dr Bobby Boessenecker said to stem from "personal animosities and hidden agendas" www.postandcourier.com/news/crime/c... #fossils #FossilFriday
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Super-proud of former MPhil student Emily Hillan for publishing her dissertation on the evolution of rib skeleton regionalisation in the evolution of snake-like body forms in squamates!
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
November 10, 2024 at 5:28 PM
Super-proud of former MPhil student Emily Hillan for publishing her dissertation on the evolution of rib skeleton regionalisation in the evolution of snake-like body forms in squamates!
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
Disappointing news out of Nebraska, where the University's Chancellor's Final Budget Reduction Plan continues to call for eliminating the Dept of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences - notably, against the recommendation of the university's Academic Planning Committee.
budgetprocess.unl.edu/final-budget...
budgetprocess.unl.edu/final-budget...
Final Budget Reduction Plan | Budget Process | Nebraska
budgetprocess.unl.edu
November 11, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Disappointing news out of Nebraska, where the University's Chancellor's Final Budget Reduction Plan continues to call for eliminating the Dept of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences - notably, against the recommendation of the university's Academic Planning Committee.
budgetprocess.unl.edu/final-budget...
budgetprocess.unl.edu/final-budget...
Reposted by Eric Ekdale
For the first time, scientists have documented an unusual defense: Some species of arachnids build giant doppelgängers on their webs, creating a frightening deception that scares off would-be killers. https://scim.ag/487Myn0
November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM
For the first time, scientists have documented an unusual defense: Some species of arachnids build giant doppelgängers on their webs, creating a frightening deception that scares off would-be killers. https://scim.ag/487Myn0