Terrible Lizards

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Having recently caught up with the much-overlooked prosauropods (or at least, overlooked by us), and after many requests from our patrons on patreon, this month we turn our attention to the crocodiles!
 Much like birds, major parts of the biology of these animals (living and extinct) are critical for understanding dinosaur biology, evolution and behaviour, so we shouldn't avoid them as much as we have on here. Happily, this month we are joined by croc-supremo Chris Brochu to talk about his career in crocodilian biology and his work on these animals.
On the way, we get into a deep discussion on identifying species and what this means for taxonomy and evolutionary studies. But we start with some work Chris did as a postdoc on a certain fossil that everyone listening will have heard of: Sue the T. rex!
Chris' University webpage:
https://sees.uiowa.edu/people/christopher-brochu

Iszi and Dave briefly discuss the new Netflix series "Dinosaurs".
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/ejpMkrDDsWw
They analyse the accuracy of the trailer including the opening with Spinosaurus's hunting technique, neck musculature, and nostril placement, comparing it to real-world evidence and previous research. 
You can watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ZBSzYUTL0
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Dinosaurs in the Arctic and Antarctic likely survived cold conditions by using similar strategies to extant species.  The discovery of a new T. rex femur, nicknamed Goliath, potentially validates predictions about the maximum size of these dinosaurs. Or Does it?
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This is available to watch on youtube here: https://youtu.be/R-GgkboCjA8
Support the podcast (keep it advert free) and get exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards
We have talked plenty about dinosaurs in pop culture, including in movies, but this is hardly a modern phenomenon. Dinosaurs were getting into the mainstream almost as soon as they appeared on the scientific scene and have a rich history in novels, and short stories. This week we are joined by Richard Fallon, a historian specialising in science in literature and with a particular interest in prehistoric animals in this context. Richard and Dave recently wrote a book chapter on the odds parallels between Jurassic Park and Michael Crichton and the Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. Having won a prize for this ("Doylean Honors" from the ACD Society!)  we though it a great time to sit down with Richard and talk about dinosaurs and other ancient reptiles in fiction and how this has changed over time.
Here's some of Richard's collective works:
Creatures of Another Age: https://www.valancourtbooks.com/creatures-of-another-age.html
Contesting Earth's History in Transatlantic Literary Culture, 1860–1935: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Contesting-History-Transatlantic-Literary-1860-1935/dp/0198926162/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0
Reimagining Dinosaurs in Late Victorian and Edwardian Literature: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reimagining-Dinosaurs-Victorian-Edwardian-Literature/dp/1108984398/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4n1IVVZf74mbQ0RyFryuMDimH9ZiV04X3glC8p-KfT8.D618IUFHF0G27P0maCF82yXIjgZs_wzvKoA6n0yiz4Y&qid=1770283675&sr=8-1
And you can follow him on Bluesky: @richardfallon.bsky.social

Little Dinosaur bite for you!
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Covering two new papers:
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2026/february/new-sabre-crested-spinosaurus-species-named-from-desert-dinosaur-fossils.html
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2026/january/europes-missing-ceratopsian-dinosaurs-have-finally-been-found.html
Watch on youtube here: https://youtu.be/GoAT-oVtqOc
A new Spinosaurus paper was released, revealing a Spinosaurus with a larger head crest. While the new material is exciting, the larger crest is not surprising given the species' known display features. The new locality in Niger, further inland than previous finds, suggests Spinosaurus may have followed rivers inland, similar to other water-affiliated animals.
A new paper confirms long-held beliefs about spinosaur evolution, including sexual selection, wading behaviour, and multiple evolutionary phases. The discovery of a new rhabdodontid skull, with clear ceratopsian characteristics, suggests that some previously identified rhabdodontids were actually early ceratopsians. This finding supports the idea that ceratopsians were present in Europe during the Cretaceous, filling a gap in the fossil record.
Apologies for audio quality - was a bit rushed!