Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
@ichnologist.bsky.social
Traces & trace fossils. Wrote 'Life Sculpted' (2023), 'Dinosaurs Without Bones' (2014), 'The Evolution Underground' (2017), & more. Hubby, Trekkie, reading, cooking, craft-beer imbibing, childless cat dude. 🧪🐾🦖🦕🪨⚒️🌍📚✍️ 🖖 https://ajmartinauthor.com
Pinned
Hello Bluesky science appreciators! I'm a geologist, paleontologist, & (most importantly) an ichnologist, which means I study modern traces (tracks, burrows, etc.) & trace fossils. I teach undergrad students in environmental sciences, write books about ichnology, & do lots of public outreach. 🧪🪨⚒️🐾🦕🦖
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
Yes, they're perfectly normal. ⚒️
For #RockinTuesday
It's not my fault, Part 637. Yesterday as I was scrambling to the top of a mesa, I had to pause to get a shot of this series of little faults. I hope you all have a good day!
#hiking
#landscapes
It's not my fault, Part 637. Yesterday as I was scrambling to the top of a mesa, I had to pause to get a shot of this series of little faults. I hope you all have a good day!
#hiking
#landscapes
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Yes, they're perfectly normal. ⚒️
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
#TrilobiteTuesday
Here is part of the body of quite a large trilobite known as Paradoxides spinosus. This specimen comes from the Middle Cambrian (Drumian) Jince Formation from the Czech Republic. Paradoxides is one of the largest trilobites known from the Cambrian period.
Here is part of the body of quite a large trilobite known as Paradoxides spinosus. This specimen comes from the Middle Cambrian (Drumian) Jince Formation from the Czech Republic. Paradoxides is one of the largest trilobites known from the Cambrian period.
November 25, 2025 at 3:07 PM
#TrilobiteTuesday
Here is part of the body of quite a large trilobite known as Paradoxides spinosus. This specimen comes from the Middle Cambrian (Drumian) Jince Formation from the Czech Republic. Paradoxides is one of the largest trilobites known from the Cambrian period.
Here is part of the body of quite a large trilobite known as Paradoxides spinosus. This specimen comes from the Middle Cambrian (Drumian) Jince Formation from the Czech Republic. Paradoxides is one of the largest trilobites known from the Cambrian period.
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
let's take the CAR out of CARCINIZATION
when we say we want more streets to be pedestrianized, this is what we mean
November 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
let's take the CAR out of CARCINIZATION
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
I wrote a chapter of When the Earth Was Green about prehistoric autumn partly to enthuse over how important leaf litter is to small lives through the cold months.
November 25, 2025 at 4:03 PM
I wrote a chapter of When the Earth Was Green about prehistoric autumn partly to enthuse over how important leaf litter is to small lives through the cold months.
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
Hello #BookSky and #author friends. As host of a book livestream, I’ve been making book trailers for three years. Recently, friends have said getting a trailer done costs $$$$. It shouldn’t. If you need a trailer, let me know. I don’t use AI, I license everything. Some examples follow:
The Dead Come to Stay (book trailer)
YouTube video by Brandy Schillace
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
A student asked me for a reference specifically because they said that I’d helped them do their best work so far. Over the years, so many students have said similar things about my courses. Bless them, because there are so many difficult days on which this knowledge was the thing that kept me going.
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A student asked me for a reference specifically because they said that I’d helped them do their best work so far. Over the years, so many students have said similar things about my courses. Bless them, because there are so many difficult days on which this knowledge was the thing that kept me going.
Yesterday was my last day of teaching for the week, with Thanksgiving break starting tomorrow through Sunday. Lots of student essays & lab reports to mark later, but started the morning by tinkering with my next book proposal. What's the book about? Can't say yet, but hoping to in early 2026. 📚✍️
November 25, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Yesterday was my last day of teaching for the week, with Thanksgiving break starting tomorrow through Sunday. Lots of student essays & lab reports to mark later, but started the morning by tinkering with my next book proposal. What's the book about? Can't say yet, but hoping to in early 2026. 📚✍️
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
New seasonal paleontology positions available for Dinosaur National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and Fossil Butte National Monument. Apply soon, they close after they receive a certain number of apps! #NPSpaleo #PaleoJobs
www.usajobs.gov/job/850816000
www.usajobs.gov/job/850816700
www.usajobs.gov/job/850816000
www.usajobs.gov/job/850816700
USAJOBS connects job seekers with federal jobs across the United States and around the world as the official employment site for the federal government
These positions may be filled for a six month seasonal period, but can vary due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: <strong>April 2026</strong>
<p>For more par...
www.usajobs.gov
November 24, 2025 at 6:28 PM
New seasonal paleontology positions available for Dinosaur National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and Fossil Butte National Monument. Apply soon, they close after they receive a certain number of apps! #NPSpaleo #PaleoJobs
www.usajobs.gov/job/850816000
www.usajobs.gov/job/850816700
www.usajobs.gov/job/850816000
www.usajobs.gov/job/850816700
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
New paper alert! (My first!)
This is a benchmark paper on all NPS fossils within the State of Utah through 2024. Loads of illustrations by me and pic by coauthors and collaborators. Open access, free to download! Thanks to all who made this possible!
giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.ph...
This is a benchmark paper on all NPS fossils within the State of Utah through 2024. Loads of illustrations by me and pic by coauthors and collaborators. Open access, free to download! Thanks to all who made this possible!
giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.ph...
November 24, 2025 at 6:55 PM
New paper alert! (My first!)
This is a benchmark paper on all NPS fossils within the State of Utah through 2024. Loads of illustrations by me and pic by coauthors and collaborators. Open access, free to download! Thanks to all who made this possible!
giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.ph...
This is a benchmark paper on all NPS fossils within the State of Utah through 2024. Loads of illustrations by me and pic by coauthors and collaborators. Open access, free to download! Thanks to all who made this possible!
giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.ph...
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
This Fossil Is Rewriting the Story of How Plants Spread across the Planet www.scientificamerican.com/article/this...
This Fossil Is Rewriting the Story of How Plants Spread across the Planet
An enigmatic group of fossil organisms has finally been identified—and is changing the story of how plants took root on land
www.scientificamerican.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:06 PM
This Fossil Is Rewriting the Story of How Plants Spread across the Planet www.scientificamerican.com/article/this...
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
Authors deserve their royalties, to earn a little for the blood, sweat, & tears they have shed over that book, for the hours they spent writing & revising.
I don't know how to say that you should care about other people, but there it is. You should care about other people.
I don't know how to say that you should care about other people, but there it is. You should care about other people.
November 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Authors deserve their royalties, to earn a little for the blood, sweat, & tears they have shed over that book, for the hours they spent writing & revising.
I don't know how to say that you should care about other people, but there it is. You should care about other people.
I don't know how to say that you should care about other people, but there it is. You should care about other people.
In my 'Evolution of the Earth' class today, I'm expecting fewer students because of Thanksgiving. But for the lucky ones who are there, they will experience my incredible DINOSAUR lecture! It features lots of my dinosaur & dinosaur trace-fossil photos over the years & paleoart (all credited). 🧪🦖🦕🦃
a person in a t-rex costume is dancing on a pole .
Alt: Someone in a Tyrannosaurus costume pole dancing (SFW).
media.tenor.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:48 PM
In my 'Evolution of the Earth' class today, I'm expecting fewer students because of Thanksgiving. But for the lucky ones who are there, they will experience my incredible DINOSAUR lecture! It features lots of my dinosaur & dinosaur trace-fossil photos over the years & paleoart (all credited). 🧪🦖🦕🦃
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
"The visuals are simply astounding. If I didn’t know the animals on screen were extinct, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell whether this is actual footage"
My review of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, out on Apple TV on Wednesday
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
My review of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, out on Apple TV on Wednesday
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Extinct animals in Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age make it a must-watch
From woolly mammoths to giant sloths, via some lesser-known ice-age beasts like 'killer koalas', the visuals in this documentary are simply astounding
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:35 PM
"The visuals are simply astounding. If I didn’t know the animals on screen were extinct, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell whether this is actual footage"
My review of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, out on Apple TV on Wednesday
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
My review of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, out on Apple TV on Wednesday
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
More #LegendsOfGeology
Ellen Morris Bishop from Oregon State University
Her seminal book: In Search of Ancient Oregon, mixes her knowledge of earth history and #Geology, and her passion for photography to help bring the fascinating story of Oregon’s origins to life.
⚒️🪨🌋⏳🌎
Ellen Morris Bishop from Oregon State University
Her seminal book: In Search of Ancient Oregon, mixes her knowledge of earth history and #Geology, and her passion for photography to help bring the fascinating story of Oregon’s origins to life.
⚒️🪨🌋⏳🌎
November 24, 2025 at 2:18 PM
More #LegendsOfGeology
Ellen Morris Bishop from Oregon State University
Her seminal book: In Search of Ancient Oregon, mixes her knowledge of earth history and #Geology, and her passion for photography to help bring the fascinating story of Oregon’s origins to life.
⚒️🪨🌋⏳🌎
Ellen Morris Bishop from Oregon State University
Her seminal book: In Search of Ancient Oregon, mixes her knowledge of earth history and #Geology, and her passion for photography to help bring the fascinating story of Oregon’s origins to life.
⚒️🪨🌋⏳🌎
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
Cedar Mesa Sandstone was deposited in coastal dune environments during the Permian Period, about 270-300 million years ago. This bedding can reach over 1000 feet in thickness and has eroded exposures all over southeast Utah. Bullet Canyon north of Mexican Hat Utah, 11 May 2018.
November 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Cedar Mesa Sandstone was deposited in coastal dune environments during the Permian Period, about 270-300 million years ago. This bedding can reach over 1000 feet in thickness and has eroded exposures all over southeast Utah. Bullet Canyon north of Mexican Hat Utah, 11 May 2018.
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
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. 🏺
Pertinent essay, reinforcing a point made on Day 1 of my #ENVSCOMM25-2 class way back in August, that writing is a way of thinking & helps you deal with life. 🧪✍️
Writing builds resilience by changing your brain, helping you face everyday challenges
buff.ly/4nBIzsC
buff.ly/4nBIzsC
Writing builds resilience by changing your brain, helping you face everyday challenges
Resilience is often presented as feats of bravery and endurance. But everyday practices like journaling, drafting a text or even writing a to-do list are manifestations of a capacity to adapt.
theconversation.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Pertinent essay, reinforcing a point made on Day 1 of my #ENVSCOMM25-2 class way back in August, that writing is a way of thinking & helps you deal with life. 🧪✍️
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
Happy Origin Day! Published OTD in 1859
November 24, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Happy Origin Day! Published OTD in 1859
One of my favorite 'Far Side' cartoons as a modern version of 'Jurassic Park,' with avian dinosaurs from an annelid perspective.
November 24, 2025 at 4:07 PM
One of my favorite 'Far Side' cartoons as a modern version of 'Jurassic Park,' with avian dinosaurs from an annelid perspective.
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
A reminder that gas-powered leafblowers are nightmare devices that are bad for you, bad for your lawn, and very bad for the environment. They fume and scream and kill the world all so you can messily and ineffectively move leaves around, leaves which are generally supposed to stay where they fell.
November 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
A reminder that gas-powered leafblowers are nightmare devices that are bad for you, bad for your lawn, and very bad for the environment. They fume and scream and kill the world all so you can messily and ineffectively move leaves around, leaves which are generally supposed to stay where they fell.
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
Working on invertebrate #paleoart at the moment, knowing I'm probably making mistakes despite best efforts, consulting primary literature etc. Inverts are much like fossil plants: there are few accessible resources on their appearance so we must wing it, or go down deep rabbit holes to restore them.
November 24, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Working on invertebrate #paleoart at the moment, knowing I'm probably making mistakes despite best efforts, consulting primary literature etc. Inverts are much like fossil plants: there are few accessible resources on their appearance so we must wing it, or go down deep rabbit holes to restore them.
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
To echo much of what's been said:
Please don't pirate books.
If you can't pay for a book, there is already a solution for you: use a library.
Whatever you think authors, illustrators, and other book career people make, it's less than that. By a lot. Stealing from us isn't heroic, it's crushing.
Please don't pirate books.
If you can't pay for a book, there is already a solution for you: use a library.
Whatever you think authors, illustrators, and other book career people make, it's less than that. By a lot. Stealing from us isn't heroic, it's crushing.
November 24, 2025 at 2:41 PM
To echo much of what's been said:
Please don't pirate books.
If you can't pay for a book, there is already a solution for you: use a library.
Whatever you think authors, illustrators, and other book career people make, it's less than that. By a lot. Stealing from us isn't heroic, it's crushing.
Please don't pirate books.
If you can't pay for a book, there is already a solution for you: use a library.
Whatever you think authors, illustrators, and other book career people make, it's less than that. By a lot. Stealing from us isn't heroic, it's crushing.
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
'Tis the Monday before Thanksgiving break, so I'm expecting fewer students than normal in my #ENVSCOMM25-2 class today. For those attending either in person or online, we'll talk about writing for an environmental-science-themed video, including storyboarding. Should be fun! 🧪🎥🎬🍿
a man is looking at a box that says max on it
Alt: Scene from the greatest film of 2022, NOPE, with the cinematographer using an old-fashioned hand-cranked video camera to record the true hero of the movie, Bluejeans.
media.tenor.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:22 PM
'Tis the Monday before Thanksgiving break, so I'm expecting fewer students than normal in my #ENVSCOMM25-2 class today. For those attending either in person or online, we'll talk about writing for an environmental-science-themed video, including storyboarding. Should be fun! 🧪🎥🎬🍿
Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin
What does Marc think of @davehone.bsky.social and @markwitton.bsky.social's foray into the world of spinosaurid palaeontology? Find out here!
Spinosaur Tales – review
Back in 2016, Dave Hone (for it was he) wrote The Tyrannosaur Chronicles, a book all about the best little clade of theropod dinosaurs that there ever was. Earlier this year saw the publication of …
chasmosaurs.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:22 AM
What does Marc think of @davehone.bsky.social and @markwitton.bsky.social's foray into the world of spinosaurid palaeontology? Find out here!