Putting the Cool into Koolasuchus

Palaeo Jam

In 1990, Mike Cleland was fossicking around a coastal region of the state of Victoria in Australia, when he came across a fossil discovery that was to change his life. The fossil he discovered was to become known as Koolasuchus cleelandi, and in 2022, Koolasuchus to became the state’s official fossil emblem, following a public vote.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Mike, and Lesley Kool, after whom the first part of Koolasuchus, was named, about this extraordinary, prehistoric amphibian. Along the way, we discover Lesley’s role in the discovery and understanding of this remarkable fossil, and what it is about this car sized amphibian that makes it such a worthy fossil emblem.

For more information on the region where Koolasuchus was found, head to…

http://dinosaurdreaming.monash.edu/

You can also check out the Dinosaur Dreaming blog at…

http://dinodreaming.blogspot.com/

And find out more about the Victorian coastal dinosaur trail, here…

https://engage.basscoast.vic.gov.au/dino

You can find host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

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