Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline

June 25, 2018
Paleontologist Johnson and illustrator Troll, previously coauthors of Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway, exhibit an infectious enthusiasm for extinct species in this entertaining combination of illustrated guidebook and science lesson. Over several years they traveled to various sites up the Pacific coast from Mexico to Alaska, where the pair sought out fossil beds, museums, and fellow fossil enthusiasts. Johnson, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, points out that discoveries can occur in unlikely places: “I found it wholly bizarre that key members of the walrus family would not be known were it not for a San Diego subdivision.” As he notes, the “world’s largest and most famous Ice Age fossil site” comprises the La Brea tar pits, right in the heart of Los Angeles. Troll’s fabulous illustrations bring Johnson’s scientific insights to life, showing the layers of remains in the geologic record and tracing the family trees of species alive today, while also betraying a fondness for visual puns, such as a “roadside dino” and “tree-dog night” (inspired by the extinct tree-climbing canine Cynarctoides). Far from a dry scientific textbook, this is a charming celebration of fossils and those who study them.