Show Notes
For this episode of The Backpacker's Guide To Prehistory, host David Mountain travels all the way back to the Devonian period, 419-359 million years ago. In this weird world of giant fungi and armour-plated fish, what creatures should you look out for? Where should you pitch your tent? And should you really take a dip in Devonian waters? Providing the answers are two Devonian experts: Dr Sandy Hetherington, a palaeobotanist at the University of Edinburgh (https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-sand...
More from The Backpacker's Guide To Prehistory
Pack your raincoat, because this week we're heading to a very stormy Jurassic. As the only geological period with bona fide movie star status, the Jurassic is full of prehistoric celebrities, from the first birds and mammals to - of course - the dinosaurs. But what should you wear? And where should you visit? Fortunately, Dr Evelyn Kustatscher of the South Tyrol Museum of Nature (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evelyn-Kustatscher) and Dr Elsa Panciroli of the Oxford University Museum of...
Love warm, sandy beaches? Tropical azure seas? Metre-long sea scorpions? Then the Silurian is the backpacking destination for you! Join host David Mountain as he scuba dives through the Silurian period, the hidden gem of the Palaeozoic. Lasting from 444 to 419 million years again, this stretch of time sees the emergence of jawed fish, terrestrial arthropods, vascular plants and much, much more. Providing the expert advice are Dr James Lamsdell, a palaeobiologist at West Virginia University (...
Wide open skies, grand horizons and the promise of adventure: the Neogene has it all. Join host David Mountain as he explores the varied environments of this time period and the plants and animals that made them up. You might even come face-to-face with your own ancestors in the plains of East Africa!* Providing valuable travel tips are two Neogene experts: Dr Aly Baumgartner, a palaeobotanist at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History (https://twitter.com/PaleoLorax; https://scientiaa...
Join host David Mountain as he ventures into the tropical world of the Palaeogene, 66-23 million years ago. If you’re looking for volatile climates, volcanic activity and some of the most remarkable mammals to have ever walked the Earth, then the Palaeogene could be the perfect getaway! Providing the travel advice are two Palaeogene experts: Dr Monica Carvalho, a palaeobotanist with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (https://moccada.wixsite.com/paleobiology; https://twitter.com/mocc...
For this episode of The Backpacker’s Guide To Prehistory, host David Mountain is setting his time machine for the distant Ordovician period, 485-444 million years ago. Dive into oceans teeming with long-lost wildlife, from trilobites to orthocones to the nightmarish conodonts. Providing some much-needed travel tips are Dr Lucy McCobb, a palaeontologist at the National Museum Cardiff (https://museum.wales/staff/184/Lucy-McCobb/) and Prof Dave Harper, Professor Emeritus of Palaeontology at Durh...