Author Archives: twilightbeasts

From Russia with love

Posted on June 4, 2018 by twilightbeasts

In the frozen desolate lands of north eastern Russia, there is a unique mammoth graveyard. This graveyard is different than other fossil sites in the world. After being exposed for the first time in tens of thousands of years, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Woolly Mammoth | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Under the boot of man

Posted on May 18, 2018 by twilightbeasts

Working in a museum I come face to face with life’s extraordinary diversity every day. Specimens a few hundred years old tell us of the richness of life right beneath our feet. Older specimens provide a glimpse into amazing animals … Continue reading →

Posted in great auk | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Standing Proud

Posted on May 2, 2018 by twilightbeasts

ALERT, THIS BLOG IS NOT SUITABLE FOR VERY LITTLE KIDS, AND PROBABLY IS RATED AROUND A PG12!  There’s been a huge buzz about the early Mesolithic dates of the Shigir wooden figure, from Ural Russia, and it isn’t too often … Continue reading →

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

Coming of age:  A review of Life through the Ages

Posted on April 2, 2018 by twilightbeasts

You can pick up the book here.Somewhere between being a teenager and having a child of my own, museums changed. The sense of solemn and elegant wonderment was replaced with lots of ‘accessible’ little cartoon smiley faces on posters and … Continue reading →

Posted in art | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The fanged beast

Posted on February 23, 2018 by twilightbeasts

The light from the full moon shines down, glimmering off the soft, brown, velvety fur. It’s rare for this creature to venture above ground. It moves clumsily in search of new food, but pauses. It sensed something. And from the shadows … Continue reading →

Posted in Shrew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

It’s Miller-time

Posted on February 8, 2018 by twilightbeasts

“Life itself is a school, and Nature always a fresh study.” Hugh Miller, “My Schools & Schoolmasters”, 1854 Hugh Miller. Almost before I was aware of who I was, I was aware of who he was. From just after birth … Continue reading →

Posted in Irish Elk, red deer, Reindeer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sabertooth

Posted on January 25, 2018 by twilightbeasts

[This review was written in 2014, when the book first came out] I recently read “Sabertooth” by Mauricio Anton. Obviously given my interests, this was one book I had to treat myself to. Anton and Turner’s “Big cats and their … Continue reading →

Posted in Sabre tooth Cat, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lost Animals

Posted on January 23, 2018 by twilightbeasts

[This book review was written when the book was first published] I’ve been a big fan of Errol Fuller’s thoughtful prose for about 13 years. When I was finishing my undergraduate degree I had my imagination fired by reading some … Continue reading →

Posted in Extinction, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Island hopping hippos

Posted on January 19, 2018 by twilightbeasts

My mum passed away suddenly at the beginning of January. It was a huge shock. It still is a huge shock. It still doesn’t seem real that I will never see her again. Life is so fragile. I wish there … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The most (and least) read posts of 2017!

Posted on December 31, 2017 by twilightbeasts

It’s that time of year again when websites shout about their most read blog posts. Of course it’s a little bit of self promotion, but it is also quite interesting to see what has been popular over the last year. … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic Ground Squirrel, Homo sapiens, Horse, Key Deer, Lemming, moa, Woolly Mammoth, Woolly Rhinoceros | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments