Our Meetings
Guests are always welcome to the meetings if you would like see what
we're all about. Meetings start at 7:00 pm and usually take place the
first Saturday of the month, unless there is a holiday, then it's on
the second Saturday of the month.
Located at the USF Behavioral Science Room #103.
After the speaker finishes we have a short break. Then we
draw for door prizes and some raffle items as well. We finish with
any final announcements.
Upcoming Meetings and Guest Speakers (2020-2021 season):
NOTE: All meetings are the first Saturday of the month at 7:00 pm
unless otherwise clearly noted.
Sept. 11 - Dr. Jonathon Bloch, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, FLMNH
Paleocene-Eocene Fossils of Wyoming
We will attempt to live stream the in-person meeting. If the stream is successful, you'll be able to re-watch it here on
YouTube
Dr. Jonathan Bloch’s research involves the study of fossil mammals
from the Paleogene (65 to 25 million years ago) in order to address
paleoecological, phylogenetic, and biogeographic questions surrounding
the first appearance and early evolution of Primates and
other mammals of modern aspect.
The origin of primates represents the first
clear step in the divergence of humans from
the rest of mammals, yet our understanding
of this important period in evolutionary history remains limited. A major emphasis is
the interval from the terminal Cretaceous
through the early Eocene, which includes
the evolution and diversification of “archaic”
mammals following the extinction of the
dinosaurs and the first appearance of nearly
one-half of the modern orders of mammals,
several appearing coincident with rapid,
large-scale, global warming at the Paleocene
-Eocene boundary. Primary data supporting
this research come from active paleontological fieldwork in the
Paleocene-Eocene of the
Clarks Fork, Bighorn, and Crazy Mountain
basins of Wyoming and Montana, and
northern Colombia (South America).
Dr. Jonathan’s peer-reviewed papers include
anatomical descriptions and analysis of the
first primate radiation based on remarkably complete skeletons.
Using data from high-resolution X-ray CT imaging methods, he has
revolutionized this field by revealing detailed aspects of the
anatomy of the skull and evolution of the brain in fossil primates.
Based on these studies, he has demonstrated that the fossil record of
Primates is well represented in the Paleocene, effectively extending
the fossil record of that group by 10 million years beyond what had
previously been thought.
Dr. Jonathan’s research projects on Paleocene-Eocene mammals
from Wyoming and Montana have been funded by four grants from
the National Science Foundation (NSF) since 2003. With this funding,
he is studying the response of vertebrate and plant
communities to climate change, as well as the phylogeny, evolutionary
morphology, and paleoecology of small mammals, especially primates
and their relatives, using some of the most exquisitely preserved
mammalian skulls and skeletons yet known for this time interval.
Dr. Jonathan has also received funding to collect and study late
Pliocene (4 million years old) mammal fossils from Florida, and another
to work on early Miocene (20 million years old) fossils from the
Panama Canal.
Oct. 2 - David Letasi - Terror Pigs and Walking Whales!
We will attempt to live stream the in-person meeting. If the stream is successful, you'll be able to re-watch it here on
YouTube
David Letasi has been interested in fossils and pre-historic times
since he was eight years old and thus has had many years’ experience
searching for fossils all over North America and Asia. By age
twelve, he had discovered three archeological sites that are recorded
in the Michigan State Archeological Site Survey. In addition to
dinosaurs, Letasi has studied prehistoric man, ancient world history,
and archeology.
After serving in the Navy, he decided to travel around the United
States to collect specimens from well-known fossil sites in Wyoming,
Nebraska, South Dakota, and Florida, as well as Canada and
several countries in Asia. After he married his wife, Suzanne, in
1972 she began to travel with him. In 1976 they moved to Florida
where it was possible to collect saber-tooth cat fossils, his main
field of interest.
Dave worked for Great Explorations Museum in St Petersburg and
assumed a number of duties, including designing and curating exhibits
and later worked at the Museum of Science and Industry
(MOSI) in Tampa. While at MOSI, he led cave explorations for
children and adults to the Dames Cave in the Withlacoochee State
Forest, as well as fossil-collecting trips to mining sites in Polk County.
Since retiring from MOSI in 2007, he has been active in projects
with the Historic Hernando Preservation Society.
His lengthy résumé includes being the lead archaeological project
coordinator with the Historic Hernando County Preservation Society,
the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the Gulf Archaeology Research
Institute of Gainesville. Some interesting projects he’s
worked on include searching for the eighteenth-century capital of
the Seminole Nation and the exploration of the Bayport Civil War
shipwreck site.
Dave’s presentation will discuss “Terror Pigs and Walking Whales",
the convergent relationship between the Cetacea and primitive
Artiodactals. This lecture will follow the research and paleontological
history of the discovery of vertebrate fossils of early whales and
their cousins the Entelodonts.
Nov. 6 - TBFC Ben Waller Memorial Auction with Dr. Bob Sinibaldi as auctioneer
There will be no live stream or recording for the auction.
TBFC’s November meeting will host our annual Ben Waller Memorial
Scholarship Auction. This will be your best opportunity to pick up
all sorts of “paleo” related goodies for your favorite fossil hunter.
Or, what the heck, to keep for yourself! And it’s all for a good
cause. Proceeds will help benefit the numerous scholarships TBFC
awards throughout the year.
There will be lots of “paleo” items available in the auction from all
of the generous folks who donate to this worthy cause. So, if you
have a bunch of those pesky meg teeth laying around, or too many
mammoth molars to fit under your bed, consider donating them to
this excellent cause! If you don’t have any fossils you’re ready to
part with yet, a big heart and an open wallet is all you need. What
makes the Ben Waller Memorial Auction a success... is YOU!
TBFC’s auctioneer extraordinaire will once again be our very own
Dr. Bob Sinibaldi. His booming voice and silly anecdotes keep the
auction interesting and a show not to be missed.
Please keep in mind that we haven’t had an auction in a long time.
We need these funds to operate and pay scholarships to students in
the geosciences. If you haven’t attended an auction in the past,
please consider coming to the November meeting. Dr. Bob has
made the auctions as funny and entertaining as they can be. If you
attend, I promise you’ll have a good time whether you bid on any
fossils or not.
We’ll have lots of great paleo-items to auction off including a good
supply of legally collected artifacts. And... to make it easier for you
to purchase items from TBFC’s auction and paleo store, we take
checks, credit and debit cards, and gold doubloon!
NO MEETING IN DECEMBER
Jan. 8 (Second Saturday!) - Ice Age Florida: In Story And Art, Dr. Bob Sinibaldi and Artist Hermann Trappman
TBFC is excited to host the book release event for Ice Age Florida, In
Story and Art. Dr. Bob Sinibaldi and noted artist Hermann
Trappman collaborated on the perfect blend of story, and art, for a
new look at Florida’s Ice Age. Dr. Bob’s presentation will focus on
aspects of the book and the multiyear long effort to get the book in
print.
In a day and age when fewer and fewer books are being
published, the struggle to get this type of book published may have
been as arduous as writing and illustrating the book. Join us as we
celebrate the release of yet another great paleo literary work by Dr.
Bob and artist Hermann Trappman.
Dr. Bob will have copies of the book available at the meeting at a
significant price reduction.
Ice Age Florida, In Story and Art. Sinibaldi and Trappmenn, 2021.
Dorrance Publishing Co., Pittsburgh, PA. 300 Pages, ISBN: 978-1-
6480-4356-7, Retail price: $70, eBook $10.
Feb. 5 - The Non-Aquatic Residents of Fossil Lake, Wyoming:
Joe Branin, Bachelor of Science, Geoscience
The Green River Formation is a well-known and important fossil
location, most famous for its abundant fossil fish. These fish are
nearly all perfectly preserved, down to the smallest scale. While
there have been over one million such perfectly preserved fossils
uncovered from this formation, far less frequently found are the
other residents of an ancient Eocene lake system. These include
birds that inhabited the tropical trees along the edges of the lake,
and much more uncommon are the terrestrial animals that ventured
too close to shore and were swept out to their deaths. While
bird fossils are found occasionally, mammal or terrestrial reptile
fossils are so exceptionally rare that maybe one specimen will be
uncovered every decade.
Since the beginning of excavations in the Green River Formation
over a century ago, less than 20 of these terrestrial fossils have
been uncovered, averaging one such animal every 5
years. Within one year of each other, two such specimens have been
uncovered: an undescribed pine martin-like mammal, and a nearly
complete extinct
tapir ancestor.
This presentation will focus primarily on these most recent finds,
with never-before-seen excavation and preparation pictures,
including an overview of the other rare species found in the Fossil
Lake quarries, how to find them, and how the professionals excavate
and prepare them once they are found.
Mar. 5 - Fossils in the Schools: Dr. Bruce MacFadden, Florida Museum of Natural History
On the UF Faculty since 1977, Dr. MacFadden is currently a
distinguished professor at the Florida Museum of Natural History (FMNH)
at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He received his
bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in geology from
Columbia University, with a specialization in paleontology.
Dr. Bruce has been a mainstay in Florida paleontology going on 50
years now. He has been involved with most of the initiatives
prompting Florida paleontology from the fieldwork, all the way over
to the financing side. Many of the programs, exhibits, and discoveries
in Florida are due to Dr. Bruce’s continued good work.
He is the author of 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles and 1992
book on Fossil Horses (Cambridge) and has been principal investigator
on more than 50 external grants, mostly from the National Science
Foundation totaling nearly $40 million. In 2009-2010 he was a
Program Officer in the Education Directorate at NSF and in 2015-
2016 was a Visiting Scientist at the Santa Cruz County Office of
Education in California.
Many fossil clubs and societies communicate knowledge and enthusiasm
about fossils for the benefit of K-12 schools. Over the past
decade the Florida Museum has undertaken several innovative projects
that bring fossils and scientists into Florida schools for teaching
and learning. Dr. Bruce will be discussing these initiatives,
including the "Scientist in Every Florida School" program. This will
include a video, PowerPoint presentation, and discussion. And as
always, Dr. Bruce will bring updates from the museum and collections.
Apr. 2 - To Be Announced
May 7 - To Be Announced
View Our Past Virtual Meetings
COVID-19 has forced us to adapt!
Since in-person meetings are not possible during this time, the club
will continue to host Virtual Live Meetings on our YouTube channel.
Subscribe to the channel to get notifications when we go live!
All our club live stream meetings will be saved and can be re-watched anytime!
You can view past virtual meetings in the playlist below: