READ ME: I'M NEW! With six years of phd work on theropod dinosaurs behind him, Darren Naish mostly spends long, happy hours in the library, hunched over his laptop. But he gets out sometimes, and picks up litter and pursues exotic lizards across the British countryside, aiming all the while to publish his technical work on obscure Cretaceous dinosaurs. He also messes around with pterosaurs, swimming giraffes, British big cats and stuff like that. He has given up on the stupid idea of being a dedicated academic and ekes out a living as a technical consultant, editor and author. He can be contacted intermittently at eotyrannus (at) gmail dot com. For more biographical info go 
Once more it's that time again, I'm leaving for conference # 3 (well, I'm not leaving right now, but I won't have the chance to blog before I do)...
It should be great, and in particular I look forward to the fist-fights and rock-throwing that will doubtless ensue over whether Anhanguera really is synonymous with Coloborhynchus, over the mass of Quetzalcoatlus, and over skim-feeding habits (or lack of) in tupuxuarids. On Dave Unwin's advice, rest assured that I will get Mark Witton all beered-up in front of an audience so that he'll stand before all and relate the Thalassodromeus flume of doom incident [reference]. Actually, Mark and I are attending a pre-leaving party on Saturday I think, so maybe I'll get him to rehearse it there (by the way, Mark and I aren't a couple in case you got that impression). So... I would say 'see you in a week', but Dave Hone and I have crazy plans about posting to Tet Zoo from the conference. Shock horror. Watch this space.
Given that I'm still in a very sociable mood (it won't last), here's a photo from the last conference: it's me and Bob Nicholls talking about, I dunno, nicotine-addicted squirrels or something (the photo is borrowed from the SVPCA 2007 gallery, here). And - hey - who's that in the background with the blue t-shirt? Anyway, for fun.. at the top please find yet another unusual mammal skin. We (=myself and Jon McGowan) think we've identified it - but can you? Note ruler for scale. Ha ha - to the winner, the spoils.
Comments
Being too lazy to register, I can't comment there, so I'll do it here... it is fairly well understood how bumblebees fly. They just can't fly like a plane. And indeed they never glide.
Posted by: David Marjanović | September 6, 2007 5:22 PM
Looks like a mephitid. (Or did you mean the other picture?)
Posted by: Mike Keesey | September 6, 2007 6:32 PM
I think this is the skin of a Red-ruffed lemur, Varencia variegata rubra, which has been through the spin-cycle once too often.
Posted by: Noni Mausa | September 6, 2007 8:42 PM
Small dog and Elmers and faux fur. Not a good combination.
Posted by: Alan Kellogg | September 7, 2007 12:26 AM
Great. My first conference and I'm already scheduled for two violent skirmishes and my peers want to get me plastered for their own amusement. Well, as long as they pay for the beer...
"by the way, Mark and I aren't a couple in case you got that impression"
...we aren't?
[from Darren: sorry, I thought I'd let you down gently.]
Posted by: Mark Witton | September 7, 2007 7:18 AM
That's a dead-ringer for Old Deuteronomy if there ever was one.
Posted by: chris wemmer | September 7, 2007 11:05 AM
The skin shown above looks like the remains of a stuffed animal to me. Maybe what's left of the velveteen rabbit perhaps?
Posted by: Susan | September 7, 2007 6:48 PM
That's my neighbor's cat, still alive! (Yes, declawed.)
Posted by: Nathan Myers | September 7, 2007 9:25 PM
That's my neighbor's cat, still alive! (Yes, declawed.)
Posted by: Nathan Myers | September 7, 2007 11:26 PM
Mark - you should have seen SVPCA! There was a real rumble there! Only vocal, but quite a sight! ;-)
And there are more areas of, errr, controversy that will spring up aside those that Darren mentioned. There are some long-running rivalries and disagreements over ideas in the pterosaur world and I think a fair few will reappear next week.
Posted by: Dave Hone | September 8, 2007 2:30 AM
Speaking of beasties, what's this all about?
Posted by: chris y | September 10, 2007 6:52 AM
What is the proper taxonomical classification nomenclature for "Tetrapodal Roadkill"?
Posted by: DDeden | September 13, 2007 8:10 PM
Darren! What is it! While you've been off gallivanting I've been checking every day to see what this poor battered hearthrug is. Tell! Tell!
Noni
[!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
Posted by: Noni Mausa | September 16, 2007 7:54 AM
That looks to me like the skin of the gopher from Caddy Shack, clearly.
Posted by: S. Fisher | September 21, 2007 11:34 PM
Based on the carpet design alone, I'd have to say it's probably Australian.
Posted by: doug l | September 23, 2007 8:33 PM
Unless the answer is hidden in the comments somewhere else, I fear alas that I will go to my grave never knowing what critter this shabby rabbitskin derived from.
Waily, waily, waily....
Noni
Posted by: Noni Mausa | October 14, 2007 9:01 AM
Noni Noni Noni... relaaaaax, I haven't forgotten. I just enjoy making you wait :) I will post the answer ASAP, I promise.
Posted by: Darren Naish | October 14, 2007 2:04 PM
...ahem...
"Pbhththth."
NM
Posted by: Noni Mausa | October 14, 2007 3:45 PM