Extra podcast episode: large extinct marine reptiles on Svalbard

Why are there so many marine reptiles to be found on Svalbard? How old is the oldest ichthyosaur ever? And what in the world is a “krafse”?

Join us for a talk with Jørn Hurum. He is a paleontologist who studies fossils found in the Svalbard archipelago where his team mostly finds marine reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs.

Together with Maria Rossi he is discussing the process of finding new fossils among the different layers of slate on Svalbard, and the labor-intensive work of digging them out. How come there are so many marine reptiles to be found on Svalbard? What is the latest news when it comes to fossils on Svalbard? How old is the oldest ichthyosaur in the world? And what in the world is a “krafse”?

This bonus episode of The ColdCast is recorded in front of a live audience at The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen. The conversation is in Norwegian.

The podcast is produced by technician Simen Salomonsen Hjelle and information adviser Maria Philippa Rossi.

Research