Author Archives: twilightbeasts

Time capsules from the Ice Age

Posted on January 7, 2016 by twilightbeasts

It is late August, and the weather is turning cold. Very cold. A little chubby arctic ground squirrel bounds at surprising speed across the prairie. It pauses briefly, standing on those two short little back legs. Ears twitching, listening. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic Ground Squirrel | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

2015: A review of the Beasts

Posted on December 31, 2015 by twilightbeasts

At the end of each year, bloggers on WordPress.com are sent a short summary of activity on their blog. The whole report can be seen at the link at the end of this post if you like to scan through. … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrate! | 5 Comments

A Camel for Christmas

Posted on December 9, 2015 by twilightbeasts

When I was a small child, it was traditional in rural Ireland to go round neighbouring churches and view their nativity cribs. The ones I was always more impressed by were the ones with huge plaster animals – the oxen, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gigantocamelus | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

100,000 Thank Yous….

Posted on November 25, 2015 by twilightbeasts

We have achieved 100,000 views of the blog. To each and every reader, thank you. We hope you enjoy our exploration of the Pleistocene as much as we enjoy the researching and writing. It’s been a remarkable adventure, and we … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrate! | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Survivors

Posted on November 18, 2015 by twilightbeasts

One of the wonderful reasons Twilight Beasts are so dear to us is because most are just downright weird. The peculiar llama with a trunk, dogs with teeth as strong as a hyena, and an armadillo that looked like an igloo were just … Continue reading →

Posted in Saiga antelope | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The moo of the wild

Posted on November 11, 2015 by twilightbeasts

In a sense, Pleistocene megafauna are still with us even in post-industrial England. It may not seem like it but the humble heifer is probably the most successful species of megafauna on the planet, outnumbering all the elephants, rhinos, whales, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aurochs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Big find in little China

Posted on October 31, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Charles Darwin wrote 502 pages outlining his groundbreaking theory of evolution by natural selection. In it he provides incredible evidence of natural selection he gathered over 20 years, using many different species of animals, from humans breeding dogs to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Homo sapiens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Baby’s got quack

Posted on October 20, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Who could actually resist a news headline about a giant Pleistocene Japanese duck? Not me, I’m afraid. Kaiju films are one of my favourite things, alongside disaster movies. From Godzilla to Pacific Rim, I love ‘em all. Add the word … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Clovis hunting an African elephant

Posted on October 14, 2015 by twilightbeasts

One of the advantages of having entered academia after the internet revolution is that the majority of my library is virtual. My laptop PDF paper collection is currently at 6,554 items (and there are another 1,500 or so waiting to … Continue reading →

Posted in Clovis hunters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The first Mammoth of the Steppes

Posted on October 5, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Four men stood beneath the wooden frame of this enormous proboscidean. On the front left leg, the man slowly raises his own left leg, bringing up with it the leg of the beast. Slowly, the skeletal leg lifted from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Steppe Mammoth | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments