<p>The ocean had apex predators long before sharks — and this week, we're diving into the extraordinary world of ichthyosaurs with one of the world's leading experts on them.</p><p>Alyssa sat down with Dr Dean Lomax — palaeontologist, author, broadcaster, and all-round ichthyosaur evangelist — ahead of his first-ever visit to Australia for <strong>Queensland Dinosaur Week (4–10 May 2026)</strong>. It's a conversation about science, storytelling, and what it really takes to build a career in palaeontology when nobody in your family has ever been to university.</p><p>Plus: Travis is flying up to Brisbane for Dino Week himself, we make some big announcements about the future of the show, and we reveal what kookaburras have in common with Jurassic Park.</p><p>-- </p><ul><li>Dr Dean Lomax's website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://deanrlomax.co.uk">deanrlomax.co.uk</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Locked-Time-Behavior-Unearthed-Extraordinary/dp/0231197284"><em>Locked in Time</em> — Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Secret-Lives-Dinosaurs-Unearthing-Prehistoric-ebook/dp/B0F5DZ7TY1?ref_=ast_author_dp_rw&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.AxUirouERWpxpxF_J1EV5BC7KlkGvshPlWwKcBgr_w41lVSbe_hSCCLfbF2HGOESEJuaK9MBMovlT2Sl5YVdJVi49bjozek1ao0lWzYMflmaYwc6dOObHrgJDVx57tc5uadCoMyq4bg-BnxxuJg_HXUYJVTK7XFJrKVUU92MeJ9I4g8PoQCdDzJ-2YGOfIDY-xzaBc4P1o9T6j0LV_lPyaYj1b6F9GIShMLdfOfmrD0.pjt7x94lqMm08StdNAA8urwOn8ByVtQqy7p7r0fg814&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR"><em>The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs</em> — Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls</a></li><li><em>Why Dinosaurs</em> documentary — <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfSIU2c9GRU">[available free on YouTube]</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://dinosaurexperiences.com/queensland-dinosaur-week-2026/">Queensland Dinosaur Week</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fossilsfiction-shop.fourthwall.com/">Fossils and Fiction membership and merch</a></li></ul><p></p><p>Fossils and Fiction is kept ad-free by our members. Fossils and Fiction is a production of Extinction Media.</p>