In response to a social media post that asked researchers in their field to show photos of themselves in formal attire, a paleontologist shared a shocking photo of himself in formal attire. The exquisite surrealism of the photo caused a huge reaction on social media. What kind of photo was it?

The post that became a hot topic was made by Daisuke Aiba, a paleontologist who studies the evolution and ecology of ammonites. In response to a post asking "Show us your researcher's formal attire," Aiba shared a photo of himself standing on a riverbank with a giant ammonite!

The ammonite's power led to a flood of surprised comments such as "That's amazing!" and "It's huge!" However, many people were fascinated by the surreal gap between the fact that he is making the double peace sign but has a straight expression on his face, with comments such as "He should look happier," "His straight expression is really getting to me," and "I love how his face and pose don't match."

The giant ammonite was discovered by himself when he was a student.

A photo of the ammonites we dug up and brought back to the inn

Aiba worked at Mikasa City Museum in Hokkaido for eight years, and is currently continuing his research at the Fukada Geological Institute in Tokyo. The photo that caused a stir was taken in Tomamae Town, Hokkaido, when Aiba was still a graduate student at Yokohama National University. At the time, Aiba was staying in Haboro Town for an extended period, devoting himself to fieldwork, and discovered this giant ammonite while conducting research alone. It was difficult to dig it out of the hard rock, and even carrying it to the car was a struggle.

However, the following year, Aiba was shocked when he started working at Mikasa City Museum. "There were many even bigger and more impressive ammonites at the Mikasa City Museum, but I lost interest in this one and put it away somewhere, and now I don't know where it is. Since then, even when I find a large ammonite, I don't take it home with me, but give it to the next person who finds one."

"It's most beautiful in its natural state."

A photo of the ammonite being excavated

In response to this topic, he also provided us with a photo of the ammonite buried in nature before it was excavated. "After all, it's most beautiful when it's in nature," says Aiba. In 2024, he published a book titled "Introduction to Ammonite Studies," which provides detailed information about ammonites.

Many people were captivated by Aiba's photograph, which is filled with his passion for ammonites and his humor.