Paw-Talk here's on a dinosaur kick! While we can't take them home as pets, there's nothing like talking to your average bone collector, as we like to playfully call those fab paleontologists, not all of which even collect bones. 

Look's like we don't have to do too much though.  We'll let this next guy speak for himself.

Not only was it a pleasure to interview esteemed Arizona paleontologist, but the Petrified Forest National Park employee came up with his own introduction! So without further ado, Chinleana blogger: Bill Parker.

My name is Bill Parker and I am a paleontologist in northeastern Arizona. While my day job mainly involves roaming the badlands of Petrified Forest National Park picking up bit after bit of phytosaur scrap (and finding some good stuff in-between), thus my main focus is the paleontology of the Triassic Period. However, I also have a very strong interest in Civil War history, and am a direct descendent of veterans who fought on both sides. Note: This is a personal site and all posts are my own opinions and do not represent the opinions of the National Park Service.

What is it about paleontology that you find so appealing?

One of my favorite aspects of paleontology is the historical one, the idea that you are researching clues about what life and the earth was like long ago.  I find the history of life on earth fascinating and never cease to be amazed at the wonders of the fossil and geological records.  Another aspect I enjoy is the problem solving aspect, you are unraveling one of the biggest mysteries of all time one clue at a time.  When you find and collect a fossil, you are the first being to gaze upon this once living animal in eons.  It is actually a honor to study this representative of past life, and in some cases it might be the only specimen of its species still remaining.

Your day job at the Petrified Forest National Park greatly differs from your focus on the Triassic Period.  Describe the difference between the two.

Actually they do not differ too much as I am the park paleontologist and thus my official job is to manage and learn about the fossil resources of the park.  A plus is that the fossils from Petrified Forest National Park are Triassic in age, which is the time period I studied during my graduate work at Northern Arizona University.  Of course in being a park ranger we have other duties as well, for example I oversee the park’s air quality monitoring program and also handle the research permitting system.  We wear many different hats, but my primary duty is paleontology.

How do the animals you’ve researched in the past relate to the animals of today?

The Late Triassic Epoch is an important time in earth’s history as it marks a transition from an older more exotic biota to forms we are more familiar with today.  For example in the Late Triassic we see the first direct ancestors of many of our modern groups including the crocodiles, lizards, birds (via the non-avian dinosaurs), and mammals.  Even the plants are becoming more like our modern floras even though we are still 225 million years out.

How does studying those animals of the past help you find out more about the animals of today?

First and foremost it puts the types of modern animals and their distribution into context.  For example why are there predominantly marsupials in Australia?   Why do North American pronghorn need to be so fast?  The fossil record tells us that marsupials were once more widespread and that there were cheetahs in North America in the not so distant past.  I’m a firm believer in the idea that it is impossible to learn about or manage any resource (including wildlife) unless you understand its historical context.  Why are things the way they are today?  It is all the result of a deep history that can be unraveled.

Tell me about your paleontology finds or adventures in Arizona.

Probably the greatest find I’ve made was the skeletons of an animal called Revueltosaurus.  Prior to 2004 Revueltosaurus was only known from isolated teeth and hypothesized to represent early members of a dinosaur lineage called the ornithischians. In fact all Triassic ornithischians from North America were only known from these or similar teeth and it was a mystery why we had not found the rest of the skeleton.  In 2004 I found a fossil site in the Petrified Forest that contained numerous skeletons of this animal, some of them nearly complete.  This find showed that Revueltosaurus was not a dinosaur at all, but in fact more closely related to modern crocodiles.  As a result we now know that there were know ornithischian dinosaurs in the Triassic of North America and that they were also rare globally.  We are still trying to learn why this is.

Would you consider yourself an animal/wildlife conservationist?
 
Not actively as almost all of my time is taken up researching their ancient ancestors.  Still because of this the majority of paleontologists probably have a deep respect and interest for all animals.  In fact, we also understand the causes and results of extinction because we deal with extinct animals on a daily basis.

Tell me about your blog, Chinleana

I established Chinleana with the idea of creating a Triassic Period bulletin board, to announce and discuss newly published studies, information about the Petrified Forest, and to just keep all interested parties aware of all of the great current research there is from the Triassic.  We are in the middle of a Triassic boom with more and more key specimens coming to light, especially on aspects of broader interest such as dinosaur origins.  Because the Triassic is a time when new animal groups are showing up, this period is of extreme importance to any workers who study later time periods as this is when many things were beginning. At one point I had hoped to write more in-depth articles, but time constrains have restricted this. By the way, I also have a blog on American Civil War history called “Three Month Men.”

Where does the name come from?

The name means “from the Chinle” and has been used as a species name for some Triassic plants from the Chinle Formation, a prominent Triassic aged rock formation in the western United States.  The Chinle is a major focus of my research and thus my blog.

So how exactly does Route 66 on the American West Coast relate to Triassic paleontology?

First off, Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park that contains a portion of Route 66.  I have lived in several cities that Route 66 ran through and you cannot help but be interested in something that was such a big part of where you live.  Regarding paleontology, Route 66 and its predecessor (National Old Trails Highway) was one of the main routes that early paleontologists used to access the area.  Outcrops of Triassic rocks lined the roadway and these early scientists would simply stop along the road to collect fossils.  Fortunately they often have left behind journals detailing their finds and the roads, therefore you need to know where the old alignments of the road were (compared to modern Interstate 40) to reinvestigate the places where they made their finds.  As a result (and from being a history buff), I’ve become quite interested in the history of this road and many old stretches still exist to be explored.  Again it is a window to another (albeit much more modern) time.

Would you say that paleontologists are animal enthusiasts? Why or why not?

I would definitely say that paleontologists are animal enthusiasts (especially for dead ones).  We study their anatomy in detail, study how they eat, where they live.  Traditionally a subdiscipline of Geology, increasingly more and more paleontologists are coming out of biology programs and many also actively study modern animal groups to learn more about their extinct counterparts. Most of the paleontologists I know who work on reptiles, keep some as pets.  One professor has a pet crocodylian that he lets roam the lecture room when he teaches (best to pay attention in that class).  

What advice would you give to an animal enthusiast who is thinking about going into the paleontology field?

I would say go for it.  In addition to your biology classes you will want to take at least some introductory geology classes, especially Historical Geology, which will allow you to take a good look at the deep history of the earth.  Just as the animals are all here for a reason, so are the rocks.  Learn why.  Also visit your local museum and if they have a paleontology program sign up as a volunteer.  Learn out to find and identify fossils, and how to interpret them. Another aspect I like about paleontology is all of the people you get (and need) to collaborate with to properly study fossils.  There are a lot of great people in this field and sharing ideas with other enthusiasts is not only essential to your own understanding, it is great fun.