Tag Archives: Homo sapiens

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? A true story of the real Palaeolithic diet!

Posted on June 14, 2016 by twilightbeasts

Food Warning: This blog contains (research by people who are) nuts (about ancient animals and peoples). How do you eat an elephant?  The old motivational question is answered by ‘one bite at a time’. The same thing could perhaps be said … Continue reading →

Posted in Bison, Woolly Mammoth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lost, as the moa is lost!

Posted on January 22, 2016 by twilightbeasts

Every biologist has a gateway species. The taxon you had never heard of before that just looked so weird and unusual that you had to learn more. So, you looked up a few books, searched some library holdings, maybe photocopied … Continue reading →

Posted in moa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 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

Forever young

Posted on May 30, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Being conscious of our own mortality has given our species an unhealthy fascination with immortality. Over the millennia we have conjured up stories of everlasting beings, some of which even allow us to follow them after we have died. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Key Deer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Neanderthals and us: we’re not so different

Posted on May 1, 2015 by twilightbeasts

I cried the first time I saw a Neanderthal. I was 8 years old, sat cross-legged on the wooden floorboards, watching The Land That Time Forgot. Everything around me ceased to exist as I was transported to a world of … Continue reading →

Posted in Neanderthal | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Who were the Denisovans anyway?

Posted on April 29, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Human evolution used to be the preserve of two groups of academics: the ones who liked fossils and the ones who liked stone tools. Both regarded the other as peculiar for being obsessed with the wrong part of a massive … Continue reading →

Posted in Denisovan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Islands of the lost fowl

Posted on March 12, 2015 by twilightbeasts

There’s more to Hawaii than Jimmy Buffett (okay, I admit – I’m a Parrothead!), Elvis, surfing or  even Disney’s adorable and naughty alien Stitch. Even more so if you love earth sciences like us at Twilight Beasts. Hawaii is literally … Continue reading →

Posted in Giant Hawaiian Duck | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Crash of the Titans

Posted on July 30, 2014 by twilightbeasts

Rhinoceros are magnificent beasts. Their muscular and armored bodies sit on top of thick, stocky, legs giving these animals a literally awesome sense of power. Their massive heads, topped with it’s unique horn creates an ancient, almost mythical, persona to this … Continue reading →

Posted in Woolly Rhinoceros | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

The bear necessities

Posted on July 2, 2014 by twilightbeasts

Humans and bears have a strange relationship. On the one hand we see them as lovable, smart, curious creatures (think Baloo from the Jungle Book). On the other, we have taken great pains to exterminate them wherever and whenever we … Continue reading →

Posted in Cave Bear | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments