If anybody writes a story or draws a picture you want me to see then just post here about it. I've given up checking ages and ages ago like I said earlier.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 13, 2002

Crazy messages? Like "CUIDO DEL LLAMAS!"?

P.S. Cuido del llamas means beware of the llamas, nothing obscene.
from Joe Bob B., age 11, Menlo Park, ?, ?; July 12, 2002
No, I certainly wasn't referring to posts that any of you have sent, but rather to some very stange posts from people who are not burdened with sanity (and don't realize that this site has to do with paleontology). JC

I've recently been on some Simpsons forums and I was horrified by the ammount of obscene messages there. So I'm just wondering JC, do you get any rude messages which you don't post?
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 12, 2002
The rude ones are rare, but the crazy ones are quite abundant. JC

"In the 19th century scientists thought that early tetrapods had less than five fingers, and "gained" fingers as they became more highly evolved. Salamanders nowadays rarely have any reason to leave the water, and they have legs. They clasp each other in mating, and push through vegetation.

I think that early tetrapods didn't have many fingers because it was more beneficial to have more fingers. Fingers evolved from the carpals and tarsals in the ends of the sarcopterygian's fin lobes, and if they had eight in a row at the end of the lobe, then there would be eight fingers. And not all of them where needed, so some became vestigial and eventually where gone. Like T - Rexe's arms. He had no use for them, that's why they where so small. He didn't lift himself or scratch himself or pick his teeth with them or clasp the female with them, is what I think. He didn't do anything with them."

I agree with basically all of this.
from Tim M., age ?, ?, ?; July 11, 2002

I'll ask my geography teacher (he also teaches geology to the college groups) to recommend me a book with the substages. When I get my hands on it, if you want me to I'll post them here for you to see them. I wonder if it would make any sense to learn them. I just about manage to remember the stages, and with 136 jurassic substages, well, I needn't say anything. I couldn't find much on the internet about them, by the way.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 11, 2002

In the 19th century scientists thought that early tetrapods had less than five fingers, and "gained" fingers as they became more highly evolved. Salamanders nowadays rarely have any reason to leave the water, and they have legs. They clasp each other in mating, and push through vegetation.

I think that early tetrapods didn't have many fingers because it was more beneficial to have more fingers. Fingers evolved from the carpals and tarsals in the ends of the sarcopterygian's fin lobes, and if they had eight in a row at the end of the lobe, then there would be eight fingers. And not all of them where needed, so some became vestigial and eventually where gone. Like T - Rexe's arms. He had no use for them, that's why they where so small. He didn't lift himself or scratch himself or pick his teeth with them or clasp the female with them, is what I think. He didn't do anything with them.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 11, 2002

No, not the 8th of August, but of July, so instead of writing from California, I'm writing on my father's laptop in his mother and father's house (my grandma and grandpa) in New Jersey, and this is probably my only chance. I have nothing to type however.
from Gianna, age 11, Absecon, New Jersey, ?; July 11, 2002

"Apparently there are 136 substages in the jurassic, all worked out and based on ammonites. Wow. Does anyone know anything about this? Tim, I'd be looking at you right now. I really want to know about this."

I don't know much about this at all. All I do know is that the boundaries beetween the Jurassic substages are made by the occurance of certain ammonite species and/or genera. And there was a righ ammonite population during the jurassic.

Also, we know that having distinct digits is almost like a plesiomorph for Tetrapods, meaning that what seperates Tetrapods from their Sarcopterygian ancestors is that they DO have digits, and always have.
Did those digits develope for walking on land?
There's a possibility that the digits "aquired" by the first Tetraopods might have been used for other aquatic purposes, like clambering through underwater vegetation and such. We know that the earliest Tetrapods sported 7 or 8 digits on their manus, and having five digits or less seems more advantageous for walking (all Tetrapods that existed after the this adaptation, including us Amniotes, have five digits or less on each manus).
from Tim M., age ?, ?, ?; July 10, 2002

Apparently there are 136 substages in the jurassic, all worked out and based on ammonites. Wow. Does anyone know anything about this? Tim, I'd be looking at you right now. I really want to know about this.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 9, 2002

"I am going to be on the 8th. New Jersey for a week. On an airplane."

8th August?

On the 20th I'm going to Russia for 6 weeks and I'll try and get my grandparents to get me somewhere really wild like the Taiga or Khamchatka, or the Urals. I've already been to Kharelia, it's really, really cool.

And I'll see the Moscow Palaeontological Museum. I've already seen the geological one; and although it has a great collection, the only complete dinosaur it has is a Chinese Mandschurosaurus.

I think it's the first dinosaur ever found in China, actually.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 9, 2002

I'm not on vacation, I'm staying home this summer. I have to go back to school in AUGUST! *shudder*
from Joe Bob B., age 11, Menlo Park, ?, ?; July 8, 2002

I am going to be on the 8th. New Jersey for a week. On an airplane.
from Gianna, age ?, ?, ?, ?; July 7, 2002

Let me guess, everyone's on holiday, right?
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 7, 2002

Hey, I've spotted something else stupid about my post.

Typing "So tomorrow is I. Day" and asking for the message to be put on the board ON Independence day was pretty dumb of me. I think that I was just tired and not focused at all.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 4, 2002

"And I'd like to ask a question - you do get the day off on July 4th, right?"

OK that's a stupid question.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 4, 2002

"Did your uncle's computer crash or something?"

No, I thought I wasn't allowed to use it, since my father was doing work on it.
from Gianna, age ?, ?, ?, ?; July 3, 2002

So tomorrow is Independence day.

I don't celebrate it; it's quite logical that only Americans celebrate it, but I'd just like to wish all the Americans here a happy Independence day, if that's what you say to each other.

And if you happen to read this message on the 3rd JC, then please make this the first post on the 4th.

And I'd like to ask a question - you do get the day off on July 4th, right?
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 3, 2002

"Cool! I certainly haven't got much to offer in terms of wildlife encounters, apart from what I have described earlier. Which isn't much."

This town is strange . There are lots of houses, but they're really far apart, leaving plenty of space for wildlife.
from Tim M., age ?, ?, ?; July 3, 2002

"Yesterday was an interesting day in my backyard.
First , a mother Black-tailed deer and her two children wandered into the yard through a gap in the fence. We left them alone until it was suggested that the deer would eat the roses and such so we were forced to chase them away. Then, A black California Kingsnake with pale yellow stripes arrived. It was about three feet long and was absolutely terrified of us, so we left it alone."

Cool! I certainly haven't got much to offer in terms of wildlife encounters, apart from what I have described earlier. Which isn't much.

If my maths grades improve, as I have a feeling they will for the end of year grades, and if I do my GCSE's well (I'm talking at least A's here, but I'll be after A*'s), all that should change. I've wanted to be a field biologist for years and years now since I was little and I don't think my ambitions will change.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 2, 2002

"I have, and I think it's quite good. I haven't been here for a very long time because this is my uncle's computer and now I can use it."

What, did your uncle's computer crash or something?
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 2, 2002

"DWF4:Chapter 3 has been up for QUITE A WHILE. Has anyone read it?"

Sorry, not yet, because there was no fiction for ages I gave up my already infrequent checks. And its almost 11:00 now so I can't read it right now, either.
from da masta, age ?, ?, ?; July 2, 2002

"DWF4: Chapter 3 has been up for QUITE A WHILE. Has anyone read it?"

I have, and I think it's quite good. I haven't been here for a very long time because this is my uncle's computer and now I can use it.
from Gianna, age ?, ?, ?, ?; July 1, 2002