Palaeontological Society of Southern Africa

Got an outreach idea you’ve been sitting on? 💡 The PSSA Outreach Project Grant offers up to R5 000 to bring palaeoscience into local communities. 📅 Deadline: 10 April 2026 Need help? Check our Outreach Inspiration Document. #PSSA #ScienceOutreach #Palaeoscience #STEM

Newsletter submissions are OPEN 🦴 Got research updates, field stories, or society news to share? We want to hear from you. 📅 Deadline: 17 April 2026 📩 Details: PalNews link in our Bio #PSSA #Palaeontology #SciComm

⏰ Reminder: #EAVP2026 Abstract submission deadline is coming up! Don’t miss your chance - deadline is April 16th. Get your abstract ready and submit here: eavp2026.weebly.com/abstract.html #CallForAbstracts #Conference

From the Late Devonian rocks of the Witteberg Group comes 🦂 𝘊𝘺𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴, a rare eurypterid (sea scorpion) from southern Africa’s fossil record. #FossilFriday #Cyrtoctenus #Eurypterid #SeaScorpion

Missed society member Dr. Francis Thackery’s latest blog contribution? 📖Read the full piece at the link in our bio. #LittleFoot #HomininResearch #FromTheBlog #PSSABlog

Preserved in sediments laid down in an ancient lake, this tiny insect offers a rare glimpse into past ecosystems where insects played vital ecological roles.

Not all fossils are giants. Mesostaphylinus orapa is a fossil rove beetle discovered in the famous fossil deposits of Orapa. #FossilFriday #Mesostaphylinus #FossilInsects #Paleoentomology #Orapa #BotswanaFossils #Beetles #DeepTime #AfricanPaleontology

Read more Stuart BP, Huttenlocker AK, Botha J. 2024. The postcranial anatomy of Moschorhinus kitchingi (Therapsida: Therocephalia) from the Karoo Basin of South Africa. PeerJ 12:e17765 doi.org/10.7717/peerj.…

Remarkably, Moschorhinus appears to have survived the extinction event, with fossils known from the earliest Triassic. These specimens provide rare insight into how some predators persisted through Earth’s most severe biodiversity crisis. 🌍🦴 #Therapsids

🦴 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐥 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 | 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊 This sabre-toothed therapsid lived ~252 million years ago near the end of the Permian. Fossils from the Karoo Basin reveal a powerful predator in ecosystems on the brink of dramatic change. #KarooFossils

Pre-Conference Field Trip ⛏️ ✨Day trip to West Coast Fossil Park✨ @WestCoastFossil 🗓️ 29 Nov 2026 📍 Start/End: Cape Town 👩‍🏫 Leader: Pippa Haarhoff, Fay-yaad Toefy, and Roger Smith 💰 ~R1 000 per person 👥 25-28 participants 🔗 More info👉ipc7.site

We’re looking for projects with clear audiences, lasting impact & inclusive science engagement. 📅 01 March – 10 April 2026 Details on our website (link in our bio). #PSSA #Palaeoscience #ScienceOutreach #STEM

🚨Are you an MSc, PhD, or post-doctoral researcher passionate about sharing palaeoscience beyond the university walls? Up to R5 000 available for MSc, PhD & post-doctoral researchers leading evidence-based palaeoscience outreach in Southern Africa.

His contributions to vertebrate palaeontology shaped our understanding of early reptiles and dinosaurs. Our sincere condolences to his family and the global palaeo community. 🤍

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Hans-Dieter Sues, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the @smithsonian.

#MasterPaleoartAppreciationPost BEHOLD JULIUS CSOTONYI'S MOST BEAUTIFUL PIECE, ONE OF THE GREATEST PALEO ARTWORKS OF ALL TIME! THE PERMIAN FRESHWATER MURAL FROM SMITHSONIAN NMNH'S DEEP TIME EXHIBIT.

📸: Anderson, H.M., Barbacka, M., Bamford, M.K., Holmes, W.B.K. & Anderson, J.M., 10 July 2019. 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 (foliage) and affiliated wood; Part 3 of a reassessment of Gondwana Triassic plant genera and a reclassification of some previously attributed. Alcheringa 44.

Abundant and widespread in Karoo rocks, Dicroidium fossils help palaeobotanists correlate Triassic strata across southern continents — making these leaves key markers of early Mesozoic time. #KarooBasin #Paleobotany

🌿 Fossil Friday | Dicroidium 🌿 In the Triassic landscapes of South Africa’s Karoo Basin, forked fronds of Dicroidium were a common sight. This distinctive seed fern became one of the defining plants of Gondwana. #FossilFriday #Dicroidium #Triassic