June 2026 Noon Lecture

Lecture title: “Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” – A Bestiary of Mississippi’s Ice Age Animals

Lecture description: Nearly a hundred species of animals are documented among the ‘Ice Age’ (Pleistocene Epoch) fossils held in the state fossil collection at MMNS. This includes mammals, reptiles, birds, and even freshwater invertebrates. The fossil record tells us that there are differences in the composition of Ice Age animal communities between major regions in the state, which may be interpreted as major regional ecosystem-level differences. Although modern ecosystems in the state are heavily influenced by human occupation and activity, they contain remnant Ice Age inhabitants. We’ll discuss those and the species, or species groups, that are both extinct (no longer living) or extralimital (no longer living in Mississippi).

Bio:George Phillips is the Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of Natural Science. He’s in charge of the state fossil collection and conducts research all around the state (and beyond) to further our understanding of Mississippi’s paleontological heritage. George has published on a variety of species groups relating to our state’s fossil record, including crustaceans, fishes, turtles, and dinosaurs. One of his favorite topics is investigating the effects of the asteroid impact responsible for the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago.