RyanDye Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 I've been on the fossil forum for a bit, I first joined because I want to eventually become a paleontologist. Through exploring the forum and other places of information I've realized life is incredibly diverse with millions of species and all of which, have an evolutionary history, which is great except one problem. I have no idea which to choose, there all amazing in their own ways, personally I prefer tetrapods, but that's still very broad with many groups of animals to choose from. Anyone have any advice to help with this process? Thanks in advance! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 I wanted to be a paleontologist once,and can totally sympathize with the urge. I am interested in all fossil groups,so probably the last one to give some advice here. As regards tetrapods:a very lowdown attempt to influence you 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Ryan, my interest in vertebrates started with early tetrapods(Google e.g.Erik Jarvik) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 If You pick a field nobody else is studying then nobody can dispute Your conclusions. Go for micro fish teeth. 3 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Micro Fish teeth? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanDye Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 2 minutes ago, ynot said: If You pick a field nobody else is studying then nobody can dispute Your conclusions. Go for micro fish teeth. Thanks, except if there's no studies on it, where would one get educated on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 The thing is: almost everything fossil is being studied or has been studied ,somewhere,sometime 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanDye Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 Just now, doushantuo said: The thing is: almost everything fossil is being studied or has been studied ,somewhere,sometime That's true, I'll keep that in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 7 minutes ago, doushantuo said: Micro Fish teeth? ? Yeah, like these.... I would like to know what they belonged to. 1 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 15 minutes ago, RyanDye said: where would one get educated on it? Field studies. 1 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeargleSchmeargl Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 19 minutes ago, ynot said: If You pick a field nobody else is studying then nobody can dispute Your conclusions. Sneaky way to pull a fast one on science. 1 Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 4 minutes ago, ynot said: Yeah, like these.... Top one looks like a fish from trichiuridae I thought long and hard which field I’d try to go into, and something just clicked when I took a course on Paleoanthropology. You should try a bit of whatever you want to do before you do it. I’m the same age as you if I remember correctly, and college is getting close. You have to realize your going to need to get to a doctorate (which is expensive) and that you probably won’t make a ton of money. If your in Paleontology, it’s because you love it and because you want to help science. You can always switch (though it may not be easy) if you get to college and change your mind. Do what you can see yourself doing everyday. What type is up to you. There are many different types, I’d say research them all and if you like one, stick to it. 1 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Ryan,a personal favourite of mine is studying the relation between organisms and their environment,and looking if there's any part of an animal (or plant)that can be related to the organism's life history and/or ecology. Whether that part is fossilizable or not. If we are lucky,the part in question fossilizes ,and we can trace how the functional relations changed through time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanDye Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 1 minute ago, WhodamanHD said: Top one looks like a fish from trichiuridae I thought long and hard which field I’d try to go into, and something just clicked when I took a course on Paleoanthropology. You should try a bit of whatever you want to do before you do it. I’m the same age as you if I remember correctly, and college is getting close. You have to realize your going to need to get to a doctorate (which is expensive) and that you probably won’t make a ton of money. If your in Paleontology, it’s because you love it and because you want to help science. You can always switch (though it may not be easy) if you get to college and change your mind. Do what you can see yourself doing everyday. What type is up to you. There are many different types, I’d say research them all and if you like one, stick to it. I've contemplated all the sticky situations that a career in paleontology brings, debt, years of college, despite all of that paleontology is incredibly fascinating to me, I couldn't think of anything more amazing than being a paleontologist, it's definitely a no negotiation thing for me, I'd trade anything for a career in it. But besides all that, I have thought about it pretty hard, but I really can't decide between reptiles, mammals, or avians (including dinosaurs), all of them sound very appealing... I've researched many different forms of life, but it just makes me question myself more because I'm drawn to each of their unique qualities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanDye Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 7 minutes ago, doushantuo said: Ryan,a personal favourite of mine is studying the relation between organisms and their environment,and looking if there's any part of an animal that can be related to the organism's life history and/or ecology. Whether that part is fossilizable or not. If we are lucky,the part in question fossilizes ,and we can trace how the functional realtions changed through time That's a another question in itself, what type of paleontologist, guess I have a lot of thinking to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 9 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said: Top one looks like a fish from trichiuridae Quick web search shows cone shaped teeth, but all are lacking the chevron at the top. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeargleSchmeargl Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 I'd probably take Paleozoic arthropods. Trilos, Eurypterids and all the alien-esque things from the Burgess. 2 Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 5 minutes ago, RyanDye said: I've contemplated all the sticky situations that a career in paleontology brings, debt, years of college, despite all of that paleontology is incredibly fascinating to me, I couldn't think of anything more amazing than being a paleontologist, it's definitely a no negotiation thing for me, I'd trade anything for a career in it. But besides all that, I have thought about it pretty hard, but I really can't decide between reptiles, mammals, or avians (including dinosaurs), all of them sound very appealing... I've researched many different forms of life, but it just makes me question myself more because I'm drawn to each of their unique qualities. I suspect you will be drawn where you are needed most. That seems to be how these things work out, take what opportunities you can and one might be the one you choose to stick with. If you choose Paleoanthropology PM me, as I have some helpful resources. 1 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 2 minutes ago, ynot said: Quick web search shows cone shaped teeth, but all are lacking the chevron at the top. Here some I have from Virginia’s Eocene (Trichiurides saggitidens) 1 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanDye Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 1 minute ago, MeargleSchmeargl said: I'd probably take Paleozoic arthropods. Trilos, Eurypterids and all the alien-esque things from the Burgess. I almost got to go see the burgess shale one time, but the road up the mountain to the site was closed... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeargleSchmeargl Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 3 minutes ago, RyanDye said: I almost got to go see the burgess shale one time, but the road up the mountain to the site was closed... Way back when I knew I wanted to go fossil hunting there...until I found out that it was academics only. If there's one thing I oughta do at some point, it's seeing Burgess. 3 Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanDye Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 1 minute ago, MeargleSchmeargl said: Way back when I knew I wanted to go fossil hunting there...until I found out that it was academics only. If there's one thing I oughta do at some point, it's seeing Burgess. I'm sure it's really cool, but the trip wasn't a complete loss since I ended up getting to see the Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 7 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said: Here some I have from Virginia’s Eocene (Trichiurides saggitidens) Cone shaped, but lacking the chevron finale. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 8 minutes ago, ynot said: Cone shaped, but lacking the chevron finale. I don’t quite understand what you mean At the risk of posting something that looks a bit naughty... Might be different species or genus but very probably same family “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 The tooth You posted has a cone shaped cap on an un-enameled root. The tooth I posted has an enamel cone with a boomerang shaped addition to the crown. 2 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts