If you aren't following @paleoparadox yet, TREAT YO SELF. Gabe is an amazing paleontologist & #scicomm superstar! Follow his adventures through his Insta stories NOW. #Repost @paleoparadox • • • • • So here’s the odontocete (toothed whale) skull that I helped to jacket today! . What does it mean to jacket a fossil? Well, we never fully excavate a fossil in the field. Fossils are usually super fragile when we find them. It would be risky to remove all the matrix (rock surrounding the fossil) and transport delicate fossils back to a museum. . So to protect fossils during transport, we leave a good amount of matrix around the fossil. Then we cover the fossil and matrix in a jacket usually made of layers of burlap and plaster. This provides an enclosed shell for greater protection. Once the jacket is hardened, it’s ready for transport back to the lab where it be carefully prepared using precise tools and techniques! . . . #fieldwork #paleontology #fossil #fossilsofinstagram #whales #dolphins #desert #peru #huacachina #thescicommunity #filipinoscientist #outdoorasian #myapalife #museumlife #whenyouworkatamuseum #wearescience
