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May 23, 2023 40 mins

Meet Koolasuchus cleelandi, a giant amphibian from the Cretaceous of Victoria, Australia (~125 million years ago) with the body of a salamander and a head as big as a wheelie bin lid. An animal that by all rights, SHOULD have gone extinct millions of years ago and chosen by the people as the state fossil emblem for Victoria.
 
We hear from two of the brilliant paleontologists who worked on the holotype, fossil preparator Lesley Kool and prospector Mike cleeland.

We deviate and also talk red and white blood-cell like structures in the Jurassic ichthyosaur Stenopterygius.

Links:
Random Fossil Fact

Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone

Koolasuchus
The last last labyrinthodonts?

Palaeobiogeography of Australian fossil amphibians

Victoria's new state fossil emblem: Koolasuchus cleelandi

Koolasuchus cleelandi: Cool Cretaceous monster amphibian

Meet Koolasuchus cleelandi, the people's choice as Victoria's official fossil emblem

Dinosaurs of Darkness: In Search of the Lost Polar World – by Thomas H. Rich & Patricia Vickers-Rich

Pals in Palaeo @palsinpalaeo
Host: Adele Pentland @palaeodel

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Transcripts

The Pals in Palaeo Cover Art
Jenny Zhao Design @jennyzdesign
Crumpet Club House@crumpetclubhouse

The Pals in Palaeo Theme Music
Hello Kelly @hellokellymusic

Podcast Producer + Editor
Jean-César Puechmarin @cesar_on_safari
Podcast Editor
François "Francy" Goudreault @hellofrancy

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