Welcome to the Dallas Paleontological Society Website
The Dallas Paleontological Society was founded in 1984 for the purpose of promoting interest in and knowledge of the science of paleontology. It was intended by the founding members that the Society would be a network for the exchange of data between professionals and serious amateurs in this field.
Regular Monthly Meeting, Wednesday, August 10 Large and small tools of excavation. Retrieving smaller pieces from the site.
A drawing of a nodosaur. From Wikimedia Commons, by Conty - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10009277 Photos by Matt Clemens. Did It Float? The next meeting of the DPS will be on Wednesday, August 10th, at 7PM Central time, virtually on Zoom. We will NOT be holding a face-to-face component of the meeting this month. Dr. Matt Clemens, formerly of SMU, will talk about “The Holland Farm Nodosaur: An armored dinosaur from the Cretaceous of Texas”. The last fossil you would expect in the Eagle Ford Shale would be dinosaur. Those shales have ammonites in them, and were therefore deposited in the sea. When bone fossils were found in those strata in Mansfield, we might have expected fish, turtle, or perhaps a plesiosaur (mosasaurs hadn’t evolved yet). But a dinosaur? Dave Letterman on the Late Show used to toss some large object in a giant tank of water to see “Will it Float?”. But an organic object, such as a bloated dinosaur corpse, might float but will eventually decay and sink. Could a “bloat and float” scenario explain the Holland Farm nodosaur? Matt earned a BA in Anthropology (concentration in Archeology) and Evolutionary Biology from Case Western Reserve University in 2012. He then earned a MS in Geology from Southern Methodist University in 2014, with a thesis on frog fossils from Mush, Ethiopia, supported with a DPS scholarship. He then continued on to earn his PhD in Geology from SMU with three research projects - the endothermy of mosasaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Angola, description of a new piped frog from Mush, and this nodosaur from north central Texas. Matt is currently lecturer in comparative anatomy / dinosaur paleontology at Paul Smith’s College in Adirondack State Park of New York. Join our Zoom meeting by clicking on this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83765036222 or start the Zoom app and enter the Meeting ID: 837 6503 6222. You then need to enter the Passcode: 618114. Please mute your audio until you are ready to speak, especially during the presentation. You can post questions for Matt in the chat box, starting with the uppercase QUESTION so they are easy to spot, for him to answer at the end. We hope to see you online. PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS!! Some future topics for monthly programs include: echinoids, plant fossils, amber, dinosaurs (3), and crinoids. Be sure to watch the Upcoming Events list and our calendar to find the meetings/programs you would like to attend. We meet the second Wednesday of every month. Fossil Bits and PiecesLatest info on Lake Ralph Hall on the North Sulphur River’
To view a new 18 minute film on Florissant Fossil Beds Monument, please click on the link below: https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=42760664-E715-FE44-F38270C2561E1366
We at SMU prepared a short video about the Smithsonian exhibit, "Sea Monsters Unearthed: Life in Angola's Ancient Seas," that has been posted on the Embassy of Angola in the United States website (https://angola.org) and on the Embassy Facebook page. To see it, click on the link (https://angola.org), which will take you to the website. The video is playing without sound on the banner. Scroll down to Highlights and you will see a photo of a fossil. Click on that photo and you will see the video with sound and Portuguese captioning on the Embassy Facebook page. Attached is an information sheet about the exhibit, prepared for the Angolan Embassy. If you would like the video with English captioning, just let me know. Enjoy! Louis Jacobs, DPS Advisor jacobs@mail.SMU.edu NMNH Notice and Links_July 2020.docx (This will download to your computer to view.)
We are very happy to announce that the very first Occasional Papers Volume 1, written by 9 members of the founding group of the DPS is now available to download! It is under the HOME choice on the menu bar, then Members-Only Content and then Documents and Resources.
To see the info for Earth Science week, click here. 
The Paleontograph back issues are now available at the following link https://www.aaps-journal.org/the-paleontograph.html
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS Newsletter: The Fossil Record, the Society’s monthly newsletter, is sent to all members. Special Events: Members receive Eblasts on surprise events and reminders of upcoming events. DPS Website: Current members have access to the Members only section of the DPS website, which includes the Membership Directory, past newsletters, and more. Field Trips: Some field trips have limited access (quarries, Oklahoma trilobites, etc.), and some field trips are designated members-only. Excavations: Participation in Fossil Bureau of Investigation (FBI) excavations. Discounts: Fossil prep kits, display items, books, and other unique items are occasionally offered at a discount to members. Occasional Papers: Each Occasional Papers is a collection of in-depth articles on paleontology written by members. One copy per membership is free to members for a limited time immediately following publication. Past Occasional Papers are available for purchase. Volunteerism: Volunteer opportunities to work the DPS booths provides community outreach, interaction with the public, and occasionally free entry to an event. Family: Family Membership provides a discount to a second adult and allows for PIT Crew membership in which children can participate in special PIT Crew-only workshops, classroom activities, and field trips. Dues pay for: food and drinks at the monthly meetings, refreshments on field trips, scholarships, and professional speakers for special meetings. DPS Advisor Tony Fiorillo in the NewsBelow is a link to the Washington Post's feature article on Tony Fiorillo's Alaska research. ENJOY! On a trek for Arctic dinosaur footprints in Alaska preserve, three scientists spent eight days searching for such fossils to reconstruct the extinct creatures’ ecosystem. They hope their research could shed light on climate change, too. Read in The Washington Post: https://apple.news/AZ7JzoF7KQWa0HLqatIDJNw Dallas Library and DPSThe Dallas Library’s Podcast on Natural Dallas (P.O.N.D.) Annual Community Nature Expo includes a video featuring the DPS. Please watch all the videos for some interesting things to do and learn about in the outside world. Visit http://dallaslibrary2.org/pond/ for the videos. | Upcoming Events
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DPS Officers for 2022The results of the election of officers for 2022 are: President: Estée EasleyVice President: Kate Fenton Fossil Record Editor: Laura Garsea Treasurer: Pam Lowers Secretary: Genevieve Freix Join us now
Come and join us for a great time at our next meeting, and click below to become a member. Individual and Family memberships are available, and kids can participate in the PIT Crew (Paleontologists In Training). Mail Check to: DPS PO BOX 223846 Dallas, Texas 75222-3846 The PIT Crew
For more information, Click the link here or click the link under the home page called "For Kids - The Pit Crew" , to see policies, upcoming events, announcements, and how to sign up to take advantage of this new program. About Us and Our Monthly MeetingsThe Dallas Paleontological Society normally meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. |
Copies can be purchased at monthly meetings for instant gratification. Or the book can be purchased and shipped to your home by 
The Paleontologists In Training is a program of the DPS that is open to kids from age 7 to 15. If you are interested in fossils, want to have fun on field trips, and like learning about our beautiful world, come join us at one of our meetings, or field trips. You will find it educational, and fun at the same time!Buy DPS Books OnlineYou can now buy books from the DPS online by clicking the "Store" button on the navigation bar at the top of this page. If you buy online, and we ship the books to your home, you will have a shipping charge and tax. If you buy the book at a meeting, you will not have to pay the shipping fee or tax. Check out this new service. Questions For DPS?If You have any questions about the Dallas Paleo Society feel free to: Contact Us Hot Line 817-355-4693 |
Who we areThe DPS is a group of professional and amateur paleontologists that want to exchange information, interact, and continue their education in paleontology. We meet once a month on the second Wednesday evening of the month at Brookhaven College, Building H. Mailing address: Dallas Paleontological Society
| What we do
Do you have a question? If you have a fossil you cannot identify, or need a site investigation, contact the Fossil Bureau of Investigation for help. Contact Us at 817-355-4693.
| Why join usWe have fun. We learn stuff. We go cool places. We find interesting things. We make new friends.
Visiting Researcher Program The Dallas Paleontological Society (DPS) offers local logistical assistance to professionals/academics conducting research in the North Central Texas area. Assistance may include the loan of tools, but is not financial. Past projects have included providing transportation to field sites, assistance in locating particular fossils or outcrops of a particular formation, field collection and excavation. If you are interested in assistance, please contact the DPS President at president@dallaspaleo.org |
