Terrible Lizards

Recorded live at DinoCon 2026, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone answer audience questions covering everything from Spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus to fossil auctions, pterosaur wings and the strangest dinosaur names imaginable.
For the free video link and options to support the podcast and get bonus episodes every month, join us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/terriblelizards
Questions in this episode:
Did Spinosaurus hunt by swimming like a crocodile, or stalking prey like a heron?
If you could discover one fossil that would revolutionise our understanding of spinosaurs, what would it be?
Is the famous Coelophysis cannibalism evidence still accepted?
If fossils become rock, how can scientists still use chemical isotopes and other geochemical clues to study them?
What is the one fossil each of you would most like to discover?
Are the waffle-textured Stegosaurus plates shown in Netflix's Life on Our Planet scientifically plausible? 
If you could visit any point in prehistory, where would you go? Has there been any progress understanding the enormous vertebrae from Zhuchengtyrannus?
How has recognising Nanotyrannus as a separate species affected our understanding of Tyrannosaurus growth?
What do you think about the recent paper on T. rex parental care?
Is there any evidence that spinosaurs fought each other or other dinosaurs?
Do we have any evidence that different dinosaur species hybridised?
Did tyrannosaurs hunt in family groups or packs?
Following the record-breaking sale of Gus, should fossils be protected by laws similar to archaeological treasure?
Could high-quality 3D printing help solve the problems surrounding private fossil ownership?
What's the current thinking on the famous sail of Ouranosaurus?
Did pterosaurs tear their wings, and if they did, could they still fly? 
What do the newly described sensitive snouts of spinosaurs tell us, and what do Dave and Iszi think about the latest debate over Suchomimus and Cristatusaurus? 
Plus, Dave reveals the fossil he'd most love to discover, Iszi campaigns for giant prehistoric frogs, and the audience helps bring the episode to a suitably noisy dinosaur conclusion. 
If you enjoy Terrible Lizards, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with a fellow dinosaur fan as it really helps us keep making new episodes.

In this bite from an old live stream, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone discuss why claims of the "largest dinosaur ever" are much harder to prove than the headlines suggest. They explore how palaeontologists estimate the size of enormous titanosaurs, why complete skeletons are so rare, and why finding an even bigger individual is always a possibility.
Along the way they also discuss whether dinosaurs ever stopped growing, why weight matters more than length when comparing giant animals, and why every new "biggest dinosaur" announcement should be treated with a healthy dose of scientific scepticism.
Link to the article in Live Science https://www.livescience.com/largest-dinosaur-discovered-in-argentina.html
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/97pjZ7sDz2Q
If you'd like to support the podcast and get bonus episodes every month, join us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/terriblelizards
If you enjoy Terrible Lizards, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow dinosaur fan - it really helps us keep making new episodes.

Should dinosaur fossils belong in museums—or can they be bought and sold like works of art?
When the spectacular Tyrannosaurus rex known as "Gus" was preparing to go under the hammer (and has since sold for a staggering $50 million), it reignited one of palaeontology's biggest ethical debates.
In this episode Dr Dave Hone and Iszi Lawrence explore the booming fossil market and ask what happens when scientifically important specimens disappear into private collections. Is it wrong for billionaires to own dinosaurs? Can privately owned fossils still contribute to science? And why won't many scientific journals publish research based on privately owned specimens?
Dave draws on his own experience working with museums, private collectors and commercial fossil dealers to explain the surprisingly complicated relationship between science, money and ownership. We discuss museums, fossil laws, famous auction sales, and why a dinosaur's scientific value isn't always the same as its auction price.
Questions covered in this episode:
Should dinosaur fossils be sold at auction?
Why won't scientists study many privately owned fossils?
Is it ethical for billionaires to own dinosaur skeletons?
How do fossil auctions affect palaeontology?
Could private ownership ever benefit science?
Why are some fossils worth tens of millions of dollars?
Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at:
https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards
You can watch this as a video on youtube here: https://youtu.be/TaLWBc-4vvE

In this archive discussion, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone answer listener questions about museum exhibits, dinosaur reconstructions, Spinosaurus, and which prehistoric animal could become the next global superstar.
You can watch this episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/AL5bquwdpcQ
Questions in this episode
🦖 Harry (age 8) asks:
We saw Titus the T. rex and the supposed bite mark on its tail — is it really a bite, and what other pathologies does Titus have?
🎨 Phil asks:
What does Dave think of the  life-size Spinosaurus model unveiled in Germany?
🏛️ Listener question:
Is there a clade-specific or thematic dinosaur exhibition we would love to create or contribute to?
⭐ Listener question:
Which dinosaur has the potential to become the next major superstar in the way Velociraptor and Spinosaurus did?
Along the way, Dave explains why consultants don't always agree with every detail in a museum display, discusses the challenges of interpreting fossil injuries, and reveals his dream of creating a Dromaeosaur or Pterosaur exhibition.
Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at:
https://patreon.com/terriblelizards
If you enjoy Terrible Lizards, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with a fellow dinosaur fan. It really helps us keep making new episodes.

With another Tyrannosaurus rex making headlines at auction, we're revisiting this discussion from 2020, recorded just after the famous sale of Stan.
Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone explore why the sale stunned palaeontologists, what it could mean for museums and scientific research, and whether record-breaking prices change the fossil market forever.
 This is an archive discussion, but many of the questions it raises remain just as relevant today. If you'd like to hear more, we'll have a brand new episode on 29th July looking at the sale of large fossils, the ethics of collecting, and how these extraordinary specimens end up in museums and/or private hands.
Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at: https://patreon.com/terriblelizards
If you enjoy Terrible Lizards, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with a fellow dinosaur fan. It really helps us keep making new episodes.