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Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: the current header for the Furahan blog, featuring two cursorial hexapod scalates, a bobbuck at left and prober at right. Both animals are mid-sized at close to 1.5 m in length. Image: Gert van Dijk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/69b0c01b-695f-47bd-b3ff-b21eca3646c4/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-scalate-skeleton-724px-168kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: human explorers, travellers and scientists (including citizen scientists) feature throughout the book, and here are a happy pair adjacent to the bone-like internal elements of a brontorusp. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f5a596d0-9c11-4fb1-9400-2cf999c2221e/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-landscape-scene-1906px-279kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: a beautiful panorama showing red polypremnic trees alongside green and yellow grass-like ground plants. The animal is a Snafe Factotum sequax, a centauric hexapod belonging to a group endemic to the isolated continent of Meralgia. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/88c8c985-f03d-43c3-b047-b74eaf6d84bd/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-mixotroph-montage-1727px-154kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: a mixotroph montage, showing a stand of Nightsnare Laqueus lentus at left, and representatives of the different dispersal methods used by Purple flyfoam Spumascansa damieni at right. The frothy, methanous ‘rafts’ transport the ‘brochos’ larvae. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/34f70e1f-e92d-4d02-83b4-ddbb2cd3a3f3/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-kwals-715px-106kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: a selection of kwals, showing (top to bottom) big yellow blob, purple flapper, milky petal pedal and sea wheel. Numerous kwal species exist and the text explains how at least 60 species occur in the small section of coast where these four were encountered. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ce68b085-7de4-4c49-a256-ff152dcd5d45/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-marblebill-visual-fields-1241px-109kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: one of the many ‘technical’ illustrations that appears throughout the book, this one showing the field of vision of the Marblebill Iaculator weismuelleri, an arboreal predatory hexapod. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f86de976-4ca6-44f9-a543-125b833a1efd/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-cloakfishes-1481px-148kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: two of the many cloakfishes illustrated and discussed in the book. At left, a Starfish Tanypteryx archicus; at right, a Common cloak Tetrachlamus pycnus, a species regarded as “the prototypical cloaky” (van Dijk 2025, p. 65). Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5e0bff27-3dde-4beb-804f-d59891035277/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-dialate-avian-montage-1499px-156kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: the major Furahan clade of terrestrial scalates includes terrestrial and aquatic species, and fliers too. Some have four wings (the group Quadrialata) and others two (the group Dialata). The images here show korongoes Dromodraco drungus, in flight and in a diagrammatic takeoff sequence. This is a large dialate species with a wingspan of up to 5 m. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c8c22b34-3f0a-462c-9a1c-b66f1ac3f21b/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-pied-stickler-716px-98klb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: a Stickler Perfixor artifex, a predatory centauric hexapod of North Auralgia that undergoes colour change across the seasons. It is social and potentially dangerous to humans. The full illustration is taller and occupies an entire page. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/197ce46e-d732-4503-998e-634d78cf4fcc/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-rusp-1253px-153kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: the anterior end of Brontocrambis brucus, the Brontorusp, as it turns to face the viewer. Without the whip, this animal is 25 m long. The book features a double-page spread showing this species in its environment, plus another showing various megarusps to scale. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/695e4b70-5190-4e08-8c93-1077c6bb70fb/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-Gert-at-LonCon-Aug-2014-1167px-196kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: proof that the idea of this book has been on the cards for a while. This photo was taken at the Spec Bio workshop at LonCon3 of August 2014, and the screen behind Gert (who is standing at left) shows the semi-hypothetical cover of an Encyclopedia of Furahan Wildlife (a double-page spread is visible at top). C. M. Kosemen is sitting at right, and you can see semi-hypothetical books devoted to Snaiad as well. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0fe9e615-ae3d-43b2-a11c-82b4e3c4ea0a/Furaha-review-Mar-2026-kwal-sizes-and-globe-1559px-222kb-Mar-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Gert van Dijk’s Wildlife on the Planet Furaha, an Outstanding Addition to the Spec Bio Genre - Make it stand out Caption: the book features ‘range map’-type illustrations throughout, showing the known distribution of the species or group in question in red. Also featured throughout are scaled silhouettes showing the organisms with a selection of (often amusingly posed) humans. All of these diagrams are immaculate and wonderfully drafted. Image: van Dijk (2025), used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/3/24/the-treerunners monthly 0.5 2026-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a77242de-df2f-4e80-8c15-db7660422008/Plica-treerunners-Mar-2026-Plica-montage-1389px-249kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Treerunners, ‘Strikingly Proportioned’ Arboreal Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the head of a Plica plica specimen in dorsal view, showing scalation. Squamates vary in how symmetrical their head scales are, and minor asymmetry (as seen here) is common in many species. At right, a captive individual of what’s probably Plica plica. This individual lacks bright colours or a prominent nuchal crest, indicating that it’s a female or a juvenile male. Credits: Etheridge (1970); Darren Naish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ee97c565-49e3-4fd1-bddb-2d6da4405c43/Plica-treerunners-Mar-2026-captive-Plica-Marwell-Jan-2012-680px-180kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Treerunners, ‘Strikingly Proportioned’ Arboreal Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: captive Plica photographed in captivity in 2012, labelled as P. plica (but is it? Read on). Note the reddish head, light green or yellowish rings on the distal parts of the limbs, and the especially dark collar-like markings. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04d64277-3c3a-456a-85ff-8f11fa287a3c/Plica-treerunners-Mar-2026-Iguania-cladogram-1387px-132kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Treerunners, ‘Strikingly Proportioned’ Arboreal Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: much simplified, stripped-down cladogram for pleurodont iguanians. More complete, more complex versions of this tree will appear here in later articles (something I’ve been saying since 2017). It’s one of the hundreds of illustrations produced for my in-prep textbook on the vertebrate fossil record on which go here. Credit: Darren Naish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd35c0d1-094c-4fee-acd8-c32228b73615/Plica-treerunners-Mar-2026-Etheridge-map-947px-195kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Treerunners, ‘Strikingly Proportioned’ Arboreal Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: a map from Etheridge’s 1970 study of P. plica, showing the reported localities he was aware of. As you can see, this species – as perceived by Etheridge – was meant to have an enormous range, and to occur across a fairly wide range of topographies and habitats. Credit: Etheridge (1970). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8b85b35f-3ebc-4a1d-baff-43cd7cc5b9de/Plica-treerunners-Mar-2026-Plica-species-montage-1355px-283kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Treerunners, ‘Strikingly Proportioned’ Arboreal Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: a Plica montage. At top, a captive animal labelled as P. plica (the image has been rotated by 90°; it was actually clinging vertically from a trunk). At lower left, P. umbra photographed in the wild. At lower right, P. rayi in Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela. Images: Darren Naish (top); Alessandro Catenazzi, CC BY-SA 2.5 (lower left; original here); Zelimir Cernelic, CC BY 3.0 (lower right; original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0fd202d2-d12f-48c4-831c-3f84863da08f/Plica-treerunners-Mar-2026-Plica-and-Vitt-et-al-1997-graph-1374px-176kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Treerunners, ‘Strikingly Proportioned’ Arboreal Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: Plica plica at left. At right, graph from Vitt et al. (1997) showing relationship between body temperature and substrate temperature in wild P. umbra. Images: DuSantos, CC BY 2.0 (original here); Vitt et al. (1997). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/3/17/2025-dougal-dixon-the-new-dinosaurs monthly 0.5 2026-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5ca6fc55-55ee-4c76-b49d-2a8e03d77084/TND-review-Mar-2026-cover-1241px-229kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology’s 21st Century Redemption at the High Table: the 2025 Edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: front and rear covers of the 2025 edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs: An Alternative Evolution. The large theropod is a Cutlasstooth; to its right is a flightless pterosaur termed the Flarp. The rear cover shows (at top) a Sandle (at left, a fossorial theropod) and the head of a Gwanna, and (at bottom, left to right) a male Dingum (an Australasian coelurosaur), a Bricket (a Palaearctic lambeosaur) and a Nauger (a woodpecker-like arbrosaur). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/95272ec2-8e1c-41fb-af67-73bad9503379/TND-review-Mar-2026-megalodontosaur-and-monocorn-1416px-333kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology’s 21st Century Redemption at the High Table: the 2025 Edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: parts of pages within the 2025 edition of The New Dinosaurs. A Malagasy megalodontosaur at left, a monocorn at right. Yup, that image on the left is by the legendary Denys Ovenden. The ones on the right are by Philip Hood… I own the original! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/705ac115-4db6-4d54-b62d-375972a489e7/TND-review-Mar-2026-Sordes-theropod-montage-1339px-273kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology’s 21st Century Redemption at the High Table: the 2025 Edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: it’s not true that fuzzy and feathery non-bird dinosaurs were ‘all new’ in the 1990s; they’d been kicking around in the literature for decades prior, as shown by this feathered Syntarsus from Bakker’s 1975 Scientific American article (upper right) and the feathered Coelurus (actually Ornitholestes) from McLoughlin’s 1979 Archosauria book. Fuzziness in pterosaurs was also well known by this time, and even Halstead endorsed this in his book of 1975 (art by Giovanni Caselli). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3dbdb2c0-1557-4cd1-84f7-5fe807b7b145/TND-review-Mar-2026-Ramos-Dimorphodon-1334px-101kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology’s 21st Century Redemption at the High Table: the 2025 Edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: new ideas on pterosaurs were appearing during the 80s, and one that had its time in the limelight proposed that these animals were agile, cursorial bipeds. This is an iconic image of the Jurassic pterosaur Dimorphodon, by J. Kevin Ramos, and it was used in several of Kevin Padian’s papers and articles published during the 1980s. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5a4f0b68-9525-4cd2-bcb8-deca4efbc454/TND-review-Mar-2026-redemption-montage-884px-150kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology’s 21st Century Redemption at the High Table: the 2025 Edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: montage from Naish (2026). Several animals of TND pre-empt palaeontological discoveries and proposals. (A) The Lank of TND (illustration by Steve Holden; from Dixon (2025)) is a large flightless pterosaur that walks with a pacing gait and consumes grasses. (B) Witton & Naish (2008) proposed that azhdarchids were ‘terrestrial stalkers’, inviting comparisons between pterosaurs and giraffes. (C) The Dip of TND (illustration by Denys Ovenden; from Dixon (2025)), a long-faced, piscivorous coelurosaur. (D) Reconstruction of an unenlagiine, a long-faced maniraptoran with piscivorous adaptations. (E) The Pangaloon of TND (illustration by John Butler; from Dixon (2025)), a pangolin-like, terrestrial arbrosaur. (F) Reconstruction of an alvarezsaurid, a maniraptoran with pick-like forelimb and possible insect-eating adaptations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fa1406f3-98fa-4c6e-8117-dc39503335d6/TND-review-Mar-2026-alt-GSP-scene-1461px-401kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology’s 21st Century Redemption at the High Table: the 2025 Edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: speculative dinosaurs of a world where the end-Cretaceous event never occurred, itself based on a scene featured in a previous review (Paul 1990) of TND, a scene that might now be criticised as too conservative. A giant, extravagant paravian culls out a dolicocephalic hadrosaurian grazer from a mixed herd that also includes large owlbear leptoceratopsians. A burrowing thescelosaur is visible at right and ducks flock overhead. The locale is the western grasslands of North America. From Naish (2026). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/208af5ec-fd37-4782-aeae-96cc0319e874/TND-review-Mar-2026-1988-and-2025-editions-1172px-298kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology’s 21st Century Redemption at the High Table: the 2025 Edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/3/10/mary-leakeys-1984-disclosing-the-past monthly 0.5 2026-03-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8e86b3fb-6234-4927-bfb4-f2d6b00c0b5d/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-book-cover-885px-199kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Mary Leakey’s 1984 book, the topic of the article here, with a few other relevant works in the background. I have accrued a great many books on fossil hominins and am slowly working my way through them. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5e801974-d652-4cce-92af-04f4da966a75/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Mary-Google-doodle-1177px-96kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Mary Leakey has had a small amount of fame, and has appeared on stamps, as a TV guest, and on the covers of various books. In 2013 - in celebration of the date of her birth - Google released a Doodle devoted to her work and life. You can read a bit about its backstory and creation here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/af566933-3f07-442f-bfd4-91412819f346/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Louis-and-Mary-in-the-field-1333px-265kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: this photo showing Louis and Mary working in the field, I think from the 1960s, obviously isn’t relevant to their early life together in the 1930s and 40s. Image: Smithsonian Institution, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d08feae2-764a-4220-ac8a-deba58bf5bd5/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Clactonian-chopper-1635px-208kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Clactonian sites yield distinctive Lower to Middle Palaeolithic tools, among them flint ‘choppers’ like this. Image: Sussex Archaeological Society, Stephanie Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2c0d4460-ec31-4010-a809-d3771f37797b/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Hippopotamus-gorgops-1539px-165kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: hippos have a fascinating fossil record that involves Europe and Asia as well as Africa, and if you’ve been visiting Tet Zoo for long enough you might recall my article on this topic. At left, an Olduvai Gorge fossil of the giant extinct Pleistocene species Hippopotamus gorgops at the Natural History Museum, London. At right, a life reconstruction of this species. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8456084b-e7da-4164-9ebb-c1622f790f68/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Rusinga-Island-1522px-493kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Rusinga Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya, is a familiar location if you’re familiar with late Cenozoic African faunas. Here’s what it actually looks like, as seen in panoramic view from the south-east. Image: Küchenkraut, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/920ebff0-7a35-4747-9896-9370980d2419/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-hyrax-montage-1558px-371kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: hyraxes are fascinating animals, and they’ve recently become familiar to a massive, new audience thanks to the popularity of certain social media accounts (waa-waa!!). I plan to write about them at length and never have. The animal at left is a Bush hyrax Heterohyrax brucei; that on the right is a Rock hyrax Procavia capensis. Images: JaySef, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Prosthetic Head, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f83b5f57-67fe-4cee-a66f-c0c5939d5442/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Ologesailie-1536px-193kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: an image that gives a good idea of what the countryside near Mount Olorgesailie looks like, as of 1993. Image: Rossignol Benoît, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4fa0c63b-affd-49bc-b4ac-86ab06078f84/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Proconsul-montage-1642px-216kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: several species have been included within Proconsul and the taxonomy of the genus is quite complicated. I haven’t taken the time to sort out which Proconsul taxon Mary was writing about, but the skull on the left is that of the type species P. africanus, this being a specimen on show at the American Museum of Natural History, New York. At right, a life reconstruction of P. africanus by Mauricio Antón, emphasising the superficially cercopithecid-like proportions of this animal. Image: Ryan Schwark, public domain (original here); Mauricio Antón, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c78c44a7-7fc8-4638-a805-cad7beec635a/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Estes-gerrhosaur-1689px-172kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the remarkably well-preserved gerrhosaurid lizard head and neck from Rusinga Island, as described by Estes (1962). Estes proposed that it should be referred to the extant Gerrhosaurus and perhaps even to the modern species G. major (he had it as ‘cf G. major), and authors since have supported this, so far as I know... though G. major is now Broadleysaurus and excluded from Gerrhosaurus. The scales, teeth, left eye and tongue are preserved, in part replaced by calcite. Images: Estes (1962). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d8d9a127-a46c-4064-9246-9ef019cd4c60/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-rock-art-montage-1704px-149kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: as is so typical of rock art, much of that studied and recorded by Mary involves astute and often brilliant observation… though some things are schematic or even symbolic and not meant to be technically accurate. At left, the ‘hartebeest frieze’ of the Kondoa region, Tanzania, showing animals grazing, feeding and ruminating. At right, ostriches and white rhinos at Kisese in Tanzania. Images: Leakey (1984). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568b255-f1c5-4029-86a2-f4cce5387c99/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-abduction-rock-scene-848px-207kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: some effort to date the rock art studied by Mary (and other scientists) since her primary contribution was published in the 1980s does exist, and Bwasiri & Smith (2015) explained the various difficulties inherent to this field. This image from their article shows Mary’s interpretation of a scene above, and their photo of the actual panel below. I think it’s clear that her illustration is highly accurate. How the scene should be interpreted is another matter (Bwasiri & Smith 2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ca95eaa3-8161-4a87-972b-b1ca948cffe5/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Zinj-Paranthropus-1705px-364kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, one of the many casts now in existence of the Paranthropus boisei holotype OH5, this one on show in the Springfield Science Museum, Massachusetts, USA. At right, life reconstruction of this species by Cicero Moraes and based on a 3D scan of the skull by Dr. Moacir Elias Santos. Images: Daderot, public domain (original here); Cicero Moraes, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cff6353a-9895-4c87-bc25-7d14818cb6e6/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Zinj-plaque-1522px-493kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the discovery of the original Paranthropus boisei skull was deemed a sufficiently notable event that this special plaque was erected in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania (this is the metal version; it had a predecessor made of what I assume is marble). As you see from this 2012 photo, people have taken to using it as a collection point for fossils, interesting rocks, bones and such. Image: George Lamson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1897cb9f-f25a-4555-b207-25ae22b3ec56/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Louis-and-Mary-1962-1006px-260kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Mary and Louis in 1962, and thus photographed at a point between the discovery of Zinjanthropus and the publication of Homo habilis. I’m not entirely sure which (probable) hominin fossil Louis is holding, but several photos showing Mary, Louis and this fossil were taken, so it was evidently newsworthy. Image: Smithsonian Institution Archives, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f8d90d5c-6a11-4ea1-90d0-a579730c1297/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Homo-habilis-OH-7-and-KNM-ER-1813-1186px-265kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a cast of the type juvenile individual of Homo habilis (OH-7), a mandible with dentition and parietal bones (an upper molar and hand bones were recovered as well), as displayed at Museo Arqueológico de Regional de Madrid. At right, the Koobi Fora (Kenya) specimen KNM-ER 1813 discovered in 1973, referred to H. habilis and integral to arguments that this taxon was sexually dimorphic. Images: Nachosan, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Don Hitchcock, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3515d97c-188b-4de0-8ae1-8b3c571cb830/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Olduvai-Gorge-1813px-759kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Olduvai Gorge as it looked in 2011. Exposed and actively eroding sedimentary layers are good for fossils, assuming of course that those layers contain a reasonable number of them. Almost 100 Pleistocene hominin fossils have been discovered at this location. Image: Mike Krüger, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/67dfbf17-ae7c-431c-94ea-12ed19b83432/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Calico-Hills-1635px-208kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the Calico Hills story is fascinating and, in part, a case of people fooling themselves into thinking that the ‘evidence’ they had was far better than it was. At left, Calico Hills at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. At right, a selection of the alleged hominin-made lithics from the site, from a 1938 publication but taken from Dempsey (2009). Images: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Dempsey (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d2653827-dafe-4d3a-8f6a-7beb6fa001b1/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Site-A-tracks-1747px-435kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the ‘site A’ hominin footprints of Laetoli, thought for a while to be those of a bear but now regarded once again as those of a hominin bigger and more robust than the taxon that made the majority of hominin footprints at the site. These show, at top, an image obtained via photogrammetry and, below, a contour map generated from a 3D surface scan. Image: McNutt et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ef5fe991-7371-49e4-958c-089862f65104/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Laetoli-tracks-1388px-343kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Laetoli footprints as preserved at Site S, showing impressions left by hominins as well as horses, rhinos, giraffids and guineafowl. The grey areas at the rear of the hominin footpints are heel drag marks. At right, a photo of one of the most famous sections of the Site S trackway. Footprints made by small horses and other animals are on the same bedding plane. Images: Masao et al. (2016), CC BY-SA 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40cf8586-288c-447a-85f6-5f078b9c6432/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Lucy-and-LH-4-1461px-166kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a cast of the Australopithecus afarensis ‘Lucy’ skeleton Al 288-1 at Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris. At right, a cast of the LH4 A. afarensis holotype mandible from Laetoli, on show in a temporary exhibit at the Museo Arqueológico de Regional de Madrid. Images: 120, CC BY 2.5 (original here); Nachosan, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/78475d29-dc75-4b1e-a5f1-2b770c801c74/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-Johanson-%26-Edey-1981-655px-163kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a 1981 edition of Donald Johanson and Maitland Edey’s Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind. It’s an attractive book with a good number of photos and diagrams, but it contains points of fact that were contested by Mary Leakey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40f21fb9-c7c9-460e-907f-cf1f5ac73eeb/Mary-Leakey-Mar-2025-books+on-desk-1046px-299kb-Mar-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mary Leakey’s 1984 Disclosing the Past: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: certain of the books discussed and mentioned here, plus others connected to the life and work of the Leakeys. Yes, that includes work on living great apes, since the authors of those volumes have connections to Louis Leakey. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/2/24/footless-urban-pigeons-suffer-untold-trials-and-tribulations monthly 0.5 2026-02-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2be38029-54ac-4aab-aa95-767fcbd465de/pigeons-no-feet-Feb-2026-Kew-2014-1615px-306kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Footless Urban Pigeons Suffer Untold Trials and Tribulations - Make it stand out Caption: poor toe-less or even mostly foot-less urban pigeons, one encountered in Lisbon in 2014, the other (on the right) seen close to Kew train station in September 2014. The right foot of the Kew bird is completely absent; the left one had at least one toe, curled round such that the bird was walking on the toe's lateral side. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3281d778-cb5d-4a8e-8ffb-5847e2ceb080/pigeons-no-feet-Feb-2026-Lisbon-2014-1132px-115kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Footless Urban Pigeons Suffer Untold Trials and Tribulations - Make it stand out Caption: that bird from Lisbon again, showing how badly mangled its feet are. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8465f94b-468d-49ff-b921-f1961660ba51/pigeons-no-feet-Feb-2026-Bristol-pigeons-Oct-2023-1290px-477kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Footless Urban Pigeons Suffer Untold Trials and Tribulations - Make it stand out Caption: toe damage is very common in urban pigeons, but we mustn’t think that it’s ubiquitous. In this pigeon group in Bristol, photographed in 2023, I can only see one missing toe (on the right foot of the bird at extreme upper right). UPDATE: ok, I’ve now noticed a second pigeon with a mangled foot. The bird just left of the one at upper right has a club-like left foot. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aed54e57-ef52-43a9-8c00-c81dfe37f8ee/pigeons-no-feet-Feb-2026-roadkill-pigeons-UK-1667px-374kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Footless Urban Pigeons Suffer Untold Trials and Tribulations - Make it stand out Caption: pigeons are frequently encountered as roadkill here in the UK. The Common wood pigeon Columba palumbus at left was dead at the side of the road and its lack of rectrices show that it had undergone ‘terror moulting’ prior to death, though whether this happened literally moments before it expired or hours or days before is unknown to me. At right, a juvenile wood pigeon on a road. Its position implies that it fell from the tree above before being hit by a car. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c321a9a-7e94-4627-b20a-c57a934613d3/pigeons-no-feet-Feb-2026-gull-eating-pigeon-1163px-221kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Footless Urban Pigeons Suffer Untold Trials and Tribulations - Make it stand out Caption: pigeons do have to deal with a list of predators, even in urban environments. Falcons and domestic cats are pigeon-killers of course, but so are gulls and corvids. This Lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus at Bristol train station learnt how to kill feral pigeons and I watched it do this once. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/2/17/spawnwatch-2026 monthly 0.5 2026-02-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b49c530c-576a-4cb9-b1f5-42327ddc2262/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-spawning-activity-10-Feb-1785px-443kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: peak spawning activity, occurring on 10th February. One important behavioural aspect to note is that activity occurs throughout daylight hours… just as it does throughout the night as well. I think that at least some frogs go for weeks without sleep during this period. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c9bea247-6f51-49e9-b43e-6f199f6dbc00/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-Plumpmot-and-worm-Oct-2023-1364px-242kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: this is Plumpmot, a large and attractive female, here photographed in October 2023 with an earthworm. I didn’t see her during the breeding events of early 2026 and am not sure if she’s still around. Big females like this are especially important members of the population. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21ccaf4d-708d-4277-95a8-0da59d1c891c/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-pond-2-10-Feb-1113px-440kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: the look of pond 2 during early February following a couple weeks of constant, heavy rain. The water level is really high, and frogs are visible in parts of the pond that would be high and dry once the rain stopped. Note the vegetation and dead branches around the pond. These are there to provide refuge for frogs and deter pet cats. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9569774d-a1f0-4192-b0fb-7fe3e27616b0/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-spawning-activity-7-Feb-1175px-392kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: daytime activity on February 7th, showing multiple spawn clutches in the shallow parts of the pond while frog combat and competition is very much underway. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b5b709e3-4903-425a-ad7a-4df6c6facff1/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-spawning-activity-7-Feb-1495px-224kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: Common frogs are basically all recognisable as individuals on the basis of the dark markings on their dorsal surfaces and limbs. I’ve been trying to keep track of individuals but getting the right kind of photos is hard. Silviu Petrovan at the University of Cambridge has been leading a project that does this more properly. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a958cdb0-5a7e-47b7-af03-1c053cc5b39c/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-cumulative-graph-16-2-26-1372px-58kb-Feb-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: cumulative graph for 2026, showing how we quickly increased from two clutches on February 3rd to over 20 by February 8th, peaking with 37 clutches as of right now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04e5b0c3-96cc-467f-b193-60f871b66827/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-clutch-data-2006-2026-updated-16-2-26-1421px-69kb-Feb-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: spawn clutches first appeared in our ponds here in 2010 (initially in an old plastic baby bath), but this graph shows how things improved markedly after 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a8b18609-9a6c-46e0-8d6d-2388e932d3ed/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-cat-1-Jan-1113px-440kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: pet cat 1, on the evening of 25th January. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a590fa95-cee1-4ab2-b60b-1e4c18a39cd2/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-cat-2-Jan-1640px-335kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: pet cat 2, photographed a few hours later during the evening of 25th January. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a5fc6f9b-b065-4b71-ad53-440d7c5c413e/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-spawn-clutches-12-Feb-1528px-520kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: Common frogs probably select shallow spawning places since these are warmest and allow for the fastest development of the spawn and tadpoles, but the massing of the spawn that occurs might also afford protection, both thermally and in terms of ‘safety in numbers’. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/00bd45b9-b24c-41a4-a875-4cb7928ae4f6/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-spawning-activity-7-Feb-1429px-354kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: frog activity at the shallow end of the pond on 7th Feburary. Water level is high and very new spawn clutches are visible left and right. When spawn is fresh, it’s tight, compact and rubbery. As it ages, it soaks up water, expands and flattens out. Common frog spawn is remarkably resilient and extremely good at protecting the embryos from low temperatures, ice, rain, hail and mechanical damage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d1d479b3-4461-481d-9f30-3a767663cd57/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-spawning-activity-9-Feb-1507px-246kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: we routinely have over 50 adult frogs massing in the pond during the breeding season now. When you combine this with the substantial number of juveniles that must be living in the same area, our population must be high. An aim of any successful conservation effort must be to have the population spread to appropriate habitat nearby. I hope that’s happening, but it’s not helped by the fact that we’re right next to a large and perpetually busy road. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d370237a-b4db-4a5f-af64-34eeedfcff3b/spawnwatch-2026-Feb-2026-pond-2-is-losing-water-1217px-471kb-Feb-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Spawnwatch 2026 - Make it stand out Caption: February 17th, and the water level has dropped a worrying amount. All the spawn has been (temporarily) placed in a large shallow tray and the pond will need rebuilding. These things happen. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/1/20/tetrapod-zoology-20-yr-highlights monthly 0.5 2026-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3191bba0-9542-4960-8ca6-729be7886643/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-Tet-Zoo-Two-Decades-montage-1812px-450kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: images relevant to 20 years of Tet Zoo, a mix of dinosaurs, amphibians (the coloured Platyhystrix and banded newt), cryptids (the long-necked seal), speculative beasts (the demonic Quetz and flightless Miocene azhdarchid) and a plesiosaur skull. The demonic Quetz is by Bob Hersey and the Platyhystrix was coloured by Gareth Monger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e845d042-0183-49ac-aae6-8bf4caba1c83/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-Bearidae-2010-1789px-223kb-April-2010-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: a classic piece of Tet Zoo lore, specifically from ver 3 and April 2010 (here). The panbiogeography debate – which was attached to an article about ratites rather than bears – resulted in the longest comment thread in the whole of Tet Zoo history. I doubt if it’s findable or viewable now though, since Sci Am was absolutely not interested in the hosting of comments and appears to have removed all the comments sections from older articles. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b4f46564-7d10-46eb-9a82-f3c579bbe082/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-Kocak-ducks-879px-159kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: over the years, there have been a reasonable number of Tet Zoo-themed spinoffs, some successful and with longevity, others less so. In 2014 and 2015, Ethan Kocak and I collaborated in the creation of the Tet Zoo Comic and the good news is that it’s still online today. Looking at these panels again right now, I still find them hilarious. Image: Kocak / Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c6d3a11b-7f1f-44b3-bb37-ca35c12e852c/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-10th-birthday-montage-1511px-249kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: relevant images from the 10th birthday article from 2016. Tet Zoo Podcats Top Trumps are hard to get these days. The Pterosaur Heresies image was created by Gareth Monger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6911dfcb-8f9c-4601-9f51-7bec7480b961/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-technicolor-Peponocephala-Gareth-Monger-March-2015-1596px-83kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: what was happening at Tet Zoo approximately ten years ago? By checking part 1 of the 10th birthday series of articles, I see that topics covered included taxonomic vandalism, the resurrection of Brontosaurus, the cult of turning live monitor lizards into giant geckos, and the scansoriopterygid Yi qi. I also published the notable April Fool’s article Cetacean Heresies: How the Chromatic Truthometer Busts the Monochromatic Paradigm in 2015 (try as I might, I cannot find an intact version, hence no link… UPDATE: HERE IT IS, thanks to David Gioia). This really nice illustration of a fancifully coloured Peponocephala (melon-headed whale) from that article is my line work, but all the colouring is by Gareth Monger. Image: Darren Naish and Gareth Monger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b8d9edaa-97d3-488b-9de8-3a1b49165f58/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-giant-salamander-montage-Dec-2010-1773px-405kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: salamanders of several groups have been covered at Tet Zoo (albeit on an insufficient number of occasions), and I’ve released at least one article on giant salamanders, also known as cryptobranchids (published 2010, it’s here). Several species belonging to this group inhabited Europe during the geological past, among which is Andrias scheuchzeri, here shown in a 1964 illustration by Zdeněk Burian. At right, my cartoon representation of life during the giant salamander breeding season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/42d54516-d4d4-4d35-8524-48ad3d8c3e37/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-frog-in-pond-1-Mar-2012-1822px-571kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: over the past few years, pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers has seen the laying of between 17 and 31 egg clutches. So it’s hard to believe that what you see in the photo here was the situation we had in 2012: a single clutch, and just two or three adult frogs. The pond shown in the photo here (pond 1) is not good for this species (the Common frog) being deep and choked with duckweed, but frogs will make do with what’s available. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d319fa75-cd09-4e1c-adfd-6962a7e04b54/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-Quetz-montage-2010-1611px-414kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: azhdarchids (and related pterodactyloid pterosaur groups) have been covered a fair bit here over the years, though it’s been a long time since I’ve written about our changing views on their life appearance and behaviour. At left is an image from the 2000s depicting Quetzalcoatlus as stork-like, but as a wader adapted for grabbing aquatic invertebrates. At right is Richard Orr’s 1980s illustration of ‘demonic Quetzalcoatlus’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e484ab4c-689d-4605-bb5e-54434fd2fbca/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-mutual-sexual-selection-Jan-2012-1596px-83kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: an argument might be made… might… that the concept of sexual sexual wasn’t sufficiently incorporated into studies of Mesozoic dinosaurs (and pterosaurs) prior to the 2010s. Among the several papers published during the opening salvos of 2011-2013 was Hone et al. (2011) on mutual sexual selection, a study discussed here at Tet Zoo ver 2 in 2012. Our initial thoughts on this topic were owed to our familiarity with work on such extant animals as wildfowl, seabirds and passerines. My Crested auklet Aethia cristatellus illustration at right featured in that paper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ed729567-321c-46c3-aa2c-4efefde9df7e/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-Northern-cassowary-Piggy-Jan-2023-1548px-574kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with cassowaries belonging to several different taxa (albeit not Dwarf or Bennett’s, so far), and have got to know several distinct individuals. These photos all show Piggy, a yellow-necked Northern or Single-wattled cassowary Casuarius unappendiculatus who did a number of quirky things during the time that I got to observe him. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5e1c5f36-377e-4996-8812-11b922a3260e/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-Gino-D-Achille-Loch-Ness-1933-1321px-198kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: one of the most famous Loch Ness Monster encounters of all is the George and Mrs Spicer event of 1933. Their description of an amorphous, undulating mass crossing the road, a small head recalling that of a lamb or deer in its midst, culminated with this fantastic illustration by the legendary Gino D’Achille. The Spicer story is one of several accounts of ‘land nessies’, and I wrote about them back in the 2000s. Image: © Gino D’Achille. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4d26d5b8-4bb7-48bb-8c8a-977e8dcf2ff3/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-Harvey-Robertson-Kosemen-1483px-100kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: in November 2015, Scottish tourist Harvey Robertson was in a boat off the coast of Corfu, Greece, when he photographed a peculiar grey object in the water. He didn’t notice it at the time and only later did he opt to pass the photo to the tabloid press. They, of course, promoted it as a possible sea monster, and the public went nuts for it too, terming it the Corfu Island Creature. Memo Kosemen had fun interpreting it as a possible marine mammal, hence the artistic reconstruction here. In reality, it’s very likely not a real animal at all and I suggested (as did other people at the time) that it might be a lost freeboard fender, like the one shown at top right here. Alas, many people interested in monsters much prefer to be led by their emotional sense of ‘rule of cool’ and any discussion of the case today will be dominated by those who think that ‘unknown sea monster off Corfu’ should be the preferred identity... I covered this case in my annual round-up of Tet Zoo events published in January 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1d9d7b27-6188-4857-97e6-1a299a43e7d6/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-de-Sarre-and-Dumont-initial-bipedalism-March-2008-1428px-137kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: certainly among the strangest of ideas I’ve covered is Initial Bipedalism, the fringe and little-known hypothesis in which it’s posited that marine humanoids, the direct descendants of vertically-oriented, lancelet-like animals, gave rise not only to us but to all other vertebrates. I wrote about Initial Bipedalism way back in March 2008 but an intact version of the article isn’t showing for me right now. These illustrations are by the late François de Sarre and artist Robert Dumont. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/820ee35c-ff50-46f0-bdcb-8f36c45bde4a/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-de-Sarre-initial-bipedalism-May-2017-1435px-226kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: more on Initial Bipedalism, though this time from my 2017 review of Bernard Heuvelmans’s Neanderthal: Saga of the Minnesota Iceman (published here at ver 4 in 2023). This illustration, by François de Sarre and from de Sarre (1997), shows how (according to this model) aquatic homunculus animals colonized the land and gave rise to animals like us, and how we then – via a process of de-hominization – begat primates increasingly specialized for quadrupedality. Image: François de Sarre. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ff4104c1-5022-4d99-8755-595cc1ce4e66/Tet-Zoo-20-yrs-highlights-Jan-2025-technicolor-montage-Gareth-Monger-March-2015-886px-160kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - After 20 Years, the Tetrapod Zoology Highlights - Make it stand out Caption: additional illustrations created for the 2015 April Fool’s article Cetacean Heresies: How the Chromatic Truthometer Busts the Monochromatic Paradigm (an intact version of which is no longer findable, at least not for me. UPDATE: it’s here, thank you, David Gioia). Yes, this was created with the outlook of specific real-world cranks in mind: they’re weird, arrogant people who claim that only they are smart enough to see what the world is really like. It wasn’t created with David Peters in mind. Images: Darren Naish, colouring of whale image by Gareth Monger. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/1/21/two-full-decades-of-tetrapod-zoology monthly 0.5 2026-01-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4cd5ba51-51bc-42ba-978c-fd2e342a1045/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-illustrations-montage-2025-1541px-271kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of animals that had relevance of one sort of another to my 2025…. proboscideans, varanids, phorusrhacids, marsupials, and cryptids like long-necked seals and tatzelwurms. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dc6c0ed0-2d9b-4b00-ae75-8629695c9d6d/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-walks-with-Teddy-2025-1567px-562kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Teddy the West Highland terrier is my companion on at least some excursions about the south of England. He’s a good boy but is afflicted by a list of ailments. As you’ll know if you’ve seen his comments on social media, he’s also a sage and vociferous commentator on the current sociopolitical state of the United Kingdom and the lamentable nature of its built environment. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f0f19890-7177-4d76-8b6f-14fc8159d8b5/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-birthday-haul-Sept-2025-1529px-434kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: 2025 included one of those milestone birthdays for myself, and here’s a view of some of the material accrued as a consequence of that event. It might be obvious how well known it is that I am clandestinely assembling a collection of animal figures, models and toys. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a4f41f7-8f45-4c4d-a389-c3637785233c/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Spinosaurus-Carcharodontosaurus-Aug-2025-1846px-354kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: yeah, you’re gonna be seeing a lot of figures, models and toys in this article. The Spinosaurus at left, named Seti, and the green Carcharodontosaurus at right, named Amon, are limited edition backer rewards for the Mesozoic Life Stories: River of Giants project. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/25559f35-401c-4bb2-b751-64aa64dfb6c8/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-frog-spawnwatch-early-Feb-1649px-390kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Common frogs Rana temporaria in the shallow end of pond 2 during early February 2025. We ended up with 17 clutches for that year and I will again be keeping track of things in 2026. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6534ca7a-3a44-4dd6-ae5a-46bc7c2b5f14/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-tadpoles-2-Mar-2025-1449px-571kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Common frogs certainly benefit from large, very shallow areas and will preferentially spawn in water less than 10 cm deep. As is obvious from these images, the tadpoles pack into the shallows to absorb solar heat . These photos are from late March 2025. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/defeea3e-fa3a-4eac-bf10-8df7a22a87e6/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Glut-and-Naish-1728px-352kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: if you paid attention to dinosaur-themed books from the 1990s, 2000s and up to modern times, you’ll be very familiar with the work of Don Lessem. It was great to hang out in person during early 2025. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d389e5bd-a741-4ced-aca1-9cfaa715b91b/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-CFZ-Feb-2025-1699px-301kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: let me say, as I so often do, that you can be super interested in mystery animal research without being a ‘believer’. I cherish the time I spend with other people involved in cryptozoology, wherever they are on the ‘believer’-’sceptical’ spectrum. Here I am at the CFZ in Devon with Richard Freeman (holding his 2024 book Creatures That Eat People) and (seated) Jon Downes. At right, a view within the old CFZ office, various relevant items on show. Images: Graham Inglis, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/22a6205e-c906-4fc7-932b-2e5b8530db1e/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-DK-Eyewitness-Animal-2025-1731px-316kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the 2025 DK Eyewitness Animal. The image at right is featured therein; it was taken at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in Brisbane in October 2019, but I regret that I don’t have a record of who took it. This wasn’t, of course, the only Gigantopithecus-relevant event of 2025… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/92cf9dfc-8622-4b4a-9fa3-558c7b45fc52/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Bristol-Museum-and-Art-Gallery-2025-1758px-301kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Bristol Museum and Art Gallery is home to a massive number of historically interesting items. The vintage dinosaur models here, made by Alan Braddock, are familiar to many as they were featured on postcards released commercially during the 1970s. The Archaeopteryx model at far left has appeared in several books and on TV, as has the stop-motion Aardman Animations stop-motion Dimorphodon at right. A replica azhdarchid humerus is visible at extreme right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/62bbfdba-6daa-4b12-99af-a6b41709889a/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-BBC-nostalgia-montage-2025-1187px-192kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the older I get, the more interested I am in documenting and discussing the things that inspired me when I was young. Back in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the BBC Natural History Unit produced some of the most excellent, influential pieces of media on those subjects I’m interested in. The images here relate to Sir David’s Fabulous Animals, and an early outing of stork-faced Quetzalcoatlus from the Wildlife on One film Pterodactyls Alive! At right is my cherished VHS set of The Velvet Claw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6ab43abe-e419-428a-882b-2706ebb15f0c/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-PC-Gamer-sg-2025-1304px-96kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: PC Gamer created a nice little desk-top display for my appearance on ‘reality check’, and I even had genuine opportunity to use that model T. rex skull. Image: PC Gamer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/db1bf012-4cd8-4569-88a5-58008cbd9fe1/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Arturo-Garcia-giant-bat-Feb-2025-1267px-132kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a giant flightless bat as depicted by Arturo García, with one standard Naish unit for scale. Image: Arturo García. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/adabc6ae-da2a-495c-ae2d-b5d32922aa28/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Sports-Centre-pond-Mar-1497px-235kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a shallow pond in the north of Southampton, surrounded by marsh and heavily vegetated land and hence good for amphibians. A single male Common toad Bufo bufo is visible here, as well as numerous male and female Smooth newts Lissotriton vulgaris. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c2cd768b-0814-4d1d-a8dd-38cc131d8d26/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Sports-Centre-pond-Alpine-newt-Mar-1830px-286kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: and here’s one of the animal we were looking for, a male Alpine newt. This animal has a complex taxonomic history and, after being named Ichthyosaura for a while (a very annoying name), is – as of 2025 – back in Mesotriton. It doesn’t appear especially close to the other newts we have in the UK (Lissotriton and Triturus), instead being close to the group that includes fire-belly Cynops newts and kin. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7160572a-b06e-4c63-ab86-d5fbf25e3fa0/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Palaeo-in-Public-Mar-2025-755px-120kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a scene from the Palaeontology in Public Panel Discussion of March 2025. Left to right: Michael Benton, Tori Herridge, Darren Naish, Natalie Lawrence. Image: Elliott Edwards, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d48e99fd-3f15-4f6d-b46e-208b44e5c9bb/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Titchfield-Haven-Mar-2025-1874px-448kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a March 2025 scene from Titchfield Haven, a SSSI on the banks of The Solent, southern Hampshire. I really like the composition of this scene. We can see Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus, Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres and Mallard Anas platyrhynchos. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d918685e-17cd-4f7e-91b6-f5a437246171/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-BNSS-Mar-2025-1752px-317kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: my marine reptile talk at the Bournemouth Natural Science Society (BNSS) in March 2025 resulted in some interesting things being encountered. Prior to that time I didn’t know that Dougal Dixon had published a series of books made for Walking With Dinosaurs 1999 (thanks to Brandon Mason for bringing them along). At right, a model Great auk Pinguinus impennis on show at BNSS at that time. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b71cadec-2441-40d4-8301-f16173e09df0/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-mokele-mbembe-2025-1419px-441kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: you can’t modernize the Westernized, cryptozoological concept of the mokele-mbembe, not that there’s been much effort to do so, because it is, and always will be, linked to an anachronistic cartoon view of what the ‘Dark Heart of Africa’ was meant to be like more than a century ago. The animal at rear here is a modern view of a saltasaurid titanosaur; at right is the mokele-mbembe as generally imagined, right out of a 1901 encyclopaedia. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a9904438-d085-4998-a9ce-aacb4669f587/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-hominin-books-2025-1675px-462kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: there are a great many books on fossil hominids, and I’m gradually working through the ones that I own. Due to be covered here next are Mary Leakey’s 1984 biography, and Harry Shapiro’s Peking Man of 1975. Curtis et al.’s Java Man was discussed here at Tet Zoo. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/02ca8c8a-9988-41c3-85c5-1be4921cc096/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-heron-April-1367px-337kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I’m a simple man, and for long have I hoped to own my very own life-sized plastic heron. That dream was realized in April 2025. I took the heron with me on various adventures about the place, and here it in in the car, and near the shore in Swanwick, near the River Hamble. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/92df9286-fec6-4c7e-9f17-ffdeb89de2e7/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Holly-Hill-April-2025-1504px-739kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: images from a visit to Holly Hill Woodland Park (Fareham, Hampshire) during April 2025. Pictures like this do a god job of reminding people who don’t live in the UK how incredibly mild and warm our climate is despite our far northern latitude. Note the (non-native) tree ferns. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/25b6b395-3374-4892-a97f-c9eec50adbcb/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Blenheim-antlers-April-2025-1617px-192kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I visited Blenheim Palace during April 2025, and it turned out to be home to several things of TetZooniverous interest, among them this antler display. These mostly belong to Red deer Cervus elaphus but there’s Moose Alces alces here too. The big surprise, though, is the Megaloceros set in the middle. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c01f4797-16bf-486d-913f-6fa8fdd7596b/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-spinosaur-TikTok-montage-2025-1725px-386kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of screengrabs (showing Instagram stories) that give some idea of the content online at the TetZooTowers_collection TikTok, everything here being related to spinosaur figures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/45de8113-8c14-4ca4-b37c-ebbd86b6ae3d/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Tet-Zoo-Towers-cabinets-Nov-2025-1109px-351kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the studio area… yeah, let’s call it a studio area… that we work with for the TetZooTowers_collection TikToks. I continue to hold out hope that I might one day obtain a larger house and hence eventually have the collection on proper display. There’s no hope of that today and most of it is in storage boxes. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8e30200f-504d-4e2d-bc7e-326376aeb5df/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Hidden-in-Stone-April-1789px-350kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the opening of Hidden in Stone at God’s House Tower, Southampton, during April. Part of the exhibition focuses on the spinosaurid work published by Chris Barker, Neil Gostling, myself and others, so at left we see a reconstructed baryonychine skull together with casts of the Ceratosuchops holotype. At right, myself and Karen Fawcett with her brilliant Crystal Palace Megalosaurus model. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/649b411a-d121-4813-8a90-719ed2beb3d3/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Fishlake-Meadows-birds-May-1542px-225kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: mediocre bird photos taken on a trip to Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserve during May 2025. Top row, left to right: Sedge warbler Acrocephalus shoenobaenus, Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula, Common kestrel Falco tinninculus. Greylag goose Anser anser and Egyptian goose Alopochen aegyptiaca are having an altercation in the photo below. The Egyptian goose isn’t a goose at all, but a tadornine duck. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e3348df1-89ec-4205-9d1c-b6e45cf58139/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-jay-New-Forest-June-2025-1903px-568kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius photographed in the New Forest during June 2025. Jays are on that list of bird species that were like mythical animals to me as a young person… animals that I knew from books but had no hope of ever seeing in real life. Today I see them on regular occasion and know that they’re findable wherever the habitat is right. Woodpeckers and nuthatches are also on that list. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/97352365-35e1-4c46-8c78-68c3ec0e7d50/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Flame-1-June-1351px-509kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Flame the bearded dragon remains a prominent fixture of my domestic life, and I do what I can to give her interesting experiences and opportunities. Here she is among the undergrowth in our front garden during the summer. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/83ca899e-754b-4a49-8e29-20b3809623f7/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Lyme-Regis-Fossil-Festival-promo-2025-1681px-263kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: promotional imagery created for the 2025 Fossil Festival, featuring art by me (at left) and by Lee Brown (of leebrownpaleoart) at right. They have done such a great job of making this an enormous, and enormously fun, annual event. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f2d5d22d-15f3-457a-aa6f-634ae6dfe45d/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Lyme-Regis-Fossil-Festival-June-2025-1559px-365kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: view of the Lyme Regis promenade, looking east, and giving some loose idea of the huge number of people that visit and attend during the course of the weekend. You should be able to see Nathan and a DinoCon sign in the middle of the image. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/01ce5c1f-6057-4b4a-83d0-17cb7a0248d6/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Lyme-Regis-Spinosaurus-June-2025-1690px-437kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: oh dear; me being subtle and low-key in demonstrating enthusiasm for Spinosaurus. This replica skull was brought to the Fossil Festival by the University of Portsmouth team. Note the little promo card for the Spinosaurus-themed episode of Walking With Dinosaurs 2025. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c010079c-f891-43c4-bf8b-6949eb1a199b/Lyme-Regis-FF-June-2025-DinoCon-montage-sg-1685px-301kb.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Darren and Nathan holding the DinoCon placard, with (at far right) Lyme Regis palaeontologist and museum worker Kieran Satchell in attendance too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bf898cc0-5759-46a0-a48e-b1d89579d0c2/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Sandbox-Age-of-Dinosaurs-2025-1602px-222kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Sandbox VR immersive experience Age of Dinosaurs goes live in early 2026. We've done what we can to make it technically right, but it's tremendous fun too and we can't wait for you to see it. We’re pleased to have the support of NHM London in promotion. Image: (c) Sandbox VR. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/665c7b5d-f5dc-4251-9bdc-c1520c8ddac2/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Fern-Diplodocus-NHM-June-2025-1741px-713kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Fern the bronze Diplodocus, on show in the gardens at NHM London, is a beautiful and spectacular thing. The gardens as a whole are a great addition to what’s already one of London’s best visitor attractions. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2b8e550d-8cff-42ae-b84b-3ab91c428006/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Grant-moles-June-2025-1758px-355kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Grant Museum in London is notable for many things, but one of them is its jar of moles. It’s so famous that the museum sells cuddly moles and a ‘moles in a jar’ badge. At right, myself and Mike Mills with said famous far. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5cdb28f8-310c-440e-a5ed-2f998b232526/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Jurassic-World-Rebirth-July-2025-1598px-335kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the brilliant Delores puppet at left, with human companion too. At right, my efforts to form an affectionate bond with a rancor monster didn’t end well, I guess I need to cut down on the snickers bars. Images: Darren Naish; Toni Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d0081043-b7dd-464f-ac82-a039eafc70ab/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Jurassic-World-Rebirth-Barbican-July-2025-1715px-575kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the Jurassic World Rebirth event at the Barbican. I was later to obtain one of those tail-thrashing Spinosaurus figures for myself (a 2025 birthday present). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/08d10125-145d-4508-b51c-36ae71861d03/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-PP-Lightroom-opening-Damien-Lewis-July-2025-1464px-305kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Lightroom London gives you more than one opportunity to see the Prehistoric Planet dinosaurs at life-size, both outside (as here) and as part of the event. At right, me with actor Damien Lewis, the show’s narrator. Damien was one of several celebs at the opening event in July. Billie Piper was there too but I didn’t talk to her. Images: Darren Naish; Mary Gunton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3a06b56f-139a-4a0a-a4ce-b7a4067c0138/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-PP-Lightroom-opening-July-2025-1728px-297kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from one of several Lightroom London events I went to, these from July 2025. The show features scenes and stories from Prehistoric Planet seasons 1 and 2 but a large quantity of novel material was produced specially for it, including entirely new sequences and fantastic art. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5bfa8d8c-7ffb-42f4-9122-e063c9967bbf/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-PP-Lightroom-literature-July-2025-1644px-299kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Lightroom London entrance at Lewis Cubitt Square, King’s Cross. At right, literature that accompanies the event. Learnt about Lightroom London and Discovering Dinosaurs at their website here. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/45a38a77-127b-441f-a3fa-a66c78f2e975/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Biscay-spoonbills-and-tuna-July-2025-1527px-155kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the ORCA sea safaris are all about cetaceans, of course. But we see other animals too, and here are a number of Eurasian spoonbills Platalea leucorodia seen near the Spanish coast, and a poor photo of a tuna hunting out at sea. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/61ed74bc-45a0-442b-b754-04825eadcf2d/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Japanese-Aug-2025-1304px-321kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the 2025, Japanese edition of my Ancient Sea Reptiles. The fact that art appears on the hardboards beneath the dustjacket is a great feature. The art here is by Jaime Chirinos (the plesiosaur-themed image) and Davide Bonadonna (the thalattosuchian-themed image). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a97cefdf-e077-4247-ac4b-1926b55f7c2a/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Dougal-Dixon-TND-launch-Aug-2025-1461px-275kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the August 2005 launch of the second edition of Dougal Dixon’s The New Dinosaurs at Gower Street, London. The Cutlasstooth model was made by EXEtinct. The gentleman leading the event with Dougal is Ross MacFarlane of the Wellcome Collection. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/78ff0971-a5ea-41b9-ba20-d88db989b44c/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-New-Forest-brook-lamprey-Aug-2025-1582px-490kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: an August 2025 trip to the New Forest, during which deer, birds and Viviparous lizards Zootoca vivipara were seen. But the most surprising wildlife observation? At the edge of a pool (a drying tributary of Mill Lawn Brook), I saw a small, eel-like fish. I thought it was an elver but it wasn't translucent, and the obvious eye, dark dorsum, and gill slits show that it was a European brook lamprey Lampetra planeri. It was tiny, only about 6 cm long. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5dad51dc-f94b-4357-9bd1-cf4d71d8116f/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-DinoCon-merch-2025-1778px-349kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: just a little of the Mesozoic-themed art I picked up at DinoCon 2025. An excellent range of stickers and miniature pieces of art. I hope you can see the ‘Big Bony Club’ ankylosaur sticker by Speed Thief (aka Sean Hennessy), a hit bit of merch. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a4853c1d-8678-4124-a6d0-a73c4be1dbf3/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-DinoCon-2026-haul-Sept-2025-1303px-352kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: an anonymous person’s DinoCon 2025 haul. Look at all those sweet sweet acquisitions. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/23add21b-547c-438f-bc9b-e6196608973e/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Armsby-models-Glasgow-Aug-2025-1577px-269kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: while in Glasgow, I met up with David Armsby (at right) and successfully obtained these amazing Stegosaurus and Carnotaurus models. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/42c8ebd6-d750-4ddc-a3f7-710187474ae7/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Armsby-models-Sept-2025-1330px-278kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Armsby Carnotaurus and Stegosaurus safe in their new home, Tet Zoo Towers. You might just be able to see the broken hoof on the left hand of the stegosaur (since repaired). I also picked up a Greyfriars Bobby model, because how could I not. The actual statue (which is in Edinburgh, not Glasgow) has been featured at Tet Zoo in the past. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5afa0531-10c0-4ec4-acf0-5153293a95be/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Hunterian-Zoology-Aug-2025-1561px-348kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a view across the main hall of the Hunterian Zoology Museum, a trove of wonders. It includes notable and historically interesting arthropod, fish, reptile, bird and mammal specimens and owes its existence to the bequest of Dr William Hunter’s collection to the University of Glasgow in 1807. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e551ca2b-1615-4773-8471-45b767ffb3c7/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Hunterian-Zoology-Bothrodon-Aug-2025-1373px-327kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Bothrodon pridii display cabinet at the Hunterian Zoology Museum. B. pridii was named by John Graham Kerr in 1926 for a giant fang 6.5 cm long, identified as that of back-fanged snake around 20 m long. You can see the specimen at middle right here. Alas, it turned out to be one of the finger-like outgrowths of a Chiragra spider conch Harpago chiragra. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3a839583-7d13-46fb-b182-d7970b8f4fdd/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-snake-cover-slide-Aug-2025-1188px-282kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: cover slide for my snakes talk, featuring several of the cryptids I’ve illustrated for the Heuvelmans cryptids project…. plus an antiquarian image of a European flying snake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7b21804-25a3-41c5-8bde-6a92334fd253/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Aberdeen-Art-Gallery-Sept-2025-1139px-328kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Aberdeen Art Gallery is a grand, spectacular building with really impressive indoor spaces and an amazing view from the roof balcony (where the cafe is). Aberdeen itself is a fascinating city with a lot of grey, blocky architecture that almost has an eastern European vibe. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6421f484-ff7a-4e24-9d45-2b84bdfc2235/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Aberdeen-Art-Gallery-MotD-Sept-2025-1781px-403kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: part of the Monsters of the Deep exhibition on show at Aberdeen Art Gallery in September 2025, this being segments of the part devoted to historical manuscripts and the sea monsters of Olaus Magnus’s Carta Marina of 1539. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cbeef018-87ec-4598-8df3-de4decea5f43/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Aberdeen-Art-Gallery-talk-Sept-2025-1146px-214kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: do enough public speaking, and you will get to deliver orations from spectacular spaces. My September 2025 talk at Aberdeen Art Gallery occurred in Cowdray Hall, home of an enormous upright chamber organ. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8a352932-9f59-4624-a2fc-96e5e79107ec/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Naish-books-Aug-2025-1720px-333kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the main books I had out in 2025. Mesozoic Art II, and the third and Japanese editions of Ancient Sea Reptiles. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bc4ca1eb-7ddd-4907-8384-6de3234fcd25/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-MAII-cover-with-avatars-2025-1161px-270kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: cover slide from one of the several events on Mesozoic Art II. The art on the cover of the book is by the amazing Anthony Hutchings, who I’ve now worked with on several occasions (the results of a new collab are due out soon). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9506dbda-7f9f-49c9-b4c3-2ab8b90b5bf4/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Colour-of-Dinosaurs-MAST-Oct-2025-1350px-232kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a scene from The Colour of Dinosaurs, taken in October 2025 and during the Southampton part of its run, in which Jacob presents the Bob Nicholls Psittacosaurus model to his musician colleagues. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fed651b6-5216-4b08-bb1c-5910b857c9d0/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Dark-Folklore-Oct-2025-1217px-230kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: yes, another ‘sea monsters’ talk, this time at the Dark Folklore Festival in Porthtowan, Cornwall. The talk combines discussion of cryptozoology and the ‘prehistoric survivors’ idea with what we know about relevant fossil animals, in particular Mesozoic marine reptiles and basilosaurid whales. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8f2384e1-eb6f-41b4-83ef-7a01cb41dc34/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Dark-Folklore-2-Oct-2025-1744px-246kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: select scenes from the 2025 Dark Folklore Festival. I attended a ritual, camped on site, listened to fantastic live music, and had a great time. Definitely planning to attend the next one if I can. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3fbd40d7-a628-4791-8fcc-44cf843217db/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Porthtowan-Beach-Oct-2025-1759px-414kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the UK has some incredibly exciting and picturesque coastline, and Porthtowan on the north coast of Devon is notable for its ferociously rocky scenery. Here’s an image from our October 2025 trip. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ab811adb-fb9c-4874-9391-31d8b3f22b71/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-SVP-paleoart-Darren-and-Liam-Oct-2025-1881px-301kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Liam Elward (the taller individual) and your humble author at Mark Witton’s Paleoart Past and Present: the View from the UK workshop at SVP 2025. I left the event with a small pile of stuff, among which are stickers and prints created by Liam. Image: Julianne Zelda Kiely. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c37a15ff-7026-41d3-854d-0b2ffe14a431/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-PP-Ice-Age-Lightroom-Nov-2025-1556px-353kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Lightroom London hosted a special screening of Prehistoric Planet Ice Age during late November 2025. Seeing these shows projected at size is a phenomenal experience that I’ll always make time for if I can. A number of other people in the UK palaeo-scene were able to attend this showing and we hung out afterwards. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/925aaeb3-1a79-4b3b-9be1-bf04830f8805/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-cabinet-2-top-shelf-Nov-2025-1903px-568kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the top shelf of one of my cabinets, rearranged for 2025. There are some real treasures here if you’re interested in model and toy animals. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40ca0aa0-7072-448d-b57a-a97f4267a3d5/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-graph-1495px-64kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c752ee3-9769-4883-841f-40abe5ad4478/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-Birdworld-Sept-2025-1765px-514kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: ok, so I didn’t write about birds at Tet Zoo during 2025 but I did spend a lot of time looking at live ones. These photos are from a Birdworld trip made in September 2025. They show Australian pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus, Greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus and Magpie goose Anseranas semipalmata. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b1e5eec6-b8a9-4446-b545-bda9f5014687/Tet-Zoo-20-Years-Jan-2026-t-shirt-designs-1671px-141kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two Full Decades of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: in celebration of this landmark in Tet Zoo history we’re releasing a new lot of t-shirt designs. They’re available at our SumUp shop from 10.30am (GMT) on Wed 21st January. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/1/12/the-continuing-debate-on-dinosaur-cognition monthly 0.5 2026-01-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21cd00fc-bad7-4644-be48-2f4afa513fde/cognition-Jan-2026-congitive-scale-1698px-255kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Caption: a wholly speculative effort to portray potential cognition in an animal like a non-bird theropod. Which of these dotted lines is more realistic… or, is it totally misleading, perhaps wrong, to imagine or portray things this way? Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2d115b3c-0c44-4d67-8e00-addad6302897/cognition-Jan-2026-ZSL-dragon-Flame-2025-1613px-469kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Caption: ongoing studies of extant non-bird reptiles show that there’s a lot going on here in cognitive terms, and at least some are explorative, investigative creatures that are good at learning. It’s increasingly well known that monitor lizards (like the Komodo dragon at left) and iguanians like bearded dragons (like the pet one at right) pass numerous tests relating to 'intelligence’. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b30a032d-2b65-4274-b82a-a053485e8320/cognition-Jan-2026-Evolution-articles-1316px-351kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Caption: “these animals are like x”, “no, they’re like y”, “no, they’re like what they’re like”. The articles shown here are from a debate that occurred in the journal Evolution between 1970 and 1974. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4f9e3ea2-68d9-4102-8e43-e3f080f7ddd4/cognition-Jan-2026-article-montage-1774px-371kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Caption: the topic being covered here is of broad interest and will get covered in the popular and semi-technical press. In view of this, what language do we use and which comparisons do we make when discussing the subject? The articles here are from CBBC and Tet Zoo; I can no longer find ‘Scientists change their minds about Tyrannosaurus rex yet again’ (a similar article by the same author is here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/11226ecc-b321-4e9b-ad07-35a98622e79a/cognition-Jan-2026-BirdWorld-rhea-2025-1443px-270kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Caption: there’s a popular idea that palaeognaths (which include ratites, like this rhea) are not real birds and don’t do birdy things. Having spent a lot of time with them (cassowaries especially)… no. This captive rhea spent a good while engaging in what sure looked like object play with a feather. An argument has been made that some extinct dinosaurs were similar to ratites in cognitive terms. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ab58c785-b311-449c-aaaf-afc027cc6be6/cognition-Jan-2026-croc-cladogram-1592px-137kb-Jan-2026-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Caption: a substantially simplified cladogram showing relationships within crocodylomorphs. There is still a tendency within the natural history and zoological literature for the crown-group to be termed the ‘crocodilians’ but the name ‘crocodylian’ is more firmly established within phylogenetic literature. The incorrect tradition of referring to any and all of these animals as ‘crocodiles’ also needs to be put to bed. Crocodiles are a specific group of crocodylians. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d47fa394-4886-41cd-905d-6c9fe0fb0c06/cognition-Jan-2026-big-brained-fish-1632px-200kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Captions: these images are here to remind you that there are actinopterygians (ray-finned fishes) and chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fishes) with proportionally enormous brains and extremely high neuron densities. How do these fit into patterns proposed for terrestrial animals like archosaurs? Images: opencage, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here); Shiyam ElkCloner, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0bfb82e3-e669-4502-8f7e-1777c179f26d/cognition-Jan-2026-Prehistoric-Planet-troodontid-1377px-69kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Caption: mammal-line and bird-line animals interacted continuously throughout the Mesozoic, as they do today. But is there any evidence that anything like a cognitive ‘arms race’ was underway? This image, from the Apple TV series Prehistoric Planet, shows an interaction between a troodontid theropod and a multituberculate. Image: © Apple / BBC Studios. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48dee783-1095-4dfa-9fbe-612c8de725b9/cognition-Jan-2026-Caspar-et-al-2025-graphs-1469px-104kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Continuing Debate on Dinosaur Cognition - Make it stand out Caption: graphs from Caspar et al. (2025) showing neuron count in the telencephalon plotted against body mass in mammals (at left) and birds (at right). The line in the mammal graph shows the regression line for primates, showing that Homo sapiens has a neuron count expected for its body mass. The line in the bird graph shows likewise for Psittacopasserae, here showing that Corvus corax demonstrates the same thing within its clade. Image: Caspar et al. (2025). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2026/1/9/british-palaeontologist-richard-forrest-a-brief-obituary monthly 0.5 2026-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/36ddc46b-1e51-4c09-b65e-0c99aed642eb/Richard-Forrest-Jan-2026-Richard-with-pliosaur-954px-137kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - British Palaeontologist Richard Forrest, a Brief Obituary - Make it stand out Caption: there are, unsurprisingly, a great many photos online showing Richard with plesiosaur fossils. In this one he’s examining bones of the Scunthorpe pliosaur at North Lincolnshire Museum. Image: (c) North Lincolnshire Museum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5b8b88ad-b8d8-45b5-a62c-aa5a3bb7bb29/Richard-Forrest-Jan-2026-SVPCA-montage-1368px-175kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - British Palaeontologist Richard Forrest, a Brief Obituary - Make it stand out Caption: some reasonably bad photos featuring Richard, and taken at various of the SVPCA meetings. At left, an especially bad one from 2001, taken at the Square Tower in Portsmouth (Darren Naish at left, Richard Forrest at right). At right, Richard with noted palaeoartist Bob Nicholls at SVPCA Oxford, September 2012. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/167f48f9-4431-44cd-b608-2425773034c1/Richard-Forrest-Jan-2026-group-at-2002-Star-Pit-dig-1656px-319kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - British Palaeontologist Richard Forrest, a Brief Obituary - Make it stand out Caption: Richard (in the middle, with blue t-shirt) was one of many people who worked hard at Jeff Liston’s 2002 Star Pit excavation of Ariston the Leedsichthys specimen. None of my photos are good but it should be obvious from this one that torrential rain put an end to the day’s work on this occasion. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/87307f9c-e436-4f1e-b7fa-ac2b149e0d85/Richard-Forrest-Jan-2026-Darren-Neil-Richard-992px-170kb-Jan-2026-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - British Palaeontologist Richard Forrest, a Brief Obituary - Make it stand out Caption: Richard Forrest (RIP Jan 2026) at right, with Darren (left) and Neil Gostling (centre) during July 2025. Photo taken near Neil’s office at the University of Southampton. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/12/19/ancient-sea-reptiles-third-edition monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/08573272-8764-4612-8aad-687295c4ff50/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-covers-1186px-267kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: a third edition at left, published 2025, and a first edition, published 2022, at right. I appreciate that it might be hard to tell them apart from these photos. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3440a787-b3d2-4f66-8e60-53e8536be177/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-UK-marine-reptiles-montage-1433px-366kb-Dec-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: the UK is a provincial little archipelago nation, located on the maritime fringes of a vast continental landmass. But it has a surprisingly complex and interesting Mesozoic sedimentary record, and an extremely rich marine reptile fossil record. Here are just a few Mesozoic marine reptile fossils I’ve seen in person. Clockwise from upper left: a cryptoclidid plesiosaur at Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the partial rostrum of what’s probably a new taxon of geosaurine thalattosuchian in a private collection, a temnodontosaur at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, and a thalassophonean pliosaurid at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dee742d9-4d88-46f1-9b1a-5d108f2814e5/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-tanysaurians-1224px-73kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: the two most famous tanysaurians. Tanystropheus is above, here shown as a digitigrade animal well adapted for terrestrial walking; Dinocephalosaurus is below, reconstructed as a highly aquatic swimmer with flipper-like limbs. The radically different ways in which members of both lineages evolved their incredibly long necks are obvious. Images: (c) Mark Witton; Spiekman et al. (2024a). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7403c9e0-1d77-4d11-8f39-1cb6b1060eeb/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-Kear-et-al-2023-Spitsbergen-1681px-263kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: the surprisingly old Early Triassic ichthyosaur caudal vertebra PMO 245.975 from Spitsgerben, shown at right, demonstrates the presence of these animals very shortly after the giant end-Permian extinction. The plot at left shows how the specimen was demonstrated via geochemistry to belong to the ‘Fish Niveau’ and thus to have originated in-situ from this stratigraphically old unit, and not to have eroded out of a younger unit higher in the sequence. Image: Kear et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d540c36b-711e-490a-8080-bf2fcf463959/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-Ichthyotitan-montage-1705px-313kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: at left, life reconstruction of the gargantuan shastasaurian ichthyosaur Ichthyotitan. At right, images of the holotype surangular (A and C) and a referred specimen (B and D) of Ichthyotitan, from Lomax et al. (2024). This is a single bone that formed the rear part of the mandible yet that scale bar is 50 cm. Images: (c) Gabriel Ugueto; Lomax et al. (2024), CC BY 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6bb41138-979c-4607-8c6d-40c4ff90330c/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-Turnersuchus-montage-888px-173kb-Dec-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: the Early Jurassic thalattosuchian Turnersuchus, an archaic member of the group outside the teleosauroid + metriorhynchoid clade. The specimen is on show at Lyme Regis Museum. Note from the scale bar that it’s not a large animal. Images: Júlia d'Oliveira; Wilberg et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b848d9ad-0de5-4a21-93d3-67e2d88878b9/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-crocodylomorph-cladogram-1146px-100kb-Dec-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: views on where thalattosuchians belong within Crocodylomorpha have undergone a major change over the past few decades. Recent studies have mostly found them to be well away from Neosuchia – the mostly Cretaceous and Cenozoic group that has extant representatives – and to instead be placed among various archaic lineages that are both obscure and poorly known in terms of their early history. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/53455dd2-bae7-4b87-a864-5d5bebb25574/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-Song-%26-Lindgren-2025-1039px-86kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: mosasauroid tail fluke anatomy plotted on a cladogram, from Song & Lindgren (2025). The distribution of these flukes (or fins) on the cladogram indicates two or more independent evolutions of the highly modified, heterocercal tail tip most obvious in tylosaurines and mosasaurines. Image: Song & Lindgren (2025). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5f0b6f87-fdc3-4746-92e8-6acacab77af8/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-Megapterygius-1146px-100kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: the mosasaurine Megapterygius (which I perpetually confuse with the ichthyosaur Magnipterygius), reconstructed with a dorsal fin that may or may be evidenced by the anatomy of the dorsal vertebrae. Image: Takumi, from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/44ec613a-ea6b-4800-aa22-3058530b2a42/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-3rd-ed-Dec-2025-ASR-at-NHM-shop-1376px-124kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Goes to Third Edition! - Make it stand out Caption: buy Ancient Sea Reptiles from the publishers here, and directly from me here. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/11/30/vombatiform-radiation-part-i monthly 0.5 2025-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/967f8dc0-ec36-4ee9-9663-e1c6c3cfc85a/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-Diprotodon-and-wombat-1750px-474kb-+Dec-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: vombatiform diprotodontians alive and extinct at Queensland Museum, Brisbane, in 2019. At left, the giant diprotodontid Diprotodon. At right, a tame Common wombat Vombatus ursinus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/af03ecad-72f2-456a-a86a-4d8073fa2e35/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-Peter-Murray-1991-skeletal-reconstructions-NEW-1377px-285kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of skeletal reconstructions of (mostly extinct) vombatiform diprotodontians, all by Peter Murray, from Murray (1991). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/54ae21b4-4da2-4210-97c4-252732d0cbe4/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-phylogeny-1A-1214px-131kb-+Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: substantially simplified phylogeny of Vombatiformes, the koala + wombat clade. Images: Koala by Quartl, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Thylacoleo (c) by Jaime Chirinos; Diprotodon (c) by Anne Musser; wombat by JJ Harison, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d7c7742a-e8f4-4547-a685-6fefc8ed31d7/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-koalas-Benjamint444-999px-306kb-+Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: mother and juvenile Koala. Views differ on whether the juveniles of non-macropod marsupials should be called ‘joeys’ or not. My personal preference is that ‘joey’ should indeed be restricted to macropods, but I’m not doing on-the-ground work with live marsupials and will defer to consensus if that’s the way people want to go. If juvenile koalas aren’t ‘joeys’, what are they? Koalets? Image: Benjamin444, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5b137ed7-51d7-4de9-abc0-2875fd85ade7/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-koala-skeleton-650px-94kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: there are lots of interesting things to note in a Koala skeleton. Note the flat dorsal surface to the skull, the opposable digits in the hand and the short ribcage: with 11 rib pairs, they have the most reduced count of any marsupial. Image: Sklmsta, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c747ddc7-413e-4613-9ff9-27fdd297648e/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-Litikoala-skull-Louys-et-al-2009-897px-116kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: skull of Nimiokoala greystanei from Louys et al. (2009). This differs from the skull of the extant koala in having narrower cheek teeth, more lightly built maxillary bones, and in having a palate that’s not as anteriorly displaced. It’s similar in features associated with hearing and noise-making though. Image: Louys et al. (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aecccf70-c6b0-4cb5-a7f9-f9dce56858ca/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-koala-montage-1250px-234kb-Dec-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: at left, diagrammatic depiction of an extant Koala skeleton by Murray (1991). At right, a typical extant Koala shown to approximate scale with the Pliocene-Pleistocene species P. yorkensis. The extant Koala is highly variable in size and appearance (mostly in pelt length), but members of the group would have looked more variable in the geological past. Images: Murray (1991); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a730abd3-2c5c-46f7-ba66-dfa6edd4a5ce/diprotodontians-Dec-2025-Thylacoleo-skull-Grant-Museum-1416px-292kb-Dec-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: replica Thylacoleo skull on show at the Grant Museum of Zoology, London. The projecting and vaguely beak-like form of the incisors, massive size of the third upper premolar, and great depth of the zygomatic arch are all obvious. This photo was used previously in the Thylacoleo article here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/16fa70d7-29dc-44fd-86f4-e9d15220decc/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-Frank-Knight-Thylacoleo-735px-111kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: a charge directed at many life reconstructions of Thylacoleo is that they make it look too much like a cat, and not sufficient marsupial-like, specifically diprotodontian-like. That’s certainly not the case for this very impressive painting, by Frank Knight and best known for its inclusive in the 1985 book Kadimakara: Extinct Vertebrates of Australia. Image: (c) Frank Knight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/47377285-8e83-4a0c-828a-9f3dca71174b/diprotodontians-redo-Dec-2025-Tet-Zoo-archive-montage-1429px-256kb-+Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Diprotodontians Forever: the Vombatiform Radiation, Part I - Make it stand out Caption: marsupials and their cousins (Marsupialia is part of the more inclusive clade Metatheria) have been covered a few times at Tet Zoo and I’m still well behind on the coverage I’d like to give them. Here are screengrabs from older articles; links are below. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/11/24/thylacoleo-the-incredible-marsupial-lion monthly 0.5 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dac7729d-68ab-425f-97a9-978464e8b550/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Thylacoleo-reconstructions-montage-1104px-255kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: artists have struggled to reconstruct Thylacoleo, in part because they haven’t had a clear guide on which marsupial to use as a model. Some of the reconstructions here, like Richard Orr’s at upper left and Peter Snowball’s at bottom left, don’t quite look like any living marsupial; Frank Knight’s reconstruction in the middle is possum-like; Graham Allen’s at upper right is substantially too lion-like; finally, Jaime Chirinos’s image at lower right does make it look like a diprotodontian marsupial of some sort. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e0c0fca-afaf-4c18-b822-6687ebc42554/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Naracoorte-Caves-Karora-PD-992px-139kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: various images showing this skeleton, on show at Naracoorte Caves National Park in South Australia, are available online; this is a cropped version. It’s misleading in showing the animal at an angle such that its body looks very short and its face is mostly directly away from us, plus it doesn’t have a tail, but it shows the relatively long limbs but short feet and massive thumbs of this animal. UPDATE: a newly mounted, more complete skeleton has now replaced this one, see pictures here. Image: Karora, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a2bd2c5-c50b-429a-8f9d-ff58ff871974/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Thylacoleo-19th-C-finds-1314px-211kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: key early Thylacoleo discoveries. At left, the assortment of teeth and other fragments reported from Wellington Caves in New South Wales by Major Thomas Mitchell in 1838. At upper right, the very nice near-complete skull from Darling Downs, Queensland, lacking its zygomatic arch, described by Owen in 1866 and passed to him by Edward Hill and Daniel Cooper. At lower right, lateral (left) and medial (right) views of the right hemimandible from Wellington Caves described by Owen in 1886. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e2dbb117-c6f0-401e-9501-d9b348a946d1/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Thylacoleo-skull-Grant-Museum-1416px-292kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: replica Thylacoleo skull on show at the Grant Museum of Zoology, London. The projecting and vaguely beak-like form of the incisors, massive size of the third upper premolar, and great depth of the zygomatic arch are all obvious. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/92d4d1ad-c4f8-4c0f-b3a6-c5a9b10f1f67/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Thylacoleo-Wells-%26-Camens-2018-1666px-570kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption:Thylacoleo is no longer enigmatic or poorly known when it comes to our knowledge of skeletal anatomy, since we have near-complete skeletons. This montage, from Wells & Camens (2018), shows (A) the Flight Star Cave specimen from Nullarbor Plain, Western Australia, and (B and C) two additional individuals from Komatsu Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia. Images: Clay Bryce and S. Bourne, from Wells & Camens (2018), CC BY 4.0 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fe826992-58b3-4e8d-98db-e23bb8838c12/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Thylacoleo-Margaret-Lambert-1971-1031px-220kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: two competing reconstructions of Thylacoleo, one showing it eating fruit and one showing it as a predator of other marsupials, were included by Kurtén (1971) in his The Age of Mammals. The nondescript limb proportions and very normal paws featured here make the animal look quite bland relative to what we now understand. Images: Margaret Lambert, from Kurtén (1971). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1302f2b5-dafa-45d3-a574-978e02e83d6f/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Buckley-et-al-2025-1116px-133kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: molecular phylogeny for marsupials (and a few other mammals) and incorporating ancient collagenous data from several extinct data, from Buckley et al. (2025) but incorporating some illustrations. Macropods (kangaroos) are the biggest and most diverse diprotodontian clade; note that thylacoleonids and koalas belong here in a clade with wombats, diprotodontids (like Zygomaturus) and palorchestids. Image: Buckley et al. (2025); drawings by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fb1069eb-ef80-4b21-9e99-d5cb6b057260/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Thylacoleo-dentition-and-reconstruction-1469px-205kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: nice, clean illustrations of the Thylacoleo dentition, showing (at top) the upper jaw in left lateral and ventral or palatal view, and the left hemimandible in lateral view, from Molnar (1999). At right, two skeletal reconstructions, the lower one produced to show a musculature and integument based on that seen in x-rays of extant marsupials, from Wells & Camens (2018). Images: Ralph Molnar; Wells & Camens (2018), CC BY 4.0 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e0af6d46-c4df-4971-a7fc-e95aef64a0e0/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Janis-2024-manus-1277px-99kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: the Thylacoleo manus, showing the massive size and highly mobile nature of the thumb (pollex). This image is from Janis (2024)… and is based on one in Figueirido et al. (2016)… which was based on one in Wells & Nicholl (1977). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d712aeab-c6a7-4720-a3a6-dd774b726d74/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Carey-et-al-2011-tracks-992px-139kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: these broad, tetradactyl tracks from Pleistocene sediments of the Victorian Volcanic Plains site might be forelimb tracks made by a thylacoleonid, but they might not be. Whatever made them, it had rounded pads at the end of its digits and subrectangular pads beneath the main length of each digit. The scale bar isn’t labelled but must be 10 cm. Image: Carey et al. (2011). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a1591ae3-af8e-4728-a898-6751b15f8655/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Michael-Long-820px-215kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: a reasonably well known image of a mother Thylacoleo with her pouch young (no, the word ‘joey’ is not applicable to all marsupials). I like this illustration but do think it’s too obviously based on lions. Also… did the artist know that the pouch faces backwards in the majority of marsupials? Surely that’s more likely for this animal, since it’s the more widespread condition in diprotodontians. Image: (c) Michael Long. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cba49a07-5e8e-48df-8853-790f20fa3139/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Thylacoleo-Southlands-1104px-255kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: there aren’t many commercially available Thylacoleo figures and toys… I know of two, and here’s one: the Southlands Replica figure. It’s great, but I would have preferred it brown with dark stripes, not grey with pale stripes. A short video about this figure is here at the TetZooTowers_collection YouTube channel. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b5c092e5-3c97-4445-bfea-1c3cfa6acd5f/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Akerman-%26-Wiling-2009-rock-art-1020px-207kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: photo of the probable Thylacoleo red ochre rock art image, from the Kimberley of Western Australia, figured by Akerman & Wiling (2009). It was deliberately photographed at an angle so that the whole creation could be included. Unfortunately, the published version (the article was published in an online journal) is featured at small size and low resolution. Image: Akerman & Wiling (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c9f301c8-91d7-4a2d-8f1c-c2273da1e921/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Kimberley-Thylacoleo-rock-art-1882px-450kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: a better, higher quality version of the Kimberley image reported from Akerman & Wiling (2009), though one not taken from that publication. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6b4046e6-ebf0-44e1-834f-21a8629953d7/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Akerman-%26-Wiling-2009-rock-art-diagram-1154px-45kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: an effort to depict the rock image shown above diagrammatically… a formatting issue in the publication resulted in part of the tail being shown as separate from the rest of it, a weird error. Anyway, the stripes, pointed ears, hairs at the tail tip and genitals are obvious. Image: Akerman & Wiling (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2347531e-a250-4c12-9e73-f610a877afad/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Thylacoleo-Naish-1359px-148kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: an effort to depict Thylacoleo carnifex as a live animal, and (perhaps incorrectly) incorporating various of the details shown in the Kimberley rock image shown above. The clawed hallux is an error (the digit should be blunt, probably). This was created for The Big Book, which will be completed one day, I promise. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c6e9de52-4ae9-4d18-8c42-20dd591beb2b/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Arman-%26-Prideaux-2016-1127px-260kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: montage of animal claw marks made on walls and boulders of Tight Entrance Cave in the the Leeuwin-Naturaliste region, Western Australia, shown by Arman & Prideaux (2016) to have measurements that are in keeping with them (most likely) being from juvenile thylacoleonids. Scale bars = 10 cm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9f48441c-ecb3-4620-87a4-c804ba3c0005/Thylacoleo-Nov-2025-Queensland-tiger-1273px-237kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Thylacoleo, the Incredible Marsupial Lion - Make it stand out Caption: various reconstructions of the Queensland tiger show it as a striped, long-tailed predator that’s meant to be cat-like, but not a cat. You’ll know, of course, that this animal isn’t at all similar to Thylacoleo in anatomical detail but there was a time when the hypothesis that the two were one and the same was taken seriously… by some. This image, produced by an uncredited artist for a book by Maurice Burton, is copied from a 1955 illustration produced by Alika Lindberg for Heuvelmans’s On the Track of Unknown Animals. I was actually looking for a very different illustration by Neave Parker, but no luck. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/11/18/the-life-appearance-of-glyptodonts monthly 0.5 2025-11-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8daceabd-7131-4954-915a-517bd222a04e/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Glyptodon-Dellex-CC-BY-3-0-1664px-388kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: excellent Glyptodon museum display in Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. Showing a ‘naked’ glyptodont alongside its carapace and tail armour is, at this point, a familiar trope. Image: Dellex, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/331ce020-11ce-4a36-b4c7-574c317abaf6/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-glyptodont-reconstruction-montage-1435px-393kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of glyptodont reconstructions, giving some idea of the diversity of views that exist on the life appearance of these animals. There’s considerable variation in snout shape and nostril position, in the external morphology of the osteoderm-supported region, and in how hairy or naked-skinned the animals are. Clockwise from upper left, these images are by J. Smit, Michael Long, Peter Schouten, and Margaret Lambert. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/945b58f8-fc40-4d5f-8012-d15df49a8562/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-armadillo-cladogram-1567px-158kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: much simplified cladogram showing how glyptodonts are bracketed by living armadillos, namely euphractines on one side and fairy armadillos and tolypeutines on the other. Images: Dasypus by Jorge González from Castro et al. (2015); Euphractus and Doedicurus by Darren Naish; fairy armadillo by Hermann Burmeister, in public domain; three-banded armadillo in the public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/afe67767-b804-4eab-a7c0-fc2057f59919/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-glyptodont-figures-1710px-469kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: there aren’t that many glyptodont toys and figures, here are most (not all) of them. From left to right, these are variously by Mothman Republic, CollectA, Safari, Invicta (the three same-shaped ones), Colorata (the small one at the front), Schleich and K&M. A video about these figures is online here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f9c4ad9e-fe2a-4a50-8c7c-26fff23fd31b/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-glyptodont-tracks-Aramayo-et-al-2015-1216px-222kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: glyptodont tracks from the Late Pleistocene site of Pehuen Co paleoichnological site in Argentina. Dubbed Glyptodontichnus pehuencoensis by Aramayo et al. (2015), they show that digit II-IV made impressions with the substrate in the hand, and that all five toes fully contacted the ground. Glyptodonts have remarkably square, hoof-like unguals on most digits. Image: Aramayo et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/55b52331-b631-4f46-809b-1af6e30b2716/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Glyptodon-NMS-1576px-239kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: this ‘cross-sectional’ view of a Glyptodon (representing a view quite often shown in the literature) emphasizes the size of the shape of the cephalic osteoderm shield (the ‘skull cap’) and the dome-like form of the carapace. Osteoderms also covered much of the tail, there often being caudal rings and a more distal ‘tube’ of coossified osteoderms. This specimen is on show at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1aa61b23-10d1-4174-81f0-efb205dac531/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-armadillo-osteoderm-918px-76kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: a generic armadillo osteoderm, used to show key anatomical structures. Glyptodont osteoderms are highly modified relative to this basic plan. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04d3a777-c975-4973-8ca5-f4978093cfab/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Hairy-Dasypus-osteoderms-and-scutes-1488px-236kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: the number of piliferous foramina on the osteoderms do correlate with the number of hairs on the carapace, as illustrated here in these images of Woolly long-nosed armadillo Dasypus pilosus published by Castro et al. (2019). As is obvious, this visibly hairy species has a large number of these foramina on each osteoderm, typically between 15 and 30. I wrote about this species here. Images: Castro et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0b761488-42c4-40e9-88b9-5f662c9b0465/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-osteoderm-interiors-1053px-230kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a 3D reconstruction of the osteoderm interior of Parutaetus oliveirai, an Eocene euphractine armadillo from Argentina, from Klimeck et al. (2024). The yellow blobs show the bone marrow cavities (bmc), the green ones correspond to the glandular cavitis (gc) and the red ones to the piliferous follicle cavites. Scale bar = 5 mm. At right, osteoderms of the fossil eutatines Utaetus and Parutaetus from Ciancio et al. (2019) in external view (at upper left), cross-sectional view (upper right), and as 3D interior reconstructions (the coloured images). I don’t include these images to show you the salient details, but to depict instead the high-quality work that now allows us to visualize osteoderm anatomy inside and out. Scale bars = 5 mm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4f8bbb80-9e38-4e78-a07c-963295f78d55/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Dasypus-cross-section-1255px-196kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: diagram and photo showing cross-section of Dasypus carapace from Chen et al. (2011), showing how thin the scutes are relative to the osteoderms. The photo, showing the internal microstructure of the osteoderm, doesn’t show the whole thickness of the structure but only its outermost layers. Image: Chen et al. (2011). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/efad9f6c-2961-4d49-ae1a-d261ea5355f1/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Dasypus-carapace-1596px-368kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: part of the lateral section of a Nine-banded armadillo carapace, the flexible, ‘banded’ section being at left. The scutes here (we’re seeing dried scutes, not osteoderms) possess between three and ten foramina, depending on position. This is not an obviously hairy species. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/707f9f61-48a3-47f1-bb4e-1e02ab8c9e63/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Tolypeutes-skeleton-Polyoutis-1286px-183kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: enrolled three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes) skeleton, used here because it shows scute thickness relative to osteoderm thickness. I took the area shown in the dark rectangular and enlarged it; that’s the image at right. As you can see from the black-white-back bar I’ve added, the scutes in at least some places appear to be approximately 50% the thickness of the osteoderms. Image: Polyoutis, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f019abb5-8cf3-4e5b-83f1-79f252fdaac1/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Panochthus-osteoderms-Asakura-et-al-2017-1446px-148kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: three different carapacial osteoderms from Panochthus, all shown in external or integumentary view. Figures and sulci are more clearly visible in some (a) than others (c), and foramina large and small are visible in some (c) and might be absent in others (a). This sort of variation is present across the carapaces of most or maybe all glyptodonts. Scale bar = 20 mm. Image: Asakura et al. (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6c52b5b5-e8b0-4a80-8e40-266311f9be52/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Neuryurus-Perea-et-al-2019-1466px-342kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: carapacial osteoderms from Neuryurus, published by Perea et al. (2019). These images show (A) a large section from the front half of the carapace, specifically from a section on the upper part of the side; (B) close-up of osteoderms from the same section; (C) individual osteoderm (note the abundant foramina); (D) section from the edge of the carapace, the more rounded or conical osteoderms being from the carapacial edges. Images: Perea et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/914cbe4f-c317-4ea4-b12d-3f8411af83ac/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Cuadrelli-et-al-2019-780px-164kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: these carapaces and (at left) select osteoderm segments reveal variation present across specimens of Glyptodon reticulatus from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene of southern South America, the A and B animals being adults, C being a juvenile. All the inset osteoderm segments are from the upper central portion of the carapace. Note the more prominent sculpting and higher number of foramina in C. In A and B, there are a low number of large, scattered foramina which may or may not have been hair follicles. Image: Cuadrelli et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7ca4491-d32b-46b3-b2e0-b15a6c9950b2/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Pedro-Cuaranta-2021-1227px-144kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: a technically very good, interesting life reconstruction of the doedicurine glyptodont Eleutherocercus solidus, and showing it as a very hairy animal, notably across the carapace as well as across much of the rest of the body. Note also the hump above the pelvis with the distinct hair tuft. Image: Pedro Cuaranta, from Núñez-Blasco et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1b32c4a5-eb63-44cd-9f96-a910884fb236/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Doedicurus-Darren-Naish-1190px-130kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: a low quality, crudely rendered image by myself, depicting various of the details up for discussion here. My Doedicurus here is hairy away from its osteoderms, but not that hairy, but lacks sufficient scutage (if you will) in the same areas. Its scute covering on the carapace does not correspond to the underlying osteoderm arrangement. When I first did the illustration (2015), I favoured the idea that the club might have short keratinous lumps at its terminus. I currently favour the idea of more formidable spines, hence the sketchy additions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ade68e93-d4e5-4e09-b160-9612cc14835c/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Tolypeutes-live-1441px-307kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: even certain small armadillos, like the three-banded armadillos, are ‘hyper-keratinized’, with non-osteoderm-supported scutes across the face, on both surfaces of the ears, and on the limbs all the way down to the claws. It is possible that glyptodonts were similarly extensively scute-covered. Image: Maurilbert, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0d157418-e424-4935-bf66-56a8faf9833c/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-armadillos-naked-and-hairy-1716px-431kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: some living armadillos are very nearly naked, like the Giant armadillo shown at left. Others are very hairy across the carapace as well as elsewhere on the body, like the hairy armadillos (Chaetophractus) at right. Images: public domain (original here); public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5a278432-1863-4e02-8de6-04522b1da4eb/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Doedicurus-tail-club-1593px-435kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: a partial tail club of Doedicurus in a private collection, the human hands at far right giving you some idea of how massive and awesome this structure is. Large, mostly symmetrically arranged sockets are present on the sides, the dorsal and ventral surfaces, and on the posteriormost face. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/27c1ad31-6978-452b-a6bc-b274d3d40f6f/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Doedicurus-tail-with-spikes-1182px-188kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: there have been several efforts to reconstruct the tail club of Doedicurus with massive spines, and two such reconstructions are shown here. The sockets show that there were a variable number of small structures on both the flattened dorsal and ventral surface, and much bigger ones around the edges. Both images are associated with museum displays but I haven’t been able to find their original sources; I’ll add source info when I find it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/edef193c-4720-4fd5-a179-801fd1c7e933/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Glyptodon-spiky-tail-J-Hutchinson-1369px-220kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: we know that glyptodonts of several lineages evolved weaponized tails (there’s a study specifically on this by Victoria Arbor and Lindsay Zanno), and spiky osteoderms and scutes were present in at least some of these taxa. Caudal osteoderm shape in Glyptodon, shown here, indicates the presence of markedly pointed scutes (hence extrapolated black outline I’ve added). Image: John Hutchinson, from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/36000742-cd21-4e49-b8d9-07b7939d8e88/glyptodonts-Nov-22025-Doedicurus-t-shirt-991px-76kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Glyptodonts - Make it stand out Caption: did I mention that I own a Doedicurus t-shirt? https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/11/5/a-woolly-mammoth-primer monthly 0.5 2025-11-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1c478ca6-24a8-4ba3-876b-5825e400b401/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-mammoths-and-homotheres-Hodari-Nundu-1577px-194kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: most of us are fascinated by mammalian megafauna. That in mind, it’s difficult to express how incredible our planet was during the years of the Pleistocene. Here, a pair of the incredible scimitar-toothed cat Homotherium aim to isolate and kill a Woolly mammoth calf, a piece of behaviour attested by fossil evidence. Image: Hodari Nundu, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5ad480e6-280c-4980-b85f-6eb654500420/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-Ilford-Woolly-mammoth-skull-1698px-239kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: one of the UK’s best Woolly mammoth skulls, that of the Ilford (or Ilford Lane) mammoth, on show at the Natural History Museum in London. At left is how it looked in 2022; at right, its new location as of 2025. This provides a nice illustration of how the strong inward-and-upward curvature of the tusks is obvious in front view, and less clear from the side. The Ilford mammoth was collected in 1864; Ilford Lane is in Redbridge in London’s north-east. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/af3d6e9a-40c4-4b80-9a45-48a475fb92b6/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-mammoth-themed-books-1253px-290kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: some of the books you might like to consult if wanting to know more about Woolly mammoths. There are at least three editions of Adrian Lister and Paul Bahn’s Mammoths: Giants of the Ice Age; those shown here are those of 1995 and 2007. It’s my go-to work on this animal. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/91b3e337-5a17-4d14-966b-5ca36e0a80cc/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-Beresovka-mammoth-PD-1257px-321kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: a key specimen in our understanding of the Woolly mammoth is the Beresovka mammoth, excavated in 1901 from the far north-east of Siberia and then transported across land all the way west to St Petersburg, a distance of over 10,000 km. As you can see, most of the soft tissues of the face were lost prior to excavation, but a large amount of soft tissue on the limbs and underside remained, as did various organs, a large amount of skin, and some hair. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1d467963-2658-4a9b-8d55-327932406e45/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-Beresovka-mammoth-Andrew-Butko-1253ox-290kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: this is what the Beresokva mammoth display looks like (or… looked like, when this photo was taken) in St Petersburg’s zoological museum. I’ve never seen a detailed explanation of how much of this is real versus how much is a model, though at least one-third of the model’s exterior features the specimen’s original skin and hair (Lister & Bahn 2007, p. 52). The animal – an adult male in his 40s – seems to have broken its limbs when falling backwards into a crevasse and is positioned as if trying to climb back out. However, the body was moved by a landslide prior to discovery and this might also explain part of its posture and some of its damage. Image: Andrew Butko, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c94d3c7-38f1-4432-a453-e82bdecce4b0/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-mammoth-phylogeny-montage-1344px-223kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: at left, an indication of how complex population structure seems to be across the Woolly mammoth, from Chang et al. (2017). Clearly, you can’t be expected to read the text on the cladogram here, but hopefully you can see the colours: the red samples are Asian Woolly mammoths; the green samples are North American ones; the blue samples are European ones (ignore the legend labelling blue as ‘M. jeffersoni’; I think that this is a typo for M. trogontherii). There’s a complex structure here, with multiple distinct geographically segregated clades but also multiple indications of introgression. At right, a very simple evolutionary tree, from Rohland et al. (2007), used to show how mammoths are very much part of the Loxodonta + Elephas clade, meaning that they are elephants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4859fb9e-36e8-4a79-bd53-9880101ffce0/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-juvenile-permafrost-mammoths-1727px-347kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: among the most important and interesting of permafrost Woolly mammoth specimens are the youngsters we’ve discovered. The stories behind how each met its end are very sad. At left is Dima, a male (6-12 months old) from the Magadan region of Siberia, discovered in 1977; at right, Lyuba, a female (just over 1 month old) from the Yamal Peninsula discovered in 2007. Images: public domain (original here); Ruth Hartnup, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aae7b22a-86b7-477e-b2a1-c0429a00d2a4/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-mammoth-profile-montage-de-Spiegeleire-1985-1485px-194kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: the Woolly mammoth has, or had, a very distinctive profile, the tall anterior thoracic neural spines being accentuated in height by a fatty hump, the skull being massively domed, and the body distinctly sloping from shoulders to hips. These features were very nicely illustrated by de Spiegeleire (1985). Those people who saw live Woolly mammoths noted these features too, and drew attention to them in the art they created. At right is a depiction of the famous Les Combarelles mammoth from Dordogne, France (from de Spiegeleire 1985). Other interpretations of this illustration show hanging hair beneath the chest and belly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9c74cbca-322d-42a2-bea7-312bdc0ed0e8/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-mammoth-trunk-tip-de-Spiegeleire-1985-1213px-167kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: several permafrost Woolly mammoth specimens show what the trunk’s end was like. At left is a diagrammatic representation of the Middle Kolyma mammoth, a specimen collected in 1924. A photo of the same specimen is shown in Lister & Bahn (2007, p. 91). At right, an effort to depict the trunk tip in life and showing the large size of the two ‘fingers’. Both images are from de Spiegeleire (1985). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fb1fd9c1-783b-47ca-ab80-e360521cc91e/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-Grigoriev-et-al-2017-trunk-1438px-339kb-Nov-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: the spectacularly preserved distal end of the trunk of the Maly Lyakhovsky Woolly mammoth from the New Siberian Islands, described by Grigoriev et al. (2017). This specimen is so fresh that its cut flesh is still red, as visible in B. The ‘fingers’ at the trunk tip are again well preserved. This specimen makes it look as if the trunk’s ventral surface, ventrolateral edges and tip were naked-skinned, rather than fully hair-covered. Maybe that was the case (maybe in some mammoths, at some times of year), but maybe this is due to damage and decomposition, since these permafrost specimens are never pristine. Images: Grigoriev et al. (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bb89d350-8141-48de-b7c7-0ba66248c4be/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-woolly-mammoth-figures-1676px-340kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: the Woolly mammoth is a palaeo-superstar, and consequently a substantial number of models, figures and toys exist. Here are just a few of those from my own collection (TetZooTowers_collection on TikTok!). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cc25bfcd-3edf-43a1-acd9-e9c604a7828b/woolly-mammoth-Nov-2025-Bactrian-camels-Whipsnade-1548px-289kb-Nov-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Woolly Mammoth Primer - Make it stand out Caption: we might never know the precise details of their moulting schedule – if they had one – but it’s extremely likely that Woolly mammoths were sometimes untidy and with a decidedly complex look to their pelt, like these captive Bactrian camels (photographed at the Welsh Mountain Zoo). Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/10/29/the-amazing-giant-black-fossa monthly 0.5 2026-02-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/01a0aa1d-d57d-4de4-9cca-3eb46a2f788d/black-fossa-Oct-2025-C-ferox-Marwell-1-1381px-404kb-Oct-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: my local zoo (Marwell Wildlife, Hampshire, UK) has had fossa on display several times and I was just blown away when I first found this out. I observed this male (photographed in 2015) scent-marking objects in his enclosure. Note how muscular the forelimbs are. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7cfe3c73-1508-486c-8a8a-a487e0069608/black-fossa-Oct-2025-C-ferox-Marwell-3-1638px-223kb-Oct-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: these photos (again from Marwell Wildlife) aren’t the best, but they at least show that fossas are proficient at climbing and walking on branches and such. The especially bad photo at right is from 2006, the very first time I ever saw a fossa (a Tet Zoo ver 1 article celebrating that event is here). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/08b1517b-a6e2-4beb-aaee-8a8b7dbdcf9f/black-fossa-Oct-2025-fossa-yawn-and-Velvet-Claw-skull-1533px-241kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: yawning captive fossa at left, unfortunately not showing the teeth especially well. The view of the whiskers is good though. The fossa gets appropriate coverage in The Velvet Claw – a BBC Natural History Unit TV show that I’ve discussed here many times now – and the series even features an animated view of its skull and tooth anatomy. Images: Darren Naish; BBC Natural History Unit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a46e6ede-e8b8-413d-ac2f-5b27410a80a3/black-fossa-Oct-2025-feliform-phylogeny-1558px-182kb-Oct-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: simplified cladogram of Feliformia, the ‘cat branch’ of Carnivora. This topology is based on that of Agnarsson et al. (2009) but putting Asiatic linsangs with cats comes from Gaubert & Veron (2003). What phylogeny indicates is that feliforms should basically be imagined as ‘civet-type carnivorans’, with cats and hyenas being stand-out deviations from the baseline ecomorph. The images used here are all from my in-prep textbook project, which can be supported via my patreon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/faae9102-5078-43bc-a9c2-00a8c77514aa/black-fossa-Oct-2025-C-spelea-skulls-Goodman-et-al-1242px-149kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: these photos (from Goodman et al. 2004) show how the skull of C. spelea is substantially larger and bigger-toothed than that of C. ferox. Differences also suggest that the two might have looked more obviously different than we usually imagine: C. spelea has, for example, a straighter zygomatic arch, proportionally longer muzzle and might have had a more upturned nose (based on the form of the nasal bones). Images: Goodman et al. (2004). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/83aa584a-12cf-4202-92f4-da39091cefd7/black-fossa-Oct-2025-Mad-cryptids-1258px-317kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of Madagascan cryptids (several others exist, of course). At left, the Vorompatra, generally thought to represent recollections of aepyornithids. At upper right, the Antamba, generally associated with the cave fossa. At lower right, a superficially ape-like rendition of Tratratratra, a creature usually linked with various of the recently extinct large lemurs. Images: Pagodroma721, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Daniel Burch Caballé, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Philippe Coudray (from here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e05e5934-8453-45e2-8814-ab5e6b91cacb/black-fossa-Oct-2025-giant-black-fossa-1464px-58kb-Oct-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: a speculative reconstruction of a giant black fossa, an obvious difference from C. ferox being the size and shape of its ears. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e18e57b7-33db-4938-a91e-589421a39661/black-fossa-Oct-2025-Fitoaty-montage-1262px-227kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a topographical depiction of Madagascar emphasizing the location of the Masoala Peninsula in the north-east. Never forget, incidentally, how large Madagascar is: at around 590,000 km sq it’s similar in area to Texas, and thus bigger than Spain, Germany or Thailand. At right, a fitoaty photographed by camera trap, from Farris et al. (2016). Images: Sisyphos23, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Farris et al. (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9358abcc-2d8a-4e7a-b7e7-6e70043087f6/black-fossa-Oct-2025-giant-black-fossa-with-C-ferox-1446px-121kb-Oct-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Giant Black Fossa - Make it stand out Caption: speculative depiction of giant black fossa (based on Freed’s 1989 encounter) compared to C. ferox. Scale bar = 1 m. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/8/26/dinocon-2025-lookback monthly 0.5 2025-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1e793f13-23a0-4581-a4e1-df797b03f88c/DinoCon-2025-DinoCon-promo-montage-1771px-136kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: a DinoCon 2025 montage, showing our venue, and dinosaur images by Natalia Jagielska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/33cba3bc-67a9-4574-96cb-c12770eb9a0f/DinoCon-2025-Andy-Frazer-drinks-menu-1461px-321kb-Aug-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: at left, one of so many palaeoart superstars in attendance at DinoCon 2025 - Andy Frazer - with this blog’s author. At right, DinoCon 2025 even took over the campus bar, and how witty we were with the cocktail names we devised :) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e1db7c3e-5119-4a3f-8c8a-9220e474ac64/DinoCon-2025-Andy-Frazer-art-panels-1298px-335kb-Aug-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: having mentioned Andy Frazer, here’s a Frazer / Dragons of Wales-themed section of our palaeoart exhibition. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1d0f0dd3-c452-46c9-a128-66e267c842bc/DinoCon-2025-DinoMania-Alan-Allosaurus-Alfred-Barwick-8-1146px-177kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Alan the Dinomania Allosaurus declares his feelings about the University of Exeter’s Northcott Theatre, accompanied by DinoCon attendees. Alan was one of several Dinomania stars that spent time exploring the ground and interacting with DinoCon guests. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a9d69b0-7a82-4d7d-bd4c-1260465ebb45/DinoCon-2025-Katrina-van-Grouw-Alfred-Barwick-4-978px-123kb-Aug-2025.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: it should be obvious that the quality and number of our stalls were both something to behold. And many photos were taken, so it’s difficult to know what and who to showcase. Here’s the amazing Katrina van Grouw with a selection of art prints and other products, many featuring birds but others showing other kinds of dinosaur, and other animals too. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b1baba5b-d237-4457-9705-6529377732b4/DinoCon-2025-Dinosaur-Skeletons-stall-Alfred-Barwick-7-1174px-180kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Alex and Katy Pritchard at their incredible Dinosaur Skeletons stand at DinoCon 2025. As is obvious from this photo, they had a phenomenal range of skeletal replicas on sale, ranging from the full-sized skulls and skeletons of big animals all the way to pocket-sized items like small skulls, teeth and more. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d304d04-ee3f-4163-af2b-773b418497e0/DinoCon-2025-Lee-Brown-Paleoart-Alfred-Barwick-5-978px-123kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Lee Brown – of Lee Brown Palaeoart – at his stall, and specifically with a giant, watercolour painting of the tyrannosaurid Albertosaurus. Lee has now done several giant paintings at this scale. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e902ff67-cbe1-46d8-aa98-287f52266de7/DinoCon-2025-Jim-Robins-case-1224px-163kb-Aug-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: palaeoartist Jim Robins was in attendance and selling art from his case. Now I own TWO original pieces of Robins palaeoart. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a1409c09-a650-4028-b64e-73857243631c/DinoCon-2025-Hillary-McLean-Alfred-Barwick-2-1178px-99kb-Aug-2025.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Hillary McLean, our first speaker, talks fossil prep and the long history of work that goes into the repair, tidying and preservation of fantastic specimens like the skull of the ceratopsian Diabloceratops, shown on the screen. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/63bed817-9c40-4a3b-9262-f42992645de7/DinoCon-2025-Tess-Gallagher-Alfred-Barwick-6-1134px-86kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Tess Gallagher (with diplodocid sidekick held on her left) talks about the background to her personal research on diplodocid skin discoveries. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9553b61d-f295-46db-a0d1-1fc8db3c5b96/DinoCon-2025-PCR-talks-Alfred-Barwick-1691px-197kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: at left, George Hancock talking dinosaur camouflage theory; at right, Jack Wilkin on ancient climates. Images: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2cffa57b-55de-4220-a77e-89c16dcf68b9/DinoCon-2025-David-Krentz-1-Alfred-Barwick-1122px-90kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: our Guest of Honour, David Krentz, talks about an aborted dinosaur-themed movie project, concept art depicting the main characters being shown on screen. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c666ec93-5d37-460b-9950-9e2a356d87bb/DinoCon-2025-David-Krentz-2-Alfred-Barwick-1771px-136kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: David Krentz at centre stage. At right, a moment from the Q&A at the end, the people standing at right being part of the queue. I think we got through just about everyone. Images: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bee58a62-413d-4390-a6ba-ca403c468af2/DinoCon-2025-Andre-Rowe-Alfred-Barwick-1167px-92kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Andre Rowe on stage at DinoCon 2025, here introducing the primary themes of his excellent review talk. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/630429dc-bbdd-45ad-aeda-0bb809e37f88/DinoCon-2025-Kieran-Satchell-1-Alfred-Barwick-1016px-107kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Kieran Satchell of Lyme Regis Museum talks fossils of the Dorset Jurassic coast. Scelidosaurus the thyreophoran dinosaur was one of the stars here, and the painting on the screen here is one of John Sibbick’s depictions of this famous animal. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1692a93f-da09-4b45-8eb6-0867e2376458/DinoCon-2025-Matt-Wedel-1-Alfred-Barwick-1160px-78kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: an early moment from Matt Wedel’s excellent sauropod heresies talk; here, Matt was explaining something of the backstory on how we got to where we are now, and how certain of Bakker’s proposals have stood the test of time. Feathered non-bird maniraptorans? Turns out that early ideas were substantially conservative relative to what we understand now. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ca5f5019-d1f1-41b5-8f95-00b54ab9f339/DinoCon-2025-David-Armsby-2-Alfred-Barwick-1001px-84kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: David James Armsby takes the stage in front of a packed house. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/da4d866c-ed2a-4cb4-9f8b-0b9df51ddb1d/DinoCon-2025-David-Armsby-1-Alfred-Barwick-1087px-99kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: David gave us a guide to the works he’s released so far and also provided a point by point discussion of his creative process. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0de5cb88-f0e6-43af-bd7b-2a78629b75f0/DinoCon-2025-palaeoart-panel-2-Alfred-Barwick-1714px-169kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: views of the palaeoart panel discussion, a well attended event that included a good amount of engagement from the audience. In the photo at left (taken from high up on the balcony at the left of the great hall), Julian Kiely is speaking; the photo at right was taken from the balcony at the back of the great hall. Images: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/01b7ae09-6c05-41d1-983b-6282d2e5e38a/DinoCon-2025-palaeoart-panel-Alfred-Barwick-1107px-105kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: another scene from the palaeoart panel event, here showing Gaëlle Seguillon with the microphone. Emily Higgs and Bob Nicholls are to her left. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e29419ba-91fc-4904-a499-22c558c7c815/DinoCon-2025-costumes-2-Alfred-Barwick-10-1382px-113kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: a few moments from the 2025 costume competition, giving some idea of the quality of our entrants. The image on the far left is not connected to the two on the right, but the composition is quite effective. Images: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0cf62b93-495f-4a00-a120-2301ce548db6/DinoCon-2025-costumes-1-Alfred-Barwick-9-1521px-131kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: more highly impressive costume entrants at DinoCon 2025. Frip’s excellent Sinosauropteryx (at right) suit did well with the judges, winning first place in the adult category. Images: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/97e3a511-793f-4a70-bd6e-bd545963ee0d/DinoCon-2025-Dinomania-Alan-Allosaurus-2-Alfred-Barwick-8-1132px-125kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Alan the Dinomania Allosaurus enters the building… though he didn’t make it very far. Despite appearances, Alan is tame and enjoys human company. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8bea4d60-84c5-4bfb-9847-027e9fb946ee/DinoCon-2025-James-workshop-Alfred-Barwick-3-1172px-128kb-Aug-2025.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: James Pascoe (standing at centre) leads a packed and fully booked-out palaeoart workshop. Note the Megalosaurus images on screen. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/021fcb83-336c-4ffc-b769-9b6e12dff161/DinoCon-2025-art-workshop-montage-J-Pascoe-1272px-127kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: just a few of the great pieces of art created by participants in the James Pascoe palaeoart workshop, these showing a rhynchosaur, assorted theropods and an azhdarchoid. Images: photos by James Pascoe (but by multiple individual workshop participants). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9f997fcc-94dc-44da-a800-5c6f2c508dad/DinoCon-2025-auction-1-Alfred-Barwick-1473px-264kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: a scene from the auction. Eventually, my inability to count became obvious and Nathan finally came to my assistance. Image: Mathew Wedel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a3fff5c3-34be-4fef-8bfc-1a5f9cc15509/DinoCon-2025-auction-items-1707px-184kb-Aug-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: just some of the many amazing charity auction items we obtained for DinoCon 2025. From left to right, you can see an acrocanthosaur-themed diorama donated by James Pascoe, Bob Nicholls art and a copy of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved, Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook (with a giant art print from Mark Witton in a tube as well), Don Lessem’s Ultimate Dinopedia, 2nd edition, a Crystal Palace Iguanodon made and donated by Karen Fawcett, a modern Iguanodon made and donated by David Krentz, and an advance copy of White and Naish’s Mesozoic Art II. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0d206852-a732-4073-a705-1663f4d543a0/DinoCon-2025-Dinopedia-signing-Alfred-Barwick-1644px-133kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: Darren Naish (that would be me) at the Dinopedia signing event. I’m pleased to say that ALL stock of this book brought along to DinoCon sold, both at the Tet Zoo stall and the Princeton University Press stall. People gave me other books to sign, but I turned them away. Nah, kidding, I signed them too of course. Images: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e9c67e5-cc74-4dca-9397-1bce5fc28e8f/DinoCon-2025-stage-shot-Alfred-Barwick-1-1165px-98kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: a scene from close to the very end of DinoCon 2025, in which I (at left), Annie and Nathan wrapped things up. We announced the charity amount we raised and emphasized the success of the whole endeavour. Image: (c) Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a9ab8ead-4bbc-46dd-b542-116032749ced/DinoCon-2025-banner-and-sunset-K-Luchmun-1569px-114kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - DinoCon 2025 Has Left the Building - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a DinoCon banner outside our venue. At right, the sun setting at the end of the whole thing, as seen from the halls of residence on campus. Farewell, University of Exeter, you served us well. Images: Keshav Luchmun, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/10/8/sloth-world-2025-part-1 monthly 0.5 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1e2223f4-f11c-46ac-809e-1a57a074ead8/sloths-Oct-2025-Choloepus-and-Megatherium-1393px-255kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: there are two very basic things to remember about sloths... that there are small, tree-climbing ones, and a substantial diversity of mostly larger or MUCH larger, extinct ones. Here are two exemplars of those facts: a captive Choloepus at left, and a museum skeleton (a cast) of the South American giant Megatherium (at the Natural History Museum, London) at right. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/379152ed-8807-4a8a-bbf2-044b41d950de/sloths-Oct-2025-Tet-Zoo-sloth-screengrabs-1275px-265kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: there’s a fair bit about sloths in the Tet Zoo archives, but it’s now hard to find and much of it has been ruined by removal of images and such. Here are two of the relevant articles, one from 2007, one from 2010. Of relevance here is that I’m gradually building a new archive of Tet Zoo articles (it’s here), aiming where possible to find intact versions at the internet archive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a001cae8-075d-490e-89de-fd26659e18e2/sloths-Oct-2025-Caribbean-skulls-MacPhee-et-al-2000-849px-370kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.png Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: megalocnoid skulls from Hispaniola as illustrated by MacPhee et al. (2000). (A) Acratocnus ye, (B) Neocnus dousman and (C) N. toupiti. Note the scale bars: the skulls of these animals are (relatively!) tiny (it’s 9.7 cm in N. toupiti). The skulls of these animals are also narrow across the snout. Image: MacPhee et al. (2000). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/192eb8e7-0fab-4e2a-8dcb-215620887630/sloths-Oct-2025-sloth-cladogram-1b-1464px-172kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: a simplified version of the morphology-based view of sloth phylogeny generally thought correct prior to the 2010s. Bradypus was regarded as the earliest diverging sloth lineage (in which case it has a suspiciously long ghost lineage), nothrotheres and megatheriids were considered close kin, and Choloepus was a megalocnid and hence part of one of the youngest sloth groups. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/94672fd7-ede6-43af-a9e1-32333500327f/sloths-Oct-2025-sloth-cladogram-2-1478px-168kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: molecular data indicates that the pattern of sloth evolution was rather different from what we thought based on anatomy. Caribbean sloths are the sister-group to the rest of the clade and Choloepus is not close to this group (instead being closer to mylodontids); Bradypus does not belong to an especially archaic lineage but is instead within the clade that includes megatheres and nothrotheres. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a5042e62-f98d-4b3f-a5f4-12c7d72b974a/sloths-Oct-2025-Mylodon-skin-NHM-1188px-198kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: one of the famous fragments of Mylodon skin (with pelt) from Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument in Chilean Patagonia, specifically the one collected by Francisco P. Moreno in 1897. Despite claims that sloth fur is coarse and stiff, you’ll note that the hair here actually has a soft and lustrous look. Small bony nodules are embedded on the skin’s inner surface. This specimen is in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London. Some dung from the same location is visible at back. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/69542470-17ae-4ee4-8d1d-4de1b2d0294c/sloths-Oct-2025-Deak-et-al-2025-Eremotherium-1636px-215kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a graph from Deak et al. (2025) showing the temperature regimes experienced by select extinct sloths. A famous ‘tropical’ sloth like the gigantic Eremotherium experienced warm temperatures in part of its range, but it lived in places that were cool and cold as well. At right, Eremotherium laurillardi skeleton at Houston Museum of Nature and Science. Images: Deak et al. (2025); Kamraman, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b76aaedf-5559-4e61-b810-3b21a8015603/sloths-Oct-2025-Thalassocnus-MNHN-Paris-FunkMonk-1920px-448kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: the 1995 publication of Thalassocnus natans from Peru caused quite the sensation. As you see from this articulated skeleton (on show at Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris), it’s not tremendously modified relative to other sloths: adaptations in the tail, hindlimb and skull are consistent with a wading, aquatic feeding lifestyle. However, the discovery since 1995 of other thalassocnine species show that members of this lineage became increasingly modified for marine life over time. Image: FunkMonk, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/813195ea-d563-4c13-aaf1-e42f5e98666e/sloths-Oct-2025-Lestodon-montage-1-1275px-176kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: Lestodon of the Pliocene, Pleistocene and Holocene of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina is a large and hilariously chunky mylodontid sloth with a notably broad, robust rostrum. The suggestion has been made several times that it might have been hippo-like in some aspects of behaviour and ecology. Images: skeletal reconstruction modified from Tomassini et al. (2020); the skull illustration is from a paper by Greg McDonald but I’m unsure of its original provenance, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f4c4089-3656-44ca-a176-1a4e3416e56f/sloths-Oct-2025-Nothrotherium-montage-1797px-273kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: skeleton of the familiar nothrothere Nothrotheriops, aka Shasta ground sloth, as displayed at Peabody Museum. At right, a 1938 photo of Nothrotheriops dung from Rampart Cave in Arizona. This dried dung is simply old and dry and has never been buried, so I don’t think people have ever referred to it as ‘fossil’. Images: public domain (originals here and here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0c4ab376-659a-4b13-8e06-a20244f831cf/sloths-Oct-2025-Pujos-et-al-2016-nothrotheres-1279px-116kb-Oct-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sloth World, 2025 (Part 1) - Make it stand out Caption: cladogram and map showing nothrothere evolution, from Pujos et al. (2016). This work shows nothrotheres as a mostly Miocene radiation of non-equatorial South America, one lineage of which migrated into North America. It remains controversial whether thalassocnines are nothrotheres, since they also share traits with megatheres. Image: Pujos et al. (2016). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/9/23/mesozoic-art-ii monthly 0.5 2025-09-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f6c9829-756d-4a4e-b893-15cbbbb992f9/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-Mesozoic-Art-cover-montage-1789px-227kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3432e2bf-54dc-4ed2-80f6-a4ccf939575a/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-Mesozoic-Art-II-slide-1126px-190kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: our cover image is by Anthony Hutchings, this one depicting a social interaction between two psittacosaurs. At right, social media avatars of your two humble author-editors (mine is by Ethan Kocak). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21eb97fc-05ec-4691-a62d-36d9ce33dc53/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-MAII-contents-915px-137kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: contents page from MAII, showing thumbnails for our 25 amazing artists. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/57703449-1eb3-4442-8023-c3f860020eca/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-Ramon-Gonzalez-Miragaia-slide-1139px-165kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: producing captions for these books is quite the challenge, since a delicate balance has to be found. How much technical content do we share about the organisms in the art, how much do we say about the actual art and its backstory, and are we pitching this for a lay-audience or a more technical one? We reach a compromise but there’s still room for improvement. Image: Ramón M. González, from White & Naish (2025). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/85be6706-5819-4966-ba5c-40171d17cec3/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-geese-and-crow-1030px-204kb-Sept-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: here, I’m going to repeat the caption I used back in 2022 when I published an article on Mesozoic Art, the first book. Animals of today are animals of the past when imagined or seen in the right way; similarly, the animals of the past can often be transposed to the present if environments and conditions are right. I know I’m not the only one who looks at animals and environments in this way. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9d7c3650-233b-44ee-8782-9e1e36562dec/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-Brian-Engh-spread-1676px-230kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: sample pages from the jaw-dropping Brian Engh section, showing Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous scenes and an outstandingly complex marine image depicting Late Cretaceous Western Interior Sea life. Images: Brian Engh, from White & Naish (2025). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ef12a6dd-ca78-4120-8567-c66e23b01cb9/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-Edyta-Felcyn-Kowalska-1741px-189kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: sample pages from the section showing Edyta Felcyn-Kowalska’s work. Some incredible stuff here; I especially like that juxtaposing Mesozoic archosaurs belonging to highly disparate lineages. Images: Edyta Felcyn-Kowalska, from White & Naish (2025). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/792dd76e-86e1-45c7-a500-0cd7f40ca8dc/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-artboost-montage-1138px-239kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: there’s a lot of good palaeoart out there online, much of it highly similar in quality to that we regard as professional. For a time recently, I gathered the work of (mostly) unpublished palaeoartists and shared it via a social media ‘artboost’ project. These screengrabs show just a few of these. I had to give up due to other demands on my time. What’s clear is that there is tons of great work by great people that we have yet to see shared in print. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/70a7b50c-a53c-48dc-9672-d6bb2a733426/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-All-Yesterdays-slide-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: this article isn’t about All Yesterdays, but here are images relevant to the 2012 publication of that book (including a scene from the launch event; from left to right, John Conway, Memo Kösemen, Darren Naish). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4892dff6-130e-4b9a-bb88-39e544fb6f8c/Mesozoic-Art-II-Sept-2025-Natalia-and-DJ-montage-slide-1125px-187kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mesozoic Art II, Palaeoart Portfolio for the 2020s - Make it stand out Caption: select images from the Natalia Jagielska and DJ Washington pages included in MAII. Our sections on these two artists have proved stand-out favourites among at least some people who’ve looked at the book. Images: Natalia Jagielska, DJ Washington, from White & Naish (2025). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/9/15/in-quest-of-hybrid-non-bird-dinosaurs monthly 0.5 2025-09-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7cb3a629-e0c9-4d12-be9f-14f8f9ea6134/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Stegoceratops-1073px-104kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the Jurassic World universe has, over time, included more and and more hybrid dinosaurs, some very silly. 'Stegoceratops' – a genetic hybrid between Stegosaurus and some sort of ceratopsian (not necessarily Triceratops, maybe Nasutoceratops) – has been a mainstay of the games and expanded universe for a while. Image: Jurassic Park wiki (here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/97f1db41-6710-4937-a39e-43725cd1242d/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-sturddlefish-hybrid-sea-turtle-1267px-199kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: hybrids that, by now, we all know and love. At left, Russian sturgeon Acipenser gueldenstaedtii (a) and American paddlefish Polyodon spathula (d), and hybrids (sturddlefish) between the two. These are captive hybrids and couldn’t have come about in the wild. At right, juvenile hybrid sea turtle captured off Florida in 2016. It looks like a Green turtle Chelonia mydas but has a few traits characteristic of Loggerhead Caretta caretta. These species belong to lineages that separated between 35 and 46 million years ago [UPDATE: see comments. Those claims of very old divergences in extant sea turtles are probably very wrong]. Images: Káldy et al. (2020); Shamblin et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9753827a-feb4-4b82-b466-754613bd8a7d/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-gull-hybrids-1742px-177kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Captions: if you look at gulls a lot (the white-headed Larus species especially), you’ll know that hybrids are moderately common in some populations, and often difficult to identify precisely. At left, a gull photographed in Lisbon in 2014 and which seems to combine traits of Lesser black-backed L. fuscus and Herring gulls L. argentatus. At right, an Olympic or Puget Sound gull photographed in Oregon in 2022. This sort of gull appears to be a hybrid between Western L. occidentalis and Glaucous-winged gulls L. glaucescens. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/08b66a65-9c26-48a7-9055-8a4419d2257b/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Cretaceous-ornithischians-1177px-154kb-Sept-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: there are numerous dinosaur communities where some or several close relatives lived alongside one another; the animals shown here weren’t all sympatric but are representatives of certain of the relevant groups (lambeosaurine hadrosaurs and both chasmosaurine and centrosaurine ceratopsids). These animals often exhibit extravagant structures but – even so – we might speculate that hybridization occurred here and there. This illustration is looking very dated. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7e1f4842-39d2-46f8-af65-93c475a38140/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-liger-Camphora-PO-1099px-180kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: it’s well known that Panthera species can hybridize, with ligers (Panthera leo x P. tigris) being probably the most familiar. Ligers have been known to science since the late 1700s and can be (relatively) easily created in captivity. Notably, the two parent species here have, in the past, occurred sympatrically and there are unconfirmed accounts of their hybrids existing in the wild. Image: Camphora, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a1c845f7-a5fc-4525-b617-289d259b53ce/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-duck-montage-1759px-192kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: two ducks that engage in a lot of hybridizing. Mexican duck at left, Mallard at right. Images: ALAN SCHMIERER, CC0 (original here); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/62cd5f04-159d-45f7-9ec7-77a68b8332a1/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Cuban-crocodile-Zanbog-1315px-281kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: Cuban crocodile, a species that has hybridized in the wild with the related crocodile species. Whole populations in parts of Cuba appear to have a hybrid ancestry but human intervention may have a role in contributing to this. The Cuban crocodile is a fantastic animal, highly capable on land, good at grabbing animals from overhead branches (by leaping from water), and with great pigmentation. Image: Zanbog, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8fb4e9ae-4034-4be0-b42d-ab5d770a2210/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-hybrid-lizards-in-phylogeny-845px-86kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: very useful phylogenetic tree from Jančúchová-Lásková et al. (2015) showing prevalence of hybridization within lizards. It's widespread enough that we should regard it as ubiquitous across the group, but note that there are numerous groups where it basically hasn't been reported. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/eb010574-6318-4507-859c-0471bd983bb8/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Triceratops-AMNH-5116-1296px-180kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the very famous Triceratops specimen AMNH 5116, on show at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. It's a really famous Triceratops but also a deeply odd one. Image: Kabacchi, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/df2be495-4e56-46ad-b10a-9ab569c7e086/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Protoceratops-like-montage-1252px-105kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the ceratopsian specimen MPC-D 100/551B from Ömnögovi, Mongolia, identified by Czepiński (2020) as ‘cf Bagaceratops sp’ and suggested to perhaps be a hybrid. At right: opinions differ among experts as to how many taxa should be recognized among Late Cretaceous east Asian ceratopsians (Magnirostris, shown here, is generally thought today to be synonymous with Bagaceratops). If any of these animals were sympatric, it is at least plausible that hybridization occurred. Images: Czepiński (2020); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1feb78d5-3884-4544-973f-b00f3eedab9e/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Scannella-et-al-cladogram-761px-49kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: several Triceratops specimens (like UCMP 113697 and MOR 3027, shown here in the middle part of the tree) were found by Scannella et al. (2014) to be 'intermediates' between the two recognized species. Within their hypothesis of anagenetic evolution, such animals must have existed. But the possibility that some of these specimens might be hybrids is on the cards. Image: Scannella et al. (2014). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1dbdd8e0-e0aa-417a-9239-4858417cc7f6/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Triceratops-AMNH-5116-1371px-111kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the famous Yoshi’s Trike, MOR 3027, at left, on show at the Museum of the Rockies, Montana. This animal is anatomically intermediate between the Triceratops species T. prorsus and T. horridus... could it be a hybrid? That’s a fun idea, since its ridiculous supraorbital horns could then be imagined (I said imagined) as a consequence of hybrid vigour. Image: WernerG2011, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8040cb1b-ed8d-4589-9656-6192cdde66cf/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-rackelhuhn-1307px-117kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: Rackelhuhn, a naturally occurring and well known European hybrid between Western capercaillie and Black grouse. Image: F. C. Robiller, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e30fa642-53e8-4708-b42a-7ff4a4db7e78/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Bochenski-%26-Tomek-1371px-149kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: Bocheński & Tomek (2000) showed that hybrids between extant galliform species could be identified osteologically, if you know exactly what to look for. As shown in these and other diagrams, known hybrids possess small osteological details in the sternum, coracoid, humerus and elsewhere in the skeleton that are intermediate between the conditions of the two parent species. Images: Bocheński & Tomek (2000). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f0c419fc-cdef-4fb5-a6d4-3ddef9070eeb/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-Toroceratops-Francisco-Lira-Cuadra-1469px-189kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: palaeoartists have indulged in a modicum of speculation on the sorts of hybrids that might have existed in some Mesozoic dinosaur communities. This hypothetical ‘Toroceratops’ represents a Triceratops x Torosaurus hybrid. Image: FALC Paleoart, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/456b2e59-768c-4dbf-84f9-caac02df7aff/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-deer-and-woodpecker-1211px-176kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: anatomy and genetics indicate that several extant animal species or groups probably do owe their origins to hybridization between species that are not especially closely related. As a consequence they do look weird and have often been hard to place in phylogenetic terms. Examples include the Milu or Père david’s deer Cervus davidianus (captive individual at left), and the campephiline woodpeckers (Crimson-crested woodpecker Campephilus melanoleucas shown here). I wrote about the ancestry of the Milu here. Images: Darren Naish; Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/17cc2c69-2bb7-4402-adbd-3cb830efec3f/hybrid-dinosaurs-Sept-2025-lambeosaurine-hybrid-Hodari-Nundu-1352px-122kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Quest of Hybrid (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: another hypothetical Late Cretaceous hybrid, this time one between members of the Parasaurolophus and Lambeosaurus lineages within lambeosaurines. Would such an animal succeed in winning mates itself? Would it be a loner, would it live with one or either parent species, and would its unique anatomy be reflected in unique acoustics? Questions we will likely never have answered… should such an animal have existed. Image: Hodari Nundu, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/9/3/the-crowing-crested-cobra-once-more monthly 0.5 2026-02-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/68312f39-7f65-4513-9766-8fc95cd57381/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-Spawls-Shuker-montage-1000px-171kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: at left, cover of the 1979 Sun, Sand & Snakes, a valuable source of info on the Crowing crested cobra and African snakes in general. At right, reconstruction of Crowing crested cobra by Karl Shuker, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/396774e0-1049-4244-94ef-673453bd8e2c/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-Spawls-books-1062px-151kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: I’m a big fan of the herpetological books of Stephen Spawls and his co-authors and own these two (plus the Sun, Sand & Snakes one shown above). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/18f8400c-971f-49c4-a6d8-8192d9f8afcc/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-Karl-Shuker-1991-montage-976px-139kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the original (non-coloured) illustration of the Crowing crested cobra from Karl Shuker’s 1991 Extraordinary Animals Worldwide, also published in the revised 2007 volume Extraordinary Animals Revisited, shown at right. These books are of direct interest to me for several reasons, one being that they feature Karl’s thoughts on Ameranthropoides… as hinted by the cover of the 2007 work. Image: Karl Shuker, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/77c521b0-d4dd-49f8-a8c3-42eff8da72c6/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-Naish-full-snake-1418px-82kb-Sept-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: reconstruction of Crowing crested cobra, based very obviously on Karl’s version, and created for my in-prep The Cryptids of Bernard Heuvelmans (progress on which is shared at patreon). Remember that this snake is meant to be very large, around 6 m long. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c448d3ce-104b-462f-837f-6ee3d211718e/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-chupacabra-montage-1106px-152kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: the chupacabra/chupacabras has a complex history, and what it’s imagined to be like has changed substantially over the years. Prior to it being thought of as a hairless, dog-like animal, it was supposed to be a spiky-backed vampiric humanoid, possibly of alien origin, as shown in the image at right. The illustration at left, by famed palaeoartist John Sibbick, was done for the cover of Fortean Times and reflects an effort by the artist to ‘rationalize’ the entity (rather than show it in the manner that would have been more accurate according to canon). Images: © John Sibbick / Fortean Times; LeCire (original here), public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/887d47c1-f515-4a75-9969-cac99cf21a4f/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-Frilled-lizard-Phillip-Parker-King-1827-1390px-132kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: vintage 1827 illustration of deceased Frill-necked lizard, published in Phillip Parker King’s Narrative of a Survey Volume 2, the first outing of this species in the scientific literature and the place where it was officially named and described. The illustration (an engraving) is by Mr Curtis and was based on a drawing by H. C. Field… I assume the ‘Mr Curtis’ is John Curtis (1791-1862). Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d517a773-8469-4956-bc46-be502afb685e/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-Black-mamba-montage-1716px-165kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: it might be that part of the Crowing crested cobra legend is based on encounters with Black mambas, perhaps individuals with a ‘frill’ form of sloughed skin. The Black mamba is so named because its mouth interior is black. Image: TimVickers, public domain (original here); Tad Arensmeier, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d5feb5dd-4fc1-492f-89b5-7bc0aac0de58/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-naga-CEphoto-Uwe-Aranas-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1110px-128kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: wooden sculpt of a Naga at Keraton Yogyakarta, Java. Note the crown and lappet-like structure on the throat. Image: © CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (original here), CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2aebbca2-abb8-4535-bae1-60ccbef325d3/crowing-crested-cobra-Sept-2025-Markus-Buhler-866px-106kb-Sept-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More - Make it stand out Caption: a speculative effort to reconstruct the Crowing crested cobra as if it were a real elapid snake, with the sort of cephalic scalation expected for cobras and their kin. Image: Marcus Bühler, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/8/7/crocodiles-attack-elephants-still monthly 0.5 2025-08-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8b775371-4bae-42c1-9d6e-7b4219e0a2e3/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-stills-montage-1406px-110kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: these screengrabs are obviously not the best but… yes, that’s a large Saltwater crocodile Crocodylus porosus attacking a small Asian elephant Elephas maximus. I’m very confident that the footage is real and absolutely not AI. The croc can be identified as C. porosus on the basis of its scute-free dorsal neck surface, not size alone. The footage is credited to © Sufri.Johny and was shared on Facebook by © Wildman Adventures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14eb51e7-a55d-4a3e-b0bf-a90906606700/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-stills-1-796px-49kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: another screengrab, here showing the second lunge from the crocodile, and showing it biting the elephant right across the upper right side of the shoulder region. The footage is credited to © Sufri.Johny and was shared on Facebook by © Wildman Adventures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/df43b2d5-d0ee-4de7-890e-e838feeb55ae/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-Martin-Nyfeler-1427px-154kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: one of the best of the relevant photos. They were used uncredited quite a bit, but should be considered © Ben Campbell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2056d4f9-a989-4a20-b335-abdd0e92b7e6/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-Martin-Nyfeler-sequence-1494px-164kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: a full, detailed account of what happened and was photographed is present on Ben Campbell’s blog where it was published in September 2010. The blog is no longer active, but the photos should be considered © Ben Campbell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d6e694e9-3fc4-4be6-a2c8-716990e10adc/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-Johan-Opperman-Kruger-1368px-208kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: Johan Opperman’s 2010 photo of a crocodile pulling the trunk of a juvenile elephant was published in several places; here’s an appearance in The Telegraph. Image: © Johan Opperman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/887ac383-5554-4cca-9e0c-460d03020d7c/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-92BMW318is-stills-montage-1505px-87kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3e39a743-14df-4aa8-92f7-7531eb2664a1/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-jwakf-stills-montage-1561px-56kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: this attack occurred in moderately deep water (for a river), and a few moments show that the crocodile grabbed the trunk’s tip before letting go. Thanks to RoryD for bringing this piece of footage to my attention. It happened in the Chobe River in Botswana and was uploaded in April 2012 by YouTube user jwakf. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/677e0ef5-ee2f-40ab-a748-1b6584a9890b/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-Kipling-The-Elephants-Child-1902-1174px-159kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve never read the Rudyard Kipling stories, but I do know that there’s one called The Elephant’s Child, and that it includes a segment where the elephant gains its trunk thanks to the actions of a crocodile. I believe that this illustration was created by Kipling in 1902; image in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9afaf9e0-dbbb-49e6-a1bd-86239b2859d8/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-Marlon-Du-Toit-1561px-56kb-Aug-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: the full story behind this specific elephant used to be findable online, but I can no longer locate any trace of it, not even at wayback machine. There are plenty other images online of elephants with damaged – sometimes even mostly missing – trunks; it’s clearly a not uncommon problem, linked in part to the widespread use of snares. Image: © Marlon Du Toit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d01cc96a-42c5-463c-8c28-e572108842e8/crocs-vs-elephants-Aug-2025-Platybelodon-vs-Euthecodon-1328px-136kb-Aug-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Crocodiles Attack Elephants Then, Now, and Still - Make it stand out Caption: the famous extinct proboscidean (not an elephant!) Platybelodon has an unpleasant encounter with the big, long-jawed fossil crocodylian Euthecodon somewhere in Miocene or Pliocene east Africa. Platybelodon has traditionally been reconstructed as having a broad, flattened structure where elephants have a trunk, but it’s now widely thought that this is wrong, and that it and its relatives had trunks. They weren’t the wading ‘shovel-tuskers’ of tradition, but parkland-dwelling herbivores. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/7/25/tetrapod-zoology-ver-4s-7th-birthday monthly 0.5 2025-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e3a4f370-3810-45df-bbed-bc8dcaa64a47/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-intro-montage-2-1767px-196kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of things somehow relevant to the history of Tet Zoo ver 4. From left to right: the 2022 publication of Ancient Sea Reptiles is deeply relevant to the history of this blog (it saw release as a second edition in 2023); my interest in cassowaries led to field collaboration with Todd Green in 2023 (that’s not Todd in the photo, but Liberace the red-necked northern cassowary); finally, the tenure of Tet Zoo ver 4 overlapped with the final days of Dinosaurs in the Wild, a travelling exhibition connected to various things that happened before and since. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8c9bca78-be44-4d5f-bbc7-c405865301f0/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-TetZooCon-2024-rooftop-1666px-222kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: TetZooCon – the annual Tetrapod Zoology Convention – has been a mainstay throughout the duration of Tet Zoo ver 4. The 5th and 6th of those events happened in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but a global pandemic meant that we switched to zoom-based versions in 2020 and 2021. The 9th event (2022) was in-person again, and things were back to normal for the 10th (2023) and 11th (2024). And that 2024 TetZooCon was the last one ever. Thanks to those who made it what it was. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/df714cde-14e4-4a88-9251-0829a619374b/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-Conway-montage-1492px-187kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: John Conway and I have been working closely together for what feels like an eternity at this point. We talk about palaeoart a lot; at left, John is pondering different versions of a Greg Paul illustration. The podcast back-catalogue is here. John insists on wearing sunglasses indoors, that’s how cool he is (kidding, he actually doesn’t). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5d8cd65d-da2d-4430-8751-4bc612b3c8fc/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-WWD-montage-1581px-229kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: a good chunk of my time over the years since 2016 has been taken up by the making of TV shows that have a sort of connection to the seminal Walking With Dinosaurs of 1999. Partly for that reason, I thought it appropriate to publish my thoughts on that series: check out Part 1 and Part 2, both published in 2021. The image at left shows Mike Milne in an Impossible Picture office (RIP Mike; he died in 2024); the image at right is the intro from Haines (2000). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7f879b78-b8e6-49b9-9949-9c719b05173c/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-Naish-book-montage-1737px-168kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: my workload has constantly thwarted my ability to publish as many books as I might like, but at least a few have seen release while ver 4 has been active. Among them are the third edition of Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved (2023; with Paul Barrett), Dinopedia (2021) and Mesozoic Art (2022; with Steve White). Other books are currently in production or due to see print soon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/622abbef-3398-46a0-baa2-f10e2764f90e/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-birthday-theropod-montage-1595px-229kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: this was intended as a dinosaur-themed montage, but it says a lot that it’s ended up as, specifically, a theropod-themed one. Clockwise from top left: tree-climbing juvenile dromaeosaurids, from here; Eotyrannus in life, by Loana Riboli (copyright, used with permission), from here; a friendly ornithomimid with its human companion, by Mike Skrepnick (used with permission), from here; and British baryonychine spinosaurids new to science as of 2021, by Anthony Hutchings, from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/79042585-da30-4f36-943e-da51f8a1bc67/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-dinosauroid-montage-1815px-194kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: ‘dinosauroids’ of two very different sorts. At left, the Russell-Séguin version (as illustrated for my 2021 book Dinopedia), a humanoid invented to show the inevitability of the humanoid form (see the full article here). At right, a more ‘realistic’ dinosauroid (in my view, of course): a smart maniraptoran theropod that kills mammals for a living. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6b5ba8c3-ce61-4526-ab38-d332cf6e0c00/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-Kabomani-tapir-montage-1558px-124kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: come on, who doesn’t love tapirs? Tapirs have been mentioned or discussed so many times within the TetZooniverse that they might be unofficial emblems of the whole enterprise, as implied in this illustration (left) by Patrick Murphy. At right, this cladogram (from Ruiz-García et al.’s (2015) study of South American tapirs) shows how Kabomani tapirs (green) appear to be a lineage within Tapirus terrestris (red). For more, see the 2018 Kabomani tapir article here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cb3ee1d6-8ba9-49fa-8cd3-113108c76a6f/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-Loveland-frog-montage-1609px-266kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: cryptozoology includes the classic famous cryptids – Bigfoot, Nessie and the like – but what about the fringe creatures at the edges? Among my favourite is the Loveland frog of the 1950s and 70s, a creature I covered here in 2020. Images: alleged original eyewitness sketch, and a later redrawing by Ron Schaffner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/31b853af-88e9-4810-92b7-5b95ed150e38/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-water-monster-montage-1780px-116kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: water monsters are great value for money, and doubly fascinating because many (albeit not all) of the accounts do involve real sightings of real animals. At left, stills from the Migo footage of 1994, covered here. Middle: it sure would be nice if Nessie sightings like this actually occurred, but they really didn’t. This book is by Tim Dinsdale, and for more on him go here. At far right, the Shiels Nessie, which I’ve written about at length but not necessarily here at Tet Zoo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8e353c09-ec2e-492e-8f08-9d19655e72be/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-black-dog-1327px-100kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: recalling what I said above the Loveland frog, are semi-mythical creatures like the Black dog (a special kind of phantom, not just a dog that’s black) relevant to conventional zoology? Well, I’m sufficiently interested in them that I have written about them (go here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/efd9a5e4-dc27-4cc1-88e9-0482aaefa3f1/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-Feduccia-montage-1640px-148kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: Alan Feduccia has had more than his fair share of time in the limelight, but his style of argumentation really needs to be called out for the contrarian pseudointellectualism that it is. At right, a rough consensus cladogram showing relationships within Archosauria. Feduccia argues in his latest book that we should abandon this (relatively) resolved tree and instead throw our arms in the air and embrace something more chaotic. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/602b7a3b-61f7-4ad3-b87a-a2677c673f36/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-frog-and-pond-montage-1770px-384kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: my efforts to help Common frogs Rana temporaria and create more, and better, ponds, have been regular points of discussion here. I’ve built (and helped manage) several ponds during ver 4’s duration but still need to write at length about pond construction and design. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/87d2650a-3c3f-42bf-a593-602052abf384/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-lizard-montage-1327px-100kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: squamates have had some amount of coverage here, but it’s still not enough. For whatever reason, iguanians are over-represented (probably because they’re among the squamates most frequently encountered in captivity here in the UK). At left, captive Omani spiny-tailed lizard or Thomas’s mastigure U. thomasi from this 2018 article. At right, a skink cladogram from this 2020 article. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1528652b-65cf-424b-a008-b21eb135999f/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-ver-2-squamate-montage-1-1419px-206kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/257e38e8-61b0-468c-803c-3899aacd0129/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-ver-2-squamate-montage-2-1519px-226kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: a montage which helps show how many squamate-themed articles were published at Tet Zoo back in the olden times. Virtually all of these articles are now only findable at wayback machine, and even then not in intact version. I’ve been doing what I can to rehabilitate them here at ver 4. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d1582b2b-472b-4c86-ad2e-9dc71b16b79e/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-our-lady-potoo-749px-58kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: ‘Our Lord and savior potoo bird’. This image is by dragongirl222, who does a whole range of potoo-themed merchandise at redbubble. Image: (c) dragongirl222. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3ccdb003-06ce-43af-a52c-edacaa46726b/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-2025-DinoCon-Natalia-pics-montage-1499px-164kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday - Make it stand out Caption: the promotional art for DinoCon (which will be available on merchandise) was created by Natalia Jagielska. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/7/16/whales-and-dolphins-around-europe monthly 0.5 2025-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aec9b420-c1fd-4bbb-934c-6dd0ae73276e/Biscay-whales-July-2025-ORCA-Pont-Aven-1404px-132kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: ORCA does its whale surveying aboard various vessels that cover numerous routes. So far, I’ve only done the southern England to northern Spain route; here’s our vessel in Santander, Spain. Images: ORCA; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14851b08-bc73-46f8-b419-3df8caa78092/Biscay-whales-July-2025-Common-dolphin-montage-1755px-253px-July-2025-Alex-Srdic-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: a Common dolphin montage, showing individuals leaping as well as a family group moving at a more sedate pace. Images: Alex Srdic; lower one Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/05d0c241-64eb-4abf-a556-37c0dc24398f/Biscay-whales-July-2025-Common-dolphin-1-1702px-229kb-July-2025-Alex-Srdic-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: leaping Common dolphin. This species is highly variable in pattern and colour (and there’s ecomorphological variety in beak length as well); this one is interesting in having irregular pale patches on its dorsal cape. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b558858-7ebd-44d9-85ba-0d15736fe9bc/Biscay-whales-July-2025-Striped-dolphin-1-1570px-223kb-July-2025-Alex-Srdic-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: leaping Striped dolphin showing eponymous markings. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6e2799ec-5e98-4c12-9705-44d60b4cef5e/Biscay-whales-July-2025-Striped-dolphin-2-1773px-256kb-July-2025-Alex-Srdic-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: a pair of leaping Striped dolphins. Spray and very visible splashing is typical of Striped dolphin leaps. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e1151957-d53a-41ef-bb74-69fc984bfdde/Biscay-whales-July-2025-mystery-dolphin-1652px-113kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: this dolphin (the two images show the same individual) was seen and photographed by several people but remained ambiguous. It was mostly grey with a pale belly and robust rostrum. It looks something like a bottlenose dolphin but also doesn’t quite match one. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a172ced6-d758-48c9-bb40-6b8446b12b10/Biscay-whales-July-2025-Rissos-dolphin-1-1501px-86kb-July-2025-Alex-Srdic-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: two of a group of nine Risso’s dolphin seen on our trip. The blunt head, extensive pale scarring and big, slender dorsal fin are all characteristic. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/417ff8b4-282a-454a-aa3c-56b30cd4918a/Biscay-whales-July-2025-Rissos-dolphin-2-1348px-103kb-July-2025-Alex-Srdic-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: characteristic dorsal fins of Risso’s dolphins. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e910841a-1ad0-4933-9459-dcfec9791263/Biscay-whales-July-2025-minke-whale-1-1281px-78kb-July-2025-Alex-Srdic-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: a mid-sized whale identified as a Northern minke, though the field sign used to support this identification are not immediately clear from this photo. Minke surface briefly once or twice and then disappear. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ca59c02b-ea27-44f6-a5e7-dc69d2d122e9/Biscay-whales-July-2025-minke-whale-2-1727px-148kb-July-2025-Alex-Srdic-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: a second Northern minke individual seen closer to the UK, this time giving us a great view of its distinctive dorsal fin. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b8ea5b00-8076-4f5a-b100-25dfd52659b0/Biscay-whales-July-2025-moon-and-rocks-1340px-81kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: I like seeing animals, but landscapes, seascapes and the sky are all great as well. We had fantastic views of the full moon over various coastal seascapes, like this one – I think off the coast of France. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8ad442ba-d035-4937-b775-3b0ad623f193/Biscay-whales-July-2025-sunrise-1710px-74kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whales and Dolphins Around the Coasts of Europe, 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: these trips are one of the few occasions on which I get to see unobstructed views of both sunrise and sunset. This sunrise is from the morning of 11th July 2025. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/7/13/giraffized-azhdarchid monthly 0.5 2025-08-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c238cf9d-40b7-42ff-8f09-b06307cc84bf/azhdarchoids-July-2025-tapejarine-herbivory-1716px-172kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: images that depict tapejarids as herbivores or frugivores are few and far between, but they do exist. Inspired by my reading of Peter Wellnhofer’s 1991 book on pterosaurs, I once chose to depict Tapejara as a leaf eater; the image at right – from issue 95 of the Orbis Dinosaurs! partwork (published 1994) – shows Tapejara as a frugivorous fruitbat/hornbill mashup. Images: Darren Naish; © Robin Bouttell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d8df349e-4807-47a0-850e-f2c70cfec679/azhdarchoids-July-2025-Tupandactylus-Rio-1218px-149kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: this reconstructed (model) skeleton of the Brazilian tapejarid Tupandactylus imperator, formerly on show at the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro (tragically ruined by fire in 2018), shows the deep rostrum, pointed jaw tips and remarkable bony crests (on the snout, rear of the skull, and lower jaw) typical of this azhdarchoid pterosaur group. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/88399676-e351-465c-ae0f-41d0565da68f/azhdarchoids-July-2025-Pterosauria-textbook-1430px-149kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: once upon a time, this was going to happen. Even the publishers (Cambridge University Press) were taking it seriously enough to put this ad online. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dec801bf-c812-4acc-816f-a23adfcd8225/azhdarchoids-July-2025-tapejarine-skulls-1800px-238kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: tapejarid skulls aren’t quite like those of any living animal group, but they resemble those of hornbills more than those of anything else. In the two skulls here (Tupandactylus navigans at left, Tu. imperator at right), the orbit (eye socket) is the small, subcircular opening at the rear, way outsized by the massive antorbital fenestra. Both of these specimens show how the bony crests were continuous with giant, sheet-like soft tissue extensions. Images: Mark Witton; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/da812ffd-b1a7-4601-8723-f8db93999b54/azhdarchoid-diet-July-2025-Trumpeter-hornbill-1596px-146kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve been bitten by several hornbill species in my time, albeit never with malicious intent. This is a captive Trumpeter hornbill Bycanistes bucinator photographed in 2012, a mid-sized African species. Hornbills like this differ from tapejarids in having a curved bill, but this isn’t the case in all of them; the two groups are similar in skull proportions and in being highly pneumatic in the rostrum. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6058cb91-7023-45fa-8122-ae0d13aead60/azhdarchoid-diet-July-2025-Jiang-et-al-fig-1278px-362kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: montage from Jiang et al. (2025) showing preserved stomach contents of the tapejarid Sinopterus, revealing gastroliths and phytoliths, and thus evidence for herbivory of some sort. I can’t say much more at this stage since the paper has only been released as a preprint that I can’t access. Image: Jiang et al. (2025). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9c767821-8d79-4297-8a74-90939478da45/azhdarchoid-diet-July-2025-lank-and-Qilin-1222px-163kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: it’s a most curious and interesting thing that azhdarchids (and similar azhdarchoids) acquired superficially artiodactyl-like proportions, albeit with wings and a very different skull. And thus, we find justification for the flightless, superficially giraffe-like pterosaurs of Spec Zoo, right? Follow the links below if you’re interested. Images: © Steve Holden/Dougal Dixon; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aea7ba52-f945-4144-978e-59d18313c1a7/azhdarchoid-diet-July-2025-ground-hornbill-montage-1696px-300kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: views have differed on whether hornbills were ancestrally mostly frugivorous and then gave rise to the mostly predatory ground hornbills, or whether mostly predatory ancestors gave rise to the mostly-frugivores. Either way, the differences between the two sorts aren’t that profound: they’re certainly less different than azhdarchids are from tapejarids. Here are captive Southern ground hornbills Bucorvus leadbeateri. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/954ed2b3-d966-4dba-a24b-d70f84e21acf/azhdarchoids-July-2025-montage-news-1768px-270kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: there will come a time when I’ll stop talking about the impact of, and publicity associated with, the Witton & Naish 2008 ‘terrestrial stalking’ paper, but that time is not today. Here are screengrabs showing a few of the treatments the story was given by the great British press. Cor blimey, wot a whopper, Gary Lineker’s woke pet donkey stole my garden shed, and so on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/194a21b5-4762-4618-bb4a-fa08d150234c/azhdarchoid-diet-July-2025-Witton-%26-Naish-2015-873px-125kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: numerous aspects of azhdarchid anatomy provide support for the view that these animals were terrestrial stalkers that picked up animal prey from the ground; the hypothesis is different from most of those proposed for pterosaurs in that it isn’t based on just one perceived trait or adaptation. Image: Witton & Naish (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/effba505-b37a-418c-830a-21e1a16b68f7/azhdarchoid-diet-July-2025-Arambourgiania-Mark-Witton-1417px-145kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tapejarid Palaeobiology and the Concept of the ‘Giraffized’ Azhdarchid - Make it stand out Caption: variation in neck proportions and skull shape in particular show that not all azhdarchids were alike, a point made by numerous authors at this point. The remarkably long and slender neck of Arambourgiania, shown here, suggests a lifestyle, ecology and diet quite different from that of azhdarchids with a shorter, more robust neck and skull, for example. Image: © Mark Witton. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/7/7/champion-giant-slow-worms monthly 0.5 2025-07-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a42f2c96-c906-4671-acb9-cf27b980daef/slow-worms-July-2025-montage-1776px-320kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: I photograph all the slow-worms I see, and here are a few encountered here in southern England during the 2010s and 20s. The deceased individual at left, found in a churchyard while I was on a bat survey, was a big, robust male, and when complete would have been quite large. How large? I can’t reliably say seeing as its posterior half was missing. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/17acda6e-6550-41d0-bbed-9f5e66cef2c7/slow-worms-July-2025-Male-1983-anguid-montage-1633px-249kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: slow-worms are part of the anguimorph lizard group Anguidae, and indeed are the ‘type’ genus for this group. Here’s a montage of extant anguids, using the brilliant 1983 paintings of Alan Male (I’ve used this same montage in previous Tet Zoo anguid articles). The animals shown here are Sheltopusik Pseudopus apodus (at top), then the brightly coloured galliwasp Diploglossus, the alligator lizard Gerrhonotus at lower left, and Anguis itself at lower right. Images: Alan Male, from Whitfield (1983). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/47577a86-db54-41e3-8997-c6397df9dbc1/slow-worms-July-2025-Italian-slow-worm-phylogeny-Gvozdik-et-al-792px-64kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: slow-worm phylogeny, from Gvoždík et al. (2013), showing the revised taxonomy they suggest based on this phylogenetic structure. Peloponnese and Italian slow-worms form a clade that’s the sister-group to the remaining taxa. The divergences between the main lineages here appear to have occurred 25 million years ago or more. Image: Gvoždík et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ff4ab375-454c-4080-9e11-a0605359498f/slow-worms-July-2025-Italian-slow-worm-map-Gvozdik-et-al-1261px-122kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: map showing the geographic origins of the slow-worms analysed by Gvoždík et al. (2013) for their phylogenetic study. The assumption until recently was that slow-worms from throughout the range of these animals (the brown area) belong to Anguis fragilis, but there’s now doubt about this: A. fragilis is widespread in the west, but what about all unsampled regions from the east? The Scandinavian animals should be A. fragilis, and some authors have shown all the animals in the east to be A. colchica (Speybroeck et al. 2016), albeit sharing a fuzzy boundary (running north-south through Poland, and also through Czechia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) with A. fragilis. Ireland is shown here as devoid of slow-worms but we now know that that’s not right: they’re present, and seem to owe their presence to introduction by people. Image: Gvoždík et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2deba6f9-88a2-4d86-b51a-524e681b7d12/slow-worms-July-2025-UK-herp-books-1100px-169kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: many parts of the world are home to reptile species that are but covered perhaps once, maybe twice, in the literature. Western Europe’s reptile species have been written about on numerous occasions; here are a selection of books that cover slow-worms, albeit often relatively fleetingly. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2652ddfe-063f-4a55-9c10-3202ab7942fb/slow-worms-July-2025-Steep-Holm-1300px-125kb-July-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: it might be obvious how Steep Holm got its name. Muntjac deer used to live on it (maybe they still do) and some died by falling off the sides. I’ve never visited, but I’ve viewed it from afar on several occasions. This photo was taken from Weston-super-Mare in August 2020. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6ec026ce-214b-4286-8b8e-09d287a6187c/slow-worms-July-2025-Buehler-giant-1553px-253kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: extremely large, and sadly deceased, male slow-worm found in Germany by Markus Bühler in 2006. This specimen was preserved and properly measured, and found to be 48 cm in total length. Unlike snakes, legless anguids have long tails: with a bit of imagination you can work out where the body-tail junction is, and note how slender the tail is relative to the thicker part of the body. Image: Markus Bühler, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/219bd919-dabc-4ebf-860e-8b3b4a2021d1/slow-worms-July-2025-Buehler-Scheltopusik-1734px-157kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: the Sheltopusik does look somewhat like a gigantic slow-worm, but it has a pluck and charm all its own too. Their eyes in particular are striking and make them look very different from snakes (something we’ve discussed here at Tet Zoo before). A consequence of large size is that the skin has more of a ‘plated’ look than it does in slow-worms, the osteoderms appearing more defined and obvious. These photos were taken in Corfu. Images: Markus Bühler, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0d793f99-8e28-4495-929e-0555ab0c82f7/slow-worms-July-2025-slow-worms-at-TetZoo-1258px-223kb-July-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms - Make it stand out Caption: I had the impression that slow-worms have been covered on an unusually high number of occasions here, but it turns out that I’ve only written about them three times or so. Given that Tet Zoo is approaching its 20th year of operation, it shouldn’t be surprising that certain familiar species have been covered more than once. These two articles are from ver 1 (2006) and 2 (2007), respectively. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/6/27/armadillo-empire-part-2 monthly 0.5 2025-10-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/34691516-a1af-45b3-b177-855f0863d483/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Doedicurus-and-fairy-1372px-177kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: the evolution of tiny burrowing forms (look for the fairy armadillo at lower left) and giant, heavily armoured, herbivorous forms (like the giant glyptodont Doedicurus) means that armadillos exhibit a really profound, and rarely commented on, variation in size. Images: James Dana, Hermann Burmeister; both in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b3ff8da6-0982-445b-905b-c58d634f93b6/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Gaudin-%26-Wible-montage-1506px-152kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: armadillo skulls are highly variable, and contain a ton of anatomical information that can be analysed within a phylogenetic context. If you do analyse this data and include sufficient taxa… what do you find? Not enough people have paid attention to the article shown at left (Gaudin & Wible 2006); read on. The skull diagrams here, from Gaudin & Wible (2006), are (clockwise from upper left) Dasypus, Tolypeutes, Proeutatus, Cabassous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/214750e3-e629-430d-b8f1-4ec88c5f11e6/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Gaudin-%26-Wible-2006-937px-82kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: an armadillo cladogram published by Tim Gaudin and John Wible in 2006, and emphasizing the fact that phylogenetic hypotheses whereby glyptodonts (and pampatheres and their kin) are nested within crown-armadillos are not ‘owned’ by molecular biologists. Anatomists discovered this first! Images: three-banded armadillo in the public domain (original here); Eutatus from Krmpotic et al. (2009); Macroeuphractus from Vizcaíno & De Iuliis (2003); Euphractus and glyptodont by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c5f4392e-9836-4885-becd-07d07b974aea/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-glyptodont-montage-1730px-183kb-June-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve mentioned a few times how pleased I am to own the museum-quality model of the Pliocene-Pleistocene-Holocene glyptodont Neosclerocalyptus shown here, created by Santiago Druetta in Córdoba, Argentina. Thanks to Rebecca Groom for printing and painting. At right, a Glyptodon clavipes skull photographed at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Note the massive jugal flange and deep and broad nose. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/19967d50-5115-432e-914f-b33c299a5f2b/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Delsuc-et-al-1186px-174kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: a molecular armadillo phylogeny as published by Delsuc et al. (2016). The phylogeny is broadly consistent with other studies and other data (though don’t go thinking that all phylogenetic studies on armadillos are in agreement — oh ho ho!), but the issue I have with what’s shown here is the taxonomy… should we really be including all those lineages within a super-inclusive Chlamyphoridae? Image: Delsuc et al. (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1cedbc55-0916-426d-9685-c7207298968b/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-fairy-armadillo-montage-1135px-140kb-June-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: a Pink fairy armadillo taxiderm specimen and mounted skeleton, both on display at the Grant Museum of Zoology, London. It should be obvious that there’s a whole lot of weird going on here. Just about everything in the skeleton is remarkable. Check out how the rounded shield at the rear looks fused to the pelvis, the strongly reduced tail and the giant foreclaws. As for the skull… I have no idea what’s going on with those two rounded bosses that look like horns. Rad. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a0e12ccd-8741-4b83-a3fd-2f4a0ddca049/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Delsuc-et-al-2012-fairy-armadillos-1557px-144kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: it turns out that the two fairy armadillo lineages are highly distinct, more so anatomically than most non-specialists realize (Greater or Chacoan fairy armadillo illustrations at right, from Hermann Burmeister’s description of the holotype). And molecular phylogenetics shows that they’ve been distinct for around 17 million years, as shown by the phylogeny (from Delsuc et al. 2012) at left. Images: Delsuc et al. 2012; public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6744ba14-c516-4d6f-9e7e-e28e84c579f4/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Spier-giant-armadillo-1497px-141kb-June-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: this, obviously, is an illustration from a children’s book (specifically, Peter Spier’s 1971 Gobble Growl Grunt). I include it to emphasize the fact that the semi-bipedal tendencies and ‘claw-supported walking’ abilities of certain armadillos are widely known, and long have been, yet rarely mentioned outside of specialized literature. Image: (c) Peter Spier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/571a6e44-dd94-466f-b5d7-d21f2667e779/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Tolypeutes-SV-POW-1093px-139kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: how, exactly, do three-banded armadillos enroll? It might be that their vertebral anatomy isn’t tremendously unusual relative to that of other xenarthrans but that the intricate, interlocking joints of the dermal skeleton are the key innovation here. Maybe I should have checked before writing this. This photo was taken at the Museum of Osteology, Oklahoma, USA. Image: Mathew Wedel, SV-POW!, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b5058fb-71e4-421f-8f34-dfa640f29ed4/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Tolypeutes-montage-1783px-246kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: three-banded armadillos are very unusual little animals. They’re partly cute, but also partly quite disturbing. Features to look for include the intricate sculpting of the scutes, the scaliness of the ears, and the massive length of the foreclaws. Images: T. tricinctus at left by ChrisStubbs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); T. matacus at right by Hedwig Storch, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/341a09c1-70e0-446e-a470-4dc4045e5a7c/armadillo-empire-2-June-2025-Cabassous-1208px-144kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 2: Fairies, Tolypeutines, and Where Glyptodonts Go - Make it stand out Caption: there aren’t many good photos of naked-tailed armadillos in the wild. This is a Southern naked-tailed armadillo Cabassous unicinctus, a species that occurs across most of Brazil and in adjacent countries across northern continental South America. Image: Ben P, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/6/12/armadillo-empire-part-1 monthly 0.5 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/edd4b4a1-54dd-4d6e-a407-f9b5b4a663a4/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-euphractine-montage-1735px-205kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: a euphractine montage… though read on for ideas about what ‘euphractine’ does or does not mean. At left, skeleton of a hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus). At right, a Six-banded armadillo Euphractus sexcinctus demonstrating how easy it is for armadillos of this sort to stand bipedally. This one was photographed at Edinburgh Zoo in 2010. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/432b5e89-f9ec-4acd-8d33-1ad984c104e8/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-cladogram-2-1591px-172kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: a very simplified cladogram depicting the relationships of some of the animals discussed here. Eutatines, the living six-banded, hairy armadillos and kin, and Macroeuphractus and similar forms are conventionally allied within Euphractinae. However, some of these animals appear to be closer to the pampathere + glyptodont clade than others. Images: three-banded armadillo in the public domain (original here); Eutatus from Krmpotic et al. (2009); Macroeuphractus from Vizcaíno & De Iuliis (2003); Euphractus, pampathere and glyptodont by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5df136c3-eafa-4aca-9f93-7d4272120d58/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-Euphractus-predation-montage-917px-107kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: six-banded and hairy armadillos are omnivore-carnivores that eat carrion, arthropods of all sorts, and also catch and kill vertebrates, sometimes of surprising size. For more on this issue see the 2020 article Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos. Images: original video that yielded screengrab no longer online; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9348ece7-76ae-4cee-aa75-17fcb2c2bd51/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-Carlini-et-al-euphractines-1038px-182kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: Early Oligocene armadillos from the Tinguiririca Fauna of Chile, both of which would conventionally have been included within the inclusive version of Euphractinae. At left, Meteutatus tinguiririquensis; at right, Parutaetus chilensis. This very nice illustration is from Carlini et al. (2009): no artist is credited for this illustration in the paper (unless I’ve missed it), so I assume it’s one of the authors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/808b6332-34d0-4567-b702-ba5586223d2c/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-Macroeuphractus-montage-1424px-204kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: a Macroeuphractus montage, based on the work of Vizcaíno & De Iuliis (2003). At left, the big, robust and heavily built skull of this animal (the scale bar is probably 100 mm: the paper accidentally fails to provide its length), as illustrated by Richard Lydekker in 1894. At right, speculative art provided by Vizcaíno & De Iuliis (2003) and showing Macroeuphractus about to break into a burrow inhabited by the chinchillid rodent Lagostomus. This will not end well for the rodents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ae1db78f-1766-41b4-a5e5-1c914bb826db/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-Eutatus-skeleton-Joanbanjo-1242px-235kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: Eutatus is known from very good specimens, some of which have the bulk of their armour preserved in full articulation. This skeleton of Eutatus punctatus is on show at Museu de Ciències Naturals de València, Spain. Image: Joanbanjo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/34c31491-1736-4bd8-b4a3-5b65e275dc6c/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-Eutatus-armour-Joanbanjo-1357px-247kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: ok, so a lot of fossil armadillos are known from isolated osteoderms alone. It figures that these tough, super numerous bones have high preservation potential and thus might be over-represented in the fossil record relative to other parts of the skeleton. However, there are also quite a few fossil armadillos that are extremely well preserved, with mostly intact armour. Obviously, much of the armour on this Eutatus specimen is reconstructed, but at least some of it is articulated. Note the long, triangular form of the head shield. Again, this is E. punctatus on show at Museu de Ciències Naturals de València, Spain. Image: Joanbanjo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f8d034e4-18c0-40d4-8abf-0c2bebe72a7f/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-eutatine-montage-1488px-181kb-June-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: a eutatine/eutatin montage drawing on images compiled by Vizcaíno & Bargo (1998), and with the caveat that these animals don’t group together in current phylogenetic analyses. Eutatus is obviously bigger, long-snouted and longer-jawed than the others shown here, and with a longer toothless section at the front of the upper and lower jaws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5e8250cc-5ac6-40cd-8942-205ddd64e779/armadillo-empire-1-June-2025-Holmesina-and-glyptodont-Toronto-1573px-284kb-June-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Armadillo Empire, Part 1: of Euphractines and Eutatines - Make it stand out Caption: pampatheres (like Holmesina, here on the left) and glyptodonts (like Glyptodon, on the right) are going to be discussed a bit more in the next armadillo-themed article. The fact that both groups are nested within armadillos is now well known and today we’re in the habit of giving credit to molecular researchers for discovering this, but… nope, people working on anatomy discovered this first! That’s a non-trivial point that I’ll be bigging up in the next article. This photo was taken at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/5/23/world-turtle-day-2025 monthly 0.5 2025-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3bb5a669-7243-488b-9f19-60852bbba674/World-Turtle-Day-2025-turtle-montage-1-1794px-129kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: I sometimes consider it kinda odd that a group of reptiles built the way they are have been so strongly associated with amphibious and aquatic habits across their history, but here we are. At left, an unusual close-up view of a captive Green turtle Chelonia mydas. At right, a Pseudemys turtle (maybe a Florida red-bellied P. nelsoni?) observed in the wild in Florida, in a swimming pool of all places. Images: Dave Hone, used with permission; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f3fbbae9-a496-47d7-bbda-66947731f3de/World-Turtle-Day-2025-turtle-montage-2-1703px-118kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: aquatic turtles at very different ends of the size spectrum. At left, a pleurodire, specifically a Roti Island snake-necked turtle Chelodina mccordi observed at Brighton Aquarium (sorry the snout is cut off: these animals move far too much to enable nice, clear photos). At right, a reconstruction of the gigantic Late Cretaceous North African sea turtle Ocepechelon. Images: Darren Naish; Joschua Knüppe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c1bcc371-3f35-42aa-89c3-d2cdf2664063/World-Turtle-Day-2025-matamata-montage-2-1301px-142kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: the matamata(s) is taken for granted as an odd pleurodire turtle, but it’s something very, very special. Just peer into the eyes of this surreal, highly aquatic, flanged, cryptic predator with a proboscis and remind yourself that it’s a turtle. The suggested use of plural there is a reference to the fact that there might be more than one matamata species. The photos of the captive individual appear here courtesy of Mark Hollowell; the drawing is by me. Images: Mark Hollowell (used with permission); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/beffb778-ac59-494d-ba62-fca4f0bf4590/World-Turtle-Day-2025-matamata-montage-1780px-210kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: another matamata montage, showing a familiar photo of a captive one ‘snorkeling’, and captive individuals observed in various UK collections. Images: Francis Miller, from the Time-Life International 1963 volume The Reptiles; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ddd05a4f-9694-46e5-b2ed-7860ee649c98/World-Turtle-Day-2025-softshell-montage-1544px-158kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a surprisingly big African softshell Trionyx triunguis photographed at the mouth of the Congo River; this is one of a series of photos shared in 2009 at the SA Reptiles discussion board. At right, skull of an Indian narrow-headed softshell Chitra indica, another large member of the group. Note how elongate and (yes) narrow that skull is, and how the orbits are aaaaaalll the way at the front. Images: © Herphabitat (originals here); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a646967a-163e-4147-96e5-609423414ae7/World-Turtle-Day-2025-basking-softshell-1444px-151kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: a Florida softshell Apalone ferox that I photographed in captivity in 2011. The red hue is partly caused by the colour of its basking lamp. Either way, the turtle still looks very, very strange. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fb261d9c-86de-4c0f-8c65-4374b6eff120/World-Turtle-Day-2025-leatherback-montage-1795px-350kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: at left, this blog’s author with a life-sized model of the Harlech leatherback at Anglesey Sea Zoo. At right, one of the original photos of the actual animal, which stranded on the Welsh coast (after drowning in fishing gear) in 1989. It was huge, weighing 916kg. Images: Toni Naish; © Western Mail & Echo, Wales. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/27fb716e-8624-41e9-8dc7-c5f84656f832/World-Turtle-Day-2025-snapper-montage-1795px-229kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: an unusually pale Common snapping turtle on show at Bluereef Aquarium, Portsmouth, UK. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5df93333-8487-4541-bdcc-3123354a30b6/World-Turtle-Day-2025-Colossochelys-1212px-119kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - World Turtle Day 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: Megalochelys, a giant tortoise of prehistoric Eurasia, included giant specimens where the CCL (curved carapace length) was 2 m long. Here, I’ve followed the long tradition of showing this animal to scale with a modern human: the one used here has a standing height (without hat) of 1.6 m. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/5/16/suburban-camera-trapping-1 monthly 0.5 2025-05-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1c31f458-90c7-4720-b0f3-d5107e40460d/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-camera-above-pond-671px-201kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04cf1fa1-cf56-4d3b-bd3d-e997ee6f7080/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-garden-animals-montage-1522px-247kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Caption: what sort of tetrapods might you expect to see in a small, suburban area in the south of England? These three are average, and even they are less abundant that you might like. Clockwise from left: Common frog Rana temporaria, Dunnock Prunella modularis, Eurasian blackbird Turdus merula. The blackbird is currently undergoing decline in the UK (by about 50% in some areas), apparently as a consequence of Usutu virus. Indeed, there are none living in our immediate vicinity this year… which is concerning. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dea5c7c0-44e2-4e94-8a40-f767c7f9f8a5/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-garden-1607px-354kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the green area in front of our house. It’s fringed by tall hedges and there are two ponds on the right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/499ad22d-8af2-4396-8de0-e0e93f81b2a3/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-garden-3-1895px-628kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Caption: it is standard practise here in the UK to completely strip areas around houses of all vegetation, cut down all trees, prevent the growth of grasses and so-called weeds, and to replace all of it with paving or concrete. I have gone against this trend and am keeping this area wild. Some people see it as a total mess, others as a haven for wildlife. I think it’s both. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e0f43355-2412-40db-93d7-fac691654a09/Picture4.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/282601cc-9bb2-4a47-89d7-2d745fc0f049/Picture21.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d23f1688-d0f4-480c-bece-5303dceca8a9/Picture23.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f6b059c7-7410-403d-adf1-0ea7afbee349/Picture38.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/727a97a4-4ed9-4204-ae2e-fef677a9cc88/Picture39.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bb6ea499-93e0-4de4-8c0b-1241d3a82b71/Picture40.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6ef70346-dc7d-41b5-b62f-4f5998ae551c/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-cats-montage-1501px-151kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Caption: we own two hilariously derpy cats, Mochi and Mocha, both looking quite grumpy on the left (Mocha is the one with the white ear spot). These are indoor cats who live happy, healthy lives in domestic surrounds. They’re placed on regular occasion inside a catio that basically resembles an aviary. We need to normalize the idea that pet cats should not be allowed to roam free outdoors. Images: Toni Naish; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/388875be-0fce-47e5-b73a-288027b128d3/Picture5.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9e322c2b-8a55-49cc-9557-5cb142e8c9dc/Picture7.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dc353001-ebed-493b-884d-593a4fcb7cd7/Picture8.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/43fba2bf-e623-4baa-97bb-a374fd736eba/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-robin-montage-1548px-105kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Caption: hopefully you can see the robin at centre left. This is a proper robin, of course, not a pretender thrush or anything weird like that. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d7747a6c-0347-40d9-aa96-bfbd62ec318a/Picture11.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/34363003-2ddd-4723-99e8-49c651f3df5f/Picture29.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/416af18c-36b2-480d-bc3f-4d99e66bc74b/Picture35.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/91c069cd-f06b-403d-bfb3-f8ba003b1572/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-magpie-montage-1636px-161kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Caption: what are likely the same pair of magpies have nested here on a few occasions, though I only know of one time (in 2013) in which they successfully fledged chicks. At left is one of the parents in 2013, and at right a montage of the two 2013 chicks. Of some relevance to the tone of my article here is that the several of the trees that these birds formerly used as vantage and resting places are now long gone because people in the suburbs sure do hate trees. I aim to start a ‘spite tree’ movement in response to this. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48bae20e-bf74-48b4-b9be-9c824c243ace/Picture17.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9fe9f657-2375-456f-8a88-a465875d1bda/Picture18.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/91794475-6130-4c38-99cb-a29b1e27536c/Picture19.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0ddec45b-bebd-41a3-ac46-211bd7030cb0/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-magpie-with-sticks-1074px-64kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/372aa003-9274-4839-89b1-f7bdef259321/Picture31.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/63686f50-00a9-4cbc-ba53-ca38cab0593d/Picture32.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ad36311f-bd1d-4f2e-9691-b476e6dd9022/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-crow-montage-1311px-119kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d5a9150b-d1c1-40a1-a63e-6b35dda6f23f/Picture13.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/894c5000-418d-4bc0-a836-695c7a01dbca/Picture15.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ddbe2363-57da-4fd0-a64e-80ade72e8768/camera-trapping-week-1-May-2025-frog-montage-1465px-70kb-May-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d1765450-fa7c-4844-8c72-6f16187dbd88/Picture27.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6f2d2366-c504-4658-ab26-089e92c3b64c/Picture28.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Camera Trapping, Week 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/5/13/three-months-to-dinocon monthly 0.5 2025-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/69e0b9c4-9650-4db4-84c3-9fc54f2797cf/dinocon+banner.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Three Months to DinoCon! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fb45ddb9-c737-402b-b53d-f7d6e1e79ed0/DinoCon-May-2025-3-months-promo-1773px-319kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Three Months to DinoCon! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e8e39b19-1d83-4ef8-a6f5-8176d4487cba/DinoCon-May-2025-3-months-promo-2-1526px-163kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Three Months to DinoCon! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2f2a2c8d-d001-4174-9c95-cf797b4badf4/DinoCon-May-2025-3-months-DinoCon-Natalia-pics-montage-1499px-164kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Three Months to DinoCon! - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of promotional art created specially by Natalia Jagielska! https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/5/7/of-zaedyus-the-pichi monthly 0.5 2025-05-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4acdf904-e7af-40d6-a981-73aa0468f992/Zaedyus-May-2025-pichi-montage-1688px-357kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Of Zaedyus, the Pichi - Make it stand out Caption: a Pichi montage, showing wild individuals in (left) Torres del Paine National Park, southern Chile and (right) Chubut Province, Argentina. Note the overall covering of dark hairs and the long and gently curved claws on the forelimbs. The snout on the individual at left looks unusually short, I think because of foreshortening. Images: Wouter Potters, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Mikelzubi, CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bee61ef2-5e41-42b9-8582-dfead2b2e607/Zaedyus-May-2025-Daderot-taxiderm-1088px-101kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Of Zaedyus, the Pichi - Make it stand out Caption: museum taxiderm specimen of a Pichi at Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria in Genoa, Italy. Image: Daderot, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/32726312-4528-4054-98b1-c76173216852/Zaedyus-May-2025-Pink-fairy-armadillo-Daderot-1176px-105kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Of Zaedyus, the Pichi - Make it stand out Caption: the two extant fairy armadillos are currently placed in separate genera. This is the Pink fairy armadillo Chlamyphorus truncatus, the smallest living armadillo. Good photos are hard to get; this is a taxiderm specimen at the Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Germany. Image: Daderot, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d631baf2-ccb2-4723-9c7f-3b01c8603ebe/Zaedyus-May-2025-Delsuc-et-al-1186px-178kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Of Zaedyus, the Pichi - Make it stand out Caption: cingulate (armadillo) phylogeny as recovered by Delsuc et al. (2016) on the basis of mitochondrial DNA extracted from a carapace fragment of the giant Pleistocene-Holocene glyptodont Doedicurus. Glyptodonts are nested within armadillos, and within chlamyphorids. This result has been obtained in more than one study and is now backed by anatomical data too. Image: Delsuc et al. (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e19dfbb0-9d1a-42ec-9680-26b5afb83a8f/Zaedyus-May-2025-Pichi-Marianocecowski-816px-134kb-May-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Of Zaedyus, the Pichi - Make it stand out Caption: another wild Pichi, specifically in Valdes Peninsula (a chunk of land that juts out into the Atlantic), north-east Chubut Province, Argentina. Valdes Peninsula is a nature reserve famous for the marine mammals that visit its shores. Image: Marianocecowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/4/30/long-nosed-armadillos-1 monthly 0.5 2025-05-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3f2fce1b-365f-4e6b-8b43-aeb179618b08/Dasypus-April-2025-xenarthran-montage-1443px-239kb-April-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: a xenarthran montage. I’ve drawn a few xenarthrans over the years, but not as many as I should have by now. Here are a few illustrations I have to hand, but many more will be included in my textbook once I get to finishing it. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/37c56d0b-6ed4-4b7c-bc06-3c35e66435f9/Dasypus-April-2025-Dasypus-montage-1749px-171kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: the long-nosed armadillos include very familiar species – like the Nine-banded armadillo shown at left – as well as very obscure ones that are still poorly known and mostly unphotographed in living condition. Hence we have species like this one (on the right: the holotype of the Yungas lesser long-nosed armadillo D. mazzai), mostly only known from taxiderm specimens like this. More on D. mazzai in another article! Images: Mwcolgan8, public domain (original here); Feijó et al. (2018), CC BY 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a4aa7918-0b68-44dc-ae47-c0b168e14cce/Dasypus-April-2025-Dasypus-pilosus-Andre-Baertsch-1524px-263kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: yes, this is a real animal of the modern age, not a CG reconstruction of a Mesozoic mammal, not a rhinogradentian (reference). There are very few photos of live specimens of the Hairy or Woolly long-snouted armadillo, and this is the one that gets used the most. It was taken by André Baertschi and this version was taken from the relevant IUCN page. Other images of the species can be seen at iNaturalist. Image: © André Baertschi / wildtropix.com. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1be4e3de-54bd-46da-8987-99b32dbee666/Dasypus-April-2025-pilosus-taxiderm-specimen-1201px-129kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: the Dasypus pilosus holotype, the mounted taxiderm specimen NMW ST 222 at the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria, as featured in Feijó et al.’s (2018) excellent and very thorough taxonomic review of long-nosed armadillos. It’s labelled with the name Praopus hirsutus, this being given to the species by Hermann Burmeister in 1862 since he was unaware of Fitzinger’s earlier publication. Check Feijó et al. (2018) for more data on this specimen and the taxonomic history of D. pilosus in general. Image: Feijó et al. (2018), CC BY 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1741d32f-313c-4a49-beaf-fe765b908ca4/Dasypus-April-2025-pilosus-Castro-et-al-Gonzalez-lif Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: very nice image of Hairy or Woolly long-nosed armadillo in life, by Jorge González and included in Castro et al. (2015). It is not well known – even among people who know mammals – that there are armadillos that look like this. Image: Jorge González, Castro et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c39544b-8760-410c-b4de-8b23c3e963d2/Dasypus-April-2025-pilosus-Castro-et-al-montage-1496px-173kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: the Hairy or Woolly long-nosed armadillo is a special armadillo. As shown in these images – all from Castro et al. (2015) – the hairs emerge from numerous pores in the scutes, which appear to match the numerous foramina (bony openings) in the underlying osteoderms. Osteoderms = bony structures embedded in the skin. Scutes = keratinous structures overlying osteoderms (albeit not always!). There’s a long-standing discussion on whether foramina in bony structures are at all relevant to the presence or otherwise of hairs. This is a case where they apparently are. Scale bars = 50 mm. Images: Castro et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6796908a-f958-4537-8f77-b4d2c9374ae9/Dasypus-April-2025-pilosus-Castro-et-al-cladogram-1465px-110kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: Castro et al. (2015) found this phylogenetic arrangement for dasypodids and other armadillos via their analysis of 58 anatomical characters. Stegosimpsonia is a fossil animal from the Eocene while Peltephilus and Stegotherium are Miocene; Propraopus and Anadasypus are dasypodids from the Pleistocene-Holocene and Miocene, respectively. The topology here has the Hairy or Woolly long-nosed armadillo outside a clade that contains all other Dasypus species, this being deemed consistent with the idea that the species might be distinct enough to be recognised as the distinct genus Cryptophractus. Does molecular data support this view? Read on. Image: Castro et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7fa4e097-0d68-428a-a4ef-416ce08d3a01/Dasypus-April-2025-morphometrics-1438px-109kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: Hautier et al. (2017) used principle components analysis to analyse the degree of shape variation present in the long-nosed armadillo species. In the plots shown here – analysing the shapes of mandibles – the Hairy or Woolly long-nosed armadillo is an outlier, being mostly outside the main cluster occupied by most other Dasypus species (it’s the red circles at lower left in A and B, and lower left in the left part of the main cluster in B). It’s not the only species that was found to be an outlier though. Image: Hautier et al. (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e1be4b66-6df0-4f0d-8cdc-06d27871ef25/Dasypus-April-2025-Webb-%26-Blincow-armadillos-1705px-250kb-April-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of the Woolly Long-Nosed Armadillo of Peru - Make it stand out Caption: Richard Webb and Jeff Blincow’s A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of South America is an extremely impressive book and I strongly recommend it. It features whole pages on most species, even tremendously obscure and recently named ones, and that includes all the obscure long-nosed armadillos. But good photos of some of those don’t exist, so they had to resort to the inclusion of artwork. Get the book here. Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/4/20/racerunner-lizards-for-2025 monthly 0.5 2025-04-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/df42e04c-fd28-43ca-92e1-2408560f9d43/Eremias-April-2025-lacertid-montage-1647px-289kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: my location in western Europe means that Lacertidae is the lizard group whose species I’ve encountered most frequently, and here’s a lacertid montage. Clockwise from upper left: the African eremiadin Gastropholis, the European lacertin Podarcis, the Asian lacertin Takydromus, and the European lacertin Zootoca. Images: Darren naish; Takydromus (lower right) by TANAKA Juuyoh, CC 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d3bc970c-688e-4979-aa3c-2eeb708e17cf/Eremias-April-2025-E-velox-Kazakhstan-Yury75-1816px-205kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: Rapid fringe-toed lizard or Central Asian racerunner Eremias velox, a species mostly associated with Central Asia but occurring from Iran in the west to northern China in the east. This one was photographed in the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan. Image: Yuriy75, CC BY-SA 3.0, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/58746f98-43f2-42cd-8a17-1fb5c05036c1/Eremias-April-2025-E-przewalskii-seasav-1374px-172kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: a particularly handsome and robust Gobi racerunner E. przewalskii, photographed in the Gobi Desert. There is some mild uncertainty about the status of this species since Gui et al. (2011) found it to be nested within the Multi-ocellated racerunner E. multiocellata. This could mean that E. multiocellata is a species complex, or that E. przewalskii doesn’t warrant recognition as a species. Image (c) Conrad Savy, CC BY-NC-ND (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4801ea2d-fe0c-4695-a4ff-9f797f647bfa/Eremias-April-2025-Lanka-%26-Vit-1986-1318px-273kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: my first ‘encounter’ with Eremias; namely, in the pages of Laňka & Vít's 1986 Amphibians and Reptiles, a popular book on European herpetology with really nice illustrations. These are by Libuše and Jaromír Knotek. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bfb4d348-c20b-4d98-bdd5-cab68fa875a5/Eremias-April-2025-Steppe-runner-Benny-Trapp-1419px-231kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: a very charismatic Steppe-runner, the Eremias lizard most familiar to Europeans due to its presence in Romania and Turkey. Its range beyond this is huge, extending across to Central Asia all the way to Kyrgyzstan. Around six subspecies have been recognised. Image: Benny Trapp, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/28da2321-233a-46be-9e2c-6c4be44fd382/Eremias-April-2025-stamp-montage-1397px-131kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: racerunners as geopolitical icons. Steppe-runners E. arguta on stamps produced by Kyrgyzstan and Moldova. Unfortunately, I only have these images at low resolution, sorry. Images in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c86f5f1f-8bab-4942-8f67-5e84bcb29268/Eremias-April-2025-Guo-et-al-2011-map-1169px-92kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: racerunner distribution shown on a handy colour-coded map, from Guo et al. (2011). This range raises questions: why no presence in India, south-east Asia, or Afro-Arabia? Is the group too geologically young to have moved into those regions, or was it in some of them in the past but later made extinct? And do they have the potential to move north as climate change continues across the northern parts of Asia? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5454ecb2-93ab-4a77-a876-05d5dbbf74b8/Eremias-April-2025-Guo-et-al-2011-phylogeny-2-638px-72kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: phylogeny for Eremias generated by Guo et al. (2011). Some of Szczerbak's ‘subgenera’ corresponded to clades but others did not. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/44e2c9fb-29b6-45db-8887-614f6e3a356f/Eremias-April-2025-E-przewalskii-1834px-251kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: Gobi racerunner E. przewalskii, a species first described from the Alashan Desert of China but also known from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. General Nikolai/Nikolay Mikhailovitch/Mikhaylovich Przewalski (also written Przhevalsky or Prjevalsky) was a Russian explorer and geographer. He died of typhus in 1888, aged just 49. Image: Alastair Rae, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e284fe3-d672-4f0f-b100-8606267af26f/Eremias-April-2025-E-lineolata-Yury75-1296px-241kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: Striped racerunner E. lineolata, a species named from Iran but which occurs across Central Asia as far north-east as southern Kazakhstan. Image: Yuriy75, CC BY-SA 3.0, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/be97cd1d-3f19-4ca5-951c-4fba029dd566/Eremias-April-2025-Acanthodactylus-sternal-complex-Arnold-1989-618px-52kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: sternum, sternal ribs, interclavicle and clavicles of Acanthodactylus (from Arnold 1989). Note the heart-shaped sternal fontanelle (other lacertids have round fontanelles). I wonder why these lizards have sternal fontanelles in the first place? Image: Arnold (1989). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/24f3344d-efc1-421d-9160-4e3b2fd0d511/Eremias-April-2025-lacertid-phylogeny-with-Gastropholis-1000px-68kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: a substantially simplified lacertid phylogeny, showing the approximate structure pieced together in assorted studies. Gastropholis by Darren Naish, Acanthodactylus by Richard Hing, Eremias by Yuriy75 (CC BY-SA 3.0; original here), Takydromus by Acapella (CC BY-SA 3.0; original here), Lacerta by Darren Naish, Gallotia by Petermann (CC BY-SA 3.0; original here), Psammodromus by Wolfgang Wüster. Image CC BY-SA. This image was previously used in my 2020 article on another eremiadin, Gastropholis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/83ee40d2-2155-4774-90c0-473c0007568d/Eremias-April-2025-book-covers-1689px-289kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! - Make it stand out Caption: where to go to find out about Eurasian lacertids? Here are the books that got me started: Arnold et al. (1992), Laňka & Vít (1986), and Anderson (1999). Note the very non-Eurasian frog and snake shown on the cover of Laňka & Vít! https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/4/10/boulay-steyer-demain-les-animaux-du-futur monthly 0.5 2026-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e211da2a-e631-40c5-836f-3075d5ef9025/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-cover-719px-94kb-Aug-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e9b2faeb-b9fe-4fa1-8c2e-e20d28a0fbd7/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Dixon-40th-B%26S-Japanese-1403px-204kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: once again, we have to give credit to After Man (Dixon 1981) as the foundational work behind this newer one. At right, what appears to be a new, 2025 Japanese edition of Demain, les Animaux du Futur (from here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/22d94fbd-80fe-4f50-be20-1f9db1b41369/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Dixonian-montage-IRSNB-1172px-105kb-April-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: life-sized models of two 'Dixonian epoch' animals on show at the at the Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique (IRSNB), Brussels, and photographed in 2010. At top, the giant penguin Neopygoscelis and, below it, the flightless pelagic petrel Propellonectes. Neopygoscelis here is shown as grey, albeit countershaded, but the version in Demain has a more penguin-like livery. I published a Tet Zoo article on these models (and others in the same exhibit) but can no longer find an intact version. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2a17a977-e0eb-4315-b870-be656e5f46d4/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-SpecZoo-pages-1262px-197kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption:Demain does a good job of setting the version of Spec Zoo it follows within its correct historical perspective. As you can see from the pages shown here, there’s fair coverage of Dougal Dixon and After Man and of Russell and Séguin’s dinosauroid. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7db6719-3c93-42ad-8631-6adfdaf10c98/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-nightvision-scene-1424px-309kb-Aug-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: night-vision scene from Boulay & Steyer (2015) showing flightless birds interacting on the Euroafrican savannah, Necropteryx at left, Tyrannornis at right. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9938e06c-e29d-4c3b-aeb1-1c953cd6b732/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-neopenguins-1646px-236kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: a pair of Neopygoscelis, a large, deep-diving, pliosauromorph penguin. Soaring over the ocean above we see a giant bat, on which more below. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/32e171a4-725e-40fa-866c-1ff6fb8ca6a6/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Stegoichthys-1457px-89kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: modern plankton are under all kinds of pressures, and the suggestion has been made several times that future oceans might be extremely different, ecologically, as a consequence. Demain proposes that the upper waters of the ocean are highly depauperate as a consequence, but that a radiation of new, miniature catfishes inhabit the depths. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b6ac4e60-68ce-4e95-b0e2-f71da561d7a6/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-penguin-news-1565px-162kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: news about penguin decline, about the loss or shrinking of breeding colonies, constantly makes the headlines. Most of the findable articles are about the big Aptenodytes penguins (the King and Emperor) and there’s less publicity on pygoscelids (the small Adélie and kin). However, they’re in trouble too, though the global situation is complex enough (colonies disappear here, but new ones appear there) that it can be hard to form a consensus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/49fc6291-da43-4493-a08c-2085f1f3e106/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Benthogyrinus-1455px-108kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: why anurans have never evolved paedomorphosis whereas salamanders often has is an oft-asked question. The answer lies somewhere in the fact that sexual maturation in anurans is tightly linked to metamorphosis: they literally cannot reproduce while in larval form. Demain imagines that a solution to this has been found through evolution, and thus we have tadpole monsters. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/32448bdf-689b-4021-897a-78bc2854d819/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Giraffornis-1645px-130kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: at left, ontogeny of the giant, herbivorous, quadrupedal goose Giraffornis vandijki. It grows quickly (which is in keeping with its goose ancestry), reaching 6 m in height for males, and is named in honour of Dr Gert van Dijk. The authors note that it’s somewhat reminiscent of sauropods. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/05f55f99-7944-4e6b-96b6-bcd4f3d460e5/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Tyrannornis-1356px-202kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: head-shot of male Tyrannornis rex (females are less gaudy and without the casque), a giant flightless parrot. I quite like this design but find the colour scheme a bit too reminiscent of certain macaws. The again, maybe this is ok for a forest-dwelling predator that interacts with species that have excellent colour vision. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35207648-ee5e-4ce7-ba0c-a91b2948dda8/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-mole-birds-1719px-82kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the mole-like bird Talpidornis sechani from Demain. These Eurafrican birds have a caste system, with a large, long-lived queen, formidably armed soldiers, and smaller workers, explorers and nurses or nannies. At right, inspired by a 2019 discussion, Gabriel Ugueto illustrated a hypothetical ‘mole-bird’, and it’s interesting that his version is actually quite Talpidornis-like. Images: Boulay & Steyer (2015); Gabriel Ugueto. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/baf61d94-5de4-41ff-9652-bced8718f252/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Gigapterus-scene-1648px-92kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: the enormous, highly specialized sky-bat Gigapterus troposherus – a descendant of free-tail bats (molossids) – cruising at altitude. These animals look even more specialized for soaring than the most specialized of soaring pterosaurs and birds. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/288ce67d-9dea-4a79-993d-a9d5b2f7e116/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Boulay-Nosferapoda-763px-91kb-April-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: the big, flightless, quadrupedal bat Nesferapoda, from Boulay & Steyer (2015). This image was borrowed from Gert van Dijk’s review of the book from Furahan Biology & Allied Matters. Demain includes several additional images of this animal. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ffaf2a42-7663-454f-a560-99ca29e70bf5/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-Marc-Boulay-1228px-119kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: Marc Boulay in what I assume is his office space, with excellent promotional t-shirt. And what is that model?… I would love to know! Image: Ouest-France / Philippe Renault. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/002f755c-ff19-4ded-aa56-443314bf9d8e/Boulay-%26-Steyer-2015-April-2025-mangrove-scene-1495px-192kb-April-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology Grand and Photoreal: Boulay and Steyer's Demain, les Animaux du Futur - Make it stand out Caption: Boulay’s scene showing part of ‘The infinite mangrove’ (though flipped horizontally relative to the one in the book). Note the bats and speculative vegetation. The CG render is really nice. Image: Boulay & Steyer (2015). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/3/10/interview-with-dougal-dixon monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c7566726-a228-4498-8e55-2887efc137eb/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-rabbuck-vs-rats-1372px-222kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: in a scene from the future world of After Man, giant predatory rats harry a rabbuck. If you know the look of the animals in the final book, note how different these versions are… Dougal Dixon’s original concepts were, in cases, not exactly like the final animals ultimately illustrated by other artists. Image: (c) Dougal Dixon, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/295747a0-88e3-4a2e-bd6f-68e17fb7f9de/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Dixon-books-on-table-1900px-329kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: a selection of Dougal Dixon Spec Zoo books in the Tet Zoo Towers library. The manga The New Dinosaurs and The Future is Wild volumes visible at left are especially hard to get here in the UK. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9a9826e5-0954-405f-96cd-191e03f85d47/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-After-Man-montage-Naish-and-Groom-936px-99kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: there’s a lot of After Man fan-art out there, and I’ve created a bit of it myself over the years. This image (created for a Fortean Times article on speculative zoology) shows a Giantala (spotted animal at left), Zarander (tusked and trunked, lower left), a giant raboon (the maned biped), Gigantelope (far right) and (in the tree) a Slobber. I misunderstood the relative sizes of certain of these animals when creating this image and they’re not to scale. Image: Darren Naish, colouring by Rebecca Groom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/82b64865-2cda-4415-b6f6-d5973d3000ec/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-covers-montage-1368px-174kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: After Man has had several different covers over the years, and here’s what the 2021 40th Anniversary version looks like. Buy it here from Breakdown Press. After Man might be back in print… what about 1988’s The New Dinosaurs? Well… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/25a8f81c-a246-47ab-a5a5-7c0c441fac30/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Dougal-Dixon-and-Darren-Naish-1717px-141kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve met Dougal Dixon many times now and he’s spoken and presented at my TetZooCon events a few times. At left, here’s (left to right) Gert van Dijk (of Furahan Biology and Allied Matters), Darren Naish, Dougal Dixon. At right, Dougal and myself in London for the 2018 After Man event. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a6574c2f-e5da-43e7-aeac-d8f98d8b385b/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-After-Man-montage-Dragonthunders-1480px-84kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: more After Man fan-art, this time a very nice montage showing some of the book’s larger animals correctly scaled. It’s easy to forget how large some of them are meant to be. Image: Dragonthunders, from here (several other montage images showing scaled Dixonian creatures feature on the same page). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7de4b5d4-2c46-4877-bf08-8270a3e7bb71/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Man-After-Man-2024-700px-101kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: front cover of the 2024 Japanese edition of Man After Man. It is much modified relative to the original. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c085bc97-3d70-4749-91b5-6ba7b115bac3/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-After-Man-Focus-1-1439px-269kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: over the years, numerous magazine articles have rehashed and summarised the main story points of After Man. The 1995 special issue of Focus include this feature on After Man (Anon. 1995), and it was surprising by showing illustrations novel to me at the time, like the predator rat bs rabbuck image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e3b34d49-1b47-4200-a6e2-8ee4989e7296/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-After-Man-Focus-2-1416px-296kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: the 1995 Focus article also features various images based on those of After Man (like the family tree) or taken from it. That Vortex at right was novel and I haven’t seen it elsewhere. No author is credited for this piece so I have to cite it as ‘Anon. 1995’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f079998d-46fe-4ca9-80f0-fcdb300c5afa/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-nightstalker-montage-1712px-285kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: the different editions of After Man now depict more than one version of the Night stalker. At left, the 1981 version; at right, the improved vision from Dixon (2018, 2021). It’s true that views differ on how ‘plausible’ it might be that bats would ever, or could ever, evolve in this direction, but I put it that the Night stalker remains an iconic vision in discussions about speculative bat evolution. Images: Diz Wallis, from Dixon (1981); Dougal Dixon, from Dixon (2018, 2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/29e46d5b-1515-40e5-bdd7-6133ea748817/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Dixon-with-Nightstalker-model-920px-94kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: photo – from the dustkjacket of After Man (Dixon 1981) – showing Dougal with his model of a Night stalker. Image: Duncan McNicol. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e6857efe-04b3-4722-a8d3-710e609252ab/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-vortex-page-696px-91kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: the giant, flightless, fully aquatic penguins of After Man, namely the mysticete-like Vortex Balenornis vivipera, and dolphin-like Porpin Stenavis piscivora. Image: Diz Wallis, from Dixon (1981). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0850943a-3a71-4ff6-b242-dba75b0ef647/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-After-Man-page-plan-1539px-156kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: one of several pages from the original BOOK PLAN for After Man, featured here at Tet Zoo but also featured in Dixon (2021). Images: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/020d8e29-b652-4462-991b-50e3df79b4d7/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Wildlife-magazine-Oct-1981-1713px-245kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: After Man is one of so many books that I heard about, and read about, long before I ever saw a copy. The October 1981 issue of Wildlife magazine (the ancestor of BBC Wildlife) included an article devoted to the book, basically a long-form interview between Pamela Todd and Dougal Dixon (Todd 1981), and my secondhand copy of that included my first look at Dixonian future creatures. From Dougal’s point of view, publicity like this would have been golden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1cb5ab26-9a8b-435d-b33d-562c0289b25f/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-New-Dinosaurs-lank-balaclav-2-1469px-530kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: two of my favourite animals from The New Dinosaurs (Dixon 1988), the Lank (at left) and Balaclav. A couple of decades ago, I never much liked the animals of The New Dinosaurs, my thinking being that they mostly fail as realistic extrapolations of Mesozoic animal evolution. Other people who work on Mesozoic animals have said likewise, most notably Greg Paul. But more recently I’ve slowly come around to the idea that they might be better imagined as animals that deliberately mirror those of our own timeline, just re-imagined as the members of ‘Mesozoic’ groups. In other words: if we have to have a world with pandas, mountain goats, monkeys and rorquals, but have to have those animals represented by ‘Mesozoic’ groups, what might we get? Images: Steve Holden; Philip Hood, both from Dixon (1988). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fdb34f80-70bb-46ed-b9cc-1b1a4a0ab92a/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Bakker-Paul-montage-1541px-160kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: we’re going through a phase right now of better appreciating the incremental nature of how our ‘modern view’ of Mesozoic archosaurs was compiled (see my comments on the Dinosaur Renaissance in 2021’s Dinopedia). Nevertheless, Robert Bakker’s and Greg Paul’s sleek, dynamic dinosaurs and pterosaurs ushered in a new age of how these animals might be visualised. Illustrations like (at left) Bakker’s fast-moving Barosaurus pair from the 1960s and (at right) Paul’s svelte, narrow azhdarchid pterosaurs and tyrannosaurs influenced the animals of Dougal's The New Dinosaurs. Images: (c) Robert T. Bakker; (c) Gregory Paul. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/df4ad815-2153-4cba-99e2-7e688719c3f3/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-gourmand-1485px-110kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: the Gourmand Ganeosaurus tardus, a giant, scavenging tyrannosaur from The New Dinosaurs. Image: Steve Holden, from Dixon (1988). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c5cfdd2f-5c0e-441b-881c-f3dc1887c969/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-new-dinosaurs-Ethan-Kocak-663px-150kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: ugh, yet more Dougal Dixon fan-art made by myself. This fanciful montage shows various smaller and ‘mid-sized’ creatures from The New Dinosaurs, including Lank, Springe, Northclaw, Treepounce, Nauger, Cutlasstooth, Cribbum, Pangaloon and (in the water) Watergulp, Pouch, Plunger and Glub. The animals are not scaled at all correctly. Colouring by Ethan Kocak. Image: Darren Naish and Ethan Kocak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/69d3adf4-aea2-4a75-b5fb-b97065411265/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Dougal-and-Bob-Aug-2013-1462px-130kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: Dougal has made several large-scale models of theropods and other animals. This photo, taken in August 2013, shows Dougal talking with palaeoartist Bob Nicholls; Dougal’s feathered oviraptorid model is at left. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/637d4c7b-62b2-48ac-bd53-f735958b2e7c/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Dixon-gigantelope-drawings-1267px-198kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: a set of original Dougal Dixon illustrations, showing a foraging gigantelope herd, and detailed profile drawing. Numerous such sketches exist and were unpublished and mostly unseen when I first published this interview text in 2014. They and many others are now at Dougal Dixon’s website. Image: (c) Dougal Dixon, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3a5870cf-7af0-4e94-95c0-0ae568fc6f2b/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Greenworld-books-1512px-200kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: proof that the Greenworld volumes exist, and that I own them (thanks to Dougal). As Japanese books, they operate ‘backwards’ relative to what English speakers are used to. Both volumes are substantial, containing way over 300 pages each. It would be great if they existed in English! Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/864c7cbc-6d78-4464-81f7-12aceb418520/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Greenworld-pages-1678px-158kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: pages from within both of the two Greenworld volumes, showing just a few of the many alien species encountered on the planet. Body plans very different from the ones we’re more familiar with are the norm, but the starting point was a pentameral pattern like that of echinoderms. There are no native humanoids, blue-skinned or otherwise. Images: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c56c8310-96b7-4c00-bcf2-4cb38d9aa3d5/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-Greenworld-Wanted-poster-1127px-174kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: the human colonists of Greenworld cause extinctions that occur in a staged, sequential pattern (among the earliest to go are large ‘pest’ species, like the Tallun shown here) and are described on a generational, long-term basis. What unfolds on the planet is of course a mirror of events that have occurred, and are still occurring, here on our homeworld. Images: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/162d8701-8635-47f7-9af3-948caea08297/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-FIW-montage-1624px-120kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: a The Future is Wild banner, from the (still active!) website, showing several star creatures of the series, including Carakiller, Gannetwhale, Megasquid and Toraton. Image: (c) The Future is Wild. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aa50f653-1b07-4028-a020-434d7cd15e52/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-FIW-cephalopods-1591px-193kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption:The Future is Wild features a far-future scenario that’s been entertained several times in speculative fiction…. Squid World! Here are two terasquids from the Northern Forest of 200 million years hence, the arboreal and intelligent Squibbon (at left) and the giant, graviportal Megasquid. Image: (c) The Future is Wild. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e7200cca-744c-4baf-837d-200fb429056b/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-gannetwhale-montage-1772px-110kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: I think we can question the idea that gannets – which are plunge-divers, and wing-propelled when underwater – would give rise to long-jawed animals of such seal-like form, but giant, flightless, marine seabirds were needed for The Future Is Wild, so gannetwhales it was. Image: (c) The Future is Wild. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e1a0de7a-6dc9-4153-94d2-f1796b167ecd/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-FIW-windrunner-montage-1589px-198kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the four-winged Great blue windrunner of The Future is Wild, a crane built for a lifestyle that involves migration across a vast, elevated plateau (formed when Australasia collided with Asia). At right, a The Future is Wild promo image, showing a flish of the far future. Flish are air-breathing actinopterygians (ray-finned fishes) capable of true flight and among the last surviving actinopterygians, most of which died out in an extinction event 100 million years hence. Images: (c) The Future is Wild. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/22f78f4c-69b2-470d-9597-7a963d4e9645/Dixon-interview-Mar-2025-strida-montage-1223px-220kb-Mar-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Speculative Zoology and the World of After Man; an Interview With Dougal Dixon - Make it stand out Caption: we experience the flora and fauna of Greenworld through the literature, images and advertisements created by the people who live there. This poster – advertising an Artemis product – features a Strida... and I think a human as well. But it turns out that this image is not exactly representative of how things unfold on the planet, and a real Strida rider ends up more like the model shown at right (model by Dougal Dixon). Images: at left, Julius Csotonyi, from Dixon (2010); at right, (c) Dougal Dixon. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/3/25/otaria-the-southern-sea-lion monthly 0.5 2025-03-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f38e8d69-6267-4479-8c75-c3f7228b5636/Otaria-Mar-2025-CSS-yawn-956px-109kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Caption: captive Southern sea lion (at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, photographed in 2012). Note the massively built muzzle, the very dark pelt, and the stained, almost blackish hue to the teeth. This is common in sea lion teeth and I wonder what causes it. Various terrestrial mammals develop blackish teeth due to staining, but this is more of a herbivore thing than a carnivore one. What might cause this? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35e77575-bfc9-47c8-92cf-a711c6bf0589/Otaria-Mar-2025-Mannheim-Reinhard-Peninsula-Valdes-1403px-231kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Caption: a wild group of Southern sea lions at Peninsula Valdes, Argentina, showing adult males and females and numerous pups. Image: Reinhard Jahn Mannheim, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1cd965d1-9ea1-4cdf-8edc-37efa9b0d2f3/Otaria-Mar-2025-Naish-Otaria-drawing-936px-159kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Caption: a drawing of a male Otaria I created for the in-prep textbook (cough cough). Otariids are well able to hold the body high up off the ground when walking. The massive bulk of the head and habitually elevated head pose (where the snout is tilted upwards) are characteristic of this species. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8dba27a6-c6e5-440d-9fce-3ca55fd7adfc/Otaria-Mar-2025-NHM-skull-1128px-90kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Caption: an old and not good photo I took in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London, back in the early 2000s (when Stig Walsh and I were working on fossil pinnipeds). The insane gnarliness of this specimen (and others like it) never ceases to impress me. Look at the depth of that lower jaw! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e59821a2-06d9-4ebd-a745-114bf774fe89/Otaria-Mar-2025-CSS-profiles-Mar-2025-1572px-162kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Caption: portraits of captive Southern sea lions, again at the at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek. Features to note include the length of the longest whiskers, the short and scroll-like pinnae (external ears), and the slightly goofy, bulging eyeballs. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ebddd28c-d88c-4c5c-abca-a1fcc29f6a66/Otaria-Mar-2025-CSS-swimming-2-1434px-93kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Caption: I suppose you don’t often get to see images of swimming sea lions – Southern sea lions in particular – from under the water, but the enclosure at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary allows views like this. I like this image, since it has a mysterious aura that gives the animal a slightly amorphous, frightening aura. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cc69113a-46ac-45cf-8921-68611e920719/Otaria-Mar-2025-CSS-swimming-1427px-85kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Caption: pinnipeds of many sorts routinely swim upside down, and Otaria evidently does this too. Maybe they do this because they can, maybe because it’s fun, or maybe it’s because it allows them to better see what’s happening on the seafloor (or, in this case, the floor of the pool). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1bc2be3f-caec-4849-a024-8357df0a1439/Otaria-Mar-2025-Nestor-Galina-Chubut-1529px-180kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Caption: a male Southern seal lion with ‘his’ group of females, photographed at Chubut, Argentina. Image: Nestor Galina, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d161cf1c-5702-4b5a-aaa9-5d4ab292c360/Tet-Zoo-pinniped-articles-montage-1628px-221kb-Mar-2025-1-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f46289be-954a-44c4-844a-1304d2da71f2/Tet-Zoo-pinniped-articles-montage-1621-px-190kb-Mar-2025-2-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otaria, the Southern Sea Lion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/3/18/shine-natural-history-of-sea-serpents monthly 0.5 2025-10-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cb265aea-a289-4dca-a359-967e0320f469/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-Shine-cover-667px-130kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/631176b5-2660-4d39-b813-bac8120e6a53/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-sea-monster-books-on-shelf-1239px-244kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: there aren’t really that many books on sea monsters that warrant repeat consultation, but the majority that exist are included in this photo. The new book that forms the focus of the review you’re reading now is in the middle. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e731c7e2-0c41-4357-a88e-84858050246a/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-Adrian-Shine-montage-1827px-164kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: Adrian Shine in the field. At left, a scene from the Scholarly Research of the Anomalous meeting, held at the Counting House in Edinburgh in February 2015. Loch Ness researcher Dick Raynor is at left, journalist and Forteana expert David Clarke at right. At right, Adrian (with Darren Naish on the left) at the Loch Ness Centre, Drumnadrochit; a photo from September 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/eafec079-14ad-4486-954d-61a2630a7196/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-ZSL-2011-Shine-montage-1505px-162kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: the ZSL meeting of July 2011 was quite the event and a list of people known for their association with cryptozoology were in attendance, Adrian included. At right, a 2011 version of this blog’s author with Adrian Shine. Images: Darren Naish; John Conway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8d0c8652-d673-4b76-9493-fc20fcfbd02d/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-ZSL-2011-Gee-and-Naish-montage-1794px-140kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: more images from the 2011 ZSL meeting. At left, the ‘welcome to the meeting’ talk being delivered by Henry Gee, whose connection to the subject comes from his prominently publicised comments on the possible late survival of Homo floresiensis. At right, the cover slide for my talk, with me lurking in the darkness at the side. Several write-ups of this meeting exist, the most memorable being a Guardian piece by Carole Jahme. Images: Darren Naish; John Conway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b2079e3d-15c8-418d-b35a-b0229076e5b9/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-ZSL-2011-Daedalus-montage-1616px-242kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: thanks to images like these, authors – and the public – have tended to think that we have an incredibly firm view of what objects like the Daedalus sea monster of 1848 really looked like. The two shaded illustrations are from the Illustrated London News; the plainer one is from Gould’s The Case for the Sea Serpent. This is a pivotal case (in 2019, Charles Paxton and I argued that it was partly responsible for changing the public’s view of what sea monsters were and are like; Paxton & Naish 2019) and there’s a vast amount to say about it. Shine has an interesting take on it, one that makes me wish that I’d stuck with the hypothesis I endorsed in 2001 (Naish 2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dfb07d30-4d0e-489c-bad2-67829d5212c1/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-marine-animals-montage-1810px-225kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of big marine animals I’ve seen within recent years, all around the shores of the UK or in the north-east Atlantic. There are no mystery or unknown species here (even though some of these specific images don’t reveal the key traits that might demonstrate their identity); we’re seeing an assortment of seals, beaked whales and rorquals. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9d3b1caf-0693-487a-a82a-5225b6b684ee/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-Valhalla-1905-montage-1114px-135kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: just as with the Daedalus object shown above, artistic depictions of the Valhalla creature are not necessarily especially realistic renditions of whatever was seen. This whole montage is a slide from a talk I used to give. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7b9b191-3acc-4c1b-9c2b-3e7490e7265f/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-ZSL-2011-Shine-montage-Osborne-1877-1313px-251kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: one of many sea monster sightings that might be explainable, Shine proposes, is the HMY Osborne account of June 1877, made off the coast of northern Sicily. As shown in the montage here (from Shine 2024), a row of fins were seen initially, then an immense creature with two “large flappers”. It has been tempting to interpret the latter as a big turtle but – as shown in the montage here – it could well have been a humpback. The fins (which were of irregular height) were most likely of different animals, presumably dolphins. Image: Shine (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/afe03eee-4703-42f4-b2ff-f1cdfa656cca/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-multi-humped-montage-1256px-78kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: it isn’t true that multi-humped aquatic monster sightings only come from places where people used nets lined with multiple rounded floats, since these illustrations all depict observations reported from Loch Ness. This montage is included in Shine (2024) but the individual drawings come originally from Rupert Gould’s 1934 The Loch Ness Monster and Others (I own a 1976 reprint, but am still in quest of a first edition). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/701ea096-a005-4a58-bffc-5d8758179651/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-U-28-montage-1764px-305kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: the alleged U-28 event of 1915 is one of the most famous sea monster accounts. It did not happen (if you want the full details, I wrote a TetZoocryptomegathread which you can find here). The reason for the montage here is to emphasize that Heuvelmans (1968) relied on popular retellings – where the animal was depicted as a sort of flippered marine reptile (as shown in the two images at right) – and not on the original discussions of the event. In the first illustration, shown here at left, the animal looks very much as if it was based on a stuffed baby crocodile… which I think it was. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e8b2940e-c459-4627-aeaa-eea654524b0e/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-Umfuli-1893-monster-1256px-78kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: one of the best long-necked, or plesiosaur-like, sea monster illustrations that’s based on an eyewitness account is this take on the SS Umfuli encounter of 1893. But that long, elevated neck with a distinct head at the end is simply not an accurate depiction of what was described at all. As Shine (2024, pp. 134-135) explains, it was actually said to be shaped like a conger eel, and that ‘neck’ was described as a long upper jaw that was seen to open and close. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d0025ac1-9589-4cff-9166-5525c76df735/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-ZSL-2011-Shine-montage-City-of-Baltimore-1879-1101px-186kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: this montage illustrates the fact that some long objects depicted in illustrations (note those words) as representing the necks and heads of long-necked animals actually sound – if you read the written version of events – more like whales engaging in breaching or head-slapping. The case illustrated here was reported by people aboard the City of Baltimore when in the Gulf of Aden (between Yemen and Somalia) in 1879. The digitally composited humpback and minke photos at bottom show what the observations in question might actually have involved. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b96fffa4-8a34-48d1-8475-8f279a0608c7/Shine-Sea-Serpents-Mar-2025-Shine-pages-1171px-200kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Adrian Shine's A Natural History of Sea Serpents - Make it stand out Caption: A Natural History of Sea Serpents has an excellent picture to text ratio, and these pages are a good demonstration of that. Very interesting photos, reproduced in colour and in good resolution. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/3/10/java-man-of-2000 monthly 0.5 2025-03-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f2f7aee2-942b-4559-9494-c2a3a4ebe64f/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-book-on-shelf-1034px-238kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3c6ee0f9-1b5d-4694-8975-2f1e6cb724e4/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-Ngandong-on-map-1398px-128kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Ngandong on the map; it’s in the northern part of East Java, the nearest city being Surabaya to the east. The term ‘Ngandong’ today is synonymous with the archaeological site that yields the H. erectus specimens discussed here. Stegodonts, extinct cattle, rhinos, tapirs and a large tiger (Panthera tigris soloensis) are also known from the site. Image: Google maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c01598b-d401-43f5-bd7d-14886bcc9d73/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-Solo-skull-montage-1722px-203kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of various of the Solo H. erectus fossils, showing skullcaps in various stages of completeness. Those shown here mostly come from adult individuals. By extrapolating complete skull size, we can see that these were large animals, with skulls generally larger than those of H. sapiens. How so many crania came to be preserved in the same area has been the subject of some speculation: was this a product of taphonomy or transport by water, or had these remains been deliberately collected or assembled before discovery? Images: from Weidenreich’s 1951 monograph on Solo man, in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35ab8cb8-4e9d-48bc-bbd5-d6e3ed5d334c/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-Mojokerto-child-montage-1569px-114kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Mojokerto child skull photographed at Sangiran Museum, Sragen, Indonesia. At right, Dutch palaeontologist G. H. Ralph von Koenigswald with the skull, other specimens nearby. von Koenigswald is discussed throughout the book and is an important figure in the discovery, history and interpretation of these fossils. Images: Midori, CC BY 3.0 (original here); Tropenmuseum / National Museum of World Culture collection, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d5003c13-bbda-449e-bd61-3849328ecada/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-Garniss-Curtis-1593px-149kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Garniss Curtis, the geologist who’s essentially the primary character of the book. Curtis died in December 2012; this photo shows him in Wyoming in 2001. At right, a c 1960 photo showing Curtis with (at left) Jack Evernden and a mass spectrometer. Images: Gilbert WG, CC BY 2.5 (original here); J. Hampel / UC Berkeley (taken from this obituary at UC Berkeley News). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6d9e1bb2-4b71-479e-be58-5d9f65addc4f/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-Paranthropus-boisei-NHM-1148px-121kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: replica of the famous 1959 ‘Zinj’ skull at the Natural History Museum, London. It is today classified as Paranthropus boisei and surely deserves the massive amount of publicity achieved at the time of its publication. The taxonomic history of Australopithecus, Zinjanthropus and Paranthropus is complex. Image: Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f01fc579-c77d-4159-b1df-32a088a4c724/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-Chez-Panisse-montage-1764px-218kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: I became curious about the appearance of Chez Panisse and discovered that it has its own Wikipedia page. Apparently, it’s famous in the farm-to-table movement. Images: Calton, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); stu_spivack, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f282bb32-09ca-4420-8cbd-df38bcea6434/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-Sangiran-17-698px-120kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a cast of Sangiran 17 on show at Beijing Museum of Natural History, one of the best Javan H. erectus fossils and a key specimen used in linking the Javan hominins to those of Zhoukoudian in China. Image: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/66f062ee-0710-4de6-a6d6-13e38d68da9b/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-Ni-et-al-2021-cladogram-1232px-121kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: palaeoanthropologists are famously resistant to the use of computer-assisted phylogenetics… nevertheless, there are at least few published cladograms within the field. This tree (from Ni et al. (2021), on the Harbin hominin lineage) shows how H. erectus is outside the clade that includes heidelbergensis, Neanderthals and moderns. What’s also notable here is that the lineages conventionally included within H. erectus form a paraphyletic group. We can agree that that group is a species if we want (and most researchers do want to maintain that view), but it means that some erectines, if you will, are phylogenetically closer to the heidelbergensis + Neanderthal + modern clade than are others. Image: Ni et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f9c54407-19d5-4120-bcb5-063ff0223c4f/Java-Man-Curtis-Mar-2025-hominin-books-on-shelf-1524px-258kb-Mar-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Curtis, Swisher and Lewin’s Java Man of 2000: Hominin-Themed Books, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: there are a massive number of hominin-themed books. Here are just a few. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/2/27/announcing-dinocon-2025 monthly 0.5 2025-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d351409d-7660-4b7f-bc98-0675f7c4d0d6/DinoCon-promo-Feb-2025-banner-1751px-101kb-Feb-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing DinoCon … Tickets Now on Sale! - Make it stand out Caption: our website banner, featuring art by Natalia Jagielska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/beda2f74-75b2-4ec4-bd71-b51fb9b34e99/DinoCon-promo-Feb-2025-TetZooCon-935px-173kb-Feb-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing DinoCon … Tickets Now on Sale! - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the last ever TetZooCon, held at King’s College, central London, in September 2024. It ran smoothly and was a pretty epic success. Images: Georgia Witton-Maclean; Neil Phillips, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/09ee0ae1-49fd-4134-9623-7793f409a5d4/DinoCon-promo-Feb-2025-tickets-banner-14381px-98kb-Feb-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing DinoCon … Tickets Now on Sale! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/959ed007-827f-4dd2-9b2f-6c457eac064c/DinoCon-promo-Feb-2025-Exeter-on-map-1412px-149kb-Feb-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing DinoCon … Tickets Now on Sale! - Make it stand out Caption: for those of you who don’t know where Exeter is, this map should help. It’s in south Devon, over in the west. Nearby tourist and holiday destinations include Dartmoor National Park, Exmoor National Park, and Lyme Regis and other parts of the Jurassic Coast. Image: © google maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e89df15-f38d-49f6-a5ad-efc180d797b4/DinoCon-promo-Feb-2025-surrounds-1735px-209kb-Feb-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing DinoCon … Tickets Now on Sale! - Make it stand out Caption: a view from one of the halls of residence… pretty nice! This photo was taken in October 2024. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ab0c4660-9807-4554-a4a3-40b7969f8994/DinoCon-promo-Feb-2025-UoE-banner-1490px-126kb-Feb-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing DinoCon … Tickets Now on Sale! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/2/21/spawnwatch-2025 monthly 0.5 2025-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9f4daa1a-8ca6-4a47-a89a-5c51e05e9e5b/spawnwatch-Feb-2025-frog-scrum-6-2-25-1097px-190kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News From the Pond's Edge: Spawnwatch 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: a large scrum of frogs battle and compete in the pond’s shallowest part; a photo from 6th February. It is not unusual for male frogs to leave the pond and move about the edges, presumably in an effort to intercept females as they approach. Common frogs are highly recognisable as individuals due to their bars, spots and stripes, and sometimes injuries and deformities. The individual in the foreground has a damaged left eye. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd65f963-c483-41ff-8396-93cde37ea644/spawnwatch-Feb-2025-1st-clutch-4-2-25-1231px-192kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News From the Pond's Edge: Spawnwatch 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: a photo from 4th February, the day on which the first spawn clutch appeared. Note that the frogs mass and compete in the shallowest part of the pond, where the water is less than 10 cm deep. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d0dace8b-ae15-4cfe-91ab-9bec7f6e027b/spawnwatch-Feb-2025-frogs-5-2-25-1521px-234kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News From the Pond's Edge: Spawnwatch 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: a photo from 5th February, the day on which the fourth and fifth spawn clutches appeared. Note the enthusiastic individual at right grabbing an attractive stone. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/79a784a7-af9c-4148-bece-0324c7cd3fb6/spawnwatch-Feb-2025-graph-21-2-25-1370px-50kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News From the Pond's Edge: Spawnwatch 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: I keep records of when spawn clutches appear, but this is the first time I’ve tabulated it properly. The long plateau here was a cause for concern but the massive spike at right shows that we’re now back on track. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cdaaf5aa-2689-4ccb-bcf7-51f6fe43e894/spawnwatch-Feb-2025-frogs-and-spawn-6-2-25-1238px-202kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News From the Pond's Edge: Spawnwatch 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: frogs and spawn massed in the pond’s shallow end. I see Paley, a distinctive and unusually pale frog (yes, I’m trying to identify and keep track of individuals year on year). The patch of exposed pond liner at upper left is a consequence of frogs inadvertently moving stones across the pond floor while competing. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1e3b6d73-4d82-4124-9986-2c2059ebed84/spawnwatch-Feb-2025-17-spawn-clutches-21-2-25-1350px-316kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News From the Pond's Edge: Spawnwatch 2025 - Make it stand out Caption: 17 separate clutches present as of 21st February. Several are obviously only a few hours old and still have the tight, dense look typical of new clutches. Note that Common frogs really prefer to spawn in the shallowest water possible, literally just a few cm deep. No frogs are visible here as the arrival of a delivery worker caused them to rush away and hide. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/2/6/tama-zoological-park monthly 0.5 2025-02-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/82c37ba2-7717-4100-866a-e6baf03a7aac/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-intro-montage-1006px-142kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a3b83e29-3110-4805-8bb0-89236198ec8a/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-zoo-entrance-1781px-185kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the zoo’s entrance/exit features a bridge-like bar hanging above the gates and booths. A central supporting column is decorated with a large Asian elephant sculpture. At right is the entrance/exit seen from within the zoo looking out, the gift shop at right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f197fae7-e0e6-4a13-8212-3bea48d98b39/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-wildfowl-bridge-1764px-393kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Waterfowl Bridge, the adjacent area involving not just a large pond complex but a series of vegetated islands. Wild birds, including ducks and grebes, use the ponds as well as captive ones. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/36350bd1-de92-427c-b345-1bcc2e6c56eb/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-goose-montage-1784px-299kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: two of the several goose species kept at the zoo. At left, Bar-headed goose, a Central Asian species that winters in India and elsewhere in southern Asia. It’s significantly different from other Anser species and has at times been regarded as worthy of its own genus, Eulabeia. Both images at right show Greylag goose, with the long, pink bill and pink legs and feet showing that this must be the eastern subspecies A. a. rubirostris. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/344fcb24-bca8-4ed5-86bc-ab501fceed2a/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-geese-1-1850px-264kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Cackling goose group with food plants visible on the ground. The several Cackling goose subspecies were generally considered conspecific with the Canada goose B. canadensis until the last few decades. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e29be390-39d9-4977-82ff-bc6db953fd96/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-tapir-walls-1788px-287kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: at left, this wall in the tapir house provides abundant info on the zoo’s tapirs and their history. At right, the large colour sign on the outside of the house. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/022263f0-aaa6-455e-a068-170320cfc038/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-tapir-pool-1733px-120kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the tapir pool as seen from inside the house. The tapirs didn’t do any swimming, let alone bottom-walking, during the time of my visit, alas. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b021e3eb-de7f-4474-8d23-2a79d9fc89f5/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-tapirs-indoors-1525px-178kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: a glass (or transparent plastic) wall allows you to see the tapirs up close and unobstructed if they’re in the house at the same time as you are. Note the variation in pale colouration at the snout and how much white is present around the hooves. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9adcb32d-0758-4cf5-baaf-a0a817575398/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-tapir-art-1902px-263kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: view inside the tapir house. Lots of tapir-themed art – I approve! Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f03007dc-d11e-4ab4-aef3-7fad1500fdbd/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-tapir-pair-1643px-272kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the zoo’s two tapirs as seen from a viewing platform. I presume this was a male and female but was never able to check. The presumed male has a pale scar on the dorsal surface of his snout. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b1a9ece9-0193-4d5d-8a55-da87208ab2f5/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-tapir-enclosure-1768px-358kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the tapirs traversing the marshy, grassy outdoor area of their enclosure. This photo gives some idea of how green and leafy the zoo grounds are. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4530cbb0-dedc-4bbd-837a-61ef4ed89ff1/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Mole-House-1746px-434kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the building in the middle of this photo is the fabled Mole House. You might be able to see bright yellow hazard cones close to the bottom of the staircase. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6fd17703-f5f6-475f-9b01-f0053781e5be/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-spoonbill-montage-1786px-116kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: a spoonbill montage. African spoonbill at left (with a somewhat washed-out face: the facial skin is ordinarily redder than it is in this bird), Black-faced spoonbill at right. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5f8aa72c-4d70-4ff5-bbca-385c541f9235/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-elephant-enclosure-1762px-375kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the outdoor section of the Asian elephant enclosure (this from the female section). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f53ee8af-c2d4-4851-a829-4d8e12d94395/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-elephant-enclosure-2-1755px-176kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: part of the indoor area for the female Asian elephants. The elephants remained indoors during the time of my visit, perhaps because of the weather. I didn’t get to see the male. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/63992b68-3502-4c28-8e35-5b2e6c826a0c/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-elephant-enclosure-3-1643px-137kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: viewing windows for the large indoor area for the female Asian elephants. This entire area is roofed, which was useful at the time of my visit in view of the rain and wind. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1eb3a14d-1fd9-45c2-a8d8-1c886f754665/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-tahr-montage-1721px-290kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Himalayan tahr are – arguably – less visually impressive and more goat-like than sometimes conveyed in art (I generally picture them as longer-coated, shaggier, weirder). Molecular studies show that the three tahr groups (the other two are Arabian tahr and Nilgiri tahr) do not form a clade and hence they’re no longer included in the same genus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/81c02bc9-1a92-4d18-a8bf-485d66dc89fb/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-takin-portrait-montage-1326px-200kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: I was really happy to see these animals and took some substantial number of photos. Look at the elegant sweep of those horns, the ‘overbuilt’ look to the forelimbs, and the very unusual, elongate hooves. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1916bf96-d451-4320-a614-c13cc2c5744d/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Golden-takin-1-1641px-265kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Golden takin with down-sloping neck, stood in energy-saving pose on a rock. An interesting idea inspired by the incredible coat of this animal is that the pelt of one was perhaps inspirational to, or connected to, the origin of the golden fleece legend of ancient Greece. I have no real idea how plausible this might be. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2050f35e-ba4d-49f0-8549-0cb806e41503/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Golden-takin-2-1425px-269kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: takin in profile, showing the obvious difference in robusticity between the fore- and hindlimbs. While much of the pelt is ‘golden’ – though I suppose it’s more like blonde with reddish tints here and there – note that there are large grey areas too. This is very variable across individuals. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f88cae51-f674-48b0-956e-b92dfb780936/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Golden-takin-3-1255px-181kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: takin facial detail. Takins have a very tall, deep nasal aperture, with the nasal bones arched and high up on the skull. The bedfordi of the name honours the Duke of Bedford, who funded the British expedition that resulted in the scientific discovery of this animal. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/38ba3d3d-201b-4c8a-8d08-aa2dedfa6a57/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-takin-enclosure-1887px-393kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: part of the takin enclosure, giving some idea of the rockiness of it, and the deliberate use of stone steps to mimic the elevated, hilly terrain they inhabit in the wild. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ac7f12cc-981f-4820-ad1d-6e53427ebe21/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-takin-steps-1737px-461kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the deep space here looks like a moat of the sort often built into zoo enclosures in order to keep animals always from visitors (and vice versa). In this case, however, the sloping inner wall features a set of large rocks that function as steps, and it’s clear here that the takins are adept at using them. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/116a4542-4e95-43c0-ae80-95a7907fab71/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-pelican-profile-1709px-123kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the Great white, Eastern white, Rosy or White pelican is a mostly African species but also occurs patchily across Asia as far east as Indonesia. An apparently increasing number also occur across Europe, mostly in the east. It’s strongly migratory and will likely substantially alter its range in step with climatic change over the next few decades. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e0e8258-cdc1-42f1-af13-e6152b4cc7f2/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-milu-whole-animal-1511px-246kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the lone male Milu at the zoo. I watched as he took some time rubbing his face and neck against the stone wall of a large feature in the middle of his enclosure. Note the blackish areas on his neck, side, and the sides of his limbs, the brush-like tail, and the series of white spots along the shoulder. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8128a965-5bce-4967-b773-07d3add07848/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Milu-montage-1710px-246kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: strange features of the Milu head and neck on show. The antlers are atypical, there are hair whorls on the neck and side of the shoulder, and the face is unusual, and seemingly skewed or asymmetrical. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b55b526a-5af3-4700-893f-639950740de4/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-milu-antlers-1881px-277kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: a nice little installation on the unusual antlers of the Milu (they’re weird in that the brow tine – the first forward-projecting growth from the beam – is as prominent as, or more prominent than, the beam itself). I own a Milu antler myself. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/18c3434f-40fa-4a2a-8e89-afe9abb9bfeb/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-milu-statue-montage-1600px-316kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Milu statue. Metal installations in places like Tokyo can become very hot in the sun, so much so that warning signs are placed nearby. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea3ab97b-4da8-484c-b9ee-290acc5233e1/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-milu-sign-1789px-218kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: one of the things said several times about the Milu is that it looks like a mashup of deer- and horse-like features, and that’s the idea explored here on this sign. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8e6e2cb0-a57b-4da7-be22-32722c675ec0/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-red-panda-hang-3-1697px-165kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve read about the agility of red pandas but never really seen it in life, since the only things I’ve seen them do when climbing involves walking along branches or thick ropes. However, this individual demonstrated its ability to hang upside down from the roof of its enclosure. Here’s your regular reminder that the Red panda is the original panda (I said exactly the same thing the last time I mentioned pandas, and I’m sure I’ve said it on previous occasions as well). The Giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca is an imposter, made known to science some decades later. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b75beb6b-dc8c-4b82-ab9f-591c3ed2acf8/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-gibbon-montage-1249px-114kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: a male and female Lar gibbon shared this enclosure. This is the male: females are black. As you can see, he suffers from some kind of unusual jaw configuration. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5545d94d-7df3-4772-baa9-a1f2d00b16c0/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Siberian-tiger-1641px-243kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the Siberian tiger’s enclosure was heavily planted with bamboo, a good design feature that I’ve seen at a few other zoos. I’m used to tigers avoiding eye contact but this one purposefully stared at me while I was photographing it. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c44d7df1-1ff6-4a3a-b987-3bfbce3f6e6b/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-orangutan-and-woman-1808px-221kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: a Bornean orangutan watches a woman applying foundation. Signs inside this house reminded you to be aware of (human) pickpockets. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/58f27d21-76e4-4611-b95b-4c3467d4a698/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-orangutan-enclosure-2-1643px-137kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: outdoor component of one of the orangutan enclosures. The replica rock surfaces, again, are impressive, and the signs do a good job of telling you about the history of the specific animals kept at the zoo. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f2471d92-1609-424c-b406-2b96fe547d2e/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-wolf-indoors-1385px-49kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: wolf resting indoors on a rainy, stormy day. I don’t know if the animal was locked inside the house or if it just chose to be there. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cbfdd00a-9b19-4dc0-935c-2cbea38023e9/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-wolf-sign-1643px-291kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: it should be clear throughout this article that Tama Zoological Park is strong on signage, as is its sister zoo, Ueno. This panel – on the outside of the wolf enclosure – explains wolf body language and predatory behaviour in the wild. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/79d2a0f4-4c6c-40d2-845c-045e7c6d7a16/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-wolf-tunnel-1646px-137kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: my refuge site during the height of Typhoon Shanshan. The outdoor part of the wolf enclosure is visible through the windows on the left. There were no other people in this tunnel during my time there, but there was a large katydid (which I photographed, and which I now see that I never uploaded to iNaturalist). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3f2d975f-ba8a-4cbe-ae0e-fea55b7704bc/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Przewalski-horse-2-1747px-323kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Przewalski’s horse enclosure in the rain. As you can see, the horses are mostly using the shelter. It’s a shame that they aren’t kept in an enclosure with a grassy, steppe-like flooring. However, I know that there are husbandry and welfare advantages to keeping hoofstock on hard surfaces like this. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/743c8e59-0f2a-462b-ad32-e73d10760e84/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Przewalski-horse-1353px-174kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: closer view of horses in the rain. As noted in the text, these individuals look a bit less like ‘pure’ Przewalski’s than ones I’ve seen elsewhere. Przewalski’s horses are, of course, caballine horses close to domestic horses, and you should be able to see the chestnuts on the forelimbs of the individual at far right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/796695f8-c864-4f0a-8378-e83ee75e72aa/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-bird-montage-1761px-219kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of some of the larger birds kept at the zoo. Left to white: Great white pelican, Black stork, Puna ibis. The stork looks a bit affected by the day’s weather. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0f34041-f4d7-4d18-aac8-cad98243b0d9/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-ibises-and-gulls-1837px-519kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: a mixed Black-headed gull / Puna ibis group in an aviary. The former is a very common gull here in western Europe, so seeing it in captivity is novel. It occurs across Japan as well though. Gulls are, relatively speaking, rarely kept in captivity, an issue discussed once or twice here in the past. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/714d2c37-6fa7-48e4-be38-ea18cd026055/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Straw-necked-ibises-1508px-115kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Straw-necked ibis, a species new to me. Juvenile at left, adult (with eponymous ‘straw’ on neck) at right. This is a partly migratory ibis, mostly associated with eastern Australia. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/64d38410-8af4-4d98-8aab-19ab8eec4f01/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-RH-wood-pigeon-1376px-141kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Tama Zoo has several enclosures dedicated to the Red-headed wood pigeon, and (I think) breeds this endangered, geographically restricted animal. It’s endemic to the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima and is one of three subspecies of the Black wood pigeon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4665888f-3779-4192-bbd0-08a30fa42cc7/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-pigeon-monal-montage-1773px-133kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: at left, White-belled green pigeon, one of the 30 or so species within the Afro-Asian Treron green pigeons. At right, Himalayan monal male and female, though with the bad lighting making it hard to see the iridescent, metallic colours of the male. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/88fea268-b5f3-41fe-8777-d0f267c64384/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Asian-black-bear-1815px-177kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Asian black bear walking (at reasonably brisk pace) about enclosure, showing good view of what happens to the hand and foot during locomotion. The white chest marking characteristic of the species is just visible in one of these photos. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e7ffe53b-e024-4bfa-9770-c0e8f7434c7e/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-bear-enclosure-1893px-460kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the better part of the bear’s enclosure, which does a reasonably good job of making the most of the sloping elevation. It is not, of course, big enough or with enough things to do to keep a bear happy. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8afac7fb-3f3d-49b3-955e-4c4314d9709e/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-squirrel-and-macaque-1790px-269kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a flying squirrel sleeping in its nestbox. At right, Japanese macaques. Macaques as a group are highly variable in tail length. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04b0806f-9344-439e-abb2-76706a2a8be1/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-macaque-enclosure-1683px-356kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: macaque enclosure at Tama Zoological Park. The main display area is elevated, with concrete slopes and a moat on all sides. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b642df91-0f31-4be2-bcc7-6f36a5aed11d/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Australian-signs-montage-1797px-347Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: at left, entrance sign to the Australian Zone with adjacent image of the globe. At right, big sign on the front of the Koala House. The images there portray a good likeness of the koala and even correctly portray their vertical slit pupils. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1eacfbfe-cad0-4829-b79b-c7d55d961511/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Koala-House-koala-enclosure-1752px-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: vertically arranged trees and branches, with freshly provided eucalyptus, in the large central atrium of the Koala House. I see two koalas in this photo but others might be in shot as well. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/49e874f1-1f31-4d97-9501-3772d4838b58/TAC48A%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: inside the Koala House, darkened halls provide the viewing area for enclosures that house sugar gliders and other species. I liked the whole setup, but the species on show were familiar ones if you’ve seen marsupials in captivity elsewhere. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2c9e0a12-4112-4cd6-a002-b99071e95b60/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-marsupial-montage-1710px-224kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: sugar glider on nestbox, at left, and bettong at right. I’ve seen sugar gliders several times in captivity but only climbing about, not gliding. I wonder how frequently they do that in captivity: do they even need to glide at all when in a small enclosure? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b6b87854-279f-4c69-b6e7-a7c05586a591/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-rock-wallaby-1719px-160kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the kangaroos and wallabies were mostly kept in glass-walled enclosures, and the rain of the day made it especially hard to photograph them. Here are the best photos I got of a Yellow-footed rock wallaby. Rock wallabies are close relatives of tree kangaroos and are excellent climbers, well able to ascend and descend strongly inclined rock faces and even sloping tree trunks. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4be4a45f-59cd-4ec0-a70e-bee875d632a8/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Tas-devil-screen-1753px-276kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: two Tasmanian devils, resting or sleeping in a box indoors, and viewable on what basically looks like a TV set contained itself within a wooden box. There aren’t many zoos outside of Australia that keep devils, but they are (or were!) at Copenhagen, Duisburg in Germany, Prague, Beauval in France, Columbus Zoo in Ohio, and elsewhere too. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/43009a5e-6dcd-4fcb-8b9c-52c988f5d9dd/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Tasmanian-devil-1-1736px-344kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: Tasmanian devil enclosure, showing a large quantity of glass, various structures inside, and a large amount of devil-themed signage. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6a5ab04f-b1ee-4fcb-b551-cec5ce2e7798/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-Insectarium-1518px-199kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: the Insectarium Center, locust statues (and obligatory warning cones) nearby. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d8e365db-2b59-4529-9109-a24c80381181/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-amphibian-montage-1785px-216kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: amphibians on show inside the Insectarium. The salamander at left is, sadly, not a hynobiid but a fire-bellied newt. The frog at right is a brown frog (the group of ranid frogs most familiar to me, here in the herpetofaunally-depauperate UK), specifically a Mountain brown frog. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/687d2999-4467-4619-ab2f-768c697cae76/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-origami-in-shop-1857px-218kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: I am so impressed by these origami animals… but I didn’t buy them, since I absolutely lack the patience or skill to construct such things. You will note that nearly all the models shown here represent species kept at the zoo, the notable exception being the Jaguar. Also, that tiger looks like a white one, and the zoo doesn’t keep those. Remember what I said earlier about Blakiston’s fish owl? The bird at upper right represents that species, so I’m guessing that it, likely, is kept at the zoo and that I missed it. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6833bedc-6149-4dfc-86aa-ce38cf764f39/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-milu-enclosure-scene-1883px-355kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: view across part of the Asian Zone, looking east toward the long, winding road and in the direction of the entrance/exit, and with the Milu enclosure in the middle of frame (you can see the animal standing close to stonework in the centre of the enclosure, as it’s also doing in the other photos used earlier in the article). There’s extensive greenery and a good number of trees here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f8b866a-2871-4d7f-ba99-30841146787b/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-zoo-road-scene-1903px-436kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: another view of greenery within the zoo, this time flanking the road within the Asian Zone that heads west and is near the tiger and orangutans. You can see the pelicans at lower right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/780e2380-a404-47f2-803e-7f6d9cfcb7c8/Tama-Zoo-Jan-2025-cenotaph-steps-1745px-355kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo - Make it stand out Caption: steps leading to the area where the wolves, horses and cenotaph are. I want to make it clear that you don’t have to use the steps to get to this area though: the same area can be reached via a road that doesn’t have steps along its route, but the route is much longer. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/2/1/yowies-and-the-marsupial-hominoid-hypothesis monthly 0.5 2025-11-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/89b7872a-7f7b-497b-b81f-606a97199129/Frost-Fatfoot-Feb-2025-cover-907px-96kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Yowies and the Marsupial Hominoid Hypothesis – Neil Frost’s Fatfoot: Encounters With A Dooligahl - Make it stand out Caption: front cover of Frost (2023). The striking colour cover is by Daniel Falconer and features a reconstruction of the face inspired by a night-time photo featured within the book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c3f1678e-c29a-428c-afb2-b6b4632857f3/Frost-Fatfoot-Feb-2025-yowie-book-montage-2-1716px-438kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Yowies and the Marsupial Hominoid Hypothesis – Neil Frost’s Fatfoot: Encounters With A Dooligahl - Make it stand out Caption: there aren’t many books that cover the yowie phenomenon, but here are a few. Some books on the subject are much sought after, most notably Graham Joyner’s 1977 The Hairy Man of South Eastern Australia. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fbfb38c5-3df1-4989-99a3-0888a3280344/Frost-Fatfoot-Feb-2025-yowie-montage-1026px-179kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Yowies and the Marsupial Hominoid Hypothesis – Neil Frost’s Fatfoot: Encounters With A Dooligahl - Make it stand out Caption: a few yowie encounters – I’m talking here of the phenomenon in general, not the specific section associated with Neil Frost – have resulted in illustrations that supposedly depict the creature that was observed. As you can see, they appear to show hominids. Here are two such drawings featured in Healy & Cropper (2006). That on the left depicts the creature seen by Katrina Tucker in Acacia Hill, Northern Territory, in August 1997; the one on the right was drawn by Melba Cullen in 2001, albeit from recollection of an event that occurred in 1930! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6a72c68d-3ffa-46fe-aaeb-4cbcc551c9a9/Frost-Fatfoot-Feb-2025-fat-spine-1729px-161kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Yowies and the Marsupial Hominoid Hypothesis – Neil Frost’s Fatfoot: Encounters With A Dooligahl - Make it stand out Caption:Fatfoot is a fat book. Remarkably, I’ve just discovered that my copy has increased in size while I’ve owned it, either because my use of the book has roughed up the pages a little, or because of humidity. It was 48 mm thick but is now 50 mm. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f283e85-c699-4945-ac1e-d8b3ef1377a8/Frost-Fatfoot-Feb-2025-Frost-montage-1672px-214kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Yowies and the Marsupial Hominoid Hypothesis – Neil Frost’s Fatfoot: Encounters With A Dooligahl - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Neil Frost (as of a few decades ago) holding a case of a partial track believed to be that of a yowie. At right, a Blue Mountains scene showing the sort of landscape associated with the events discussed here. Both images are taken from here at The Fortean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/08d37800-1bf4-4a58-8ab7-5a010facf97e/Frost-Fatfoot-Feb-2025-Fabio-Alejandro-1612px-279kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Yowies and the Marsupial Hominoid Hypothesis – Neil Frost’s Fatfoot: Encounters With A Dooligahl - Make it stand out Caption: the concept of the marsupial yowie is not novel to this book, and in fact a few artists who specialise on speculative animals and cryptozoology have imagined the yowie as a sthenurine kangaroo before. This infographic depicting the yowie as a big striding kangaroo is by Fabio Alejandro. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d1d3dc44-95ae-443f-8937-c82199bfedc0/Frost-Fatfoot-Feb-2025-swimming-kangaroo-1197px-95kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Yowies and the Marsupial Hominoid Hypothesis – Neil Frost’s Fatfoot: Encounters With A Dooligahl - Make it stand out Caption: Frost’s giant macropods are striders and runners, and don’t use the paired-limb, ricochetal gait of most kangaroos. But here’s your reminder that this isn’t as hard a rule as we generally think: tree kangaroos and the extinct sthenurines moved their hindlimbs alternately, and even specialised ricochetal species like this Red kangaroo Osphranter rufus move the limbs in conventional fashion during swimming. This photo is from Wilson (1974). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b7f5a853-f4ae-46e7-9730-440d6da63e05/Frost-Fatfoot-Feb-2025-diprotodontian-yowie-AThrillosopher-1051px-181kb-Feb-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Yowies and the Marsupial Hominoid Hypothesis – Neil Frost’s Fatfoot: Encounters With A Dooligahl - Make it stand out Caption: another artistic image that depicts a yowie as a marsupial, though in this case as a diprotodontoid rather than a kangaroo. I won’t deny that the concept of the marsupial yowie is great fun and has involved some great creature-building. Image: AThrillosopher (taken from here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/12/23/2024-in-review monthly 0.5 2026-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/089a7d59-8868-4647-a8b4-9bf49ea1f522/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Naish-books-Doraemon-2024-1299px-137kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: my 2024, summarized. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1d8df060-e1d9-4b39-a467-2ca362c2fdbe/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Flame-in-garden-July-2024-1553px-441kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Flame the dragon is alive and well and had a happy and healthy 2024 that involved going outside during the warmer parts of the year and foraging among the greenery. Flame is now over 11 years old, and members of her species only rarely make it to 15 (the world record is 18). Fingers crossed. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d6363562-a731-412b-b33f-4b1dedd8f628/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-DHTLE-Chinese-2-1204px-848kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: hey, have I ever mentioned the Natural History Museum book I co-authored with Prof Paul Barrett, titled Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved? Despite being out since 2016, it has so far only been published in a handful of languages. This Chinese edition appeared in 2024. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e8501a2f-89f7-4880-b9db-7b52e2ae5c5d/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-New-Forest-Feb-2024-1624px-615kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I feel very lucky to live in close proximity to the New Forest, one of the largest remaining unenclosed areas of medieval-style woodland, heathland and pasture, and I get to go there on numerous times throughout the year. This photo is from February 2024. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bc3e009a-1958-474e-9c04-ae9a6b9fcb6b/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Jean-Raffaelli-salamanders-book-Feb-2024-1434px-143kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: so, buying a copy of Jean Raffaëlli’s Salamanders and Newts of the World is quite the commitment. You need shelf space to house it (and your shelves must be able to take some substantial amount of weight), and you need some arm strength to lift it. The selection of books shown alongside it at left is pretty random – that shelf is an unsorted mess. Images: Darren Naish; Toni Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5873559c-ca6d-47b9-b352-35b93a10f8ab/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Palmate-newts-Hum-Hole-1717px-229kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Palmate newts Lissotriton helveticus at the degraded Hum Hole ponds in Southampton. The animal on the left had climbed to the top of a vertical wall that separates two of the tiered ponds, but on reaching the top it let go and fell back down (note the gammarid crustacean in shot too). Animals handled under licence. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0543bbf3-460a-4041-b7d9-b328ba03df44/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-toad-Sports-Centre-ponds-1350px-307kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: in February 2024, I visited the abandoned swimming pool and its nearby ponds at Southampton’s Outdoor Sports Centre. We found abundant Smooth newts Lissotriton vulgaris but not the Alpines we were looking for. Also present were a low number of Common toad Bufo bufo; calling male at left. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c229023b-78a3-4a90-8416-ec18e9c151bc/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-BoB-conspiracy-tweets-Feb-2024-1377px-208kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I think that the tweets speak for themselves. There were many of them, but I’ve only bothered sharing the initial salvo here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aeb40a2a-86c1-4819-b173-d57603847535/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-animal-figures-1-1564px-464kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: 2024 was a good year in terms of acquiring new animal figures and models. At left, a random assortment of recently obtained pieces, among them the giant AAA Smilodon, an unusual bigfoot, the Chap Mei orangutan, some Starlux mammals, and the various Safari Ltd crurotarsans from the toob set. At right, the very impressive Prehistoric Planet Hatzegopteryx from Xotic Sculpts. Yes, it has a technical issue concerning its feet. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d4cdca28-e5be-4963-b004-d7efa9a0fde4/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-animal-figures-2-1764px-230kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: more models and figures new to the collection for 2024. At left, the pike, trout and ceramic bowhead from TheYoungerEarth, the Homo diluvii testis and Corythoraptor made by Splendid Editions, and a Jed Taylor Deinonychus acquired at TetZooCon 2024. At right… 2024 was the year in which Haolonggood dinosaur models really arrived on the scene, and here are some, with their megatooth shark figure and a giant salamander. Haolonggood figures are available via Everything Dinosaur. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d895507d-026d-479e-b096-2e1a2714687f/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-The-Deep-Feb-2024-1680px-223kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: The Deep in Hull, as seen from Millennium Bridge looking south toward the Humber Estuary. It’s one of the largest aquariums in the UK, opened in 2002, and is a centre for research and conservation. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4256a5b5-d066-46c6-88c0-d09b035276dc/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-The-Deep-fossil-exhibit-Feb-2024-1426px-409kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I was impressed with many things about The Deep, and one of them is the giant rock wall that extends parallel to the walkway near the entrance. As you can see, it’s decorated with replica (but very real-looking), life-sized, fossils of spectacular marine animals from throughout history. Those shown here are (at left) the stem-whale Dorudon, (at upper right) the placodont Placodus, and (at lower right) the Cretaceous sea turtle Archelon. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a31ba594-3d18-435f-ac29-25cffa25421a/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Snouters-all-editions-1498px-316kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: have more than three editions of Stümpke’s classic volume been photographed together before? I don’t know, but I doubt it. At left, the German original. In the middle, the 1967 Doubleday English first edition. At right, the 1981 University of Chicago softback. Other versions of the book do of course exist but I doubt I’ll ever get to own them. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/58d89cce-41a0-44e8-b3ff-e28c4d0851d9/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-All-Yesterdays-models-2-1345px-214kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: batch 1 of the All Yesterdays figures from Splendid Editions include Sleepy Stan the T. rex, the Swan, and the therizinosaur. Buy them (and others in the range) here at Etsy. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ae822782-5cd3-4b3f-97a7-482f25bf274f/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Wildscreen-PP-904px-160kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Wildscreen 2024 Prehistoric Planet event. Tori Herridge (at far left) talks to (left to right) Simon Bell, Darren Naish, Bob Spicer and Liz Martin-Silverstone. People in the TV world generally don’t see the value of continual scientific input, and in fact often don’t want it, so Prehistoric Planet was unusual in having scientists as full-time members of staff. Image: © Wildscreen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/62eaea20-60ba-4df1-ae4c-ed3ea1a9a569/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-DCM-Dorchester-montage-1767px-312kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a promotional image for my talk at Dorset Museum and Art Gallery, Dorchester, knocked up by my friend Mark North (who has proved himself quite the enabler when it comes to those accursed animal toys and figures). The artwork featuring the pliosaurid is by Konstantin Gerasimov. At right, the spectacular skull of the Weymouth Bay pliosaurid, holotype of Pliosaurus kevani, on show in Dorchester. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/12c25075-d124-4839-a66a-ae61e8f100ab/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Chessel-Bay-plastic-2-Mar-2024-1773px-446kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: if you don’t think that plastic pollution is a problem… well, maybe ignorance is bliss I guess. Small fragments of packaging of all sorts, plastic sticks used in toiletry products, plastic nurdles… Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/66ec91d7-07f0-4ee6-819e-8fca935f2aef/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Chessel-Bay-plastic-Mar-2024-1599px-476kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: this is the situation we’re in. Millions – literally – of polystyrene fragments, with known origins. You can pick up this stuff for the whole of your lifetime and not make much difference to an affected beach. And here’s a reminder that plastics are not inert in the environment. They’re chemically active and destructive to living things. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0c11886c-a328-42e4-9fe5-bad9b52ddfa3/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Dinsdale-thread-Mar-2024-1559px-102kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: it seems almost unbelievable today, but there were years during the 1960s and 70s when a select number of sane and intelligent people actually believed that the Dinsdale Loch Ness film of 1960 (a still from which is shown at left, diagrammatic interpretations of which are shown at right) really showed a large, scientifically unrecognised animal. These images, and numerous others, featured in my megathread on Dinsdale… which is here on Twitter/X. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1df2608e-ba41-4a69-9526-3b21254db455/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-dinosaur-intelligence-news-April-2024-1619px-292kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Caspar et al. (2024) paper on dinosaur intelligence proved popular with journalists. Some of the coverage was good, some was ok, but some was shallow and weak. “Scientists change their minds … yet again’” for example, is a terrible title that completely misses the point, since it’s written to imply that scientists all share the same interpretation of a given body of data. Here are screengrabs of just two of the many articles that covered the story. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d143e574-8c20-40f5-99cc-988aa506c82a/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-East-Head-West-Wittering-April-1907px-311kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the extremely picturesque saltmarsh and salt dune complex of East Head, West Wittering, West Sussex, as of April 2024. This is yet another place in the UK where dogs are allowed and even encouraged by their owners to run about, despite the signs, ropes and fencing designed to encourage people to keep their dogs out of these areas. Nothing works. The only solution is to ban people and dogs from such areas, but no-one wants to take draconian action of that sort. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/798c24a0-3c24-47c8-8045-50fed2078314/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-River-Hamble-Country-Park-April-2024-1905px-479kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: another relatively local green area within easy reach of where I live: River Hamble Country Park, April 2024. A large pond in this park gets good quantities of frogspawn, but all of it – I’m not exaggerating, all of it – disappeared, and presumably died, during the early months of the year. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6a801927-22ce-4e92-a4c9-9186f9ec2704/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Churchill-elephant-toy-April-2024-1572px-139kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I visited Blenheim Palace in April 2024 (specifically for the Icons of British Fashion exhibition). This is the toy wooden elephant that belonged to Winston Churchill during his childhood. I like it very much. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/feb99b45-19ae-4207-b9c5-4e473fb0d274/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Exeter-NS-Steve-Etches-June-2024-1266px-112kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Steve Etches talks Kimmeridge Clay fossils at the New Scientist Jurassic Coast Weekender event in Exeter, 2024. In this particular moment, Steve is discussing the spectacular new pliosaurid discovered by Philip Jacobs in early 2022, then excavated by Steve and colleagues from its cliff-side location, and which was featured in the documentary Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster on New Years Day 2024. In my capacity as a consultant working at BBC Studios, I helped devise the events featured in that film, though I’m not adequately credited. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1e836f8a-5c1e-412d-8a09-42579d1b39a1/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Devon-train-movie-May-2024-1705px-160kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: there are a number of short movies that show green, European landscapes… and which have a famously triggering effect (I’m talking about the K-fee jump scare commercials). Well, now there’s another triggering movie of a green landscape. Here’s a still, taken from a train as it thundered through the English countryside. Because this image is a little boring, I hid three small bigfoots in the background. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f9ead263-514d-4dfa-bf3a-a8c9208e050e/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Bristol-gulls-June-2024-1774px-202kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: it wouldn’t be an annual review without me sharing at least something on gulls. This is a Herring gull Larus argentatus pair that accompanied me while I was having lunch next to the Avon in Bristol one day. What’s interesting about one of these birds (the presumed male on the left) is that its iris was speckled with black, not just pale yellow as is more common. This is a known intraspecifically variable feature of this species, speckled irides being rarer than plain ones. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/114bbaa2-732e-4e07-a5b1-19587c4f5dc1/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Dinopedia-China-June-1731px-165kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: views of the Chinese edition of Dinopedia. It’s a condensed, reduced version of the book relative to the original, but I hope that it still carries enough content to be considered worthwhile by its readers. The red-brown hue of the illustrations also marks it as different from the English edition. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/802bcb62-61db-44f4-8f32-49aa4bd6f7e3/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Lyme-Regis-Naish-books-and-talk-June-2024-1750px-189kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: it’s very appropriate that my involvement in the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival generally revolves around Mesozoic marine reptiles. At left, a stack of books to sign. At right, title slide from my talk, featuring images from the Apple TV / BBC Studios series Prehistoric Planet. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8c4f566c-fe0a-4e52-a0be-32915f939642/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Lyme-Regis-Why-Dinosaurs-June-2024-1482px-239kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: it’s apt when attending a Why Dinosaurs? screening to do the red carpet thing and have your photo taken in front of the official backdrop. Here’s a group of us at the entrance to the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. Left to right: Stella Ludwig, Nizar Ibrahim, Hamzah Imran and Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d114df1e-0425-4620-8405-e891481ed80b/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Lyme-Regis-East-Cliff-June-2024-1884px-477kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve now shared scenic photos of Lyme Regis’s East Cliff Beach on numerous occasions, but here it is at high tide on a sunny morning in June. The water is clear and blue, and birds including Common whitethroat Curruca communis sing from the cliff-top greenery. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/94c84ffa-fb89-4e9b-b6f4-7b67f68e5de2/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Anning-with-plesiosaur-Flip-Sept-2024-1468px-332kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Mary Anning holds Flip the robot plesiosaur during the 2024 Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, with marine reptile workers (left to right) Richard Forrest, Judyth Sassoon, and Luke Muscutt. Down at the bottom is little Darren Naish, who’s evidently shorter in some photos than in others. Image: Hel Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/93e5a4b0-7a03-46cc-a2e6-3582a75b17c0/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-frogs-pond-2-June-2024-1749px-502kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: frogs arrive in great numbers in pond 2 during late January and early February, but adults are obvious – as here – throughout the summer. This photo from June 2024 shows at least eight frogs at the water surface. Part of the reason that frogs do this is to ambush insects that come to the pond to drink or (in the case of damselflies and such) lay their eggs. Common pondweed Lemna minor is visible in this photo but has since been successfully eliminated from the pond. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/51de754e-9d41-4cbb-93cb-c14b6bea3199/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Pont-Aven-sea-view-July-2024-1392px-120kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: sea-watching on trips that revolve around marine mammals involves a lot of what you might expect… peering for long periods at large stretches of water. You see animals of many sorts, but the skies in this part of the world are amazing too. I don’t take for granted the complex, dynamic cloudscapes we get here on the Atlantic fringes. Climatic change means that the atmosphere in general is becoming cloudier. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/448d31ef-87b9-44f9-bba4-4a933aff09f9/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-ORCA-Biscay-Ziphius-July-2024-1788px-89kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I remain absolutely awed by the fact that I’ve now observed live, wild ziphiid whales on a number of occasions. This is a male Ziphius with a very white head, observed in the Bay of Biscay. The extensive scarring across his back is very distinctive and this individual could likely be identified from some of these markings if witnessed again. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd381e42-d8b3-403b-9ef4-d36c88853e2b/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-ORCA-Biscay-porpoise-July-2024-1262px-107kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: not the best photo in the world, but this probably shows a lone Harbour or Common porpoise witnessed in the afternoon, on the approach to Spain. Its brief, secretive reveal was typical for its species, but that very rounded, blunt-tipped apex to the dorsal fin is a bit unusual. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/53c47dda-34b6-4e5b-8b61-c7afc9f20264/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-ORCA-Biscay-guillemot-and-manx-shearwaters-July-2024-1778px-150kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a guillemot showing characteristic disturbance on the water surface. At right, part of a Manx shearwater flock. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a65f593a-f8ba-4c80-a0a4-26bb8013009c/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-slow-worm-deceased-New-Forest-2-Aug-2024-1270px-276kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve said before that I aim to photograph every Common slow-worm Anguis fragilis I encounter, and I guess that goes for deceased ones too. This dead adult female was discovered under a log near Minstead in the New Forest in September 2024, cause of death unknown… but there are what look like two holes caused by canine teeth on the left side of its head. A burying beetle was in attendance. In life, slow-worm teeth are all but invisible, since they’re concealed by the lips and gums. But you’ll note that a specimen doesn’t need to be skeletonized for dehydration and decomposition to make the teeth visible in both the upper and lower jaws. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/066a399f-5885-45eb-9a16-c4599128edc2/Tet-Zoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Barton-on-Sea-scenery-July-2024-1839px-232kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: much of the coastline of southern England is pretty spectacular if conditions are right. But maybe this can be said about coastlines everywhere. This is the coast of Barton on Sea in west Hampshire, right opposite The Needles on the Isle of Wight, looking east during July 2024. What might you see in the water? Well…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f815ef22-1c8b-4879-95c3-e84b7cf9f6b2/Tet-Zoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Barton-on-Sea-seal-1-July-2024-1362px-288kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: from high up on the shore at Barton on Sea, I saw the rectangular head of a good-sized animal in the water, and knew instantly what it was. A person and dog at the water’s edge were watching it too, and it didn’t seem worried about getting away in the hurry. So I aimed to get closer… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f198fced-dfc0-4a93-b8ec-7f3d581a6003/Tet-Zoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Barton-on-Sea-seal-2-July-2024-1670px-151kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: as suspected, it was a Grey seal Halichoerus grypus, and I got photos of it both as a long and amorphous dark body in the water, and as a co-operative animal that pointed its snout sky-ward and also peered at people and other animals on the land. Grey seals are amazing animals and I’ve had good, close views of them on several occasions now. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/31403764-d530-4228-af77-6f0c7be167d5/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Tokyo-Museum-Nature-%26-Science-Aug-2024-1901px-262kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo is incredible, and stuffed full of so much fantastic stuff that it’s hard to get round it all in a day. Here’s part of the dinosaur hall, showing numerous fantastic display pieces, some of which are familiar if you know the technical literature on these animals. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/46e15c9b-0218-4706-adbc-e0aa51d5d65a/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Tokyo-Museum-Nature-%26-Science-2-Aug-2024-1802px-289kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of just three great items on show at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo. Left to right: the Miocene desmostylian Paleoparadoxia tabatai (I took many photos!), the elasmosaurid Futabasaurus suzukii (ditto), and Hachi, the famous faithful dog. Hachi is one of the museum’s most popular exhibits, and the room housing him was one of the busiest there during my visit. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/566e58e4-0197-4991-a505-f5fb7db739e6/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Telegraph-Woods-Aug-2024-1828px-540kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again… spending time in green spaces is important, possibly vital, to human wellbeing, and we should see their preservation from a selfish perspective as much as an environmentally conscious one. Here is part of the beech-dominated section of Telegraph Woods that I walk to on regular occasion. This place and others proved vital to me during the covid pandemic. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0f9c7085-a326-4875-bdf8-9c2408a07320/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-SVPCA-Muscutt-talk-Sept-2024-1295px-124kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: oh wow, Ancient Sea Reptiles mentioned and even promoted in someone else’s talk! Ok, the speaker happens to be a good friend and co-author of mine – it’s plesiosaur locomotion expert Luke Muscutt again – but that still counts as a win. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/92d132a7-55eb-4764-8962-58466e710a48/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-SVPCA-Ford-talk-sg-Sept-2024-1468px-109kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Darren Naish talks about contrarianism and pseudoscience. Brian Ford and his aquatic dinosaurs might be irrelevant nonsense in one little corner of the intellectual world (remember that his book only sold a few thousand copies, at best), but… is it part of the same ecosystem as pseudoarchaeology and other brands of crankery? Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cb1ba16c-18a8-4b6f-883c-28c9008a3aa7/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-SVPCA-Novium-dinosaurs-1-Sept-2024-1454px-187kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: there might be little… perhaps no… real fossil material on show, but I really like this style of display, here at The Novium, Chichester, and photographed here in September 2024. The combination of life-sized reconstructions, artwork, and an assortment of fossils with data panels, arranged together behind glass, has an appeal… though I wouldn’t arrange things exactly as per this specific montage. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b04a42a7-94d4-41aa-b57c-ad744fe0cd3b/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-SVPCA-Novium-dinosaurs-2-Sept-2024-1788px-272kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: more from The Novium, showing (upper left) Protoceratops and (right) Psittacosaurus models, with a Tyrannosaurus montage at lower left. This psittacosaur model is supposed (I think) to represent P. gobiensis, so don’t go assuming that it ‘must’ be shown with tail filaments. Not sure about all the armour though… very hypothetical. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/86dfc85c-3385-4659-b679-f19db71d8919/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-TetZooTour-fossil-hunt-Sept-2024-1730px-341kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I have about a million photos of things that happened during the TetZooTour and still haven’t had a chance to share them (though they were shared with the tour attendees). Here are two taken on our Lyme Regis fossil hunting trip, led by Natalia Jagielska of Lyme Regis Museum. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bd25bf64-0d28-4a84-81f5-5ab39d1576d4/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-TetZooCon-art-Sept-2024-1589px-279kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: if you know anything about TetZooCon, you know that we had a vast amount of artwork, merch and such on sale… things are going to continue, and expand, with 2025’s DinoCon. Here are a few relevant items I obtained at TetZooCon 2024: work by Jay Balamurugan (dodo), Matt Dempsey (dinosaur skeleton and T. rex), and Natalia Jagielska (Jurassic stickers). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1e6037b7-b365-42e4-a190-86f667334925/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-DinoCon-website-2024-1784px-128kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0b10b613-6cdf-4222-a68a-70ad80226464/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Cobb-stegosaurs-1-Oct-2024-1441px-464kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: part of – yes, part of – the Cobb stegosaur donation. You’ll perhaps recognise some familiar toys and models, but note as well that there are stegosaur-themed objects of diverse sort here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7a042590-fa56-45b9-90ff-33f6e7a4b647/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Markus-Buhler-cz-talk-Oct-2024-1654px-237kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a scene from the 2024 German Cryptozoology Symposium. Markus Bühler is a long-time reader of Tetrapod Zoology (he has often published comments here as well) and it was great to finally meet him. Here, Markus is discussing discoveries pertaining to European Gallotia lizards. His talk also covered surprising finds made in the world of lake-dwelling trout. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f88734fb-301b-4a63-8803-6fe227fe93b8/Tet-Zoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Cologne-Zoo-steamer-duck-and-crane-Oct-2024-1808px-295kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Cologne Zoo houses a phenomenal collection of birds. At left, Magellanic or Fuegian steamer duck Tachyeres pteneres. At right, Blue, Paradise or Stanley crane Anthropoides paradisea. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7f7ecd7a-e847-4d8f-8b86-ca39a40058d5/Tet-Zoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Cologne-Zoo-stork-and-coucal-Oct-2024-1803px-252kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Black stork Ciconia nigra, one of several Eurasian species housed in a really interesting open-air structure combining vintage stonework with large trees. At right, White-browed, Burchell’s or Lark-heeled coucal Centropus superciliosus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/576c8e0d-63d8-4951-b964-b9d5b7ebe355/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Cologne-Zoo-montage-Oct-2024-1723px-538kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: more from Cologne Zoo. From left to right: Green peacock Pavo muticus, a life-sized photo of a Siberian or Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica with this blog’s author, Blue-throated macaw Ara glaucogularis. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6850ed39-f601-488e-ab36-2e9de2388059/Tet-Zoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Cologne-Zoo-seal-lion-and-bear-Oct-2024-1793px-215kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: some carnivorans of Cologne Zoo. A vocal California sea lion Zalophus californianus at left, a resting Spectacled bear Tremarctos ornatus at right. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c5b6ca8-913d-4c58-9da2-0f61858d484e/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Mettmann-forest-Oct-2024-1737px-841kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: woodland scenes in the Neander Valley, basically at the spot where Neanderthal people fossils were first discovered. Well, actually… the first Neanderthal found in the scientific era comes from Gibraltar where it was discovered in 1848, a bit before the first German find of 1856. A large metal arrow and a stone carving of a brain have both been added to the site. I dislike them both and think that they distract from its aesthetic. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e8d1dd21-e600-4aa3-9f1f-58a93634c661/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Mettmann-Kennis-hominins-Oct-2024-1714px-394kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: some (not all) of the Kennis brothers hominin models on show at the Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann. Left to right: Homo ergaster, H. sapiens, adult male Neanderthal (Mr. N!), Neanderthal girl. There are more, including other H. sapiens individuals and an australopithecine. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/96c378e6-072e-4f09-8ad8-4668ba7cd2a3/Tet-Zoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Heck-cattle-Oct-2024-1450px-208kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Heck cattle that live between Mettmann and Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. They’re good looking cattle, but I don’t know how closely they really resemble Aurochs. They’re friendly and very approachable for one thing, and they’re quite a bit smaller than the originals. The two males here are sparring, not fighting. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/97e0fe96-b5e7-4721-95ce-2c40df32b602/Tet-Zoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Heck-horse-Oct-2024-1640px-265kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Heck horse close to Mettmann, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, where it’s part of a small group that live in semi-captive conditions. They’re supposed to resemble Tarpan but lack the erect manes of that extinct horse. At least some do have a low number of leg stripes though. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/58c233a2-a56f-4a91-beb8-07b71975f4d6/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Dinopedia-Spanish-Oct-2024-1720px-345kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: ¡Mi libro Dinopedia ya existe en español! Espero que los lectores de España, México, Chile y otros países de habla hispana lo disfruten. Muchos de estos países tienen una importancia enorme en términos de lo que nos han enseñado sobre los dinosaurios. [My book Dinopedia now exists in Spanish! I hope that readers in Spain, Mexico, Chile and other Spanish-speaking countries enjoy it. Many of these countries have massive importance in terms of what they’ve taught us about dinosaurs.] Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5678549c-74c5-4399-800a-30d37129d2e6/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Zar-montage-2019-2020-1495px-158kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a Zar montage. The two photos at right were taken in 2019 and 2020, and it’s weird now to see how young he looked. I was pretty attached to this little animal, RIP. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c91b518b-72f1-444b-b389-0c26a838372b/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Marwell-desert-house-and-caecilian-Nov-2024-1755px-662kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a new-ish feature at Marwell Wildlife, a great zoo close to me, is the Thriving Through Nature exhibit, which opened in early 2023. It includes (at left) this very impressive rock-dominated aridland display, which features hyraxes, several lizards, and pupfishes. At right, typhlonectid caecilians are on show in the zoo’s tropical house and can be observed swimming and foraging under the water. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5b481b26-869d-4d13-b2f1-fb65c887af37/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Marwell-oryx-and-zebra-Nov-2024-1492px-561kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: another view from Marwell Wildlife. Scimitar oryx or Scimitar-horned oryx Oryx dammah have been kept at Marwell since its inception in the 1970s and served as the zoo’s official emblem for some time. Marwell is also good on zebras; Imperial or Grevy’s zebra Equus grevyi are visible here (there’s a Tet Zoo article on that species here). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6bfbb22a-874c-46a1-81d3-ac81f2fe3932/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-BNSS-and-stinkpot-Nov-2024-1759px-212kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Bournemouth Natural Science Society (BNSS) building, a location now regularly associated with meetings and conferences relevant to my interests. I have no idea whether this was true prior to the mid-2000s! After the recent BHS-ARC conference, a group of us went on an, erm, urban fieldtrip about Bournemouth, and here’s a captive musk turtle we encountered. Musk turtles have been covered at Tet Zoo in the past, but the article concerned has been destroyed by Scientific American and I can’t find it anywhere. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1ccea503-5dc4-44f4-bffe-fcaed4cb9d14/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Mesozoic-Art-cover-montage-1751px-209kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: there was never an aim to have these books serve as ‘portfolios’ of where we’re at with respect to modern palaeoart, but there’s no avoiding that this is the role they serve, at least in part. We aim to boost and showcase the work and art of world-class contributors, worldwide, and it’s been very rewarding to see the excitement with which these books are received. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e0bbeec9-4250-411d-8129-97b32bffab18/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-New-Forest-Nov-2024-1180px-188kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: another New Forest scene, this time from October 2024. Taken from somewhere in the vicinity of Beaulieu Heath. Good luck spelling ‘Beaulieu’ if you’re dyslexic. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c741d026-6b0a-4aa6-a0d2-d6d88c1b523c/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Sheila-pond-Jan-2025-1356px-331kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the pond I’m mostly talking about in the text here is still too much of a mess for me to want to share photos. But this additional, smaller pond (in Sheila’s garden) is good and ready to go. I want to dig more ponds! If you’re local to me, contact me and I’ll come dig and design one for you. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0418b51-1a02-452a-82f6-dc9108902832/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-turnstones-Milford-on-Sea-Nov-2024-1692px-346kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: birds of many sorts were observed during 2024. Here are Ruddy turnstones Arenaria interpres in winter plumage – we just call them turnstones in the UK, seeing as we only have the one species – at the edge of the land in Milford on Sea, southern Hampshire, in November. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0594186a-07cc-4fb4-8ea0-6fbd7777f0e4/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Glasgow-Dec-2024-1759px-172kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I went to Glasgow and talked sea monsters, and that explains the unusual maned animal on the name badge here. At right, Glasgow was cold and misty during my stay. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ebfee9ea-9f90-48ba-b41d-7bb55524ea76/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-BOTM-Tyrannosaurus-Dec-2024-1758px-189kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: one of the last things I accomplished in the year (as in, between Jan 21st 2024 and Jan 21st 2025) was the very overdue review of Creative Beast’s Beasts of the Mesozoic (BOTM) giant T. rex figure. I’ve released it on social media but not yet uploaded it to YouTube. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3cc1a108-ac18-4291-b5ee-94f3ed03bcb4/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-subject-graph-for-2024-1318px-47kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3f04b120-4516-4c0c-9e4a-7e4e1e3f35a5/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Teddy-June-2024-1752px-493kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: here’s Teddy the West Highland terrier in two of his guises. He came with me on numerous walks throughout the course of the year, often accompanying these adventures with observations on urban planning and the socio-political landscape. A leg operation during the latter part of 2024 put a temporary end to this, however. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9ce127d8-26a1-4451-8b7e-ee37943276d1/TetZoo-19th-birthday-Jan-2025-Safari-GCN-in-loft-May-2024-1311px-143kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - It Was the 19th Year in the History of Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I just know that you want to hear more about the fabled rediscovery of the Safari Ltd Great crested newt model I mentioned earlier in the article. Well, here are assorted images, including (lower left) a screengrab from the ‘discovery’ video I shared on social media and (at right) a montage created for Instagram. At upper left is a screengrab from eBay, giving you some idea of what some people think that this figure is worth. I might have made a few rash amphibian-themed purchases in my time… but even I think this is ridiculous. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/1/13/an-american-tyrant-in-london monthly 0.5 2026-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b101593-a7cc-459c-9492-e3fb8b7f6ff2/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-T-rex-mandible-NHM-Dec-2016-1066px-121kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: Dynamosaurus imperiosus wasn’t named for great material, namely an incomplete mandible with teeth, some cervical and dorsal vertebrae, and parts of the pelvis and hindlimb. This was originally accessioned at the AMNH in New York as AMNH 5866, but was relabelled BMNH R7994 when it joined the collections of the NHM London in 1960. The mandible has, on occasion, been on display: here it is in December 2016 (without flash above, with flash below). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c4a29941-cc13-4957-a231-241a8fe32af7/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-colour-of-panel-mount-Dan-Varner-1072px-231kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: there aren’t that many colour photos of the NHM T. rex mount, but this one has been reproduced in several popular books. Note that the specimen is a half panel-mount, the skull, much of the ribcage and various of the other elements being reproductions (made of fibreglass, I think). The whole thing adheres to an environmental painting. The gallery held several of these and I don’t know anything about their history, not have I seen good, complete versions of them. Thanks to Jim Robins for sourcing this picture in the first place. Image: NHM archives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/886536ed-e67a-4564-8838-08a6299a8ae7/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-Christman-T-rex-Osborn-1916-1364px-278kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: Erwin S. Christman’s illustration of the vertebral column and pelvis of T. rex, as understood at the time (from Osborn 1917). This depicts AMNH 5027, the T. rex specimen discovered by Barnum Brown in 1908, later described by Henry Osborn, and today on show in the AMNH Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs. It was remounted in a horizontal pose in 1996. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/937ffa1a-a334-4562-a12d-f86dc988c066/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-M-Colbert-Gorgosaurus-1965-1711px-313kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: Margaret Colbert’s 1965 reconstruction of a Late Cretaceous ‘Belly River’ scene in western Canada, showing the tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus at left. There might be amphibious lambeosaurines and tail-dragging ankylosaurids here, but the theropod is fairly modern in appearance. Presumably the Colberts (both Ned and Margaret) imagined theropods to walk or run with raised tails and mostly horizontal bodies, and evidence from published statements implies that many workers thought this through the 20th century. Image: Margaret Colbert, from Colbert (1965). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ff27a81d-5b2e-4224-a271-af4b95abaada/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-T-rex-Newman-1970-1673px-140kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: Newman (1970) illustrated T. rex lying on the ground, and then showed how it might have used its forelimbs as props and an upward throw of its head to raise itself up and stand. This image is the fourth in the sequence. The animal isn’t fully horizontal, what with a diagonally sloping tail. The overly flexed (curled) look of the left foot is probably outside the range of what was possible, the forelimb is disarticulated at the shoulder joint, and the neck is likely too erect relative to what was normal. Versions of this diagram appeared in several popular dinosaur books of the 1970s and 80s. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/54c79ca4-4b2c-4b6b-b43f-b3cd6a9c54be/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-poor-b-%26-w-of-panel-mount-1151px-192kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: another image of the NHM’s old T. rex mount, but a poor, black and white one. I’ve lost track of its source! Note the small chain-link fence at the bottom of the photo, this showing that it was taken at a different time from the other black and white picture here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8d8d326e-47d5-428e-9db7-71fb00ae61a4/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-T-rex-panel-mount-montage-1679px-197kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: at left, colour image from Michael Benton’s 1984 Pocket Dinosaurs (though this is the 1987 edition), showing the T. rex in the background. This photo confirms that the half skull used in the panel mount is wholly separate from the complete skull replica housed in the case (I knew that already, because the half skull is kept in the collections while the complete skull is on show in the galleries). At right, a black and white photo from Michael Tweedie’s 1977 The World of the Dinosaur. The accompanying caption states that “The skeleton is displayed in the animal’s most probable standing posture against a background of Upper Cretaceous scenery”, and thus includes obvious reference to Newman (1970). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0bdabbee-3e48-444a-bc64-df80cb9c5501/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-colour-of-panel-M-J-Benton-1993-1240px-193kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: another colour version, but this time composited such that the skeleton is stepping out of the original and overlapping the adjacent sections of the book. This is from Michael Benton’s 1993 Dinosaurs: Living Monsters of the Past, a valuable compendium of unusual and rarely reproduced pictures. It includes another view of the gallery, this time the Diplodocus side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cac26ed8-2e41-4174-98a2-0aa80879467b/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-Fabulous-Animals-2-ep-1-1245px-150kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: the first episode of the 1975 BBC series Fabulous Animals (for so long regarded as lost media, but now online at YouTube) includes a segment on dinosaurs, and here we see David Attenborough in the fossil reptile gallery, alongside the T. rex. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d7e78018-0657-4d2e-8c7d-ee9f8847a1cd/T-rex-at-NHM-Jan-2025-colour-of-panel-mount-DFFF-credits-1043px-65kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - An American Tyrant in London, Collector's Edition - Make it stand out Caption: the credits to the 1982 Longman Group children's documentary Dinosaurs: Fun, Fact & Fantasy include this view of the mount in side view. Thanks to Brian Choo for reminding me about this. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2025/1/2/heptasteornis-my-beloved monthly 0.5 2026-02-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/36326513-e557-4e50-aa1e-33193564b6a4/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Mononykus-PP-and-Dinopedia-1500px-104kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: when alive, at least some alvarezsaurids (specifically those in the same clade as Mononykus from Mongolia) might have reminded us of long-legged birds like bustards or plovers, albeit equipped with shortened forelimbs and an owl-like facial disk. At left is the Mononykus design I and others devised for Prehistoric Planet; at right is the reconstruction included in my 2021 book Dinopedia. Images: © Apple TV / BBC Studios; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2368ce95-c4e1-4375-bd30-4101d0c42c0f/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Mononykus-news-1990s-1605px-393kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: it’s old hat now and no longer the source of discussion, but the phylogenetic position and unusual anatomy of Mononykus – the first alvarezsaurid to be well understood – was hot news in the 1990s, and a great many news pieces and toings and froings in the technical literature were devoted to where it might fit in the dinosaur family tree. Included here are the original Nature paper of 1993 as well as articles from Natural History, New Scientist and The Auk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4510f1c4-46ff-44a7-8ebe-865c1f671299/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Sanpetru-2-Tetcu-Mircea-Rares-wikipedia-1240px-152kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: to my knowledge, the precise location from which Nopcsa collected his maniraptoran specimens remains unknown, but it was somewhere in the vicinity of Sânpetru (shown here), a village in Hunedoara County [UPDATE: I previously featured the wrong Sânpetru here, since there’s another, further to the east and in Brașov County, Transylvania]. The Retezat Mountains loom nearby. Image: Țetcu Mircea Rareș, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c8bdef2a-60c3-460f-9683-9b6490b065c8/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Balaur-skeletal-Jaime-Headden-1686px-109kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: this reconstruction, by Jaime Headden and created for Cau et al. (2015), depicts Balaur as it might look as a jeholornithiform-grade bird, rather than a dromaeosaurid. The differences are only obvious to a specialist but involve the form of the tail, shape of the snout and configuration of the teeth. As yet, no part of Balaur’s skull has been recovered. Image: Jaime Headden / Cau et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/694bc470-d650-4e1e-96c9-2f617af4913c/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Elopteryx-Andrews-1913-and-J-Halstead-1163px-100kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a montage of the Elopteryx specimens described by Andrews (1913). In the upper row, we see the proximal end of a left femur (specimen A1234), and in the lower row A4359, the fragment of tibiotarsus later named Heptasteornis andrewsi. At right, Jenny Halstead’s reconstruction from 1989 of Elopteryx as a “cormorant-like” seabird. Images: Andrews (1913); Jenny Halstead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/92816483-453f-4aae-b80e-36f96d85e3a0/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Caselli-1975-Cretaceous-scene-1132px-306kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: a scene depicting Late Cretaceous life as imagined during the mid-1970s, by Italian artist Giovanni Caselli. It’s true that early members of modern groups of squamates, insects, plants and so on were present during the Late Cretaceous, but the once popular idea that archaic kin of rails, gulls, waders and so on were present at this time no longer appears correct. And... what’s that bird at far left? Image: Giovanni Caselli, from Halstead (1975). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/addfa981-65d9-4b7d-8569-1a77ac7d7a17/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-owls-in-Cretaceous-scene-1242px-406kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: yup, that’s an owl at left in the Caselli scene (from Halstead 1975) shown above. The owl doesn’t look that big; it looks something like an Athene owl (among the most familiar of which is termed the Little owl!). My photo isn’t blurry: this part of the painting in the book is slightly out of focus. It’s of some interest that Caselli’s painting was published so close in time to the publication of Harrison & Walker (1975). This makes me think that Caselli, presumably via Halstead, knew of that research before it was out, perhaps because Halstead was on the editorial board of the journal where it was published (his own research appeared there – that is, in the journal Palaeontology – several times). At right, Greg Irons’s 1978 illustration of a gigantic Bradycneme (accidentally mis-spelt Brachycneme), from the 1980 book The Last of the Dinosaurs. After discussing the small ankylosaur Struthiosaurus, the text states “He must have fled from the colossal owl Brachycneme [sic], standing five to six feet from beak to claw! The closely related Heptasteornis was nearly as large”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cede99ef-304d-45fb-b412-66bab7a9fdb8/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Harrison-%26-Walker-1975-and-Cyril-Walker-RIP-1251px-251kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: at left, screengrab of that egregious Harrison & Walker (1975) paper. At right… there’s a Tet Zoo ver 2 article on Cyril Walker, published on his death in 2009, but an intact version is no longer findable. It’s here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1a8cd0c7-e896-46f0-b3d9-4f1bd4682ba0/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Harrison-%26-Walker-1975-tibiotarsi-1001px-58kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: this figure – from Harrison & Walker (1975) – gives an idea of how Harrison and Walker made the identifications they did. They noted superficial similarities between the fossil fragments and the bones of extant birds (initially coming up with these identifications thanks to their prior knowledge of anatomical characters), and then used detailed similarities and differences to work out how close the fossils were to their supposed extant kin. Image (a) here shows an extant Barred owl, this representing one of three groups deemed by these authors especially similar to the Romanian fossils. The others were (d) true falcons and (e) caracaras. Image: Harrison & Walker (1975). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1be76b5f-bfe1-4239-8ef6-e80d511534ab/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-theropod-identities-1262px-130kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: identifications that have been published for Heptasteornis (my drawing of the holotype at upper left). 1. Alvarezsauridae. 2. Ornithomimidae. 3. Troodontidae. 4. Dromaeosauridae. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d1b5d24b-bb14-4ae8-bcd8-74a0ac3c952f/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Martin-1997-Mononykus-compared-2148px-877kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: Martin’s 1997 figure that compares the skeletal elements of Mononykus with those of ornithomimids. He wasn’t the last person to compare alvarezsaurids with ornithomimids and in fact other workers since have regarded the groups as closely related; this is less popular, however, than the hypothesis that alvarezsaurids are maniraptorans. (20) shows one of the Romanian tibiotarsal fragments and (22) the Elopteryx femur. Image: Martin (1997). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/af5f6039-7c2a-43d3-8b56-1b098a448d59/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Trierarchuncus-Filipovic-model-1385px-77kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: initial evidence pointing to the presence of alvarezaurids in the Maastrichtian of North America was poor, but today enough is known that we consider their presence sufficiently supported by specimens. Trierarchuncus prairiensis, published in 2020, was named for ungual phalanges and a few other limb fragments, and other Maastrichtian remains from western North America presumably belong to it as well. Image: Badlands Dinosaur Museum / Boban Filipovic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/23f1f33d-ed4f-4996-b811-44a48f378d56/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Greg-Paul-alvarezsaurid-skeletal-1513px-95kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: Greg Paul kindly provided a skeletal reconstruction of a mononykin alvarezsaurid for use in Naish & Dyke (2004) (Mononykini is a clade within Parvicursorinae, the alvarezsaurid clade that includes the majority of taxa and not the early-diverging ones). It’s mostly based on the Djadochta Formation taxon Shuuvia deserti, specimens of which were originally assumed to be additional Mononykus individuals. Image: © Greg Paul. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5c5dd919-670f-45ef-b52b-5abbba8d2cce/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Hateg-Basin-Elopteryx-limb-fragments-1693px-256kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the distal part of a right femur known from the La Scoabă locality at Sânpetru, and described by Kessler et al. (2005). At right, the proximal end of a right femur from Nălaț-Vad (lower row) compared with Andrews’s original illustrations of the partial Elopteryx femur from Sânpetru (here flipped for comparison), reported by Stoicescu et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/15a9f70d-92c1-4d85-a80a-4bec2714de99/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-wrinkled-bone-texture-904px-83kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: the maniraptoran specimens discussed in this article share a very unusual sculptured, textured or wrinkled bone surface. It’s definitely a real anatomical thing and not a product of preparation or, apparently, taphonomy, and I understand that it’s associated with an unusual histology. At left is the posterior face of the Bradycneme holotype, at right the left foot and tibiotarsus of Balaur (from Csiki et al. 2011). Images: © Natural History Museum, London; Csiki et al. (2010). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/05ffceca-b45e-4a58-bbb9-545bd856c540/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Maniraptora-cladogram-1357px-109kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: a much simplified maniraptoran cladogram, showing some possible positions for an ‘elopterygid’ lineage. If these animals are within Paraves, they might be outside the Troodontidae + Avialae clade, or maybe they’re closer to birds (and thus perhaps within Avialae). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5f362d3f-610c-4d2b-9f4a-b7f4fcb43b32/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Balaur-holotype-Cluj-1863px-213kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: the Balaur bondoc holotype EME (Transylvanian Museum Society, Dept. of Natural Sciences, Cluj-Napoca, Romania) PV.313, on display in 2011. It represents an animal that would have been about 2 m long when complete, though some ambiguity about this length exists as a bird identity for the animal would suggest a slightly shorter tail than a dromaeosaurid one. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1d96d979-42a8-4ba6-8423-8bde636678e6/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Balaur-Sebes-Glod-river-site-1838px-219kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: I’m one of many researchers who’s visited the Balaur discovery site (Sebeş Glod, Alba County, Romania) in the hopes of finding more material of this intriguing taxon. It, and other fossils from the site, are found literally on the riverbed as well as in the banks. The bones are white, and hence stand out from the red, silty mudstone that forms the outcrop. Brandon Jardine is standing at right, a photo from March 2013. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/83628c73-c609-442c-918d-31f92c6583cb/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-Bradycneme-holotype-and-Naish-%26-Dyke-Fig-2-1206px-150kb-Jan-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Bradycneme draculae holotype in anterior view, a photo provided by © The Natural History Museum, London, and unpublished to date. The specimen figures in Naish & Dyke (2004) should look like this. But they don’t: instead we have the image shown here at upper right, which shows the Heptasteornis andrewsi holotype. It’s not great. At lower right is my diagrammatic interpretration of the same specimen. Images: © The Natural History Museum, London; Naish & Dyke (2004). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/53199713-bf1c-4b55-be76-24248f4dea64/Heptasteornis-Jan-2025-literature-montage-1018px-144kb-Jan-2025-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heptasteornis, My Beloved; Alvarezsaurids in Europe, the Backstory - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/12/20/2000-paper-on-tree-climbing-dinosaurs monthly 0.5 2024-12-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/986242f8-2f43-4029-9c10-2c85e8ff1658/tree-climbing-theropods-Dec-2024-climbing-baby-Deinonychus-1048px-82kb-Dec-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Weird 2000 Paper on Tree-Climbing Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: juvenile Deinonychus in the trees! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f0381a5f-7d7e-47a8-8a4b-fc61224738b9/tree-climbing-theropods-Dec-2024-Archaeopteryx-Naish-2000a-1141px-174kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Weird 2000 Paper on Tree-Climbing Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: a physical copy of the paper – Naish (2000a) – that’s the focus of the article here. Unusually, I own both the specific issue of the journal and reprints of the paper itself. That’s a fluke and I can’t recall now how and where I got hold of the whole issue. Incidentally, the same issue also features John Videler’s paper on the idea that Archaeopteryx might have been capable of running over the surface of water, basilisk-style. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7ed1284e-8c67-4313-b71a-f1ceaa246027/tree-climbing-theropods-Dec-2024-Greg-Paul-Ornitholestes-1987-935px-141kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Weird 2000 Paper on Tree-Climbing Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: Greg Paul’s illustration of a climbing Ornitholestes, from Predatory Dinosaurs of the World (Paul 1988). The style of printing used in that book means that the illustrations do not photograph well: the original drawing is grey, not just black and white as it looks here. A 2024 update of this illustration, included in the third edition of Paul’s The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, has a modified head and lacks a nasal horn. Image: (c) Greg Paul. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/be0dbea7-d800-4581-bb8e-62f1f9cffe17/tree-climbing-theropods-Dec-2024-Archaeopteryx-Naish-2000a-Gulo-and-passerines-1230px-138kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Weird 2000 Paper on Tree-Climbing Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: illustrations from Naish (2000a) that are relevant to the issue of scansoriality in non-bird theropods. Carnivorans like wolverines are not specialist climbers, but the flexibility of their limbs, sharpness of their claws and so on mean that they can climb if need be (this drawing is based on a photo). Theropods and carnivorans are fundamentally different, and what goes for one is not necessarily applicable to the other. Nevertheless, this is not a wholly invalid analogy. At right, a figure devoted to toe pad specialisations in trunk-climbing passerines, the idea being that we might test for trunk-climbing should we find preserved toe pads on non-bird dinosaurs (we now have, and the relevant specialisations are not present). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/73c804b4-741f-45ba-957c-012a10562bb2/tree-climbing-theropods-Dec-2024-Galton-Hypsilophodon-1250px-119kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Weird 2000 Paper on Tree-Climbing Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: during the first half of the 20th century, Hypsilophodon was interpreted as scansorial or arboreal, and it’s possible that this led workers of the time to look especially favourably at the idea that other dinosaurs, like small theropods were tree-climbers too. For all that, only a few reconstructions of the time show these animals among the branches. Galton’s papers of the 1970s ultimately showed that Hypsilophodon lacked climbing adaptations and was fully terrestrial, as depicted in the images at left (from Galton 1974; the illustration is by Bakker). At right, we see (E) Galton’s reconstruction of the Hypsilophodon foot versus (F) Othenio Abel’s ‘grasping’ reconstruction of the foot from 1912. Images: Galton (1971, 1974). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/422c4bc5-a594-4ee1-91bc-81e8bcd4542c/tree-climbing-theropods-Dec-2024-Chatterjee-and-Palm-1179px-131kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Weird 2000 Paper on Tree-Climbing Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: in his 1997 book The Rise of Birds (and in technical papers too), Sankar Chatterjee argued that “The elongated forelimbs and swivel wrist joint in proavian dromaeosaurs can best be interpreted as features evolved for the climbing of vertical tree trunks” (Chatterjee 1997, p. 166) (excuse the teleological framing); the diagrams at left were featured in the context of that claim. Also in 1997, Svend Palm’sThe Origin of Flapping Flight in Birds argued that ‘tree-mounting’ behaviour evolved in dinosaurs, and it was in this setting that bird flight evolved (Palm 1997). Hypothetical pre-birds like those shown at right were featured in this work. Images: Chatterjee (1997), Palm (1997). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cdbd03ae-54ab-404f-991e-0160f9f1155e/tree-climbing-theropods-Dec-2024-Scansoriopteryx-holotype-1121px-189kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Weird 2000 Paper on Tree-Climbing Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the partial skeleton (part at left; counterpart at right) of the tiny scansoriopterygid Scansoriopteryx heilmanni Czerkas & Yuan, 2002, today generally considered synonymous with Epidendrosaurus ninchengensis Zhang et al., 2002. This animal is tiny, with a total length estimated at about 16 cm. It’s generally agreed that scansoriopterygids were climbers, and probably arboreal. Images: Czerkas & Yuan (2002). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c3052a5-4e60-41e3-80a6-3345316eb8bd/tree-climbing-theropods-Dec-2024-tree-climbing-theropods-in-books-1085px-198kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Weird 2000 Paper on Tree-Climbing Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/12/2/new-theropod-assemblage-from-english-wealden monthly 0.5 2026-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fa55f5d0-fc91-415a-ac2c-814ed9a3ba8d/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Anthony-Hutchings-reconstruction-1371px-184kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: tyrannosauroids and dromaeosaurids (representing new, as yet unnamed, taxa) scatter as a spinosaurid has moved in to take charge of an iguanodontian carcass, a scene set in Early Cretaceous southern England during the Valanginian, around 135 million years ago. Image: Anthony Hutchings/UoS Gostling Evolution and Palaeobiology Lab. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40c24b2f-9168-47e2-9d6e-be29e24cc64f/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Dave-Brockhurst-Polacanthus-Bed-Aug-2007-1256px-344kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: Dave Brockhurst in his favoured habitat; in this case, specifically at the Polacanthus Bed at Pevensey Pit, Ashdown Brickworks, during August 2007. Image: Dave Brockhurst, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e15185de-3a68-4c9c-8b06-e2fea3e3db75/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Ashdown-maniraptoran-1213px-42kb-Dec-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: in 2011, Steve Sweetman and I described a tiny maniraptoran vertebra just 7.1 mm long from the Ashdown Brickworks locality, this seemingly representing an oviraptorosaur or similar animal of small size (Naish & Sweetman 2011). It would have lived alongside the larger animals reported in the new paper discussed here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/562e9e3e-efcc-447f-ba93-433456d8a7de/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Ashdown-Brickworks-quarry-Chris-Barker-1522px-330kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: a summer 2023 view of the quarry taken when several of the authors visited for a prospecting trip. Wealden quarries can be mostly pleasant and dry during the summer (presuming you stay out of the water), but the opposite during the wetter parts of the year. Image: Chris Barker, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/159bc4b6-28df-4002-8960-4e93920a47c9/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Ashdown-Brickworks-quarry-Darren-Naish-2001-1590px-232kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: old(ish) images from December 2001 showing more fieldwork at Ashdown Brickworks, again in the vicinity of the Polacanthus Bed at Pevensey Pit. The image at right, showing Dave (in hi-vis) and Andy Ottaway, was taken at the approximate spot where two of the specimens described below were discovered. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/155eb6cf-d734-48f3-8323-84b25d9b3580/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Wealden-exposures-map-1416px-100kb-Dec-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: schematic map of Wealden outcrops from Barker et al. (2024). The dotted line shows the rough divide between the Wessex sub-basin in the west and Weald sub-basin in the east. I think of myself as a ‘Wessex’ guy… which is kinda true given that I’ve published three times as many articles on Wessex animals as opposed to Weald ones, but I did partly cut my teeth on Weald sub-basin dinosaur specimens. Image: Barker et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/786cf5de-6459-4db4-a290-210594fbd625/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Wealden-strat-with-icons-1176px-78kb-Dec-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: the more familiar of Wealden theropods are from the Weald Clay Group (like Baryonyx) and Wealden Group (like Ceratosuchops and Eotyrannus), and thus Barremian in age. Our new tooth assemblage is from the Hastings Group, and specifically from the Wadhurst Clay Formation, and thus Valanginian in age. Images: Darren Naish; Barker et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c7361931-93df-4cfb-b358-f2232e95cc72/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Barker-et-al-2024-tooth-montage-with-cladogram-1100px-80kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Ashdown Brickworks theropod tooth assemblage reported in our new paper (Barker et al. 2024). The teeth are (A) the spinosaurid BEXHM 1995.485, (B) the probable tyrannosauroid BEXHM 2002.50.123, (C) the probable dromaeosaurid BEXHM 2002.50.124, (D) the second possible tyrannosauroid BEXHM 2005.29, and (E) the indeterminate and mysterious NHMUK PV R37630. Scale bar = 10 mm. At right, the phylogenetic positions of our specimens depicted on a phylogeny. For credit on use of silhouettes, see Barker et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d0bcd3ad-b117-4180-b68b-e0bef884c750/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Eotyrannus-tyrannosauroid-montage-2-1378px-106kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: we finally have fossils that demonstrate the presence of tyrannosauroids in the Hastings Group, albeit so far only a single tooth (BEXHM 2002.50.123, shown at lower left. Scale bar = 10 mm). There’s no evidence that this (unnamed) animal was close to Eotyrannus of the Wealden Group. At top we see the Dan Folkes skeletal reconstruction featured in Naish & Barrett (2023), itself an update relative to the version that featured in the Naish & Cau (2022) monograph; Dan has since produced another update, here shown below. Images: Barker et al. (2024); Dan Folkes, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/11b20ece-36b9-4403-bb81-8dd3942d5d68/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Barker-et-al-2024-discriminant-analysis-889px-102kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: plots showing where our specimens fit within discriminant analyses, (A) showing the whole dataset, (B) the reduced (so called ‘personal’) datasets that have been compiled by specific authors. At this scale, the results are of course hard to make out; see text for details. Again, for credit on use of silhouettes, see Barker et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e86cf6ac-9164-4a3b-8714-cb642c7df4f3/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Barker-et-al-2024-faunal-assemblage-1-1419px-70kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3fe50128-7511-43cc-aa1b-d2e36c249c61/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Barker-et-al-2024-faunal-assemblage-2-1395px-110kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/86ede4c0-a04f-4d61-9a86-b4b53cc3c60c/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Barker-et-al-2024-faunal-assemblage-3-1378px-88kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: schematic representations of where we’re currently at with respect to Wealden Supergroup theropod diversity. Our new study augments our knowledge of Hastings Group theropod diversity and essentially puts it on par with what we know of the Wealden Group. The Weald Clay Group is evidently lagging behind, so targeted searching is clearly required. And, yes, I appreciate that identifying Yaverlandia as a maniraptoran still requires justification. Image: Barker et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ddc5ba6c-9c1f-48e0-af3a-24ee0365eabd/Hastings-Group-theropods-Dec-2024-Wealden-theropods-montage-1785px-273kb-Dec-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden - Make it stand out Caption: it should be obvious that the last several years have been extremely exciting for those of us involved in research on Wealden Supergroup theropods. These images show reconstructions relevant to studies covered here at TetZoo; from clockwise at top left: the description and naming of the ceratosuchopin baryonychines Ceratosuchops and Riparovenator; the description of the gigantic White Rock spinosaurid from the Vectis Formation; the Hastings Group theropod tooth assemblage discussed here; and the monographic description of the Wealden Group tyrannosauroid Eotyrannus. Additional projects are currently underway, some years or decades in preparation. Images: all Anthony Hutchings/UoS Gostling Evolution and Palaeobiology Lab, used with permission; the Eotyrannus image is by Loana Riboli; copyright, and used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/11/27/chameleon-names-part-1 monthly 0.5 2024-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3bbf5feb-4bd0-4ab1-ae13-302d5d6a9b6e/chameleons-Nov-2024-Jacksons-chameleon-Benjamint444-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-1142px-139kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Jackson’s chameleon Trioceros jacksonii in profile, one of the most famous and familiar of chameleon species. I’m one of many people who grew up knowing of this species as Chamaeleo jacksonii. Image: Benjamint444, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bd278ce7-b7e1-453b-aacc-b2ae8bd677df/chameleons-Nov-2024-features-labelled-ver-2-1188px-120kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a generic hypothetical chameleon with key features labelled. So many crests! The occipital lobes are soft and mobile. That's right: soft, mobile flaps on the edge of the frill. Thanks to Mark D. Scherz for noting an error in a previous version. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fbbd4e0c-6f40-4e40-9e44-b7f001c1438a/chameleons-Nov-2024-Martin-1992-book-cover-698px-122kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the cover of Martin (1992): buy it here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fe3a85bd-71a0-4f88-a464-d0c67c737335/chameleons-Nov-2024-Brookesia-and-Trioceros-1099px-146kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the smallest and one of the largest. At top: tiny Brookesia micra (image from Glaw et al. (2012), CC BY 2.5). Below: captive Meller's chameleon Trioceros melleri (photo by Darren Naish). There’s nothing for scale but I promise it's really big (about 61 cm long). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1274d0a2-0063-4929-aadb-43e03cbae293/chameleons-Nov-2024-chameleon-hemipenes-1133px-154kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: believe it or not, these are chameleon penises, or hemipenes. As is typical for squamates, the organs are paired (hence 'hemipenis' = 'half penis'). From left to right, these hemipenes belong to Chamaeleo senegalensis, C. calyptratus and T. oweni. All are from Klaver & Böhme (1986). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c813c288-744f-4871-b8f0-4c76d74e85ee/chameleons-Nov-2024-chameleon-lungs-Seeley-1901-1111px-93kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: diagram showing complex, internally partitioned lungs with finger-like side branches. This diagram is from Seeley (1901), a book on pterosaurs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/19ec3bac-dafc-46eb-9a73-70b90df0390f/chameleons-Nov-2024-Rhampholeon-moyeri-Martin-Nielsen-1192px-150kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Stump-tailed chameleon Rhampholeon moyeri photographed in Udzungwa Moutains National Park, Tanzania. Image by Martin Nielsen, CC BY-SA 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/47fbcfe8-6170-4fc1-a0d7-79daa3824300/chameleons-Nov-2024-chameleon-cladogram-600-px-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: highly simplified chameleon cladogram, based mostly on Tolley et al. (2013). Brookesia by Frank Wouters, CC BY-SA 2.0; Rieppeleon by R. J. Blach, CC BY-SA 3.0; Rhampholeon by Martin Nielsen, CC BY-SA 4.0; Chamaeleo by Raju Kasambe, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5eded532-743c-4e69-9395-e72dad5a4c3a/chameleons-Nov-2024-Rieppeleon-brevicaudatus-public-domain-wikipedia-1731px-131kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Rieppeleon brevicaudatus, so cute! Image at left by R. J. Blach, CC BY-SA 3.0. Image at right in public domain. The comparatively long tails show that these animals are males. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8728742b-c557-4171-8f17-1410b2b1fb2e/chameleons-Nov-2024-Kinyongia-Ales-kocourek-CC-BY-SA-2-0-wikipedia-1402px-216kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What's With All These New Chameleon Names? Chameleons, Part 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/11/19/leiosaurid-lizards monthly 0.5 2024-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1fa9544f-a8f3-4898-b9fa-9f31a668ad9e/Leiosaurus-montage-Nov-2024-Rauhut-Beguelin-1607px-278kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leiosaurid Lizards: South America, Land of Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: leiosaurid species observed in the wild. The ‘shark tooth’ pattern on the dorsal surface shows that these are both (I think) individuals of L. bellii, sometimes called Bell’s iguana or (bizarrely) Bell’s anole. What… who calls these anoles? I don’t know why these individuals are so different in the intensity of their markings: is this a regional difference or sexual dimorphism? Images: Oliver Rauhut, used with permission; Marien Béguelin, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ac3fafe6-8ea1-4317-815d-a316be2a2c0a/Leiosaurus-lateral-view-Oliver-Rauhut-Patagonia-1315px-159kb-Oct-2013-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leiosaurid Lizards: South America, Land of Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: the same L. bellii shown above (at left), in oblique right lateral view. Some idea of what a lizard’s intentions and mood are (is it extremely alert and preparing to run away, is it trying to lose heat, or retain or gain heat, and so on) can be obtained from the pose it’s adopting. Image: Oliver Rauhut, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/daf380c3-8279-4055-8cc2-2c360a526719/Leiosaurus-Nov-2024-Diplolaemus-Matias-Cabezas-1448px-329kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leiosaurid Lizards: South America, Land of Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: a leiosaurid closely related to Leiosaurus, this is a representative of Diplolaemus, specifically the Smooth-headed Patagonian lizard or Bibron’s iguana D. bibronii. Four Diplolaemus species are known, all endemic to far southern South America. One of them (D. sexcinctus of southern Chile) was named in 2003. Image: Matias Cabezas, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/59f03edc-ec15-4c59-99ce-d80a9b509cfe/Leiosaurus-manus-Abdala-et-al-2009-633px-38kb-Oct-2013-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leiosaurid Lizards: South America, Land of Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: palmar view of a Leiosaurus hand (specifically, of L. catamarcensis), showing the large palmar sesamoid. The scale bar isn’t labelled in the paper but I think it might be 5 mm. Image: Abdalla et al. (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21cc4b7a-a5a3-47e8-ad33-beaa04db2862/leiosaurids-Nov-2024-iguanian-montage-1583px-273kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leiosaurid Lizards: South America, Land of Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: conventional taxonomy would have it that all of these lizards – and a huge number of others too – should be grouped together in a massively inclusive version of Iguanidae. You can stick with that view if you want to (taxonomy is still mostly subjective), but I agree with those who think that it’s more useful to recognize numerous different ‘family-level’ groups here. The animals shown here are (clockwise from top left) Iguana, Anolis, Sceloporus, Sauromalus, Liolaemus (in middle), Enyalius, Basiliscus. Images (clockwise from top left): Darren Naish Iguana, Anolis, Liolaemus (in middle); Sceloporus Alan Schmierer, CC0; Sauromalus H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Enyalius Renato Augusto Martins, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here), Basiliscus Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fc120de5-1068-45ea-87b0-743c29065e29/leiosaurids-Nov-2024-Pyron-et-al-2013-iguanian-phylogeny-section-with-leiosaurids-1121px-184kb-Oct-2013-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leiosaurid Lizards: South America, Land of Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: the chunk of Pyron et al.’s (2013) squamate phylogeny showing the position of leiosaurids. Here, they’re close to oplurids (the spiny-tailed Madagascan iguanas), and the oplurid + leiosaurid clade is close to Liolaemidae. At right, representatives of various of the clades here, from top to bottom: Polychrus, Enyalioides, Leiosaurus, Liolaemus. Images: Polychrus, J-Mass, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); Enyalioides Venegas et al., CC BY 3.0 (original here); Leiosaurus Oliver Rauhut; Liolaemus Lauchaseca, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2688bbf4-fcf8-43a6-a662-aa917320c9c1/Leiosaurus-Oliver-Rauhut-Patagonia-1046px-202kb-Oct-2013-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leiosaurid Lizards: South America, Land of Iguanians - Make it stand out Caption: one final view of Leiosaurus bellii, in dorsal view. Image: Oliver Rauhut, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/11/11/brian-j-fords-aquatic-dinosaurs monthly 0.5 2026-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/358eabb4-fb1f-45b8-99ce-357a78bf0cf5/Ford-paper-Nov-2024-Naish-figures-montage-1350px-118kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Post-Truthism, Brian J Ford’s Aquatic Dinosaurs, and the Fate of ‘Too Big To Walk’ - Make it stand out Caption: at left, cover of Too Big To Walk (2018 edition). At right, a montage of dinosaurs (from Naish 2024) to show how form and function reveals these to be predominantly terrestrial animals: in making this claim, I do not dispute that dinosaurs of all sorts might have waded, wallowed, or swam, nor that some, like certain (g) spinosaurids, were potential amphibious specialists. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b724e9c3-bcb8-4b2e-8801-7bf290df5c95/Ford-paper-Nov-2024-Too-Big-To-Walk-books-montage-1037px-85kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Post-Truthism, Brian J Ford’s Aquatic Dinosaurs, and the Fate of ‘Too Big To Walk’ - Make it stand out Captions: I own, and have extensively consulted, all three English-language editions of Too Big To Walk. The second edition (Ford 2019) is the small, paperback one with the bold typeface. It contains minor corrections and updates relative to the first (Ford 2018). Too Big To Walk is 516 pages long but doesn’t introduce the concept of aquatic dinosaurs until p. 282. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e64a7d23-9a1d-4aee-8e3d-e181a0b6073c/Ford-paper-Nov-2024-Too-Big-To-Walk-reviews-montage-1060px-139kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Post-Truthism, Brian J Ford’s Aquatic Dinosaurs, and the Fate of ‘Too Big To Walk’ - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of reviews and amazon reviewer scores pertaining to Too Big To Walk. It’s not hyperbole to say that the book has not been well received, and has not received high scores overall. The Inquisitive Biologist review, screengrabbed at left, can be read here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/257d88ae-bc72-4159-baa5-c3ce07af5372/Ford-paper-Nov-2024-Naish-articles-montage-1651px-306kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Post-Truthism, Brian J Ford’s Aquatic Dinosaurs, and the Fate of ‘Too Big To Walk’ - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve published two whole articles on the Brian Ford ‘aquatic dinosaurs’ thing now. I think we can agree that that’s enough. Naish (2012) is here. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/11/4/loch-ness-monster-point-and-counterpoint monthly 0.5 2024-11-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/42c8a0ac-2bfb-4661-adc9-8b40acbd392c/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-Naish-2016-and-2017-covers-1038px-200kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: at left, cover of the 2016 ebook version of Hunting Monsters, and – at right – the 2017 hardcopy version. I really like both covers. Because the two works differ in minor ways and have different publication dates, I’m treating them here as separate publications. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a84bbe05-99cf-4634-a215-15794d82744c/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-book-montage-913px-146kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: noted books on mystery animal/monster research that are relevant to, or promote, the ‘post-cryptid’, sociocultural view of cryptozoology also endorsed in Hunting Monsters. I read or consulted most of the books shown here prior to writing Hunting Monsters, but not Samantha Hurn’s Anthropology and Cryptozoology: Exploring Encounters with Mysterious Creatures (published 2017). I’m currently re-reading Meurger & Gagnon (1988) because I need better notes on it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/274c7318-d201-4d7a-b689-1ed94867d0ff/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-Nessie-model-Drumnadrocht-1438px-214kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: several Nessie models exist around the edges of Loch Ness. This green plesiosaur – presumably based specifically on an elasmosaurid (if you want to know about plesiosaur diversity and evolutionary history, see my 2023 book Ancient Sea Reptiles) – is on show at the Clansman Hotel in Bracla, on the loch’s north shore, north of Drumnadrochit. The sign near the model says DO NOT RIDE. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c9d0692a-aa19-4dbf-a14e-03b2b4bbe359/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-response-to-Watson-sg-839px-77kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: here’s proof that my initial response to Watson’s review was published at amazon during August 2016. It’s a bit concerning that amazon then later removed it. Does the site routinely do that to comments written as responses to reviews? If so… yikes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c88a4eff-68e7-4416-b4ce-760a16063ad9/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-Nessie-montage-1151px-132kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: Nessie proponents like Watson want us to accept that Nessie sightings represent the same one animal species, whereas what we actually have is a disparate mess of basically any and everything you could imagine… a fact more consistent with the idea that people are interpreting observations of all kinds of things as ‘the monster’. The variety of reported monsters is reflected in efforts to imagine Nessie as real. Is it a friendly, small-headed plesiosaur, a shaggy, humped quadruped, a rough-skinned horror with an undulating appendage, or a twin-humped, snorkel-headed animal with great diamond-shaped flippers? In reality, it is all of these things, and also none of them. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9a5d42f2-4625-492c-81bd-e1833e15e237/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-King-Kong-Brontosaurus-1270px-62kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: it’s now a well-known idea that the amphibious, aggressive brontosaur of 1933’s King Kong might have been inspirational to the Spicers, and somehow affected their recalling and retelling of their Loch Ness encounter. Loxton & Prothero (2013) are among several authors who’ve discussed this proposal, and it would be wrong – in a review that discusses the evolution of ideas on the Loch Ness Monster – to not mention it. I was kinder in Hunting Monsters than I am to this concept today though, since there’s an argument (made by monster researcher Charles Paxton) that we don’t know for sure that the Spicers saw the movie prior to their sighting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/34719d43-a61f-47af-8fd8-1c49955ba5af/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-Spicer-sighting-Dinsdale-1632px-148kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: in July 1933, Mr and Mrs Spicer reportedly witnessed a large, unusual animal cross the road (General Wade’s Military Road, or the B852) adjacent to Loch Ness’s southern shore, between Dores and Inverfarigaig. It was said at times to have what looked like the head of a “lamb or small deer” neat its middle, a component that later morphed into a tail tip (in which case the body and tail were bent around to the side). Author Rupert Gould interviewed the Spicers, and eventually concluded that they’d seen a group of deer bounding quickly across the road. The interpretation of the event shown here comes from the third, 1976 edition of Tim Dinsdale’s Loch Ness Monster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b0cc5ff9-4a23-4447-acc9-31125e63489e/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-Spicer-sighting-dramatic-1156px-115kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: an artistically brilliant but very much hyper-sensationalized view of the Spicer sighting, now depicting their undulating, amorphous creature with a possible lamb-like head as a giant predatory plesiosaur. This is by the brilliant Gino D’Achille. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4b6405d9-d5ce-489a-b2c7-f5cc9f694ae3/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-OConnor-Nessie-and-kayak-1438px-124kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: the Peter O’Connor Nessie photo of 1960 (one version of which is shown at upper left) is of very dubious provenance. I agree with Dick Raynor that it likely shows a specific kayak (Dick’s photo of that boat is at lower left). At right are illustrations from my discussion of the photo and how its ‘anatomy’ matches that of the kayak. Images: © Peter O’Connor; Dick Raynor; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9b606f34-71d3-49df-9799-e74e8ec5a2d7/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-Fordyce-Loch-Ness-camel-1181px-150kb-Nov-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: the Fordyce ‘camel’ sighting is one of the weirdest Loch Ness Monster sightings. So: what to do? Should we just ignore it as potentially fictional (in which case… why not do the same with most or even all other accounts? That hardly seems right), or should we aim to rationalise it? At left is the drawing of the creature as reimagined for Mike Dash’s Fortean Times article of 1991 (Dash 1991); at right is an 1873 painting by Richard Ansdell showing the technique whereby a pony is used to carry a deceased stag. Watson used a dirty trick in deliberately saying “donkey” (instead of pony) throughout his discussion of this idea. Images: Dash (1991); The Cheltenham Trust and Cheltenham Borough Council (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4b09b588-ce30-4e43-a585-2dbca0c7d95a/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-Urquhart-from-loch-side-1739px-153kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: views of Urquhart Castle as seen from the water. A few Nessie encounters have been reported from around the castle, some involving the creature supposedly crawling onto land. As you can see from these shots (taken in 2016), sufficient vegetation has grown up around the banks and the ruins to obscure them relative to how they looked in Nessie’s heyday (the 1930s, or the 60s and 70s, take your pick). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a73d135-beb4-42aa-8726-01ed7b49ec75/Hunting-Monsters-Nessie-Nov-2024-Naish-aquatic-cryptid-articles-1208px-200kb-Nov-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Nessie Point and Counterpoint; Who Owns the ‘Facts’ on the Loch Ness Monster? - Make it stand out Caption: nobody cares enough to find out (why would they?), but an interested person could chart the changing of my cryptozoology views over time. I started out as substantially more credulous than I was in 2016/2017, or am today. The images here show publications of mine dating to 1995, 1996, 2000 and 2001. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/10/29/azhdarchid-progress monthly 0.5 2026-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d9b22c75-65c7-41e9-b1eb-63d92f1de876/azhdarchids-Oct-2024-Prehistoric-Planet-Quezt-1365px-132kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Azhdarchid Progress, a Personal View - Make it stand out Caption: Prehistoric Planet promotes Azhdarchid Supremacy. © Apple TV. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ece60f26-9efe-4257-95af-ec8ff50296e9/azhdarchids-Oct-2024-Mark-Witton-Quetz-group-2008-1247px-130kb-Oct-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Azhdarchid Progress, a Personal View - Make it stand out Caption: this life reconstruction of a foraging Quetzalcoatlus group accompanied Witton & Naish (2008). It’s a very dated image today and Mark probably won’t enjoy the fact that I’m sharing it (sorry Mark). But it’s significant in the story told here, since it was widely shared in news articles reporting our 2008 conclusions. It probably is, in fact, one of the most widely shared, most often reproduced, azhdarchid-themed images. Image: Mark Witton, from Witton & Naish (2008). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/38d4ae8e-9d22-4f0b-9163-aad062d09c6e/azhdarchids-Oct-2024-Mark-Witton-Zhejiangopterus-joint-angles-2008-1236px-43kb-Oct-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Azhdarchid Progress, a Personal View - Make it stand out Caption: this diagram, from Witton & Naish (2008), shows how joint flexion in the fore- and hindlimbs of an idealized azhdarchid (this is the Chinese form Zhejiangopterus) allows these otherwise very leggy animals to reach the ground with their jaw tips. Image: Mark Witton, from Witton & Naish (2008). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/71da24e3-9b13-4a84-86ab-9f660028e224/azhdarchids-Oct-2024-azhdarchid-symaptry-2013-1128px-117kb-Oct-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Azhdarchid Progress, a Personal View - Make it stand out Caption: some geological units reveal evidence of two or even three sympatric azhdarchid species. Since this diagram was published, one of the Dinosaur Park Formation azhdarchids has been named Cryodrakon boreas, and the Javelina Formation has two additional azhdarchids (Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni and Wellnhopterus brevirostris). Diagram produced by Mark Witton and map used with kind permission of Ron Blakey, Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc; from Vremir et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ad94509c-ad83-44b5-96d2-ebb89d83ee41/azhdarchids-Oct-2024-Mark-Witton-R2395-2015-1505px-165kb-Oct-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Azhdarchid Progress, a Personal View - Make it stand out Caption: the Romanian azhdarchid neck vertebra R.2395 is one of several specimens which helped reveal that this group includes relatively short-necked forms in addition to the more familiar, giraffe-necked kinds like Quetzalcoatlus. R.2395 represents an additional taxon that lived alongside the very different Eurazhdarcho and Hatzegopteryx, but it hasn’t yet been named. Another azhdarchid (Albadraco) has been named from the Maastrichtian of Romania (albeit from a different faunal assemblage) and doesn’t appear to represent the same taxon as R.2395. The life reconstruction shown here is, of course, speculative. Images: Mark Witton; Vremir et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/09707de9-e40b-486b-8806-ca92a6296f17/azhdarchids-Oct-2024-azhdarchid-terrestrial-stalking-2015-873px-128kb-Oct-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Azhdarchid Progress, a Personal View - Make it stand out Caption: the terrestrial stalking hypothesis is based on multiple lines of evidence. It does not (like so many other hypotheses about pterosaur behaviour and ecology) rely on cherry-picking one or two anatomical or palaeoenvironmental features. This image – from Witton & Naish (2015) – shows how several independent pieces of data all provide support for our hypothesis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9b54dc1f-fb59-4913-ade6-8c5187f105b8/azhdarchids-Oct-2024-Witton-azhdarchid-skeletals-2017-1672px-101kb-Oct-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Azhdarchid Progress, a Personal View - Make it stand out Caption: skeletal reconstructions of the giant azhdarchids (A) Hatzegopteryx and (C) Arambourgiania to scale, showing the markedly different body shapes of these animals. (B) shows how broad the back of the skull and neck was in Hatzegopteryx. Contrast this with D-E: the small Quezalcoatlus species, with its 4.6 m wingspan and long, slender neck. Scale bar = 1 m. Credit: Naish & Witton 2017. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/031ae444-ed1b-46ee-9056-4333447971e4/azhdarchids-Oct-2024-azhdarchid-2021-montage-1383px-75kb-Oct-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Azhdarchid Progress, a Personal View - Make it stand out Caption: montage depicting some azhdarchid finds and publications of the 2010s and 20s. At left, the new reconstruction of Quetzalcoatlus published by Padian et al. (2021). There’s some controversy over the accuracy of this image, since an argument has been made that the hindlimbs have been made too long. At upper right, a montage from Novas et al. (2012) showing the mid-sized Argentinian Aerotitan (A and B, and reconstructed in E) compared to the Moroccan Alanqa (C and D; Alanqa is now regarded by some authors as being outside of Azhdarchidae, and within the separate group Alanqidae). At lower right, a speculative reconstruction of Wellnhopterus, depicting this animal as a thalassodromid, from Campos (2021). Scale bar = 10 cm. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/10/13/the-inaugural-2024-tetzootour monthly 0.5 2026-02-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/01426462-b24e-4a5c-8af6-05278c4a6cf6/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-coach-Horniman-montage-1566px-199kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: basic ingredients for a TetZooTour… (1) a snazzy coach, (2) stops at hotels, (3) dinosaurs in museums (here, a cast of the T. rex specimen AMNH 5027), (4) perplexing taxidermy (here, a koalabat at the Horniman Museum). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c55bb729-55f9-49a1-8abd-ea938843abcd/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-coach-in-London-1431px-174kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: we board and prepare to leave London. Our pick-up and drop-off points were essentially right next to the TetZooCon venue (Bush House, Kings College), and you can’t get more convenient than that. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/eb380b9b-3182-4a55-ad67-d08304990ed6/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Horniman-Dinosaur-rEvolution-1294px-267kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: the outside of the Horniman Museum, as seen from the South Circular Road looking north. The museum opened to the public in 1901 and is named for its founder, Frederick John Horniman (1835-1906), who collected numerous items as a consequence of lifetime ownership of the Horniman Tea Company. The history of British tea companies is something else and in part involves Britain’s exploitation of Victorian China and its opium production. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0541cbdd-d950-4298-ba2d-f4121a5db9f3/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-chicken-Deinonychus-1377px-242kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: a (roughly) life-sized model of the Early Cretaceous North American dromaeosaurid Deinonychus, in the red-wattled, vibrantly feathered guise invented by Luis and used in his books. Incidentally, the dappled lighting across the model isn’t a random effect: I might be wrong, but I think we’re seeing light being projected through an image of a thin section of sauropod bone. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/31d9ba18-5814-48bb-8754-46e1fbdb932e/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-therizinosaurs-1351px-165kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Luis Rey talks therizinosaurs to our tour group while standing alongside a replica skeleton of the large, North American Nothronychus mckinleyi. The large hand claws, small teeth, long and slender neck and large overall size of this animal are among the key distinctive features of this theropod group. At right, a closer view of the skeleton with some of Luis’s artwork making an appearance at edge of frame. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f3612984-5be5-447c-8fa8-20815b8d0fcc/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-ceratopsid-skulls-1424px-188kbOct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: ceratopsid ceratopsian skulls on show at Dinosaur rEvolution. In the image at left, we see (l to r) Diabloceratops, Kosmoceratops and Coahuilaceratops. The photo at right shows Coahuilaceratops on its own. This animal is supposed to have especially massive horns relative to the rest of its skull but, as you can see, it’s not entirely obvious that this is true. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8811c366-481e-491d-8fef-6f7c7609415b/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Horniman-mermaid-1767px-230kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: the Horniman Museum has a connection with mermaids thanks to study of this specimen, obtained by London’s Wellcome Trust in 1919, transferred to the Horniman Museum in 1982, and studied recently by Paolo Viscardi and colleagues. Coincidentally, Paolo spoke about this specimen and his work on it (Viscardi et al. 2014) at the very first TetZooCon of 2014. This work showed that the old story about mermaids like this being fish and monkey parts stitched together is not at all correct. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/be58c9b7-69c1-475a-8f38-e3502186b939/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-New-Forest-Acres-Down-1565px-230kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: this image – showing Acres Down near the centre of the New Forest – wasn’t taken on the tour, but it depicts the sort of mosaic, partly open habitat that characterizes this famous area of south-west England. Is this a new thing, historically speaking, or do spaces like this have a long history in the British countryside? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/56ed13f2-46d3-4aed-9282-6ad8549391a6/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Lyme-Regis-looking-east-1521px-360kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: the Lyme Regis coast looking east, with East Cliff Beach (where we did our fossil hunting) visible in about the middle of the shot. The tide is out, exposing the wavecut platform along the shore. The vegetated strip inshore is home to numerous insects, and I recorded several interesting species on the day. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c8ee9f4b-aa03-4391-8cd2-1b50b2945969/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Lyme-Regis-Museum-1495px-166kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: Lyme Regis Museum is a small but excellent museum, a must-visit if you’re interested in the history of the town or in its geology or palaeontology. Several key Jurassic marine reptiles, fishes and other animals are on show, as is associated art and sculpture. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2ba498c4-1d5f-4dfc-bb7e-9473c3a68e7f/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-DinosaurLand-exterior-1259px-337kbOct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: the front of Dinosaurland Fossil Museum in Coomb Street, Lyme Regis. The museum’s ground-floor section has a one way system that is not great if you suffer from claustrophobia, but the building is fun overall. The tree fern on the right adds a Mesozoic vibe to the exterior. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e39239cf-f35e-495f-bfb6-f439fe1e2df8/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-DinosaurLand-fossils-1275px-146kbOct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: a fossil Mesozoic marine reptile montage from Dinosaurland, showing ichthyosaurs at left and a teleosauroid thalattosuchian at right. Hey, did I mention that I wrote a book on Mesozoic sea reptiles? I understand that it’s sold out in a lot of places now. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d05b1033-67d5-48e5-aa10-6155e38a1b4a/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-DinosaurLand-Baryonyx-1562px-315kbOct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: a model like this (it’s big: somewhere round about 6 m long) has various technical, anatomical inaccuracies. But imagine building a big model like this yourself, with affordable materials. I think it’s actually pretty good. It depicts the British spinosaurid Baryonyx walkeri. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/82256ccb-f807-4dd2-9fe9-8381e7e1798d/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-DinosaurLand-theropod-montage-1705px-239kbOct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: dinosaur-themed dioramas from the mezzanine section of Dinosaurland. At left, an Early Jurassic scene depicting what I think is a Coelophysis adult and juvenile. At right, a Late Jurassic scene that shows (perhaps) Ornitholestes (holding a lepidosaur of some sort in its right hand), with a geologically older sauropodomorph peeking in at left. The look of these models remind me of illustrations from Michael Tweedie’s 1977 book The World of Dinosaurs, and might be based on them. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e2af9780-3034-4616-b6b5-f9f32320257a/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-DinosaurLand-saurian-1588px-298kbOct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: Dinosaurland’s infamous ‘saurian’ model, one of several similar models present worldwide. As might be obvious from the image at right, we had fun having our photo taken nearby. Thanks to the anonymous museum-goer who kindly took this photo for me. Images: Darren Naish; anonymous museum-going woman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40fc3710-c18c-453f-a6d5-c4ba33a55bbc/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Lyme-Regis-at-Anning-grave-1261px-259kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: our group at one of several Mary Anning-themed stops in the town, namely the family grave. It has become traditional to leave both flowers and fossils at the grave. Its location at the very front of the graveyard is not coincidental, and is related to the fact that she is its most famous resident. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0f72300a-992b-4b27-90f1-cdd598128bb9/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Folkestone-1791px-197kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: the morning view from my room at Folkestone. For reasons, I got upgraded to an executive suite but don’t tell the others. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c1b8f2ba-d5a9-40ca-9d97-2ce79e2465e1/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Folkestone-2-1387px-300kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: Folkestone Harbour on the morning of our departure, showing the swing bridge and some attractively textured sediment. Looks great in nice weather. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fe2934e0-dddf-4413-8108-a40b2743c19a/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-group-at-Howletts-1355px-230kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: our group outside Howletts. I’m in this photo so obviously didn’t take it. The mammoth with the massive dome on its head is very distinctive and various models of this likeness are scattered about the outdoor attractions of the UK. This is the second image here that features a photobomb from a dinosaur. Image: Marc Bacon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b7d04f3-b505-47c5-9021-c98b2b98ee96/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Howletts-montage-1726px-320kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: the lack of a functioning camera means that I had to rely on my phone, but the photos it takes aren’t all that bad. Left to right: Servals Leptailurus serval (one of which is carrying a deceased rodent in its mouth), juvenile lions (one of which had a deformed hindfoot), and East Javan langur or Javan lutung Trachypithecus auratus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0058f15f-2beb-4802-9bb9-fc798b0b2d57/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Howletts-montage-2-1692px-186kb-Oct-2024-Zach-Wait-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: my photos might not be at all great, but at least a few other people on the visit did have good cameras with them. At left, a Sumatran tiger. At right, a male Western lowland gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla with an especially impressive head dome. I think that this is Djanhou, born at Howletts in 1993 and father to eight offspring. Images: Zach Wait. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3ae2fbaa-5985-4fd1-8071-f0470f8ebd90/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Howletts-fossil-mammals-montage-1-1053px-257kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: models from near the end section of the outdoor fossil mammal exhibit, depicting a Woolly mammoth and the giant Asian rhino Elasmotherium sibiricum. I agree with arguments that Elasmotherium didn’t have an immense keratinous horn like this, but instead possessed a rounded, more dome-like, keratinous structure. It’s important to recognise how big Elasmotherium is: its skull is about 75 cm long. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fee82b09-cba0-48c3-b06a-cb9414a5e42e/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-Howletts-fossil-mammals-montage-2-1619px-327kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: models from near the middle section of the fossil mammal exhibit. The dinoceratan at left is just about the only model you can approach closely, as I’m doing here. The top of its head and shoulders had a smattering of small bloody chunks and feather tufts about them, showing that the model had recently been used as a plucking perch by a raptor (likely a sparrowhawk). At right: a scary Ambulocetus. I don’t think that this is a good look for the animal. I’ve reconstructed it several times myself and both the head shape and tooth configuration shown here aren’t right. Images: Zach Wait; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9a696449-834f-48ee-bf4c-40caec546506/TetZooTour-Oct-2024-coach-1100px-182kb-Oct-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Inaugural 2024 TetZooTour of Southern England - Make it stand out Caption: our shiny new coach. It served us well. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/10/7/the-last-tetzoocon monthly 0.5 2024-12-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b8c24de0-1fea-4372-9e45-551b92f8cc97/TetZooCon-2024-TetZooCon-intro-1455px-154kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Gemma-Hazeborg-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the front entrance of our venue... Bush House. At right: what's this... DinoCon? Images: Darren Naish; Gemma Hazeborg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8a0e9f7d-fd71-482e-ba86-a642b6ec2f97/TetZooCon-2024-South-Terrace-view-1569px188kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: the view from the South Terrace was fantastic when the weather and lighting was right. The tower to the left belongs to the (closed) St Mary le Strand church; across the Thames we see the London Eye and the Palace of Westminster at far right. Waterloo Bridge and (further away) Westminster Bridge are visible here too. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fca1d8aa-1189-490b-9047-2a05c2b795b9/TetZooCon-2024-Friday-panel-1048px-112kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: our Friday evening panel event ‘Of Weird Animals, Books, and Publishing’ showing (l to r) Darren Naish, Dani Rabaiotti, Natalie Lawrence and Chris Manias. On the screen behind us are images of various of the books we’ve been involved in: each author is sat close to images of their own book or books. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/28ac48c0-0005-43ab-9d95-38d2d1fc4afc/TetZooCon-2024-Paul-Glynn-TYE-1364px-202kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: Paul Glynn of The Younger Earth at his TetZooCon stall, showing his incredible models and sculptures of sharks, dinosaurs, dinosaur skulls, whales and more. I now own that pike and one of the bowhead whales! Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a4af171b-4f40-45fb-a1a8-a15d57ff5ef0/TetZooCon-2024-Paul-Glynn-TYE-2-1840px-268kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: a more detailed view of pieces on show at Paul Glynn's stall. Why couldn't I be born rich? I need me those things. The megalosaur here (the white one at left and the bronze one at right) also exists in beautiful painted form: see below. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7cb7507b-061f-4563-9875-90b67c69fdf9/TetZooCon-2024-Jed-and-Ru-stall-1656px-209kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: TetZooCon heroes Jed Taylor (l) and Ruadhrí Brennan, here holding Baby Bruce the Blue Goose, a life-sized juvenile T. rex bust who had a starring role in this year's events. He peered about London town, he consumed a few stall-holders and guests, and he pranced like a bipedal pony in the group photo. This photo was taken somewhere about half-way through TetZooCon, so some of Jed and Ru's wares had already disappeared. Look at the amazing replica skulls (including the pelagornithid or pseudotoothed bird), the magnets at far right, and the model Megalosaurus near the middle. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d4568bf-f3d3-4864-9d94-67eb19b1ad01/TetZooCon-2024-Naish-talk-1694px-128kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: me, with the opening slide of my talk on Brian Ford’s aquatic dinosaur thing. I tweeted about the existence of this talk prior to TetZooCon 2024, and a consequence is that Mr Ford himself piped up in my twitter responses while I was on the tour. Ford’s opening gambit reads “Such sweet, old-fashioned comments. Curious that nobody is courageous enough to admit that every single scrap of scientific evidence substantiates my view”, and things went downhill from there. The relevant twitter thread is here, if you’re interested. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a8a69b11-5e9c-4ee7-a575-948f8543da38/TetZooCon-2024-Darren-signing-and-slide-1467px-168kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-FHK-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a signed copy of Tetrapod Zoology: Book One, sold at TetZooCon 2024. At right, a slide from my talk that brings attention to Tet Zoo articles I’ve published on specific contrarians. Images: Darren Naish (l); Finn Holmes-Kellett. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b276bb62-6ab0-4a24-9b1b-8f4761a08683/TetZooCon-2024-podcast-record-1687px-152kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: several photos taken during the podcast record have a more chaotic or active air than this sedate one, but here’s Darren Naish and John Conway talking stuff. The audience was supposed to tell me to stop when I was droning on too much but they spectacularly failed in this endeavour. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6d058e0a-108c-4803-9b97-ba9551b2288d/TetZooCon-2024-Naish-book-and-stickers-1191px-186kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: a big surprise for me was how popular my 2010 Tetrapod Zoology: Book One turned out to be. All copies sold. So maybe I should buy more and repeat this. At right, I also sold cryptid-themed stickers, and they sold well too. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c8f5a88-a3e0-4422-a628-e7975db2b6d7/TetZooCon-2024-Matt-Dempsey-Invicta-1522px-152kb-Sept-2024-MD-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: over the years, I’ve grown fatter and richer by selling Invicta dinosaur models to (soon to be Dr) Matt Dempsey, and this year we both benefitted by my selling of this fine Invicta Apatosaurus. Matt has awarded it a name and clearly likes it very much. Image: Matt Dempsey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/138c1f42-2b04-42b4-835a-d18f6084e183/TetZooCon-2024-Mary-Colwell-curlews-1085px-101kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: Mary Colwell talks curlews and her discovery of how bad things are. As explained in her 2019 book Curlew Moon, she found that urgent action was required. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/10b9792e-92cc-495d-9076-b6f70567edd9/TetZooCon-2024-Curlew-Action-1508px-228kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: the Curlew Action stand. Books, socks, artwork, tote bags and more. Curlew Action – their website is here – organizes workshops and events related to curlew conservation, and merch and products are available there too. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2e5110a5-6096-42aa-ae73-8c7dc8b5ead4/TetZooCon-2024-Jonathan-Meiburg-caracaras-1514px-94kb-gmac47-Sept-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: a left, Jonathan Meiburg talks caracaras, with the most familiar member of the group – the Crested caracara Caracara plancus – on screen. At right, my personal copy of Jonathan’s 2021 book A Most Remarkable Creature. This is the initial, hardback edition. More recent versions of the book have a white cover with a photo of a Striated caracara Phalcoboenus australis. Images: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/537e6e0e-da14-4262-b7d3-883554e0c7f9/TetZooCon-2024-LITC-workshop-1897px-282kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: this image gives some idea of how grand and spacious our palaeoart workshop was. This was taken when the LITC team (visible standing at right) were introducing their Ode to Bad Palaeoart segment. John Conway stands at left. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/861e7c1e-9b6d-47b9-9342-89e6c3bc5886/TetZooCon-2024-LITC-workshop-art-1-1661px-249kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: just some of the ‘bad palaeoart’ created by the workshop participants, spread across the stage. Pretty obvious that there’s a lot of good stuff here, and I spy what’s becoming a (Dougal Dixon-inspired) TetZooCon meme. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/792cc257-a8ea-441a-9546-35f5de27efd3/TetZooCon-2024-LITC-workshop-art-2-1115px-127kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: another image of the ‘bad palaeoart’ illustrations produced by the workshop participants. The musculoskeletal reconstruction of a tyrannosaurid on the screen was produced by John Conway, I think for use in a certain Apple TV+ series devoted to a planet that was prehistoric. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d2824657-47d4-4c36-b223-921a1950596c/TetZooCon-2024-Hone-art-exhibition-1383px-161kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: just some of the original framed art brought along to TetZooCon 2024 and put on display in the North Terrace by Dave Hone. I see original pieces here by Mark Hallett, Luis Rey and Joschua Knüppe, among others. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c74d6d68-9cfd-46bc-9cad-d2bbb38cf0b0/TetZooCon-2024-Desert-Bones-signing-1737px-205kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Joschua Knüppe (l) and Jamale Ijouiher signing copies of The Desert Bones: the Paleontology and Paleoecology of Mid-Cretaceous North Africa. James McKay had had to leave by the time this photo was taken. At right: Jamale once commissioned his own Spinosaurus model, and here it is. It was constructed by artist and sculptor Victoria Nampisano. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d3d5800c-2040-4406-9d0e-88253811c223/TetZooCon-2024-adder-montage-1674px-193kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: the good thing about living in a nation where there are scarcely any native (non-bird) reptile species is that an interested person can get to know all of them. At left, here's a female Adder I observed at Bossiney Cove, Cornwall, in 2018. At right, Angela Julian talks grassroots conservation efforts relevant to adders. Images: Darren Naish (l); Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6e1a9942-146e-40b7-b1d1-b51319fa6d7b/TetZooCon-2024-Natalie-Lawrence-1607px-265kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: Natalie Lawrence talks making monsters. If you know about the history of monster depiction in classical literature and art, you should recognise the beast being ridden in the illustration. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/15a1c366-0876-406e-a74a-26a3de6335ec/TetZooCon-2024-Natalie-Lawrence-montage-1383px-125kb-Sept-2024-FHK-DN-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Natalie Lawrence discusses the recycling and re-using of images in old literature on unusual animals. The misunderstood walrus shown at left has appeared here and there in the literature as a hitherto unknown beast associated with freshwater environment. At right, Natalie and your humble author. Images: Finn Holmes-Kellett (l) and Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5dd93264-5ff2-4839-a446-16792d54cc5d/TetZooCon-2024-Kai-Caspar-1656px-173kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: Kai Caspar talks Mesozoic dinosaur brain anatomy and what it might, and might not, mean for behaviour and biology. And yay for more Prehistoric Planet representation. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/491bbdf8-9808-4953-b905-a63fdd09c1a0/TetZooCon-2024-Kai-Caspar-2-1482px-116kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: one of the graphs from Caspar et al. (2024), here being explained by Kai during his talk. As explained in the paper, we found non-bird maniraptoriforms to be more like birds in relative brain size than are other theropods.... but this wasn't true of all of them. Some alvarezsaurids are outliers. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/392d9654-637a-4011-a692-76d657dc3ee1/TetZooCon-2024-Princeton-books-1141px-143kb-Sept-2024-Princeton-Nature-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: the presence of Princeton University Press (PUP) meant that copies of Katrina's Unnatural Selection were on sale (sadly, The Unfeathered Bird is very much sold out and out of print), as was my Dinopedia. Images: Princeton University Press. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a5fe46a9-01f6-47b6-b39e-d08a0be5e583/TetZooCon-2024-Dave-Hone-introduction-1627px-123kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: me (at left) introducing Dave Hone and his TetZooCon talk. I made a joke about Dave deliberately courting controversy seeing as he's worked on spinosaurid behaviour, sexual selection theory, and tyrannosaurid ecology and body size. There's a photo of him making a very unusual expression while I was saying those words. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/09de3e0b-6e66-475f-b955-8bca40318e56/TetZooCon-2024-Dave-Hone-GU-slide-1275px-91kb-Sept-2024-FHK-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: Dave Hone's new book features throughout illustration by the very talented Gabriel Ugueto, and here are two of them. I think that the context should be obvious, though the point remains that finding fossil dinosaurs preserved while engaging in copulation is not entirely impossible. In addition, we might also be able to find compelling evidence for the existence of grooming or preening in extinct dinosaurs (I've written articles on this). Image: Finn Holmes-Kellett. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c8bad64-a390-46ab-af22-39f60285ee29/TetZooCon-2024-Dave-Hone-on-GU-1831px-124kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: Gabriel Ugueto couldn't make the meeting in person (we asked!) but at least he was there in spirit. You can see that Dave said very nice things about him. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6992c545-50fc-4b4c-9d63-a68e40279138/TetZooCon-2024-Crystal-Palace-prints-1321px-140kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs were once again represented at TetZooCon and I hope they did well. You can see a stack of Mark Witton and Ellinor Michell’s book The Art and Science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs in the background, but new for this year were these 3D-printed busts of several of the Crystal Palace models. It’s obvious that, were these for sale, they would sell like proverbial hotcakes. Hopefully that will be the case in the near future. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aa0f3f4a-58ea-467d-9cea-9f3a7fa813f8/TetZooCon-2024-FCP-stall-1363px-244kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: an indication of how busy the stalls areas were at times. The Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs stall is in the foreground. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b8162d5-94e1-4f1e-b212-c026cc366ec7/TetZooCon-2024-Naish-Packham-Conway-1610px-212kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: heartfelt thanks to the incredible Chris Packham for taking time to join us and give a talk. This photo was taken during the Sunday afternoon drinks reception and art exhibition: l to r, Darren Naish, Chris Packham, John Conway. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a1b87931-7b6e-40e1-81fe-9fcbd88c5f72/TetZooCon-2024-South-Terrace-group-photo-1666px-244kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: we finally remembered to do a group photo! We did one way back at the very first TetZooCon (in 2014) but have consistently failed to do once since. The photo doesn’t include everyone who was present, but it’s the bulk of them at least. Georgia, our official photographer, is in the photo at far left so can’t be credited as having taken this one. Image: Neil Phillips, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c54cb389-a717-43cf-8712-71cd6fd4d7be/TetZooCon-2024-JA-Katrina-win-851px-80kb-Sept-2024-Neil-and-Darren-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: our two cosplay winners. At left, James Appleby as E. D. Cope (James did have a plesiosaur skeleton with the head wrongly mounted on the end of the tail about his person). At right, Katrina van Grouw as a museum specimen of a Great auk Pinguinus impennis. Images: Neil Phillips (l), Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/daa07cde-1097-4faf-8acb-faaac2dc0154/TetZooCon-2024-Sean-Hennessy-and-Jed-Taylor-847px-113kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: at left, TetZooCon 2024 quiz winner (joint winner) Sean Hennessy with his prize. At right, Jed Taylor and Baby Bruce again. Images: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2a82ef66-4822-4385-8608-bf1d15a60685/TetZooCon-2024-Franklin-legs-821px-88kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: I don’t have photos of Franklin’s upper half, which features a ton of great dinosaur-themed art, but here are lower leg images showing Mary Anning’s original Plesiosaurus, a Dilophosaurus skull, a Shoebill, a phorusrhacid (its bill peeking in at the right) and more. That’s commitment to the cause right there. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/83b5757b-c280-45a5-ad04-f9ab86923d25/TetZooCon-2024-Paul-Glynn-megalosaur-diorama-1831px-435kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: more great work from Paul Glynn, this time a Jurassic diorama featuring the European tetanuran Megalosaurus. Paul first started showing dioramas at TetZooCon in 2019 and has had stalls at the more recent two or three of them. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/16bb3b1b-a227-46f1-9169-482f12137feb/TetZooCon-2024-John-and-Darren-1480px161kb-Sept-2024-gmac47-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: seeing as it was the last one, it was only right that we got some photos of John and I together. Despite everything, we’re still on mostly friendly terms, evidently. Images: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dbb9871c-7619-40a0-91bf-2043f037843e/TetZooCon-2024-empy-hall-1452px-180kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last TetZooCon - Make it stand out Caption: I’m generally first one in, last one out at these meetings. Saying goodbye to an empty hall is a slightly melancholy thing, but here we are. This is not the end. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/9/5/tokyo-ueno-zoo monthly 0.5 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5915f20b-b204-49c0-b3ae-32e6e92a3c3d/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-zoo-entrance-1231px-157kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: some zoos have awesome, attractive entrances. Ueno Zoo... maybe not so much. Having said that, this isn't the main entrance, but the alternative front entrance to the west. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a4c9605e-5378-4618-97d8-250d93a38b58/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-pond-1136px-232kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Shinobazu Pond as seen from Aesop Bridge, looking west. Obviously, it was over-run with lotus at the time of our visit. A Great egret Ardea alba is visible in the middle of shot but other wild birds were present in the pond at the same time. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fc5ba98e-604c-4d9d-988c-9d03e839394f/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-pond-bird-sign-1770px-886kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: I was impressed with the signage at Ueno Zoo, and this extended to discussion of wild animals occurring in the grounds. This large sign at the edge of Shinobazu Pond points out which bird species are likely to be observed. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b2216943-2894-4f5a-943d-a5069b46de3c/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-grounds-near-tiger-1800px-514kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: zoos should, where possible, have sections that look like 'natural' environments, meaning that we need plants, rock faces and natural waterways. I'm not pretending that this is anything other than simulated, but we're simple animals and the simulation is good enough to work. This rock garden is located close to Tiger Forest. Warning signs noted that Japanese honeybees were nesting in this area. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9073287d-dcf6-43ec-87be-a58ec7d3a7a6/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-synbranchid-turtle-montage-1427px-166kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: select animals from the small house near Benten Gate. Left to right: Asian swamp eel Monopterus albus (swamp eels aren't eels at all but a very odd group of acanthomorphs), Reeve’s turtle Mauremys reevesii and Chinese softshell turtle Pelodiscus sinensis. Captive softshells are often perpetually moving and thus hard to photograph well; this juvenile (carapace length about 8 cm; in an adult it's over 30 cm) was co-operative enough to pause and stick its head and neck out of the water at least once. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c1fc31ff-cc1e-491e-8d76-1b0acec88537/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-emu-heron-waterbirds-1387px-183kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: an avian montage. At left, Emu (the pixely look isn't because of a camera malfunction but because of the screen-like mesh around the enclosure). Upper right: Japanese night heron, one of two extant Gorsachius species (and which are no longer included in Nycticorax). Lower right: a view through two different enclosures at the same time, showing Cackling goose at left, crane in the middle, and Oriental white stork at right. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e7720c75-c05b-4e28-b8d7-4049bebfc44a/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-giant-panda-house-1633px-959kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: one of the buildings housing the zoo's two Giant panda, as seen from the middle of the queue. You enter through large, 'traditional' (maybe Edo style) wooden doors at the side. The now defunct monorail is overhead. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d7b84233-0238-487e-9eac-f4b048bdadc2/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-giant-panda-montage-1303px-232kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Shin Shin, a female at Ueno Zoo, doing what a Giant panda does. That's mostly eating and sitting. Here's your regular reminder that the Giant panda isn't 'the panda': that honour goes to the Red or Lesser panda, the panda that became known to science and to Europeans first. Hence Giant panda. And, yes, it's a bear, not a close relative of actual pandas, or raccoons, as was considered correct during the mid 20th century. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4af1b477-5ef6-4ffb-ab48-691fd49ab8be/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-flamingos-1316px-314kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: we take it for granted that what are among the weirdest and most specialized of birds are, actually, quite easy to keep, rear and breed in captivity. Maybe this reflects how tough and adaptable flamingos are. Flamingos can live to 50 years or more in captivity, so you're likely to see the same bird(s) if you visit the same zoo more than once within your lifetime. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/03ff420f-748e-4452-ad2f-d35e0747783a/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shoebill-1-montage-1408px-183kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Shoebill 1, here photographed as it moved its head about and slowly moved its legs and feet. It did eventually walk left and into its house. Shoebills are long-legged kin of pelicans, despite old arguments that they might be storks. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4d751fc4-3a45-478d-90a4-d48fb1132779/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shoebill-1-and-3-montage-1532px-141kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a close-up of Shoebill 1. At right, the rather smaller Shoebill 3. Like all modern animals, the Shoebill is no more 'prehistoric' than you are, but of incidental interest is that some claimed 'pterodactyl' and monster bird sightings from tropical Africa might have been misinterpreted Shoebill observations. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2df674ba-4703-4d4b-9bbd-8af1a9780337/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shoebill-2-montage-1279px-140kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Shoebill 2 as seen from behind, or obliquely so. Note the way the feathers grow horizontally backwards to form a midline dorsal ridge beneath the crest, and how the pupil is still visible even from this angle (meaning that the bird potentially has a field of vision well exceeding 180 degrees). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/edf2e11e-c6fd-4d02-b9bf-20b1d35c067f/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shoebill-2-montage-1591px-185kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Shoebill 2, a large individual that spent a bit of time moving its head around while I was watching it. Shoebills can reach 1.5 m in standing height and have a wingspan of 2.6 m. A big male might weigh over 5 kg. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/874afab0-f711-429f-b978-72a71af15325/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shoebill-1-enclosure-1878px-550kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the enclosure belonging to Shoebill 1. I think it looks pretty good, and is appropriately spacious for the animal. It's said of raptors that they'll happily sit on a perch for 20 hours a day and be apparently happy so long as they get those short bouts of flying and eating. I think that the same might be true of quite a few birds. Not parrots, not corvids. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c67e296-7296-474e-a6a6-0def551f5f99/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shoebill-sign-1059px-148kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: none of the Shoebills were especially close to the fences when I was at the zoo, but I can buy that they might have a decent bite. I like that little cartoon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/50403257-99e5-4937-9850-64b23bc174ed/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-bass-reliefs-1485px-236kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: nice art on the walls of the Small Mammal House. Bats (vesper bats of some sort, I think) and a tree squirrel.... Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a26cfa5a-c664-4b9e-8846-28cec1e2a22c/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-bass-reliefs-2-1402px-304kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: ..... and flying squirrels in action! I'm not sure if the zoo currently has flying squirrels of any sort, but this wasn't the only flying squirrel imagery at the Small Mammal House, so I'm pretty sure they've had them in the past at least. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/33bdbe68-1167-4a21-b470-72956338df1d/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-marmoset-and-mole-rats-1178px-545kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Common marmoset at left, Naked mole-rat exhibit at right. There's some material in the Tet Zoo archives on mole-rats (naked and otherwise) but good luck finding a non-ruined version. Naked mole-rats were conventionally argued to be the most specialized (and, presumably, geologically youngest) of mole-rats but fossil and molecular data shows them to be one of the oldest lineages within the group (apparently diverging from other mole-rats in the Late Eocene, over 34 million years ago). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bd675abd-718b-4f41-a121-06d67a517cd5/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Manul-montage-1588px-237kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a Pallas’s cat montage, showing playful and highly active kittens as well as at least one of their more sedate parents (the animal sat on the box). Three kittens were born during April this year, so we were lucky to see them at this stage of life. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5dfd571a-955a-488e-800d-1041e8c6de06/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-degu-1272px-847kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a relaxing degu group. I'm assuming – I hope correctly – that these are Common degu, one of five species within the genus Octodon. These are mostly animals of Chile, but Ricardo Ojeda's degu O. ricardojeda (only recognized as a distinct species in 2020) has a range that extends into western Argentina as well. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3acfd4aa-0f2b-45f2-9c80-03f65bb91820/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shrew-and-bettong-1556px-444kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: smaller mammals from the nocturnal section of the Small Mammal House, House shrew at left and Brush-tailed rat kangaroo, Woylie, or Brush-tailed bettong at right. There can't be many zoos that have shrews of any sort on show. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c82cb6be-5576-42ff-9303-4dee20f7832e/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-aardvarks-1601px-126kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Captions: at least three aardvarks were on show, all in two connected rooms. I have to say that this was a bland, clinical exhibit. Aardvarks are highly variable across their range and multiple subspecies have been recognized historically. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ae9081ae-9ae3-4b13-8a59-094da186b8de/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-jerboa-and+echidna-1439px-180kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: more badly photographed mammals from the nocturnal section of the Small Mammal House, namely Greater Egyptian jerboa and very blurry Short-beaked echidna. The echidna was constantly on the move and this is the best of my photos, ha. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6ae9cb8d-b5d7-4b69-979e-acbb778bb041/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-rhino-montage-2-1657px-180kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Ueno Zoo currently has two Black rhinos, Argo the female (here at left) and Maro the male. Maro has lots of black staining around the top and sides of his head; I don't know what this represents but wonder if it comes from rubbing his head against objects in the enclosure. The kind of wear that rhinos have on their horns is also interesting and says lots about their behaviour and personal habits. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/37a87f0d-c8c9-4fa1-a5ec-24dd92f429ca/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-rhino-montage-1-1669px-200kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: more views of Maro the male Black rhino. He was born in 2000; Argo was born in 1995. Captive black rhinos live into their fourth, fifth or sixth decades (the oldest on record died at age 57), well beyond the 18 considered average for wild ones. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/58037b6b-03c7-4296-93cb-84a99250929f/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-rhino-enclosure-1675px-336kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Argo the rhino in her enclosure. The pool in the foreground is empty; that in Maro's enclosure was not and he spent some time walking in and out and sloshing around in the water. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a161ff63-8ef7-43d8-92df-a2fbba5cfbf2/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Vivarium-1-1556px-181kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the vivarium, though sadly closed. Frustrating, as I'm pretty sure it would have housed reptile and amphibian species unfamiliar to a visitor of European zoos. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/94588627-94a6-425a-ac0d-4dcb581699b9/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Vivarium-2-1480px-147kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: imagery on the outside of the vivarium, I think giving some idea of what should be in there. I haven't tried to work out what species of crocodile is shown at left, but I think it's a Nile croc Crocodylus niloticus. A giant salamander is at lower right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ab9b3e5e-d04f-4f9a-92b9-3e4cb751731a/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Komodo-dragon-statue-1307px-368kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the life-sized Komodo dragon statue near the Vivarium. It has some issues with its forelimbs but is fun nonetheless. Tokyo is sufficiently hot and sunny in the summer that metal statues can become very warm to the touch, hence the 'don't touch' sign on the cone. Then again, this can happen even here in the UK: the Pygmy hippo statue at my local zoo (Marwell) can get hot in the sun as well. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c5fe7988-8072-4851-aa8a-9cec83654b3c/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Madagascan-tortoise-lemur-montage-1711px-142kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Radiated tortoise at left, male Black lemur at right. The Radiated tortoise is mid-sized (carapace length is typically around 30 cm) and individuals have exceeded 180 years in age. Black lemurs are unique to Madagascar's north-west (and adjacent islands) and are famously dimorphic; females are brown or orange-brown with white ear tufts. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3460d576-cc87-4b59-9ebd-2942b2990a47/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Madagascar-baobab-1826px-326kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Shinobazu Pond again, this time showing part of the Madagascar exhibit at its eastern edge, hence the model baobab. Ring-tailed lemurs are present on the island we see here, but I don't think you can see them in the photo. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/91759eb9-03bc-4b40-a90f-fda931dda88a/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-vorompatra-sratue-1389px-252kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the zoo's gigantic aepyornithid statue as seen from several views. I like it, though I'm not sure about that bushy head crest. This a fascinating group of birds and we still know so little about them. Images: Darren Naish/Em Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f3187a81-68b3-403b-9e30-fc82042c78a8/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Madagascar-posts-1071px-188kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: educational, but also artistic, Madagascar-themed wooden poles! Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d3fb75b-c580-40a0-af69-6b49382cd54e/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Madagascar-lemur-art-1633px-171kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: more installations from the Madagascar section, showcasing the zoo's history of keeping and breeding lemurs. I grew up imagining aye-ayes as squirrel-sized (meaning about 30 cm in total) so was shocked when I first saw a live one (this was at Bristol Zoo): in total length, they're around 80 cm. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d49b8737-d9f5-4aa8-a1fc-4eda9f364699/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-macaques-1074px-188kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the majority of the zoo's Japanese macaques spend a lot of their daytime sitting and walking on the sides of their enclosure's artificial mountain, but some individuals can be seen in the moat surrounding it too. Not shown in the photos here are the concrete pools at the side of the mountain. I reckon that someone decided to include heated pools so that the monkeys might choose to sit in the water, as is so famously seen in the Jigokudani 'snow monkey' population. Alas, that's a learned bit of culture specific to that population, not a species-wide bit of behaviour. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2b53890e-99a2-4804-8307-5d5ff8551770/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-elephant-1572px-203kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the Asian elephant house and enclosure are ok, but nothing to write home about. You should be able to make out the trunk, and part of the head and body of the elephant in the house at left. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/34d0ba3a-c29a-4a1d-8768-2c4fcf515fbd/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-tiger-1335px-91kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: I photographed two captive tigers while in Japan (the other one was at Tama Zoological Gardens), and both made direct eye contact with me, or with my camera at least. In the UK, tigers and other big cats seem to avoid eye contact with cameras... or, that's my impression anyway. This makes me wonder if the zoo tigers of Japan don't have people pointing cameras at them so often. Or am I completely off base here? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e74bc238-76b9-4452-a226-93e0372473f3/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-cenotaph-1509px-909kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the zoo's modern animal cenotaph. Note the fresh flowers at left and the well-kept condition of the hedges. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0efbb041-b2df-4a71-a921-b1d2c0a417e4/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-rhino-vulture-hawk-eagle-1161px-126kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: at left, White-backed vulture with what looks like a full crop. At right, Mountain hawk-eagle. Old World hawk-eagles like this were included in same genus as the American Spizaetus species until around 2005 but molecular data has shown that they don't belong in the same clade, instead being close to the Black eagle Ictinaetus malaiensis. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1a1982f0-740d-42a9-9143-378d630a0040/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Stellers-sea-eagle-1668px-155kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: spectacular female Steller's sea eagle, a large raptor of north-east Asia's Pacific coastline. A big female can have a wingspan of 2.5 m and weigh 9.5 kg, making this species generally bigger than the Harpy Harpia harpyja. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7ab882bd-1078-4286-abc1-c9e1541dfeb1/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-condor-and-hawk-1573px-121kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: male Andean Condor, at left, and Harris hawk at right. Condors are incredible, and yet another bird group where so many parts of their anatomy have been co-opted for display and communication. The Harris hawk is a familiar bird to Europeans and Americans, but maybe it feels more exotic if you live in eastern Asia. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c7c2da44-e8e5-4442-b06f-b36ee797f8cb/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-raptor-aviary-1818px-362kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a view of the raptor and owl aviary section. A number of vultures were kept together in the big enclosure on the left; owls, eagles, hawks and condors were on the right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9cff907d-571b-40d7-85a4-59e0e6e6158b/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-cranes-1461px-167kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a crane montage, showing (clockwise from top left) Black-necked crane, Red-crowned crane (in side view and when looking right at me), and Wattled crane. Some cranes have really gone to town on the developing of epidermal lumps and nodules: the red crown of a Red-crowned crane is formed of pointed, red papillae, not feathers as you might guess. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0b993c9c-d807-46eb-a297-db9bdd979140/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-secretary-bird-1103px-67kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a possibly disturbing photo of a Secretary bird scoffing down a chick, whole. Of interest is the timing of nictitating membrane moment and that the rictus (the web of tissue at the corner of the mouth) is similar in colour to the face, not a wholly separate and differently pigmented sheet of tissue as we tend to expect. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e32f7127-ac6e-4b1b-9155-e626eb2e80e8/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-giant-panda-sign-1280px-794kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: another indication of how good the signage is at the zoo. I consider this pretty impressive as an effort to educate the public (though getting them to actually read it is a different matter). Our fascination with the enigmatic Giant panda has resulted in numerous public descriptions of its skull and dentition, and of its famous 'sixth finger' or 'thumb' (actually a modified pisiform bone adjacent to the thumb). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5969ba2c-82c2-4fd0-b51d-aad213678542/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Crested-ibis-statue-1476px-326kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the Crested or Japanese ibis is a conservation icon. In Japan, the last wild bird died in 2003 following gradual decline caused by overhunting, habitat loss and other causes. Wild populations persist in Shaanxi Province, China; something only appreciated in 1981. Captive breeding has since resulted in the wild release of birds in Japan and South Korea too. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f5433773-34d1-4e1a-a39a-e8a4a2088196/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shoebill-images-toys-1639px-137kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: it was obvious from signage, products and things on sale that Ueno Zoo was proud of its Shoebills. I resisted the urge to buy a cuddly one (though I did buy a plush Malayan tapir; how could I not). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a759032d-9e8e-473d-aa58-fde4b42b3427/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-Manul-merch-977px-151kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: your zoo has PALLAS'S CATS so, surely, you stock and sell Pallas's cat merch, toys, souvenirs and so on, right? In Japan, the answer is a confident YES. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a9d0a23-f3bb-4653-9e3e-d52e9c7dc8bb/Ueno-Zoo-Sept-2024-shop-figures-1892px-287kb-Sept-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: as a dedicated and pretty serious collector of animal figures, Japan was lethal. All the animal-themed attractions I went to stocked excellent selections of animal toys and models. The larger figures at the bottom are by Safari and Schleich, the smaller ones that come in the rectangular boxes are by Colorata. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/8/15/smaug-ouroborus-flat-lizards-and-more monthly 0.5 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1b1ed654-8cd5-4655-8c4d-45e1bc1e85fb/cordylids-Aug-2024-cordylid-montage-Alan-Male-1467px-157kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: I've mentioned before how inspirational the wonderful illustrations of Alan Male (from Philip Whitfield’s Reptiles and Amphibians: An Authoritative and Illustrated Guide of 1983) were to a young me, and here are the several cordylids he illustrated. It's sometimes obvious that Male only had access to photos, and photos that weren't especially useful at that, and hence made mistakes (the head of the Chamaesaura here is inaccurately short, for example). Images: Alan Male, from Whitfield (1983). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/77f7b7f6-ff77-4801-af34-2cf26e427f1c/cordylids-Aug-2024-African-herpetology-books-montage-1544px-373kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: some of the books I consulted while compiling this article. Even in the age of the internet, books are essential and you still have to do everything you can to accrue them. Remind me why I have no money. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a92b4c32-3046-4e09-8b82-49c7e0196392/cordylids-Aug-2024-Cordylus-Dupont-CC-BY-SA-2-0-1542px-242kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: the ‘original’ girdled lizard… the Cape girdled lizard Cordylus cordylus, type species of the genus Cordylus and thus the groups Cordylinae and Cordylidae. This individual was photographed in Stony Point Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa. Image: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/59f58389-712d-4183-95bc-efde55058e89/cordylids-Aug-2024-Platysaurus-montage-1558px-381kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: a montage that gives some idea of how variably coloured and patterned, and how spectacular, some flat lizards are. From left to right, we’re seeing a Common flat lizard P. intermedius in Zimbabwe, a Broadley’s flat lizard P. broadleyi in Augrabies National Park, South Africa, and an Imperial flat lizard P. imperator in Zimbabwe. These three species represent three of the four main clades within Platysaurus. Images: Sputniktilt, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); © i_c_riddell, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/db265678-6fc0-4365-92d5-aef7aa358fc5/cordylids-Aug-2024-Platysaurus-broadleyi-Dupont-1640px-194kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: flat lizard be flat. This view of a Broadley’s flat lizard gives an excellent indication of what platysaurine proportions are like. Numerous individuals of this species are readily visible in Augrabies National Park in South Africa where they can be observed leaping to catch black flies. Image: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2a9f2ac6-8b11-48e8-96c7-96bd979fd931/cordylids-Aug-2024-Cordyliformes-as-per-Lang-1991-826px-85kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: this is cordyliform phylogeny as hypothesized by Lang (1991). Note that the serpentine chamaesaurs are outside of Cordylinae, so that the primary split within Cordylidae is between Chamaesaurinae and Cordylinae. That was a 'traditional' view that had existed since the 1930s. Within Cordylinae, flat lizards are highly derived (this term has now been ruined, since some take it to mean 'very recently evolved within a group', and others to mean 'highly modified relative to the ancestral condition'... here, it can mean either or both). Molecular studies have shown these key propositions to be wrong. It should be added that Lang (1991) is a good example of a morphology-based phylogenetic study done well: Mathias Lang described and illustrated relevant character states, explained and described his methodology and approach, considered alternative hypotheses, and went to considerable trouble to obtain and observe relevant specimens. Image: Lang (1991). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/47de2aee-2cd7-4775-a050-67194eb3f29d/cordylids-Aug-2024-cordylid-characters-Lang-1991-1191px-114kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: a few cordylid anatomical characters of special interest, as illustrated by Lang (1991). At left, we're looking at the left side of the palatal surface of the skull of Cordylus cordylus, the unusual feature being the subdental shelf: the hollowed-out area, lingual to the teeth, and marked at its edge by the crista dentalis. The function of this shelf is unknown but it might have a role in holding food items in place while they are crushed. At right, a montage showing osteoderm distribution in (A) Cordylus, ventral (left) and dorsal views, (B) Pseudocordylus, ventral (left) and dorsal views, (C) Platysaurus, dorsal view and (D) Chamaesaura, dorsal view. All from Lang (1991). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2aaaff06-9f71-44a7-870e-2761e4d05959/cordylids-Aug-2024-Stanley-et-al-2011-cordylid-phylogeny-with-icons-1025px-177kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: a fairly messy effort to depict cordylid phylogeny as recovered by Stanley et al. (2011), with photos depicting genus-level diversity within the group. It should be obvious immediately that Smaug is big and very spiky, that Ninurta is small and delicate, that Chamaesaura is serpentine, that Pseudocordylus lacks spines and big, plate-like scales, that Ouroborus curls up into a ring, that Karusasaurus and Namazonurus are broad-bodied, that Hemicordylus is a bit generic, and that Cordylus in the strict, modern sense is speciose. Images: Smaug: Eric Johnston, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Ninurta: Amada44, public domain (original here); Chamaesaura: Alandmanson, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Pseudocordylus: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); Ouroborus: Handré Basson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Karusasaurus: Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Namazonurus: © Tim Brammer, CC BY-NC 4.0 (original here); Hemicordylus: Abu Shawka, CC0 (original here); Cordylus: Bernard Dupont, CC BY SA-2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a8e5637d-68be-4eee-babb-cec9e252e3ea/cordylids-Aug-2024-Smaug-montage-1506px-193kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: name an animal – any animal, I think – after a famous character from popular fiction, and you’re gonna win some coverage in the popular media. That’s exactly what happened when Smaug the cordylid was published in 2011. Nine Smaug species are currently recognized, the best known of which is the Giant girdled lizard S. giganteus, shown here. Images: Unwin Paperbacks; Wilfried Berns, CC BY 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8cff74fa-f1c6-4f44-bc07-42ef67d23102/cordylids-Aug-2024-Smaug-Darren-Naish-1162px-85kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: a slightly sketchy effort to depict a Giant girdled lizard in life, and which depicts some of the remarkable features of this large lizard (it can reach 40 cm in total length). The tail spines are especially large, and also slightly curved, and the spines around the back of the head are especially prominent. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/788e0d39-9d09-4bf5-98a0-03e31d15d06e/cordylids-Aug-2024-Ouroborus-montage-1412px-183kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: the Armadillo girdled lizard is another incredibly charismatic, handsome animal… its machine-perfect plates give it such an awesome look. And of course it’s famous for rolling into a defensive circle. This species has been over-collected for the pet trade in the past, though this is now illegal. Images: Kevin Murray, CC BY 4.0 (original here); Handré Basson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/952c3200-7b22-4952-b7c7-9795878c99ba/cordylids-Aug-2024-Drakensberg-crag-lizard-Amada44-1324px-174kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: another fine reminder of what spectacular beasts some of these cordylids are. This is a Drakensburg crag lizard Pseudocordylus subviridis of South Africa and Lesotho. An obvious feature of these lizards is that the head and tail possess osteoderms whereas the body and limbs do not. Populations included within this species are variable and there's some controversy over how their taxonomy should be resolved. Image: Amada44, CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/70aa1e22-4eb3-4a37-9a1f-b993d2e954b3/cordylids-Aug-2024-Karusasaurus-Tony-Rebelo-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1512px-281kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: Karoo girdled lizard, exemplar of Karusasaurus. The generic name incorporates the Khoisan word karusa, meaning dry, barren, thirstland. Image: Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fbf929f6-b53e-4b48-b8af-20a7e32cd91c/cordylids-Aug-2024-Ninurta-Amada44-1347px-114kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: a Blue-spotted girdled lizard, sole representative of the genus Ninurta. The general appearance of this lizard – it’s small, skinny, long-bodied and with small scales across its body that aren’t big and plate-like – is consistent with phylogenetic studies that find it close to the ancestry of the long-bodied Chamaesaura species. Image: Amada44, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/435a843a-91bd-4f06-8cdf-c156ff4e6ffb/cordylids-Aug-2024-Cordylus-s-s-montage-1560px-329kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of species still included in Cordylus. At left, the strikingly attractive Black girdled lizard Co. niger, here photographed at Cape of Good Hope Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa. At right, Cape girdled lizard Co. cordylus – the ‘original’, or OG, cordylid – photographed in Mountain Zebra National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Images: Bernard Dupont, CC BY SA-2.0 (originals here and here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/720d9e22-0971-4cfe-b35e-59c704884090/cordylids-Aug-2024-Chamaesaura-skulls-and-map-Lang-1991-1164px-114kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Chamaesaura skulls illustrated by Lang (1991). (A) Ch. macrolepis in dorsal view, (B) Ch. anguina in right lateral view, and (C) the lower jaw of Ch. anguina in lingual (above) and labial views. These skulls are shallow at the snout end (as is typical for rupiculous cordylines) and more pointed (in dorsal view) than is the case in many other cordylids. At right, a range map for the Chamaesaura species as depicted by Lang (1991). If you’ve thought of these animals as mostly limited to the south of the continent, it’s obvious that they’ve actually staged a decent invasion of the continent’s southern half. Images: Lang (1991). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a24b6185-394e-4ee0-9a6d-f5c26f644232/cordylids-Aug-2024-Chamaesaura-anguina-Chris-Vynbos-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1102px-262kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: the snake-like Chamaesaura species are often larger than I'd assumed previously (reaching 50 cm in total), and I think that that's conveyed in this photo. They aren't specialized climbers but, as shown here, are obviously capable of clambering in shrubs, bushes and grass clumps. This is the Cape grass lizard Ch. anguina, and specifically part of the type population Ch. a. anguina (the subspecies-level taxonomy of this species is controversial and some studies have raised the subspecies to species level). Image: Chris Vynbos, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/77599ff1-1e8c-4555-bca6-f8a823eaeb83/cordylids-Aug-2024-cordylid-birth-Gary-Fogel-1172px-40kb-Aug-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: this fairly remarkable photo of a mother and baby Armadillo girdled lizard creates the impression that giving birth to a proportionally big, scale-covered baby might be a traumatic, perhaps painful event. The photo is (c) Gary Fogel and used to be present on a page dedicated to these lizards. It’s no longer findable online. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0ed99474-83ef-4bcd-8570-27665d688531/cordylids-Aug-2024-cordylid-ver-1-sg-918px-156kb-Aug-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Smaug, Ouroborus, Flat Lizards and More - Make it stand out Caption: screengrabs of the original version of this article, from 2008. I managed to obtain and use some different images of Chamaesaura back then. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/7/30/the-tale-of-dogman monthly 0.5 2025-12-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5366db7f-1895-456c-917c-491a9107df48/dogman-July-2024-Godfrey-dogman-montage-1265px-135kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: werewolves in modern day America. From left to right: Linda Godfrey illustration of a creature seen kneeling at the roadside in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, as reportedly seen by Lori Endrizzi in 1989; the 1936 ‘gadarrah’ creature described by Mark Schackelman from near Jefferson, Wisconsin; and Tina Cole’s sketch of a creature she recalls seeing in Michigan in 2001, when she was eight years old. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/64801dfe-7bf8-4c30-be5e-28c4c08f5da5/dogman-July-2024-Linda-Godfrey-and-Bray-Road-Beast-1219px-149kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Linda Godfrey was a skilled artist who illustrated dogman / the Beast of Bray Road several times. One of her illustrations – it featured in her 2003 book The Beast of Bray Road – is shown here; the photo of Linda shown here appeared in several interview articles on her. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9bf94932-0378-4177-a7f3-ba275b94fa9d/dogman-July-2024-Bray-Road-google-maps-1-1255px-191kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: the small town of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, is about 100 km to the west of Lake Michigan, about the same distance to the south-west of Milwaukee, and about 80 km to the north-west of Chicago. It’s in the extreme south of Wisconsin and was home to around 10,000 people in a 2010 census. Image: Google maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3933a818-da94-427e-85ec-372c02186d2a/dogman-July-2024-Bray-Road-google-maps-1482px-218kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Bray Road – marked with an arrow – as it looks from the air. The rural, agricultural nature of the surrounds is obvious. The entire location is fairly open farmland with some tree cover. Image: Google maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0d5e03be-0300-4d7d-8ada-db3f2b99a126/dogman-July-2024-Bray-Road-Tyler-Stone-1294px-257kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: images of Bray Road as it looks in 2024. Images courtesy of Tyler Stone, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e5b3ca3f-ecd0-43c2-a5da-a0ab8ca3adc2/dogman-July-2024-Bray-Road-2-Tyler-Stone-1024px-319kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: it might be obvious that the people of the Bray Road area are having fun with the dogman phenomenon today; an image taken during the Summer of 2024. Image courtesy of Tyler Stone, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7ec3f6c-0ae1-437f-9c92-a1575f10e21c/dogman-July-2024-Schackelman-werewolf-drawing-467px-105kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: the Mark Schackelman dogman/werewolf, as illustrated by his son, Joe, decades after the sighting is said to have happened. This drawing has appeared several times in the literature (Coleman 1998, Godfrey 2003, 2012). Things to note include the plantigrade feet, the bent wrists, and interesting curled structures on the inner and outer parts of the hands. Image: Joe Schackelman, from Godfrey (2003). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b61f942a-7c5e-4b66-b7ef-685ad832a358/dogman-July-2024-linda-1227px-60kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Godfrey, as shown in the 2024 Small Town Monsters movie, holding open the issue of The Week that contains her article ‘Tracking down ‘The beast of Bray Road’’. The illustration shows the kneeling dogman, a piece of carrion in its hand, described by Lori Endrizzi. Image: (c) Small Town Monsters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/756f4f3a-0b81-4813-835b-a8148dcba8a7/dogman-July-2024-large-dog-with-woman-1093px-118kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: I’m not sure how relevant it is to the whole dogman/American werewolf phenomenon, but it’s worth noting that certain domestic dogs can look surprisingly odd – disturbing even – in some circumstances. I like this photo of a large pet dog (it looks to be an Irish wolfhound), since it makes the point. Imagine how a person might react to seeing an animal like that standing bipedally for a moment, glimpsed among crops or foliage. I saved this image after seeing it on Facebook and haven’t been able to find a proper source. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/044d12f9-b69b-4620-81f3-4c4832dd49ed/dogman-July-2024-Cook-The-Legend-8709px-115kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Steve Cook’s song The Legend was first released on the radio (on April Fools Day, 1987), and later sold on CD and DVD. It is a work of fiction. Local TV station WTCM held an art competition, inviting viewers to send in their depictions of what the dogman might look like. The charcoal illustration (at right) of an especially monstrous dogman – by Brian Rosinski – became regarded as the best and most chilling of these. Rosinski was 23 years old at the time and without artistic training. The image is still associated with The Legend at some locations online. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8af52b1c-c20c-464a-b98f-195c0f8596fb/dogman-July-2024-Godfrey-book-cover-montage-814px-129kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Godfrey’s two original books. 2003’s The Beast of Bray Road was self-published. She produced others later on, including American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America in 2014 and Monsters Among Us: An Exploration of Otherworldly Bigfoots, Wolfmen, Portals, Phantoms, and Odd Phenomena in 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b95eb5a8-50ff-4311-8b79-9a4e5f459921/dogman-July-2024-Gable-footage-sgs-1632px-80kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: stills from the Gable film. At left, the creature begins to bound towards the camera operator. At right: shock horror, the creature leaps up at the window and we see its open mouth for a second or two… then the footage ends. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6ccd1698-3931-400d-9f02-c6acec53fbd8/dogman-July-2024-Gable-footage-sgs-camera-operator-1266px-44kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: another still from the Gable film. The camera operator, a young person with what looks like a hand-operated Nikon Super Zoom 8, is glimpsed briefly in the wing mirror of the car. A nice touch! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7baedf68-6351-4fc3-b8f2-2a9164a3eaf4/dogman-July-2024-bigfoot-montage-1056px-148kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: if you believe in bigfoot, chances are high that you accept the existence of dogman too. Twenty years ago, this would have been a ridiculous thing to say. These days…. well, not so much. Here are different images of ‘Patty’, the supposed bigfoot that features in the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d9a8f36a-9f4d-4f20-8e22-e3e44188cd92/dogman-July-2024-Jesus-and-Gadarene-swine-wikipedia-1113px-282kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: the story of Jesus performing an exorcism and casting out demons that then possessed swine (that then leapt into the river and drowned) is a well known bit of Christian lore. It has been associated with places variously termed Gerasa, Gadara, or Gergesa. This 6th century AD mosaic, depicting the scene, is at the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy. Image: public domain (from here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3381d031-174a-4371-a386-729d3da0596f/dogman-July-2024-Chaney-werewolf-montage-1053px-102kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: until recently, the image of werewolves most familiar in popular culture was the human-faced, human-shaped monster of the sort shown here. At left, Lon Chaney as The Wolfman, from the 1941 movie of the same name. At right, a rendition of the same sort of creature from Usborne’s All About Monsters (which I wrote about here). Images: Universal (original here); Usborne/Miller 1977. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e11280c4-0a73-41f6-a41b-a75395d29264/dogman-July-2024-Sabine-Baring-Gould-cover-593px-121kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: originally published in 1865, Baring-Gould’s The Book of Werewolves is still the standard reference on werewolves. It interprets accounts as folkloric transmissions (and connected to the long history of ideas that humans might, at times, undergo transformation into the form of another animal), mixed with accounts involving mental illness, and has what feels like a 'modern' approach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2869fd27-ddc7-45e7-a3aa-63a178d5fdc5/dogman-July-2024-werewolf-montage-1342px-358kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a very famous 18th century image showing a werewolf carrying off an unfortunate victim. The point is made that her Christian faith did not save her. At right, werewolves lining up against a cemetery wall in order to compete in a jumping competition: a famous illustration that first appeared in Maurice Sand’s Légendes Rustiques of 1858. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/15659eae-be1d-4898-a498-0f865f5a06ac/dogman-July-2024-Parc-de-Sept-Chutes-google-maps-1161px-86kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Le Parc des Sept Chutes, also known as Sept-Chutes Regional Park or Parc régional des Sept-Chutes, in Lanaudière in the south of Quebec. The eponymous seven waterfalls are located along a 17 km stretch of the Noire River. Image: Google maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e3dbbb8-2096-468c-a08b-f7870e9b0916/dogman-July-2024-Beast-of-Seven-Chutes-Type-3-blow-ups-1211px-81kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a close-up shot of the mystery creature, captured accidentally in the photo by semi-anonymous Lary. At right, an extreme blow-up of what is taken to be its face. Images: these are taken from Rob Gaudet’s now defunct website, still findable here via wayback machine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d2f4ee69-2521-4f46-825c-c11246bec654/dogman-July-2024-Beast-of-Seven-Chutes-Type-3-reconstructions-1693px-181kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: interpretations of the Seven Chutes creature. At left, an impressive effort to visualize the animal’s face as it might look if it were a real animal. A giant, dog-faced primate might be terrifying, but this vision makes it look almost friendly. At right, an effort to show the outlines of the beast if it’s interpreted as a humanoid holding a dog-shaped object. Images: again, I only know these from reddit and have not found their original sources. The artistic reconstruction is credited to someone with a name similar to David A. Cleara. Any help with proper credit is appreciated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14f15871-f005-469b-b281-39acd5d7648b/dogman-July-2024-Beast-of-Seven-Chutes-whole-Lary-photo-1240px-239kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Lary’s original photo of Le Parc des Sept Chutes, presumably taken because he was enjoying the look of the white water. Submerged in shadow and vegetation at lower right is a browny-greyish object that looks like a human-sized creature. Image: Lary/Rob Gaudet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dc0a9a7c-6ca9-4b37-9c40-37ccbff8439b/dogman-July-2024-Beast-of-Seven-Chutes-whole-Lary-photo-red-circle-1055px-140kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: the same photo but with ‘the creature’ circled in red. Image: Lary/Rob Gaudet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/45a5870e-3d78-460e-852e-1d4ecd843f32/dogman-July-2024-Beast-of-Seven-Chutes-comparison-pics-1560px-183kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Lary’s photos of the specific location in Le Parc des Sept Chutes where the beast was standing. At left, the original image, with the beast in place. At right, the same location with a person standing – as best as possible – in the same spot. The horizontal lines show how the creature and a person are similar in size. Images: Lary/Rob Gaudet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bd28b8cf-6334-4fe3-8c5a-c5c70507ab3e/dogman-July-2024-dogman-gorilla-overlay-1254px-157kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: the photo of a captive Western lowland gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla shown here has been linked by some with the Seven Chutes photo. But an overlay of the two shows that the similarity is coincidental since there’s insufficient similarity of shape. The original gorilla image has been flipped, since the source image (published at Wikipedia) shows the animal facing to the right. Image: Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Lary/Rob Gaudet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b7a4b651-85c3-4f09-b796-c9bf68ae1c9c/dogman-July-2024-Beast-of-Seven-Chutes-montage-1441px-219kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: at left, another zoom-in showing the beast with, at right, a suggestion interpretation in which the animal is reinterpreted as a person holding a camera aloft. The pale patch is their hair (or headgear), the upper arms, shoulders and sides of the head are the arms and hands of the person, and the muzzle and reddish forehead is a camera body and lens. I do find this interpretation pretty plausible. Images: Lary/Rob Gaudet; I only know the reinterpretation from this reddit page and have been unable to find out who created it originally. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/61e07e3e-ed04-4f21-b639-7f0fd9a9aa6f/dogman-July-2024-Tyler-Stone-dogman-1037px-100kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: dogman as envisioned by Tyler Stone, representing a vision of this creature now endorsed by believers. An erect-bodied canid with digitigrade hindlimbs but hominid-like pectoral and forelimb adaptations. Image: Tyler Stone, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bf2d115f-05d4-45d1-a655-b53084aaf40b/dogman-July-2024-werewolf-figures-2-1554px-272kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: we’re basically at a point where those promoting the existence of dogman are endorsing the existence of animals like this… the humanoid werewolf of popular media. These particular figures represent the Victorian werewolf from a 2006 episode of Dr Who, and a 2017 werewolf figure made by Safari Ltd. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7244b930-ae2c-4f59-b40d-d57b606e7c1e/dogman-July-2024-Faith-the-dog-1095px-198kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: Faith the bipedal dog (2002-2014) was something of a celebrity, and appeared numerous times on TV and in online articles. She was not swift or agile, but was very much able to walk unassisted. She was born with three limbs, but a deformed forelimb was amputated at age seven months. Images: Mike Matney, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); (c) Shirley Ann Dennis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bc7fe1d8-a106-4c93-a5f8-17bbfeb152e9/dogman-July-2024-sasquatch-genome-sg-1770px-219kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: the idea that bigfoot has been genetically sequenced and has a hybrid origin that involves humans as well as an unknown, mysterious, additional being surely can’t be connected to views that werewolves are real…. can it? Hold my beer. Images: screengrabs from this CFI article on Melba Ketchum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e578eddb-699c-457f-9544-e0f2e3eb6a39/dogman-July-2024-mandrill-drill-montage-1086px-115kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: so-called dog-faced monkeys are remarkable animals with a striking and sometimes shocking appearance. Some researchers have speculated that North American primates of this sort actually exist and await recognition. Mandrill Mandrillus sphinx at left, Drill M. leucophaeus at right. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/98a941e8-cf70-4e23-a2cf-470f701a5945/dogman-July-2024-US-kangaroo-866px-80kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: my effort to reconstruct the ‘devil monkey’/’American kangaroo’ cryptid endorsed in parts of the cryptozoological literature (Coleman & Huyghe 1999) and suggested therein to be a kind of dog-faced, bipedal giant monkey. Coleman & Huyghe (1999) proposed that nalusa falaya of the Choctaw of Louisiana represents the same sort of animal, and that these creatures exist “from Alaska to New Brunswick, with a concentration of contemporary sightings in the Mid-west” (p. 60). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/08d6de1d-f27b-4309-87ca-4514a2325e68/dogman-July-2024-dogman-vs-bear-1198px-108kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: you can decide for yourself how seriously you take this image. The dogman that people are claiming to see is generally supposed to be very distinct from a bipedally-standing bear in a number of important respects. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a6df5ebe-f6e0-4cb7-b938-48fce46468e7/dogman-July-2024-unusual-bear-montage-1110px-177kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: underweight, mange-infected Black bears Ursus americanus can look very odd, and with more than a passing similarity to werewolf-type creatures described in certain of the reports. Could witnesses have actually observed bears like the individual shown at left? We also know that bears – some bears, anyway – can walk bipedally. The photo at right shows Pedals, a famous individual from New Jersey that was shot dead in 2016. Note the forelimb pose here and compare it with that of the Schackelman animal shown above. Images: Pennsylvania Game Commission; (c) Ron Cronk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/95ebc896-608a-446e-8845-4a85642ed08b/dogman-July-2024-Linda-Godfrey-action-hero-Loren-Coleman-659px-100kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: yes, that’s a Linda Godfrey action figure, photographed by Loren Coleman and part of the collection on show at the International Cryptozoology Museum. Part of me disapproves of the lionization, even canonization, gifted to investigators of cryptozoology. They’re often not heroic at all and are sometimes in it for self-aggrandizement, not philanthropy! But another part of me likes action figures and geeky humour. Image: Loren Coleman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c8e728bb-c4fb-4d87-b7fd-2fe6572e5b55/dogman-July-2024-dogman-online-today-1636px-204kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: discussions and stories relating to dogman and American werewolves do appear in printed media, but their primary theatre is the internet, YouTube and the podcasting world in particular. Move in the right circles, and you will be constantly subjected to dogman lore and discussion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f8d143a2-163a-4472-bc38-3d6b7fbfd708/dogman-July-2024-Ginger-Snaps-and-Dog-Soldiers-montage-1520px-90kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Werewolves in America; the Tale of Dogman - Make it stand out Caption: the dog-headed humanoid is a very familiar image these days, thanks in no small part to memorable creatures from cinema. At left, a werewolf as portrayed in Ginger Snaps of 2000. At right, a Scottish werewolf as seen in Dog Soldiers of 2002. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/7/19/grayiid-water-snakes monthly 0.5 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/846a9e83-52e1-4594-ba02-9e6aff47370f/Grayia-July-2024-Grayia-smithii-Marius-Burger-1241px-232kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: Smith’s African snake Grayia smythii (…. or should that be ‘smithii’?), photographed in the wild. When encountered by people, these animals will hiss and open the mouth in threatening fashion. The scales are smooth and the pupils are round. Image: Marius Burger, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dbe75f53-2d7a-41b5-a87a-f5fde5bc1a36/Grayia-July-2024-crown-snake-phylogeny-1261px-78kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: massively simplified phylogeny of crown snakes to show that Caenophidia is the giant clade that includes the youngest major snake groups. Elsewhere in the tree, studies continues to disagree on whether boas and kin form a clade with pythons and kin. The monophyly of Scolecophidia has also been challenged. Images: as ever, these are for the textbook. More on that here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2d0fd7a1-6c91-433b-a865-d20f90f1be8f/Grayia-July-2024-Grayia-tholloni-togamin-iNaturalist-1396px-182kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: big grayiids are said to be sluggish and even somewhat clumsy on land (the idea that they move “ponderously” was stated by Stephen Spawls and colleagues in 2002), whereas juveniles look to be agile, faster-moving animals. This juvenile G. tholloni was photographed in Togo; this species maintains banding into adulthood, even though the bands fade with age. Image: toganim, CC BY-NC (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/68643110-c9ae-4f93-b13a-556768de400f/Grayia-July-2024-Leach-taxa-composite-1684px-182kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: taxa prominently associated with William Leach, rightly or not. At left, New Caledonian or Grande Terre giant gecko Rhacodactylus leachianus. At right, Leach’s storm petrel Hydrobates leucorhous. Images: Lennart Hudel, CC BY 4.0 (original here); Alexis Lours, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f2504759-2562-4a9e-8b99-e564a400daab/Grayia-July-2024-Grayia-smithii-Kate-Jackson-1068px-143kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: a hatchling G. smythii, photographed in the wild in eastern Congo. Juveniles of this species are conspicuously banded; adults are generally yellowish-brown, olive, or black with a mottled appearance where the cross-bars of juveniles have merged and ‘filled in’ the lighter areas. Image: (c) Kate Jackson. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b2b52b1-9d2b-4e5b-b6b6-c4100410cf24/Grayia-July-2024-J-E-Gray-montage-1090px-147kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: John Edward Gray sure was a hard-working individual when it came to describing and naming animals that fell within his broad sphere of interest, which basically included all animals. He initially joined the British Museum’s Zoology Department to help catalogue reptiles, but ended up becoming Keeper of Zoology. At right are just two of the taxa he named: Kogia the whale and Abronia the lizard. Images (clockwise from left): public domain; Robert Pitman, in public domain (original here); Ethan Kocak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/36707b54-3d31-40a1-893f-57c387e2c7ab/Grayia-July-2024-Grayia-caesar-1141px-164kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: unfortunately, I don’t have any images of G. caesar that show how attractive and impressive it is in life, and this image of a dead one – presumably squished on a road – hardly does it justice. Image: (c) M. Cristina Carboni (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2e4a9b80-1cfc-479c-a960-51260fdb893d/Grayia-July-2024-Grayia-ornata-Marius-Burger-1228px-195kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: Ornate African water snake G. ornata photographed in the wild. A prominently banded pattern is typical for this species and explains its vernacular English name. I find this snake to have a natricid-like demeanour and would suspect it to be a member of that group if I didn’t know better. Image: Marius Burger, CC0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6a1a5262-6979-4f02-9e37-7c8b123a27e8/Grayia-July-2024-Xenopus-tropicalis-V%C3%A1clav-Gvo%C5%BEd%C3%ADk-1053px-83kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: everyone’s heard of Xenopus laevis, but less familiar (unless you’re a massive herp nerd) is the Western or Tropical clawed frog X. tropicalis. It’s generally smaller as an adult than X. laevis (with a snout to vent length of 3-5 cm) and often darker on its dorsal surface. Image: Václav Gvoždík, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8e6b5413-278a-48b7-bca6-840ab477786a/Grayia-July-2024-Africa-map-Grayia-distribution-2-645px-88kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: a map of Africa, showing the countries from which four of the living grayiid species have been reported (so, it’s not really a range map, and it doesn’t include data from all recognized species). It’s messy given that some countries are inhabited by two or even three (like Cameroon, Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo) grayiid species. With occurrences in nations like Chad, Ethiopia and Senegal, this group is not ‘Congolese’ only, even employing the most generous use of that term. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/582aa112-0e0f-4f43-80c2-b23f6563ac77/Grayia-July-2024-snake-books-1131px-212kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: it’s 2024, but we’re still at the point where you have to consult actual books made of paper to get good info on obscure animals like the snakes discussed here. Here are some (but not all) of the snake-themed books I checked while preparing this article. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea1e45da-4264-47d1-abce-a51ea197c2aa/Grayia-July-2024-croc-montage-1668px-346kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: African crocodiles that can and do predate on grayiid snakes. At top, the slender snouted Mecistops (this individual, photographed in Tanzania, is supposedly M. leptorhynchus). Below, two different captive Osteolaemus, one formerly on show at Bristol Zoo and one formerly at Marwell Zoo. Osteolaemus is a species complex and working out which species captive specimens belong to is hard. Images: Leyo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0f4a12f5-ef5c-435b-8f82-a9da367bb148/Grayia-July-2024-Vidal-%26-Hedges-2002-colubriform-phylogeny-754px-93kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: one of the preferred consensus phylogenetic trees from Vidal & Hedges (2002). Taxa ‘traditionally’ lumped into the highly inclusive late 20th century version of Colubridae are in disparate positions about the tree (they’re marked with the image of Coluber, the Eastern racer), and because viperids (marked with an image of an Adder Viperus berus), elapids (marked with a Naja cobra) and atractaspidids (marked with a photo of a burrowing asp/stiletto snake) are nested within this version of Colubridae, that version of Colubridae is paraphyletic, and here is part of the reason for its dissolution. Within the clade that includes colubrids in the most restrictive sense (shown here as colubrines), you can see that Grayia (red arrow) is sister to everything else. Image: Vidal & Hedges (2002); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2dc38d5b-64f6-493c-a998-2a5d420bcd9e/Grayia-July-2024-colubrid-phylogeny-1133px-106kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Grayiids: Africa Has Water Snakes Too - Make it stand out Caption: a substantially simplified phylogenetic tree of colubrids and kin, based on the results of Figueroa et al. (2016), but using (where applicable) the taxonomy proposed by Zaher et al. (2009)… though this doesn’t quite work, since those two studies find very different positions for some of the relevant lineages (for Zaher et al. (2009), for example, hinge-toothed snakes or sibynophiines are within Colubrinae). The main point here is that grayiids are close to the restricted version of Colubridae. Images: Sibynophiinae: Thomas Brown, CC BY 2.0 (original here); Natricidae: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Pseudoxenodontidae: Umeshsrinivasan, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Dipsadidae: Geoff Gallice, CC BY 2.0 (original here); Grayiidae: Kate Jackson, used with permission; Calamariidae: in public domain; Chrysopeleinae/Ahaetuliinae: Rushenb, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Colubrinae: Dawson, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/6/23/arboreal-alligator-lizards monthly 0.5 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c71b88c-822d-4395-992c-de479e3363cd/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-montage-1656px-185kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: some Abronia species are strikingly coloured, as is obvious from these images. Both show Green, Mexican, Sierra de Tehuacan, or Terrestrial arboreal alligator lizards – yes, a name that’s internally contradictory – A. graminea. This species occurs in Veracruz, Puebla and Oaxaca in eastern and southern Mexico. Images: María Eugenia Mendiola González, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Ismael EPM, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ebaefe90-6788-4d8e-b03f-7e636a27fd66/Abronia-July-2024-Alan-Male-anguid-montage-1250px-153kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve mentioned in previous squamate-themed articles that the art of Alan Male was highly influential to my nascent interest in squamates and herpetology in general. Here are Male’s anguid illustrations, as featured in Philip Whitfield’s Reptiles and Amphibians: An Authoritative and Illustrated Guide of 1983. Galliwasps (diploglossines) have conventionally been included within Anguidae but this is now controversial, since several recent phylogenetic studies have excluded them from this group. Ophisaurus and Anguis are conventionally regarded as close relatives within the anguid clade Anguinae, but some studies find Ophisaurus to be paraphyletic with respect to Anguis. UPDATE: I’d missed that this is no longer an issue given that the sheltopusik is now Pseudopus. See comments! Images: Alan Male, from Whitfield (1983). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1a2860cb-ec0d-43ed-9d59-b0c5ca040d7d/Abronia-July-2024-Anguis-montage-1236px-179kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: in recent years, I’ve photographed every Anguis I’ve encountered. Here are a few. This is the only anguid I’ve seen in the wild, and indeed the only one we have here on the Atlantic fringes of western Europe, a place of such depauperate herpetofauna. See the links below for more on this animal. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fed1a3c3-a5eb-4882-8678-e507b4006cd1/Abronia-July-2024-A-montecristoi-Josiah-Townsend-1475px-343kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: Monte Cristo arboreal alligator lizard Abronia montecristoi, a poorly known, endangered cloud forest species from El Salvador and Honduras. It’s mostly brownish; parts of its body were described as ‘cinnamon’ by its describers. Image: Josiah Townsend, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0e33b9df-8782-41da-b6bd-816a58be6c57/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-deppii-Eusebio-Rold%C3%A1n-F%C3%A9lix-CC-BY-NC-1707px-157kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: Abronia deppii photographed in the wild in 2018. These images were uploaded to iNaturalist and an important point worth making here is that records of endangered species – especially of attractive reptiles that are popular in the exotic animal trade – need to have their locality data protected, since there’s a history of unethical collectors visiting specific places to collect live animals. Image: (c) Eusebio Roldán Félix, CC BY-NC (originals here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f10d12b-15f0-4cf8-b132-a4f858154228/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-map-Campbell-%26-Smith-1993-970px-97kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: the distribution of Abronia as depicted by Campbell & Smith (1993). Since 1993, additional records demonstrate the presence of Abronia in additional locations in the far west of Honduras. In addition, the inclusion of Mesaspis within Abronia (see main text) means that the group is also present in northern Nicaragua, through part of inland Costa Rica, and in northern Panama. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/620f3aab-b30c-400a-aa4d-49de4d76d93b/Abronia-July-2024-Mesaspis-moreletii-Todd-Pierson-1407px-199kb-July-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: Morelet’s alligator lizard Abronia moreletii, but formerly Mesaspis moreletii, photographed in Guatemala. Obviously, the species formerly included in Mesaspis look quite distinct from the most familiar members of Abronia (like bright green, rugose A. graminea), so it’s not surprising that they were previously considered generically distinct. Image: Todd Pierson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/992c0f1b-f381-4b07-9c4d-ad73631658d1/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-graminia-1-Ethan-Kocak-1321px-176kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: the Green, Mexican or Terrestrial arboreal alligator lizard A. graminea is now quite frequently encountered in the pet trade. Its popularity is not surprising in view of how amazing it looks: a local pet reptile establishment near me even has a giant photo of one on their front door. However, it’s endangered and on the IUCN Red List, and collecting for the trade has been one of the contributory factors. Seems pretty wild that you can own an endangered species as a pet…. Image: Ethan Kocak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/34280876-e76f-4a9c-9c50-5efdd790c46f/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-montage-2-Campbell-%26-Smith-1993-1301px-177kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/716800aa-30cc-4d3a-8da0-54f6aa7fcbf2/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-montage-1-Campbell-%26-Smith-1993-1271px-177kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: anatomical illustrations of the heads of various Abronia species, in dorsal and left lateral views, from Campbell & Smith (1993). Note how variable they are with respect to depth of the head, the rear part in particular, and in the distribution, size and number of spike-like scales dorsal to the ear opening. Three of the species here were described and named by Campbell & Smith (1993). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e1920de9-d0f5-40c4-abc2-39d13df30baa/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-graminia-Ethan-Kocak-1562px-256kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: captive A. graminea providing good views of the rugose dorsal scales and vivid green colour. Abronia is like many anguids in possessing a distinct ‘lateral fold’ that runs along the lower part of the body and separates the scales of the flank from those of the belly. The fold in Abronia is weakly developed compared to that of some other anguids, and its extent on the neck varies across species. Image: Ethan Kocak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b3e9c8e2-62c3-43c4-8714-20e934775364/Abronia-July-2024-Barisia-and-Gerrhonotus-montage-1055px-187kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: representatives of two other gerrhonotine anguid genera that live in sympatry with Abronia in some places. At top: Barisia, specifically Chihuahuan alligator lizard B. levicollis photographed in Chihuahua, Mexico. At bottom: Gerrhonotus, specifically Pygmy alligator lizard G. parvus photographed in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, Mexico. Images: Marisa Ishimatsu, from Lemos-Espinal et al. (2017), CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Michael Price, CC BY-NC-ND (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/57947716-e3de-4c9b-ac13-2d19905b862e/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-portraits-AMANTEDESAURIOS-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1454px-154kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: at left, portrait of Sierra Morena alligator lizard Abronia morenica, a species endemic to southern Mexico’s Sierra Madre de Chiapas, named in 2020. At right, depiction of A. zongolica from the Sierra de Zongolica in Mexico’s south-east, named in 2022. These illustrations do a good job of showing the sculpted surface texture of the scales present across the head, plus much of the body as well. Images: AMANTEDESAURIOS CC BY-SA 4.0 (originals here and here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6f514e01-f7dc-4945-8721-54caed94c257/Abronia-July-2024-A-ochoterenai-Herp-Mx-2019-1101px-234kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: Abronia ochoterenai was named in 1939 by Mexican herpetologist Rafael Martín del Campo y Sánchez, initially as a subspecies of an anguid regarded at the time as a Gerrhonotus alligator lizard (this was G. vasconcelosii, which was itself transferred to Abronia later on). Unfortunately, del Campo only gave the type locality as "Santa Rosa, Comitan", Chiapas, Mexico and at least 16 villages in the region have this name. Substantial discussion has surrounded where additional specimens might be found, and things were confused and unresolved until recently. As reported by the HERP.MX team in 2019, additional specimens have now been discovered, specifically at an unnamed sierra on the Atlantic slopes of southeastern Chiapas. As you can see, it’s a spectacular animal. Image: HERP.MX. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a8b5861e-149d-4e8b-a670-ace90c069b6a/Abronia-July-2024-Gerrhonotus-mungerorum-frontal-893px-93kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: the Gerrhonotus mungerorum holotype frontal (anterior to the right; scale bar = 1 mm) as figured by J. Alan Holman in 1975, but here taken from the Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas. What herpetologists have conventionally called ‘the frontal’ in squamates is actually the two frontal bones fused into a single unit, but people are nothing if not inconsistent across research groups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/38b51724-dfc4-4c9a-bcc1-ba3eaf5c2bbf/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-cuyama-fossil-California-1529px-142kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Abronia cuyama fossil (in both colour and black and white; in right lateral, left lateral, and dorsal views), a partial skull with intact cranial osteoderms. At right, map from Scarpetta & Ledesma (2023) showing how distant the collection locality of A. cuyama is from the modern range of Abronia. Does this mean that Abronia previously occurred right across the south-western USA and northern and western parts of Mexico? Images: Scarpetta & Ledesma (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b3505412-9f27-426c-a282-e3e38cb6f8bb/Abronia-July-2024-Abronia-Tet-Zoo-ver-2-1567px-295kb-July-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Arboreal Alligator Lizards of Mesoamerica... and Beyond! - Make it stand out Caption: so that’s another squamate-themed article from the Tet Zoo archives updated and rescued. This one originally appeared at Tet Zoo ver 2 (the ScienceBlogs years) in 2007. As you can see from these screengrabs, the illustrations originally included were very different and I previously included a short diversion on phylogeneticist Jacques Gauthier, his squamate-themed research, and the books visible in the background of the photo I’d featured. I couldn’t do that this time around as I couldn’t find a version of the photo that’s of sufficient resolution. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/6/27/announcing-tetzoocon-2024 monthly 0.5 2024-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/18d02880-c6eb-4798-a5cb-ae9f769944fb/TetZooCon-2024-dinosaur-banner-1876px-190kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/86ed257d-f5a4-454e-b12c-2d44fa668e38/TetZooCon-2024-TetZooCon-stalls-2-2023-1690px-227kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: if you’ve attended TetZooCon before, you’ll know that – oh boy – a lot of amazing stuff is on sale at the numerous stalls. The montage here includes (upper left) models, fridge magnets and more from Jed Taylor and Ruadhrí Brennan’s stall; prints and more on sale at Lee Brown’s stall (Lee runs DailyDinoSketch, and sells art, stickers, rock art and more here at Etsy); and some of the All Yestersdays figures made by Sam St Leger and available from the Splendid Edition shop on Etsy. Images: Ruadhrí Brennan, George Lathouris, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ebda29e3-7551-4146-b8fd-774024823275/TetZooCon-2024-Greg-Paul-1-1253px-178kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: author, researcher, artist and publishing scientist Greg Paul will be speaking at TetZooCon 2024, and will also be participating in discussion events and more. Images: (c) Greg Paul, from The Science and Art of Gregory S. Paul. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e079a7c7-5ff2-4bb9-a77e-60b3d39505b9/TetZooCon-2024-Greg-Paul-2-1508px-196kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: Greg Paul’s books include some of the most influential volumes yet published on dinosaurs; I count 1988’s Predatory Dinosaurs of the World as among the formative of works I’ve read. In the 21st century, Greg has published a series of field guides through Princeton University Press. We hope to have these works on sale at TetZooCon 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d3b06a01-2ee9-474f-a027-62fb64cc59c8/TetZooCon-2024-Natalie-Lawrence-and-book-987px-122kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: we welcome author and researcher Natalie Lawrence as a first-time speaker at TetZooCon 2024. Natalie’s previous books include (with Paco Calvo) Planta Sapiens: Unmasking Plant Intelligence (2022) and Feathers and Eggshells, The Bird Journal of a Young London Girl (2005). Images: (c) Natalie Lawrence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4f790b6f-b082-4e36-9d5d-9f772a2c050e/TetZooCon-2024-David-Hone-and-book-985px-98kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: dinosaur and pterosaur research Dr David Hone will be speaking at TetZooCon 2024; his talk is titled ‘Uncovering Dinosaur Behaviour’ and is connected to his soon-to-be-published book of the same name. Images: Dave Hone/Princeton University Press. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/418197b1-63fc-43c7-b452-bff35b761377/TetZooCon-2024-Katrina-van-Grouw-montage-May-2014-1253px-111kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: artist, author and researcher Katrina van Grouw is probably best known today for her spectacular The Unfeathered Bird of 2013 (which I reviewed here, though I can’t see that article as it’s paywalled to me). TUB is out of print today and only available at extremely high prices. So it’s great news that a second edition is currently in prepration — come to TetZooCon 2024 and hear how it’s coming along! Images: (c) Katrina van Grouw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04fb7620-cbb2-4196-8ee4-297004ed7b51/TetZooCon-2024-Chris-Packham-publicity-sg-1008px-78kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: Chris Packham CBE is best known to British people of a certain age for his association with the BBC’s The Really Wild Show (1986-1995). Today, he co-presents the BBC Natural History Unit’s flagship series Springwatch. Chris also has associations with a large number of conservation and wildlife organisations, including the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, the Wildlife Trusts, Hampshire Ornithological Society and others. Image: (c) Jo Charlesworth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35033406-0760-45d8-9919-9d484c242195/TetZooCon-2024-TetZooTour-bus-1587px-95kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cdeb19a0-5f30-4bb0-855b-e749a8c723c6/TetZooCon-2024-Lyme-Regis-Museum-May-2024-1037px-167kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: Lyme Regis remains ground zero for British palaeontological research, and it’s a beautiful place with a unique charm. Lyme Regis Museum is an unusual building with a good amount of interesting local material on show, and it’ll be great to visit it during our tour. I can’t guarantee that we’ll have time to visit the Mary Anning statue, shown here during May 2024, but we’ll see. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/22223f86-3ea1-44f5-a32c-79de2cefd184/TetZooCon-2024-East-Beach-Lyme-Regis-May-2024-1336px-196kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: East Beach, Lyme Regis, during May 2024. We won’t be exploring the shore directly beneath the cliffs – that’s dangerous! – but will be visiting at least part of the shore, time and conditions permitting. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48022e39-9858-444e-bbaf-70dc3254af90/TetZooCon-2024-Aspinall-montage-May-2014-1574px-261kb-June-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2024, the 11th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: images from a 2014 trip I took to Howletts. Their selection of bovids, canids and primates is really impressive, and they hold the largest herd of African elephants (all Loxodonta africana) in the UK and possibly in Europe. Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/5/25/ikaheka-and-other-palatine-draggers monthly 0.5 2024-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a35eea4d-9ab3-442b-91cd-ee3460d171cd/Micropechis-June-2024-PNG-2005-W-Wuster-1267px-108kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: a very glossy, clean Small-eyed snake photographed in Karkar Island, New Guinea in 2010. There’s an almost iridescent sheen to some of the scales. Image: Wolfgang Wüster, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e354a555-967b-4225-b12e-d351793e65d1/Micropechis-June-2024-Tet-Zoo-2010-and-OShea-cover-1129px-149kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: yes, this is another ‘old’ Tet Zoo article – again from ver 2, the ScienceBlogs years – that I’ve now rescued and resuscitated. At right: I’m a big fan of the work and writings of Dr Mark O’Shea; all of his books are excellent. This is the cover of the second, 2011 edition of his Venomous Snakes of the World, and… yes it does include a section on Micropechis. As ever, good images of the cover online are hard to find, so this is a photo of my own (signed) copy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3eb05dd6-0c9c-4a0c-8743-36dc2fc98083/Micropechis-June-2024-Lesson-1830-plate-976px-91kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: the original plate depicting this species, produced to accompany Lesson’s initial description of 1830. I haven’t translated the description’s text from the original French, but it looks like this particular specimen was plain in colour and markings relative to others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/076c1660-d1b1-4257-9d6b-38af67af60a8/Micropechis-June-2024-PNG-2005-W-Wuster--whole-snake-1359px-172kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: live Micropechis, encountered in the field in Karkar Island, New Guinea, in 2010. One of the reasons that snakes (and other reptiles) have such clean, glossy scales most of the time is that their scales have a self-cleaning, dirt-shedding micro-ornamentation. Image: Wolfgang Wüster, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cb8bd6bd-1730-42c2-a064-6a67e952245d/Micropechis-June-2024-Salomonelaps-jqrichmond-CC-BY-NC-1129px-172kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: a live Solomons coral snake Salomonelaps par photographed in the field in 2015. This photo was uploaded to (and taken from) iNaturalist, which I encourage people to use themselves (I do, albeit not as regularly as I should). Image: jqrichmond, CC BY-NC (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/61e399ff-3e03-4a2f-82dd-3be0b30c4ba7/Micropechis-June-2024-anatomy-from-McDowell-1970-911px-172kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: McDowell’s 1970 diagrams of a skinned head and skull of museum specimens of Micropechis in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. A few things are of interest. The venom gland (vg) is the large, convex area covering the cheek region; both the premaxillary salivary gland (pg) and nasal gland (ng) are visible on the snout. Image: McDowell (1970). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/97191f68-a33c-40ac-8680-77eb5197c647/Micropechis-June-Deufel-%26-Cundall-2010-elapid-McDowell-1250px-77kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: at left, from top to bottom, (A) the palatine and pterygoid bones (with the palatine, the more anterior of the two, at right) of a cobra, both in medial (inner) view, (B) the left palatine and anterior part of the pterygoid of a taipan in medial and (C) lateral view, and likewise for a death adder in (D) medial and (E) lateral views. The difference in shape of the cobra palatine from those of the taipan and death adder is obvious. At right, a ‘palatine erector’ (a cobra) at the top, and ‘palatine dragger’ (a taipan) below, these diagrams showing palatine movement as hypothesized by McDowell (1970). The palatine is the bone inboard of the fang-bearing maxilla (mx). It’s raising up into a diagonal position in the ‘erector’ and is pointing forwards at semi-horizontal orientation in the ‘dragger’. But be sure to check the main text! Images: Deuful & Cundall (2010). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/37120d88-f286-460a-9360-90373b8876a5/Micropechis-June-2024-PNG-2010-W-Wuster-2-1267px-108kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: lest we forget, we’re actually here to talk about Micropechis. Here’s an especially useful, detailed shot of the face. The small, dark eyes are a familiar feature, but note also the slightly downturned snout (suitable for a snake that burrows in leaf litter, under logs and so on) and convex cheek regions (that are in keeping with moderately large venom glands). Image: Wolfgang Wüster, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2b15e183-43ed-477f-807b-db1a4c3c7dc9/Micropechis-June-2024-Deufel-%26-Cundall-2003-917px-62kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: diagram from Deuful & Cundall (2003), showing a ‘palatine erector’ elapid undergoing protraction of its right maxilla and palatine-pterygoid bar, the long axes of the palatine and pterygoid being shown via the intersecting lines. One thing that I haven’t discussed in this article is that the palatine rotates about its long axis. Hey, I can’t do everything. Image: Deuful & Cundall (2003). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9eabc852-293b-4429-a351-09f1f97d9adb/Micropechis-June-2024-elapid-phylogeny-1135px-104kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: highly simplified elapid cladogram (based mostly on Pyron et al. (2013)), shown to emphasize that Micropechis is closer to Australian viviparous elapids and true sea snakes than are sea kraits and Old World elapids like cobras. Images: Micrurus, public domain; Naja, kalmalnv, CC BY 3.0 (original here); Laticauda, Jens Petersen, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Micropechis, Wolfgang Wüster (used with permission); Pseudechis, Smacdonald, CC BY 3.0 (original here); Oyxuranus, AllenMcC., CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Hydrophis Rasmussen et al. (2011), CC BY 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec4bea7d-af48-432d-a390-d96f4f84ce89/Micropechis-June-2024-OShea-et-al-2018Toxicocalamus-1089px-127kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: Toxicocalamus specimens can look quite similar to Micropechis. This montage, from O’Shea et al. (2018), shows museum specimens of (A, A') T. ernstmayri, (B, B') T. grandis and (C, C') a pale individual of Micropechis ikaheka. The colour coding of the head scales shows that Micropechis is similar to Toxicocalamus in having six supralabials (orange), one anterior temporal (yellow), and two posterior temporals (blue), but differs from it in possessing a temporolabial (red). Image: O’Shea et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/383fc0f8-0209-4357-9132-15e3a40916fa/Micropechis-June-2024-Melanesia-wikipedia-983px-63kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: Melanesia – originally named on the basis of its dark-skinned people – includes New Guinea in the west, Fiji in the east, and also the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Nauru. The region has a fascinating reptile fauna that includes unusual elapids, giant geckos, far-flung iguanians and remarkable skinks. Image: Oceania UN Geoscheme, CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6bf40aa6-0f95-4455-a2f3-9f7660bf5441/Micropechis-June-2024-Warrell-et-al-1996-1737px-166kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ikaheka and Other ‘Palatine Draggers’, Cryptozoic Elapid Snakes of Melanesia - Make it stand out Caption: two different Micropechis specimens from Karkar Island off the north-east coast of Papua New Guinea, showing some of the variation in striping and colour present in this species. Warrell et al. (1996) noted that the name ‘tiger snake’ is used for the species in their study region. The animal at left was 1.5 m long; the one at right 1 m long. An especially darkly pigmented head is a common feature of terrestrial hydrophiines. Images: Warrell et al. (1996). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/6/6/in-memory-of-richard-ellis monthly 0.5 2026-02-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/67989486-5115-49fd-8058-be04a69b53b9/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Ellis-portrait-from-family-1042px-112kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: Richard Ellis in 1978, a portrait provided by the Ellis family and used in this obituary at The New York Times. Image: (c) Ellis family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d82b9850-61ac-45e0-aa6f-4f0967a707f4/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-pile-of-Ellis-books-1653px-304kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: I don’t (yet) own all of Richard’s books, but here are some in my collection here… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/22873754-9b05-45af-82d5-0a7ce81949e1/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-NMS-mako-xmas-card-1020px-116kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: this painting does appear in The Book of Sharks, but small and in black and white, not in the colour plate section. The version here was sent by Richard on Christmas cards, this one specifically from 2011. Image: (c) Richard Ellis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea6b2e1d-74f3-4af9-b566-bdc2226d3ad0/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Ellis-cetacean-plates-982px-100kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: one of the most striking features of Richard’s paintings is how vibrant the colours are. That’s especially obvious in the leaping Common dolphin Delphinus delphis at left, a version of which appears in the plate section of his 1982 Dolphins and Porpoises. I can’t get that same look to come across in the photos shown here (if I increase the contrast, the background blue just looks over-saturated). At right, a North Atlantic right whale Balaena glacialis, from 1980’s The Book of Whales. This is a really interesting painting because the perspective and crystal-clear view (not possible for the human eye to obtain) makes the whale look small. In reality, this animal is about 18 m long. Images: (c) Richard Ellis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ba872fd6-db74-42eb-992c-3c9fe95d19a4/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-NMS-giant-squid-model-1088px-93kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: the life-sized giant squid Architeuthis dux model on show at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, where it hangs in the main hall, surrounded by models, taxiderm specimens and mounted skeletons of other swimming animals. The position of the squid means that it’s a bit difficult to photograph. The cetacean making a guest appearance is a Pygmy killer Feresa attenuata. Richard painted this model squid. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d3a980da-f156-4ee6-8a70-f9994d86b1f9/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Ellis-dolphin-drawings-1-1294px-89kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: I adore the black and white illustrations that appear throughout Richard’s two whale-themed books of the early 1980s. At upper left, the pale fields and patches on the body of Orcinus. Lower left, a juvenile Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus, showing the prominent pale folds often present on the bodies of very young cetaceans. At right, various ‘blackfish’ (albeit not all of them) drawn to scale with a person. Image: Ellis (1982). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c166df88-1853-4fcb-8828-6070ee4032f3/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Ellis-cetacean-drawings-1294px-89kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: more great images from Richard’s cetacean books, again showing interesting aspects of anatomy that generally hadn’t been shown in books before. Those here show (clockwise from upper left) different ventral pigmentation patterns in cephalorhynchine dolphins, the remarkable degree of sexual dimorphism in Physeter, the distinct dorsal and ventral sonar fields of Platanista hypothesized by Pilleri in 1979, and the steep hump-backed diving posture of Inia. Images: Elllis (1980, 1982). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5dfb9d27-d850-4d0e-a04c-fd7fe4904136/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Ellis-cetacean-plates-cover-drawing-1487px-176kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: Richard’s first three books showcase many of his paintings in the largest format possible (err, excluding gatefolds), but a drawback is that many of them then cross the book’s spine. Such is the case in the painting at top left, showing a group of Sowerby’s beaked whale Mesoplodon bidens. At right, the spectacular cover of his 1980 The Book of Whales. Another thing that these books demonstrate is Richard’s versatility as an artist: pencil drawings, black and white diagrams, colour paintings, skeletal diagrams… At lower left, we see his drawing of a Heaviside’s dolphin Cephalorhynchus heavisidii. What a contrast in style to the colour paintings. Images: Ellis (1980, 1982). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/718e35af-ccda-4c54-b77f-8f786a52d7f7/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Monsters-of-the-Sea-signed-1129px-115kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: it can be surprisingly difficult to find useable images of book covers online. They’re often at a resolution too low to be useful, or badly photographed at a weird angle. I’ve done my best to photograph some covers here but haven’t done an especially good job. Whatever, here’s the cover of the hardback first edition of Richard’s Monsters of the Sea (Ellis 1996)… a signed copy! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8819263e-1fe9-43a1-a906-221201956172/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Pauline-sea-monster-E-L-Penny-1875-1768px-404kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: in case you’re wondering, the to-and-fro about the constricting abilities of eels has its origins here… the Pauline sea monster account of 1875, wherein a sperm whale off Brazil was seen in supposed battle with a long object twisted around its body. Heuvelmans (1968) thought that the long object was the gigantic crypto-eel – super eel – that he endorsed in his book. More recent suggestions include that the witnesses saw, and misinterpreted, the whale’s large, pale penis (Paxton et al. 2005), or that this was a whale entangled in rope (France 2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/36a74d1c-f535-4b56-b112-04c5acca2350/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Megamouth-holotype-1976-and-LACM-1106px-74kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Megamouth holotype specimen as it looked after being brought to the surface following entanglement with the parachute sea anchor of US Navy vessel AFB-14 on November 15th 1976, at the Kaneohe Bay facility of the Naval Undersea Center. At right, a different specimen (the second one, captured off California in 1984) on show at the Los Angeles County Museum, photographed in 2009. It’s in a giant, glass-topped case which makes photography (with a normal camera) difficult. Images: Leighton Taylor; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d22ff2e5-09f8-46a6-824b-1960665e9e0f/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Megamouth-description-1983-1326px-76kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: the Megamouth type description and official naming occurred in volume 43 of Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, published in 1983. Its second page features a full-page colour painting by Richard Ellis, part of which is shown here. Images: (c) Richard Ellis; Taylor et al. (1983). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e97d56af-f3d8-40d5-b99a-feacba5fed28/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Sea-Dragons-cover-1049px-123kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: it’s hard to say from Sea Dragons whether Richard liked ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs or mosasaurs more. Maybe the cover demonstrates a bias for mosasaurs. Richard did his illustrations of these animals before it became widely known that they had vertical tail flukes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d47615da-f758-4ebf-99ff-28cadf443fbd/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-Ellis-Sea-Dragons-thanks-912px-65kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: a large sticker can be found on the inside cover of my copy of Sea Dragons, making it unique and highly valuable. Thank you, Richard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/90079d56-4af1-49db-a655-dc528e48279f/Ellis-tribute-June-2024-NMS-whale-books-21stC-1049px-123kb-June-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - In Memory of Richard Ellis, Influential Artist and Author - Make it stand out Caption: two of Richard’s several 21st century books, these both devoted to cetaceans. I still don’t own the beaked whale volume, for shame, mostly because I have yet to see it appear at reasonable price. It’s very expensive. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/5/25/black-cameroonian-snake-bothrolycus-ater monthly 0.5 2024-12-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f0b1199d-bb15-4b93-954d-fe2199c95d51/Bothrolycus-May-2024-Guenther-1874-original-description-3-1247px-254kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: we’ll be seeing this illustration again… I really like it. Image: G. H. Ford, in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6d488a5c-1338-4884-a86f-a79d1b4c5e0c/Bothrolycus-May-2024-whole-snake-Kate-Jackson-1839px-354kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: Bothrolycus in the flesh, photographed in the Republic of the Congo in 2010. Note the slightly reddish tint to the head, the shiny, smooth-scaled look, and the white spots around the jaws. Image: © K. Jackson. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7d613337-1daa-4464-8531-59f0eee7074c/Bothrolycus-May-2024-Sb-article-2010-and-Mattison-1998-1092px-166kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: at left, screengrab of the 2010 ancestor of the article you’re reading now. Yeah, the original article title was way wordier than the one I’ve gone for this time around. At right, Mattison (1998). It has served me well over the years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ac486eae-b24e-4237-b914-0c8389c82cc9/Bothrolycus-May-2024-Guenther-1874-original-description-plate-2-667px-461kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: this image of B. ater, by George Henry Ford, is from Günther’s original description. The chameleons are Spectral pygmy chameleons Rhampholeon spectrum, also known as the Western pygmy chameleon or Cameroon stumptail chameleon. I really like this entire illustration and wish that a clean white copy was available. I only have access to the very shady scan provided by the Biodiversity Heritage Library, which I’ve lightened as much as I can. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/875c7be4-08e5-429b-9215-e6741b200c3f/Bothrolycus-May-2024-Guenther-1874-original-description-plate-details-1125px-135kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: check out some of the great details in the George Ford illustration from above. The chameleon is totally not happy about seeing the snake, and the snake is beautifully depicted, with an excellently portrayed amount of sheen across its scales. Ford (1808-1876) joined the British Museum in 1837 and illustrated works on human anatomy, fishes, amphibians and reptiles. Images in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14002e1e-db1a-41e3-8b40-f4aa4df78582/Bothrolycus-May-2024-Pseudoboodon-albopunctatus-Anderson-1901-1162px-41kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: image of the Pseudoboodon albopunctatus holotype, from Anderson (1901). Compare it with the images of B. ater: note the pale spots on the labial scales and the pit in front of the eye. P. albopunctatus, by the way, was only one of several Pseudoboodon species. The genus (named by Mario Giacinto Peracca in 1897) is still a valid boaedontin taxon (four species are currently recognized). Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8d478d7a-604e-4bc0-9ad3-b608c13ca5f4/Bothrolycus-May-2024-Boaedon-olivaceus-Erik-Paterson-1284px-88kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: an Olive house snake Boaedon olivaceus, standing in as an exemplar for the lamprophiine genus Boaedon. Boaedon was mostly regarded as synonymous with Lamprophis – though the members of the two genera sure have a complex taxonomic history – until it was resurrected as valid by Kelly et al. (2009). Image: Erik Paterson, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1bc1b0e6-8420-4351-8d64-b1fe6bb72d7d/Bothrolycus-May-2024-Lamprophis-fiski-Joseph-Smit-1998-1288px-174kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: this illustration, by Joseph Smit and published in 1887, depicts Fisk’s house snake Lamprophis fiskii and accompanied Boulenger’s original description of this species. Under the current, restricted use of the name, Lamprophis only includes three extant species. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b428f3b7-371c-429f-a9bd-16c1834902c6/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-colubriform-phylogeny-re-use-1149px-58kb-May-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: here’s that very simplified cladogram again, showing relationships among the main endoglyptodont groups. Elapoidea includes numerous lineages and views differ on which should and should not be included within Lamprophiidae. The topology shown here is consistent with several recent studies, but the taxonomy specifically follows that of Zaher et al. (2009). Image: this uses images created for the textbook I’m putting together. More on that on patreon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c14c826b-e861-4b25-acab-fe1b65eb0e31/Bothrolycus-May-2024-head-left-side-Kate-Jackson-1647px-147kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: that live Bothrolycus individual again, photographed in the Republic of the Congo in 2010. An interesting anatomical detail here is that the maxillary tooth tips are partly visible, perhaps because the snake has exposed these as a threat display. I owe thanks to snake expert John Scanlon for the following observation: “And those tips form two distinct groups: long fang-like teeth at the front, and shorter ones more closely spaced posteriorly. All those teeth are on the maxilla; this pattern is rather like elapid dentition, and probably not by coincidence. And the ‘wolf’ reference in the name is presumably due to the large canine-like anterior teeth, as in several other snake genera with ‘lyco’ names”. Image: © K. Jackson. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/363520ce-acdb-4ffd-91d9-b47656fcf66a/Bothrolycus-May-2024-head-profile-Kate-Jackson-1881px-222kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Rehabilitation of Günther’s Black Cameroonian Snake - Make it stand out Caption: closeup of the snake’s right side, this time showing the loreal pit and also the white facial spots in detail. The latter are restricted to the labial scales and are arranged approximately symmetrically on both upper and lower jaws. Image: © K. Jackson. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/5/22/side-stabbing-stiletto-snakes-redux-for-2024 monthly 0.5 2024-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/79ea4740-af23-404e-92e5-1d7494663205/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-Atractaspis-portrait-867px-47kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: a fairly familiar portrait of a burrowing asp / stiletto snake that has appeared several times in the literature, and showing the right maxillary fang protruding while the mouth is closed. Image: I’m not sure of the origin of this image and will add credit info when I find it! I think it first featured in Underwood & Kovcha (1993). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35469be9-c2e1-4d70-85d5-79e1ae11c078/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-Tet-Zoo-ver-2-May-2008-900px-142kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: if you’ve been following Tetrapod Zoology for a while, you might remember this very popular article from 2008. I know I go on about this a lot, but it’s a real source of frustration and disappointment to me that so much of my old Tet Zoo content is now unfindable except at wayback machine (which comparatively few people use or even know about). I see this as part of the larger, ‘dead internet’ problem that we now face as a society. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fddc6dbc-a00b-41e9-ba12-f9466056cfe5/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-Atractaspis-bibronii-Ryan-van-Huyssteen-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1045px-75kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: good photos of burrowing asps in life aren’t all that common. Here’s a good one, showing a Southern stiletto snake A. bibronii, the type species for the genus. It occurs widely across the southern half of Africa. Note the protective or defensive pose, with the head held low and the tail tip raised high. Image: Ryan van Huyssteen, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fb2e468d-02ae-41d5-a7a9-c01b2a27a4ae/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-viperid-atractaspidid-skulls-Deufel-%26-Cundall-2006-842px-69kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: the burrowing asp skull – the lower of the two shown here – really is one of the most modified in all of Squamata. As is obvious if you compare it with the viperid skull shown at the top, the burrowing asp skull has a modified prefrontal (pf) and maxilla (mx), a startling lack of teeth, and a much pared down, reduced anatomy overall. Image: Deufel & Cundall (2006). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/63824f31-f24c-486e-a199-e84bb3af3a25/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-facial-bones-Deufel-%26-Cundall-2003-1007px-76kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: fang erection mechanism in Atractaspis, as illustrated by Deufel & Cundall (2003b). At left, it should be obvious that the articulation between the prefrontal (pf) and maxilla (mx), allow substantial rotation of the maxilla (and hence the giant fang(s) it houses). At right, the extreme shortness of the maxilla means that it can be rotated through a much larger angle than it can in more ‘normal’ snakes, like the Xenocalamus shown below. Figure from Deufel & Cundall (2003b). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/efae7e45-77b4-402b-a901-2eb2fa80c171/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-Deufel-%26-Cundall-2006-palates-1011px-67kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: viperid, burrowing asp, and elapid palatal bones compared, from Deufel & Cundall (2006). The massive size of the burrowing asp fang (f) is obvious, as is the small size of the maxilla (mx). Note the slender, toothless pterygoid (pt) in the burrowing asp, and the lack of a bony connection (there’s a ligament there instead) between the pterygoid and palatine (pal). The reduced, bar-like form of the ectopterygoid (ec) in the burrowing asp is notable too. See Deufel & Cundall (2006) for a fuller explanation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8afb256f-7632-4ab8-824e-5143e38dcaa8/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-Atractaspis-fang-as-gaff-1373px-108kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, another image showing how the maxillary fangs can be erected in a manner that’s very unusual relative to what’s more familiar. This is a preserved specimen of a Fat burrowing asp A. corpulenta. The snake is small, so that fang is only 4 mm long. At right, a photo from a sequence provided by Deufel & Cundall (2003b) where a Bibron’s burrowing asp A. bibronii is manipulating a rodent baby in preparation for swallowing. The snake has hooked a maxillary fang into the rodent and is using it as a gaff. Images: Deufel & Cundall (2003b); Tilbury & Verster (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c607414d-3b54-47f3-a19c-62d7709154d2/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-amphisbaenian-portraits-1229px-125kb-May-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: amphisbaenians are one of my favourite groups of animals. We know for sure that snakes related to burrowing asps, like quill-snouted snakes (Xenocalamus, read on), are occasional predators of these dedicated burrowers. It’s thought that burrowing asps predate on them as well. The amphisbaenian portraits here show (at left) Amphisbaena of South America (an animal that’s therefore not relevant to burrowing asp predation) and Zarudny’s worm lizard Diplometopon zarudnyi of Iran, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula and nearby. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d6d93605-4efa-497f-8eac-adf6cc82d277/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-Atractaspis-alive-montage-1667px-349kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Western Forest stiletto snake Atractaspis aterrima, quite possibly not in living state. At right, montage showing A. branchi, the most recently named member of the group (it was published in 2019). Images: Violette Dérozier, CC BY 4.0 (original here); Rödel et al. (2019), CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3f5eee44-e5e5-480b-9d5c-6264a101d678/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-Atractaspis-duerdeni-Houbert-Heyman-CC-BY-4-0-1133px-74kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: the image of live burrowing asps we’ve seen so far make them look dark brown or nearly or entirely black. As this image of a Beaked burrowing asp A. duerdeni (of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa) shows, they’re sometimes marked with light, pinkish tones too. Image: Joubert Heymans, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1d98b74e-c1e8-4e5f-9917-c4bfea8a1f9e/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-Xenocalamus-Ryan-van-Huyssteen-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1836px-182kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: aparallactines are elusive, poorly known snakes, though there are certainly more images of them online today than there were when I first needed them back in 2008! Here’s a species that’s relatively well known within the group, the Slender quill-snouted snake Xenocalamus bicolor, one of five species within this endemic African genus. Image: Ryan van Huyssteen, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6a0a0a35-8bfe-4e70-83d9-87f1568cf2f0/atractaspidid-redux-May-2024-colubriform-phylogeny-1149px-58kb-May-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Side-Stabbing Stiletto Snakes, Redux for 2024 - Make it stand out Caption: a massively simplified depiction of phylogeny within the colubriform clade Endoglyptodonta. Burrowing asps are certainly elapoids, and within this clade are close to or part of Lamprophiidae. The topology shown here is consistent with several recent studies, but the taxonomy specifically follows that of Zaher et al. (2009). Image: this uses images created for the textbook I’m putting together. More on that on patreon. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/5/13/the-mysterious-dibamids monthly 0.5 2026-02-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f0237579-0bbc-472f-856c-11410e9f7e52/dibamids-May-2024-Dibamus-cf-leucurus-Brown-et-al-2016-1577px-211kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: a dibamid exemplar. Note the smooth-scaled, shiny overall look, the essentially eyeless head, and the pale patches on the snout and scattered across the body. This specimen, from the Philippines, was identified as Dibamus cf leucurus, so hadn’t been pinned down to species when published. Image: Brown et al. (2016), CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/edcbc384-16a6-4fb3-9f30-6aa3393cd37d/dibamids-May-2024-Dibamus-Cambodia-Neang-et-al-2011-1233px-160kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: the holotype specimen of Dibamus dalaiensis, discovered in the southwestern Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia, and described by Neang et al. (2011). It confirmed the presence of this group in Cambodia. Those patches that you might assume are areas where the skin is sloughing are actually pale grey areas, and a normal feature of the pigmentation. Note also the slight iridescent sheen on the dorsal reflective areas. Image: Neang et al. (2011). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/de3b41bc-88ce-407c-9653-9015383ba1cc/dibamids-May-2024-Whitfield-1983-Alan-Male-anguid-plate-1044px-76kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve said several times in older articles that my very first introduction to a good number of amphibian and reptile species came via Philip Whitfield’s Reptiles and Amphibians: An Authoritative and Illustrated Guide of 1983, and more specifically to the astonishing art by Alan Male. In cases, it was obvious that Male only had access to vague or poor reference photos or other images, and I think we can say that this was the case with his dibamid illustration, shown in the book on the same plate as anguids and anniellids. When the text was written, only three dibamid species were recognized. Image: Alan Male, from Whitfield (1983). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b6aa560-7d0a-4ac5-8eeb-25730796069b/dibamids-May-2024-dibamid-head-montage-Neang-et-al-2011-Darevsky-1992-1301px-112kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the head of D. dalaiensis from Cambodia in right lateral view, showing the prominence of the rostral and mental pads. At right, a montage showing the heads of (left to right) the D. greeri holotype, the D. greeri paratype, and the D. smithi holotype. The heads are shown in dorsal (upper row), left lateral (middle row) and ventral (lower row) views. The scale bar is 1 mm. Various of the scales have been labelled, including ocular (o), postocular (po), frontal (f) and mental (m) (there’s an error: some lower jaw scales labelled ‘im’ should be labelled ‘if’ for infralabial). All the main scales on the squamate head have names, and its typical to refer to their form and placement in descriptive discussions. Images: Neang et al. (2011), Darevsky (1992). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a60a0f3e-8e3b-4443-abc7-3a64997aa006/dibamids-May-2024-Dibamus-manadotuaensis-Koppetsch-et-al-2019-1334px-105kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: a beautifully detailed photo and diagram of Dibamus manadotuaensis, a species from Manado Tua, a small island off the northern coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia named in 2019. Note the tiny size and the small sensory papillae scattered across the surfaces of the large face plates. Extra points if you think this looks like the 2014 Gareth Edwards Godzilla, since it totally does. Image: Koppetsch et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b5ea0e24-d327-49ac-81c4-c42d0e99162c/dibamids-May-2024-dibamid-snout-interior-Hallermann-1998-933px-91kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: it’s not often that you get to see the cartilaginous nasal capsule within the snout of a squamate. This diagram – from Hallermann (1998) – was based on reassembled serial sections. The nasal capsule – the sinuous structure closest to us in the diagram – is paired, and each one is separated along the midline by a septum (nas. sept.). Each capsule has a complex relationship at the snout’s tip with the septum, the capsule forming a curled anterior nasal cupola (a. nas. cup.). Hallermann (1998, p. 389) suggested that this complex anterior anatomy might be “a consolidation in adaptation to burrowing habits”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/888ebaec-5d3f-45d3-a6ec-04fc148b7494/dibamids-May-2024-dibamid-hindlimb-montage-Greer-1985-Quah-et-al-2017-1476px-111kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: dibamids can’t be described as limbless. At left, the hindlimb and pelvis of male Dibamus specimens, as figured by Greer (1985). A and B show bones from a male D. taylori (with fibula and tibia); C and D show bones from a female D. novaeguineae. The scale bars are 1 mm. The pelvic girdle is mostly formed of a large ilium (il), with a tiny pubis (pu) and ischium (is) persisting as small ossicles visible in B. At right, the flipper-like hindlimbs of a male D. floweri from peninsular Malaysia, a species described in 2017. I don’t think it’s typical for the hindlimbs to be crossed like this. Images: Greer (1985), Quah et al. (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b55a23a0-6bd3-442a-a3d4-84a842d9f14d/dibamids-May-2024-Kliukin-et-al-2024-dibamid-whole-skeleton-1324px-123kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: the complete skeleton of the recently named Vietnamese dibamid Dibamus deimontis, specifically the male paratype. It’s 15.3 cm long in total. Note the relatively well developed hindlimb (though lacking a foot) and pelvis, and the relatively short length of the tail. Image: Kliukin et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/680d1980-4696-4f0b-8de9-f22b711c9c8d/dibamids-May-2024-Dibamus-tebal-Das-%26-Lim-2009-1086px-159kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: some preserved dibamid specimens are almost orange. However, this is almost certainly because they’ve been sitting in preservative fluid for years or decades, and it likely doesn’t reflect their colour in life. This is the holotype of Dibamus tebal from Pulau Simeuleu (off the south-west coast of Sumatra), named as a new species in 2016 but collected at some point in the 1910s (Das & Lim 2009). The scale bar is in millimetres; the total length is 158 mm. Image: Das & Lim (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5f0b7fff-ea39-4e10-988a-c6d3e434ca56/dibamids-May-2024-Kliukin-et-al-2023-D-tropcentr-type-area-1079px-158kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: the area of Nui Chua National Park, Ninh Thuan Province, southern Vietnam, in which Dibamus tropcentr was discovered. This is a hot and dry location, and not the sort of habitat that you might ordinarily associate with dibamids. The holotype was specifically found in a rotten log, in association with termites. Image: Kliukin et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/640e01d0-edac-44ea-b0e1-f9d71af370a7/dibamids-May-2024-Kliukin-et-al-2024-D-deimontis-type-area-1108px-158kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: Nui Chua Mountain in Nui Chua National Park in southern Vietnam, the type locality for D. deimontis, described this year (Kliukin et al. 2024). The arrow marks the discovery spot. This is an area where mixed montane evergreen forest occurs alongside grassy areas. There are also streams that contain large, root- and moss-covered granite boulders. The dibamids were collected from the boulder surfaces where they were associated with the mosses and roots. Image: Kliukin et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f444c396-c215-418a-a43d-43735f7c020e/dibamids-May-2024-Asian-Wallacean-distribution-map-814px-60kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: by combing the primary literature on dibamids, I extracted as much locality data on Asian/Australasian dibamids as I could and depicted it on this map. I marked ‘small island’ locations with a spot or oval but attempted to depict ‘large island’ and mainland locations with an extrapolated range. Some caveats are necessary: when several records are known from the same approximate area (e.g., southern Vietnam), I extrapolated a rough range area by ‘connecting the dots’. Records from Sumatra and Sulawesi suggest that dibamids occur across the better part of these islands, but this likely isn’t correct and a more detailed examination would result in far patchier ranges for these regions. Anyway… the key point here is that dibamids remain unknown or scarcely known from many places across the region, and could await discovery in many additional localities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fafc6316-c851-4108-96fa-a40d3874568d/dibamids-May-2024-Kliukin-et-al-new-Vietnamese-species-1597px-159kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: maps from recently published descriptions of Asian dibamid species, showing locations relevant to the discovery of species from eastern Southeast Asia. The map on the left is from Kliukin et al. (2023), the description of Dibamus tropcentr from eastern Vietnam; that on the right is from the description of D. deimontis Kliukin et al., 2024 from the same area. The publication of D. deimontis takes us to 26 recognized species. Images: Kliukin et al. (2023), Kliukin et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2fb34beb-8422-4676-b6d1-a3c5c1c919d3/dibamids-May-2024-new-Mexican-record-Anelytropsis-1687px-123kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mysterious Dibamids - Make it stand out Caption: images of Anelytropsis from recently published range extension records. At left, an orange specimen from Oaxaca in southern Mexico, reported by Valdez-Vilavicencio et al. (2016) (again, the specimen had been kept in preservative for some years prior to 2016, so this colour might not represent the condition in life); at right, a pinker one from Comapa in Veracruz, reported by Montiel-Veranza et al. (2022). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/5/07/ray-hoser-number-1-taxonomic-vandal monthly 0.5 2024-05-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/80cc4f1b-ccfe-4c76-84a5-8340b3e46a0f/Hoser-May-2024-Wuster-snake-montage-1890px-250px-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: lest we forget, the world is full of amazing snakes. Top row, left to right: Prairie or Western rattlesnake Crotalus viridis, Bornean keeled green pitviper Tropidolaemus subannulatus and Mole snake Pseudaspis cana. Lower row, left to right: Rock rattlesnake Crotalus lepidus, Rhinoceros viper Bitis nasicornis and Smooth-scaled death adder Acanthophis laevis. All photos by Wolfgang Wüster and used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7af62da-eaf8-4faa-a9f0-8feea981f53e/Hoser-May-2024-Wolfgang-Wuster-Naja-haje-852px-109px-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: Egyptian cobra Naja haje: included within the Naja subgenus Uraeus by Wallach et al. (2009) but given the new genus ‘Wellsus’ by Hoser. Hoser’s proposed name honours Richard Wells (on which, read on). Image: (c) Wolfgang Wüster, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/435505e5-ecc8-4f5f-8435-2fa839e67b18/Hoser-May-2024-Crocodylus-suchus-Tad-Arensmeier-CC-BY-SA-2-0-1185px-207kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: the African crocodile Crocodylus suchus, placed in the new genus ‘Oxycrocodylus’ by Hoser. What’s the etymology? The names honours Hoser’s dog, Oxyuranus (itself named after the Australian snake). Image: stuart Burns [sic], CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aca8d20d-9136-49e3-bc08-019d56a638a6/Hoser-May-2024-Basilosaurus-skeleton-1732px-191kb-Tim-CC-BY-SA-2-0-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: the Principle of Priority makes sense, but it’s not always our friend. We’re stuck, for example, with the name Basilosaurus for this extinct whale. Image: Tim, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4815976f-5194-4f2c-9e13-00a8f6db1e91/Hoser-May-2024-Hugh-Edwin-Strickland-PD-1220px-140kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: Hugh, what have you done? Hugh Edwin Strickland (1811-1853), as a young man of 26 at left (illustration by Francis William Wilkin, dating to 1858), and as an… older man at some later date. However, he died at age 42, so never got to be ‘old’ at all. In 1842, Strickland worked with others in the British Association to establish the Principle of Priority. Images in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/81752974-cc1f-4e55-bf7e-5e26a4b08817/Hoser-May-2024-George-Boulenger-PD-montage-1457px-203kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: George Boulenger (1858-1937), Belgian-British zoologist and prolific describer of new amphibians, reptiles and other organisms. In all, he named over 2000 new species (556 of which are amphibians and 872 of which are reptiles). His impact on our knowledge has been enormous. Just a few of the species he named are featured here. Top row, left to right: African dwarf frog Hymenochirus boettgeri; New Caledonian gecko Rhacodactylus trachycephalus. Middle row, left to right: Stripe-tailed goanna Varanus caudolineatus; Sierra Leone water frog or Sabre-toothed frog Odontobatrachus natator; Blanford’s flying lizard Draco blanfordii. Lower right: Java grass lizard Takydromus khasiensis. Images: Boulenger image in public domain; James Gathany, public domain (original here); Lennart Hudel (CC BY 4.0, original here); Barej et al. (2015) (CC BY 4.0, original here); Haplochromis (CC BY-SA 3.0, original here); Rushenb (CC BY-SA 4.0, original here); Rohit Naniwadekar (CC BY-SA 4.0, original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/638dd6bc-12b9-4d2a-b6fb-2aeca3472207/Hoser-May-2024-Inland-taipan-XLerate-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1192px-265kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: Australia sure has some amazing elapids. Given that Hoser claims to have the interests of the animals at heart, it’s bizarre that he defaces their taxonomy with horrible names that never honour the animals themselves (read on for examples). This is Oxyuranus microlepidotus, the Fierce snake or Inland taipan. Image: XLerate, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9368f1a1-427d-49f8-89ad-587ba5b73cd8/Hoser-May-2024-laevis-death-adder-Petra-Karstedt-CC-BY-SA-2-0-1615px-195kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: death adders are incredible snakes. This is the Smooth-scaled death adder Acanthophis laevis of New Guinea and several islands to its west, including Ceram. In articles of 1998 and 2002, Hoser claimed the recognition of several additional taxa for populations otherwise considered part of this species. Their recognition was mostly rejected by Kaiser et al. (2013). Additional work is required to resolve the taxonomy of these snakes. Image: Petra Karstedt, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bb2ba2c2-e4d1-4066-8e78-0833a125cfc7/Hoser-May-2024-Pareas-W-A-Djatmiko-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1109px-154kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: Keeled slug snake Pareas carinatus. Close relatives of this species – conventionally included within Pareas – were put into the new genus 'Katrinahoserserpenea' by Hoser. Pareas is one of several genera within Pareidae, a poorly known and mostly tropical Asian colubroid snake group specialized for eating snails. Image: W. A. Djatmiko, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/239edeb5-a0d6-43d2-afb6-ccc3f1cfa2b7/Hoser-May-2024-Pyron-et-al-snake-phylogeny-Natricinae-1016px-149kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: Hoser frequently points to cladograms (such as this one: this is the natricine section of Pyron et al.’s (2011) giant colubrid phylogeny) to support the taxonomic splits and renamings that he proposes. Yes, non-monophyly abounds in studies like this. But is it right to jump all over the cladogram and get to work slapping names all over the place? These things take time and a lot of work to sort out and do properly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c949027d-a0ec-41d5-bdd1-ea215b10ab85/Hoser-May-2024-Timber-rattlesnake-montage-1507px-237kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: the extremely variable Timber, Canebrake or Banded rattlesnake Crotalus horridus of eastern North America. This species can be regarded as ‘the original’ rattlesnake, the first one that European colonizers got to know and name scientifically. In Hoser’s proposed taxonomy, this is the only species retained within the subgenus Crotalus of his restricted version of the genus Crotalus. Images (clockwise from left): Tad Arensmeier, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); Tanner Smida, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Glenn Bartolotti, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4fdade51-6e0f-494a-a5d4-44661288fa7c/Hoser-May-2024-Western-diamondback-rattlesnake-USFWS-PD-925px-169kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: the awesome Western diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus atrox, a species endemic to the southwestern USA and Mexico and among the largest rattlesnakes of them all (giant specimens can exceed 1.8 m). Hoser wants C. atrox to be recognized as the type species for his new genus ‘Hoserea’ (named for his wife). Image: Gary Stolz, United States Fish and Wildlife Service in public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e9ee60cf-471d-42de-8556-ec3ff9469bd3/Hoser-May-2024-Kaiser-et-al-2013-sg-1208px-246kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: as we’ve seen, the ICZN is surprisingly lax about what is and what is not permissible when it comes to the acceptability of taxonomic names. That would be fine and good if all people publishing taxonomic names were doing work of a high, respectable standard. But they’re not. Communities of workers must therefore take a stand and state that there has to be a limit to what we can and will accept. Such is stated here in the title of Kaiser et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1302d78f-2f09-44c5-a60e-a686a4769e2c/Hoser-May-2024-Kaiser-et-al-2013-Table-1-1487px-163kb-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: here are the first three pages of the six-page-long table of Hoser names compiled by Kaiser et al. (2013). See the paper for yourself: it’s open access. Kaiser et al. (2013) was – obviously – published more than ten years ago, and Hoser has since published numerous additional names. All should be ignored. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b44babc2-4210-452a-88c3-bf8758ac23ec/Hoser-May-2024-Hoser-Twitter-montage-1300px-156px-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: it might not surprise you to learn that Hoser behaves in a decidedly unhinged fashion on social media. He has numerous different accounts on Twitter/X (or, did last time I bothered to check) and is in the habit of reposting the same comment numerous times. He also makes a habit of smearing those who’ve criticized him in libellous fashion. For the record, I have no association with “fake science and fraud”, have no association with any “cohort found guilty of various criminal offences”, do not “control plenty of dodgy twitter accounts” and so on. These claims look an awful lot like projection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/628abefb-8772-4d3a-bed1-eefc54ae90af/Hoser-May-2024-Black-necked-spitting-cobra-Afronaja-1020px-82kb-Warren-Klein-CC-BY-SA-3-0-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: the Black-necked spitting cobra Naja nigricollis, a species that’s partly served as the flashpoint for a call for action from the ICZN. N. nigricollis and its kin – the African spitting cobras – were given the subgeneric name Afronaja by Wallach et al. (2009), and ‘Spracklandus’ by Hoser in 2009. According to some interpretations, ‘Spracklandus’ was published first (Kaiser 2014), and thus should win out if the Principle of Priority were all that mattered. The point that’s now been made many times is that it isn’t all that should matter. It’s also not clear that ‘Spracklandus’ was published first anyway (Wüster et al. 2014). Image: Warren Klein, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3cef3d7d-6c09-4d4c-97f8-edc7f4464dfe/Hoser-May-2024-Hoser-Newspaper-May-2013-1185px-267px-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: a newspaper article from May 2013 that discusses some of the response to Hoser taxonomy, and notes some of the other charges against him. Full size version here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/33eadf39-7057-457f-821d-5f3019218fce/Hoser-May-2024-Hoser-pygmy-croc-article-July-2012-1550px-299px-May-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ray Hoser, Number 1 Taxonomic Vandal - Make it stand out Caption: Hoser has appeared in the popular press a lot, for various reasons. This article from July 2012 discusses Hoser’s naming of the alleged new crocodile species ’Oopholis jackyhoserae’. It includes a few choice quotes from crocodile expert Professor Grahame Webb, including "The guy's a f*****g idiot". You can see the full article here. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/4/22/t-rex-the-tool-maker monthly 0.5 2025-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0979780d-6f41-4631-8f20-9e14f58f6d25/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-A-S-Minniear-tyrannosaur-tool-use-1907px-248kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: a recent claim posits that T. rex and dinosaurs like it were as intelligent and cerebrally complex as anthropoid primates, and that tool use was a plausible aspect of their behaviour. In this reconstruction, two tyrannosaur individuals co-operate, all while using a tree trunk as a tool, in capturing and subduing an ankylosaur. Credit: Andrew S. Minniear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e3c1c7c-1617-44b2-b65a-2d5f614854cc/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-Caspar-et-al-Fig-1-1045px-90kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: a simplified cladogram depicting the relationships of the relevant reptile groups, with diagrammatic representations of their brains at far right. The animals of special interest to our study are shown in the shaded box. On the brains, the pallium (homologous to the mammal cerebral cortex) is shown in green. Note that theropods like tyrannosaurids are not tremendously different in brain form from crocodylomorphs and lepidosaurs. Image: Caspar et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/768d0cea-b0bd-4d43-9566-0bea90b942e6/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-Telluraves-montage-1216px-219kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of telluravian birds. This is the clade that includes rollers, hornbills, woodpeckers and kin, all predatory birds including owls, as well as parrots and songbirds. All individuals shown here were photographed in captivity except for the Song thrush Turdus philomelos at lower right. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6d0e503f-8514-43ae-ae3e-ec9e75889509/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-H-H-cover-art-1223px-101kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: this nice piece of art, used to present one of Herculano-Houzel’s (2022) primary contentions about dinosaur intelligence, accompanies a YouTube video made specially to promote the research. You can watch it here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0c64dfa9-832c-44f9-b41a-d962aa363e36/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-news-articles-montage-1258px-177kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: Herculano-Houzel’s 2022 article got quite a substantial amount of media coverage, most of it treating her suggestions as fair and scientifically reasonable. Those shown here are from The Daily Mail (left) and The Washington Post. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4f87de6d-b892-4aa7-a87c-df2c8213fe18/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-Caspar-et-al-Fig-4a-1308px-91kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: how do non-bird dinosaurs fair in brain-to-body-size ratios, relative to other reptiles? This graph – plotted using brain sizes and body sizes that we consider plausible (Caspar et al. 2024) – shows that non-bird dinosaurs are mostly on the same approximate regression line as living non-bird reptiles ('“Non-avian Sauropsida”), though some are below it. T. rex (black circle) is above it, but still below the avian regression line (“Non-telluravian birds”). Some bird-like non-birds, however, are close to or on the avian regression line. Image: Caspar et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8a868519-b1a9-475c-8d99-a91aceb0b63f/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-Caspar-et-al-GDI-Fig-3-615px-51kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: when incorporating dinosaur brain volume data, we mostly used data previously compiled and verified by members of our team, Grant Hurlburt especially. For a few specimens, uncertainty over volume meant that we calculated new ones using graphic double integration (GDI). This diagram depicts how GDI was calculated (the example here being the endocast of the T. rex specimen AMNH 5029). Image: Caspar et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4f71ed64-e37c-49bd-98e3-2e64422e58ed/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-Caspar-et-al-predicted-neuron-count-Fig-5-1125px-85kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: this scatter plot shows predicted neuron count (in the cognitive part of the brain) as estimated by Herculano-Houzel (2022) (in red) and us (in green). Look at the values predicted for the T. rex specimen AMNH 5029 in particular. Reconstructed with a bird-like neuron count (green circles), our estimates do put T. rex at over 1 billion neurons. But when reconstructed with a non-bird-like neuron count (green squares), we find T. rex to be below 1 billion. Morhardt (2016) estimated neuron counts for the telencephalon alone and her predicted values, shown at lower right, also put T. rex at less than one billion neurons when ‘reptilian scaling’ was used. Image: Caspar et al. (2024). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/26d4b2cc-d9e0-4076-89d4-12362c137c09/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-giraffe-orca-montage-1304px-133kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: certain living animals have extremely high numbers of neurons in those parts of the brain associated with cognition. In cetaceans, like the orca shown here (I’ll avoid the species-level taxonomy for now…), we can say that this high neuron density is indeed correlated with cultural and behavioural complexity. But what about animals like giraffes? Turns out that they have a really high cerebral neuron count as well. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1cd3557e-da13-4fec-8283-734847260703/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-Prehistoric-Planet-montage-1558px-93kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: projects like Prehistoric Planet – hadrosaur-themed images from seasons 1 and 2 of that series are shown here – depict non-bird dinosaurs living socially, indulging in parental care, and interacting with other members of their social group. If you think that animals need to be similar in intelligence to telluravian birds or primates to exhibit such behaviours… you’re wrong. Images: Prehistoric Planet / Apple TV. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9f87f0c2-b0b2-49ab-9052-c92e136da84d/dinosaur-cognition-April-2024-trained-crocodile-AZ-1146px-152kb-April-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - T. rex the Tool Maker -- Testing Controversial Claims About Dinosaur Smarts - Make it stand out Caption: your reminder that crocodiles, alligators, various lizards, turtles and so on can all be highly trainable, and exhibit many traits that we associate with ‘intelligence’. This image shows a trained Saltwater crocodile Crocodylus porosus at Australia Zoo. Image: Australia Zoo, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/4/8/new-forest-wildlife-park monthly 0.5 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b9241c99-1dbd-4642-8760-32ef69c39b30/NF994B%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of carnivorans kept at the New Forest Wildlife Park. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9e51af97-f4ac-43b5-8b80-a97dce5df0f0/NFWC-April-2024-sign-montage-2016-vs-2024-1272px-265kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the entrance sign as it looked in 2016 (at left) and as it looks in 2024. A great many visitor attractions were hit hard by the Covid pandemic and of course many didn’t survive at all. I have no idea how NFWP made it through that time, but I wonder if the greater visibility of the current sign is related to this time of hardship. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f239f9c4-2e16-4793-a362-cb51d42d1f83/NFWC-7-4-24-giant-otter-face-montage-1395px-166kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the Giant otter occurs across a huge swathe of northern South America that historically extended from north-eastern Argentina and eastern Uruguay to Venezuela in the north, though it’s now extinct across part of this range and endangered overall. As is obvious from these photos, its short muzzle, tall forehead, bulging eyes and small ears give it a very unusual appearance that some people find disturbing. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/705e5e62-8795-4c60-a4d3-6a187215eaee/NFWC-7-4-24-giant-otter-montage-1677px-145kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: some more images from NFWP that highlight the unusual nature of the Giant otter. The flexible, muscular body, powerful limbs and dorsoventrally compressed, ‘wing-like’ tail (which explains its generic name, this being Pteronura) are all obvious here. NFWP bred Giant otters in 2023. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ab6b52a9-0055-4f06-b5b7-a7cd89616157/NFWC-April-2024-European-otter-1656px-216kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: lone European otter currently on show at NFWP. Little commented on is how remarkable the range of this species is: it extends from the European Atlantic fringes all the way east to Japan and the Korean Peninsula, and also includes southeast Asia and Sumatra, a good chunk of northern Africa, in addition to far southern India and Sri Lanka. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c3b3c56d-1d4d-4650-bfbe-90d01d3d4d76/NF8CF7%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the North American river otter can look pretty odd from a Eurasian perspective. It’s especially big and muscular, and animals in some populations (but not all) have a tremendously whiskery, grizzled face. NFWP had two individuals on show in 2016, both visible here. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fc44d1c5-8c5d-4d3e-9ca3-831728c4129c/NFWC-April-2024-owl-montage-1208px-123kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: an owl montage depicting species kept at NFWP today and in the past. Clockwise from upper left: Great horned owl, Northern hawk-owl, Great grey owl, Snowy owl. Owls are afroavians (yes, that’s the vernacular term we should be using) with the latest studies showing that they are indeed close to hawks, eagles and Old World vultures (the accipitriforms). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c703ef5-8ce8-4ba3-9b8a-e77f2867406e/NF1775%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: big hoofstock really should have access to large green spaces, and NFWP is able to provide this for its deer and bison. This photo from February 2012 (when light snow was on the ground, see foreground) shows Red deer and European bison using the field present at the park’s northern edge. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9404c136-157a-4ee0-881f-da8fd7a63c2c/NF0CE9%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the grounds and surrounds of zoos, wildlife parks and so on are as important as the enclosures and their animals. You feel appropriately surrounded by trees at NFWP. The lynx enclosure, shown at right, includes a viewing window (note the bird stickers to prevent collisions) as well as an electrified fence. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2cebd189-2a91-44ee-8ad5-2ce477ee74b4/NF9B03%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: tits photographed at NFWP feeders in 2016. Coal tit Periparus ater at left; Great tit Parus major and European blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus at right. The grounds attract a large number of locally occurring birds and other animals. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/119c66a7-3a96-4d02-ba68-4cd15a070f3d/NF2CD7%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: one of the two large ponds in the middle of the park. It looks pretty good in this shot but changes could be made to make it better suited for amphibians. Tadpoles (and spawning Common frogs Rana temporaria) really benefit from extensive shallow areas, so wildlife ponds should be constructed with this in mind. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/529f9046-e269-4ed1-a368-2f8b4eca4650/NFWC-7-4-24-toad-in-case-999px-116kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: male Common toad at NFWP. Common toads are geographically widespread but the news about their persistence is not good, with massive population crashes being reported across Europe. One hypothesis is that the obliteration of young metamorphs on roads (and not adults so much) is a primary factor in this decline. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/352e0ab1-8234-4544-a30f-87c29461d4b6/NF4CD7%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: I didn’t see any badgers on this trip, but here’s wooden art depicting one on the viewer’s side of their enclosure. The small viewing ports allow the animals to be observed without being aware of it. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c3a0cd09-b79e-4864-8464-d659f09b043a/NF6FF9%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: Pine marten, photographed (with rodent food object) inside wire tunnel. Martens of tradition seem not to be monophyletic, since both fishers (Pekkania) and the American marten Martes americana might be closer to wolverines or tayras (I guess this goes for the Pacific marten M. caurina as well). American and Pacific martens need a new generic name if this is right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6cb0bd92-20f7-475e-961e-1b78b12edd7a/NF2684%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: despite their name, harvest mice aren’t necessarily animals of arable fields, since they also occur in rough grassland and reedbeds. The species familiar in Europe occurs across Asia as well, and a related one (the Indochinese harvest mouse M. erythrotis) occurs in China, Vietnam and presumably elsewhere in eastern Asia. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/103f316e-6ba8-4b31-9e5f-6faaa975cc3c/NF988F%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: a reclining deer group consisting mostly of Fallow, but with a lone Sika at lower left. The Fallow deer at NFWP include very dark individuals as well as standard white-spotted ones. Note how just about everything about the Sika is different once you start checking. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dd55d306-91f0-4b1b-87a2-e9d58f7b5369/NF313A%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: reclining Red deer group at NFWP (clearly, I was looking at them during deer nap time). Maverick the stag is obvious at left. Red deer are big, a male generally weighing 240 kg and standing 1.2 m at the shoulder, but not in the same league as the east Asian/North American Wapiti C. canadensis, where males are not uncommonly over 400 kg and 1.5 m at the shoulder. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8dd43b4e-4ebe-4028-9762-08b078de25ea/NFWC-April-2024-red-deer-antler-montage-2016-vs-2024-1277px-234kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the same Red deer antler at NFWP, photographed in 2016 (at left) and 2024. Note the good amount of rodent gnaw damage that’s now obvious, presumably caused by Grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5fca913e-3368-40c8-a666-0dab2d3151d0/NFWC-2007-deer-montage-1299px-154kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: deer photographed at NFWP in the past, all female. Left to right: Chinese muntjac, Sika, Fallow. The Fallow deer at far right is giving a helpful illustration of how flexible the deer neck is: that neck is twisted and inverted such that the animal’s head is almost completely upside-down. I have a feeling that the photo was featured on SV-POW! for this reason. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c8d73eb6-dfa7-4c9c-a486-2575e19d6767/NFWC-7-4-24-mouflon-2-1529px-237kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: reclining male Mouflon. There are several ideas on what to do about Mouflon taxonomy but it all depends on how independent the population in question is from domestic sheep (Ovis aries). Those Mouflon that aren’t of domestic ancestry should be Ovis gmelini Blyth, 1841. Note that the horn tips of this male have been clipped so that they don’t keep growing and pierce his face: yes, this does happen! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bf627f75-01fe-46dc-beeb-2732a621f962/NF80FF%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the three European bison currently on show at NFWP. The big male at right is Leszek (born at Fota Park in Ireland in 2008) and the male at the back is Heimdall (born in Barcelona Zoo in 2010). The young bull born in 2020 – Vlad – is at far left. I know all this biographical info thanks to the park’s excellent signage. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/275bc57f-571c-4350-abbe-37e2ab1b99b8/NFWC-2007-Came-Down-cattle-1555px-149kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: this photo is nothing whatsoever to do with the New Forest Wildlife Park, but is included here because it highlights the fact that cattle of various kinds – including the English longhorns shown here – occur in places across the British landscape. Most famously, we have the white Chillingham cattle (which I really must write about at some point). This photo was taken at Came Down (yes, real name), Dorset, in 2010. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f1bac944-320a-44df-bf0b-1d5598568310/NF9046%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the Italian boar statue today on display at the Ashmolean, where it’s been located since 1845 after being taken from a garden in Rome. Art historians and researchers have known about the statue since the 1550s but it’s clearly older than that. Its hooves and a few other sections have been repaired. Various bronze and marble statues based on this one are located elsewhere in Italy. I see this statue (and its copies) as celebrations of our appreciation of the wild boar, an amazing animal. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bfc3f7b0-b988-43d2-9735-3f2972a324ce/NFBB02%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: boars kept at NFWP in the past, a sow photographed in 2007 at left, and a boar (as in, a male boar, ha) photographed in 2009 at right. Note that the sow is extremely bulky, short-tailed and black, all features which indicate that she carries a lot more domestic pig genes than the other boars shown here. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3a5bcc85-2b5f-4f02-97f0-36e31cc39528/NFWC-April-2024-boar-1386px-313kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the big male boar – Duke – on show at NFWP in 2024. He (and a female called Duchess) arrived from Wildwood Trust in Kent in 2021. Note how different his long, tasselled tail is from at least one of the boars shown in the pictures above (an issue relevant to the discussion on the Kleinmachnow lion case of July 2023). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4419c55a-c3da-4acc-9702-482d4fce3066/NF06E2%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the wildcat enclosure as of 2024, with a sleeping/resting cat visible as a black blob on a platform at upper right. It’s clearly a recently constructed enclosure, and note that the plants within it are new and young. Give it another few years and the space here will be substantially greener and more vegetated. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f4b0d80a-2bcc-443a-b9fe-12c538bbe60b/NFWP-cat-2019-1084px-134kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: a wildcat at NFWP, photographed in 2016 in a different enclosure from the one they’re present in now. The large amount of white on this animal’s face shows – I think – that it’s a different individual from the two on show today. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bbac1e56-0027-4f82-922f-c15763f00a95/NFWC-7-4-24-wildcat-1-1271px-75kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: two wildcats are present in the enclosure as of 2024, and here’s one of them about to leap from one shelf to another. Scottish wildcats are always said to look much like domestic tabby cats but for their thicker, blunt-tipped tail, generally broader face, and general lack of white on the chin and chest. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e5381b46-189f-4928-a94b-aede7509efef/NF4CD2%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: lynxes present at NFWP in the past. The photo at left was taken in 2007, and I think it shows Odin, a male. The one at right is from 2016 and I think it shows Munchkin, a female. They’re definitely different animals if you look at the spots on the limbs. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/917a3b29-ab6c-414d-a532-1cdce16219e4/NFB31C%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the two females lynxes of NFWP, photographed in 2024. Pretty frustrating that I couldn’t stop the lens from focusing on that rhododendron branch, but at least both animals are in the same shot. The Eurasian lynx is a British native and was here at least as recently as the 8th or 9th century. Dialogue continues on whether there should be an official reintroduction programme. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e81d9657-2483-441b-b9b1-d94fa4002ef1/NFA521%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: NFWP Bennett’s wallaby photographed in the act of stretching. The syndactyl 2nd and 3rd toes on the feet should be visible. The British populations mostly feed on heather, but grasses, pine, bracken shoots, oak, rowan and birch are eaten too. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/923569de-9fc4-4f88-a10d-466b8a2d203b/NFWC-April-2024-wolf-in-pool-1386px-211kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: one of the park’s Alaskan timber wolves. The thick coat is presumably a winter feature, but note also the substantial variation in colour across the animal’s head, body and limbs. It’s generally agreed that the wolf became extinct in the UK in about 1700 when the last Scottish individuals died or were killed, and the species was gone from England by the late 1400s. Skeletal remains show that British wolves were large and superficially like timber wolves. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/096970fa-323a-4337-b82a-75cec124bdf5/NFWP-wolves-2016-1245px-173kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the NFWP wolf pack photographed in 2016, this meaning that it shows the same individuals as those living there today (with the exception of a female who died this year). Lots of interesting body language is visible here, including raised, tucked and horizontal tail postures, and it should be obvious who the leader is (and… we don’t use the term ‘alpha’ anymore). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8c98a5a9-3aca-4ff6-a41d-1c79a04367fc/NFWC-2012-wolves-1458px-259kb-April-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: the NFWP wolf enclosure at it looked in February 2012 (that’s snow on the ground), showing a different set of wolves than the Colchester pack depicted above. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/54607a83-277e-4a0d-b9f5-77f41bb5c111/NF075C%7E1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: New Forest Wildlife Park - Make it stand out Caption: a final reminder of the very special visage of the South American Giant otter, a truly remarkable mammal. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/2/28/matt-bille-of-books-and-beasts monthly 0.5 2024-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d4914b0b-16ff-4807-b019-94fcc1760812/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-Bille-BB-cover-1000px-93kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dd2a8df2-3219-48f9-a88b-64f5293ea532/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-Bille-cover-montage-973px-133kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: Bille’s previous books on cryptozoology include Rumors of Existence (1995) and Shadows of Existence (2006). The thylacine at left was illustrated by Karen Whitman; the Okapi and Saola at right by William M. Rebsamen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/99b40f32-9b7d-4945-ad28-2f1b9e6f82e7/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-cryptozoology-books-1-1909px-292kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: a miscellany of cryptozoological books. This subject is sufficiently arcane, yet at the same time popular, that many of its older books are much sought after and increasingly valuable. A few of the books visible here are now impossible to get at what I consider to be affordable prices. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/027fd3ea-eda3-4037-8a46-cba40f70bc38/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-cryptozoology-books-2-1917px-280kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: more cryptozoological books from my own collection, including a good number of works on sea and lake monsters. The books visible in the middle (on merfolk and dogmen) highlight the amorphous nature of the subject. Is cryptozoology only about ‘sensible’ alleged creatures, or does it also include those most often associated with myth and legend? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/05dae894-8410-4c31-9207-124a966eecd2/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-Heuvelmans-cover-montage-1463px-201kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: the foundational impact of author and researcher Bernard Heuvelmans – whatever you think of his output – is increasingly appreciated, but less well known is that many of his works only exist in French. Certain books about Heuvelmans – like Barloy’s Bernard Heuvelmans: Un Rebelle de la Science – also only exist in French. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec828776-b630-46b7-ab01-ca1ebc52e7ed/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-British-bigfoot-montage-1394px-154kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: the ‘British bigfoot’ crowd sure are a special bunch of individuals. Yes, there are authors and researchers who seriously argue that bigfoot lives in the UK. Several interesting phenomena are at play here, but I don’t think that any of them are zoological in basis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1ab107ac-6907-4d4c-898e-e0b6fc3c8265/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-Hunting-Monsters-1472px-277kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: cryptozoology is a divisive subject. A group of people who tend to share a set of other ideas relating to politics, religion, human rights, and the societal role of science and scientific knowledge are highly aggressive, sometimes comically so, when it comes to whether cryptids are ‘real’ or not. This is obvious when you look at reviews of books like my 2016 Hunting Monsters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/95ecff86-3591-4aa0-b8af-de0c0cdbc20c/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-zoology-cover-montage-2-1304px-154kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: books on such matters as evolutionary history, zoological discovery, extinction and natural history are certainly relevant to cryptozoology at large, but where do you draw the line when including such books in an overview of mystery animal research? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8c9fb02c-0f4c-466e-a228-6d9dfeed3865/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-crypto-fiction-montage-1737px-234kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: books classed as ‘crypto-fiction’ range from ‘serious’ thrillers, horror novels and adventure stories – some very much written for adults – to graphic novels and annotated picture books. I don’t own any of Hawthorne’s Kronos Rising books (nor do I ever intend to), but I’ve enjoyed the crypto-fiction works I’ve read. I may or may not have a pseudonymous connection to certain of these books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f491c016-712d-4919-b618-32b6d0dda989/Bille-BB-review-Feb-2024-cryptozoology-books-3-1457px-211kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Cryptozoologist’s Bibliography: Matt Bille’s Of Books and Beasts - Make it stand out Caption: another motley of cryptozoological works which can again be used to make the point that many of these books are today considered highly collectible. Works like Heuvelmans’s On the Track saw several editions, and dedicated researchers and collectors tend to have more than one. I own three at the moment. I don’t own a first edition of Gould’s The Loch Ness Monster of 1934, the first book ever published on the Loch Ness monster (copies of which are currently available at around £400). The 1969 reprint is easy to get and remains affordable. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/3/15/meeting-lake-zacapus-garter-snake monthly 0.5 2026-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a2f325ff-172d-419c-b495-ae203750bc3a/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-snake-The-Deep-Hull-1121px-190kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: a garter snake in the water, on show at The Deep in Hull, UK. The Deep is a big aquarium located on the edge of the Humber, and it’s home to tropical amphibians and reptiles as well as numerous marine species. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/378748f6-d1e3-46c6-a735-b7a521f9ef46/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-Zacapu-garter-snake-The-Deep-1035px-41kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: a baby Zacapu garter snake, as featured in news articles released by The Deep. Image: (c) The Deep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/10c63b56-fcb7-4d04-b21f-6d6fe8203800/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-colubrid-phylogeny-1074px-103kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: substantially simplified colubrid phylogeny, based on the results of Figueroa et al. (2016), and using the taxonomy where the clades concerned are regarded as colubrid ‘subfamilies', not as ‘families’. Other articles – coming soon – will discuss various of these other groups. Images: Sibynophiinae: Thomas Brown, CC BY 2.0 (original here); Natricinae: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Pseudoxenodontinae: Umeshsrinivasan, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Dipsadinae: Geoff Gallice, CC BY 2.0 (original here); Grayinae: Kate Jackson, used with permission; Calamariinae: in public domain; Ahaetuliinae: Rushenb, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Colubrinae: Dawson, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1ba6c366-ccbb-4aac-8dd6-eca65709d0d3/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-Narix-Benny-Trapp-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1197px-204kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: beautiful photo of a Barred grass snake. This species mostly occurs in the southern half of the UK, the Netherlands, France, Switzlerland and Italy, and is the most familiar snake species to those of us who live in western Europe. It’s diverse enough across this range that five subspecies are currently recognized. Image: Benny Trapp, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c68388bb-79f5-4651-afcd-9ff324cf6db3/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-Tet-Zoo-ver-3-ruined-1437px-134kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: the vast majority of old Tetrapod Zoology articles are ruined. I tried to access this (at left) 2012 Tet Zoo article on colubrid snakes, but all the images have been removed… aaaand you can only look at it for a second anyway before (at right) the note about subscription pops up and makes it invisible. Yes, I have archived versions of these articles (many thanks to those who obtained them and sent them on to me) and will republish them here in time. And I already have so much other stuff to do…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ffd553d1-254e-4157-886a-4de21a44562e/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-Mexican-garter-snake-map-Conant-2003-1381px-158kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: Conant’s 2003 map showing the location of Mexican lakes and drainage areas relevant to garter snake discovery, the caveat being that this depicts their appearance prior to European invasion, in c 1500. Image: Conant (2003). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ceedeb03-33f3-4b4f-a701-83851d8cc8f3/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-Andersons-salamander-Arican-CC-BY-3-0-1321px-112kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: Anderson’s salamander, one of several ambystomatid salamanders endemic to Mexico’s lakes. Most of these species are geologically young and among the most recently evolved of species known to science. Image: Arican, CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/16cbfa2e-3d3a-4959-85a7-00ac0dccdea4/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-Bol-Zacapu-garter-snake-article-1848px-181kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: I haven’t seen the published version of Bol’s 2012 article announcing the rediscovery of the Zacapu garter snake, but a well-illustrated online version is here; above is a screengrab. Image: (c) Steven Bol. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f57c81e7-ea09-4ce6-bf58-64c0f544ab11/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-garter-snake-montage-1682px-424kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: a garter snake montage, depicting some of the variation in size and pigmentation present across the 35 or so species. Clockwise from left: Eastern garter snake T. sirtalis sirtalis, Coast garter snake T. elegans terrestris; Mexican garter snake T. eques. Images: Wilson44691, public domain (original here); Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0 (original here); NS777, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/92d556ec-a2d8-4bb4-8210-59388c66fce2/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-meniscus-around-snake-2-1399px-111kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: the bending of the meniscus about the scales of a garter snake. This might not mean anything. It might just be normal for an object part-submerged in water. Buuut… does it also mean that this snake has water-repellent scales? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9261757a-a8b9-4b2f-93e6-946a20685dc9/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-rattlesnake-hydrophobic-1399px-111kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: rainwater droplets clinging to rattlesnake scales (at left), with a close-up image of a scale at right. As discussed by Phadnis et al. (2019), the scale microornamentation appears adapted for this role. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9ce95686-430f-4f52-96a3-61ccaf809f43/Zacapu-garter-Mar-2024-Bitis-scales-superhydrophobic-1308px-154kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting Lake Zacapu’s Garter Snake - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Bitis has an extremely complex scale surface microornamentation, which is hierarchical on some scales (like the black ones shown in B): there are leaf-shaped protrusions marked with micro-ridges. As the diagram shows, microornamentation varies according to which region of the body the scales come from. At right, we see how the black, velvety scales have superb water-shedding qualities. Images: Spinner et al. (2014). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/3/1/do-lizards-really-have-mite-pockets monthly 0.5 2024-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f6c49ffc-a465-402e-a620-f5622ab1b145/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-mite-pocket-montage-1239px-98kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: a mite pocket montage, showing a mite pocket in a scrub lizard (at left), the mite-filled nuchal pockets of a tropidurid (at upper right), and (at lower right) all the locations where pockets can be present. Images: McCoy et al. (2012); Carvalho et al. (2018); Arnold (1986). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bd2e8da9-e35a-40ee-aef5-fea164c097c2/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-squamate-phylogeny-pocket-presence-2-675px-53kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: a highly simplified squamate phylogeny (based on recent molecular results) serving to emphasize how pockets (P) have evolved several times in distantly related groups. Even within Iguania (represented here as a single lineage), pockets are present in more than four groups. Image: Darren Naish, produced for my in-prep textbook. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ecbb5dd7-0d0e-4109-bfcc-93ad2abc84eb/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Sceloporus-and-Agama-with-mites-1204px-105kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: at left, mites clustered in the right nuchal pocket of a Florida scrub lizard Sceloporus woodi. At right: perhaps casting doubt on the idea that the pockets have co-evolved with mites is the fact that mites cling opportunistically to the skin folds and flaps present in lizards without pockets, like this Agama cristata from Guinea. Images: McCoy et al. (2012); Wagner et al. (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7e9043be-ca01-486c-b032-09e4c307e9dd/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Arnold-1986-pockets-957px-41kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: mite pocket distribution as portrayed on an archetypal lizard. Going from head to tail, they are: n = nuchal; a = axillary; pa = post-axillary; i = inguinal; pf = postfemoral. Image: Arnold (1986). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/03c69be3-9538-4ff2-aa06-535ef0a53253/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-hymenopteran-acarinaria-Okabe-%26-Makino-910px-689kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: other organisms have mite-housing structures that have been seen as precedents to the mite pockets of lizards, including plants and insects. These images show the acarinaria of the small Eurasian wasp Allodynerus delphinalis. The wasps transport the mites to their nests where they help protect Allodynerus from attacks by parasitoids. This is therefore a mutualistic relationship. Image: Okabe & Makino (2008). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/724d5475-d96b-470a-bd11-4ba0e8e41a56/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Nick-Arnold-obit-971px-69kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: Nick Arnold (1940-2023) was honoured with an obituary in The Times (original is here, but paywalled). Few of us will be considered worthy of being memorialized in this way. Image: (c) The Times. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/17650124-2153-4ee7-986d-e24ab952216e/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Arnold-and-Burton-field-guide-editions-1270px-140kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: Nick Arnold’s Collins field guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Europe saw several editions. I don’t have all of them… but I’m working on it. Burton is not credited as a coauthor on the later editions; I don’t know why. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c42b4453-57bd-4cc8-aef0-c64c39d28213/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Arnold-1986-histo-1395px-268kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: Arnold (1986) featured several histological investigations of pocket anatomy and what this meant for mite presence. At left, this section through a nuchal pocket on a fence lizard shows how the collagen (c’) within the pocket is thinner than that elsewhere across the body, and how the epidermis around the mite feeding site (the stylostome, marked s) consisted mostly of lymphoid cells (l). At right, this section through a mite and the post-axillary pocket of a Pristurus gecko from Oman shows how the skin in the vicinity of the stylostome (s) is densely packed with lymphoid cells (l). Images: Arnold (1986). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/36508b4a-a3c7-4185-8a35-eb2d3d98dd11/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Arnold-1986-mites-1504px-538kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: mites clustered in an axillary pocket of a chameleon (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus, though included in Rhampholeon when Arnold was writing). The mites are obviously distinct from the “sculpted surfaces of the scales lining the pockets” and are actually feeding from “the solf folded interstitial skin between the scales” (Arnold 1986, p. 8). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ba800868-1d29-4aac-a92b-a281a8d1d060/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-relevant-sacred-texts-1537px-285kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: I’m old-fashioned and still rely extensively on physical printed literature. This isn’t necessarily because I want to, but because so much of the material I need to access is still not easily findable in digital form. Here are physical reprints of various of the sacred texts discussed in this article. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/99154b1b-5c21-4915-9996-c7e73b89a32c/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Rhacodactylus-Bauer-et-al-1399px-196kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: a left, Gargoyle gecko Rhacodactylus auriculatus in captivity, the species studied by Bauer et al. (1990) in their test of Arnold’s hypothesis. At right, the ventral surface of the hindlimb of R. auriculatus, the popliteal fold and its entrance marked with an arrow. Images: Generish, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Bauer et al. (1990). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5ed4765b-1a79-4c94-91e7-77fde996b1ee/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Flame-neck-skin-folds-1048px-123kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: this is Flame the Central bearded dragon Pogona vitticeps, and like many lizards she has skin folds on the neck and shoulder region that are associated with distinctive ornamentation and markings. This suggests that the evolution of pockets (in the nuchal region at least) is an exaptation, and that the structures started out as being associated with signalling and display. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0ad7e8c2-6b35-4edc-8ffd-dae0affae6f5/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Tropidurus-chromatops-Carvalho-et-al-2018-838px-94kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: male specimen of the Bolivian-Brazilian tropidurid Tropidurus chromatops showing the deep and complex nuchal pockets of this species, in this case full of mites. Note how the pockets are also associated with distinctive pigmentation. Image: Carvalho et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a39f760c-0abf-4d26-838d-1a7599bfb70b/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Agama-with-scale-mites-1265px-127kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: at left, Elmenteita rock agama Agama caudospinosa in the field. At right, a specimen reported by Bertrand & Modrý (2004) in which numerous scale mites were packed under one of the nuchal skin folds. Images: rjq, CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED (original here); Bertrand & Modrý (2004). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/06d70b4f-657d-4569-9171-c9fa0855595e/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Sceloporus-jarrowi-1197px-140kb-Mar-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: Yarrow’s spiny lizard Sceloporus jarrovii, the species used in Reed’s studies on mate selection and mite occurrence. S. jarrovii is a phrynosomatid iguania endemic to Mexico and the southern USA. Image: Greg Schechter, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9f49e0c0-bf60-4a4a-b49d-82bc0633e273/mite-pockets-Mar-2024-Graboidus-1310px-87kb-Mar-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Do Lizards Really Have ‘Mite Pockets’? Caption: certain species within the world of the Squamozoic have evolved elaborate pockets that have a very specialized function. In the giant subterranean amphisbaenian Graboidus, deep slits along the posterior part of the body lead to partitioned internal cavities inhabited by juveniles. Here, they feed on nutritious fluid expressed from the walls of the cavities. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/2/13/third-edition-of-naish-and-barretts-dhtle monthly 0.5 2024-02-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8c84bef2-6cce-44ba-97e9-7f8920900382/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-DHTLE-three-editions-1699px-353kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: first edition at left, second edition at right, third edition in the middle. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d2ac908-90c2-43a4-997d-05616e288771/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-NHM-dinosaur-books-1823px-362kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: I think often about the ‘ancestors’ of Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved, the most important of which are Tim Gardom and Angela Milner’s The Natural History Museum Book of Dinosaurs (first published 1993), and Alan Charig’s A New Look at the Dinosaurs (two editions of which are shown here, first published 1979). Both works have their strengths and weaknesses. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c2d0f38-c854-4987-8288-b15c820abf93/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-Ornithoscelida-cladogram-995px-73kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: massively simplified depiction of the Ornithoscelida phylogenetic hypothesis, as first published by Baron et al. (2017). The image was used in the Tet Zoo article here. Other phylogenetic models have been outed since, some of which even nest Ornithischia within Theropoda. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c09e49a-9889-4d22-a563-d9a637afd830/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-theropod-motley-1378px-146kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: assorted theropod illustrations that appear in the third edition of DHTLE, nearly all of which are new for this edition. (A) Spinosaurus, now with modified tail; (B) Eotyrannus skeletal reconstruction by Dan Folkes; (C) the woodpecker Campethera; (D) Deinonychus skeletal reconstruction by Scott Hartman; (E) the pheasant Phasianus, and (F) the penguin Spheniscus. The birds all feature in a neornithine cladogram. Images: (c) Dan Folkes, (c) Scott Hartman, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8bf47387-7937-4c9c-99ba-a31854953a51/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-heterodontosaurid-life-1406px-100kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: another new illustration included in the third edition of DHTLE, albeit only at small size and in a cladogram. It’s a fuzzy heterodontosaurid. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d6440772-19c7-416c-8946-045b4c256bda/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-Borealopelta-holotype-1175px-188kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: the incredible holotype of the Canadian ankylosaur Borealopelta, published in 2017, has to be regarded as one of the best 20 or so Mesozoic dinosaur specimens reported this century. We didn’t have space to show images of it in DHTLE, but we do at least discuss its significance. Here it is on show at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. Image: ケラトプスユウタ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/86e1dd1d-8b59-4d77-9460-23a37812aa41/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-diplodocid-scalation-in-prep-1364px-190kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: a good artist can draw something with a very complex texture (like the scaly body of a giant dinosaur) and use clever artistic shortcuts in order to avoid doing the ridiculous… like, say, drawing every single scale. I lack that skill, and thus am destined to perform the unthinkable. This close-up shows part of my illustration of a diplodocid, the final version of which appears in the third edition of DHTLE. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ff68f7eb-09ee-4854-baba-dcdab5c1e392/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-new-dinosaur-cladograms-2-1001px-68kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: new cladograms appear in the third edition of DHTLE. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8558aadf-efb1-4d2c-9535-613f3150ea07/RTBAD-Oct-2023-bird-montage-re-use-DHTLE-1311px-209kb-Oct-2023-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: your reminder that ‘dinosaur’ is not synonymous with ‘non-bird dinosaur’. Stop pretending that it is. Also, it’s just not true that all workers specializing on Mesozoic dinosaurs are unfamiliar with modern ones, and for much more on that subject see my October 2023 article on Feduccia’s bizarre Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs book. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b236444e-c937-4080-9b8c-6444c5a21f1a/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-DHTLE-Bob-Nicholls-1167px-139kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: Bob Nicholls is an absolutely joy to work with, and is an incredibly hard worker to boot. Massive thanks are owed to him for the brilliant cover art he produced for Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved. His website is here. Images: (c) Bob Nicholls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/622eb799-d780-46de-8392-89c0ae6a10d4/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-Baryonyx-montage-1637px-154kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: Baryonyx has a special place in the history of British dinosaurs, in our understanding of spinosaurid theropods, and in the palaeontological research of London’s Natural History Museum. These two images are fairly iconic: at left, the late Bill Walker holds the holotype claw; at right, a life reconstruction by John Holmes, produced in 1987. Images: (c) Natural History Museum, London. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a43c4125-ccb3-496a-981b-4af878a54705/DHTLE-3rd-ed-Feb-2024-DHTLE-on-sale-at-NHM-1525px-161kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Third Edition of Naish and Barrett's Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - Make it stand out Caption: proof that the third edition is on sale in the Natural History Museum shop, a photo from January 2024. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/2/5/live-spawnwatch-action monthly 0.5 2024-02-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1ce10e3a-5c3d-4980-b588-9c5703c99772/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-clutches-5-2-24-1385px-337kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Caption: the shallow end of pond 2 as of February 5th. When spawn is fresh, it’s tight, compact and rubbery, but as it matures its jelly absorbs water, expands and becomes much less firm. It’s possible to age the spawn by days and even hours (approximately) on the basis of its look. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1801f41b-4124-46b9-80cb-c67c7685dfe2/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-adults-massing-1384px-151kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Caption: these photos give you some idea of how packed things get, of how many frogs there are here. The image at right (taken from distance from an upstairs window) basically shows a massive brawling scrum of 30 or more frogs. Images: Darren Naish, Toni Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6bdcb1dc-e4f9-4043-9208-833d3f2843a1/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-adults-gathering-29-1-24-1883px-333kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Caption: it’s the 29th January and frogs are gathering for a weeks-long event. No spawn had appeared at this point. The shallow part of the pond at far right is where the frogs (mostly) spawn. No females are visible in this photo. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4b7ce9e7-a359-467d-9b5d-e07a5e5ad53f/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-clutches-3-2-24-1237px-222kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Caption: heavy frog activity on February 3rd. You’ll notice from these photos that individual frogs can be distinguished on the basis of their markings. I’m making an effort to identify individuals and monitor them year to year. Other such projects are underway elsewhere and very much ahead of me in terms of the data collected. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a871899c-8d47-4ccf-8a1d-c03abafab421/HWM2024-Feb-2024-Chris-Packham-opening-talk-1762px-184kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Caption: Chris Packham welcomes delegates to the Herpetofauna Workers Meeting 2024, this year held at Solent Hotel and Spa, Whiteley, Hampshire. Two days of talks, workshops and events on where we’re at with respect to work on newts, anurans and squamates of Britain and Ireland. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5b797c4c-a97b-41fe-a2f4-53d75533c844/HWM2024-Feb-2024-montage-1597px-187kb-Feb-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Caption: select images from the Herpetofauna Workers Meeting 2024. Many books were on sale, including from NHBS and Pelagic. I did something that I’m still trying to process and purchased the massive and substantial Salamanders & Newts of the World by Jean Raffaëlli. The card newt head was made during the quiz. I think you can agree that we done good (my team came third overall). Images: Darren Naish, Steve Allain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9f88aace-5253-4401-a21e-e95c1c28961a/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-spawn-at-HVE-5-2-24-1698px-294kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f456b0af-3f85-479f-87d6-e9c296f71daa/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-plump-male-amplexus-5-2-24-1659px-252kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8414bff6-49c1-4ca3-914a-4ba92d1eaaed/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-activity-6-2-24-1635px-303kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e8bc35ba-f86d-42ff-a7f2-576be15974d0/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-spawn-8-2-24-1580px-284kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec47b24a-62f8-41fe-a85d-594b61cd20fa/spawnwatch-Feb-2024-graph-for-2024-as-of-22-2-24-1250px-42kb-Feb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Live Spawnwatch Action From Pond 2 at Tet Zoo Towers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/1/31/megalochelys-truly-a-giant-tortoise monthly 0.5 2026-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/658af3a4-f932-4889-99a0-49ab1d5c21dc/Megalochelys-Jan-2024-giant-tortoise-montage-1278px-282kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Megalochelys, Truly a Giant Tortoise - Make it stand out Caption: I’m not lucky enough to have ever seen any giant tortoises in the wild. In fact, I’ve never seen any tortoises, of any sort, in the wild, ever. But here are some captive and museum giant tortoises I have seen. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8e5291ec-e66d-4d0b-b5b2-e7a002fdf38a/Megalochelys-Jan-2024-AMNH-mount-Clair-Houck-CC-BY-SA-2-0-844px-108kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Megalochelys, Truly a Giant Tortoise - Make it stand out Caption: the very familiar mounted Megalochelys (AMNH 6332) on show at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This specimen was collected by Barnum Brown in the Siwalik Hills of India in 1922 and was restored from thousands of fragments likened to the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Some of the features here are not especially realistic (look at those hands) but others are close to reality: note the forked epiplastral structure at the front of the plastron, the tall, ‘sawn off’, steep-fronted nose, and the wide, oval anterior opening to the shell. Image: Claire Houck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8e5cd0fc-b415-4c78-93ea-9414a9b1b255/Megalochelys-Jan-2024-giant-tortoise-and-hyaenid-disagree-Hodari-Nundu-2021-1307px-166kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Megalochelys, Truly a Giant Tortoise - Make it stand out Caption: back in 2021, I published two articles on the occasional carrion-eating proclivities of tortoises. Hodari Nundu was sufficiently inspired to produce this excellent illustration, in which a Megalochelys disputes carcass ownership with the hyaenid Pachycrocuta. The venue is Pleistocene south Asia. Image: Hodari Nundu, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/44c4de43-407a-430d-9e8f-f77b6b07919f/Megalochelys-Jan-2024-Bakker-1986-1607px-230kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Megalochelys, Truly a Giant Tortoise - Make it stand out Caption: a familiar reconstruction of Megalochelys if you share a reading history at all similar to mine. This is Robert Bakker’s reconstruction from his 1986 The Dinosaur Heresies. The silhouette depicting Megalochelys might be somewhat oversized relative to the human and the modern giant tortoise… but then again, it might not given the size variation present in the three species depicted here. Image: (c) Robert Bakker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f822783b-e01a-454f-94e2-31abbc58f8d5/Megalochelys-Jan-2024-epiplastra-plastral-fork-2-1375px-69kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Megalochelys, Truly a Giant Tortoise - Make it stand out Caption: the bifurcated, gently curved epiplastral fork or ploughshare of Megalochelys. At left, the reconstructed epiplastral fork of M. sivalensis, figured by Srivastava & Schleich (2018) and based on the holotype figured by Falconer & Cautley (1837). At right (the three photos labelled a, b, c), the same structure in (a) dorsal, (b) ventral and (c) right lateral views, this time belonging to a Megalochelys cf. sivalensis specimen from Java described by Setiyabudi (2009). The ploughshare is highly variable in precise size and shape, as is typical for structures that have a role in sexual combat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a45ed48c-c149-453b-b5a3-3301f8b7fdfb/Megalochelys-Jan-2024-battling-Centrochelys-1307px-166kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Megalochelys, Truly a Giant Tortoise - Make it stand out Caption: a long, bifurcated epipastral ‘ploughshare’ is present in various tortoises in addition to Megalochelys, and is used by them in shoving and fighting. African spurred tortoise or Sulcata tortoises Centrochelys sulcata – like the two shown here – do this, as do Madagascan Angonoka or Ploughshare tortoises Astrochelys yniphora. Image: a screengrab from Fred’s Reviews58 YouTube video here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e4671b6b-ed0c-41a4-b708-5ebf7f752b10/Megalochelys-Jan-2024-Flores-shell-Naish-reconstruction-1171px-72kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Megalochelys, Truly a Giant Tortoise - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a reconstructed Megalochelys carapace and plastron. Features to note include relatively large openings for the limbs and a highly domed shape. If you do plan to reconstruct this tortoise, be sure to view the shell from all angles, since it’s wide relative to its height. The scale bar is 10 cm. This specific specimen is from Flores and was reported by Setiyabudi (2016). Yes, these tortoises were on Flores during the Pleistocene, and hence lived alongside Komodo dragons, small stegodonts, giant storks and so on. At right, a life reconstruction that incorporates information from this specific shell. Images: Setiyabudi (2016); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c7cd00d8-014c-4307-816a-e0c89c7b6bc6/Megalochelys-Jan-2024-scaled-final-drawing-1155px-117kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Megalochelys, Truly a Giant Tortoise - Make it stand out Caption: a Megalochelys specimen with a CCL (curved carapace length) of 2 m would look stupendous. Here I’m going to follow the long tradition of showing this animal to scale with a modern human: the one used here has a standing height (without hat) of 1.6 m. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/1/16/tetrapod-zoology-reaches-18-years-of-age monthly 0.5 2025-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8581804b-80a6-4386-bff1-2084f0ac71f6/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-opening-montage-1313px-215kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of things relevant to Tetrapod Zoology’s 2023. From left to right: a cassowary in Florida, a basilisk (top), a muscovy duck, and some 3D-printed dinosauroid models. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/57df75d8-9222-4354-8656-281bd0e7c2a6/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Evolve-sea-reptiles-1690px-253kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: ancient sea reptiles get covered in the Natural History Museum’s Evolve magazine (message me if you want a pdf of the article), the same issue that announces the museum’s hosting of Titanosaur, an exhibit devoted to the biology and anatomy of the giant sauropod Patagotitan. Images: (c) Natural History Museum, London. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5325db99-b3b7-437d-a189-c7c51e835c41/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-MOTD-Chatham-1120px-93kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: Monsters of the Deep as it looked at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Essex, during November 2023. See Steve’s article for more images taken during his visit. Image: Steve Allain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bcba9ed4-bc35-4ba3-a290-f33a29dadeb8/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-frogs-spawning-event-2-1509px-315kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: the shallow end of pond 2 during February 2023. Common frogs need very shallow areas in which to spawn, since their eggs will only develop if in sunlight. Something I hadn’t appreciated before 2023 is that large numbers of frogs have the ability to modify the shallow parts of ponds through their activity, since their competing, fighting and constant moving removes leaf litter and sediment. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c5ba33ca-676c-443c-81ba-a444f885b674/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-frogs-spawning-event-1528px-298kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: fresh spawn is tight, compact and rubbery, and individual clutches are easy to distinguish. But as the spawn absorbs water, it stretches out and individual clutches become hard to distinguish. We definitely ended up with at least 24 masses of spawn, but that number is conservative. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3be6c697-cd17-45cd-bc46-854c12fed90c/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-frogs-spawning-graph-1367px-46kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: a depiction of spawn clutch number present in the ponds here at Tet Zoo Towers, recorded over the time that we’ve had ponds. A long period of almost nothing followed by a rapid, exponential rise. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/03564244-35ae-49d4-86e5-d121de295d4f/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-New-Forest-Feb-2023-1662px-445kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: I’m lucky enough to live close to the New Forest National Park and get to visit it often. Here’s a scene from February 2023. It’s an interesting place for lots of reasons, including its massive bracken meadows and ‘wild’ ponies. A very problematic thing about the forest – remember, it’s labelled a ‘National Park’ – is that it’s generally seen by people as a dog playground, meaning that literally thousands of dogs run about the forest every single day. So, good luck conserving ground-nesting birds, the wildlife of ponds and streams, ground water quality and so on. I say all of this as a dog owner myself. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1d2c3763-6396-436a-8698-aec781d6c375/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-New-Forest-ponies-Mar-2023-1662px-445kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: having mentioned New Forest ponies, here’s a montage. These ponies were all photographed on the same day (23rd May 2023). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1df143e2-d44a-4442-87ff-2102956097c6/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Dorling-Kindersley-montage-1618px-268kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: my relationship with Dorling Kindersley has been long and fruitful. As I said in this article from 2022, the 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life (which I co-authored with David Lambert and Liz Wyse) should probably be considered the most significant book I’ve been involved in. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/77dea2f1-47a6-4683-8dd5-5d5071fad3cf/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-DK-school-visit-Twickenham-July-2023-1126px-169kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: in a London school during June 2023, I tell a group of Year 4 children what it’s like to get to work on books. Image: Hattie Hansford/Dorling Kindersley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8db7b2c9-453c-4502-a228-7d09c918ce49/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Lyme-Regis-Fossil-Festival-April-1568px-654kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival of 2023. At right, a replica miniature Neovenator skeleton owned by a company that specializes in the digitizing and printing of fossils. I’ve shown images of this replica before. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/75f433d8-62f9-43cf-8aa7-d6cf7aeeb286/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-PP-Queen-Elizabeth-Hall-1365px-152kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: a Prehistoric Planet season 2 promotional event at Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s South Bank. At left, Liz Bonnin hosts. At right, (left to right) executive producer Mike Gunton, series producer Tim Walker and consultant Darren Naish field question. Behind and around us are members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Image: Amber Cherry Eames. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea63c937-5583-414d-b4a7-b877db0dbb85/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-PP-London-ComicCon-1266px-136kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: at another Prehistoric Planet season 2 event, series producer Tim Walker and I discuss the making of the series from the main stage of London’s MCM Comic Con during May 2023. Images: Toni Naish, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/82ff62ae-07e5-4c02-84c5-0a8f3a96ee16/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-PP-MPC-event-May-2023-1105px-142kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: images from the Prehistoric Planet season 2 media event held at the offices of MPC in Soho (London) in early May 2023. Dinosaur-shaped biscuits at left; my buddy Prehistoric Planet producer Dom Walter at right, outside The Ship. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0acb2809-adfc-400b-8604-7f76404857bd/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-PP-poster-and-models-1-1178px-133kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: a selection of Prehistoric Planet objects I own. The poster board might be familiar. As for the models: sadly, Apple aren’t interested in producing Prehistoric Planet merchandise, but fans of the series have made their own incredibly good versions, some of which are available for sale online. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5aace9cf-bb28-43fc-bfd8-466dac3031af/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-PP-poster-and-models-2-1588px-193kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: a close-up of those amazing (but unofficial) Prehistoric Planet models. The large swimming Tyrannosaurus at left is by Ancestors Models (sadly not available for sale at the moment). The remainder are by Marco Makes whose products are here on Etsy. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6f8dfd85-b4b0-4340-a1cd-973096451900/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-PP-Ancestors-Tyrannosaurus-2-Mar-2023-1577px-188kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: more detailed images of the amazing Prehistoric Planet-inspired swimming Tyrannosaurus model made by Ancestors Models (sadly not available for sale at the moment). It’s built to float (though I admit that I haven’t tested this) and is beautifully painted. The company concerned is set to produce more models of this quality. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/446cdf94-ecb8-4d58-888c-46429dc81789/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Marwell-crocodile-monitor-1688px-280kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: a captive (and not yet fully grown) Crocodile monitor consumes a furry vertebrate object. How predators process, manipulate and swallow prey is a hugely important component of their natural history: for many animals we still have comparatively little information on this aspect of their evolution and biology, so observation and study of it is always welcome. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1180fdd2-a2cc-4f92-a7d1-fca2f5bc2277/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Marwell-clouded-leopard-1425px-102kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: the clouded leopards are among the most beautiful and anatomically remarkable of all cats. I wrote about them briefly in 2007, back when the Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi was resurrected from synonymy. It’s fitting that the two Marwell Zoo individuals shown here were photographed while partly concealed by foliage. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d9e0d9c-2efe-4054-8a46-066f55866c44/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-PeerJ-baryonychine-tooth-montage-1616px-150kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: it’s pretty scary how much science can be done on isolated teeth. They are the very opposite of useless and disposable bits of evidence. The paper being depicted here is, again, open access. Images: Barker et al. (2023b). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/85b9a21e-b4ea-49f1-8fa5-893473301438/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Brazil-fail-and-Ilfracombe-trip-Mar-2023-1711px-229kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: your connecting flight was late, but you rush to the gate anyway… and find that the plane you were hoping to get is still there! Maybe they’ll see you and let you on. Nope, you can do nothing but watch it leave. How depressing. At right: a nighttime view from a walk about the town of Ilfracombe in coastal north Devon. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec0a8a03-20da-4756-82df-a5e76a41bab2/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Ilfracombe-Verity-June-2023-1624px-194kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: there are several good reasons to go to Ilfracombe, and one of them is Verity, the 20-metre-tall statue designed by Damien Hirst, put in place in 2012 and cast by Pangolin Editions in 40 separate sections. On her right (seaward) side, she is flensed, such that her skull, musculature, internal breast tissue and foetus are visible. She is intended as an allegory for truth and justice, and stands atop a pile of books and holds a sword aloft. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8ac243c4-cfd5-4808-8ede-1304f4b61c7c/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Ilfracombe-gull-with-gurnard-June-2023-1704px-206kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: as a seaside town, Ilfracombe is of course home to gulls, and I love gulls. This lucky Herring gull Larus argentatus is taking advantage (or trying to take advantage) of a gurnard discarded at the dockside by a fisherman. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/45ab0a37-77a7-4fe8-a00f-650f38e8afd2/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Kleichmachnow-lion-July-2023-1357px-137kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Tetrapod Zoology evaluation of the Kleichmachnow lion-that-wasn’t. At right, a German news item (here, translated into English; original here) that covers this interpretation. It turned out that the version of the video shared by the media was selectively cropped in order to remove the unambiguous boar footage present both before and after the ‘lion’ section, and that the person who filmed the footage never said it was a lion anyway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/954c49c2-40aa-49bd-b1dd-2032ed30d7a2/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Festival-of-Nature-BBC-NHU-late-June-2023-1821px-225kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: a Prehistoric Planet event at the Festival of Nature in late June 2023. The silhouette depicts the tyrannosaurid Qianzhousaurus (which appeared in Prehistoric Planet season 1); the skull is that of a Mosasaurus. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35544120-71b5-4f89-8a81-ff2a4ff657f0/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-June-garden-1411px-359kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: part of the space around our house is paved, which is not ideal if we want to help nature. But we can improve things by having planted areas and plants growing in pots, as here. Since this photo was taken in June 2023 I’ve acquired another water butt. Image: Darren Naish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/49d3ecd9-13a2-4b3b-a269-1b137065f09e/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-slow-worm-Highcliffe-July-2023-1363px-94kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: proof that Slow worms Anguis fragilis still exist in southern England. This one was encountered at Highcliffe, Dorset, during July 2023. Slow worms used to occur in the part of the UK where I live but they’ve mostly disappeared from the places where I used to be able to find them. This is an animal whose survival is contingent on the things mentioned above: they need green spaces with natural cover, arthropods and other small animals, and so on. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7edced6a-4f92-4f02-a581-646ccc81337e/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-frogs-in-front-garden-July-2023-1510px-152kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: frogs again, this time encountered foraging in the garden during July 2023. Frogs have white eyeshine and incredible low-light eyesight. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3f8cd33d-e687-4bb5-8513-93865d3a4f48/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Biscay-whale-watching-sunrise-July-2023-1403px-176kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: I’m naturally very lazy and hence don’t ordinarily see sunrise. But I do when I go whale watching, and here is one. It was shortly after 7am on a July morning. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3e4809bc-5e39-4551-a2ab-acf30a936093/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Biscay-whale-watching-weather-July-2023-1405px-98kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: that grey blurry mass on the right is a cloud dumping some quantity of rain, and we’re about to go through it. It rained a lot on our 2023 trip and was extremely windy at times, so much so that we had to stay off deck for part of the trip. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/365e29e7-9143-4ba2-ae19-1278a9a35de3/TETZOO%7E4.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: these are Sowerby’s beaked whales Mesoplodon bidens, a new species for me. This is the only beaked whale in the region with a long, slender rostrum, a low melon, and a greyish overall colour. It has small, paired lower jaw teeth located halfway along the lower jaw and was the first species of the highly speciose genus Mesoplodon to be scientifically described. Images: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1147569d-1921-4ab3-8b2c-41c7d32bf1b0/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Biscay-fin-whale-montage-July-2023-1422px-157kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: we saw an incredible number (for me!) of Fin whales on our 2023 trip, certainly over 20, mostly distant blows. Fin whales roll quickly, such that the dorsal fin is soon directly beneath the remnant of the still-hanging blow. Images: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/68ba9d2b-6ef6-48f9-b02d-8188f39114a4/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Plymouth-National-Marine-Aquarium-July-2023-1478px-145kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: Plymouth’s National Marine Aquarium is great, and I’ve been there several times. I like life-sized animal models, and here’s a leatherback sea turtle, humpback whale and killer whale in the large hall that’s also home to the giant Eddystone Reef exhibit. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0f8b34a7-b069-4acd-a298-4ae019c7456e/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Plymouth-prawn-and-Book-Cupboard-1385px-116kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: when in Plymouth, we visited the Barbican Prawn (officially The Leviathan), and here it is (at left) in less than ideal weather conditions. At right, my book haul from The Book Cupboard, an impressive lot if you share my interests. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec8aaee2-97cb-4717-a70a-f36de5d7eaac/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-urban-roe-Aug-2023-1832px-282kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: I live in, and am unable to escape from, the suburban environment. Wildlife is mostly in chronic decline in such places. But it remains surprising how adaptable and tenacious some species are. Look here for the cryptic Roe deer Capreolus capreolus, photographed in August 2023 only a few metres across the road from my house. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8695fd9b-f105-40d7-a35e-d09321e3d9a6/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Hunstanton-Herring-gulls-2023-1397px-144kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: more hot Herring gull action, this time from Hunstanton, Norfolk. This picture is part of a whole sequence in which the two birds challenged each other and eventually fought. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/46795bd1-f9bf-49e1-9d02-8145349cee47/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Wells-next-the-sea-gull-colony-2023-1593px-187kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: part of a gull colony at Wells-next-the-sea, Norfolk, photographed during July 2023. You can see the live, normal-looking gulls, I’m sure, but look harder and there are a worrying number of sick, dying and dead ones here too (there’s plastic waste as well, but of course). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f73545c2-ef37-47c3-952a-c4b663e06d4a/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Norfolk-seals-2023-1835px-161kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: the seals I mostly see around the shores of the UK are Grey seals Halichoerus grypus, but these are Common or Harbour seals (photographed at Wells-next-the-sea, Norfolk). A nice, tranquil scene. All was well and good until a guy on a paddleboard, with his two kids, insisted on coming right up to the seals, this causing them to flee. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f7def3ca-50a6-43b8-a7bf-2ba82f1aca75/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Central-Asia-from-the-air-1396px-183kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: I was pleased that we flew across Asia during daylight, meaning that I got views from the plane like this. I’m not quite sure what country or region this spectacular mountainous scenery belongs to; let me know if you can work it out. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/58d2d6c9-73fb-436a-b1f5-98378d7374d8/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Romit-Valley-peaks-1392px-132kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: the Tajik countryside was truly spectacular. I’ve never seen so many amazing mountains. Unfortunately, the regions we visited were far from ‘remote’, however, and signs of human presence and use were everywhere. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2a462cca-211e-43d3-af17-7102703dcb18/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Romit-Valley-bridges-1630px-288kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: Tajikistan is a land of massive, raging rivers, and numerous wooden bridges have been built to allow their crossing, some safer than others. A massive series of storms passed across the region where we were staying during the latter part of the trip and several bridges were lost. In the photos here, Richard Freeman is visible at left and Jon Hare at right. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0534b8fb-860a-400e-b5e9-4128557fb6b7/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Lyndhurst-Kate-Acheson-stall-1269px-167kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: at the 2023 Mineral and Fossil Fair (in Lyndhurst, Hampshire), Kate Acheson-Dumbravă is in charge of the ZOIC PalaeoTech stall. She has plush dinocarididans (and more)! Kate and I go way back and did fieldwork in Romania together, back in the day. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/380bc202-3136-4eaa-a148-dfdf66026d91/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Sturt-Pond-MOS-1271px-162kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: I visited a massive number of local places where you can look at wildlife during 2023, but I mostly haven’t discussed them here as this article is already way too long. Here’s an interesting shot showing Sturt Pond, Milford-on-Sea, during October 2023, where a Herring gull is pretending that it’s a wader, perhaps because it was aiming to steal from the Little egret Egretta garzetta just ahead of it. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5d510d25-d980-4dd3-859d-fd739bc36f04/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Loch+Ness-Chan5-doc-22-9-23-743px-75kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: title card for Channel 5’s Loch Ness: Hunting the Monster. I have no idea how accessible it is outside of the UK, but to those within it it’s available here on the My5 app. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bf013774-b92d-400b-be55-f91b0291d9c8/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Channel-5-LNM-1205px-91kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: a less than ideal image of that Darren Naish guy appearing in yet another documentary on the Loch Ness Monster. I just know that the two or three Nessie truthers that still exist out there love it when they see me appear on these shows. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/985bba85-208e-41f0-a445-ccb31c093947/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-8outof10-all-3-976px-178kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: Darren, young Aneeshwar, and Chris (at right) talk dinosaur models and toys at Tet Zoo Towers. Aneeshwar is holding the giant Beasts of the Mesozoic T. rex figure; I’m holding the much-sought-after Dinosaurs in the Wild one. Image: Anil Kunchala. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1ca75fd7-5190-4a8f-9cd3-46d8503b6540/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Moistly-Harmless-montage-1157px-185kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the cover of Ethan Kocak’s amazing Moistly Harmless of 2023, with associated merch and artwork. At right, some of the beautiful art (some by guest artists) that appears within. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b47d126b-b375-47c8-9bb2-3f093b3abd42/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-DHTLE-3rd-ed-1364px-146kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: goodbye second edition, hello third. Bob Nicholls has done the cover art for both of these editions, and let’s see if we can keep this tradition going into the future. Images: Natural History Museum Publishing/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/52d32b6d-29b5-46c1-bf4a-e036b4dbda7e/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Dinosaurier-Naish-%26-Barrett-Mar-2023-13671341px-184kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: at left, cover of the extremely well designed Dinosauriërs: Hoe Spectaculaire Fossielen en Nieuwe Technieken ons Beeld Steeds Completer Maken. I like the late-1980s John Sibbick cover art, even though it does seem an odd choice for a book published in 2023. Many of us of course best know that piece from the cover of the 1990 Dinosaurs: A Global View by Sylvia and Stephen Czerkas. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9560ffac-c30a-489c-b8f9-8f0c283ee649/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Loch-Ness-TCAM-1221px-106kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: the BBC iplayer card for They Created a Monster. If you know your Loch Ness Monster history, you might recognize the artistic depictions of various of the players. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5ff04ab5-e56b-4416-aa0d-8affc56d592b/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Jennifer-Campbell-Smith-art-1221px-111kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: Jennifer Campbell-Smith very kindly produced this image of a Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus, one of my favourite animals., as a sort of personal thanks for her involvement in TetZooCon 2023 (she spoke on corvids). It was fantastic to have her there. Image: Jennifer Campbell-Smith. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f1e0f23e-67c3-40be-b404-4155d63278b8/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-ICW-David-Lindo-2023-13671341px-184kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: your humble author, at left, with the always excellent David Lindo (and a particularly good background. I really must get a greenscreen). Images: The Urban Birder (original video here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c69f545-4c6f-4acb-a9ab-5a02fde3b3b0/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-200-Years-of-Dinosaurs-Jan-2024-1653px-369kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the excellent 200 Years of Dinosaurs conference, held at the Natural History Museum, London. Prof Paul Barrett opens the meeting at upper right. The original Megalosaurus lower jaw was present and had been specially brought along by arrangement with Oxford University Museum of Natural History. I include (middle image, lower row) an image from Matt Lamanna’s talk on Antarctic dinosaurs since it shows the Prehistoric Planet season 2 depiction of Imperobator… will that reconstruction (which I and others designed) stand the test of time? Images: Darren Naish, Michael Pittman (lower right). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7d500784-278b-4a3d-a235-dbfb2128dcd7/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-graph-1391px-53kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/54bdc31c-efcb-418e-93bf-d5244aca00d8/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-Flame-in-garden-May-2023-1177px-274kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: Flame the bearded dragon is alive and well, and here she is foraging in the garden during May 2023. On the same day, she swam in the pond (hence the bits of duckweed stuck to her arm). Her bright orange tones indicate that this was all a positive thing from her point of view. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/799f1ffa-6b84-49b8-944b-a8b387d7b6ba/TetZoo-18th-Birthday-Jan-2024-patreon-books-2023-1682px-188kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Reaches 18 Years of Age - Make it stand out Caption: here’s proof, of a sort, that the amazing people who support me at patreon do get bespoke gifts on occasion. Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/1/8/obscure-african-toads monthly 0.5 2026-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1a2275ed-9f50-434d-880f-e897d9946380/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-bufonid-montage-1136px-121kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of animals relevant to this article. (A) a typical Bufo toad, purely for scale-related reasons; (B) Merten's smalltongue toad Werneria mertensiana, one of the species discussed in this article; (C) tadpole of a red-back toad (Schismaderma); (D) even stranger tadpole of Werneria. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/014ab1f8-384a-4aa9-b268-ed4ed7d585d1/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Tet-Zoo-toad-series-montage-1-1396px-226kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c1e3580d-f1f0-4675-aa42-dcd10b9b1d40/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Tet-Zoo-toad-series-montage-2-1248px-193kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/714e2585-bf8f-49c5-8ea6-bfdbff08e77d/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Tet-Zoo-toad-series-montage-3-1223px-216kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: the montages above show – just in case you don’t know – how much toad-related progress has been made at Tet Zoo over the years (specifically, between 2009 and 2014). See the bottom of this article for links to these articles and others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3f93908b-16dd-4c31-9afe-1f2072ae9a64/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-toads-cladogram-Van-Bocxlaer-et-al-updated-717px-82kb-Dec-2014-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: highly simplified phylogeny for Bufonidae with some of the main evolutionary and biogeographical events marked at appropriate places. Based predominantly on Van Bocxlaer et al. (2010). Atelopus by Giovanni Alberto Chaves Portilla CC BY-SA-2.5; Rhaebo by Brian Gratwicke CC-BY-SA-2.0; Anaxyrus by LA Dawson CC BY-SA 2.5; Rhinella by Froggydarb CC BY-SA-3.0; Mertensophryne by Vladimir Dinets, used with permission; Bufo s. s. by Kruczy89 CC BY-SA 3.0; Bufotes by Richard Bartz CC BY-SA 3.0; Ansonia by Thomas Brown CC BY-SA 2.0; Duttaphrynus by L. Shyamal CC BY-SA 2.5. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ffedd5d8-f0c3-42d3-bab3-9fe373eae071/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Nectophryne-batesii-Dupont-914px-126kb-Nov-2014-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: Bate’s tree toad Nectophryne batesii, one of the two species in the genus. It has been reported across a relatively large part of the African tropics, from Nigeria and Cameroon in the west to Central African Republic in the east and Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon in the south. This distribution might say something about geological antiquity, buuut might not. Image: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d9481e08-c81b-4216-ada8-b69e3dfe7882/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Wernia-mertensiana-2-718px-57kb-Nov-2014-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: Merten's smalltongue toad Werneria mertensiana. These are mid-sized anurans, with SVLs of 30-50 mm. They hide in leaf litter as well as being associated with streams. Drawing by Darren Naish, based on photo by Mary E. Gartshore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7e7c9f85-5721-430d-ad9f-edbe7c95c934/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Werneria-tadpole-2-1897px-140kb-Nov-2014-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: Werneria tadpole in lateral view. The sucker-like mouth is fringed with soft, flap-like extensions. Illustration by Darren Naish, based on a drawing from Rödel et al. (2004). These tadpoles are around 17-24 mm long in total. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f09e3742-95c2-448e-bf69-df5616b221a2/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Didynamipus-sjostedti-V%C3%A1clav-Gvo%C5%BEd%C3%ADk-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-2.5-1143px-75kb-Nov-2014-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: Four-digit toad Didynamipus sjostedti, photographed in the wild by Václav Gvoždík. It’s tiny, females having an SVP of 19 mm, males 16 mm. Image CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b0682834-0bf1-459b-b6e3-a0f5ac6ee35a/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-African-Red-backed-toad-Willems-v-d-Merwe-849px-159kb-Nov-2014-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: excellent illustration of Red-backed toad by Willems van der Merwe. Schismaderma toads is a bit different from the other toads discussed in this article: it’s relatively large size, granular dorsal skin texture, toxicity and large egg clutches make it part of the ‘range-expansion phenotype’ identified in toads by Van Bocxlaer et al. (2010) (for more on that concept, see the 2011 article The toads series comes to SciAm: because Africa has toads too). Image: Willems van der Merwe, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/07510836-d20b-4992-b6c1-d36707d495ad/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Schismaderma-tadpole-2-1840px-174kb-Nov-2014-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: Red-backed toad tadpole in lateral view. These tadpoles are relatively large, reaching 35 mm. They’re social and move about in tightly packed ball-shaped shoals. Illustration by Darren Naish, based on illustration in Channing (2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0e2cd569-b004-4c9e-acad-e28b27a27919/Afrotoads-Jan-2024-Schismaderma-branchi-981px-82kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Small Obscure African Toads; Toads Part 14 - Make it stand out Caption: holotype male specimen of Schismaderma branchi Baptista et al., 2021. The species is so far unique to the Luando River sub-basin, bordering the Cuanza-Congo watershed, of Angola, but there are suspicions that its distribution might be broader. Image: Baptista et al. (2021). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2024/1/3/what-if-anything-is-a-strabomantid monthly 0.5 2025-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5361565a-cb62-4ec2-afd3-64d857521f0f/strabomantids-Jan-2024-hyloid-frogs-montage-new-May-2017-1225px-210kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: a hyloid montage. What is that small creature in the red circle? It’s a terraranan, and it’s here to shake things up… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/280d6b58-ecd1-41e7-b563-9acdb6c5f3e6/strabomantids-Jan-2024-Bahia-Dias-et-al-2017-and-Barycholos-Lucas-Grandinetti-1374px-171kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: two representatives of Strabomantidae, demonstrating typical morphology for the group. At left, Two-lined robber frog Bahius bilineatus, a holoadenine that occurs across the Brazilian state of Bahia and is predicted to occur in Minas Gerais as well. At right, Savage’s goias frog Barycholos ternetzi of central Brazil. Barycholos is also a holoadenine. Images: Rafael O. Abreu, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Lucas Grandinetti, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d3fb3c56-3898-4c0a-a960-0fce23b2fb54/strabomantids-Jan-2024-Atopophrynus-Lynch-%26-Ruiz-Carranza-1982-1245px-134kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: images of the Sonson frog Atopophrynus syntomopus from the original description. In the head, note the lack of features around the ear region. In the figures of the hands (A and B) and feet (C and D), note the strongly reduced first toe (C and D) and the T-shaped distal phalanges. This frog is tiny: the scale bars are 2 mm. Images: Lynch & Ruiz-Carranza (1982). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec7c5c75-2867-44fa-adfe-ffb10dad5786/strabomantids-Jan-2024-Hedges-et-al-2008-terraranan-discovery-curve-1308px-100kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: a very useful figure from Hedges et al. (2008), highlighting the continual rise over time in our knowledge of strabomantids and their kin, the terraranan frogs. This figure also makes the point that a small number of experts have driven this trend. It’s important to remember that this sort of thing (which is common across taxonomic groups) reflects actual discovery, not fashion or novel approaches to taxonomy (as is sometimes argued). Image: Hedges et al. (2008). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bdc79611-4dc6-483b-9ec3-27d65c9c9286/strabomantids-Jan-2024-Pristimantis-montage-Sanchez-Nivicela-et-al-2013-1064px-127kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of Pristimantis species. So pretty! The species shown here are (clockwise from upper left) P. orcesi, P. erythros, P. loujosti and P. pycnodermis. These species were figured together in the 2018 description of P. erythros of the Ecuadorian Andes, named therein the Blood rain frog! Image: Sánchez-Nivicela et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/93f49f9f-2d8e-40ac-be96-455bf283196d/strabomantids-Jan-2024-Noblella-and-Oreobates-1517px-212kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: representative strabomantids showing some of the variation in head size and shape. At left, Noblella pygmaea, a tiny Peruvian species named in 2009. At right, the Common big-headed frog Oreobates quixensis, a relatively large and short-snouted member of its genus. Images: Alessandro Catenazzi, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here); Pavel Kirillov, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9beaa604-bc9f-42a8-840f-55fab15c326f/strabomantids-Jan-2024-Euparkerella-Fusinatto-et-al-2013-1212px-197kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: Euparkerella brasiliensis, photographed in Rio de Janeiro State. Image: Fusinatto et al. (2013), CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9578fbe4-57e6-4f12-887e-68cd64cc38fe/strabomantids-Jan-2024-hyloid-core-cladogram-update-2024-sg-787px-86kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve published hyloid cladograms several times here at Tetrapod Zoology, and this is the most recent version, dating to 2017 and produced to accompany an article on poison-dart frogs. It depicts a sort of consensus based on the cladograms of Frost et al. (2006), Grant et al. (2006) and Pyron & Wiens (2011), with the taxonomy proposed by Frost et al. (2006) superimposed on to the branches. Note that ceratophryids (horned frogs) are depicted as being close to bufonids (true toads) and dendrobatids (poison-dart frogs). And where are terraranans? I excluded them entirely. Image: Darren Naish, images produced for the textbook. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a8895025-9214-435d-b5c2-81408dee1690/strabomantids-Jan-2024-new-hyloid-core-cladogram-2-732px-77kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: several new hyloid cladograms have been published since I produced the version shown above. They differ sufficiently in details that it’s hard to produce a consensus: this is a simplified version of the consensus featured at AmphibiaWeb. Note the unresolved polytomy that includes terraranans and kin. The topology shown here differs sufficiently from that of Frost et al. (2006) that the names they proposed (including Leptodactyliformes and Agastorophrynia) have, potentially, very different memberships from the ones they preferred, and for that reason I haven’t bothered applying them here. Image: Darren Naish, images produced for the textbook. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d935e687-53fa-4d54-8929-a8aa2102febd/strabomantids-Jan-2024-Brachycephalus-montage-Ribeiro-et-al-2017-1349px-104kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: brachycephalid frogs – sometimes called three-toed toadlets – have been mentioned a few times in this article, and this is what they look like. Fairly hilarious. Also quite extreme in anatomical terms. The species shown here are (left) Brachycephalus izecksohni and B. olivaceus, both from Brazil and both named anew in 2017. Images: Ribeiro et al. (2017), CC BY-SA 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1414c0b5-f694-4dd3-bb76-d56ce48287dd/strabomantids-Jan-2024-Heinicke-et-al-2018-terraranan-phylogeny-1355px-86kb-Jan-2024-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: several different topologies have been recovered for Terrarana, though the majority find eleutherodactylids and brachycephalids to be outside a craugastorid + strabomantid clade, with brachycephalids closest. This topology is from the graphical abstract of Heinicke et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/be085c18-5d42-496e-9a4f-400e87ff5dd8/strabomantids-Jan-2024-hyloid-photo-montage-1262px-183kb-Jan-2024-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What, If Anything, Is A Strabomantid? - Make it stand out Caption: all frogs are great, but hyloids include some of my favourite groups. Clockwise from upper left: the poison-dart frog Phyllobates, the marsupial treefrog Hemiphractus, the white-lipped frog Leptodactylus, and the helmeted water frog Calyptocephalella! Check the links below for articles on most of these animals. Images (clockwise from upper left): Darren Naish; Santiago Ron, CC BY-ND 2.0 (original here); Darren Naish; José Grau de Puerto Montt, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/12/15/tetzoocon-2023-the-report monthly 0.5 2024-01-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0db4a659-aeef-40d8-ae8a-c508933a4108/TetZooCon-2023-TetZooCon-2023-banner-KCL-1812px-186kb-Dec-2023-GL-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: the TetZooCon 2023 banner, composed of Mesozoic marine reptiles but a good number of additional animals too. Image: George Lathouris, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/726710a0-cb9b-439f-8e53-495d25cb63ee/TetZooCon-2023-TetZooCon-2023-merch-1363px-110kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: TetZooCon 2023 merch! Buy it here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b05628ef-8ad7-4373-a41c-9116eaf6f12b/TetZooCon-2023-archosaur-montage-1453px-269kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of animals… all archosaurs… specially relevant to TetZooCon 2023. Left to right: Northern cassowary Casuarius unappendiculatus, American crow Corvus brachyrhynchos, the recently extinct Madagascan croc Voay robustus (art by Alex Lovegrove), and an assortment of captive Nile crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus (I think with a single Sacred crocodile C. suchus in there somewhere). Images: Darren Naish; (c) Alex Lovegrove. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a0f799d4-8276-4635-bdd1-44254fa38699/TetZooCon-2023-NHM-trip-montage-2-1409px-217kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: a short pre-TetZooCon trip to the Natural History Museum involved us looking at Hope the Blue whale (at left) and posing with the Darwin statue. Darren Naish at left, Aidan Williams Dale at right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8fb79147-226b-4ca5-a6e8-5b6345ebd35f/TetZooCon-2023-NHM-trip-montage-1402px-193kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: some Natural History Museum trip highlights. Clockwise from upper left: giant salamander model and skeleton, Giant armadillo Priodontes maximus taxiderm specimen, T. rex animatronic in festive attire, Black caiman Melanosuchus niger in the Reptiles and Amphibians gallery. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/45301c82-b56d-46cf-bc24-8507b3650799/TetZooCon-2023-D-Naish-extinction-slide-1-1046px-218kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: I think the contents of this slide speak for themselves. All about me I see plastic pollution, road-killed animals large and small, and the constant removal of trees. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/26c9c2f9-74c4-40b7-82b5-314967c775d0/TetZooCon-2023-Amy-Cutler-extinction-panel-1505px-119kb-Dec-2023-GL-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: another scene from the Friday evening extinction panel, here showing Amy Cutler talking about visual representations of dead animals in film and how this relates to our understanding of extinction. Image: George Lathouris, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea87ffc2-231e-43af-b200-d389d7f61647/TetZooCon-2023-freezing-1241px-73kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c83d9966-9bdb-45eb-96d8-1e6860f9ce22/TetZooCon-2023-Judyth-Sassoon-plesiosaurs-1102px-79kb-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Judyth Sassoon in the marine reptiles session, her opening slide visible in the background. Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/28adcfd5-e364-4d38-a1d5-754c5762292a/TetZooCon-2023-Dean-Lomax-talking-1226px-167kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Dean Lomax talks at TetZooCon 2023 on the Rutland ichthyosaur, quite fairly bigged up as the most spectacular ichthyosaur specimen yet discovered in the UK. Infamously dubbed the ‘sea dragon dinosaur dolphin’ by a British journalist, it represents an animal that would have been around 10 m long. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8ca43018-0f32-4184-87c8-6d17b380187f/TetZooCon-2023-marine-reptile-panel-1003px-143kb-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: the marine reptile discussion panel, showing (l to r) Darren Naish, Luke Muscutt, Emily Swaby and Dean Lomax. Yes, I appreciate the irony of the backdrop being some fish-themed montages. Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4df1edab-42b2-4ff6-b4fc-61fe5fa8db20/TetZooCon-2023-Muscutt-and-Flipp-1178px-155px-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Luke Muscutt (standing at left) discusses his work on Flip, the robot plesiosaur that had its first public outing at TetZooCon. Flip stars in the BBC documentary Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster, to be screened on BBC One on New Years’ Day 2024. So does Luke! Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8b0ccd44-46f0-4452-8f07-36fad73874e9/TetZooCon-2023-Todd-Green-cassowary-talk-1345px-115kb-Dec-2023-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Todd Green talks cassowaries. I worked with Todd and his team in Florida to relocate several adult cassowaries in early 2023: here’s the Tetrapod Zoology article on that event. To learn more about the cassowary-themed movie Todd and colleagues are currently putting together, go here. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2eade918-ab51-4e94-b140-3404337bf1f9/TetZooCon-2023-Jenn-Campbell-Smith-corvids-2-2048px-156kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Jennifer Campbell-Smith talks corvids. I’m going to steal some of Jenn’s own words on TetZooCon 2023: “It was an utterly delightful mix of professional and enthusiast zoology nerds who could all come together to discuss and enjoy our passions in a welcoming, safe, fun environment. The sincere interest in my talk and both the compliments and excellent conversation I received afterward were humbling, heart-warming, and genuinely had a deep impact on me”. Image: Todd Green. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/00c87b03-3f29-4d6e-9c14-925da6f78e67/TetZooCon-2023-Evon-Hekkala-crocs-1115px-90kb-Dec-2023-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Evon Hekkala on her crocodile research. This has involved the resurrection of Crocodylus suchus as distinct from C. niloticus, the recovery of new specimens of the recently extinct Voay and its phylogenetic position, and more. An amazing talk. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3e87ab1f-0538-407b-96b9-36dddf49f100/TetZooCon-2023-Steve-Allain-and-JP-intro-1341px-128kb-Dec-2023-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Steve Allain (at right) is introduced by James Pascoe. One of several talks I really wanted to see but couldn’t get to, alas. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b7ad5daa-d7e4-4ec8-9690-7cc30f2eeafa/TetZooCon-2023-Amber-Coste-odontocetes-1305px-178kb-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Amber Coste talks weird fossil dolphins, but at this point of the talk is discussing the contributions of her PhD supervisor, the late Ewan Fordyce. Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0c3e39d5-c27a-42b6-afa2-c68dd21f495d/TetZooCon-2023-Amber-Coste-odontocetes-2-1162px-140kb-Dec-2023-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: more Amber. Her talk featured a good amount of interesting, and sometimes necessarily speculative, palaeoart. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0ef36b3b-d9c4-495e-8672-b76f7c26d899/TetZooCon-2023-Conway-and-Luis-Rey-1289px-105kb-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Luis Rey (at left) discusses his palaeoart work with John Conway. Those numerous small boxes in the background contain small, pliosaur-shaped objects used in a workshop event that occurred later on the same day. Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/45d2e4ed-b554-44d5-b521-f96cf50dbeb4/TetZooCon-2023-Joschua-in-palaeoart-workshop-1151px-118kb-Dec-2023-GL-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Joschua Knüppe explains the background to his palaeo-map project, here showing efforts that have gone beforehand (specifically, maps produced by Ray Troll). Image: George Lathouris, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7232e236-5c93-4ff5-bb93-c6e5cd7f087c/TetZooCon-2023-Pascoe-pliosaur-model-1836px-332kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: a very large Pascoe pliosaur (it’s 46 cm long) has joined the Tet Zoo Towers collection, and I am pleased. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f7f69ce0-e4cc-4c79-8344-acc6d89ef949/TetZooCon-2023-Pascoe-dioramas-1812px-220kb-Dec-2023-GL-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: some of (or parts of some of) the very impressive Jurassic and Cretaceous dioramas created by James Pascoe, available on show at TetZooCon 2023. James notes Paul Glynn as among his inspirations, and Paul has showcased his own dioramas at TetZooCon in the past. Image: George Lathouris, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d4a10f2d-74e6-424b-8b03-c28e1a2232eb/TetZooCon-2023-Leo-and-Rebecca-Groom-stall-1368px-222kb-Dec-2023-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: a palaeoplushie-themed table, hosted by Leo Chilvers (at left) and Rebecca Groom. Note the size of some of the pieces for sale here (visible at far right). Also worth looking for is the Prehistoric Planet-style Mononykus (sitting in the cardboard popcorn box) next to Leo. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/767cb18e-192e-4a92-b72d-78a8af042f40/TetZooCon-2023-Sam-St-Leger-stall-1146px-171kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve mentioned a few times here the range of All Yesterdays figures produced by Sam St Leger of Splendid Editions. See below for close-ups of the figures Sam has produced so far (more are on the way). When taking this photo I inadvertently photographed Natalia Jagielska presenting her super-floofy Sinosauropteryx plushie as if it might be the second coming of Christ. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48896956-e160-4b21-a62a-c05a7359fc40/TetZooCon-2023-Sam-St-Leger-All-Yesterdays-figures-1561px-188kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: more detailed views of Sam St Leger’s All Yesterday’s figures, with other figures visible too (including Moschops and a Tarasque). These are available from the Splendid Edition shop on Etsy. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/62fdfe1a-9b6f-4c18-be21-c996286652a9/TetZooCon-2023-Jed-Taylor-and-Ruadhri-Brennan-montage-1703px-172kb-Dec-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the Jed Taylor and Ruadhrí Brennan stall… argh, such treasures! I sincerely planned to at least buy some fridge magnets (those numerous skull models on the dark plate) but didn’t even get round to that. Hopefully Jed and Ru will be selling wares at future events, and if that’s not a draw I don’t know what is. Images: Ruadhrí Brennan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/52ddf632-aadf-4b0b-8c22-6a8a016c22b5/TetZooCon-2023-Jed-Taylor-and-Ruadhri-Brennan-Velociraptor-figures-1407px-187kb-Dec-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: each of those little orange slips next to a Taylor-Brennan Velociraptor figure says SOLD. In the end, even the giant one at far left was purchased as well. I planned to get the whole set for my own collection but…. yeah, that didn’t exactly work out as planned. Image: Jed Taylor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a2cd027d-c5cb-48f6-b66f-e3e44c61acb6/TetZooCon-2023-Sam-stall-1802px-227kb-Dec-2023-GL-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: one of so many excellent art-themed stalls we had at TetZooCon 2023. This is Lee Brown’s; Lee runs DailyDinoSketch and sells art, stickers, rock art and more here at Etsy. Image: George Lathouris, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/660b3a05-b851-44ef-8853-e7c68875a39c/TetZooCon-2023-Emily-Higgs-stall-1373px-223kb-Dec-2023-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: another stall, this time run by Emily Higgs. Stickers, prints and tons more! The Emily Higgs Shop is here on Redbubble. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b8703602-22fb-476b-9a45-c3203ee42638/TetZooCon-2023-Paul-Glynn-stall-1608px-204kb-Dec-2023-GL-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: I had to deliberately avoid looking at this stall for too long or my finances would look bleaker than they already do. This is Paul Glynn’s range of figures and models, and oh my god. I love those Wealden dinosaur models, but the sharks and pike very much have my full attention as well. Paul’s work is available on Etsy at TheYoungerEarth. Image: George Lathouris, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/16649eaf-b655-47e2-a4f1-e671dd83a864/TetZooCon-2023-cosplay-on-stage-1143px-122kb-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: the cosplay event, with Meghan (in hazmat suit) and Hel (with giant tail) present at far left. Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2cd9546c-2c1b-4f18-88e2-9b97f486bcff/TetZooCon-2023-Nigel-Marven-talk-1059px-116kb-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: we were very pleased to have Nigel Marven speaking at TetZooCon 2023, and here he is with his cover slide in the background. Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5025e7d6-13b3-4088-8887-8624483ed235/TetZooCon-2023-Nigel-Marven-talk-1342px-202kb-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: a packed-out lecture room during Nigel’s talk (too packed-out; but we were meant to be in the giant main auditorium, alas). Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b078caf6-491a-4d7c-9d50-a85bf6afdf02/TetZooCon-2023-Nigel-Marven-with-palaeostream-1253px-209kb-Dec-2023-Alfred-Barwick-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: Nigel Marven (in the middle) surrounded by a happy throng of Palaeostream friends, plus various Mesozoic-themed props. Image: Alfred Barwick, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/23be3a45-2edd-4b25-927e-9cdc5bc5a5be/TetZooCon-2023-London-Zoo-trip-aviary-1597px-543kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: the TetZooCon 2023 fieldtrip contingent in the walk-through aviary. Numerous Scarlet ibis Eudocimus ruber are visible, as is a lone Abdim’s stork Ciconia abdimii on the roof at upper right. As discussed below, we’ll be making the fieldtrips (which have been a constant TetZooCon feature since the first one) a more integrated thing from 2024. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21979b70-30fa-4049-a433-d186d353e929/TetZooCon-2023-London-Zoo-trip-montage-1347px-297kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: a London Zoo montage, showing (clockwise from upper left) co-operative Chinese muntjac, a slightly blurry Mohol bushbaby Galago moholi, and a detail of the stonework around the entrance of the (now closed) Reptile House, showing a parent Shingleback skink Tiliqua rugosa with its babies (these lizards have extended parental bonds, and it’s interesting to see that this was known during the 1920s, the time when the Reptile House was built). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ad32e5cd-f2a7-414e-9394-af5caccf899c/TetZooCon-2023-stalls-montage-1289px-166kb-Dec-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: I think it can be agreed that we have a pretty impressive selection of stalls at TetZooCon 2023. We only hope that this will continue into the future. The montage here shows (clockwise from upper left) images from the Neo Jurassica stall (the skeleton is that of the Brazilian noasaurid theropod Berthasaura); prints from Mark Witton; and replica skulls and models manufactured by Paul Glynn. Images: George Lathouris, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/315b393e-af41-47d8-9d74-e25664a9da0d/TetZooCon-2023-zoo-trip-4-1304px-229kb-Dec-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: going to London Zoo and looking at Bactrian camels and excellent artwork is all well and good, but what about going further afield and looking at stuff way beyond the outskirts of the nation’s capital? We shall see. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d757403a-5015-4644-ab71-50663bd2008f/TetZooCon-2023-Naish-and-Conway-at-ending-1533px-234kb-Dec-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2023 the report - Make it stand out Caption: the primary TetZooCon organizers, Darren Naish (left) and John Conway, with a Rebor American alligator in the middle. I really should have taken a holiday right away. But I couldn’t. Image: Hel Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/11/30/at-tetzoocon-2023 monthly 0.5 2023-11-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2762b113-6c3c-4d44-b4d3-968250a6d5fd/TetZooCon-final-Nov-2023-marine-reptiles-montage-1005px-147kb-Nov-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - At TetZooCon 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: I don’t think it’s a secret that TetZooCon 2023 is, in part, based around Mesozoic marine reptiles, mostly because it’s the year in which I published Ancient Sea Reptiles. The montage, designed and compiled by John Conway, features many illustrations that appear in the book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1fb8f59f-db8c-4ab5-a7c5-556dc331749f/TetZooCon-final-Nov-2023-montage-of-2014-1041px-135kb-Nov-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - At TetZooCon 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: the first TetZooCon happened in 2014 (you can read about it here). It should be obvious from this montage that I’ve relied extensively on pulling favours from friends and colleagues: the speakers here (l to r) are Mark Witton, Paulo Viscardi and Mike Taylor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/52d67362-f97f-4aaa-9683-bfc5d4e0107b/TetZooCon-final-Nov-2023-Mark-Witton-at-CP-2019-1212px-346kb-Nov-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - At TetZooCon 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: field outings have been a regular feature of TetZooCon right from the start, though the nature of our operation means that these are generally informal, ad hoc, and arranged at the last minute. We’ve been to Crystal Palace a few times. I love this photo, showing Mark Witton with one of the Iguanodons… though it’s actually from a non-TetZooCon meeting, details details. Image: (c) Mark Witton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8f4fa641-d051-4b46-8809-46fd7f5d91b4/TetZooCon-final-Nov-2023-book-montage-of-2022-1150px-111kb-Nov-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - At TetZooCon 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: another point of success for TetZooCon (err, in my opinion) is that we now serve as an important venue for the sale, and sometimes even the launch, of relevant books. These ones – among others – were available for sale and signing at the 2022 event, and will be on sale again this year (though I regret that only one copy of Mesozoic Art is up for grabs!). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0ded895-8055-4cbd-95a9-5433f5145462/TetZooCon-final-Nov-2023-montage-of-2023-1050px-190kb-Nov-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - At TetZooCon 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: that’s the 2023 banner at top, but this montage gives some idea of what happened at TetZooCon 2022. It was the biggest TetZooCon ever in the history of the universe (you can read about it here), but 2023 has it beat by some margin. Yes I am a little scared. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/11/15/new-species-for-2023-part-2 monthly 0.5 2026-02-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f7d6a7ff-e6bd-4e4c-a824-bd5fc1ca6e85/new-species-Nov-2023-new-reptile-montage-Nov-2023-1061px-147kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a ‘new’ species montage for 2023…. err, sorta. Clockwise from upper left: Chamba pitviper Gloydius chambensis Kuttalam et al., 2023, Khammouan karst dragon Laodracon carsticola Brakels, Sitthivong, Wang, Nguyen & Poyarkov, 2023 in karst habitat, goshawk montage (see below). Images: Kuttalam et al. (2023); Sitthivong et al. (2023); Louis Agassiz Fuertes, in public domain; at right, Norbert Kenntner, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2a0b5ee8-f163-4655-810d-3de22a465225/new-species-Nov-2023-Gekko-mizoramensis-Lal-Muansanga-Nov-2023-1169px-193kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Mizoram parachute gecko Gekko mizoramensis Lalremsanga et al., 2023. There was a time when geckos of this sort were classified together in Ptychozoon, but at least some are now included within Gekko. Image: (c) Lal Muansanga. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/69309539-57b6-4063-82f7-5135c8eafb1f/new-species-Nov-2023-Sibon-Nov-2023-1330px-205kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: holotype specimen of DiCaprio’s snail-eating snake Sibon irmelindicaprioae Arteaga & Batista, 2023. It’s an adult male, collected at Cerro Bailarín, Panama, in 2011. Image: Arteaga & Batista (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/086809a4-066f-4d3f-9c45-ad17ebe71b77/new-species-Nov-2023-Tachymenoides-and-Gloydius-montage-Nov-2023-1662px-252kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, images of the holotype of Harrison Ford’s slender snake Tachymenoides harrisonfordi Lehr et al., 2023 in life. The red arrows point to the three longitudinal skin folds present in this species. The snake is 40 cm long. At right, the holotype (when alive) of the Chamba pitviper Gloydius chambensis Kuttalam et al., 2023. It’s 42.6 cm long. Images: Lehr et al. (2023), Kuttalam et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0cd5d2cd-f37a-417d-bbec-f65cd28b7caf/new-species-Nov-2023-Diploderma-montage-Nov-2023-1300px-184kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a montage featuring new (for 2023) species of the Asian draconine agamid Diploderma. At left, the Diploderma jiulongense holotype, from Yandai, Jiulong County in Sichuan Province, China. At right, the Diploderma tachengense holotype, from Tacheng Town in Yunnan Province, China. SVL in these lizards is around 55 mm in males. Images: Liu et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c1d74ad2-a49f-474f-bfd1-cd82c36a95ed/new-species-Nov-2023-Laodracon-montage-Nov-2023-1076px-187kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a Laodracon montage, from Sitthivong et al. (2023). At left: the holotype male specimen in different views, key traits (relating to the form of the tail base) being visible in G. At right: the new taxon’s position in phylogeny, showing its closeness to the large Diploderma radiation. Images: Sitthivong et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9b5931c2-1407-4d07-824b-00a1361a7c98/new-species-Nov-2023-goshawk-montage-Nov-2023-1236px-141kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a goshawk montage. The animals here were formerly lumped together as the Northern goshawk but new decisions formerly recognize a split between the two, such that we have the American goshawk Accipiter atrocapillus (Wilson, 1812) (at left) and the Eurasian goshawk A. gentilis (Linnaeus, 1758). Images: at left, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, in public domain; at right, Norbert Kenntner, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d104877-c1b9-4df6-bba5-7dab0ef4ad15/new-species-Nov-2023-i-hate-ornithologists-meme-Nov-2023-589px-46kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a classic tweet, from the pen of Kristie. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/11/10/new-species-for-2023-part-1 monthly 0.5 2026-02-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/37cd78b6-5b01-453e-b0b3-95a1978bc044/new-species-Nov-2023-new-species-montage-Nov-2023-980px-176kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a recently-named-species montage, featuring a pangolin cladogram, the new gymnure Podogymnura intermedia Balete et al., 2023 and the Seepage siren. Images: Gu et al. (2023), Balete et al. (2023), Fedler et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2f2814c7-f34f-4680-afff-0e778e4e8f43/new-species-Nov-2023-megophryid-and-strabomantid-montage-Nov-2023-1514px-207kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of just a few of the megophryid and strabomantid frogs named in 2023. Clockwise from upper left…. Xenophrys pangdaensis is a Tibetan megophryid; its authors suggested the common name Pangda horned toad (Shu et al. 2023); a montage showing the holotype female (a-c, e-f) and male (d) of the strabomantid Pristimantis kopinangae Means et al., 2023 from Mount Kopinang, Guyana; and the holotype specimen of Pristimantis clarae from Peru in (A) dorsal and (B) ventral views. Images: Shu et al. (2023), Means et al. (2023), Venegas et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04357c18-7e97-4f47-a087-8dd2df1d8aee/new-species-Nov-2023-Caecilia-macrodonta-Fernandez-Roldan-et-al-CC-BY-SA-4-0-Nov-2023-940px-57kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: at least five new species of Caecilia caecilians were named in 2023. This is one of them: C. macrodonta Fernández-Roldán et al., 2023, a species noted for its large, recurved dentary teeth. It’s from the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia and the holotype was collected in 1980. Image: Fernández-Roldán et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e6caec8c-f499-4f26-9c95-9ea232173d59/new-species-Nov-2023-Siren-sphagnicola-Fedler-et-al-2023-Nov-2023--1184px-134kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a male Seepage siren specimen, in this case an individual with a partly regenerated tail. This is the smallest living siren species, the longest specimen reported by Fedler et al. (2023) having a total length of about 19 cm. Image: Fedler et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ef3c0d28-ca08-4773-b033-e0f199ee1992/new-species-Nov-2023-Podogymnura-intermedia-holotype-Balete-2023-Nov-2023-1107px-239kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the holotype specimen of Podogymnura intermedia Balete et al., 2023, photographed in 2005 by D. S. Balete. The fact that the species was recorded in 2005 but not published until 2023 is another reminder of the fact that ‘publication date’ is very much not the same thing as ‘discovery date’. Image: Balete et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b86c7d78-4464-4cd0-afc2-112e081f6153/new-species-Nov-2023-Philippine-pangolin-Shukran888-CC-BY-SA-4-0-Nov-2023-1576px-262kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a Philippine pangolin mother and baby, a species almost certainly close, in both phylogeny and appearance, to the Asian cryptic species new for 2023. Image: Shukran888, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d9f36138-c62d-4d44-a514-b269c0d4e46d/new-species-Nov-2023-cryptic-pangolin-cladogram-2-Nov-2023-1115px-97kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Species Round-up for 2023, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: phylogenetic trees generated from examination and comparison of pangolin DNA, showing how the new cryptic species is part of the Asian Manis clade and is likely closest to the Malayan and Philippine pangolins. Image: Gu et al. (2023). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/10/27/10th-tetrapod-zoology-convention monthly 0.5 2023-10-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21d02e93-c644-4ea3-9442-1f57c2f43559/TetZooCon-2023-opening-montage-1610px-211kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of things relevant to TetZooCon 2023. The books Ancient Sea Reptiles, Mesozoic Art and Locked In Time - and others - will be on sale, and talks on cassowaries will be happening. At far right: Bush House, our venue. Images: cassowary from Todd Green; others Darren Naish, Locked In Time via Columbia University Press. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/de74eafb-5737-4c09-a330-65b24cd16fa6/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Luis-panel-event.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fc6aabcb-0d02-43ba-b41d-2575b081457a/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Judyth-Sassoon.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e821985c-14bd-433f-98ea-7113fe52a621/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Forrest.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cb1b359c-bc70-4915-aa22-b428af5740b4/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Lomax.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ba38af9a-53ef-4e24-8209-833354f8b1bb/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Emily-Swaby.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/799eff16-2edd-47b8-9cfa-37912fd1e5b4/TetZooCon-2023-Luke-Muscutt-with-robot-1458px-126kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: Luke Muscutt with robot plesiosaur. Image provided by Luke Muscutt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b4109773-46e0-4049-9896-0e8db3ded932/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Amber-Coste.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/06fe04a6-0ddf-4d7b-bfdd-ad07dcd00eaa/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Ayoob.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd05170a-2a3d-4190-af00-c55539b3aeda/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Steve-Allain.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a6f27e54-cf25-453d-8e3d-32d6f3ac01f2/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Luis-Rey.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f9ee63c6-0ed4-4d15-a9d7-365e66a1509a/TetZooCon-2023-James-Pascoe-pliosaur-models-1484px-123kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Caption: pliosaur models by James Pascoe. A good number of them will be in attendance at TetZooCon 2023. Images: James Pascoe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b66170b9-bd98-4a5e-8c60-ddb980e834fd/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Wragg-Sykes.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/488f4374-13ad-4ff8-b11a-7d993655a77e/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Todd-Green.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9385e91b-a4a7-41b1-ac5b-1f48e805421c/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Campbell-Smith.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6650c6de-38c0-41ae-b62c-39150d36f722/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Evon-Hekkala.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6c5ca9c5-8fa3-4676-89fd-1a57d09699b7/TetZooCon-2023-speakers-Nigel-Marven.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the 10th Tetrapod Zoology Convention - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/10/17/birdwatching-in-tajikistan-part-2 monthly 0.5 2025-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1c3e3a33-2f3d-467c-b244-08d4e422127f/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-passerine-montage-1364px-123kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of passerines discussed in this article…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4ff9bba8-4da2-4a65-b408-801333accf8c/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Lake-Iskanderul-mountains-1608px-158kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: an indication of what the scenery can be like in Tajikistan. This is the landscape around Lake Iskanderkul, a massive glacial lake on the northern side of the Fann Mountains. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a6809f5c-3ab4-42ef-9e5e-6b2ad7ad481f/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Romit-Valley-composite-1648px-304kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: features of the Romit Valley in Tajikistan, a location where many of the birds discussed in these articles were seen. The valley featured wide, raging rivers (like the Kafinigan River shown here), and tall, jagged mountain peaks. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5de05340-2997-4a32-bac8-5850d72dba28/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Saratock-campsite-1828px-199kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: another very scenic shot, this time in Saratag/Sarataq (both spellings seem to be in use), about 140 km north of Dushanbe, the capital. Note the mostly coniferous woodland across the slopes. Bears were here (as evidenced by fresh dung and conversations with locals). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/513351c7-de88-4860-a83c-b88420950254/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Red-backed-shrike-1158px-179kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: I had bad luck in my efforts to photograph shrikes, buuuut then… I had bad luck in photographing just about all of the birds. Two Long-tailed shrikes are visible in this photo, I hope. Long-tailed shrikes occur widely across Asia and also occur in Australasia. Numerous subspecies have been named. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14515074-042e-49a1-abe9-5e8519a32af0/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-shrike-montage-1382px-166kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: more shrikes. The Long-tailed shrike photo at left isn’t great, but at least you can clearly see the grey head, black mask and pinkish sides. At right, an Isabelline or Turkestan shrike seen in shrubby vegetation close to a river. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/217b48a5-be0b-4081-9913-2ed21585aa9f/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Carrion-crow-group-Karatag+Valley-1690px-245kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Carrion crows were seen in flocks of 10-15 on more than one occasion, implying that these Central Asian populations might be more social than the European ones. It should also be obvious that these crows are more slender and lightly built than western forms of this species. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3541209e-853a-45b3-bb7c-37c3988330c0/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-crow-Hakimi-1264px-62kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Carrion crow seen flying overhead. I like the asymmetrical nature of the primary feather damage. It may or may not mean something (like handedness). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d59b3e9d-43e4-4341-bc5f-bf56d8cac1b3/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-magpie-montage-1732px-173kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Tajik magpies. The bird at left – photographed in a carpark in the Fann Mountains – was missing some head feathers and hence not great in appearance. At right, a different bird, this time in Saratok. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c386b939-22ff-4254-afca-ddfb3742713c/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-paradise-flycatcher-montage-1-1478px-128kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Indian paradise flycatcher, a most handsome bird. Males and females are alike in possessing head crests, but males also have white primaries and very long central tail feathers. This is a female, and she belongs to the rufous form: there’s a white one where all the feathers are white excepting those on the head, neck and wing tips. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35c7bff7-325d-415a-91c8-78de5486b375/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-paradise-flycatcher-montage-2-1476px-118kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: action take-off shots of the same bird shown above. What these photos reinforce, partly at least, is that birds leap or fall into flight when launching from perches. They don’t start flapping and then take off. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b8bf4087-84d5-4308-bc35-7792e8120239/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-paradise-flycatcher-montage-2-948px-77kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: not a great photo, but an interesting one because it shows how paradise flycatchers are good at clinging and climbing about on trunks in woodpecker-like fashion. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d050f00a-a963-4445-aa66-92e9771e423e/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Turkestan-tit-1-1759px-150kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a Tajik great tit, photographed foraging on a tree in an orchard, sometimes reaching under bark with its bill. This is obviously one of the grey ‘Turkestan tit’ subspecies, very distinct from the great tits of the west. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d16ca409-0c16-4418-87b4-6ad1fd149c07/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Rufous-naped-Romit-Valley-2-1-1193px-126kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a comparatively long-billed tit with a tall head crest, a reddish vent area and a lack of pale spots on its coverts. It can only be a Rufous-naped tit. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2086f60a-1a1f-4111-a3f2-6586d74b4539/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Azure-tit-montage-1714px-99kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: all my initial sightings of Azure tits (seen at Saratag in the Fann Mountains) involved the birds being seen in near-total silhouette, a classic example of the sort of bad luck that happens when you try and photograph birds. The only photos I got that don’t involve the birds being silhouetted are instead out of focus, like the example on the right. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c225e51f-171f-4741-ad1f-bbd77bbd739e/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-hirundine-montage-1419px-85kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: terrible photos of small, fast-moving, brown hirundines. I’ve assumed that these are sand martins, but what’s with that white area on the tail? I remain confused. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e666a5be-0dfe-4074-87b4-d4794c5cee4f/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-hirundine-Romit-Valley-1647px-123kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: hirundines of, I think, two different species. The bird in flight at left is a Sand martin like those shown above, but the perched one at right is dark dorsally and has a dark, V-shaped area on its breast. These features mean that it has to be Barn swallow. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/383dcd2b-26a5-47af-b7f6-8ffa9f11bfe0/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Passerides-cladogram-856px-85kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a more elaborate version of the warbler-flycatcher-sparrow section of passerine phylogeny than we’ve seen here before, using the ‘up-ranked’ taxonomy used by Cracraft et al. (2004) and then modified by Oliveros et al. (2019). The clade we’re seeing here is now termed Passerides (whereas before it was Passerida), which means that the clades previously termed Sylvioidea, Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea are now up-ranked to Sylviida, Muscicapida and Passerida. These illustrations and the cladogram itself are part of my in-prep textbook project, which will one day be finished, I promise. Support it – and other projects – here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/94569b7d-7d3d-40e7-baba-d29c1210b65a/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-leaf-warbler-montage-1684px-123kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a mid-sized, fairly green leaf warbler, seen in the Romit Valley, that was moderately co-operative. I think it’s a Greenish warbler. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8c98a285-a1fc-4e7d-97c2-3094f1c524f5/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Paddyfield-warbler-Romit-Valley-1-1355px-111kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a possible acro warbler that’s possibly a Blyth’s reed warbler. In this image, the bird is in a low, ‘skulking’ pose, with the feathers on its head depressed close to the skull. However, look at the other photo below to appreciate the different profile the bird has when not doing this. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/15ecd0a1-7848-408d-80ba-44f90f8ad15a/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Paddyfield-warbler-Romit-Valley-1-1066px-94kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the exact same bird shown in the photo above, this time with a more erect pose and raised head feathers. Small birds often reflect the colour of nearby foliage on their pale parts meaning that they can look darker or lighter than they do in the hand, or in the field guide. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/df3ed05c-3e44-41f9-b5ba-f7e4a4081cf0/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-blurry-acro-montage-1738px-147kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: blurry photos of a warm brown warbler that has a tall forehead, yellowish supercilium and short wings. Am I right in thinking that this is an Acrocephalus warbler, and – le shock – is it a Blunt-winged warbler? Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e37ac946-4dfd-480c-9a18-8d1b23612eb1/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-sylviid-montage-1761px-144kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a montage showing what I think are Eastern orphean warblers. The ‘orphean’ in the name (there’s a Western orphean warbler C. hortensis too) is a reference to Orpheus of Greek mythology, the musician, poet and singer. I presume the name is a reference to the singing of these birds. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c727fcae-f840-4e8c-8dec-0d704854cc37/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-sylviid-montage-2-1638px-169kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: more Eastern orphean warblers. The individuals with light grey heads shown here must be female, but the bird on the right – with the very dark head – would appear to be a male. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/576cdd2d-95f1-4b8d-b4d9-f5a5f223350a/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-European-blackbird-2-1215px-151kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: female Eurasian blackbird, photographed foraging in a vegetable garden. The feather loss on the head might be due to disease. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e44d3082-9b8e-4fdb-8358-cb30002d4b0e/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Haikimi-nightingale-montage-1534px-129kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve never had especially good views of nightingales before. This bird, photographed adjacent to a gardened shrine in the village of Hakimi, was especially co-operative in its posing. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/afe9eb1a-d362-4a01-8dd4-abe71608e3dd/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Spotted-flycatcher-montage-1431px-104kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: more Spotted flycatchers (others were shown in part 1). It might just be my bad colour vision (or the settings on my PC), but the one on the left has a pinkish hue to my eyes. Muscicapa striata was scientifically named by Simon Pallas in 1764 but included by him in Motacilla. The content of Muscicapa expanded after it was named by Mathurin Brisson in 1760 but recent studies have shown that its traditional version is polyphyletic, a consequence being that some species have been placed in other genera or given their own generic names. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec0df7bf-c79a-48e0-a129-16b06a7e9c0f/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Rusty-tailed-flycatcher-1605px-130kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Rusty-tailed flycatcher in the Romit Valley, very helpfully displaying its key field sign. It’s partly migratory, the Central Asian populations moving to India for the winter. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/763488d2-9e4b-4f6d-801c-d21bc3c1c158/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-wheatear-montage-1581px-117kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, female Pied wheatear in a boulder-strewn field. I don’t think that this is an especially controversial suggested identification. At right, what might be a Variable wheatear. If that identification is correct, this has to be the black-belled opistholeuca subspecies. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/90aa02f7-b6e5-4ecd-98ed-473b908fbefd/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-possible-wheatear-and-redstart-1354px-123kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a chat-like bird from the Karatag Valley that might be a female Pied wheatear. If so, it must be the white-throated ‘vittata’ form. At right, a female redstart, perhaps a Black redstart. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/15358998-0cb5-415f-8822-cccb07a2ebb9/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-plumbeus-water-redstart-maybe-1308px-119kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: possible Plumbeous water redstart. If correct, it must be a female since males are blue with a red tail. The species was formerly placed in its own genus (Rhyacornis) but post-2010 molecular studies have found it to belong to the redstart genus Phoenicurus. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5c8a0ce4-6cd8-4f75-895a-09bd14d46286/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Common-myna-montage-1379px-110kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoolog.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Common mynas were seen regularly in gardens, in fields with livestock, and in villages. White patches on the dorsal surfaces of the wings are very prominent in flight. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2e3f27b5-42e1-45ce-9bba-60c26972af7c/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-white-throated-dipper-Karatag-1321px-157kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: I saw White-throated dippers at close range on several occasions, typically as they were flying quickly up or down the Karatag River. The only co-operative ones, like this one, were observed at great distance. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/467d21a8-2c3c-489d-84fc-c8bc67ebfaa9/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Brown-dipper-Romit-1671px-128kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a Brown dipper foraging at the edge of a river. These birds are happy divers and bottom-walkers, but they also wade in fast-flowing water, as is obvious here. In the image at bottom left, the white nictitating membrane is obvious. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/57230fbd-0758-4d7e-b813-9c52406e9ab0/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Grey-wagtail-montage-1438px-166kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the Grey wagtails of Tajikistan look essentially the same as those of Europe. It’s an especially long-tailed wagtail. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a5c4605c-15b8-497c-81de-da469582f0aa/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-White-wagtail-montage-1360px-122kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: masked, personata-type White wagtails, seen at different Tajik locations (but always close to rivers or streams). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e56c0d31-8d56-4086-a2a6-be225119497f/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-eastern-goldfinch-montage-1671px-88kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the strangest goldfinches. These photos show the same individual, but the other goldfinches I saw were like this one in bill form: it’s normal for this population. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b9182b6d-4da7-4eef-9ed0-823aafbf7f99/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-rosefinch-perhaps-Romit-Valley-1230px-143kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: on a partly bare slope at the edge of an orchard, a group of what I think were rosefinches were watched foraging on the ground. The red heads, necks and breasts of the males are obvious. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2c571499-66d6-43c6-8bab-8cbe39c14823/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-mystery-finches-1-2-3-1519px-108kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a miscellany of mystery finches, or finch-like passerines. I look forward to seeing suggested identifications. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e2f432a3-be04-4b9f-8db6-dfdcfe744f8f/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Red-headed-bunting-montage-1265px-102kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a bunting (or similar passeroid/passeridan) with brownish, streaked plumage across the head and neck and where the wing feathers are black and lined with yellow-white. I’m suggesting that these are female Red-headed bunting, a familiar and common species in Tajikistan and adjacent nations. But I could be wrong. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/acdcee4d-ddb9-4069-8e7b-ad45c7e9eaa2/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Table-2-ver-3-794px-221kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dceee0e4-af77-45fa-b773-32ce6acb5af4/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-facebook-poll-1169px-58kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 2 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/10/16/birdwatching-in-tajikistan-part-1 monthly 0.5 2023-10-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d1451cb-889a-4994-8a3e-c9322ccd5ec4/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-opener-with-map-1549px-169kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a Tajik (non-passerine) bird montage, and a map showing Tajikistan’s location (go here if you need a larger version). East of Uzbekistan, south of Kyrgyzstan, west of China, north of Afghanistan. Images: birds by Darren Naish; map (c) Google maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b3c8df33-8f87-43fd-a132-5313ce911a8e/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-camera-and-field-guide-1129px-161kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: key tools… a moderately decent camera, a field guide… and my note books too. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3118df5e-89da-45bc-8c29-153895b2ba55/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Karatag-Mountains-1752px-458kb-Oct-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: an indication of what the landscape is like in the Karatag Valley of western Tajikistan, the region where we did much of our fieldwork. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ac0bdaae-c2b7-4bf6-aeb5-d2d4db099ba2/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-drive-from-Karatag-mountains-1-1745px-265kb-Oct-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: more mountainous terrain in western Tajikistan, this time the infamous Anzob Pass in the Fann Mountains. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3614239e-af3d-4033-992a-f1b2f50b0d90/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Romit-Valley-mountains-1442px-162kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: more mountain porn. I took thousands of photos. These peaks are above the Romit Valley. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7dd1c0fc-5e82-4f11-beda-066458887f8a/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Spotted-flycatcher-composite-1634px-123kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: I think that these are all Spotted flycatchers; three of among many I saw. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/546224cc-be93-4de0-9cc2-c77955347a9d/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Collared-dove-Dushanbe-1625px-142kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: an urban Laughing dove that was comfortable wandering about a restaurant in search of food. I initially identified this bird as a Collared dove, in which case the black ‘collar’ that the species is named for would have to be concealed. Thanks to reader comments, I now think that the shape and reddish hue demonstrates that it’s a Laughing dove. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d3bcc14-f0b5-4b96-bed4-f92327faf9b1/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-sandpiper-montage-Karatag-Valley-1542px-170kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: sandpipers of the Karatag Valley. The bird on the right is certainly a Common sandpiper. The blurry one on the left probably is too… but is it? UPDATE: it’s a Green sandpiper! Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/28c7e065-a047-43e8-ab7f-64073d35bf99/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-chukar-Labidjay-845px-137kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the Chukar is the only Alectoris species that occurs in Central Asia, though it’s polytypic, with around six subspecies recognized across the region. I don’t know why this one was being kept in a cage, and it obviously wasn’t being kept in a cage that’s at all adequate for its wellbeing. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/467882b8-de3b-49b7-bccf-9f2e5d1fd3eb/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-pigeon-composite-1446px-79kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of bad pigeon photos (I mean that the photos are bad; I’m sure that the pigeons were quite amicable). The two on the left are Rock pigeons/doves, though the little crest on the bird at upper left is interesting, and I presume a fluke caused by ruffled feathers. The big pigeon at right looks more brightly coloured than I’d expect for a Wood pigeon but does appear to be typical of the species. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9ad26461-c4a0-4c03-8729-aea506dabf89/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-accipiter-Karatag-Valley-2-1706px-164kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a fast-flying accipiter hawk – a juvenile Shikra – in pursuit of an Eastern carrion crow Corvus corone orientalis. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40f43616-c55a-46c0-94fd-ebec1703a5da/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-accipiter-Karatag-Valley-montage-1605px-187kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the best image I was able to get of the Shikra as it flew past our camp. At right, a bad photo, but one that shows the evasive manoeuvres the crow was undertaking and the fact that the Shikra was actively pursuing it. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5e38c472-0fda-46f1-8b5f-fe2b9bbf43a6/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Golden-eagle-Romit-1293px-58kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: there’s something inescapably melancholy about the sight of an immense lone eagle, soaring in the cold, cloudy, grey skies at massive altitude. I doubt the eagle feels that way though. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c6f95470-6cb2-4fa9-ac0f-2ba3c350c976/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-griffon-1034px-54kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Old World vultures are among my favourite birds. The Eurasian griffon is, to date, the only species I’ve seen in the wild. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5f1541cf-5a51-42f1-8ea6-0f63bc35c81e/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-white-winged-woodpecker-Hakimi-5-1225px-144kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: I saw White-winged woodpeckers often, but this bird was the only one for which I had unobstructed views. The black (rather than red) nape shows that this is a female. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f558625-abdb-47bb-b8f9-1dad35ff33d5/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-white-winged-woodpecker-Hakimi-composite-1293px-137kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: more woodpeckerage, showing an out-of-focus bill and eye on the out-of-focus head. I deliberately included the apples in the third photo so we can be sure that the bird was foraging in an apple tree. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/83a172a2-0df5-4a79-8fc3-a3f054693ada/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-bee-eater-Karatag-and-Saratok-1431px-65kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: bee-eaters have an unmistakeable profile in flight. And the Common bee-eater (and others species too, I’m sure) has a colour scheme that’s extremely recognisable even at distance. The bird at left (from the Karatag Valley) is living up to its name and has a bee in its bill. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4ee6375c-80b4-4d9b-a940-eae58458b0dd/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-hoopoe-Karatag-Valley-787px-68kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: this photo is bad, but at least you can tell that it’s a hoopoe. Well, I think you can tell. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9152697a-6ac4-43d1-b1d4-4d46d5b2674b/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-hobby-composite-Romit-1283px-88kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: poor photos of Eurasian hobby seen in the Romit Valley of western Tajikistan. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/db5264fa-c249-4d84-b6cc-8195a372ec14/Tajik-birds-Oct-2023-Table-1-ver2-1219px-181kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Tajikistan, Part 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/10/2/alan-feduccia-romancing-the-birds-and-dinosaurs monthly 0.5 2025-11-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/959b49b8-b8e3-4f40-ba04-7298855c78e5/RTBAD-review-Oct-2023-Feduccia-RTBAD-582px-127kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9944c3d5-92ed-41cc-bc1f-a55f43c03411/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Dinopedia-Dec-2021-Feduccia-book-montage-1378px-153kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: the Feduccian oeuvre, these books being (left to right) from 1996, 2012 and 2020. The more recent works have a fringe, contrarian taint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5bf3ea5f-8a81-4b7e-83af-9fd46003d6be/RTBAD-Oct-2023-romantic-dinosaur-Lyn-Joyce-1000px-94kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: alas, Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs does not include dating advice, no matter how alluring those sexy dinosaurs might be. Image: Lyn Joyce, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ba00f702-8611-4ddc-a9bc-fec858e3ce3a/RTBAD-Oct-2023-key-coelurosaur-taxa-1347px-157kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: a few of the main theropod taxa that get extensive mention in RTBAD. All belong to the theropod group Coelurosauria. Caudipteryx and Microraptor belong to the coelurosaurian group Maniraptora. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d83a4e2a-26fd-452c-a204-9649fd871835/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Qiuyang-Zheng-RTBAD-cover-1295px-144kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: I will say this for Alan Feduccia… his books do feature some nice artwork (thinking in particular of the pieces by John P. O’Neill). The cover of RTBAD features this excellent image by Qiuyang Zheng, showing a fruit-eating jeholornithid bird while a terrestrial dromaeosaurid forages nearby. Image: (c) Qiuyang Zheng. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e027a129-b9f4-4176-8570-3ab682d44df2/RTBAD-review-ratite-evolution-July-2023-Oct-2023-Feduccia-RTBAD-montage-1403px-279kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: there are several reasons for the cessation of my April 1st articles, and one of them is that some people were and are unable to recognise them as parody. Tricking mokele-mbembe truthers is one thing, but catching a Distinguished Professor Emeritus hook, line and sinker is another. I feel so guilty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9007887c-71e8-4b24-bb84-5e1eff8010b7/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Archaeoraptor-Rowe-et-al-2001-1263px-194kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: the ‘Archaeoraptor’ specimen – outed in the popular media (National Geographic magazine) as important in our developing ideas on bird-dinosaur evolution – proved to be a composite, or a hoax if you want, as demonstrated by Rowe et al. (2001). What specific relevance does this embarrassing mistake have for studies on archaic birds and allied dinosaurs at large? Well, none, and the only people who might return to it as some sort of faux dog whistle are creationists. Oh, and Alan Feduccia. Image: Rowe et al. (2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/91b50907-fc1e-4b94-904b-363a7bc0e6eb/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Longisquama-and-drepanosaurs-1380px-142kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: Longisquama (at left) and the drepanosaurids (like the two animals shown at right) are small, quadrupedal, climbing Triassic diapsid reptiles. They aren’t archosaurs or close kin of archosaurs, and there’s no good reason to think that they’re relevant to the ancestry of birds. Feduccia and his colleagues have repeatedly emphasized the possibility that these animals are closer to birds than are (non-bird) theropod dinosaurs. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0871195f-75dd-41e0-8152-3c00b6be36dc/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Taylor-et-al-2009-APP-1000px-94kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: Taylor et al. (2009) argued that data from living tetrapods – including amphibians, mammals, squamates, crocodylians and birds – show how an elevated neck posture should be assumed as the default for extinct members of the group, in the absence of compelling evidence to the contrary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/00e2be77-bd7e-4cf3-a794-848e45582aa1/RTBAD-Oct-2023-sauropod-neck-montage-1305px-90kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: Feduccia’s discussion of sauropods would have the reader believe that the ‘erect neck’ hypothesis is poorly founded, and promoted by radicals aiming to upset a more conventional view. It’s interesting that Feduccia does such a bad job of discussing the work that’s actually been published on this topic. The image at left shows postulated neck mobility in Spinophorosaurus, from Vidal et al. (2020a). The image at right shows Diplodocus in the habitual neck pose inferred by Taylor et al. (2009) on the basis of data from living tetrapods. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/12befe33-592e-4c4a-9bbe-1ca261b39ea8/RTBAD-Oct-2023-archosaur-phylogeny-1384px-111kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: a highly simplified depiction of archosaur phylogeny as we currently understand it. A number of superficially dinosaur-like members of the ‘crocodile line’ within Archosauria are known (like the poposauroid Effigia, shown here at the top of the diagram) and a substantial amount of anatomical data shows that they are indeed part of the croc-line clade, not the bird-line clade. The hypothesis shown here is based on a substantial number of studies that cite and discuss an enormous number of anatomical observations and discoveries. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a8fee08f-7bd2-40a6-8367-29e86c742346/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Field-et-al-2020-time-calibrated-968px-95kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: today, both the fossil record and time-calibrated molecular phylogenies converge on a similar answer…. neornithine birds originated during the Late Cretaceous but not right at its end. This cladogram from Field et al. (2020) shows how the main neornithine clades had perhaps diverged by 100 million years ago. It’s still the case that the vast bulk of neornithine lineages originated after the Cretaceous, however. Image: Field et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6d92f19c-50ac-4cef-af98-cef0f359e982/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Feduccia-RTBAD-big-bang-947px-94kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: the version of the neornithine ‘big bang’ portrayed in RTBAD. This version differs from ones that Feduccia has published before in that they show the neornithine radiation originating in the Late Cretaceous. Image: Feduccia (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/eeb5888b-a7c7-47f1-a1bd-4ef024f9e430/RTBAD-Oct-2023-diver-grebe-hesperornithine-1370px-168kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: it’s true, Joel Cracraft once argued that divers/loons (upper left), grebes (upper right) and hesperornithines (below) were close kin within a group termed Gaviomorphae. Other authors have found a diver + grebe clade more recently. Is this proof that efforts to determine avian phylogeny via cladistics are a waste of time, doomed to failure? No, it’s proof that scientists sometimes get things wrong. Images: diver by John Picken, CC BY 2.0 (original here); others by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7406ef1d-1769-4172-b423-cf1170fa50f8/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Ramos-1980s-Dimorphodon-1319px-81kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: an iconic image of the Jurassic pterosaur Dimorphodon, by J. Kevin Ramos, used in several of Kevin Padian’s papers and articles published during the 1980s. Feduccia is fixated on this work, since he’s frequently drawn attention to this specific view of pterosaurs (which is not endorsed by anyone other than Padian). Image: J. Kevin Ramos. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4132c444-fc6f-4655-9ac4-20225f3846ce/RTBAD-Oct-2023-ratite-paedomorphosis-montage-1165px-163kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: the hypothesis that ratites are paedomorphic has been popular. We don’t know that it’s true; it’s a hypothesis, and not one that matches the data all that well. Images: Darren Naish; public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b336cd85-3927-4f63-92a6-162e44b7e9a6/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Feduccia-ostrich-embryo-hand-1216px-81kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: at left, ostrich embryo right hand in dorsal view. At right, the same hand (A) compared to that of (B-F) non-bird dinosaurs. Integral to Feduccia’s identification of digits in the avian hand is the argument that ostrich embryos are pentadactyl, with those little spurs at the base being digits I and V. But is that so? Vargas & Fallon (2005, pp. 241-215) noted that these “condensations of the wing appear at a much later stage than the digital condensations of the functional digits, are very small sized, and only transiently detectable. Therefore, these mesenchymal condensations cannot be compared with much certainty to specific digits that were lost in the adult”. Feduccia (2020, p. 151) quotes the following from Henry Gee: “I can’t make much of this image; it reminds me of a Rorschach Test”. Images: left, Feduccia (2020); right, Feduccia (2002). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/03107e5f-a908-4fa7-8cdf-45d08d12b751/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Salinas-Saavedra-et-al-2014-hand-homology-1230px-55kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: based on the pattern of hand anatomy as seen across evolutionary history, it looks obvious that the bird hand is formed of digits I, II and III. However, looks can be deceiving… what does molecular data say? By looking at the expression of HoxD genes in the developing hand, some studies report molecular support for the I-II-III configuration. Image: Salinas-Saavedra et al. (2014). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b5cc1f4a-3122-404b-b2bd-478f7bea52f1/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Sinosauropteryx-filaments-Currie-%26-Chen-2001-1202px-145kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: an opinion promoted by some in the discussion on bird origins is that being highly sceptical of dinosaur ‘fuzz’ represents a good, honest stance. And scepticism on this issue is, obviously, not ‘bad’. But immediately casting aspersions (which is what Feduccia did: Morell 1997, p. 38) was and is a sign of massive bias. These images (from Currie & Chen 2001) show two of the Sinosauropteryx specimens that exhibit integumentary filaments ((a) NIGP 127586 and (b) NIGP 127587), plus close-ups of the filaments preserved across their bodies (and not just on their dorsal midlines, as Feduccia and colleagues have stated). Images: Currie & Chen (2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9fd89ccd-8c09-45a5-8efb-c41c2a7d5f45/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Sinosauropteryx-tail-with-arrows-1370px-215kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: integral to Feduccia’s argument that filaments on Sinosauropteryx are collagen fibres is the interpretation of said filaments as “beneath the skin outline” (p. 185), internal to the “clearly demarcated body outline” (p. 165). In the Sinosauropteryx specimen (IVPP V12415) you see here (this image shows part of its tail), said ‘skin outline’ or ‘body outline’ is marked with red arrows. It’s no ‘outline’, but the demarcation between an area where the matrix has been broken off by preparation tools versus that where the matrix remains. This is the case for all the specimens concerned. Most observations used to support the collagen fibre hypothesis are of this calibre. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0285dcd5-dbb7-43ad-9b53-b6dd029d4469/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Lingham-Soliar-ichthyosaur-fibres-1370px-215kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: at left, one of Lingham-Soliar’s ichthyosaur skin fibre images, showing the fibres very much internal to the external body outline and thus deeply embedded within the skin. At right, a close-up of ichthyosaur skin fibres as provided by Lingham-Soliar & Wesley-Smith (2008). Note that the numerous tiny fibrils do not taper toward their ends and are united in thick, rope-like structures. They don’t resemble dinosaur filaments in detail. Images: left, from Lingham-Soliar (2001), scale bar = 10 cm; right, Lingham-Soliar & Wesley-Smith (2008), scale bars = 2 microns, 1 micron in insets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/06786720-28ff-4e29-a8dd-7d13a4cc4e5d/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Smithwick-et-al-2017-prep-marks-1809px-330kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: Lingham-Soliar argued that several long, straight, non-tapering ‘fibres’ surrounding the fossils of the theropod Sinosauropteryx can be identified as collagen fibres. The features he had in mind were preparation marks made by tools, like those shown here (from Smithwick et al. 2017). Scale bars = 10 mm. Images: Smithwick et al. (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8fcac906-70c4-4a53-85fc-20262a9d9f10/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Dececchi-et-al-2016-PeerJ-600px-69kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: Dececchi et al. (2016) showed that at least some non-bird maniraptorans do not have the right combination of anatomical features to benefit from WAIR as originally envisioned. Image: Dececchi et al. (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bcaf1b65-fafa-4a0d-afe1-c82709a8427d/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Balaur-Cau-et-al-2015-1491px-75kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: interpreted as a jeholornithid-grade member of Avialae, as per Cau et al. (2015), Balaur might have looked less ‘Velociraptor-like’ than depicted in some recontructions. But would it be fair to then describe it as “little more than a secondarily flightless bird”, as Feduccia suggests? Image: Jaime Headden, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/910f5dc7-d33c-4fbb-94e9-8eb332140ab0/RTBAD-Oct-2023-python-Colchester-alligator-WMZ-1641px-183kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: modern big reptiles, like pythons and alligators, are not dinosaur-like at all. But a point made several times in Feduccia’s writings is that the existence of such animals is really very much relevant to the fact that there are (or were) non-bird dinosaurs. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fbe2f5fb-b6aa-4bf7-b255-db4675887aef/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Cavalheiro-et-al-2021-global-temp-maps-783px-109kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: these global temperature maps for the Valanginian in the Early Cretaceous, from Cavalheiro et al. (2021), show projected temperatures of less than 12 degrees C across large areas of North America and Eurasia. Numerous dinosaur fossils are known from this timeframe, from the cool and cold areas. Note the sea ice projected for the polar regions too. Yes, there were long warm spells across the Mesozoic but we’re long past the time where the whole of the Mesozoic (or even whole of the Cretaceous) can be framed as a perpetual hothouse. Image: Cavalheiro et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2421f70b-aaa8-46b0-affc-020b9c5562c0/RTBAD-Oct-2023-Paul-2002-DotA-1871px-213kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: the late Larry Martin was first to use the term ‘Paulian School of Bird Origins’ to describe endorsement of Paul’s ‘neoflightless’ hypothesis. RTBAD confirms Feduccia’s endorsement of Paul, and Dinosaurs of the Air is the sacred text. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40345c66-dd09-4b1f-ac05-89d316c38543/RTBAD-Oct-2023-coelurosaur-forelimb-skeletons-Hartman-1324px-87kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: contra Feduccia, it simply isn’t true that there’s a trend of forelimb reduction across those theropods surrounding maniraptorans in the family tree. As implied by the simplified phylogenetic hypothesis shown here, tyrannosauroids and ornithomimosaurs are both long-armed, like maniraptorans, and indeed are proportionally long-armed relative to theropods less close to birds. I’ve included two icons for Maniraptora because archaic maniraptorans (like therizinosaurs) are proportionally shorter-armed than the more bird-like ones. Images: (c) Scott Hartman, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/74e01721-a990-4bf5-86ea-691d1d4e3914/RTBAD-Oct-2023-scansoriopterygid-montage-1494px-223kb-Oct-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: scansoriopterygids are really fascinating animals. All are small, ranging from sparrow-sized to pigeon-sized. At left, we see the Scansoriopteryx holotype as figured by Stephen Czerkas and Feduccia. The scale bar is 10 mm! At right, a life reconstruction of Yi qi, a member of the group with membranous wings supported by a long, spur-like additional forelimb element. Images: Czerkas & Feduccia; John Conway (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5941a772-9816-4270-b174-02598ac3386b/RTBAD-Oct-2023-coelurosaur-phylogeny-1381px-102kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: maniraptorans (the theropod dinosaur group that includes birds) do not exist within a phylogenetic vacuum. That is, they are not somehow unlike all other theropods, and share numerous anatomical features with ornithomimosaurs, compsognathids and tyrannosauroids: so many, that any phylogenetic position favoured for maniraptorans has to ‘pull’ those other groups along too. This image shows a highly simplified phylogenetic hypothesis for these groups. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a4b8b543-13e7-493d-add6-ffa47f159ccc/RTBAD-Oct-2023-bird-montage-1311px-209kb-Oct-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology - Make it stand out Caption: for decades, Alan Feduccia has promoted the view that he and his colleagues “know birds”, and that those who promote the ‘birds are dinosaurs’ hypothesis do not. This has never been true, and it’s becoming increasingly less true over time. Whatever, we can turn it around and say that Feduccia certainly doesn’t “know” non-bird dinosaurs. Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/9/17/the-remarkable-muscovy-duck monthly 0.5 2026-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6f036ed9-24ec-4e4b-a0bd-2303e477a8dd/Muscovy-duck-Sept-2023-La-Palma-2014-1513px-212kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Muscovy Duck - Make it stand out Caption: my hope with respect to this image is that it takes you a few moments to work out what’s going on. It’s a male Muscovy duck, eyes closed, preening his chest with his head inverted. This was a captive bird photographed on La Palma in the Canary Islands in 2014. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2f098ddf-04dc-45b7-b0c8-4eab601b4328/Muscovy-duck-Sept-2023-Muscovy-face-Rhos-Barn-Rhos-Barn-2014-1303px-125kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Muscovy Duck - Make it stand out Caption: a domestic male Muscovy duck revealing key facial features of this species. Note the naked facial skin (in this individual, there are few carunculations, maybe because he’s young), prominent knob at the base of the bill, and feather crest. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14ae39dc-3028-4362-b4b8-e37a4baf4758/Muscovy-duck-Sept-2023-duck-phylogeny-1313px-90kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Muscovy Duck - Make it stand out Caption: numerous competing views of duck phylogeny exist. In this highly simplified version (based on Sun et al. 2017), tadornines are closer to dabbling ducks than to seaducks. Muscovy ducks are part of the Tadorna lineage in the study concerned. The images used here were created for my in-prep textbook project, which is still underway and can be supported at my patreon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d81f6d8d-6d12-4fd4-904b-eeac70e6b0dc/Muscovy-duck-Sept-2023-Muscovy-pair-Welsh-Mountain-Zoo-1571px-258kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Muscovy Duck - Make it stand out Caption: the sexually aggressive proclivities of the Muscovy aren’t in evidence all the time. This male (photographed in the Welsh Mountain Zoo in 2014) was allopreening his female companion. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a59d073-0d82-431b-8396-0738ce94c0af/Muscovy-duck-Sept-2023-Muscovy-rape-Rhos-Barn-2014-1027px-59kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Muscovy Duck - Make it stand out Caption: Muscovy duck sexual behaviour is aggressive, with most (maybe all?) events involving rape. Male Muscovies will rape other birds, as evidenced by this photo taken on a Welsh farm in 2014. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b9deccd0-1631-4a78-a1e2-11aee2360fb5/Muscovy-duck-Sept-2023-La-Palma-2014-2-1084px-168kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Muscovy Duck - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/9/4/review-of-neanderthal-heuvelmans-2016 monthly 0.5 2026-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c2dcf03a-bfac-4f2e-82ee-eb854ee78792/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-iceman-Hunting-Monsters-1282px-188kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d13cbb55-29ac-4440-93f5-7df5ea1b0da4/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Heuvelmans-2016-cover-1017px-118kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: cover of Heuvelmans (2016), showing the composite image that Heuvelmans assembled himself. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6fc23503-5e6c-4e10-bead-175c447a47e0/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Heuvelmans-at-Crystal-Palace-794px-94kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: Bernard Heuvelmans with one of the Crystal Palace pterosaur models. The photo dates to some time in the 1950s. Credit: Living Wonders Thames & Hudson Ltd; New edition edition (25 April 1983). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/528d915a-cbc5-4a23-a8b4-e0fc69e31da7/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Heuvelmans-cover-montage-1017px-118kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: different covers of different editions. At left, the 2011 L'Oeil du Sphinx version; at right, the 2016 English translation by Anomalist Books. Credit: l'Oeil du Sphinx (left); Anomalist Books (right). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/64d49398-c353-4752-9949-3afddde61205/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Heuvelmans-OTT-montage-1363px-205kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: by far the best known of Bernard Heuvelmans’s books is his 1959 On the Track of Unknown Animals, republished several times and translated into many different languages. The images here show (left to right) the 1959 original, the 1965 reprint, and the 1995 edition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ee715b2a-43e7-48c6-a6c4-41dda4b31e4a/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Sanderson-montage-911px-132kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: Sanderson's views on the iceman were somewhat different from those of Heuvelmans. At left, his ape-like rendition of the iceman (Heuvelmans is critical of this version in his book). At right, one of Sanderson's several books on animals and natural history. As usual, I am amazed how little imagery relevant to Ivan Sanderson (read: none) has been released online via creative commons. Credit: Ivan Sanderson (left); Ivan Sanderson's Book of Great Jungles Julian Messner, A division of Pocket Books (right). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7adc75ee-d801-41c6-9259-13590ceba4ed/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Hansen-with-iceman-861px-152kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: Frank Hansen – owner of the iceman – with the object itself. Credit: Costello 1984 Creatures from Elsewhere, Imprint unknown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0b793657-0547-4ec6-a066-dbcb6a48aa45/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Neanderthal-skull-655px-84kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: Heuvelmans's primary hypothesis was that the iceman represented a population that descended from the Neanderthals of the Pleistocene. Here is the classic La Chapelle aux Saints Neanderthal skull. Credit: Luna04 Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/66ffe3b1-3488-4c97-9b8d-d01a83c6d2b8/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-PG-Tips-album-1015px-134kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: like many British people of my approximate age, one of my first introductions to the iceman was its coverage in the (somewhat credulously written) PG tips Unexplained Mysteries of the World, published in 1987. The photo of the iceman (taken by Loren Coleman) shows exposed teeth and thus looks different from the images recorded by Heuvelmans and Sanderson. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b616ca2d-fad6-420d-8eda-526deebc6047/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Heuvelmans-with-archive-1165px-473kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: portrait of Bernard Heuvelmans, here shown reviewing sea monster accounts from the Oudemans archive. Credit: Hill And Wang, 1 Jan. 1969. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0fe32f7b-4f40-4f94-aa4f-e6237b910638/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-iceman-622px-164kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: just in case you've forgotten, here – again – is a depiction of the iceman as it appeared (at left), and (at right) as reconstructed by Alika Lindbergh (= Monique Watteau). Images in public domain. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/764da1d0-91ad-4343-8568-2c69d7ad489f/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-model-and-t-shirt-882px-116kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: a small amount of Minnesota iceman merchandise exists. At left, we have the Jean St. Jean 2020 scale figure in one of my display cabinet, a kind gift from Loren Coleman’s International Cryptozoology Museum. At right, a t-shirt from the Museum of the Weird in Austin, a gift from John Conway. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/70f2f8d5-f225-423c-9959-97e0ec6628a4/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Knight-Neanderthals-1323px-189kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: Neanderthals have been depicted in many different ways over the years. This illustration is by Charles Knight and dates to 1920. Credit: Charles Knight Wikimedia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a55aca5c-3d72-4ed4-a1e2-d7f665557988/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Heuvelmans-Neanderthal-1072px-97kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: integral to the concept of pongoid man is the idea that Neanderthals ('late Neanderthals', anyway) had an elevated snub nose where the nostrils pointed forwards. At left, we see Heuvelmans' reconstruction of the La Chapelle aux Saints Neanderthal with a postulated outline. At right, a reconstruction of the iceman in profile. Credit: Heuvelmans 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0cb0369-b818-42b4-a356-99b2e29bbd57/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Vendramini-cover-528px-73kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: the cover of Danny Vendramini's book on the 'Neanderthal predation hypothesis'. Tetrapod Zoology does not endorse this book. Credit: Kardoorair Press. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a26dfcaa-afa0-487d-bd3d-feaaccf65fd7/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Lindberg-Homo-pongoides-629px-157kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: pongoid man as imagined in life by Alika Lindbergh (= Monique Watteau). The original painting features a different look for the penis and shows straggly head hair and 'ear tufts'. Credit: Creatures from Elsewhere; Imprint unknown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0a5e81c9-1a0a-4618-8004-91c11a439952/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Gribbin-%26-Cherfas-1981-cover-590px-101kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: the idea that ape-type hominids evolved from human-type hominids has been put forward quite a few times in both the technical and popular literature. This New Scientist cover accompanied an article on that subject (Gribbin & Cherfas 1981). Credit: New Scientist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/671bd237-483f-41b0-9e32-222150d52a9f/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-de-hominisation-1655px-239kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: the erroneous 'march of progress' - with humans at far right - is a familiar image. Less familiar is the idea that quadrupedal hominids evolved from bipedal, human-like ones. What we see in the illustration here is, no doubt, just as erroneous as the 'march of progress', but the general trend depicted here is indeed out there in the literature. Homo pongoides – a 'bestial' hominin – is second from the left. This image is inspired by an illustration by François de Sarre. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/76ce203d-6b7d-4d47-ae78-5f201b130f54/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-de-Sarre-proto-humans-543px-105kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: initial bipedalism posits the existence of human ancestors that look somewhat... different relative to the sort of interpretations you might be used to. This reconstruction – showing early proto-human invaders of the land – is one of my favourites. Credit: de Sarre 1997. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea7be165-2f1b-4e63-acfd-bc957df15a7a/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-de-Sarre-de-hominisation-1334px-193kb-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: this cartoon – by initial bipedalism proponent François de Sarre – depicts the idea that humans (and/or human-like animals) evolved directly from aquatic ancestors, and that ape-like primates are the specialised 'de-hominised' descendants of human-like forms. Credit: de Sarre (1997). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c5c3008-6aff-4cd7-a77e-4548ce0dba82/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Regal-cover-Sept-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Caption: Brian Regal’s 2013 book – probably the best scholarly investigation of sasquatch research out there (it is about the researchers, not the research itself) – includes documentation of the behind the scenes story on the Minnesota iceman. Credit: Palgrave Macmillan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/909a1349-94da-4bd9-b510-aea5790c7bef/Minnesota-Iceman-Heuvelmans-review-Sept-2023-Heuvelmans-montage-1249px-176kb-Sept-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 2: A Review of Heuvelmans's Neanderthal - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/8/14/minnesota-iceman-part-1 monthly 0.5 2023-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/53a99ebe-58c0-4892-90df-b903f2b121eb/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-composite-in-ice-and-reconstruction-600px-104px-Dec-2016-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a81a3121-d097-4de5-86d6-a881308c0300/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-Hunting-Monsters-covers-1000px-162kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Hunting Monsters the ebook cover (at left); Hunting Monsters the hardcopy cover (at right). Credit: Arcturus Books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/703ee332-4ae9-4de9-87ef-c95d81e7508b/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-Heuvelmans-Neanderthal-cover-699px-70kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: cover of Heuvelmans (2016). Credit: Anomalist Books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1840014d-3b89-478c-900c-4e311e0f204b/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-Minnesota-Iceman-based-on-drawings-485px-116kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: redrawings of (at left) the Minnesota Iceman as it looked when frozen, and (at right) as it was interpreted by Heuvelmans and Sanderson. Images in public domain. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21a32046-da19-492e-83dc-cdea3182b2d4/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-Hansen-with-Iceman-870px-214kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Frank Hansen with the Iceman... or, one version of it, anyway. Credit: Costello 1984. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8652bd3e-e5ec-4a7c-b987-c6329f192ef0/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-Sanderson-Iceman-drawing-406px-64kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Ivan Sanderson's much-reproduced schematic diagram of the Iceman. Note the broad hands and feet, the apparent break in the arm, the 'pongoid' nose, and male genitalia. Credit: Napier 1973. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3818d51e-8107-4c5d-854e-6aa34e84bd75/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-Wookey-Hole-Abominable-Snowman-1658px-202kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: fairgrounds and carnivals have a long history of showing 'snowman' or 'wildman' exhibits. Here's a 'perpetually mortified' Abominable Snowman exhibit at Wookey Hole, UK. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1c4a0d40-bb5e-4214-a6e8-ec3cfc06f7a0/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-Loofs-Wissowa-1994-alleged-Isturitz-hairy-hominid-741px-73kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: image of (supposedly) a hairy hominid with an upturned nose depicted in the Isturitz cave in France, from Loofs-Wissowa (1994). Those familiar with Palaeolithic art will know how the interpretations favoured by some authors are often problematical. See the 2019 article Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas for more on this issue. Credit: Loofs-Wissowa 1994. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/90ad6e5d-f640-43a0-a0fd-272a41bdf619/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-Magraner-bar-manu-484px-65kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Jordi Magraner's depiction of the 'Bar-Manu', a crypto-hominid described by witnesses in Pakistan, from de Sarre (1996). Credit: Magraner, in de Sarre 1996. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/74efe7e5-41c6-4cd0-88dd-505cff752ee8/Minnesota-Iceman-Aug-2023-pongoid-man-Costello-1984-956px-180kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Strange Case of the Minnesota Iceman, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the concept of the 'pongoid man' - a dark-furred, nocturnal Eurasian hominid sometimes regarded as a 'relict neanderthal' - is now part of the cryptozoological canon and many illustrations depict it in life. This reconstruction appeared in Costello (1984) [if trying to obtain that article, be aware that it is not in all editions of Creatures of Elsewhere: it only seems to be be part of the paperback version]. I assume the artist was Alika Lindbergh (= Monique Watteau). Credit: Costello 1984. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/8/9/laysan-ducks-not-degenerate monthly 0.5 2026-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a1b7cd0-dc60-44c4-990d-a986a924b349/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-2-London-Wetland-Centre-1316px-160kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: to date, I’ve seen a single Laysan duck, and here it is. It was on show at WWT London Wetland Centre. The large amount of speckled white on the head and neck is typical of the species today but perhaps was not as prevalent in the past. The wing mirror isn’t obviously green in this individual, so I think this is a female. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48936061-716e-4e4f-8a5a-7b5d01b742c1/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-with-chicks-Jimmy-Breeden-1225px-196kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: Laysan duck female and ducklings. Laysan ducklings have an appearance typical of mallards and kin, but their facial striping is less defined and prominent than that of mallards and African ducks (and Meller’s duck!); their body spots are more diffuse than those of mallards and most other related species. Image: Jimmy Breeden, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f47ee8de-2b85-45c2-82d7-e17d3e57f092/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Rothschild-1892-Laysan-duck-description-601px-81kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: the entire thing – the whole published work – that constitutes Walter Rothschild’s 1892 description and naming of the Laysan duck, from Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club volume 1. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/72073d42-e37f-410e-aa7e-1f31f5a23e5e/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Delacour-1956-mallard-plate-1184px-176kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: plate from Delacour (1956) featuring the Laysan duck (at lower left; male and female) and other members of the mallard clade, art by Peter Scott. A Koloa or Hawaiian duck pair are to the right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d7d3366f-03e8-44a5-be7d-bb4248154636/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-with-brine-flies-James-McVey-PD-1207px-177kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: Laysan ducks with brine fly swarms, though not obviously feeding on them. Image: Dr James P. McVey, NOAA Sea Grant Program, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c420e5d-0f04-428c-acbf-37fbbdc1f53c/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-3-London-Wetland-Centre-1522px-126kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: additional images of the lone Laysan duck I’ve seen, on show at the WWT London Wetland Centre and photographed in 2014. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0f05a309-107f-48cd-a1d5-2e79d2ded05b/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-mallard-montage-1096px-173kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: the mallard is an extraordinarily successful bird with a massive (albeit almost entirely Northern Hemisphere) distribution that involves tropical Asia, northern Africa, the Neotropics and the Arctic Circle in addition to the temperate places we mostly associate it with. As expected, its phylogenetic structure is complex and it has hybridised with several other dabbling duck species. The birds here were all photographed in England but for the one at lower right, which was in Portugal. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/695c5702-a1e7-4b2c-b791-c8db82906654/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Mellers-duck-Bristol-Zoo-and-IOW-Zoo-1549px-203kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: Meller’s ducks I’ve encountered in captivity, in Bristol Zoo (at left) and the Isle of Wight Zoo. This bird might look superficially like a mallard, but it’s also obviously distinct in plumage and proportions, an observation consistent with molecular data and phylogenetic studies. Meller’s duck was covered at Tetrapod Zoology back in 2009. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1b0f9cbe-ca53-4f09-abe7-0735096762c5/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Johnson-%26-Sorenson-1999-cladogram-617px-83kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: Johnson & Sorenson’s dabbling duck phylogeny of 1999. Laysan ducks (A. laysanensis) are shown here as being part of a polytomy that also includes a Philippine duck + ‘mallard 1’ clade and an American black duck + ‘mallard 2’ clade. This is Johnson & Sorenson’s strict consensus tree; other trees they show have a tidier topology in the mallard clade. Image: Johnson & Sorenson (1999). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3dd1a46c-e543-4668-8c00-a611ebbaf0ac/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Cooper-et-al-1996-cladogram-752px-66kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: Cooper et al.’s 1996 molecular phylogeny, showing grouping of Koloa with mallard, and of fossil (I’m not a fan of the term ‘subfossil’, it’s redundant) ducks of the main islands with living Laysan ducks. Image: Cooper et al. (1996). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b136a81d-4bac-4012-b4e1-bc9628f78b63/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Hawaiian-Islands-PD-989px-47kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: the Hawaiian Islands, with Laysan and Lasianski visible in the ‘middle’ of the northwestern island. Image in the public domain, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d540e291-5611-4765-b89b-bfcb0f21f503/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-London-Wetland-Centre-601px-81kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: captive (probable female) Laysan duck at WWT London Wetland Centre. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9834feb1-5ba1-43f2-9405-643835f683e0/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-Peter-Scott-PG-Tips-page-1269px-220kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: a consequence of the Laysan’s ducks’ closeness to extinction is that it’s featured in numerous books on endangered and near-extinct animals, in this case the Brooke Bond Picture Cards Wildlife in Danger of 1963, written and illustrated by Peter Scott. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/570cb1b3-18f3-463a-b151-d51ade75d75d/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-Peter-Scott-1135px-195kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: here’s Peter Scott’s Laysan duck tea card painting in close-up. As a wildfowl expert, aficionado and conservationist and an artist, he painted this species on several occasions during his life. Peter Scott has been written about before at Tetrapod Zoology, most recently because of his involvement in Loch Ness Monster research and popularisation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7187d76a-8f93-4d45-8241-1f61bfbbce82/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-in-books-1315px-172kb-Aug-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: more Laysan duck appearances in books on endangered wildlife. The image at left (illustration by Darryl Wheye) is from Paul Ehrlich et al.’s 1992 Birds in Jeopardy: the Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the United States and Canada, Including Hawaii and Puerto Rico; that at right is from Halliday’s 1978 Vanished Birds (all illustrations in the book are by Halliday himself). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/55ba3414-6d12-483d-b383-bb05dfbddf39/Laysan-duck-Aug-2023-Laysan-duck-Forest-and-Kim-Starr-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1018px-130kb-Aug-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Laysan Ducks: Not as Degenerate as People Used to Think - Make it stand out Caption: a Laysan duck group photographed in the wild on Laysan. Despite statements that Laysan ducks don’t enter the sea, this image seems to show the birds in coastal waters… though it could be a lagoon or lake. Image: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, original here. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/7/28/five-years-of-tetrapod-zoology-ver-4 monthly 0.5 2023-08-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d465d7cd-5ab2-41b2-bec1-a33764227763/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-Tet-Zoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-1620px-175kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: images relevant to the last year of blogging here at Tetrapod Zoology… the books Ancient Sea Reptiles and Mesozoic Art, a cassowary skeleton (photographed at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), and the Beasts of the Mesozoic T. rex figures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cbf483f1-8975-47b1-ad3b-10b8ce54d2b1/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-black-dog-Weymouth-1062px-143kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: just how many ‘black dog’ pubs are there in the UK, exactly? This one is in Weymouth; the photos come from June 2023. The challenge is knowing whether they’re named for random actual dogs (say, a black Lab that was used in local wildfowl hunting) or the great spectral hounds of yore. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8ce596d1-812b-47bc-b374-2497d6c94c5f/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-zebras-and-UN-montage-1374px-195kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: zebras have been covered at length at Tet Zoo ver 4, but more is set to come. The illustration here (left) is by Wilhelm Eigener and appeared in Hans Hvass’s 1961 Mammals of the World. At right: the cover slide of my September 2022 talk at the United Nations Science Summit panel ‘Knowing and Protecting Life on Earth Starts with Natural History and Science Innovation’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2f526c11-a36e-4703-bbc2-55436edfb077/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-Mesozoi Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Mesozoic Art editor, author, compiler, editor Steve White at a bookshop in King’s Lynn. At right, images from the book, by Brennan Stokkermans (above) and Julia D’Oliviera. Images: Darren Naish, Brennan Stokkermans, Julia D’Oliviera. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/959b5792-8ca9-49d2-a0fd-0be3bee4dc35/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-Darren-and-Ben-1409px-153kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: some TetZooCon 2022 scenes. At left, Darren Naish and Ben G. Thomas himself. At right, the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs stand, featuring Mark Witton and Ellinor Michel’s excellent book (buy it here) and much else. Images: Georgia Witton-McClean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2c849969-ae57-43bf-9502-9c63dec01612/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-Plot-bone-montage-916px-176kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: did we succeed in finding Robert Plot’s famously lost dinosaur bone? As ever when the introductory statement is posed as a question, the answer is no. The photos of OUMNH PAL J29757, with Hilary Ketchum’s hands for scale, are by Paul Stewart. The cartoon is from Dinosaur Bones by Aliki (A & C Black, London, 1989). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cd487a42-d26f-45d5-afb9-808b5a29c213/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-baryonychine-brain-montage-1333px-97kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Isle of Wight baryonychine spinosaurid Ceratosuchops interacts with another animal, with the position and anatomy of its brain (and associated structures) shown in the inset. At right: one of the several University of Southampton CT-scanners in operation. Images: Anthony Hutchings, Darren Naish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3435c021-444f-4771-a308-20a1737b013e/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-May-2023-cover-montage-1064px-111kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: Ancient Sea Reptiles, the UK cover (left) and US cover. Buy it here from the Natural History Museum, here from Smithsonian Books, here at amazon.com, here at amazon.co.uk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3e3ec26f-f27e-43b7-8f90-838b036721eb/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-Lyme-Regis-Fossil-Festival-1169px-201kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, 2023. My signed copy of Tom Sharpe’s book on Mary Anning, and an actual live tyrannosaur on the streets of the town (just outside Lyme Regis Museum). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/de06c60e-7483-480a-9b7d-a8cfb579248d/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-Evolve-mag-1185px-129kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: cover image of Naish (2023b), featuring an Early Jurassic marine scene by the excellent Bob Nicholls. More specifically, the scene depicts the Hettangian of Barrow-upon-Soar (UK) where rhomaleosaurid plesiosaurs lived alongside leptonected and ichthyosaurid ichthyosaurs; actinopterygians and numerous invertebrates are known from the fauna too. Image: Bob Nicholls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/197b1589-bf91-4ece-9f07-0b7708ccacb4/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-lark-and-okapi-1381px-160kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: larks and okapis, two subjects I’m happy to have covered during 2023. The Eurasian skylark Alauda arvensis painting at left is by Alan Harris and appears on the cover of Paul Donald’s 2004 book The Skylark. The captive Okapi was photographed at Marwell Zoo in 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d7cfa49e-7588-4bb9-a536-8709c7e02455/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-Florida-cassowary-release-1007px-159kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: Jessica (and an out-of-shot Todd) release a male Southern cassowary into a new enclosure. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/17aace87-9675-4926-b310-aa39e77e1998/TetZoo-ver-4-5th-birthday-July-2023-TetZooCon-2022-PATREON-montage-1136px-179kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: just some of the massive amount of content that’s been shared at the Tet Zoo Patreon, all of it intended for as-yet-unpublished mega-projects. Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/7/20/kleinmachnow-lion-not-a-lion monthly 0.5 2023-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/43f76096-f85b-4c11-8ca3-5af897139791/german+lion+1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Kleinmachnow Lion is Definitely Not a Lion - Make it stand out Caption: screengrab of the ‘Kleinmachnow lion’ footage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c682e8e3-6ccb-4f9e-bd20-a058c71da845/German+lion+montage+1+July+2023.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Kleinmachnow Lion is Definitely Not a Lion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c9f7baea-cd37-49a4-94c8-f38f409bd5bd/German+lion+montage+2+July+2023.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Kleinmachnow Lion is Definitely Not a Lion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/384cefd2-0cc5-432f-8ca5-9b11d65b164f/young-boar.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Kleinmachnow Lion is Definitely Not a Lion - Make it stand out Caption: young European wild boar photographed on a street in Rome, from this article at The Guardian. Image: (c) Gregorio Borgia/AP. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/4/15/florida-cassowary-relocation-event monthly 0.5 2026-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b6cd45e1-1f96-4caf-a0ab-b55e33a199af/cassowary-event-April-2023-cassowary-opening-montage-1378px-274kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: cassowaries (of three different taxa) at the Cassowary Conservancy of North America (CCNA) in Fort Pierce, Florida. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/700f86c6-a898-4073-97b3-479158b0bdb0/cassowary-event-April-2023-cassowaries-in-UK-zoos-1557px-222kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve seen cassowaries on a reasonable number of occasions before, always in zoos, and always in the UK. These photos all show birds – all Southern or Double-wattled cassowaries Casuarius casuarius – at Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a9fabf45-868c-49a1-95f5-c1fc9648de39/cassowary-event-April-2023-Naish-and-Perron-2016-montage-1158px-176kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve written here several times about the cassowary research I published with Richard Perron. We published anatomical observations of the casque interior, presented a DNA-based phylogeny, and devised a hypothesis of cassowary evolution. Follow the links at the end of this article for more on this research. Images: Richard Perron and Darren Naish/Naish & Perron (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04b354f0-6092-48d4-899c-2f26b5f52459/cassowary-event-April-2023-southern-cassowary-just-out-of-box-1258px-461kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: Like a lot of birds, cassowaries are able to rotate their feet at several of the hindlimb joints (meaning that the joints don’t just work in hinge-like fashion as usually stated). You can see that here, since the left foot is rotated quite some degree toward the midline. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1298a88b-cb4a-4de0-8deb-e26779ae1e05/cassowary-event-April-2023-cassowary-pair-and-Todd-with-fruit-1874px-382kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: Dr Todd Green has devoted a considerable chunk of his adult life to research on cassowaries and other giant flightless birds. Todd knows these birds extraordinarily well, and is interested in their welfare, conservation and husbandry as much as in technical issues of biology and evolution. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/03292288-f8fa-4226-be30-2d8245d2e82a/cassowary-event-April-2023-Piggy-montage-1472px-380kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: cassowaries (this is a yellow-necked northern cassowary) are fascinating from just about every angle. The remarkable colours of the head and neck are obvious enough, but note also the wing quills, the flattish top to the casque (not present in southern cassowaries), and how close the feet are held when the bird is standing. Cassowaries also have an impressive gape and cavernous mouth. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a2b62441-45a4-4c81-a267-5f2e553d9f9b/cassowary-event-April-2023-canal-with-limpkin-1739px-669kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: Florida is something else if you’ve never visited before. For me, new habitats, landscapes and animals were everywhere. We drove past this ditch most days, and there was always something new here. The bird in the middle is a Limpkin Aramus guarauna. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5bbe5abe-7b7f-4374-8db3-994a2569eded/cassowary-event-April-2023-Ginger-profile-montage-1341px-215kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: portraits of a mature, gnarly female Southern cassowary. The bill in this individual is quite damaged and worn, and her nostrils are partly overgrown and slit-like relative to those of other cassowaries. Note also the coloured patches on the rear part of her lower jaw. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/faf0a55c-2bd7-49d2-9c2e-b5ad0e991a19/cassowary-event-April-2023-southern-cassowary-pair-1624px-475kb--Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: typical positioning of a male and female Southern cassowary, with the larger, taller female seemingly taking the lead, as is typical. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2320ef2e-28bd-4b19-9554-b749f794665b/cassowary-event-April-2023-southern-cassowary-pair-montage-1698px-373kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: more images of a male and female southern cassowary pair, again showing the larger female taking the lead. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/828712ed-53b5-4e52-bde6-508e96f23ecb/cassowary-event-April-2023-southern-cassowary-vocalising-1520px-323kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: this image (one from a sequence) shows a female Southern cassowary vocalising while sat on the ground. Her neck inflates, her plumage bristles, and her head moves back and forth as sound is broadcast outwards. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/685420a7-7b63-4fbd-a68f-c57e362e1740/cassowary-event-April-2023-Ginger-huff-snap-vocal-montage-1642px-331kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: in this series of images (stills from a video sequence), this female Southern cassowary is performing a ‘snap-huff’. A series of short, deep, growling huffs were issued (timed with neck inflation and bristling of the plumage), each sound ending with a rapid snap or clap of the jaws. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/46f250b0-c304-4b27-ad06-1cd4d543805b/cassowary-event-April-2023-Liberace-braying-montage-775px-163kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: Liberace the red-necked northern cassowary, here issuing a loud, repetitive braying call. His cheek flanges, green patches on the casque and single wattle are obvious here. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/656c1e61-2c8b-4243-ad0f-1063c11d27e9/cassowary-event-April-2023-southern-big-casque-montage-958px-228kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: cassowaries mostly walk with the body held approximately horizontally, with the head semi-horizontal or angled slightly downwards. In fact, they might rarely have reason to look up. But when confronting other cassowaries or other animals (including humans), they will deliberately stand tall. Note the heavily textured form of the casque in these two individuals. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5d24626c-2b82-42fc-8a2f-cc64042dfdf6/cassowary-event-April-2023-Liberace-montage-1054px-189kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: there’s a lot of interesting detail here (this is Liberace, a red-necked northern cassowary). Note the different colours of the different rhamphotheca sections and the green areas on the casque. His cheek flanges are obvious, and note also the orange patch on the nape. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f790550e-b7da-4ef3-8225-452fd59f4360/cassowary-event-April-2023-Piggy-quill-mobility-945px-225kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: images from a sequence that show Piggy (a yellow-necked northern cassowary) approaching a fence, and deliberately raising and flaring his wing quills as he does so. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d9761dbb-a6f0-4882-87db-2ffeb2cecd96/cassowary-event-April-2023-cassowary-in-a-box-1150px-313kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: specially constructed boxes were used in containing and transporting the birds. They served us well and everything went to plan. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d4bb614f-34b4-4ea9-80cf-4926618d4a9a/cassowary-event-April-2023-cassowaries-in-crate-Todd-and-Jessica-from-above-1396px-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: Todd and Jessica usher Liberace the northern cassowary into a crate using specially designed shield-like boards. Image: Todd Green, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a6f91927-19c1-45f4-8684-9972c8e66c93/cassowary-event-April-2023-cassowaries-in-crate-Todd-and-Jessica-2-1192px-174kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: another image of cassowary capture. At this point in the process, the bird has no option but to enter the crate, and most of the cassowaries did indeed co-operate. Image: Todd Green, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/852cffad-eea6-42bc-800a-c766e7b4f451/cassowary-event-April-2023-release-with-Jessica-1011px-247kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: after being transported and then taken to their new premises, the cassowaries were often a bit reluctant to leave their crates. But they generally did so in fairly slow and sedate fashion. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ff36445e-a572-41fb-8e88-c1a7bf97c125/cassowary-event-April-2023-footprints-montage-1-1489px-285kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: cassowary prints left in the soft soil of their enclosures. The left-hand image shows a right foot, and the right-hand one a left foot. As you might predict for animals of heavily wooded, often tropical or subtropical places, cassowaries are very comfortable on soft surfaces and have no trouble with mud and muddy pools. They may even deliberately seek out forest pools for wallowing. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e18e2568-5551-4ce1-9314-1e2d7c7c235f/cassowary-event-April-2023-cassowaries-in-crate-montage-889px-133kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, southern cassowary in a crate (note the double wattles). At right: Liberace in a crate. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec575917-5340-4ec8-8636-0cee2b21c577/cassowary-event-April-2023-cassowary-chicks-1435px-429kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: southern cassowary chicks with ever-present decomposed dung pile. They seem to generally accept humans as members of their social group, so long as there are no surprises or scary movements. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5f01845f-6c5d-45d5-a297-b55618d56e2a/cassowary-event-April-2023-Piggy-montage-2-1046px-354kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: I cannot get bored with these birds, they are incredible. Cassowaries themselves might think of us as slightly unusual members of cassowary kind. Keep this in mind when imagining a hypothetical zoo housing non-bird dinosaurs. At least some such animals would likely become sexually fixated on humans. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6871d80d-61d7-4d90-acb8-0b3d610c95e8/cassowary-event-April-2023-Liberace-in-box-Todd-Green-1098px-128kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Great Florida Cassowary Relocation Event of 2023 - Make it stand out Caption: Liberace (the red-necked northern cassowary discussed above) inside a crate, and looking fairly relaxed about it. Image: Todd Green, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/7/9/ratite-and-tinamou-evolution-part-i monthly 0.5 2023-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3a803a2d-6430-4356-b621-dd6fc2a5091c/ratite-evolution-July-2023-Feduccia-RTBAD-montage-1403px-279kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8efd0060-704b-4e48-a016-e1823f1c594a/ratite-evolution-July-2023-ratite-montage-revamp-1523px-374kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: palaeognath montage, featuring members of all recent lineages: ostriches, rheas, kiwi, tinamous, emus, moa, elephant birds, and cassowaries. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2bd32d2e-8b46-4988-b0c5-b830bcbec9c6/ratite-evolution-July-2023-Crypturellus-boucardi-Joseph-Smit-PD-1049px-373kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: Slaty-breasted tinamou Crypturellus boucardi of Mexico and Central America, as illustrated by Joseph Smit. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1485a766-cfee-4609-98e8-d06c223040bc/ratite-evolution-July-2023-palate-types-1095px-122kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: (A) neognathous palate; (B) palaeognathous palate. These diagrams show the right side of the posterior region of the palate, anterior at the top. Note the prominent basipterygoid process in the palaeognath, the simple and hinge-like articulation between the pterygoid and palatine in the neognath (versus the more complex interlocking in the palaeognath) and the restriction of the neognath vomer to the anterior part of the palate. I’m not that happy with this diagram and mean to create a better one for future use. Image: Naish (2012). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0187b6ce-04ba-47ab-b51d-1c0ce61d7085/ratite-evolution-July-2023-global-map-with-palaeognaths-1576px-125kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: the distribution of palaeognaths today (or, in near-modern times, anyway). Those Middle Eastern and Asian ostriches are now extinct, as of course are elephant birds and moa. Image: map by Hoshie, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). Icons by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4d797712-46b8-4232-bcdb-601fdbdbba4b/ratite-evolution-July-2023-Blakey-Late-Cretaceous-map-1072px-310kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: map of the Late Cretaceous world. If ratites owe their distribution to vicariance and/or the use of overland routes, there must already have been rhea ancestors on South America, and elephant bird ancestors on Indo-Madasgascar, by this time. This looks unlikely! Image: Ron Blakey, NAU Geology, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/13a61417-74ef-44aa-9c11-c52506447460/ratite-evolution-July-2023-Palaeotis-ghedoghedo-682px-120kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: Palaeotis weigelti Lambrecht, 1928 from the middle Eocene of Germany, a long-legged palaeognath regarded variously as a crown-ratite or stem-ratite. Image: Ghedoghedo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e0b58d76-66ad-446b-a2be-e5fa9b633af3/ratite-evolution-July-2023-starling-noteny-smaller-782px-151kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: is THIS what happens when you thyroidectomise a starling chick? It's not, but it would be neat if it was, wouldn't it? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/deb44a9b-1223-47c6-ae8b-debbab678f65/ratite-evolution-July-2023-ratite-skeletons-and-taxiderm-kiwi-794px-299kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: a taxiderm kiwi (down at lower right), and skeletons of moa Dinornis (far left) and Struthio, an ostrich. Do these animals really look like 'overgrown chicks'? There's no real reason to take that idea all that seriously. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0f33287a-2a0d-474f-8215-c113040ca75f/ratite-evolution-July-2023-ostrich-skeleton-and-captive-male-1363px-312kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: ostrich skeleton (with inset image showing weird scapulocoracoid), and the live animal at right. Robust, accessory ossifications like those seen on the ostrich scapulocoracoid are not consistent with the neoteny hypothesis. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fcb8c22c-f60f-4706-b7bd-a75ffb5e5de2/ratite-evolution-July-2023-ratite-montage-squished-revamp-902px-248kb-July-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Controversies in Ratite and Tinamou Evolution (Part I) - Make it stand out Caption: palaeognath montage again, this time with animals crowded in a whole lot more. Image by Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/6/28/diversity-of-zebras-2 monthly 0.5 2023-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1d6c0bac-7c45-44f2-b9cb-70a36eb4b4a9/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-captive-lateral-Andre-Karwath-1278px-390kb-June-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: captive Grevy’s zebra in side view. Note the long face, the very close spacing of the striping across most of the body and limbs, and the tiny size of the chestnuts on the inside of the forelimb. Image: André Karwath, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fbe7a771-a3be-4366-ae51-34470d8eba2a/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-Henri-Viallanes-engraving-1882-1054px-290kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the type specimen of Grevy’s zebra – when alive – at the Ménageie du Jardin des Plantes, as depicted by Henri Viallanes in 1882. Some sources say that this animal was in poor condition on arrival; this might explain why its mane doesn’t look normal in this illustration. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b0a685fa-1c91-42a3-816e-f4f2d00eb02c/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-Marwell-group-1588px-235kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: captive Grevy’s zebra at Marwell Zoo, UK. Note the different ear poses, these animals sending different signals. Like all zebras, individuals are of course variable in the details of their striping. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e8ad3945-628c-44f9-b04e-dc606d823b21/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-skeletal-montage-H-Zell-1388px-97kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Grevy’s zebra skeleton, the close-ups at right showing skeleton of the left forelimb in anterior and oblique anterolateral views. The splints – marked by arrows – are said to be longer and more prominent than those of other living equids. Image: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/39ac9d1f-09d0-4afb-9a1c-c9f7e8dd1036/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-Vilstrup-et-al-2013-equid-phylogeny-with-icons-1217px-75kb-June-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: equid phylogeny based on mitochondrial DNA from Vilstrup et al. (2013). Grevy’s zebra and plains zebras (which include the Quagga) form a clade, and mountain zebras are their sister-group. The icons were not included in Vilstrup et al. (2013). Images (top to bottom): Darren Naish; public domain; André Karwath, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b744f7f1-f108-4709-92ac-4b39022c09b1/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-captive-reclining-1574px-296kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: reclining Grevy’s zebras in captivity, showing certain of the key traits of the species. These include the large ears, the prominent white of the belly, and the thick black dorsal stripe, bordered by white. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d63b15ce-7001-4865-8717-a1ce37172c92/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-Grevys-and-Grants-rumps-compared-1332px-175kb-June-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the contrast between the rump and tail of Grevy’s zebra (at left) and a plains zebra like Grant’s zebra (at right) is profound. Almost everything is different. Images: Thomas Lersch, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here); Joachim Huber, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/56f4fc09-262c-4e28-9948-8a4dc6e95ab7/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-wild-herd-Daniel-Fafard-1185px-272kb-June-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: wild herd of Grevy’s zebra in acacia-dominated scrub. Image: Daniel Fafard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c017b2e3-e587-464a-9a25-deaef4cfe99a/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-Marwell-Grevys-foal-montage-1348px-189kb-June-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Grevy’s zebra foals possess the very fine, intricate striping of adults, but raised fringes of hair along the dorsal and ventral midline are unusual to them. The limbs of juvenile equids are hilariously long. Images: PhotosByGemma (originals here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/05d790b3-ae1d-4c46-80ae-bafbe76a9a20/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-Cordingley-et-al-2009-hybrid-montage-1432px-105kb-June-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Grevy’s zebra x plains zebra hybrids, as depicted by Cordingley et al. (2009). The animals at right are a hybrid mother and her second-generation hybrid foal. Images: Cordingley et al. (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/85a3a9a6-9b7b-4d29-adce-bb4b3a9828ac/Grevys-zebra-June-2023-Grevys-zebra-Kenya-Kevin-Walsh-1202px-201kb-June-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: wild Grevy’s zebra stallion in Kenya. Image: Kevin Walsh, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/6/9/birdwatching-in-oregon monthly 0.5 2023-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/80b4069b-5a1e-48d6-ac99-427439a49ebe/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-passerine-montage-1619px-131kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: an Oregonian passerine montage. From left to right: male House finch, Cedar waxwing, Steller’s jay. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/99f4bd57-6035-487f-99e2-37c0253b87b6/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-cackling-geese-1465px-201kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: waitaminute, those aren’t Canada geese at all!! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/74edaac1-b59d-4095-9cda-4deadeac66b0/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-white-fronted-goose-1426px-220kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: adult and juvenile White-fronted goose… or Greater white-fronted goose, if you must. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d9d0d58a-e24c-4f38-892d-56f0566769c1/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-Surf-scoter-montage-1457px-112kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: Surf scoters in the beautiful green waters of Fogarty Creek Beach. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2657a7ef-1505-4b9d-97c2-0403dc96f63c/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-Fogarty-Creek-coast-1735px-182kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: there are no visible birds in this photo, but I want to include it because it gives you some idea of how rugged and surfy the shore is in this part of the world. This is Fogarty Creek Beach; I think just to the north of Boiler Bay. This is the exact same place where the Surf scoters shown above were seen. Western gulls were perched on various of the rocks here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/eb523985-c9fa-4f5e-a248-ac3c25d35ae8/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-distant-Bufflehead-group-1759px-110kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: more anseriforms seen at unco-operative distance, this time a group of Bufflehead in Siletz Bay. These ducks were seen swimming around in groups as well as off on their own, sometimes in close proximity to Pacific harbour seals. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e01e4efe-8db9-4d08-8b33-4fdb09a333f5/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-mallard-damaged-eye-1170px-108kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: male and female Mallard in a pool in the Columbia River Gorge. The male was in excellent shape but for his damaged eye. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b321a637-3a94-4add-9ff3-53efd129f337/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-pintail-and-wigeon-montage-1626px-164kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: a selection of ducks in Yaquina Bay. At left, two female and one male American wigeon and a male Northern pintail. The Northern pintail has a massive range, occurring across most of the Northern Hemisphere. At right, we see three male American wigeon. Wigeons (also called widgeons, yuck) are mostly herbivorous anatin ducks related to gadwalls. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/eebac48b-edc5-4425-9d73-06761383caf5/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-cormorant-grebe-montage-1442px-187kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: Double-crested cormorant on the Willamette River in standard cormorant wing-drying pose. At right, a Pied-billed grebe as seen on the other side of the Siletz River near the coast (about 100 km to the south-west of Portland). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/247af382-f2ed-43f6-a3e3-08e2eeb716e1/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-Western-gull-pair-1315px-99kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: a pair of Western gulls keeping vigil on the tall rocks on the coast near Fogarty Creek, about 80 km to the west of Salem. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e05fbfe3-ea6d-4eb7-b76b-c07aadda93b7/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-juv-Western-gull-1096px-100kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: juvenile and subadult white-headed gulls have driven a select few birdwatchers to insanity. They’re not easy to identify and distinguish. I think this is a second winter Western gull, but it was seen right next to an Olympic gull. UPDATE: this is most likely a California gull, see the comments. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7bd063cb-fd5d-4ea9-b4a0-94aba573c0a5/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-juv-Yahina-gull-scene-1096px-100kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: numerous gulls were visible some distance from shore at Yaquina Bay, and the fact that they were almost entirely silhouetted made them even harder to identify than usual. Some of these birds (look at the tall, walking individual on the right) look large and long-billed, and I think they’re Western gulls. But others are smaller, shorted-billed and with a rounded head. Look in particular at the lowest bird in the photo (enlarged in the inset). What species is this? Are California gulls L. californicus this small relative to Western gulls? UPDATE: most likely a Short-billed gull L. brachyrhynchus, see the comments. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/991c6d4c-8d7d-48b3-9e60-2a2acaffc2c7/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-Olympic-gull-979px-84kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: it’s big, it’s gnarly, it has a vermiculated feathers on the head, neck and part of the body. And it doesn’t quite match any recognised gull species. So… is this the fabled hybrid known as the Olympic or Puget Sound gull? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/95fd7a75-64ae-41a0-beef-090cf6318add/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-raptor-montage-1370px-68kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: the photos might be terrible, but it should still be possible to work out what they show if you know birds. The distant, mostly silhouetted animal on the left is a Bald eagle. At right, a hawk is mobbed by two American crows. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b9979e87-ef36-4edb-9910-abd15abef4ba/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-woodpecker-montage-1665px-147kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: a selection of terrible woodpecker photos (there’s a theme here) which at least prove that I saw some woodpeckers. The bird flying away from the tree at left is a Northern flicker, a bird I also saw foraging on the ground in the woods of Rhododendron. The two images at right show a pied woodpecker showing itself from awkward angles only; it seems to be a Hairy woodpecker. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b5af0424-7fd6-43b6-83b4-8b543cbd4756/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-waxwing-flock-1468px-113kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: Cedar waxwing flock near the Willamette River. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35598ff2-3580-429c-9b2d-0d23713bc703/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-waxwing-flock-2-1861px-188kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: close-up section of the same flock. They’re great looking birds. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1700e4bc-c8df-4bfb-8e1f-6da4a823cc0f/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-waxwing-montage-1676px-183kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: a Cedar waxwing montage. Young birds were present in the flock and had a fluffier look than the sleek adults; the young ones also had dark streaky markings across the breast. Waxwings are named for the peculiar bright red, oval, waxy structures present on the distal tips of their secondaries. These are variable in number and size across individuals. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/396917df-c900-44ed-874b-dcebfb65796b/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-waxwing-drinking-1748px-242kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: Cedar waxwings visiting and drinking from the Willamette River. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/62182ff7-d689-489a-8a5f-7074bf5b342a/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-hummingbird-844px-100kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: mystery hummingbird — what is it? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/81ca0840-4234-4deb-b18f-9e03551731be/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-American-robin-montage-1248px-106kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: if you’re European, the American robin is a very weird thrush. I mean, it’s bad enough that it’s called a ‘robin’… but its profile and pigmentation add insult to injury. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c65a6701-1037-431d-ac12-5deef4c4edd9/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-junco-1-1463px-174kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: one the best junco photos I have, and the bird has a chunk of food in its mouth. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/49cea000-c48e-4d1b-9d61-36326c82cd82/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-towhee-montage-1-1439px-121kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: male Spotted towhees (possibly the same individual seen at different times, I’m not sure), what handsome birds. I learnt this species (from old field guides) as the Rufous-sided towhee, but that name is no longer in use seeing as its two populations have been split as the Spotted towhee and Eastern towhee P. erythrophthalmus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/430cdcd8-174d-41d0-a72e-c51e693cf3fd/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-song-sparrow-montage-1510px-179kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: different views of the same Song sparrow. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3bbfd6d2-a317-4ebc-b23e-89b77989242c/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-white-crowned-sparrow-montage-1292px-195kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: three different White-crowned sparrows. The bird at left has a tan crown and hence is presumably a young individual. The bird at lower right has something wrong with its wing: the ruffled, misplaced primaries and secondaries remind me of the ‘angel wing’ condition that occurs as a consequence of dietary deficiency. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bf3c00fd-baf6-4b07-8461-989bd0829eff/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-House-finch-montage-1638px-151kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: female House finches. I saw and photographed males as well; see the image at the top of the article. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4bf0ed4a-4b28-4d2c-b78b-b1778e140d72/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-goldfinch-and-house-finch-flock-1527px-207kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: two Lesser goldfinches – both conveniently hiding their faces and/or out of focus – in a mixed flock that also included House finches. You can see a partial blurry male House finch at left. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2f99b5f3-5560-428d-b9f0-a95efcf1edcf/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-kinglet-creeper-chickadee-1394px-116kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: every now and then, I promise myself to stop trying to photograph small passerines. It just isn’t worth it, and the results are always so poor. But here’s what I got on (left to right) kinglets, creepers and Chestnut-backed chickadee. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d5c1c507-b4cf-4b45-80e6-3d826ef2c710/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-American-crown-oblique-dorsal-1625px-267kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: oblique dorsal view of an American crow observed foraging in a bear enclosure at Oregon Zoo. Check out the absolutely beautiful metallic iridescence on the feathers. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/76a07227-995a-4d12-9c77-ca0335f6a8e7/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-American-crows-in-town-1248px-183kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Z.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: American crows are really social compared to many other Corvus species, and are often seen in large groups. Here are a number of them hanging around in a closed-off parking lot in Portland. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/857765cb-486c-411e-b86f-fe5573ff4e7a/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-scrub-jay-in-tree-1193px-219kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: a scrub jay seen at distance. Birds hate co-operating with people who aim to photograph them, so surely this one wouldn’t still be there once I got within close range? Well….. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/601ac121-a466-4a4a-a660-678e79380510/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-scrub-jay-2-1229px-164kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: close-up to one of the scrub jays I saw, here pausing in between trying to eat that white object (a mistletoe fruit?) on the ground. These birds have surprisingly large eyes. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/617b1d10-28be-41c6-b6cc-94d8ebd76fea/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-scrub-jay-1-1045px-137kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: more scrub jay. I took so many photos of these birds, both on the ground and in the adjacent trees. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd9de31d-e266-49da-89f9-f015ef05d4e9/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-scrub-jay-montage-1581px-138kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: more scrub jay photos. I like these for two reasons. One is that the bird has adopted an almost identical pose on two entirely separate moments. And the second is that the bird is very ‘lazy’ with its feet, sometimes choosing to let its toes just droop or fall rather than have them properly wrapped around the branch. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48a22cc5-0ecc-4ed2-a4e7-a8af0f84a746/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-Stellers-jay-montage-1522px-183kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: Steller’s jay foraging high up in trees. Like many corvids, they’re very vocal and I could hear them calling throughout the day. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ac9ae936-69d5-462d-9c06-12cd9ec71681/birdwatching-Oregon-June-2023-scrub-jay-close-1073px-119kb-June-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Oregon - Make it stand out Caption: one final look at one of those California scrub jays. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/5/30/hidden-diversity-within-wealden-spinosaurids monthly 0.5 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e4a9bef5-d867-491f-8fbb-20b9e14a1e64/Hastings-spinosaurid-May-2023-Barker-et-al-2023-composite-1339px-97kMay-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Discovering 'Hidden' Diversity Within Wealden Spinosaurid Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: a Hastings spinosaurid montage, featuring images of the specimen discussed further below and some of the analyses we did on it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/67c495cd-2b17-462a-abd7-42b86b9727bc/Hastings-spinosaurid-tooth-May-2023-HASMG-G369a-composite-1372px-222kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Discovering 'Hidden' Diversity Within Wealden Spinosaurid Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the Hastings spinosaurid tooth HASMG G369a, in (A) lingual, (B) basal, (C) mesial, (D) distal and (E) labial views, with close-ups of its surface texture on the labial side (F-H). Scale bar = 10 mm, 1 mm in F-H. Image: Barker et al. (2023b). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/29a82383-6612-4d63-b241-08dcb0009522/Hastings-spinosaurid-May-2023-Wealden-spinosaurid-map-1351px-83kMay-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Discovering 'Hidden' Diversity Within Wealden Spinosaurid Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: geographical distribution of the Wealden spinosaurid discussed here, from Barker et al. (2023b). 1, 2 = Upper Weald Clay specimens (the Baryonyx walkeri holotype and indeterminate Ewhurst Brickworks specimen); 3 = Suchosaurus cultridens from the Grinstead Clay Formation; 4 = indeterminate spinosaurid specimens from the Wadhurst Clay Formation of Bexhill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/307d0832-ca24-4b34-ad40-a2b9fe0a62b3/Hastings-spinosaurid-May-2023-Wealden-spinosaurid-distribution-1179px-91kMay-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Discovering 'Hidden' Diversity Within Wealden Spinosaurid Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the approximate stratigraphic distribution of spinosaurids in the Wealden Supergroup as understood right now. The Hastings specimen discussed here is from the Hastings Group, and thus from the Valanginian. Establishing the presence of spinosaurids here is not novel at all, but working out what kind of spinosaurid we’re dealing with is a worthy endeavour. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/735dfa16-1468-4684-90df-c93c1e39b742/Hastings-spinosaurid-May-2023-Barker-et-al-2023-cladograms-1323px-53kMay-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Discovering 'Hidden' Diversity Within Wealden Spinosaurid Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: position for the Hastings spinosaurid tooth recovered in our phylogenetic analysis (strict consensus at left, reduced consensus at right). It never grouped with Baryonyx, and indeed was not recovered as a baryonychine. Image: Barker et al. (2023b). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5043b04f-8a3c-40df-8152-2a5129b21ca9/Hastings-spinosaurid-May-2023-Barker-et-al-2023-cluster-analysis-1367px-67kMay-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Discovering 'Hidden' Diversity Within Wealden Spinosaurid Dinosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: results of one of the several discriminant analyses we applied to the Hastings specimen (visible at far right) and other spinosaurid specimens. HASMG G369a didn’t group with Baryonyx, though is closer to baryonychine clusters than to spinosaurine ones. Of incidental interest is that the ‘cf. Baryonychinae’ specimen at upper right (a Santonian tooth from the Majiacun Formation of China, suggested to be an especially late-occurring spinosaurid) never grouped with spinosaurids in our study, meaning that it’s likely not part of this group. Image: Barker et al. (2023b). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/5/26/my-own-personal-dinosauroid monthly 0.5 2023-05-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7659990a-e803-4b1c-ac5a-81bd40a61e22/dinosauroid-figure-May-2023-dinosauroid-3D-prints-2-1536px-265kb-May-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Own Personal Dinosauroid - Make it stand out Caption: what have we here? Read on… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/59a24bfe-9fc4-41fb-9094-e35a057e72ee/dinosauroid-figure-May-2023-CJES-Russell-tribute-montage-2-1245px-244kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Own Personal Dinosauroid - Make it stand out Caption: my long-standing interest in the dinosauroid can be said to have culminated in this, the Naish & Tattersdill (2021) paper in this special tribute issue of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. But little was I to know that peak dinosauroid was yet to be achieved. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6242ced3-ec8b-4119-836c-54cf51e62659/dinosauroid-figure-May-2023-Peter-Minister-1991-dinosauroid-costume-sg-933px-34kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Own Personal Dinosauroid - Make it stand out Caption: the Norman/Minister Dinosaur! dinosauroid, here ripped mercilessly from an article at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs. Don’t tell them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35b1af39-1e11-4bbb-984d-cd34648ead57/dinosauroid-figure-May-2023-Peter-Minister-1991-dinosauroid-costume-1159px-132kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Own Personal Dinosauroid - Make it stand out Caption: the colourful dinosauroid that appears in the 1991 TV series Dinosaur!, narrated by Walter Cronkite. Both images come from David Norman’s 1991 book of the same name, which is not as bad as I remember. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/02700be0-d51a-4f62-96ff-e5e9a0b35d6c/dinosauroid-figure-May-2023-Peter-Minister-digital-dinosauroid-756px-58kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Own Personal Dinosauroid - Make it stand out Caption: in which Peter Minister creates what might be the world’s first zbrush model of Russell & Séguin’s dinosauroid. Images: (c) Peter Minister. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/19408c2b-0d93-4f67-81bb-23b184d63934/dinosauroid-figure-May-2023-dinosauroid-3D-prints-1-848px-155kb-May-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My Own Personal Dinosauroid - Make it stand out Caption: two differently sized dinosauroid figures, printed attractively in translucent blue and metallic grey, in a display cabinet. Thanks to Peter and Luke for bringing the dream to life. Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/5/10/basilisks-revisited monthly 0.5 2026-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d13910c2-45de-4767-86bb-4e0952688a7a/basilisks-May-2023-Emerald-basilisk-captive-Tina-Whitlock-1583px-232kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: captive Emerald or Plumed basilisk, showing the forked cranial crest and tall, serrated dorsal sail and serrated caudal sail of this species, though more ‘extreme’ individuals of this species exist... The light green ground colour and blue markings are characteristic. Note the massive length of the toes. Image: Tina Whitlock, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b2344dfc-3920-49fc-91a1-043a6e1d0347/basilisks-May-2023-basilisks-in-trees-montage-1440px-223kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: like many iguanians, basilisks are good at clinging to, and climbing on, vertical and near-vertical trunks and branches, and typically adopt a pose where the palms and soles face inwards. These images show (left to right) two Common basilisks and a Western or Red-headed basilisk B. galeritus. Images: James J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Pavel Kirillov, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); Daniel van der Post, open access (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/24136ede-445f-4a5d-8a6d-bcbd52a9e6f6/basilisks-May-2023-Common-basilisk-montage-1249px-304kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: montage featuring three different Common basilisks. The juxtaposition of longitudinal white stripes and transverse dark ones is obvious in this species, and note also the variation in sail size and shape. Images (clockwise from upper left): The Rambling Man, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Daniel Hincapie, CC BY 4.0 (original here); Anthony Batista, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/96582224-4931-4a28-ab6b-15ebc496255a/basilisks-May-2023-Western-basilisk-in-stream-desertnaturalist-1437px-222kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: Western or Red-headed basilisk photographed in a stream. Basilisks of most (but not all) populations forage close to, or in, streams and other water bodies, meaning that it might be right to describe them as semi-aquatic. But it might not. Image: desertnaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/36569b03-f394-4dfe-9d48-ec785cf5cd42/basilisks-May-2023-basilisk-water-running-Ted-1783px-148kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: the famous water dashes performed by basilisks happen so quickly, and occur over such short distances, that it’s hard to capture them adequately without high-speed photography. Image: Ted, CC BY-NC 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8a824925-2f96-40b7-8d9c-00984f5a3af8/basilisks-May-2023-Luke-1986-lizard-rectangular-toe-fringes-1077px-117kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: rectangular toe fringes (actually formed of projecting scales that are in close contact) as depicted in several non-basilisk lizards by Luke (1986). (A) the agamid Hydrosaurus, (B) the African lacertid Holaspis, (C) the teiid Kentropyx, and (D) cross-section of a Hydrosaurus fringe, showing how one of the scales forming the fringe projects way out horizontally relative to the rest of the toe. Scale bars = 10 mm. Image: Luke (1986). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/55281ce1-cec5-4644-aa0b-8f057b9ec477/basilisks-May-2023-Common-basilisk-profile-Brian-Gratwicke-CC-BY-2-0-1500px-205kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: close view of the face of a Common basilisk. Not sure why this individual has a white crest. Image: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cb6fc0c3-6471-40d9-90bf-386c905194a7/basilisks-May-2023-Western-basilisk-montage-Sindy-Martinez-and-desertnaturalist-1590px-311kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: the Western or Red-headed basilisk, probably the least familiar and most unusual of basilisks (at least, to those of us outside the American tropics). Note the serrated dorsal crest and very long, slender limbs. Images (left to right): Sandy Martinez, CC BY 4.0 (original here); desertnaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/59d83019-2de5-46ce-8b6e-a633dcb163cc/basilisks-May-2023-Brown-and-Emerald-basilisk-males-compared-933px-239kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: male Common and Emerald basilisks compared, both photographed in Costa Rica. Note the different attitude of the dorsal sail in these two individuals. Because the sails are supported by neural spines, they aren’t under muscular control. Images: Derkarts, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Connor Long, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/30d2fab8-f724-4a98-93bd-beb51e02988a/basilisks-May-2023-iguanian-phylogeny-1590px-311kb-May-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: highly simplified hypothesis of phylogeny relating to corytophanids and their close relatives. For much of the late 20th century, all of these groups were lumped together within ‘Iguanidae’, though the trend today is to recognise the main constituent clades as ‘family level’ groups. This cladogram and its illustrations are from my in-prep textbook, though that green iguana has broken proportions and needs replacing. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6dcdcd0a-e929-4c59-93e5-bde12789bc27/Taylor-et-al-2017-time-calibrated-cladogram-720px-86kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: time-calibrated corytophanid iguanian cladogram from Taylor et al. (2017). The North American fossil taxon Babibasiliscus is nested within the crown (though the European Geiseltaliellus is not). Within basilisks, Brown and Common basilisks are sister-taxa. Image: Taylor et al. (2017), CC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2ddf3ae1-41b4-4249-80ca-b705a3bb65ec/basilisks-May-2023-Conrad-2015-cladogram-1156px-122kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: time-calibrated corytophanid phylogeny from Conrad (2015), showing skulls of the relevant taxa. Image: Conrad (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0a766178-1d2b-4fc3-bb9f-ae1c8ab8e6b0/basilisks-May-2023-Common-basilisk-Charles-J-Sharp-CC-BY-SA-4-0-Chagres-River-Panama-1518px-407kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: female Common basilisk photographed on the banks of the Chagres River, Panama. The prominent white striping and great length and slender nature of the tail are really obvious here. Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0197a66-c6f7-4bf1-996e-0fb3ea52f3a0/basilisks-May-2023-basilisk-skeleton-The-Skeleton-Factory-1548px-81kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: mounted and posed basilisk skeleton – I presume of Emerald or Plumed basilisk – made by The Skeleton Factory. Image: (c) The Skeletal Factory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a19ecba0-2424-41f6-a1ea-c2902e530b96/basilisks-May-2023-Sereno-et-al-2022-basilisk-neural-spines-1011px-109kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: basilisk neural spines involved in support of the dorsal and caudal spines, from Sereno et al. (2022). The life photo shows an Emerald basilisk; Sereno et al. (2022) CT-scanned a member of this species, and I think the diagram also represents that species. D = dorsal neural spines. CA = caudal neural spines. Image: Sereno et al. (2022). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0d7f2efe-9d25-448e-9758-7c326c21e4ea/basilisks-May-2023-Common-basilisk-head-closeup-Becker1999-CC-BY-2-0-1176px-127kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: close-up profile view of a captive Common basilisk photographed at Buffalo Zoo. As ever for lizards, the complexity of scale arrangement is bewildering. The massive size, bright yellow colour and bulging nature of the eye is also interesting. Image: Becker1999, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/472fbecc-f9a8-4889-ba22-7774e236ac61/basilisks-May-2023-basilisk-eating-iguana-972px-109kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: Emerald basilisk apparently consuming a juvenile green iguana. I know nothing of the circumstances of this photo (which has been widely shared online) and assume that it’s genuine. Image: (c) Randy Alvarado/Reptilehunter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e7e65b4-6e26-47b4-a6e3-3ada86cca3b2/basilisks-May-2023-extreme-Emerald-basilisk-Bernard-Dupont-1098px-173kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: I mentioned at the top of the article that some Emerald or Plumed basilisks are even more ‘extreme’ than some of the individuals we’re already seen. And here’s an incredibly flamboyant individual, with a super-sized cranial crest and dorsal and caudal sails of Spinosaurus-like proportions. Image: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40359c9d-9a7b-4cfc-9e76-e9f4c1293554/basilisks-May-2023-Common-basilisk-males-fighting-Michelle-Reback-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1415px-292kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: two male Common basilisks in an aggressive encounter, photographed in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica. Both lizards are elaborate and note the variation in striping. Also relevant is that both animals are on the ground, not in trees. Image: Michelle Reback, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/55171f40-fc3e-4185-8449-efb55e5e2a68/basilisks-May-2023-green-iguana-hatchling-behaviour-1236px-141kb-May-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: all too little study has been done on the behaviour of iguanian hatchlings, but it might be that the sociality and group-living described for green iguanas is widespread within the group. For more information on the images here, see Amazing Social Life of the Green Iguana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/00b49430-43ce-4999-8ddb-194eab62bfa0/basilisks-May-2023-basilisk-toy-1852px-273kb-May-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkable Basilisks - Make it stand out Caption: I adore elaborately ornamented lizards, but good scale figures or toys of them are scarcely available. I own a few basilisk toys and they’re all pretty terrible. This one (which is quite large) looks like it was made by the same people who make those ‘roaring’ dinosaurs with projecting point teeth. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/5/9/news-from-the-world-of-ancient-sea-reptiles monthly 0.5 2023-05-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/abb918e8-833b-468d-b978-9169c6049666/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-May-2023-cover-montage-1064px-111kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News from the World of Ancient Sea Reptiles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c74a6f39-f330-4b4c-9aa4-a6ecb98cad1d/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-May-2023-Lyme-Regis-Fossil-Festival-2023-2-1703px-248kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News from the World of Ancient Sea Reptiles - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2023. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e58e1d81-0f51-4bba-a9e9-32bf92d49f5c/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-May-2023-groups-montage-slide-1064px-177kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News from the World of Ancient Sea Reptiles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bce5355c-57c8-46d0-a7d6-ce9862ccfeae/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-May-2023-Boreal-Sea-map-1050px-99kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News from the World of Ancient Sea Reptiles - Make it stand out Caption: map of the world during Early Jurassic times, with a focus on far Western Tethys and flooded Europe. The Viking Corridor connected this region to the Boreal Ocean/Sea in the north, and the Hispanic Corridor connected it to Panthalassa in the west. Image: Naish (2023), after Korte et al. 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6e3d1df9-b7c8-4382-bef0-8298d1d4d9b0/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-May-2023-montage-NHM-corridor-1064px-153kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News from the World of Ancient Sea Reptiles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/12976484-3d61-4721-9055-e44103313dc9/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-behaviour-montage-slide-1049px-180kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News from the World of Ancient Sea Reptiles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/23576a63-816c-438b-8464-15f8c2c5305a/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-May-2023-people-with-ASR-2-1370px-185kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - News from the World of Ancient Sea Reptiles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/4/28/the-discovery-of-the-okapi-part-2 monthly 0.5 2025-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aa4279a4-6f00-4f33-97cc-88e7a80dc50b/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-Marwell-Okapi-montage-1456px-210kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: we shouldn’t take it for granted that one of the greatest zoological discoveries of the 20th century is now a relatively accessible animal to those of us able to visit zoological collections. I always take time to look at captive Okapis (here, at Marwell Wildlife, UK). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d0db64b2-f4a6-40b9-8bf3-6c21f2b9b112/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-Vincart-skin-strip-Raynal-2023-728px-58kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the Okapi skin strip collected by Lieutenant Léon Vincart in 1899. Had he succeeding in reporting this specimen in the literature during the year in which he’d found it, he might have won acclaim for its recognition. Image: Jean-Claude Genard, from Raynal (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f959d756-98f9-4c98-9f0c-76f3cb01c45a/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-giraffe-books-1043px-87kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: there aren’t that many books that provide good, deep information on Okapis and other giraffids. Here are some that I’ve had reason to consult. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fdcbc888-1b18-4cbc-969a-2fb707a98504/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-Okapia-erikssoni-Lankester-1910-1006px-83kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the Okapia erikssoni holotype as displayed at the British Museum and featured in Lankester (1910). This specimen is otherwise regarded as the first ‘complete’ specimen of O. johnstoni, and today is again treated as a member of that species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3a9df409-c091-4f76-9271-4e5e10ac7170/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-Lankester-1910-Okapi-skulls-Plate-16-1033px-85kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Lankester (1910) included numerous diagrams of Okapi skulls and used different width : length ratios of various parts of the skull to demonstrate variation. It is difficult to determine from the images alone what this variation represents, since it could be ontogenetic or sexual rather than anything taxonomically significant. Skull L here (in the middle) is a cast of the holotype skull of Okapia liebrechti, named by Charles Forsyth Major in 1902. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4524205e-e8d1-467c-ba2d-f3edb418ea8f/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-Gatti-1937-Okapi-skull-montage-1052px-160kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: an Okapi skull montage provided by Gatti (1936), showing females at left and males at right, and with the supposedly new ‘Ocuapia kibalensis’ forming the upper row. This montage actually comes from Arment (2018); in the only copy of Gatti (1936) I’ve seen, the male skulls alone are featured. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/74e2f110-56a2-4687-9c79-edd17a396978/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-Stanton-et-al-2014-phylogeny-1143px-72kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: phylogenetic tree from Stanton et al. (2014), showing genetic variation in Giraffa giraffes (where all eight clades shown here are conventionally recognised as subspecies, and sometimes as species) and Okapi. Note that Okapia consists of two main clades, both of which appear to be genetically diverse. Image: Stanton et al. (2014). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cb496f8f-0ea7-403b-a557-74ac4552cd5c/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-captive-Okapis-ZSL-Marwell-1521px-205kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: I became interested in seeing how much anatomical variation might exist in the captive Okapis I’ve seen and made a few comparisons. They prove very similar: but that’s expected, since zoo animals (especially within the same geographical area) tend to come from the same source stock, and be closely related. The female Okapi at left is currently on show at London Zoo, the male at right was photographed at Marwell Wildlife in 2022. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b246c705-400e-490f-ac14-016c65a96a7a/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-South-Sudan-wikipedia-maps-1148px-68kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: in case you need help visualising the location of the Bahr el Ghazel region in South Sudan, these maps should help. At left: South Sudan (in green), located to the north-east of Democratic Republic of Congo. At right: the Bahr el Ghazel region (in red) within South Sudan. Images: Martin 23230, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); NordNordWest, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f35d8cf9-b1bc-4237-909e-9fe304cbd85f/Okapi-discovery-2-April-2023-captive-Okapi-ZooParc-de-Beauval-CC-BY-2-0-1038px-241kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a very beautiful, very dark male Okapi at ZooParc de Beauval in France. Image: Daniel Jolivet, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/4/11/the-discovery-of-the-okapi-part-1 monthly 0.5 2025-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/42bf7e88-7a20-49e8-98d3-e5f7dd5c1bce/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-British-Museum-Okapi-899px-144kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: taxiderm mount of the complete Okapi skin obtained by Sir Harry Johnston, photographed in the British Museum (Natural History). This specimen was key in the naming of Ray Lankester’s naming of the genus Okapia in 1901. Early depictions of the Okapi – including this one – gave them slimmer limbs than those present on the live animal. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fb9e45e1-560a-4f79-ba57-9d9d7ce160d3/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Marwell-Okapi-montage-1508px-150kb-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: I’m lucky enough to have seen live Okapis on many occasions, though always in zoos of course. These males were photographed at Marwell Wildlife, UK. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e2cedea7-de05-42d5-b50d-b19f7a21ae23/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Okapi-IUCN-range-map-1095px-70kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: current range of the Okapi as depicted by the IUCN. It is entirely within DRC. From Mallon et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/86a7c454-4536-4f15-8c85-78fa5f416aee/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Stanley-and-Johnston-portraits-1089px-122kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the two British people mostly associated with the discovery of the Okapi. At left, Welsh explorer, author, colonial administrator Henry M. Stanley (1841-1904) as he looked in the 1870s. At right, English artist, linguist, colonial administrator Harry Johnston (1858-1927) photographed prior to 1895. Both images are in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/df5d4a66-a9ac-42d8-b314-440ba27a857c/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Okapi-symbol-montage-882px-95kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: such is the fame and impact of the Okapi’s discovery that the animal still remains associated with surprising and potential zoological finds. It’s been used as the symbol for at least two cryptozoological organisations, and has a prominent role on the cover of Karl Shuker’s 2012 The Encyclopaedia of New and Rediscovered Animals. The other animal on the cover is the Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, named in 1993 and often inferred to be ‘the Okapi of the late 20th century’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec039777-79cd-442b-a0a7-342622227fd8/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-bandolier-montage-Lankester-1902-and-1910-909px-112kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the two original bandoliers on which the zoological reality of the Okapi was established, as described by Sclater in 1901. At right, a plate from Lankester’s Okapi ‘atlas’ of 1910 in which the two bandoliers were matched up to complete Okapi skins. Numerous of these bandoliers were collected and retained over the years. Images: Sclater (1901); Lankester (1910). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/092a1d44-f7b5-4a3e-b742-c2cbeefa79ba/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Sclater-1901-Equus-johnstoni-sg-782px-111kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Sclater’s initial naming of the Okapi, wherein it’s a new species of horse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9e380b49-4e53-4aa8-8709-a9d945fe9d03/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Hipparion-life-reconstruction-Nobu-Tamura-1041px-50kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: numerous species of the extinct horse Hipparion have been named from the fossil record of Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, and today it seems remarkable that Johnston thought that he might have been on the track of living specimens of this animal. As is evident from this reconstruction (showing the North American H. forcei), at least some Hipparion species were small relative to living horses. Others were similar in size to modern Equus species. If the Okapi was really imagined as a living Hipparion, it would have to have been even bigger than the largest ones we know of. Image: Nobu Tamura, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7f433bc-839c-45cf-8390-5eeab2401fb5/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Harry-Johnston-Okapi-illustrations-1234px-140kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Johnston was a skilled artist, and produced a number of black and white and colour illustrations of the Okapi based on descriptions and his viewing of the complete skin he obtained. I feel that these illustrations are too pointy-snouted and slender in the limbs, but they’re otherwise highly accurate. Images in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/29c94c9d-4a38-457f-bde0-9ba4466e9bea/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-giraffid-bilobed-canine-Lankester-1902-1050px-95kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a key giraffid character recognised immediately once an Okapi skull was obtained is its bilobed lower canine tooth. This montage – from Lankester (1902) – compares the Okapi lower canine with that of other giraffids living and fossil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e3590576-5426-42c6-a7e4-9bd35f550b3a/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Johnston-Okapi-pair-painting-668px-83kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: larger version of the fine Okapi illustration produced by Harry Johnston at the same time as he passed the complete skin to Lankester. Johnston wrote a letter on this painting in March 1901, addressed to Philip Sclater, and explained therein how he had taken great care to properly convey the form and colour of the animal in life. He was concerned that the colour of the coat might have faded by the time it reached England and emphasised its reddish nature in some regions. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7be640dc-6665-44d6-b300-240fd8cde8fc/Okapi-discovery-April-2023-Okapi-Dublin-1163px-155kb-April-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Discovery of the Okapi, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: most major European museums obtained Okapi specimens at some point during the 20th century. This one is on show at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. Its fading is typical for dark animals on show in collections. The prominent scars visible on its coat are said to have been caused when it was killed. The animals were trapped in pits and then speared. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/3/20/larks-part-2 monthly 0.5 2023-03-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5bc0953a-c382-470e-b62d-90b29ac30a5d/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-lark-montage-1461px-209kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: lark images from the previous lark article. Images (clockwise from left): H. E. Dresser, in public domain; Darren Naish; J. G. Keulemans, in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/71866414-ddd4-49e5-a720-3067e89e0e49/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-books-on-birds-of-Europe-1324px-202kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: you might get the impression from all the complaining that subspecies are some irksome ever-present annoyance that you can’t escape from. They’re really not. Books like these only ever include data on a handful of them, and if you actually want to know what’s going on you have to dig deep into the technical literature. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3f58dda5-7d90-4d10-a73e-3010d782cc50/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-Tunnicliffe-Wild-Birds-in-Britain-1364px-264kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: Charles Tunnicliffe’s 1965 Wild Birds of Britain is a wonderful piece of work. But it was written at a time when people were still thinking that even the most minor of anatomical differences were sufficient for a population to be differentiated as a ‘subspecies’. Are British Goldcrests Regulus regulus really distinct enough from those of mainland Europe to be worthy of subspecific recognition? Today, we say no. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f853e6c-756d-433d-be18-b5efb3101972/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-Calandrella-cinerea-rufipecta-Stervander-et-al-2020-1448px-143kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: mostly gone are the days where you can just dismiss subspecies as local variants invented by people who never leave museums. Modern analyses of subspecies-level variation involve morphometrics, DNA and data on range and ecology. The new Red-capped lark subspecies C. cinerea rufipecta was named by Stervander et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c1c1665e-603e-4e11-9c6e-d6d2df58b5a3/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-Calandrella-subspecies-Stervander-et-al-2016-montage-1203px-152kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: Greater short-toed lark photographed in Maharashtra, India. At right, Calandrella lark phylogeny from Stervander et al. (2016), based on mitochondrial gene b. Of note here is that some subspecies (like C. brachydactyla dukhunensis, shown in orange) don’t group with the rest of their species, and that some subspecies-level divergences (like that between C. b. dukunensis and the rest of C. brachydactyla, and those within C. blanfordi) are posited to have occurred during the Pliocene. Images: Shantanu Kuveskar, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Stervander et al. (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6f051857-d8ed-4478-93b9-3c4b8c430a6a/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-Alaudala-rufescens-clades-Ghorbani-et-al-2020-783px-119kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: you don’t need to see the whole cladogram (its top is chopped off) to get the point here. Ghorbani et al. (2020) found the animals conventionally included together within Alaudala rufescens to consist of four clades, with the Sand lark Al. raytal nested in among them. Once again, note that the divergence times of these clades occurred at times ordinarily deemed ‘about right’ for species-level divergences. Image: Ghorbani et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8984c42c-b0ec-4520-9f55-c3d8f06ef22b/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-Alaudala-rufescens-raytal-montage-1210px-124kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a Mediterranean short-toed lark Alaudala rufescens photographed in Israel. At right, a Sand lark Al. raytal photographed in India. Genetics indicates that Al. raytal is nested within the traditional version of Al. rufescens where it’s one of five deep, distinct lineages. The solution most consistent with decisions made elsewhere in passerine taxonomy is that all five should be retained as species or elevated to species level. Larks of many sorts can raise and lower the feathers on the crown as desired, and thus end up with different profiles one moment to the next. Images: Lior Kislev, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Savithri Singh, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2881999f-f8d9-4c59-b0bb-d4d6aa88c7a5/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-hypothetical-taxonomic-scenario-1216px-71kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: here’s a hypothetical time-calibrated cladogram that illustrates the sorts of issues we’re dealing with. How do we treat (in the taxonomic sense) taxa B, C and E? The primary assumption here is that taxa that have been separate for more than c 2 Ma are ‘different enough’ to be species. B seems here not to belong to the same species as D (as had previously been thought), so is it a new species, or is it part of the same species as A? Is C a distinct species, or is it part of the same species as D and E? And is even E ‘distinct enough’ from D to be a distinct species? After all, the two diverged in the Pliocene. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/816d4ca0-2b19-4094-9b55-31b33993fb4c/larks-pt-II-Mar-2023-oh-Carl-639px-67kb-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Larks Part 2: of Subspecies and Brickbats for Carl - Make it stand out Caption: oh Carl, what have you done? Image: Nationalmuseum (Stockholm), public domain (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/3/13/piltdown-man-and-the-dualist-contention monthly 0.5 2026-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/38ff7ff1-8214-48fe-bca7-b787c6ee3941/Piltdown-Mar-2023-Margaret-Flinsch-Eoanthropus-scene-1657px-275kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: one of my favourite reconstructions of Piltdown man. It's by Margaret Flinsch and shows supposedly associated proboscideans and horses in a surprisingly tropical Plio-Pleistocene England. Note the (in)famous tool being held by the hominin on the left. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e532c824-28a8-4f11-9d3e-9fef1b0a3c2f/Piltdown-Mar-2023-Miles-Russell-cover-of-Charles-Dawson-book-551px-57kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: the case against Dawson is really strong. I thought this ever since learning of the Booth Museum 'toad in the hole' when I was about 12. Anyway, the full case was put together by Russell in 2003. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a6ac6e1f-60d7-4101-9fb2-68a0f2c3f6ca/Piltdown-Mar-2023-John-Cooke-Piltdown-Gang-colour-1305px-133kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: John Cooke's famous 1915 'Piltdown gang' painting. Arthur Keith sits in the middle. Standing at the back (left to right): Barlow, Elliot Smith, Dawson, Woodward. Sitting on the left: Underwood. Sitting at right (left to right): Lankester, Pycraft. This is a big, imposing piece of work: see the photo below. Image in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/57d5adf9-1151-4205-89da-46c5817cf347/Piltdown-Mar-2023-Eoanthropus-James-McGregor-reconstruction-1921-778px-100kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: James McGregor's Eoanthropus skull reconstruction of 1921. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/23d8563b-cb0d-4f80-901f-91531cb5474c/Piltdown-Mar-2023-Piltdown-man-memorial-Nick-Woolley-CC-BY-SA-2-5-456px-91kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: there's a Piltdown man memorial: I really must go and see it some time. There's a Piltdown man pub too. We should arrange a fieldtrip. Image by Nick Woolley (original here), CC BY-SA 2.5. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a86ec7f-5fe6-4f00-a938-286bc0b5edb6/Piltdown-Mar-2023-G-S-Miller-688px-51kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: portrait of G. S. Miller, taken in 1897 or thereabouts. Miller had an extremely broad knowledge of the world’s mammals, published over 400 scientific contributions, named around 100 new mammal species, and is best known for his work on bats and rodents. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/18906947-5ff4-426f-9e35-e30797bd8098/Piltdown-Mar-2023-Eoanthropus-mandible-plate-1913-rotate-1158px-167kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: the Piltdown man partial cranium (shown in three views at the top) and mandible (shown in four views at the bottom). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48989fbe-a2c7-4a20-9d24-d86c1c24ed48/Piltdown-Mar-2023-Ales-Hrdlicka-1930-public-domain-1222px-110kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: Aleš Hrdlička, photographed in 1930. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0b0acdca-354b-4cd7-9bb0-273e0c85113d/Piltdown-Mar-2023-Eoanthropus-and-Naish-Dec-2011-1174px-83kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: it's not the original, but it's good enough. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5a778686-b1bf-44c3-8caf-e2c9bfb44984/Piltdown-Mar-2023-John-Cooke-Piltdown-Gang-GSL-1192px-150kb-Oct-2015-Mar-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Piltdown Man and the Dualist Contention - Make it stand out Caption: here's that painting by John Cooke, in its home at Burlington House, the Geological Society of London. Humans for scale. Photo by Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/2/27/ancient-sea-reptiles-is-out-now monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/af0785b4-b083-4c64-a16c-9ab218c9adb0/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-Naish-2023-UK-cover-752px-81kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dc083971-8485-4adf-bead-e260cd9f0534/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-thalattosaur-montage-1159px-74kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: if you want to know about a relatively obscure group like the thalattosaurs, where do you go? That’s a problem, since such animals are generally not covered in the available non-specialist literature. Ancient Sea Reptiles discusses this group and so many others. These illustrations show (at left, top to bottom) the skulls of an unnamed Chinese taxon, Nectosaurus and Hescheleria and (at right) Hescheleria as it might have looked in life. Images: Tosha Hollman, from Naish (2022). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cd69f695-4e97-4752-9541-1c3e30f33d30/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-Crystal-Palace-marine-reptile-montage-1421px-306kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: our view of what Mesozoic marine reptiles were like in life have changed substantially the more we’ve learnt. The Crystal Palace models from the 1850s represent interpretations that - in cases - persisted until surprisingly recently. Clockwise from upper left: the thalattosuchian Steneosaurus, the mosasaur Mosasaurus, the ichthyosaur Ichthyosaurus, the plesiosaur Plesiosaurus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/823b8117-46e0-423b-adc8-457c1bc0f921/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-1990s-marine-reptile-montage-1289px-109kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: a montage depicting various of the publications and proposals that made it clear (speaking from a personal perspective) that things in the world of Mesozoic marine reptiles were becoming more interesting during the late 1980s and early-and-mid 1990s. Clockwise from upper left: one of Mike Taylor’s diagrams of plesiosaurian jaw musculature, from his 1992 paper on Rhomaleosaurus; one of Riess & Frey‘s 1991 depictions of the alternating downstroke model of plesiosaur locomotion; my redrawing of the (still controversial) hydrodynamically driven underwater olfaction model of Cruickshank et al. (1991); and one of Taylor’s diagrams of ichthyosaur buoyancy and propulsion, from a 1987 paper in Palaeontology. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/62d7db75-aad6-44e8-8322-e7bef3527f20/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-Callaway-and-Nicholls-cover-674px-111kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: Callaway & Nicholls’s 1997 Ancient Marine Reptiles, the first substantial 20th century book devoted to Mesozoic marine reptiles since Samuel Williston’s 1902 Water Reptiles of the Past and Present. It’s multi-authored and includes 17 separate contributions. Like so many academic books, it’s prohibitively expensive should you wish to obtain it for yourself today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5dc7bd0b-f9d5-4dcd-9596-ded5f8b864de/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-marine-reptile-cladogram-montage-1316px-93kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: among the many interesting phylogenetic hypotheses pertinent to Ancient Sea Reptiles are (as shown at left) those positing how thalattosaurs, hupehsuchians, ichthyosaurs, saurosphargids and sauropterygians might all be close kin, and (at right) the alliance of cryptoclidids and xenopsarians within Plesiosauria. The book includes numerous cladograms that I designed and illustrated myself. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4893795e-700f-446a-9260-00a2f9d4635d/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-Jurassic-sea-temperatures-1133px-150kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: the idea that Mesozoic climates were eternally equable and stable hasn’t been valid or defensible for decades now. This graph shows isotopic data recovered from Early and Middle Jurassic shelly fossils from Europe. The data reveal very high sea surface temperatures in parts of the Toarcian (that big red ‘low point’) but cool and even cold temperatures in the Aalenian in particular. Image: Korte et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b26f06eb-f7d9-466a-a55b-85835d8a5d46/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-temnodontosaurs-could-have-been-global-1365px-132kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: if an animal like Temnodontosaurus is known only from western Europe and western Chile, what should we infer about its actual distribution when it was alive? Images: (c) Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London; (c) Deep Time Maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7ef687c8-4dba-4981-bcd3-2a0ec982ed27/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-Anning-figure-montage-1390px-195kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: just how many palaeontologists get immortalised as action figures? Yes, I own a small plastic Mary Anning, and you should get your own too. It was made by splendidhand toys but it looks like they’re not selling that specific figure right now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/449da8a6-6242-4e38-8a2c-c6bb4a30eea7/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-Brian-Choo-Triassic-China-montage-1301px-164kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Caption: huge thanks to Brian Choo for allowing use of these excellent Triassic marine scenes, depicting life in the Guizhou (left) and Guanling faunas of the Middle and Late Triassic, respectively. Tanystropheus, nothosaurs, pachypleurosaurs and thalattosaurs are visible in the image at left; archaic ichthyosaurs, thalattosaurs, placodonts and turtles are visible in the one at right. Oh, also fishes. Images: Brian Choo, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/20304347-fb4d-46e0-8fc8-34ead133cb41/Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-Feb-2023-Naish-2023-covers-montage-1099px-107kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ancient Sea Reptiles Is Out Now - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/2/21/a-history-of-larks monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/86c6a934-742f-4d02-ab07-a20b4253a0e3/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Eurasian-skylark-Frebeck-1563px-220kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: the Eurasian skylark Alauda arvensis, the ‘classic lark’ for those of us in Europe. Image: Frebeck, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48ec2f99-c71a-4aee-9821-7b7ab80c82cb/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-lark-montage-Mirafra-Eremophila-Ammomanes-1536px-141kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: a lark montage, showing members of groups that might be considered ‘typical’ within the family. Left to right: Horsfield’s bush lark or Australasian lark Mirafra javanica, Temminck’s lark Eremophila bilopha, Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes phoenicurus. Images: JJ Harison, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); J. M. Garg, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ed76537c-7997-4a31-bc10-1004314cc4a3/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Greater-hoopoe-lark-Richard-Hing-and-Sumeet-Moghe-1590px-105kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: among my favourite larks is the Greater hoopoe-lark Alaemon alaudipes, and I’m lucky enough to have seen it in life. That explains the photo shown here on the left: it was taken by my friend Richard Hing while we were on a palaeontological expedition in Morocco (a region great for larks). At right, a sharper image of the same species (albeit a different subspecies), this time photographed in Gujarat, India. Images: Richard Hing; Sumeet Moghe, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d7c3ec85-5f00-479f-b675-ae0c47a7d905/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Greater-hoopoe-lark-Richard-Hing-Morocco-1118px-190kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: I distinctly remember the few occasions in which I saw hoopoe-larks in the Sahara, and this photo is included because it gives some idea of the habitat in which our sightings mostly occurred. The birds were in flat, mostly open areas with scant nearby scrubby vegetation. This one was actually photographed about 10 m away from the tents of a group of nomadic people. Image: Richard Hing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fbd62d74-0e85-4ae6-8c80-79e8d36e72a8/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Ramphocoris-Dresser-art-971px-198kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: an artistic rendition of a Thick-billed lark Ramphocoris clotbey that doesn’t really do a good job of showing it in a natural posture. This image is from H. E. Dresser’s 1871 A History of the Birds of Europe, Volume 4. I really like Dresser’s books and just looked into the possibility of buying them. But I just learned that you can’t really buy them for less than £850. Guess I’ll stick with the pdfs then. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c3e69ae9-54fa-441a-90f0-4c5c3c108618/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Eurasian-skylark-Alan-Harris-1088px-239kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: Alan Harris’s skylark painting from the cover of Paul Donald’s 2004 book The Skylark. Image: (c) Alan Harris. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4949037a-b539-4435-afa9-a43aa4e18dd4/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-passerine-phylogeny-archaic-larks-1616px-109kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: a representation of oscine phylogeny as it was generally imagined throughout most of the 20th century. Lyrebirds and scrubbirds were posited as the earliest of the oscine lineages to diverge (a position they still occupy today), while larks, swallows and wagtails were all considered close, close to the ancestry of all ‘more advanced’ passerines, and also as ‘early-diverging’ in the tree. Several bird books from the 1960s, 70s and 80s depict this sort of thing and it’s also reflected in the way families are listed in fieldguides. The images you see here were produced for my in-prep textbook, the completion of which can be supported via my patreon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/185f6670-8791-4931-a5d9-1679760690ab/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-total-passerine-phylogeny-755px-77kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: increasingly complex versions of my passerine phylogeny image have appeared at Tetrapod Zoology over the years, and here’s the latest iteration. The topology here is based on that of several recent studies (e.g., Selvatii et al. 2015) and the taxonomy partly follows that of Cracraft (2014). The images you see here were produced for my in-prep textbook, the completion of which can be supported via my patreon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bb8bc8f2-2df1-4640-a230-826a43cb9f31/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Sibley-%26-Ahlquist-1990-phylogeny-869px-77kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: simplified lark phylogeny, based on that presented by Sibley & Ahlquist (1990). Images (in branching order): J. M. Garg, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); JJ Harison, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); Bob Loveridge, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7b6c5ef-3687-4439-aaf4-2feaeb8f160f/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Ammomanopsis-Keulemans-PD-1110px-159kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: Gray’s lark might look like it should be included in Ammomanes, but genetics shows that it’s not. It’s not close to the Ammomanes species at all, but is instead part of the clade that otherwise includes the slender-billed Chersomanes and Certhilauda larks. Image: J. G. Keulemans, in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c9108f20-d2d9-4cd1-8ab5-9000f04acf46/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Eremalauda-Spizocorys-convergence-A-Rae-Opisska-1298px-125kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: Eremalauda and Spizocorys species look sufficiently alike that they’ve mostly been considered congeneric. But molecular data indicates that they’re not especially closely related. Images: Opisska, OA (original here); Alastair Rae, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/beaae521-a256-4025-8e4e-1132f059a481/lark-phylogeny-Feb-2023-Alstr%C3%B6m-et-al-2013-phylogeny-segment-1410px-94kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A History of Larks: Twists and Turns and Overlooked Convergence - Make it stand out Caption: one of the several lark clades identified by Alström et al. (2013). Note that Ramphocoris is close to desert larks and to superficially skylark-like taxa. Meanwhile, hoopoe-larks and other slender-billed taxa form a sub-clade within the same clade... as is Ammomanopsis. Image: Alström et al. (2013). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/2/6/baryonychine-spinosaurid-brains monthly 0.5 2023-02-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c4f93cc8-be04-444e-834e-7e7b19685487/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-Anthony-Hutchings-Ceratosuchops-life-x-ray-1176px-136kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: the Isle of Wight baryonychine spinosaurid Ceratosuchops interacts with another animal, with the position and anatomy of its brain (and associated structures) shown in the inset. Image: Anthony Hutchings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ff618287-0ca4-4cdf-9076-b22a841276cc/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-braincase-pics-composite-1224px-100kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: it should be obvious how well-preserved the remains of Ceratosuchops and Riparovenator are. These photos both show posterior surfaces of the braincases: at left is the original of Ceratosuchops (scale bar = 50 mm); at right, a 3D print of Riparovenator. Images: Barker et al. (2021); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/20e1b6f5-0422-46be-9968-32cfa92285ac/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-Southampton-mu-vis-scanner-1315px-91kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: working with giant CT-scanners is not for for the feint of heart. This photos isn’t from the baryonychine project, but from another dating to 2012. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a05fd246-65f0-43f4-a59f-519186b2a506/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-Ceratosuchops-brain-scan-in-situ-Chris-Barker-493px-40kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: image showing the brain of Baryonyx in-situ inside the braincase. The braincases of baryonychines are narrow and deep, with basipterygoid processes that descend way below the rest of the structure. The section of the brain we’re seeing here (it doesn’t include the olfactory bulbs and tract) is about 12.8 cm long. Image: WitmerLab and Chris Barker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0ddb306b-3ec6-46f0-9267-9a902df6d430/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-competing-theropod-cladogram-1-1302px-70kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: the first of two competing theropod cladograms, highly simplified. This tree shows the more ‘traditional’ topology (at least, in these post-Gauthier 1986 times) in which allosauroids are closer to coelurosaurs than to megalosauroids (e.g., Holtz et al. 2004, Carrano et al. 2012). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6900c7cf-8d5f-4ce5-8ff2-9e8bb7a83409/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-competing-theropod-cladogram-2-1229px-72kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: a tree found in some studies (e.g., Rauhut 2003, Naish & Cau 2022), where megalosauroids and allosauroids form a clade. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/406bd270-07cc-4249-90af-ceb5d5dfb8dd/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-Baryonyx-and-Ceratosuchops-CT-scans-comp-1160px-129kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: a baryonychine brain CT-scan composite, featuring a brain scan of Baryonyx walkeri at left, and Ceratosuchops inferodios at right. Image: Barker et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b7b87aca-8906-49d3-ac88-b3d23c1308b7/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-Irritator-mounted-skeletal-Rio-National-Museum-2013-1302px-148kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: a reconstructed, mounted skeleton of the spinosaurine Irritator, as previously displayed at the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, and posed with an anhangeurid pterosaur as a prey item. This photo was taken in 2013. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21d58872-b39e-4203-a3f7-8ce89766fee6/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-Baryonyx-and-Ceratosuchops-CT-scans-rhombencephalon-comp-632px-77kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: the hindbrain region of (a) Baryonyx and (b) Ceratosuchops, showing the arrangement of cranial nerves (in yellow), the semicircular canals (in pink), and the associated segment of cerebrum (in blue). The right side’s floccular lobe – labelled fl – is tab-shaped and projects into the semicircular canals. Image: Barker et al. (2023). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f985798d-8c98-40a6-bfb0-6f6bcd436e0a/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-CollectA-2023-Ceratosuchops-figure-1749px-268kb-Feb-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: these days, there’s often a fairly rapid turnover time between the publication of a new dinosaur taxon and the appearance of good, commercially available figures of said taxon. New for 2023 is this Ceratosuchops figure from CollectA which I’m very pleased to own in my collection. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2dc6d1f2-2d35-47e7-bf46-fc48d867f7f6/baryonychine-brains-Feb-2023-Anthony-Hutchings-2021-Ceratosuchops-and-Riparovenator-1661px-212kb-Feb-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A brain for Baryonyx: using CT-scanning to examine British spinosaurid brains - Make it stand out Caption: life reconstruction of Ceratosuchops (at left) and Riparovenator, shown sharing a flooded depression on the Wessex Formation floodplain. Image: Anthony Hutchings. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/1/23/the-17th-year-of-tetrapod-zoology monthly 0.5 2023-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b1e421d7-9020-4791-b226-c5e49a596e4a/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Portsmouth-Comic-Con-and-Oregon-coast-2022-1801px-181kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: images from Portsmouth Comic Con 2022, and the coast of Oregon, respectively. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d5e14522-f3e0-4b4b-a82a-0e081034e5e5/TetZoo-2023-animal-figures-montage-2-April-2022-1244px-237kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Captions: a fair number of new animal figures entered my collection in 2022. Those shown here include some of the Prehistoric Planet figures made by Marco Makes, some Beasts of the Mesozoic ceratopsians, and an assortment of CollectA prehistoric animals (released 2021). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3cfc12ce-85b1-4400-8388-15def289d22d/TetZoo-2023-birthday-NHM-outside-of-hours-1399px-181kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: I had quite a few chances during 2022 to wander around the Natural History Museum, London, both before and after hours. At left we see the marine reptile display; at right, Hope the Blue whale in Hintze Hall. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/89872ccb-1271-4476-91a8-c8aa9c1b4d0f/TetZoo-2023-birthday-SDA-signed-copy-Fabolous-Animals-Sept-2022-1170px-127kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1c8f4fca-ec2a-4776-9bdf-ff576a71abaa/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Marwell-okapi-lemur-Feb-2022-1482px-158kb-May-2022-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a somewhat unusual photo of a Black-and-white ruffed lemur Varecia variegata at Marwell. At right, one of Marwell’s several Okapi Okapia johnstoni. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/22bfd1af-a723-41c4-b7af-02b8a4c00507/TetZoo-2023-birthday-frogs-of-Feb-and-March-2022-1-1337px-328kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: habitat creation has led to a year-on-year increase in the number of Common frogs Rana temporaria that spawn in the ponds here during February. For 2021, I observed 13 adult frogs engaged in spawning. For 2022, there were 25 frogs. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c89c7a36-cd71-4479-9c04-7cfe92354980/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Hum-Hole-renovation-1397px-283kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: it might be hard to believe, but the image at left shows a pond. A team of volunteers and council workers began renovating the site in early 2022. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0e6ba4d8-037d-4c22-a2b8-c331543824de/TetZoo-2023-Loch-Ness-montage-Feb-2022-1652px-127kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: one of two trips to Loch Ness I made during 2022. We weren’t close to the loch during the filming of this one, but high up on a hillside. It’s important to remember that the Loch Ness area is bleak and mostly stripped of its original flora; it’s the very opposite of a pristine, attractive landscape. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5c7274ea-0884-4ec4-abe3-77a98b7c53e5/TetZoo-2023-Loch-Ness-souvenirs-Feb-2022-1135px-209kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: argh, Loch Ness Monster souvenirs — my one weakness! And Highland cow figures, I guess. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9c56f618-130c-4fc8-b713-39918ce36ac3/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Chessel-Bay-and-Sholing-Valley-litter-2022-1-1280px-395kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: at far left, Chessel Bay Nature Reserve during 2022. The discarded fridge is an especially nice touch. At right, litter-picking in Sholing Valley, Southampton. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2c38eaf8-f7d9-4afe-98ba-920de20f8045/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Marwell-Lego-Crocodile-monitor-April-2022-1416px-183kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: blurry but still acceptable photo of Crocodile monitor at Marwell Wildlife. On some visits, this animal can be seen resting or hiding on a ledge (itself part of the replica cliff-face in its enclosure). But on others, it swims, it walks, and basically moves around a lot. I like all monitors, but V. salvadorii is one of my favourites. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fcaf009a-6736-447b-9ce6-b7bbffafff19/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Marwell-Lego-Estemmenosuchus-April-2022-1661px-253kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: well, there’s something you don’t see everyday. A Lego Estemmenosuchus at Marwell Wildlife in April 2022. I took photos of all the other constructions too. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fc2936b0-adf1-48ea-b9db-c81f9c41d5eb/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Tring-marine-mammals-963px-159kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: Tring is well known for its bird collection, but it has a ton of other things too, including a few marine mammals on show. The model here depicts Sowerby’s beaked whale Mesoplodon bidens (its skeleton is in the background); the skeleton below is that of a Southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7b6d40a4-3df2-4ab2-b0ae-5d12745a26fc/TetZoo-2023-Tring-cassowaries-montage-April-2022-1401px-159kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: Naish and Green at Tring, with various of the cassowary specimens (and cassowary art) they have on show. The big bird at far right is a Northern or Single-wattled cassowary Casuarius unappendiculatus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3e4afdff-0039-4aad-9cd4-1a9c3201e0fb/TetZoo-2023-birthday-2022-Prehistoric-Planet-Los-Angeles-redcarpet-1439px-172kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a Prehistoric Planet promotion event in Los Angeles, May 2022. From left to right: directors Andy Jones and Adam Valdez, executive producer Mike Gunton, lead scientific consultant Darren Naish, executive producer Jon Favreau, series producer Tim Walker, and musicians Anže Rozman, Kara Talve and Russell Emanuel. The original image is here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/adb57e72-1b9b-4535-9ed3-224d7b4d66e3/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Prehistoric-Planet-LA-London-Bristol-1087px-175kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: scenes from various of the Prehistoric Park premiere events. At upper left, part of the landscape built for the Los Angeles press event. At lower left, myself and Nigel Marven at the Bristol IMAX event. At right, an audience scene at the BFI IMAX event. Those on stage are (left to right) our host Stephen Armstrong, executor producer Mike Gunton, series producer Tim Walker, and myself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c640dc8a-4ca7-4126-899f-b4c3906b7cf6/TetZoo-2023-birthday-NHM-Dippy-unveiling-1254px-244kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a special evening event at the Natural History Museum. I don’t really hold Mantellisaurus – or any iguanodontian – in disdain, unlike many of my colleagues. Dippy as displayed in its new, Prehistoric Planet sponsored gallery is now illuminated by unusual greenish lighting. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6593ba66-844d-412d-921c-6bea2d790dd9/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Battersea-Childrens-Zoo-Shinisaurus-1453px-210kb-May-2022-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: Chinese crocodile lizard photographed at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo. Some of these animals have a lot of light green and white on them, while others are more reddish. Check out the big keeled scales on the neck and the substantial amount of sclera this individual is showing. Crocodile lizards (sometimes called crocodile-tailed lizards) are viviparous anguimorphs and part of a group that extends back to the Cretaceous. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ac95a857-24e9-49bc-bd4b-0484721e6187/TetZoo-2023-birthday-St-James-Park-wildfowl-1752px-339kb-May-2022-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a St James’s Park wildfowl montage, albeit arguably a boring one since all the species shown are highly familiar. The park is also home to numerous exotics, including several Eurasian geese, mergansers and diving and dabbling ducks. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/31759fa2-3993-4827-b155-d8b530059674/TetZoo-2023-birthday-White-Rock-spinosaurid-montage-June-2022-1406px-124kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: the White Rock spinosaurid material isn’t as good as we might like it to be, but it’s certainly good enough to show that (1) it’s a spinosaurid, and (2) it was a huge animal, certainly over 10 m when complete. Our paper on this new (but as yet unnamed) species is open access and here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0563fa2-9e5d-47b4-b832-c569d2179c9a/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Eotyrannus-monograph-montage-July-2022-1300px-147kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: the Eotyrannus monograph (Naish & Cau 2022) arrives at last. The skeletal reconstruction by Dan Folkes, shown at lower right, appears in the paper. The life reconstruction by Loana Riboli (copyright, used with permission), shown at upper right, was produced to assist in promotion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/307e7c87-d41d-41cf-85c1-872544c8536c/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Isle-of-Wight-fossil-hunt-Feb-2022-1750px-526kb-July-2022-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: thar be baryonychine spinosaurs in them there rocks… A scene from an Isle of Wight fossil-finding trip of July 2022. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14c4d2ac-bdc9-44ba-8c27-97930e2ce23c/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Brighton-Aquarium-montage-August-2022-1777px-255kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: part of the interior of Brighton Aquarium, opened to the public in March 1872. In case this image creates the wrong impression, the aquarium isn’t poorly designed or cramped and has a good selection of aquatic animals. Among the tetrapods there are Roti Island snake-necked turtles Chelodina mccordi, a species now kept in quite a few collections. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/11999c89-5dee-4f5c-93a8-ed2f40e4fc8d/TetZoo-2023-birthday-CollectA-Lythronax-glamping-August-2022-1503px-89kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: glamping and a CollectA Lythronax figure, what could be funner? A photo from August 2022. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0ba8298c-90e4-42cc-8039-e20c460f41eb/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Fortean-Film-Festival-Sept-2022-1725px-114kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: in which I leverage the votes at the 2022 Fortean Film Festival. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/82efb235-d0a1-4609-b2e3-2fd71b729a5f/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Gloucester-book-finds-Sept-2022-1581px-188kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: Gloucester is good for secondhand books, I’ll say that. Very pleased to get hold of these while in the city for the Fortean Film Festival during September 2022. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6f44e5a3-aa7b-4e02-a48e-c0db99d3c915/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Biologist-cryptozoology-article-Sept-2022-1447px-172kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: I’m pretty pleased that my article in The Biologist made the cover. The article itself includes images of cryptids provided by Tyler Stone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f5b63d98-c5f8-4de1-8a48-a88059422798/TetZoo-2023-birthday-MonsterTalk-sg-Sept-2022-803px-49kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: cover image for the cryptozoology-themed Monster Talk podcast episode I recorded in September 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/346062a7-43aa-4dbc-9395-b1816340ad43/TetZoo-2023-birthday-SVPCA-Romain-Pintore-theropods-intro-Sept-2022-1149px-99kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a scene from SVPCA 2022; specifically, from Romain Pintore’s talk on theropod femoral evolution. I’m taking this as further evidence that Prehistoric Planet has well and truly embedded itself in popular consciousness. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec7cd7b0-e35e-404d-9747-c1577d1a0156/TetZoo-2023-birthday-SVPCA-montage-Sept-2022-1477px-148kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: at left, in which I get to hang out with the legend that is Dr Tori Herridge. At right: finally, my own Brooke Bond Picture Cards Prehistoric Animals poster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2edbcfa7-2683-40da-8096-37f0fba1623d/TetZoo-2023-birthday-UN-Science-Summit-DN-title-slide-Sept-2022-1930px-140kb-Sept-2022-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: my cover slide from the United Nations Science Summit of September 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4a08f126-c7f7-4e17-9095-186b61336660/TetZoo-2023-birthday-UN-Nat-Hist-event-capture-5-969px-141kb-Sept-2022-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a moment from our natural history event at the United Nations Science Summit, specifically from Nalini Nadkarni’s talk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/175d29e7-5e5f-4935-a001-d1eef9bd1e63/TetZoo-2023-birthday-New-Forest-Pickett-Post-Sept-2022-1686px-304kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a September scene from Pickett Post in the New Forest. The temperatures were of the sort we used to expect for summer. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c6b13050-a13c-4b12-80d3-3431e5e94891/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Lyme-Regis-Museum-Anning-portrait-October-2022-1741px-189kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the B. J. Donne portrait of Mary Anning, outside of London for the first time ever. Donne lived in Lyme Regis while Mary was alive and it’s considered likely that he knew her before her death. At right, an ichthyosaur display at Lyme Regis Museum. The big skull belongs to Temnodontosaurus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b655e61b-185a-4c61-ab0e-885b9ed7eaca/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Mary-Anning-statue-Lyme-Regis-2022-1173px-208kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: the Mary Anning status at Lyme Regis, unveiled in early 2022. The base is decorated with several fossils relevant to Mary Anning’s career, and to the palaeontology of the Lyme Regis area. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a22cf050-0336-4529-8c6f-f00dc756f295/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Mesozoic-Art-book-pile-1514px-208kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: our new book Mesozoic Art isn’t technically part of the same series as its predecessors, but it’s sufficiently similar in design to look like it might be. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ce8cabe5-40d4-4a0b-9609-be1956751e54/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Ancient-Sea-Reptiles-NHM-1370px-156kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: I have two copies of Ancient Sea Reptiles in my hands; I’ll have more soon. This is the cover of the UK edition (published by the Natural History Museum); the US edition (published by the Smithsonian Books) is different and features a Bob Nicholls painting. A few images from the interior are shown at right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40560240-3870-43f1-974c-57c3dc461bb9/TetZoo-2023-birthday-SVP-Toronto-montage-Nov-2022-1501px-221kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: an SVP Toronto montage. The excellent dromaeosaur head (part of an under-construction suit) is by Sam Stanton; at lower left we have a collection of Late Cretaceous dinosaur skulls at the ROM; in the middle, I’m signing a copy of Mesozoic Art for the auction; at far right we see Anthony Maltese with his favourite fossil, Xiphactinus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5a11b4c2-b5bc-4bc9-878e-96c0fc5ea469/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Naish-Mallon-CJES-SVP-1274px-181kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: here’s me and Jordan Mallon at the Toronto SVP, with the Dale Russell special issue of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. At right: the cover (the published version looks different from the preview online). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a2f37bea-9522-4fcb-9c5d-8e0be87597ef/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Toronto-SVP-ROM-Pleistocene-1663px-277kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: mostly Pleistocene fossils at the Royal Ontario Museum, albeit with Mesosoic dinosaurs in the distance at right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8fc892b2-f7e7-4e64-8022-0862caaf8578/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Toronto-SVP-ROM-Pleistocene-2-1681px-327kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: more mostly Pleistocene fossils at the Royal Ontario Museum, including the giant sloth Eremotherium, the pampathere Holmesina and glyptodont Glyptodon (both are giant armadillos), and the cat Smilodon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/324894ac-2a94-40c9-8393-83c91c944024/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Toronto-SVP-Ring-billed-gull-and-chickadee-1592px-144kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: familiar birds of the Toronto area, both new to me. Ring-billed gull Larus delawarensis and Black-capped chickadee Poecile atricapillus. Toronto is home to what’s said to be the world’s largest population of Ring-billed gulls. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/70e4c76c-2e0e-4f38-9c65-10c5ca64ca35/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Toronto-SVP-black-squirrels-1248px-158kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: black squirrels of Toronto. These images show two different individuals. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9ab2025c-2ea1-4f46-8f65-64bce86e2fcd/TetZoo-2023-birthday-flying-to-Oregon-1-1709px-346kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: views from the air over what I think are parts of southern Alberta, and either Washington or Oregon. Incredible scenery, viewed in perfect conditions. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f8d8a72d-a68e-4620-a00d-84adfbac81ad/TetZoo-2023-birthday-flying-to-Oregon-2-1686px-328kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: I was thinking to myself “I wonder if I’ll get to see Mount St. Helens” when, suddenly… I think that’s Mount Rainier in the background. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/80cfbf13-9deb-4f34-8628-ac7a04674842/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Portland-dinosaur-aesthetics-Dec-2022-1672px-225kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: my cover slide for the dinosaur aesthetics events of the 80th annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, December 2022. I haven’t discussed the contents of the talk outside of the relevant event itself. Maybe sometime I will. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5125d4f3-5600-4fe7-bf12-32668d5f37b3/TetZoo-2023-birthday-ASA-dinosaur-aesthetics-group-1325px-111kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: the four speakers of the dinosaur aesthetics events of the 80th annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, December 2022. From left to right: Derek Turner, Zoë Lescaze, Michel-Antoine Xhignesse and Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6234ec8c-6b59-4536-bedc-37a8bda13ea1/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Portland-Powells-World-of-Books-montage-1328px-273kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: argh, books on animals — my one weakness! Powell’s Books, Portland, is home to hundreds of natural history books, a great many of which I would obtain if I had unlimited money and space. As it happens, I purchased a hardback original of Paul’s Predatory Dinosaurs of the World (previously, I only owned the softback) and only a couple of other things. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4e0e2fa6-f02b-49c7-8521-463e45c39560/TetZoo-2023-birthday-NABC-with-Cliff-Barackman-1319px-175kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: myself and Cliff Barackman (at left) at the North American Bigfoot Center, with Murphy the sasquatch in the background. Wow, I sure do like that jumper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8650992c-743d-4219-92fa-fa22ae8ab0a6/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Oregon-Easter-Island-location-woods-1355px-307kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: an ambition fulfilled — I finally get to visit the spectacular forests of the North American Pacific Northwest. It wasn’t especially cold, but it was wet. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cd3b3ded-8928-4bd4-96bb-d54ef2b8fc45/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Oregon-evening-excursion-1-1677px-79kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: I really, really enjoyed visiting sites of possible interest in the Oregonian wilderness. Had lots of wildlife experiences, and loved the scenery and environments. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/313f8041-a30d-42fc-bb93-79dfd2f2832c/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Bonneville-Hatchery-sturgeons-1755px-112kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: some of the many sturgeon on show at the Sturgeon Viewing and Interpretive Center at Bonneville Hatchery, adjacent to the Columbia River in Oregon. Several of the sturgeon there are big, the largest being Herman. He’s 3.35 m long and weighs over 220 kg. Herman was stolen in 1983 – yes, I said stolen – and there has been more than one occasion in which people have jumped into the water and stabbed him. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7b53dbbc-9e8d-4749-8379-0db66b84796e/TetZoo-2023-Oregon-outside-scenes-montage-1674px-245kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a few more Oregon scenes. From left to right: Multnomah Falls, a stretch of scrubby ground at the edge of the Sandy River in the town of Rhododendron, and a late evening scene taken from Cliff’s vehicle while deep in the woods. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0e1a273-2e5a-4056-b2fd-62c89ba5c08f/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Oregon-Coast-Aquarium-montage-1419px-155kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: the Oregon Coast Aquarium at Newport. It houses numerous really nice marine exhibits and has various pinnipeds on show. I was surprised to see that harbour seals and fur seals are kept together, but apparently they’re friends and it’s not an issue. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/06364d8e-997c-4abc-ba29-d14ebb72597b/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Oregon-coast-Siletz-Bay-and-Yaquina-Bay-1562px-82kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: views of the Oregon coast. At left, a Pacific Harbour seal surfing waves at Siletz Bay. At right, gulls and and other birds at Yaquina Bay. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/894bc303-72ad-4d87-805e-47d73e38bdc9/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Oregon-Zoo-montage-Dec-2022-1351px-224kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of things from Oregon Zoo, a great zoo that has an excellent collection of North American animals as well as much else too. I’ll be talking in detail about what the zoo is like in a later article. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/566e50d0-6376-478c-b5b9-7b76ab27bcf6/TetZoo-2023-birthday-TetZooCon-2022-John-Conway-Dec-2022-1211px-189kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a good number of TetZooCon 2022 photos were included in the relevant article, but here’s one that wasn’t. This image was taken during John Conway’s talk A History of Painting (With Dinosaurs). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f00d2a1-f261-45e8-9d8a-ec9971289b6c/TetZoo-2023-birthday-NMMC-Falmouth-exterior-1187px-218kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: exterior of the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall, in Falmouth. Formerly the home of the Monsters of the Deep exhibition…. which is now moving elsewhere! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/237b2bc8-05d7-41b9-a871-370a2ce82bf9/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Dorchester-Dinosaur-Museum-montage-Jan-2023-1425px-177kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: the Dinosaur Museum at Dorchester is certainly interesting if you’re interested in historical depictions of dinosaurs, since it houses quite a few unusual models and other objects. The images here show a Corythosaurus costume/model said to be connected to Pertwee-era Dr Who (though I’ve seen this contested), a model of Richard Owen (for once, not depicted as ‘old man Owen’) and a very familiar replica theropod skeleton (with a model Megalosaurus behind). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/370e9095-59a2-40f6-b1c8-aa7880cb1455/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Florida-montage-Jan-2023-1672px-225kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: just a little of the wildlife I saw while in Florida. Yes, that’s a Limpkin Aramus guarana. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2baf5d46-f28e-4bed-84bb-ad6ba9728ef4/TetZoo-2023-birthday-2022-coverage-at-Tet-Zoo-1214px-52kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3eda98bc-7e08-4446-9ec4-c51198199471/TetZoo-2023-birthday-passerine-montage-pipit-and-rook-Milford-on-Sea-Sept-2022-1709px-128kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: it should be obvious from these birthday articles that I photograph animals as and when I can, generally quite badly. Birds are among the animals we see most often here in the UK, and here are two passerines photographed at Milford-on-Sea in September 2000. The blob at left is a European rock pipit Anthus petrosus; the corvid at right is a Rook Corvus frugilegus carrying a potato… or a rock, I can’t remember. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/443d9d07-b734-4e2e-9968-846bd52d5018/TetZoo-2023-birthday-Mount-Hood-2022-1597px-187kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 17th Year of Tetrapod Zoology: 2022 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: Mount Hood, Oregon, December 2022. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/12/28/baleen-whale-laryngeal-sac monthly 0.5 2023-01-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/856b10de-b43c-477d-ac23-2cc2c4a6a837/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Tet-Zoo-laryngeal-sac-series-sg-1020px-135kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: screengrabs of parts I and II of the pouches, pockets and sacs series. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/85eb96e6-3b97-4c7e-94ec-e8d38c703f7b/baleen-whale-sacs-Jan-2023-Desray-Reeb-cartoon-596px-83kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: cartoon from Desray Reeb's 1997 thesis, the bagpipe here being a clever reference to the potential role of the laryngeal sac as a vocal organ… on which read on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/34bcde96-9fd1-4937-bd22-466c56cf84fe/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Minke-whale-skeleton-User-BS-Thunder-Hoff-1358px-123kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: everything about whales is amazing. Here’s a minke whale skeleton, probably belonging to a Northern or Common minke. I should mention in passing that minke whales appear to be a species complex. Image: User BS Thurner Hof, CC BY-Sa 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/988ef467-f170-42db-a88b-1fe74c1a856b/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Fin-whale-trachea-and-laryngeal-sac-1334px-260kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: it should be obvious from this article where the laryngeal sac is located, but this dissection image of Fin whale anatomy (from Brodie & Påsche 2001, p. 357) helps. Here, you’re standing in the location of the lungs, looking towards the position of the tip of the snout. The trachea (t) is huge and wide (c 40 cm); the oesophagus (e) is above it. The laryngeal sac (s) is massive, heavily muscular, and beneath the trachea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/99df702b-e04c-4465-a75a-f04f140264ad/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Blue-whale-blow-NOAA-wikipedia-1089px-90kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: Blue whale exhaling at the surface, "the greatest respiratory action in history". Image: NOAA, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/52d3ba69-9108-48da-9dab-c6be41f30099/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Megaptera-blowing-bubbles-Reidenberg-%26-Laitman-2007-686px-60kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: diagram (from Reidenberg & Laitman 2007b) showing how the laryngeal sac (marked 's' in upper diagram) might partly function as an air store, receive air from the lungs, and have a role in the production of a bubble cloud. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/37dbe680-bc59-466d-ad9e-01ccfdd702fe/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Humpback-whale-Christopher-Michel-wikipedia-1128px-56kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: most of us know that humpbacks sing, and make a variety of other sounds too. But the idea that laryngeal structures have a possible resonating role isn’t well known outside of specialists on cetacean anatomy. Image: Christopher Michel, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cd9ab84e-f8d8-4359-8bd5-0a4b7270fec3/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Caperea-lungs-and-laryngeal-sac-920px-92kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: Caperea lungs and associated laryngeal sac (in the human hand). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04c76544-e847-44a5-be0b-c85ac3b7f80d/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Caperea-ribcage-991px-106kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: image from a Caperea dissection, showing the distinctive, partly overlapping ribs of this most unusual whale. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/00c0d94a-8e97-44d0-9b7f-0dcb75864cc0/baleen-whale-sac-Jan-2023-Caperea-skeleton-Joy-Reidenberg-1788px-151kb-Oct-2010-Jan-2023-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of baleen whales - Make it stand out Caption: Caperea skeleton, photographed in New Zealand. Other images of the same skeleton appear in this Tet Zoo article from 2010. Image: Joy Riedenberg, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2023/1/4/tetzoo-reviews-zoos-tripoli-zoo monthly 0.5 2025-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0c7cabc1-0116-495a-8853-37a704eb223f/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Brown-bear-and-Slender-horned-gazelle-1237px-176kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: Tripoli Zoo as of 2009, home to bears, gazelles and more. Read on… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/66624713-64c9-44f0-8b2a-a983f587357a/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Libyan-landscape-891px-245kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: I enjoyed my time in Libya. It’s a huge country with some incredible landscapes. I was lucky enough to visit several rocky desert locations. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1e6c3625-07af-4ffa-9308-66ca6a767376/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-bass-relief-3-1369px-146kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: the walls surrounding Tripoli Zoo feature a series of bas-reliefs, mostly depicting African wildlife. This one has an Indian rhino at upper left but otherwise shows African rhinos, giraffes, hippos and elephants. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0b819461-901d-4577-8943-3c42d2787d6a/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-news-articles-montage-1158px-138kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: just two of the many news stories that have covered Tripoli Zoo since 2011. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/254cbd68-b31d-4c0f-b0b9-a09b7999719c/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-crowned-crane-montage-940px-145kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: Black crowned cranes of Tripoli Zoo (still the only examples of this species I’ve seen), with White stork in the background. This species occurs east to west across central Africa. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/28b3668e-cae8-4088-b795-eb3f01f10317/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-bird-montage-1344px-186kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: a Tripoli Zoo bird montage, showing (clockwise from far left) Green-winged macaw, Golden eagle, Golden pheasant, and Red kite [UPDATE: likely not a Red kite at all]. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8ff4abc2-18d7-48c9-9da8-f07f91f06941/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Neophron-2-1234px-129kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: I’m really interested in what this Egyptian vulture is doing with its feet. Note here how it seems to be partly supporting its weight with flexed toes — but, look at the next photo… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/60fb5712-ab98-4c98-9a35-1c8507fad227/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Neophron-1013px-102kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: it turns out that the vulture is holding something in its strongly flexed toes. It’s now switched from doing whatever it was doing with its right foot to its left one. It’s not surprising that a raptor can do this, but it’s still interesting to see it. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/62c73216-e455-424b-af85-984ace3e4d15/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-puma-group-1249px-179kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: a pretty poor photo, but the best I could do in view of limitations. There are three pumas in this photo; two are reclining on the platform. Presumably all three are related. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f844d6a1-58f0-42eb-bb1b-e715c3827a8f/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Brown-bear-pair-1226px-141kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: Brown bears of Tripoli Zoo. I had the impression that the larger, broader-headed individual at right (with the paler fur and unusual left ear) was male and the other female, but I could be very wrong. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/16348504-394c-4a01-8866-45d0ac7380ef/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Brown-bear-pair-montage-1418px-202kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: I think it’s obvious just from my few photos here that these were (and still are?) unfulfilled, bored bears. In case you’re wondering, the bears aren’t separated from the public merely by a short metal fence. As you can see from the image at right, there’s actually a deep moat around the whole enclosure. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a4cd4394-39f6-4683-8c91-fb9810f81c6c/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-camelids-of-Tripoli-montage-1068px-171kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: camelids of Tripoli. The dromedaries are interesting in including white and piebald individuals (you might also be able to see the chest callous on the reclining camel in the middle). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/381d5ecf-fa84-4824-be5c-f2b9df0978ba/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-cattle-1703px-146kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: when you go to the zoo, you sure want to see some cows! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/242d29ef-69eb-40ab-a7a8-3d65e7805c25/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Blackbuck-male-peeing-815px-103kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: Blackbuck group, with the sole adult male adopting a straddle while peeing. I guess antelopes don’t like urine splashing on to their hooves, but then who does. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/96c3f363-ed2d-4865-ab13-fcd8b85e2580/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Blackbuck-group-1552px-114kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: Blackbuck females and non-adult males. A surprisingly large group. I haven’t yet seen this species in any other zoological collection. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3cf28cc3-4970-49ff-a89f-9d3e72751c80/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Brindled-wildebeest-montage-1465px-122kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: reclining wildebeest or gnu. I assume that live lawns are difficult to maintain on the zoo’s budget, hence the use across the enclosures of sandy substrates. This can be linked to insufficient hoof wear in certain hoofstock species. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2c5f02c0-80fb-4fcc-b7b7-b22a8f7eff4e/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Libyan-aoudad-montage-1492px-256kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: an aoudad montage, deliberately included to show rams, ewes and kids… though these terms could be completely inappropriate given that aoudad are not really sheep. At left, the animal staring at the viewer is an adult male, and the animal looking in our direction in the image at right is an adult female. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/eb836f0f-0013-4237-a91d-500f69f69529/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-Libyan-aoudad-at-wall-899px-172kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: suggest to an aoudad (or a group of them) that they might talk to you, and you can get images like this. Note the anteroposteriorly short hooves with steep anterior faces: these are hooves of a sort suited for agile movement on rocky surfaces with small areas of support. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14bff5bb-adcc-4016-b575-c8f5f5ec1b00/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-axis-deer-montage-1255px-233kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: Chital group at Tripoli Zoo, featuring what I think are two males and four females. Chital are mid-sized cervine deer of the Indian subcontinent (occurring as far south as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; they occur on Sri Lanka too), but they’ve been introduced to Australia, the USA and Croatia. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0b0a998e-b20e-45bf-9e13-f0b7d4d663e6/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-fallow-deer-montage-1325px-188kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: dark Fallow deer at Tripoli Zoo. The individual at left – which wasn’t the darkest one they had – might be described as semi-melanistic. Note the strong antler asymmetry that’s common in this species. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f2a49b62-1ad5-49f6-a105-4311149fa3d4/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-bass-relief-1-1149px-171kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: another of the bas-relief artworks on the walls of the zoo, this one depicting monkeys (macaques of some sort, perhaps), lions, what might be a cheetah, and zebras. It looks like the artist made a mistake at some point and ended up turning some of the monkeys into lions, or vice versa. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b19c5d40-70cb-45f0-9358-3e811acf6ae6/Tripoli-Zoo-Jan-2023-bass-relief-2-1414px-158kb-Jan-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Tripoli Zoo in Libya - Make it stand out Caption: a mix of Permian and Mesozoic animals on another bas-relief at Tripoli Zoo, with a 2009 Darren Naish for scale. The animals include representations of Edaphosaurus, Stegosaurus and Moschops. Not sure what the animal at upper left is though. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/12/21/avatar-updated-for-2022 monthly 0.5 2025-12-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/72370e62-b002-4cce-b638-98862bad441d/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-ATWOW-poster-sailwing-1235px-97kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: among the many interesting animals of Avatar: the Way of Water is the gar-like skimwing. It goes without saying that all the images used in this article are (c) 20th Century Studios, many taken from the Avatar Wiki. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c2d82734-2b5f-44a3-91eb-425298af278c/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Darren-photo-montage-1680px-532kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: it should be obvious to anyone who follows me on social media that I talk often about those remaining green spaces close to me. We all need to do what we can to see that these places persist. I feel as if almost everything is at threat of destruction or deterioration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/57dc977e-ebe8-4143-9f4d-0dbd0bba721c/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-TetZoo-Avatar-2010-montage-929px-96kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: in case there’s any doubt, I had no involvement at all with Avatar or its creature design, nor do I have any reason to think that those behind the making of Avatar: TWOW are aware of my writings on the first film. I have, however, worked closely with several people connected to the film, in particular animation supervisor Andy Jones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a50b158e-4b85-4461-969e-b0214624c394/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-banshee-sg-1243px-109kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: banshees and Na’vi have a long history of association. Na’vi riders of the Omaticaya clan form lifelong bonds with Mountain banshees (known to them as ikran); the image here shows Naytiri’s ikran Seze. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cab2d9dc-7248-41ed-ba34-9816ee28600c/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-McFarlane-banshee-figure-1396px-94kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: several very nice banshee figures are available. These images show the McFarlane Toys banshees, released in 2022 to coincide with Avatar: the Way of Water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e710078d-279d-4ee9-aa59-cbc9eda11804/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Microraptor-montage-Dyke-et-al-1334px-191kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: banshees recall the Cretaceous dromaeosaurid Microraptor in having flight surfaces on two limb sets, rather than one, and in having what might be a lift-creating structure at the end of the tail as well. Spectacular Microraptor specimens (like IVPP V13352, shown here at left) have been known since around 2002. At right, a scale model (showing one of several possible hindlimb poses) of Microraptor produced for a study on flight performance in this animal, from Dyke et al. (2013). Images: Colin Palmer; Dyke et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2829fba6-9c01-4478-bd17-7a27b4d467bc/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Toruk-2-sg-1330px-116kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: great raptorial hooks and recurved, slightly heterodont teeth (or tooth analogues) are among the obvious predaceous specialisation of the Toruk. As is the case in the Thanator and Viperwolf, the teeth are black, which suggests that they are not composed of enamel and other materials familiar on Earth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/015b4289-a3ed-48c3-8091-f94e2bdcc453/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Toruk-3-sg-1112px-59kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: Toruks can open and close the slots between their leading wing elements, and rotate the individual elements as required for vortex formation and so on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5f89ec6d-a462-4f6a-9d5f-a6c48e2a6f53/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Toruk-1-sg-1360px-125kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: the Toruk is absurdly big, with a wingspan that can exceed 25 m. It preys on other predators (mostly banshees) and is a solitary, large-brained animal with a central role in Na’vi lore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b3c39730-067a-4f36-bd3a-ff36f136a0f1/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-gliding-suit-tapejarid-montage-1388px-103kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a proximity gliding suit or wingsuit. Certain of the scenes in Avatar are reminiscent of wingsuit flight sequences. At right: the amazingly elaborate skull of the tapejarid pterosaur Tupandactylus imperator, showing the extent of the soft tissue and the associated branched, filamentous structures on the rear spar. Images: Wingsuiting, CC BY-SA 4.0 (from here); Cincotta et al. (2022), CC BY 4.0 (from here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9e95cdac-2796-4eb8-b39a-3b3dd84f5868/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Megacerops-brontothere-skull-Dave-Fuentes-989px-104kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: the giant brontothere Megacerops (previously known as Brontotherium, Menodus, Brontops or Titanotherium) is diverse in horn form, this varying according to age and sex. I like this image (taken at Badlands National Park) because it shows an especially big-horned individual. Image: Dave Fuentes, from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f64a2f7d-7892-45f0-b8f5-8e0e109d794e/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-hammerhead-titanothere-sg-1224px-152kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: Hammerhead titanothere from the encounter scene with Jake. Note that the eyes are present posteroventral to the hammer-like cranial structure. Titanotheres are social animals, adults varying in the colour of their fan-like cranial structures. They reach 11 m in length. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0c01ee6b-fc45-4212-bc52-6830d6c40c0d/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Thanator-profile-1483px-89kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: Thanator in lateral view, with retracted lips and elevated soft cranial flaps. The opposable nature of the digits on the anterior limbs is obvious here, as is their heavily muscled form. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/43ce236d-31f7-4c1c-b5c2-965fe1bc258c/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Thanator-sg-1314px-86kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: a Thanator encounters Naytiri, adopts a conciliatory pose, and invites her to ride it into battle. Alas, this doesn’t end well for the Thanator. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9683fa42-b365-4aa5-8a38-f048dacec5ec/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Thanator-figure-962px-98kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: I really like this poseable Thanator figure, made by Mattel in 2011. I’d love to own one but have never seen it for sale. I’m not sure it was ever available here in the UK. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dd7dbbd0-8005-4d3c-841f-deed8759c427/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-direhorse-battle-scene-1188px-70kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: direhorses can bond with Na’vi through integration of their neural whips. This image is from a battle scene where a Na’vi cavalry battles a heavily armed RDA squadron involving infantry augmented with an AMP (amplified mobility platform) unit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1a281704-ac61-4701-a8da-36413e664fc1/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-direhorse-feeding-1243px-109kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: it should be obvious that the direhorse face superficially recalls that of a giant anteater. Horizontal pupils on the largest eye set are obvious, as is an anterodorsally projecting cranial crest (continuous with a tall ridge present along the midline of the neck) and the two parallel neural whips. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3431498f-29a7-46e3-b7dc-281584d9ea0e/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-viperwolf-sg-1289px-99kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: viperwolves are sharp-toothed, lithely built predators that share highly mobile lips, large and pointed teeth (or tooth homologues) and dextrous digits on their anterior limbs with thanators. Viperwolves are co-operating, pack-hunting predators. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fff5826c-a4de-458a-85c5-c0a11e7b18c3/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-Navi-group-sg-1236px-116kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: a scene showing several of the main Na’vi characters. It’s hard to make people care about characters in a film where those characters aren’t relatable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fe7f6dff-083b-4baf-a833-986a0d17f5f9/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-prolemuris-motage-sg-1699px-133kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: Prolemuris is a social, arboreal, primate-like Pandoran creature. Unlike the majority of Pandoran animals, they only have a single pair of eyes and only one neural whip. Both features are shared with the Na’vi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/febebb26-f2ed-4516-9179-cf349fa86857/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-mycorhizzal-network-wikipedia-1111px-119kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: mycorhizzal fungi have a mutualistic relationship with plants via a subterranean network. Inter-plant chemical messages relating to predation, disease and perhaps environmental stress are sent across the network. Image: Charlotte Roy, Salsero35, Nefronus, CC BY-SA (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec95f2b7-f528-46cc-a0ac-6a8f051a094f/AvatarTWOW-Dec-2022-P5000-load-lifter-Aliens-sg-1241px-97kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: Ellen Ripley using a P5000 load-lifter, a scene from Aliens, of course. Aliens and Avatar almost certainly occur in the same universe… though I don’t know if this has been specifically confirmed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8cef68cc-587f-4cb4-a006-fff0b38deda0/AvatarTWOW-TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-New-Forest-sunset-New-Forest-18-12-21-1423px-213kb-Feb-2022-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to the Creatures of Avatar, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: we must do all we can to prevent the destruction and deterioration of the natural world. We need it as much as all the other animals do. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/12/12/robert-plots-lost-dinosaur-bone monthly 0.5 2025-11-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/faf6c1e4-6c85-4a87-a3e4-735c28455fe6/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Megalosaurus-Dan-Folkes-with-Plot-bone-montage-header-880px-102kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9ac9c2f3-7276-40c1-8a40-411aa89541b2/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Robert-Plot-Natural-History-of-Oxfordshire-montage-1298px-129kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the best known portrait of Robert Plot of Oxford, naturalist, antiquarian and scientist. At right, his famed book of 1677. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/183f6c6d-1646-43b5-8292-2fe22b174593/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Plot-TAB-VIII-1387px-208kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the relevant plate from Plot’s 1677 book The Natural History of Oxford-shire. The famed specimen is shown alongside objects discovered in the ground, and thought to represent a petrified heart and human foot, as well as assorted rhomboidal and trapezoidal objects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/480356a7-3e66-481d-9324-faa4b6775576/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Megalosaurus-Dan-Folkes-with-Plot-bone-montage-1416px-104kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: it’s been generally agreed for decades now that the Plot bone likely belonged to Megalosaurus, the large tetanuran theropod famously associated with the Middle Jurassic sediments of Oxfordshire. Whether this is justifiable is a complex issue, but I’ve essentially followed that assumption here. Megalosaurus skeletal reconstruction by Dan Folkes, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1c999d0d-d7a0-44a6-897d-0d209d8dddd4/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Brookes-plate-p-318-1233px-308kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: plate from Brookes (1763) showing the bone and other objects. It’s obvious that several of the objects illustrated here were redrawn directly from Plot’s plate of 1677. Note that the label ‘Scrotum Humanum’ is written in the same style as such obvious labels as ‘Kidney Stone’ and ‘Petrifaction’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/78f5a525-f266-4f10-9ce2-8d157c678348/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-OUMNH-Megalosaurus-display-1200px-148kb-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: the Megalosaurus display at Oxford University Museum of Natural History (photographed in 2016), showing most of the original bones as described by Buckland in 1824. Note that an illustration of the Plot bone occupies the centre. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a5553f70-c756-44f3-9dae-bff7e2f1a647/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-small-girl-and-Plot-bone-Aliki-1989-1419px-235kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: an illustration reproduced by Torrens (1995) wherein the caption reads “Little girl and Scrotum humanum, from the title page of Dinosaur Bones by ‘Aliki’, London : A. & C. Black, 1989”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cd72965f-6fb9-4921-b377-03f719ace0b3/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Paul-Stewart-and-badger--OUMNH-1297px-179kb-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: Dr Paul Stewart and a taxiderm specimen of a European badger at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7562925b-15d2-41bd-bc42-f3cb59ec01c4/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-OUMNH-J-front-and-back-on-display-1115px-112kb-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: OUMNH PAL J29757, as on display at the Ashmolean Museum in February 2020. At left, the specimen in posterior view. At right, anterior view. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5a83ee9b-9007-4395-be16-51385bf97323/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Ashmolean-specimen-compared-to-Brookes-1321px-154kb-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: a reasonable list of detailed similarities exist between the Ashmolean bone (at left) and the Plot bone (here, flipped back to its original orientation), enough that we became quite confident that the two might be the same thing. If my interpretation of anatomical features is correct, both illustrations here depict the distal end of a right femur. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d11819d7-7aa5-4fe9-84a6-09b4c74c8567/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Ashmolean-display-on-Plot-1268px-153kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: OUMNH PAL J29757 within the Robert Plot display at the Ashmolean Museum in February 2020. Plot also obtained and wrote about crinoids, bivalves, brachiopods, ammonites and corals. The fossil coral immediately to the left of the theropod femur belongs to a sort suggested by Plot to be identifiable as petrified human hearts. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/81a19c16-074a-45df-89e4-3713c66d6bfb/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Naish-Simpson-Stewart-Ashmolean-869px-116kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: part of the Plot display at the Ashmolean Museum (in February 2020), with three of the primary investigators staring at it in loving fashion. Darren Naish at far left; Martin Simpson standing at right; Paul Stewart at lower right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2dd0d0d5-9d6e-46f6-a320-6143ffa8e1d7/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-OUMNH-Ashmolean+montage+31-10-22-1263px-174kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: OUMNH PAL J29757 on the day of reckoning, the images again emphasising how compressed it is at its preserved proximal end. Images: Paul Stewart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fee88b58-0d26-472c-9162-56a51e77d034/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-OUMNH-Ashmolean-montage-2-31-10-22-1241px-140kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: OUMNH PAL J29757 again on the day of reckoning, this time with Hilary’s hands providing useful indications of scale. From left to right, we see the specimen in posterior view, medial view, and proximal view. The size means that this can’t be the Plot bone after all. Images: Paul Stewart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546e8e0-764e-4a9a-8815-ba12e90a634e/Plot-bone-Oct-2022-Plot-bone-from-books-montage-1254px-179kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Robert Plot’s Lost Dinosaur Bone - Make it stand out Caption: the Plot bone - a mainstay of popular and academic books on dinosaurs - remains lost after all. This montage shows just a few of the many appearances the bone has enjoyed in the literature. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/12/7/the-ninth-and-largest-of-the-tetrapod-zoology-conventions monthly 0.5 2022-12-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d6c0eed7-d937-47eb-b3d5-f51cc8cfd428/TetZooCon-2022-DN-opening-montage-1488px-199kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: at upper left, a Prehistoric Planet-style Mononykus plush by Leo; at lower left, an origami Triceratops by Joel Colbourne; TetZooCon badges in the middle; and our amazing venue – Bush House – at far right. Images by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/272a5c36-bda0-4555-b9c2-01a770b49032/TetZooCon-2022-DN-TetZooCon-banner-1386px-117kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: our banner this year was squamate-themed… for no particular reason at all. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fcbc5f71-df99-441e-8b01-43ef19749e06/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-Ashby-Platypus-montage-1550px-100kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: Jack Ashby presents Platypus Matters, also the name of his new book. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2805715e-1025-4ae3-a4b9-7fc6b1125f1a/TetZooCon-2022-Lomax-Locked-in-Time-montage-1318px-166kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: the tangled mammoths. Amazingly, this association has not been properly described in the academic literature (come on, mammoth experts: what are you doing with your time?). At right, Dean Lomax’s excellent new book Locked in Time, featuring art by Bob Nicholls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e41d9ac0-3105-4294-a27d-f820d393e2ee/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-All-Yesterdays-event-1545px-135kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Memo Kösemen at his TetZooCon 2022 stall, with art prints (and originals) for sale. Note the All Yesterdays and Squamozoic art (and more) stuck on the column. At right, Naish, Kösemen and Conway on stage during the All Yesterdays event. Images: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e5cdbfe4-b4ce-489d-b049-66d8d5d626f8/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-C-M-Kosemen-signing-artwork-1455px-158kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: Memo Kösemen signing and selling art at his TetZooCon 2022 stall. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bff6d5b3-314c-4c6b-8127-529fea5ff3bc/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-palaeoart-workshop-table-1481px-126kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: a table-top scene from the TetZooCon 2022 palaeoart workshop. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1c57ca01-8461-4594-9995-567b10a742bd/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-Colbourne-tool-using-talk-1300px-80kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: Jennifer Colbourne talks about cockatoos and her research on their intelligence and use of tools, and on tool use in non-human animals in general. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/624011ac-aef3-4052-b748-c78d23c8708a/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-Naish-reptiles-amphibians-talk-1395px-103kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: one of the TetZooCon organisers discusses aspects of the British herpetofauna. I’ve always planned to write up the contents of this talk. But so far I haven’t. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21f557bc-32c2-4609-afff-90cab2c3e5f2/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-James-McKay-and-Gert-van-Dijk-art-1617px-148kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: pictures taken at the TetZooCon 2022 art exhibition. At left, James McKay with a selection of small colour images produced for Palaeontological Association outreach events (children create prehistoric animals from jumbled bits and pieces, and James then illustrates these creations as real-looking animals). At right: Gert van Dijk with a selection of images relevant to his Furaha project. Images: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/68f63e1a-84dd-4f7d-be56-19058d4d32c1/TetZooCon-2022-DN-Matt-Dempsey-and-Seasons-Greetings-card-1507px-148kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: at left, palaeontologist and PhD student Matt Dempsey with his poster on dinosaur reconstructions. At right: a famous internet image incorporating Philip Hood art from Man After Man, now existing as a physical Christmas card that was gifted during TetZooCon 2022 to Dougal Dixon. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0ff70fbd-5810-44fb-a9ce-edfa751f544d/TetZooCon-2022-DN-Rebecca-Gelernter-art-panel-1369px-199kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: Rebecca Gelernter art at TetZooCon 2022. Very pleased to see her there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/45ebc8de-9d4b-454e-b0c8-128b1ec4f9b7/TetZooCon-2022-DN-Jurassic-Park-cosplay-1358px-169kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: all of a sudden - - - Jurassic Park cosplay! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/30ff6b4a-a702-4979-ba68-e5fb286540e9/TetZooCon-2022-Crystal-Palace-pin-badges-1190px-185kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: thanks to the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, I discovered and obtained these excellent enamel pin badges. They’re made by Joseph Fells and are available at BleachedBonesStore.etsy.com. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/db1068ec-bab7-4bb2-871d-4059711c6b9d/TetZooCon-2022-DN-TetZooCon-quiz-prizes-and-silent-auction-1415px-225kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: various of the items that featured in the silent auction and quiz. Massive thanks to everyone who played along and took part. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea9eea7c-9ae2-47b8-89f1-aa6e35fd3618/TetZooCon-2022-DN-Liz-Martin-Silverstone-pterosaurs-1404px-76kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: Liz Martin-Silverstone opens our special pterosaur session and asks the important questions. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/94450ebf-5dd0-44c4-bb4f-092fa19b45e4/TetZooCon-2022-AS-Jagielska-stall-1227px-150kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: the Natalia Jagielska stall. I understand that Natalia sold nearly all of the merch and art she bought along. Image: Agata Stachowiak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/14995212-dc8f-4911-a18f-7fbb6e304bfa/TetZooCon-2022-AS-pterosaur-roundtable-2-1141px-143kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: our pterosaur roundtable, as seen from the audience. Left to right: Darren Naish, Liz Martin-Silverstone, John Conway, Natalia Jagielska, Mark Witton. Image: Agata Stachowiak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/389e7ece-cfe8-439b-a4b7-de1f691dd26d/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-pterosaur-roundtable-1343px-121kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: another pterosaur roundtable, showing (l to r) Darren, Liz and John. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/be09adaf-f96c-4df7-9b35-c1f26b606d8d/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-John-Conway-History-of-Painting-1115px-80kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: John Conway presents A History of A History of Painting (With Dinosaurs), on his new book A History of Painting (With Dinosaurs). Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7df3e3fb-efc0-4664-801b-55a9384fff6d/TetZooCon-2022-AS-Steve-White-Mesozoic-Art-24-1123px-115kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: Steve White discusses Mesozoic Art and its backstory. Image: Agata Stachowiak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aa376dd3-ef42-45ad-8f94-2209a45bf8a5/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-Mesozoic-Art-signing-1-1117px-107kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: one of the tables in the Mesozoic Art signing event (there were… three such tables, I think). Those doing the signing here are (left to right) John Conway, Mark Witton and Steve White. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fac18202-e572-46ff-b85a-d0a34a684ffd/TetZooCon-2022-DN-aliens-roundtable-from-stage-1390px-171kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: a scene - taken from my position on stage - of the designing aliens roundtable, showing (l to r) Gert van Dijk, Dougal Dixon, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Joschua Knüppe. Dougal is holding a Greenworld model; a woman (equipped with animal skins and other products manufactured from endemic wildlife) is riding a large, vaguely conch-like terrestrial animal. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/953a2f82-3ba2-4d2d-add4-f0b6eaa15360/TetZooCon-2022-AS-aliens-roundtable-24-1116px-151kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: the designing aliens panel event as seen from the audience. Left to right: Darren Naish, Jennifer Colbourne, Memo Kösemen, Gert van Dijk, Dougal Dixon, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Joschua Knüppe. Image: Agata Stachowiak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c2aff78e-6078-41aa-8286-4a1cc1317e1f/TetZooCon-2022-GWM-aliens-roundtable-1275px-114kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: more from the designing aliens roundtable, this time with images from Dougal Dixon’s Greenworld project on the screen behind us. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/81175e06-5b5e-4504-8b9a-3e2a64571da9/TetZooCon-2022-AS-Mark-Witton-and-Ellinor-Michell-Crystal-Palace-1459px-117kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: Mark Witton and Ellinor Michel on stage at TetZooCon 2022. Buy the book, it’s amazing. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f14b287b-50ed-4a85-be36-cfdadecd379d/TetZooCon-2022-AS-Mark-Witton-Crystal-Palace-slide-24-1226px-190kb-Dec-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: slide from Mark and Ellinor’s talk, in this case focusing on the anatomy of the anoplotheres on show at Crystal Palace. What’s with the comparison between the anoplothere model and the shaking pet dog? You should check Witton & Michell (2022) for an explanation… Image: Agata Stachowiak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/edbe9d68-a853-49a3-bc0c-7344b1def161/TetZooCon-2022-DN-quiz-prizes-and-winners-1163px-151kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: we had a selection of excellent quiz prizes. This large CollectA Triceratops and the accompanying book (authored by Erich Fitzgerald) were kindly provided by Jack Perkins and Melbourne Museum. At right: the three highest-scoring quiz players and myself. Images: Darren Naish, Hel Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/74dc46b0-3d6d-468c-9871-e942c8303307/TetZooCon-2022-DN-Natee-Mononykus-1148px-124kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: Natee Himmapaan kindly provided this print of a Prehistoric Planet-inspired Mononykus (I also now own one myself). At upper right we see the diminutive, exquisite original in Natee’s drawing book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/19deb627-e95d-4bb4-a57f-633f6f95e182/TetZooCon-2022-DN-Crystal-Palace-dinosaurs-1-1334px-384kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: a beautiful day to visit the Crystal Palace dinosaurs. We see the two Iguanodon (which are no longer actually Iguanodon at all) at left, the Hylaeosaurus at right, and one of the two large pterosaurs (noawadays: Cimoliopterus) in the background. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2feb5e05-b0ba-4318-aa50-9a62d91b25b6/TetZooCon-2022-DN-Crystal-Palace-dinosaurs-2-1402px-374kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: group 2 look at the Crystal Palace Megalosaurus. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/439ad65b-5be3-4a43-8ac8-a4e47186b6ec/TetZooCon-2022-DN-Crystal-Palace-dinosaurs-3-1144px-218kb-Dec-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ninth and Largest of the Tetrapod Zoology Conventions - Make it stand out Caption: more from the Crystal Palace fieldtrip. At left, the ‘Megaloceros fawn’, now known to be the last surviving Xiphodon. At right: your blog’s author with the original Hylaeosaurus head, today relocated on a mound above the main part of the geological court (the actual Hylaeosaurus model has a fibreglass replica for a head). Images: Darren Naish, Hel Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/10/29/announcing-mesozoic-art monthly 0.5 2022-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/66aa68a6-2bb7-4028-bcd5-d42286931b39/Mesozoic-Art-publised-Oct-2022-cover-1081px-133kb-July-2022-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Mesozoic Art, a Lavish New Volume on Modern Palaeoart - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/50863afb-dab8-4982-9548-d3b8e0f9f15a/Mesozoic-Art-published-Oct-2022-Julio-Lacerda-front-matter-727px-76kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoolog-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Mesozoic Art, a Lavish New Volume on Modern Palaeoart - Make it stand out Caption: welcome to Mesozoic Art! The image there is by Julio Lacerda and features at much larger size in the relevant section. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5fd8b334-8973-42e3-8df6-febb141431c8/Mesozoic-Art-published-Oct-2022-contributor-pages-844px-126kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoolog-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Mesozoic Art, a Lavish New Volume on Modern Palaeoart - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b48519da-8bca-4f97-8bf0-4b3ef5dc9976/Mesozoic-Art-published-Oct-2022-Troco-SG-1286px-118kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoolog-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Mesozoic Art, a Lavish New Volume on Modern Palaeoart - Make it stand out Caption: just two of the several pages devoted to the work of Emiliano Troco that feature in Mesozoic Art. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4aa44c8a-5d39-45b6-8549-2a7497fb4070/Mesozoic-Art-publised-Oct-2022-Gabriel-Ugueto-marine-1679px-148kb-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Mesozoic Art, a Lavish New Volume on Modern Palaeoart - Make it stand out Caption: part of our section on the amazing art of Venezuelan-born herpetologist and artist Gabriel Ugueto, here concentrating on marine animals. Gabriel is one of several artists whose images have done much to increase interest in Mesozoic marine reptiles. Someone really should write a book on those animals that features his art, shouldn’t they? Such a book will appear in print in 2023. Stay tuned. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/99ef9168-174f-431c-a7da-295f6eb62bc6/Mesozoic-Art-publised-Oct-2022-roe-deer-at-Ageas-Bowl-golf-course-1294px-241kb-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Mesozoic Art, a Lavish New Volume on Modern Palaeoart - Make it stand out Caption: animals of today are animals of the past when imagined or seen in the right way; similarly, the animals of the past can often be transposed to the present if environments and conditions are right. I know I’m not the only one who looks at animals and environments in this way. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cf823a65-e9d1-42e4-8a13-5614e004945c/Mesozoic-Art-publised-Oct-2022-MA-with-other-palaeoart-books-1376px-174kb-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Mesozoic Art, a Lavish New Volume on Modern Palaeoart - Make it stand out Caption: the latest in what can loosely be regarded as a series… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/caa7aefc-714f-458a-9f33-57b7488f1b99/Mesozoic-Art-publised-Oct-2022-Corbin-Rainbold-sauropods-1734px-169kb-Oct-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Mesozoic Art, a Lavish New Volume on Modern Palaeoart - Make it stand out Caption: a giant spread featuring a diversity of Argentinean sauropods, by Corbin Rainbolt. The image would function well as a giant mural. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/10/25/the-amazing-caecilians monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b9815df4-cc41-489c-b71b-192d028cc19e/caecilians-Oct-2021-Atretochoana-Wilkinson-1997-893px-83kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: the flattened and very striking head of the large typhlonectid caecilian Atretochoana, from Wilkinson & Nussbaum (1997). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e2513a82-07fa-4e74-b259-a0878b607e73/caecilians-Oct-2021-Caecilia-subnigricans-Jose-Gabriel-Julio-Guzman-wikipedia-CC-BY-4-0-1128px-156kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: the caeciliid Caecilia subnigricans of Colombia and Venezuela, demonstrating the worm-like demeanour of this group. Image: José Gabriel Julio Guzmán, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d680f4d3-e2a9-4dc9-b30c-5133e23541d9/caecilians-Oct-2021-Schistometopum-wikipedia-CC0-1101px-204kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: the bright orange São Tomé caecilian Schistometopum thomense, a dermophiid from islands in the Gulf of Guinea (reports of a similar animal from the mainland might represent an additional species). Image: Marius Burger, CC0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/db7e04ec-32cb-44d4-9b3f-183c80f3a377/caecilians-Oct-2021-Rio-Zunac-caecilian-vs-worm-Luis-and-Fausto-Recalde-and-EcoMinga-1109px-206kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: excellent illustration of how confident a caecilian might be about its predatory prowess. This photo was taken in the Rio Zunac Reserve, Ecuador, by reserve guards Luis and Fausto Recalde. It is from here at the Fundacion EcoMinga blog. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b9948eba-21a0-43d4-a7a6-c8e9c4d4e32b/caecilians-Oct-2021-Typhlonectes-Neil-Phillips-2013-850px-71kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: this article doesn’t discuss the aquatic typhlonectid caecilians, which are – ironically – the only caecilians the majority of us non-specialists get to encounter. Here’s a captive Typhlonectes natans eating tubifex worms. Image: Neil Phillips, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4b2566f1-962a-4e5a-bf80-21e69c9213de/caecilians-Oct-2021-chikilid-and-herpelid-montage-1734px-227kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: at left, holotype of the Indian caecilian Chikila darlong. Scale bars are 20 mm in A, 10 mm in B-G. At right, a female Herpele squalostoma from Cameroon with young. These two animals represent two caecilian family-level lineages only recently named or resurrected from synonomy, namely Chikilidae and Herpelidae. Images: Chikila from Kamei et al. (2013), CC0; Herpele from Kouete et al. (2012), CC BY 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6d0e1f58-b564-4689-8139-e8b54f6b2c3f/caecilians-Oct-2021-Kamei-et-al-2012-caecilian-phylogeny-1496px-153kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: a phylogenetic hypothesis for caecilians, from Kamei et al. (2012). The American tailed rhinatrematids and Asian ichthyophiids are the earliest-diverging members of the group. This cladogram obviously emphasises the position of the recently recognised chikilids. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e20eed61-7214-4193-a6f5-7a469e7c1f2d/caecilians-Oct-2021-Taylor-1968-Caecilians-of-the-World-1103px-110kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: the sort of book that really should belong in the Tet Zoo Towers library, hint hint. Yes, images of Taylor’s 1968 The Caecilians of the World. These images from here at AbeBooks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/145936f2-cf56-41bf-a4b4-c9dbcd31e71f/caecilians-Oct-2021-Dermophis-digimorph-942px-73kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: the robust, bullet-shaped skull of the American dermophiid Dermophis mexicanus. This specimen was collected in Guatemala and made available for scanning by David Cannatella and the Amphibian Tree of Life project. It was scanned for DigiMorph; other images and files are available here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/85e1b9b1-56f7-463a-b12a-8ccc756c7cbb/caecilians-Oct-2021-OReilly-et-al-1996-eye-protrusion-734px-125kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: close-ups of Scolecomorphus kirkii, showing how the eye is mobile and can be moved from the tentacular groove on the side of the face (a) and then into the tentacle when it’s extended (b). These images are from O'Reilly et al. (1996). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/076d608f-4521-4f62-831c-0c54571d4144/caecilians-Oct-2021-Wilkinson-%26-Nussbaum-2006-caecilian-jaw-closing-muscles-630px-95kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Amazing Caecilians - Make it stand out Caption: variation in caecilian cranial and interhyoideus posterior morphology, as illustrated by Wilkinson & Nussbaum (2006). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/10/11/diversity-of-zebras-1 monthly 0.5 2022-10-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/96346886-1e0a-4ce3-9282-7e7412755068/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Burchells-zebra-Olga-Ernst-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1235px-347kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: striping is variable.. and that’s a theme you’re about to see discussed a whole lot more. These zebras were photographed in Etosha National Park, Namibia, and are supposed to be Burchell’s zebra. Image: Olga Ernst, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/584b7fa7-3e24-4b28-b4db-d7d365d8c255/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Tring-zebra-case-1442px-196kb-April-2022-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: opportunities to see multiple zebra taxa together are rare. Walter Rothschild’s museum at Tring (aka The Natural History Museum at Tring) has a good selection, of which this photo shows part. The sitting zebra at far right is a Burchell’s zebra. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d6bd4304-c598-4aaa-9aee-f5ced03921ed/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-zebra-diversity-plate-Wilhelm-Eigener-725px-174kb-Feb-2022-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: I very much like illustrations that show the different members of a given group side by side. This image is by Wilhelm Eigener and appeared in Hans Hvass’s 1961 Mammals of the World. At top left is a mountain zebra, and to the right is a Grevy’s zebra. Centre-left is a Chapman’s zebra, with a Burchell’s zebra to the right. At bottom, we see a Grant’s zebra and (in the foregound) an animal that the book calls Boehm’s zebra. Image: Wilhelm Eigener/Hvass (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1a5c2532-56ad-4dc2-aec7-41b8ed5c724b/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Caro-et-al-2014-equid-cladogram-969px-47kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: an equid cladogram, showing current thinking on how the Quagga is nested within the plains zebra. This diagram is from Caro et al. (2014), a paper that focuses on how biting fly density correlates with stripe presence in equids (this explains the coloured circles; I’ve removed the key as it’s a distraction). Equid illustrations by Rickesh Patel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/739bd984-9744-4189-ae64-6de6eefa7d68/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Barnaby-and-Groves-covers-919px-129kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: two equid-themed books that I’ve used a lot when looking for information on zebras. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/46e2370e-6a96-4a5b-a3ea-5240da44f788/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Quagga-London-Zoo-PD-971px-118kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the only Quagga photographed alive was the London Zoo mare; several photos exist, and this is the best known of them. It was taken in 1870. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48ab3d78-04eb-47c7-8959-ad819459383a/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Tring-Quagga-902px-65kb-Feb-2022-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the Tring Quagga shows that at least some Quaggas were quite well striped on the body. Walter Rothschild obtained the specimen from Amsterdam in 1889. Despite visiting Tring earlier this year (and taking numerous photos), I failed to get a photo myself: this one is (c) Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. The foal is a zebra x horse hybrid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a8c8708d-3073-4cbd-97de-1455203539d0/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-plains-zebra-clinal-map-Andreas-Suchantke-870px-126kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: many of us are familiar with diagrams like this, which imply or outright aim to show that plains zebra form a cline of ‘decreasing stripiness’ from north to south. This image shows (1) Grant’s zebra, (2) Selous’s zebra, (3) Chapman’s zebra, (4) Burchell’s zebra and (5) Quagga; the map depicts where they occur. This image originally appeared in Andreas Suchantke’s 2001 book Eco-Geography; this version was modified by Craig Holdrege and is from this article at The Nature Institute. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bf84bf3c-b516-40cc-80ea-a9e5ef71ed10/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Marwell-zebra-1452px-265kb-April-2015-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: captive plains zebra at Marwell Wildlife, UK. If you know nothing about where they came from, how might these zebras be identified? Prominent, tall, striped manes, shadow stripes, reduced striping on the legs (especially in the animal on the right) suggest that they could be Burchell’s zebra, plus the body stripes aren’t as thick as those of Chapman’s zebra. But the five stripes that reach the belly are supposed features of Crawshay’s zebra. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2f946bb8-4f50-4637-904d-dd31902e5ced/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Marwell-zebra-1172px-261kb-Feb-2022-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: captive plains zebra at Marwell Wildlife, UK. As in the image above, I’m not sure which subspecies this animal is supposed to belong to. Note the ‘saddle’ formed by the transverse striping across the croup. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3764f49b-e741-4675-a158-4e95a6b7ae09/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Grants-zebra-Joachim-Huber-CC-BY-SA-2-0-1096px-144kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: bold and thick stripes with clean interspaces and relatively small size are characteristic of zebras identified as Grant’s zebra. This individual was photographed in Hell’s Gate National Park, Kenya. Image: Joachim Huber, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21b9bcdc-b9b7-4cb6-8269-a01797f57651/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Crawshays-zebra-montage-PK-Bhattacharyya-Stfg-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1564px-306kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: animals identified as Crawshay’s zebra, at South Luangwa National Park (left) and an unspecified location (right). Note that relatively high number of stripes wrapping around the belly, and the feint shadow stripes present in the zebra on the right. Images: Prabir K. Bhattacharyya, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Stfg, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bbbcd539-1b02-4ac8-9af1-70c1c61c5ad6/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Einar-Lonnberg-maneless-zebra-borensis-931px-85kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: maneless zebra from Einar Lönnberg’s 1921 description of this form. The striping is crisp, prominent and complete but it looks like there are fine shadow stripes on the hindlimb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/82fe5587-c024-4379-a59e-7186a64d81ca/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-borensis-zebra-Jiri-Sedlacek-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1069px-184kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: maneless… or half-maned… zebra photographed at Liberec Zoo, Czech Republic. Maneless or half-maned zebras are in several zoos; in the UK, I’ve seen them at Colchester Zoo, Essex. Image: Jiří Sedláček - Frettie, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d254e6db-3804-41b2-8d7e-19a480162dbb/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Angel-Cabrera-1936-zebra-diversitt-1363px-172kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Angel Cabrera’s 1936 illustrations of plains zebra variation. These are mostly variants of Burchell’s zebra but the five zebras at far left are Grant’s zebra and some at lower middle are Selous’s zebra. All are labelled individually in Cabrera’s paper, I’ve just thrown them together here. Image: Cabrera (1936). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/29d3bd8a-a5e2-4d53-8b2a-511fa97a4056/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Burchells-Zebra-Maurice-Wilson-3-1112x-137kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the idea that Burchell’s zebra is extinct explains its appearance in various books that cover extinct mammals. This illustration by Maurice Wilson is from David Day’s 1981 The Encyclopedia of Vanished Species. It shows the reduced striping, prominent shadow stripes and mostly stripeless legs considered typical for this form. Image: Maurice Wilson. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b349d9d2-93f2-4ec0-baf5-8b07902c1d29/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Burchells-zebra-Yathin-S-Krishnappa-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1209px-172kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Burchell’s zebra in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Note the prominent shadow stripes, off-white interspaces, reduced leg striping, and presence of only three stripes contacting the belly. Image: Yathin S Krishnappa, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a5f115f1-086c-4603-99f6-6540c262976b/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Quagga-Project-zebras-Mokala-National-Park-SA-Bernard-Dupont-CC-BY-SA-2-0-1551px-366kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Quagga Project zebras at National Park, South Africa. These are Burchell’s zebras, with some being selectively bred for reduced striping. Image: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/09b2346a-6eee-4bc2-8b28-425cf7e45e5c/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-Pedersen-et-al-2018-zebra-range-map-969px-116kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: plains zebra range map from Pedersen et al. (2018). The dotted lines indicate the limits of plains zebra distribution, and the dashed lines show the boundaries between currently recognised subspecies. Note that the populations recognised in this study either overstep those boundaries, or occur within them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f84ff8c8-a677-4d9c-a8d7-549baa386f5d/zebra-diversity-Oct-2022-George-Stubbs-Zebra-in-the-Woods-1159px-135kb-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: George Stubbs’s 1763 painting Zebra. It depicts a mountain zebra… on which more later. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/9/27/tetrapod-zoology-at-the-united-nations-science-summit-2022 monthly 0.5 2022-09-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f4f3da3-851b-437f-a18b-c1d99ba9e6ac/Darren-Naish-UN-Science-Summit-title-slide-Sept-2022.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology at the United Nations Science Summit 2022 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/52a9b6fa-1475-4a52-896e-d5ac35c4575e/logo.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology at the United Nations Science Summit 2022 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/9/13/tetzoocon-2022-is-go monthly 0.5 2022-09-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cc7b56cc-8524-4c49-a856-21d312fbcfd6/TetZooCon-2022-Temp-Banner-1500px-127kb-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2022 Is Go - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f9db50f5-efcc-4731-9de0-d2cd485855f7/TetZooCon-2022-Jack-Ashby-Platypus-Matters-montage-1282px-148kb-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2022 Is Go - Make it stand out Caption: Dr Jack Ashby and his new book Platypus Matters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b2b42b9a-ea3e-4f61-864f-9019c33c08a8/TetZooCon-2022-Jennifer-Colbourne-and-Hana-Ayoob-and-Cassius-Morrison-montage-1346px-131kb-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2022 Is Go - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of TetZooCon 2022 speakers. From left to right: Dr Jennifer Colbourne, Hana Ayoob, Cassius Morrison. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/04c30250-f7ec-4502-baa1-2b9f1fe0b775/TetZooCon-2022-Dean-Bob-Locked-in-Time-montage-1506px-202kb-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2022 Is Go - Make it stand out Caption: left to right, Dr Dean Lomax, his new book Locked in Time, and leading palaeoartist Bob Nicholls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/18478698-5885-4b55-94ae-27da80652dd4/TetZooCon-2022-Gert-van-Dijk-Furaha-montage-1230px-154kb-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2022 Is Go - Make it stand out Caption: images from Gert van Dijk’s Furaha site. Be sure to check it out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a55ca456-da82-4977-9c4c-f79eb0adb3a6/TetZooCon-2022-Mesozoic-Art-and-Witton-%26-Michel-1389px-193kb-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2022 Is Go - Make it stand out Caption: additional books that will be on sale at TetZooCon 2022! https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/9/2/the-remarkably-weird-skeletons-of-frogs monthly 0.5 2022-09-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7026ebad-1eb7-4ec5-a45d-0af3a69481aa/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-anuran-skeleton-montage-1104px-90kb-Dec-2016-Sept-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e8da8d24-fe62-4c73-9b2d-13c6515ba841/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-Rana-skeleton-Cornwall-1004px-115kb-April-2010-Dec-2016-Sept-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Caption: if you're lucky enough to find a frog or toad skeleton - something I've done on several occasions - you might be surprised by how few bones there are. This skeleton, discovered among leaf litter in Cornwall, southern England, belongs to Rana temporaria. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0c2f5dae-4ab4-49d5-bf61-84399296a175/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-Hemisus-and-Breviceps-x-rays-van-Dijk-2001-1038px-55kb-Jan-2015-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Caption: x-rays of the weird African frogs Hemisus (left) and Breviceps (right). It won't be lost on you how small the skeleton is compared to the size of the whole animal. Image: van Dijk (2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9dc5b7d7-47a0-49b1-a37b-c2b5887ff735/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-Ponssa-2008-Leptodactylus-vertebral-column-531px-51kb-Dec-2016-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Caption: the tremendously abbreviated vertebral column of a modern anuran: in this case that of Leptodactylus. Excluding the urostyle, there are just 9 vertebrae here. 'p' = process. Scale bar = 2 mm. Image: Ponssa (2008). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/28c88f1d-b26e-4508-af95-3078c7470bfa/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-Limnodynastes-tasmaniensis-hand-female-and-males-1031px-62kb-Dec-2016-Sept-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Caption: hands of the Australian myobatrachid Limnodynastes tasmaniensis showing sexual dimorphism in the presence in the prepollex. Diagrams based on those in Galis et al. (2001). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5125542a-24cd-4541-9e12-38a5765dda0d/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-anuran-scapulocoracoid-annotated-847px-53kb-Dec-2016-Sept-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Caption: skeletal architecture of the anuran scapulocoracoid, specifically that of Discoglossus. Based on a diagram in Havelková & Roček (2006). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7be61189-5a6f-400a-a6ce-2f08e53d1bb4/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-Whiting-1961-ilium-composite-600px-123kb-Dec-2016-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Caption: x-rays of two anuran species: Rana temporaria at top, Discoglossus pictus below. As the ilium pivots on the sacral vertebra, it rotates. At top, you should be able to see how the urostyle and ilium are almost parallel when the hindlimbs are flexed. At bottom, the urostyle and ilium are at an obvious angle when the limbs are at rest. Image: Whiting (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9910c61e-f071-4a8b-b51c-c3522d15ba3e/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-Cornuta-skeleton-Mokele-wikipedia-600px-83kb-Dec-2016-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Caption: skeleton of a Ceratophrys. The giant, rod-like ilia - arranged on either side of the rod-like urostyle - should be obvious. Image: Mokele Wikipedia (CC BY 3.0). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e26832bb-e2ce-493a-ba58-871f466265e7/frog-skeletons-Sept-2022-Rana-x-ray-hindlimb-labelled-Whiting-1961-1547px-99kb-Dec-2016-Sept-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Remarkably Weird Skeletons of Frogs - Make it stand out Caption: a Rana frog in x-ray showing key bony elements of the hindlimb. The original version of this image is vertical - the frog is actually standing on tip-toes. Image: Whiting (1961). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/8/24/the-domes-of-wisdom-an-asian-elephant-tale monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/56db6ddf-28d4-450a-909c-d1f893cbb1c2/domes-of-wisdom-Markus-Buehler-elephant-bull-Hagenbeck-1055px-117kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Domes of Wisdom: an Asian Elephant Tale - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d1536de-0ca4-42bd-b5cc-870955d6f83f/domes-of-wisdom-Tennent-elephant-descending-slope-1269px-152kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Domes of Wisdom: an Asian Elephant Tale - Make it stand out Caption: James Emerson Tennent’s 1867 depiction of an elephant descending a steep slope, from his book The Wild Elephant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d54548a0-ac42-4916-8fdb-d07cc58263d0/domes-of-wisdom-Bardia-elephant-bull-1268px-179kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Domes of Wisdom: an Asian Elephant Tale - Make it stand out Caption: the large elephant Raja Gaj, photographed by Rula Lenska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bcd7ed03-113d-442a-82c8-d4a435ced5f2/domes-of-wisdom-Elephas-hysudricus-montage-1332px-99kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Domes of Wisdom: an Asian Elephant Tale - Make it stand out Caption: reconstructions of Elephas hysudricus in life. At left, the image from Osborn (1942), where the animal is labelled Hypselephas hysudricus. The image is by Margaret Flinsch and was based on a skull described by Hugh Falconer in 1845. At right: an even more ‘extreme’ vision of the same species was provided by Deraniyagala (1958). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/8/13/legend-of-the-black-dog monthly 0.5 2026-02-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48d9faba-e10f-4028-9182-7fdcad82176f/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Black-Dog-ver4-1342px-141kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: it is no ordinary dog that is merely black, but…. The Black Dog. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/582fcb08-90ea-4ba5-9b0b-8d98bf3674e6/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Conan-Doyle-Baskervilles-and-Gino-AA-cover-869px-103kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: at least some renditions of Black Dogs (I think made without reference to the actual accounts) show them as hound-like and short-coated. At left, the spectral hound of the Baskervilles as illustrated by Sidney Paget for the 1901-1902 serialisation of Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. At right, a Black Dog as visualised by Gino D’Achille for the cover of Janet and Colin Bord’s 1981 Alien Animals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f4ba811-8157-4145-a5e9-029092ea3bb5/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Black-Dog-of-Newgate-montage-1345px-227kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: 17th century images of the Black Dog of Newgate Prison, London. This monstrous creature was said to have a massive chain around its neck and to be associated with executions or with the avenging of the death of a sorcerer… it’s all complicated and confusing. A book called The Discovery of a London Monster Called the Black Dog of Newgate was published about the case in 1638. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/274681bd-5da7-4048-ae35-ff1f46929edf/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Black-Dog-ver4-to-scale-1085px-88kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: a Black Dog – of the sort recounted in the relevant tales – to scale with a person and a mid-size pet dog. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/725e0c06-fcc6-4d0b-9807-820b021fa7db/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Black-Dog-book-covers-1113px-124kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: at left, McEwan’s Mystery Animals of Britain and Ireland, a very useful source of Black Dog information. At right: several smaller books discuss or recount various of the local Black Dog legends, and here’s one of them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/affdb6dc-cdde-473a-836c-2ecf50a3a4d0/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Black-Dog-Inn-Devon-1283px-117kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: The Black Dog Inn in the village of Black Dog, Devon. Image from The Black Dog Inn website. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5cd99e6e-6394-45f7-b0f6-61ab3f0df22a/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Waltham-Chase-Black-Dog-pub-831px-118kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: I made a special trip to The Black Dog, Waltham Chase, a few weeks ago. It was closed. The signage makes it seem that the pub is named after black dogs of normal, domesticated form, but I’d love to have this confirmed….. or otherwise. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6e33b6a0-07ff-449c-89f4-1b6d2ca8f4eb/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Bungay-weathervane-1330px-53kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: the weathervane at St Mary’s Church, Bungay, features the town’s famous Black Dog; note the associated lightning. Image: Better in Bungay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/758377ef-c819-4893-b50b-e4663f8fc43c/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Strange-and-Terrible-Wonder-1137px-185kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: cover of Abraham Fleming’s 1577 pamphlet on the Bungay-Blythburgh event. While compiling this article, I’ve discovered that people have naughtily modified the image included in Fleming’s pamphlet. The version shown in mystery animal books (e.g., Bord & Bord 1981, McEwan 1986) is the one at right. But the version apparently included in Fleming’s original publication (which I haven’t seen myself) gives the animal some sort of curved horn on the forehead, as we can see at left. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/40bb61fe-8ec0-4a31-bbc3-c17d95b625c8/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Blythburgh-Church-scorched-door-1037px-192kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: the Blythburgh Church (Suffolk) door, marked with burns connected to the Black Dog story of 1577. At right is the 1970s/early 1980s photo of the same door that features in several mystery animal books (it was taken at Harvest Festival time, hence the tools and hay). Images: Atlas Obscura; Bord & Bord (1981). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d03f5180-20bf-4860-aa3e-9f11c43e1d58/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Dartmoor-shaggy-dog-Martin-Whitley-2007-1358px-142kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: every now and then, people see and report big (sometimes dangerous, wild-living) dogs from the UK countryside, but dogs that aren’t really of the iconic Black Dog type. This shaggy creature was photographed by falconer Martin Whitley at Hound Tor, Dartmoor, in 2007, and implied for a while to be a monster. Limb proportions and other features show that it’s a domestic dog with Bearded collie in its ancestry. Images: (c) Martin Whitley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f56c0d5b-8696-41c5-87e0-837ff0a903a2/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Brown-bear-Europe-Frank-Vassen-wikipedia-CC-SA-2-0-1065px-170kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: could Brown bears – denizens of the UK until about 1000 years ago (and of course widespread in those other places where Black Dog legends occur) - be inspirational for some Black Dog stories? I don’t think so. This bear was photographed in Finland. Image: Frank Vassen, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7fc512e6-9725-40a2-abe4-cb5bd506d66d/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Di-Francis-British-big-cat-Reginald-Bass-1247px-119kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: the British big cat as imagined by Francis (1981), and as reconstructed by Reginald Bass. The animal is supposed to have a puma-like head on a leopard-like body but I always think that this image makes the head look too humanoid. Image: Francis (1981). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/abeac07f-4d34-4d4e-b202-ad3a49aa9498/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Black-Dog-on-Telegraph-Rd-1416px-115kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: my attempt to convey what a Black Dog encounter might be like according to various of the stories on record… Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cbabb6a4-568a-4402-9b7b-ea86ad8f396f/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Strange-Magazine-19-cover-Spring-1998-749px-153kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: the Spring 1998 issue of Strange Magazine featured several articles on phantom Black Dogs, focusing in particular on accounts from Maryland, USA. The features ascribed to these Black Dogs are the same as those of the mostly British Black Dogs discussed in this article. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/19cbbaa1-fbfe-4772-aeea-61ba67f0f2ac/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Black-Dog-graveyard-object-1237px-274kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: one of your senses (you have many more than five) detects something, and your brain turns that something into an amorphous shape at the edge of your vision… perhaps. Could this sort of thing explain observations of Black Dogs and other phantoms? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/092e8b58-836d-4d2a-92fe-fd41ab6c0ecf/Black-Dogs-Aug-2022-Black-Dog-Kurt-Komodo-CC-BY-SA-2-0-997px-85kb-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Legend of the Black Dog - Make it stand out Caption: the great black shaggy spectral hound, with glowing eyes. Could people have experienced something, but something that wasn’t of biological origin? Image: Kurt Komodo, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/8/7/tiny-frogs-and-giant-spiders-best-of-friends monthly 0.5 2026-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/17ab2a67-5c43-4600-bac0-72abb18c0583/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-Pamphobeteus-walks-over-Chiasmocleis-Emanuele-Biggi-600px-98kb-May-2015-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: tarantula walking over a Dotted humming frog. Photo by Emanuele Biggi of Anura. Used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6a8e7454-ee8b-459f-a1de-21429ab8fe7a/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-frogs-montage-new-composition-1440px-206kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: lest we forget, there are a lot of frogs. Here's an excerpt from a developing montage for my in-prep textbook on vertebrate history. Other versions viewable at the Tet Zoo patreon site. Image by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6571e845-08db-47fb-a38d-ea729cf00051/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-spider-eats-leaf-litter-frog-Brian-Gratwicke-350px-163kb-May-2015-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: big spiders of several kinds are quite capable of killing and eating small frogs and toads. Here, the unlucky victim is a leaf-litter toad. Photo by Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1bb2e054-aa96-4acb-8b86-bfee557fb010/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-Pamphobeteus-nigricolor-Ltshear-public-domain-wikipedia-1024px-152kb-May-2015-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: Pamphobeteus nigricolor, a theraphosid spider closely related to some of the taxa mentioned here. Photo by Ltshear, in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d72ee1cc-e35e-4f08-b29b-435f13d25eb1/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-Kaloula-taprobanica-Biswarup-Ganguly-wikipedia-1024px-136kb-May-2015-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: Sri Lankan bullfrog or Sri Lankan painted frog Uperodon taprobanicus. Image by Biswarup Ganguly (original here), CC BY 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c35c8eb0-0dea-47b7-a619-99585b987636/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-Kaloula-%26-Poecilotheria-Siliwal-%26-Ravichandran-2008-600px-93kb-May-2015-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: image from Siliwal & Ravichandran (2008), showing U. taprobanicus on the left, the spider on the right, and the shared tree hole in the middle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/98170757-af7d-4516-b3f0-2fba662643cc/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-Buphagus-africanus-Serengeti-Rene-Mayorga-CC-SA-2-0-640px-111kb-May-2015-Aug-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: oxpeckers on giraffe.. a relationship often thought of as a good example of commensalism. But is it? Actually, it's complicated (as you might know if you're a long-time TetZoo reader). Image by René Mayorga, CC BY-SA 2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48c6656c-1975-4fad-8224-d68d3d5f627c/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-spiders-with-Chiasmocleis-nearby-1240px-98kb-May-2015-Aug-2022-Emanuele-Biggi-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: a juvenile Pamphobateus tarantula (in the foreground) and an adult on either side of a Chiasmocleis ‘partner’ microhylid. Photo is by Emanuele Biggi, used with permission. Be sure to check out Emanuele Biggi’s other photos here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/86f67b2a-6fc6-4b4c-9641-3e7875fa89d1/frogs-and-spiders-Aug-2022-feeding-spiders-with-Chiasmocleis-nearby-600px-117kb-May-2015-Aug-2022-Emanuele-Biggi-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tiny Frogs and Giant Spiders: Best of Friends - Make it stand out Caption: a group of juvenile Pamphobateus tarantulas feed on a frog. Yet, nearby, a ‘partner’ microhylid (a Chiasmocleis) is in no danger from attack. Photo is by Emanuele Biggi, used with permission. Be sure to check out Emanuele Biggi’s other photos here. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/8/2/surprising-diet-of-the-house-sparrow monthly 0.5 2023-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0e2bb2c-0162-44f9-9d55-52387dce8e89/sparrows-eat-fruit-Aug-2022-blackberry2-1414px-139kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Surprising Diet of the House Sparrow - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4bf97544-dfc5-43f2-8f10-70b44690d694/sparrows-eat-fruit-Aug-2022-blackberry1-809px-69kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Surprising Diet of the House Sparrow - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fde98157-82d7-4e96-83e0-7c60b097b357/sparrows-eat-fruit-Aug-2022-train-with-dead-insects-724px-137kb-Oct-2021-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Surprising Diet of the House Sparrow - Make it stand out Caption: I can’t be the only one who’s looked at the insect-splattered front of a locomotive and thought “Mm-mm, those dead arthropods look like good eatin’”. Oh, there are feathers here too. Photo from October 2021. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/498146c6-1ba0-4306-9093-8faea906fa52/sparrows-eat-fruit-Aug-2022-Canterbury-sparrows-1323px-108kb-Aug-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Surprising Diet of the House Sparrow - Make it stand out Caption: a possibly arty shot of two fighting House sparrows, taken at Howletts, the Aspinall Foundation Wildlife Park, in 2014 (the black and white object in the background is a tiger’s underside). Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/7/30/four-years-of-tetrapod-zoology-ver-4 monthly 0.5 2023-07-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bf404d7d-a1c2-4c11-817b-5dd88dedb216/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-random-TetZoo-montage-1299px-124kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: what’s happened here at TetZoo ver 4 over the past four years? A heck of a lot, that’s what. Eotyrannus skeletal reconstruction (at upper left) by Dan Folkes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/166dfbe0-eb47-402c-9688-75b4e6c571f2/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-welcome-to-ver-4-1272px-146kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: four years ago today… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b587e024-5ce3-461f-b544-7b7ec342086c/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-tapir-sun-grebe-montage-2-1343px-134kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, profile illustration of the controversial Kabomani tapir by G. Braga, from Cozzuol et al. (2013). At right, illustration of a Sungrebe in life, with (below) a diagrammatic depiction of the male’s under-wing pouch, as illustrated by Álvarez del Toro (1971). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/52942e2a-83e5-4953-931c-f6cc1e19bdf0/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-Heilmann-Proavis-montage-1095px-177kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the climbing version of Gerhard Heilmann’s Proavis reconstruction from the 1926 English edition of his book The Origin of Birds. In an earlier publication of 1916, Heilmann included numerous Cartesian transformations (like those shown at right) that explained how he extrapolated the form of Proavis that he did. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5c808d4b-822f-429b-a681-1a50c0bdcb60/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-Zigong-workshop-1301px-147kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: an image from a workshop in Zigong, Sichuan (SW China). I worked here during early 2020. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d3bf8607-6856-4925-8bc5-bda2e7f81a61/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-Clifton-Suspension-Bridge-morning-1312px-111kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: my time in Bristol requires that I had to visit the Clifton suspension bridge at sunrise, in order to photograph the often spectacular view. I took this photo during February 2019. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f865a81d-c2f5-46fa-b467-a88de5b6d8bf/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-NHU-PP-office-board-1102px-109kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: Bristol is home to a huge number of things and places relevant to natural history and the study of it. I leave it up to you to decide whether the White Bear pub falls within that list of things and places. At right: a whiteboard image that may or may not be relevant to the Apple TV+ series Prehistoric Planet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/50cfdb47-4525-496d-9fad-cd52053aded6/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-MOTD-montage-1602px-158kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: images from Monsters of the Deep at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall. At right, Tammy Horton investigates touch screens and sea monsters. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dd182c97-2c16-4703-a3cb-711beb3c81f6/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-crypto-Myakka-and-BR-Yeti-1390px-190kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, one of several artistic depictions of the Myakka ape, based on the two photos from 2000. I regret I haven’t been able to find the artist’s name. At right, Bernard Robinson’s depiction of the Himalayan yeti from Usborne’s 1977 All About Monsters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21e9a7b8-95dd-4c57-ae74-f7294c558e16/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-Prehistoric-Planet-promo-April-2022-titanosaur-herd-1740px-92kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: promo image for the Deserts episode of the Apple TV+ series Prehistoric Planet. It was an honour and a privilege to work on this series and be part of such an amazing, talented team. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/df3a3b06-0c45-437c-8904-2c96c5c2d8b0/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-crypto-Dinopedia-and-Mantell-montage-1147px-119kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: Dinopedia appeared in late 2021 and is still selling well. The book includes some quantity of (rightful) revisionist history on issues that are often mis-framed in the popular literature (like the story of the discovery of Tendaguru, and of the Mantells and the discovery of Iguanodon, as hinted at here). I haven’t yet seen anyone pick this up and comment on it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/29884a76-99da-4fd1-952f-bcc87f77278f/TetZoo-ver-4-Four-Years-July-2022-Mesozoic-Art-cover-1081px-133kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Four Years of Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 - Make it stand out Caption: something to very much look forward to…. White and Naish’s Mesozoic Art, due out October 2022. It can already be purchased here. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/7/20/domestic-horses-of-africa monthly 0.5 2022-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dfdf1e75-5a69-4aa0-bfe5-b8da793a4827/African-horses-July-2022-Kanem-Bu-warriors-by-Elisee-Reclus-public-domain-1109px-192kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: horses have played a major role in the lives and political and military actions of many African nations. This image shows Kanembu warriors (a group endemic to Chad); the horse shown here might be an Arab. Image in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/acc2f3e5-30bd-45bf-968b-99576637f720/African-horses-July-2022-horse-book-montage-1386px-129kb-May-2015-July-2022-Darren+Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: there are quite a few good books on domestic horses, and at least some of them discuss the breeds of Africa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fdefedee-5b0d-4ecf-ada8-e0c09d91d56a/African-horses-July-2022-Barb-horse-Alexander-Kastler-wikipedia-1005px-146kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: Barb horse in profile. Photo by Alexander Kastler (original here), CC BY-SA 2.5. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e61f85f5-b9f6-43e6-9c38-2d5f03755945/African-horses-July-2022-Berber-warriors-show-Morocco-wikipedia-800px-135kb-May-2015-Notwist-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: Barb horses and riders in traditional dress, photographed in Agadir, Morocco. Image by Notwist (original here), CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a9f21afd-4702-49f8-99f5-c9078bef8d44/African-horses-July-2022-Dongola-horse-F-Joseph-Cardini-public-domain-987px-200kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: drawing of an intriguing piebald Dongola horse by F. Joseph Cardini from 1848. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9c43b2ea-e9ad-4809-a64e-0db5e823bcee/African-horses-July-2022-Ras-Mangasha-1894-public-domain-640px-196kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: 1894 photo of Ras Mengesha Yohannes, claimant to the Imperial throne of the Ethiopian Empire and leader of forces in the opening battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. His horse may be a Dongola. Image in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/001afa06-5cb1-4fef-b94c-29a245b44002/African-horses-July-2022-Emir-of-Kano-1911-Nigeria-wikipedia-600px-71kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: the Hausa people (one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa) have a horse-based culture. This scene from 1911 shows the then Emir of Kano and associates on a march. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e920e2d9-c7e6-4ac6-b68d-7d08fa75a1ef/African-horses-July-2022-Blench-1993-Africa-map-673px-60kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: Blench's (1993) map, depicting the present and inferred historical distribution of the west African dwarf pony. Sorry about the low resolution. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b3a68880-aee5-4b8f-98bd-ef6f50c37c91/African-horses-July-2022-Baguirmi-horseman-Dixon-Denham-1823-public-domain-705px-183kb-May-2015July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: Baguirmi cavalryman on armoured war-horse. Image from 1823, by Dixon Denham, in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/366674a3-a4a6-4ff9-8a39-db3ef805947a/African-horses-July-2022-Kano-Durbar-horseman-Nigeria-512px-69kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: there is a long and noble history of horsemanship in Nigeria. This image shows a horseman and horse in the Kano Durbar (a durbar is an annual celebration). Image by Any Waite (original here), CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/29f5633a-026b-46a5-829e-c7bbc9187058/African-horses-July-2022-Basuto-pony-1909-public-domain-wikipedia-982px-194kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: 1909 illustration of a Basuto pony from C. G. Wrangel's volume Die Rassen des Pferdes. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7312b461-506f-4fb9-b412-df32d616f8bc/African-horses-July-2022-Namib-desert-horses-Gerald-de-Beer-CC-BY-2-0-wikipedia-800px-165kb-May-2015-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: two Namib horses showing typical form and colour of this breed. Image by Gerald de Beer (original here), CC-BY-2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9d3d3b8b-06ac-4ee1-b0e1-221bd8a665ba/African-horses-July-2022-Garub-Namib-horses-wikipedia-800px-142kb-May-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Domestic Horses of Africa - Make it stand out Caption: Namib horses at Garub. Photo uploaded by Sven-Eric Kanzler (original here), CC BY-SA 2.0. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/7/7/the-eotyrannus-monograph-is-finally-published monthly 0.5 2025-12-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8bf72e86-4eb2-4e55-a410-149e04e9fde0/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-detail-Loana-Riboli-2018-1412px-230kb-detail-June-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: life reconstruction of Eotyrannus lengi by Loana Riboli; copyright, used with permission. Full version shown below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cb6e9e85-e99a-4af4-be9d-1b965a470e31/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-press-coverage-2001-1102px-303kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: Eotyrannus goes to the press, round 1. Steve Hutt – theropod expert and Museum of Isle of Wight Geology curator – announced the discovery of Eotyrannus in 1998, and here are various of the somewhat amusing British newspaper pieces that appeared. The UK press is something else. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6000168b-8471-48c5-9e0a-0068d82310dd/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Hutt-et-al-2001-montage-965px-164kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: Hutt et al. (2001), Eotyrannus’s birth certificate… which we were working on at the exact same time as we were finishing Martill & Naish (2001), the Palaeontological Association’s Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/82fe5475-2d81-490d-a075-303d9335e664/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-in-Portsmouth-News-2001-1401px-441kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: Eotyrannus goes to the press, round 2. The publication of the Cretaceous Research paper in 2001 resulted in another lot of coverage. This article – from Portsmouth’s The News newspaper – contains much weirdness, including the nomen nudum Kittysaurus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5fb8689e-d500-40c3-bf55-b7f49e56e814/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-slide-from-2013-955px-152kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: slide I used in an Eotyrannus-themed talk from 2013, which itself features a slide from a talk I gave in 2005, and promises the one-day appearance of the study that’s just appeared (Naish & Cau 2022). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/57e569c9-9eee-4700-b794-0c91d0182b82/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-gofundme-trending-6-7-2018-1207px-121kb-detail-June-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: massive heartfelt thanks to everyone who made the publication and Open Access status of this study possible. You’re thanked in the paper. I raised more than I needed; the additional amount has been spent on other academic projects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b2e80245-85a6-4043-9c65-2bbf2d50616f/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Dinosaur-Isle-Museum-1052px-74kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown, Isle of Wight; the repository for the fossils discussed in this article. Photo taken in February 2019. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/419e271c-d269-461d-ae23-d0c158fc3f32/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-ugly-blocks-1259px-206kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: some amount of the Eotyrannus specimen is not pretty. It’s also sometimes difficult to distinguish from the concrete-like matrix, and difficult to interpret. I have hundreds of Eotyrannus photos. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/398b8580-049d-4a9a-8022-8471b96d149c/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-cranial-elements-1339px-150kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: a few of the many new images included in Naish & Cau (2022), these ones showing (at left) the anterior and posterior ends of the fused nasals, and (at right) the partial dentaries. Images: Naish & Cau (2022). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c38d8d30-0348-4e19-9c6b-6ebdc87d5c66/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Naish-%26-Cau-skull-reconstruction-1206px-96kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: the known skull bones of Eotyrannus lengi shown in reconstructed life position, excluding isolated teeth and the possible vomer. Broken and missing areas mean that the exact nature of the articulations are unknown. Some elements (like the premaxilla) are reversed from the right side. Image: Naish & Cau (2022). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/53275804-1915-4864-b77a-5a88327345bf/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Naish-%26-Cau-skeletal-reconstruction-1219px-34kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: skeletal reconstruction of Eotyrannus lengi, depicting known elements in reconstructed life position. The positions shown for some of the isolated vertebrae and ribs are conjectural. Scale bar: 100 cm. Image: Naish & Cau (2022) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bfcc5659-6c67-4097-b51c-896635a63e5e/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-skeletal-Dan-Folkes-1339px-68kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: our new skeletal reconstruction of Eotyrannus lengi IWCMS: 1997.550 depicting the extrapolated appearance of the entire skeleton, with estimated soft tissue outline. The shapes and proportions of those elements unknown from Eotyrannus lengi are based on those of other non-tyrannosaurid tyrannosauroids. Image by Dan Folkes, from Naish & Cau (2022). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b309d40f-1f57-4f1f-82c8-558a3833ee81/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Naish-%26-Cau-time-calibrated-phylogeny-981px-75kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: time-calibrated tyrannosauroid phylogeny from Naish & Cau (2022). We find stokesosaurs and coelurids to be early-diverging tyrannosauroids, Eotyrannus to be part of an ‘intermediate’ grade closer to tyrannosaurids than Yutyrannus, and megaraptorans to be part of Tyrannosauroidea too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/31a82713-f1d5-4a95-880e-5570cba76093/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-megaraptoran-forelimb-1017px-57kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: megaraptorans… it’s been a long, strange trip. This image (from my 2021 Dinopedia) depicts the left forelimb of Megaraptor itself. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8ed14ed1-fa4a-487f-96e0-523e95cb84bf/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Eotyrannus-Loana-Riboli-2018-1158px-201kb-July-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: life reconstruction of Eotyrannus lengi by Loana Riboli; copyright, and used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f0fba72c-aa5d-42ad-b9cc-5214bd5fe96b/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Wealden-theropods-montage-and-spinosaurids-1152px-158kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: other Wealden theropods, some more relevant to Eotyrannus than others. At left is a montage of assorted Wessex Formation remains - as figured in Naish & Cau (2022) - and at right we see (at upper right) the reconstructed skulls of the two Wessex Formation baryonychines published in 2021 (Images by Dan Folkes, from Barker et al. (2021)) and (at lower right) elements of the White Rock spinosaurid and where we think they come from (silhouette by Dan Folkes). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b3a7d427-edb5-4c87-9b18-f953d9b88191/Eotyrannus-PeerJ-July-2022-Sandown-Library-old-MIWG-2019-1002px-143kb-July-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Eotyrannus Monograph Is Finally Published - Make it stand out Caption: research on Eotyrannus started here. Or, more specifically, upstairs: what used to be the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology, Sandown, above Sandown Public Library. Photo taken in February 2019. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/6/28/hartebeest-long-faced-antelopes monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/98774e7a-9aa3-4b10-99aa-8d8b4e63644f/hartebeest-June-2022-Jacksons-hartebeest-Steve-Garvie-Cape-hartebeest-Hans+Hillewaert-montage-1073px-121kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hartebeest, Long-Faced Antelopes of Many Forms - Make it stand out Caption: hartebeest faces. At left, Jackson’s hartebeest or Lelwel hartebeest A. b. lelwel; a rare form now restricted to Kenya, Uganda and Chad. At right, Red or Cape hartebeest A. b. caama, a form of the far south. Like so many subspecies, the Red hartebeest was originally regarded as a distinct species, and still is by some. Those who do regard it as a species split it into two subspecies: A. caama caama (described in 1816 and extinct by 1940) and A. caama selbournei. Images: Steve Garvie, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); (c) Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dc0da579-86fe-4bde-81ce-50ef401bc109/hartebeest-June-2022-Swaynes-hartebeest-Charles-J-Sharp-1216px-177kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hartebeest, Long-Faced Antelopes of Many Forms - Make it stand out Caption: Swayne’s hartebeest or Korkay A. b. swaynei, photographed at a Senkelle Swayne’s Hartebeest Sanctuary in Ethiopia. Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a6e658ce-d563-42d1-8760-e24f7de69bc4/hartebeest-June-2022-Joseph-Smit-Bubal-painting-812px-144kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hartebeest, Long-Faced Antelopes of Many Forms - Make it stand out Caption: Bubal hartebeest, as depicted by Joseph Smit for Philip Sclater’s The Book of Antelopes vol 1 of 1894. Photos of live, captive Bubal hartebeest are known, and wow it was an interesting animal. Image in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4096c708-0ff1-44b4-a88a-ce515178391a/hartebeest-June-2022-Flagstad-et-al-2001-hartebeest-phylogeny-664px-85kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hartebeest, Long-Faced Antelopes of Many Forms - Make it stand out Caption: that’s a lot of lineages. The hartebeest phylogeny published by Flagstad et al. (2001); wildebeest were used as the outgroup. From Flagstad et al. (2001). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/4/27/duikers monthly 0.5 2026-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/addb35d5-a886-40d4-a9d3-f01e04ba507c/duikers-June-2022-Sylvicapra-Masterrah-wikipedia-1026px-269kb-June-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: a Common duiker Sylvicapra grimmia photographed at Krüger National Park. Image: Masteraah, CC BY-SA 2.0 de (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5bbe33de-7caa-46d9-a13e-20be0a8e235b/duikers-June-2022-Philip-Sclater-The-Book-of-Antelopes-925px-84kb-June-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: Philip Sclater’s 1894 illustration of Maxwell’s duiker Philantomba maxwellii from his The Book of Antelopes. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e34d8f76-19d8-49f2-8af2-69bbe5452dfa/duikers-June-2022-duiker-montage-Zebra-Yellow-backed-Maxwells-1447px-129kb-June-2014-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: a duiker montage. L to r: Zebra duiker, Yellow-backed duiker, Maxwell's duiker. Images: Kispál Attila, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Raul 654, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Stavenn, CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/053ab44d-2fbc-4945-bb6b-f88a5b94c85b/duikers-June-2022-Tring-duiker-case-whole-791px-108kb-April-2022-June-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: the Natural History Museum at Tring (the Walter Rothschild Museum) features this amazing case of duikers, possibly the most ‘complete’ collection of taxiderm duikers on display anywhere in the world (correct me if this claim is wrong!). Several of the specimens are very much light-damaged relative to their original colours and patterns (more on this below). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4b854f6a-2b7d-4f3f-9784-a4e15169a378/duikers-June-2022-Cephalophus-maxwelli-June-2014-2022-806px-40kb-Uni-Edinburgh-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: skull of Maxwell's duiker Philantomba maxwellii, showing the proportionally short muzzle and tiny horns of this bovid group. Image: (c) University of Edinburgh, from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a666f52e-5184-4bd9-a08f-088a9f9017ef/duikers-June-2022-Common-duiker-Chukupd-wikipedia-861px-113kb-June-2014-2022-public-domain-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: Common duiker in profile (don't ask which subspecies: I assume it's the nominate one). Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0f042590-1ba7-4db1-b8c1-e4a13b1544bf/duikers-June-2022-Jentinks-duiker-June-2014-Ultimate-Ungulate-778px-113kb-June-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: beautiful, boldly patterned Jentink's duiker, one of the largest member of the group (it and the Yellow-backed duiker are both said to be the largest depending on which source you consult). Image (c) Brent Huffman, from Ultimate Ungulate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/56476640-bd8c-4f60-920c-11d04dd0febe/duikers-June-2022-Tring-duiker-case-1141px-110kb-April-2022-June-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: more detailed view of the duiker case at the Natural History Museum at Tring (the Walter Rothschild Museum) to emphasise the massive difference in appearance between the Yellow-backed duiker (front right) and the live animal (as shown above). A good example of what several decades on display can do to a dark-hued animal specimen. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/cee2e3da-f0fa-4c58-b024-5ffd5c55869d/duikers-June-2022-Blue-duiker-June-2014-derekkeats-wikipedia-1021px-96kb-June-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: Blue duiker portrait. The Blue duiker is a widespread species, occurring in two major disjunct populations (one occurring east to west across central Africa and one in the far south). These have been split into around 12 subspecies. Image: derekkeats, CC BY SA 2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0ca0aa9b-6fdd-411a-8696-336e92218024/duikers-June-2022-Abbots-duiker-eating-frog-June-2014-Ultimate-Ungulate-1126px-98kb-June-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: cameratrap image of an Abbot's duiker with a frog in its mouth, of course. Image (c) Francesco Rivero, this version from Ultimate Ungulate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2aca9fb4-2355-4452-af7a-bdc79d1af2ef/duikers-June-2022-Bibi-2013-bovid-phylogeny-972px-114kb-June-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: a section of bovid phylogeny from Bibi (2013), showing that duikers (Cephalophini) are close to klipspringers (Oreotragus) and Antilopini, the clade that include dik-diks and gazelles. Authors differ as to whether they treat the various names shown here as 'subfamilies' or 'tribes' or whatever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d459b1be-9285-4c38-bef7-2e572a153a5d/duikers-June-2022-Zebra-duiker-skin-934px-97kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: Zebra duiker skin with my hand for scale. This specimen briefly masqueraded as a potential thylacine skin at a cryptozoology conference. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6cf7ef8a-f939-47bc-8741-a22d2050ee28/duikers-June-2022-Colyn-et-al-2010-market-photo-dead-duikers-and-others-898px-121kb-June-2014-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suddenly -- Duikers! - Make it stand out Caption: numerous animals are being killed at unsustainable rates across Africa for the bushmeat and fetish trades. This photo (from Colyn et al. 2010) shows numerous species encountered in a market; the four duiker heads in the middle belong to the then-brand-new Walter’s duiker. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/6/8/giant-spinosaurid-dinosaur-from-the-isle-of-wight monthly 0.5 2022-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7eb59649-79ab-4a82-9c10-fea01f5208c0/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-Anthony-Hutchigs-reconstruction-crop-1358px-118kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: speculative reconstruction of our new animal, the White Rock spinosaurid. For full version, see below. Image by Anthony Hutchings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4c3e97a5-8b07-4598-a0e5-06c0447baea1/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-elements-with-A-Cocks-skull-1115px-165kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: last year – right after we’d published the baryonychine paper (Barker et al. 2021) – I teased the existence of additional Isle of Wight spinosaurid remains via the release of this image, but with the bones on the table blacked out. Here’s an uncensored version :) The replica skull at the back was borrowed courtesy of Dinosaur Isle Museum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/05bc31af-a78f-4827-bd4d-c05ded3bf319/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-Wessex-baryonychines-Dan-Folkes-1389px-74kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: known skeletal elements of Ceratosuchops (grey silhouette) and Riparovenator (black silhouette) to scale (scale bar = 100 cm). Image by Dan Folkes, from Barker et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2cb9476a-f4dc-4137-a44e-fc62de07e512/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-Wealden-strat-Vectis-Fm-1129px-79kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: my articles on Wealden dinosaurs (see the list of links below) are typically focused on the Wessex Formation. But today we’re in the Vectis Formation. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/97064ea0-afba-4045-ab23-57ee6730343f/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-Barker-et-al-2022-Isle-of-Wight-map-1381px-71kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: map from Barker et al. (2022) depicting the discovery location of the White Rock spinosaurid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd5fda75-28a7-493e-8966-68e0b600cd8b/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-White-Rock-spinosaurid-elements-1298px-214kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: some of my very amateurish photos of the White Rock spinosaurid, included here to help give some idea of the size of these elements. At left, we see the anterior caudal vertebra IWCMS 2018.30.3 in slightly oblique right lateral view (the ‘webbing’ is visible on the side of the neural spine at the top of the image). At upper right (with my hand for scale) we see the two big pelvic fragments (one in its initial, unprepared condition). And at lower right we see the two fused sacral vertebrae IWCMS 2018.30.2 in right lateral view. Combined, their length is 29.8 cm. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7eb8a508-e640-4970-bb3c-f323a7393134/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-White-Rock-equivalent-Chris-Barker-1061px-255kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: image of the White Rock equivalent at Compton Chine, as photographed in June 2022. Image: Chris Barker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/44fe7f30-fe8d-47d1-8b55-59663a0f4671/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-best-elements-in-place-1167px-86kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: composite showing the best of the White Rock spinosaurid bones and where we think they come from. Silhouette by Dan Folkes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a4a3cee0-e9c1-4ad8-bb94-5d935e3b6eed/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-White-Rock-spinosaurid-caudal-vert-webbing-1229px-96kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: crude diagrammatic effort to depict the ‘webbing’ present on the side of the neural spine of the caudal vertebra of the White Rock spinosaurid. It’s an unusual, multi-grooved bone texture that seems to ‘grow on top’ of other bony structures. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/53b4e77d-bf7a-41f5-9ddc-bccb92cdff06/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-time-calibrated-spinosaurid-phylogeny-1217px-161kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: spinosaurid cladogram from Barker et al. (2021), showing a prominent divergence between Baryonychinae and Spinosaurinae. Image: Barker et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0d4fd7e3-93eb-49d4-a157-07c46c4e41e4/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-Barker-et-al-2022-cladograms-1671px-137kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: cladograms depicting the possible position of the White Rock spinosaurid, and the possible topology of Spinosauridae, when the specimen is included in the data set used by Barker et al. (2021). See Barker et al. (2022) for full discussion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2cd8921e-1c3c-4a3f-be75-18fab7f80116/White-Rock-spinosaurid-June-2022-Anthony-Hutchings-reconstruction-1366px-122kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight - Make it stand out Caption: the full version of the image teased above. The White Rock spinosaurid – here depicted as an especially massive, heavily built spinosaurid that is neither clearly a baryonychine or a spinosaurine – is show foraging in a lagoonal, coastal setting, iguanodontians in the background. The carcass represents the Vectis Formation leptocleidid plesiosaur Vectocleidus (described by myself and colleagues in 2012) while the pterosaurs are the remarkable Istiodactylus. Image by Anthony Hutchings. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/5/10/all-yesterdays-range-of-collectible-figures monthly 0.5 2022-05-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e1febf0c-5601-4dc6-b4e8-e8180a08ab0f/All-Yesterdays-figure-4-May-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing the All Yesterdays Range of Collectible Figures - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/4/18/otidiphaps-the-pheasant-pigeons monthly 0.5 2026-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e51283a5-8510-427b-b4ce-ef5113b16791/Otidiphaps-April-2022-pigeon-montage-1727px-165kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otidiphaps the Pheasant-Pigeons - Make it stand out Caption: some representation of pigeon diversity. From left to right: a crowned pigeon (Goura), Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas), wood pigeon (Columba). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7527ef3-c871-4b36-9145-bd3ebce7c999/Otidiphaps-April-2022-Marwell-White-naped-pheasant-pigeon-2018-1032px-100kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otidiphaps the Pheasant-Pigeons - Make it stand out Caption: the bulk and size of Otidiphaps is obvious from this photo. White-naped pheasant-pigeons have proved relatively easy to breed in captivity and most of our knowledge of pheasant-pigeon biology and behaviour is based on what’s happened in European collections. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bc75db4a-6132-4a2b-b299-4787cb7d4168/Otidiphaps-April-2022-Marwell-White-naped-pheasant-pigeon-sunbathing-1-1079px-165kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otidiphaps the Pheasant-Pigeons - Make it stand out Caption: sun-bathing White-naped pheasant-pigeon, photographed at Marwell Wildlife in 2022. The bright red bill and eye are distinctive, and note the glossy nature of many of the wing and tail feathers. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/05d08d9f-3b81-4c62-9b22-9e435e694e17/Otidiphaps-April-2022-Marwell-White-naped-pheasant-pigeon-sunbathing-2-1162px-185kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otidiphaps the Pheasant-Pigeons - Make it stand out Caption: the same individual shown above, but this time facing the other way. Frayed and worn feather-tips are typical for ground-dwelling birds. The tail is formed of 20-22 rectrices; 12-14 is more typical for pigeons. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/046960e0-09ce-4c3f-afe6-bc92e08fde3e/Otidiphaps-April-2022-Green-naped-pheasant-pigeon-Bristol-Adrian+Pingstone-1-983px-180kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otidiphaps the Pheasant-Pigeons - Make it stand out Caption: captive Green-naped pheasant-pigeon at Bristol Zoo. This image provides a good view of the large scutes on the legs and feet. Image: Adrian Pingstone, in public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/471e4235-0750-4766-96f9-9de691f4c83f/Otidiphaps-April-2022-Keulemans-Black-naped-pheasant-pigeon-2018-1120px-105kb-April-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otidiphaps the Pheasant-Pigeons - Make it stand out Caption: John G. Keulemans’ image of a Black-naped pheasant-pigeon in life. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c4176948-b196-45e8-b762-d5a852638cc0/Otidiphaps-April-2022-Soares-et-al-2016-Indo-Pacific-pigeons-clade-1541px-132kb-April-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Otidiphaps the Pheasant-Pigeons - Make it stand out Caption: the Indo-Pacific segment from Soares et al.’s (2016) phylogeny. Pheasant-pigeons emerge as the sister-group to fruit pigeons, here represented by Kererū or New Zealand pigeon Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae. Note that virtually all of the lineages here originated deep in the Miocene. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/4/9/inside-the-cassowarys-casque-updated monthly 0.5 2022-04-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fdccba79-8a37-4a9b-badb-3448b94e86c4/cassowary-casque-April-2022-cassowary-montage-981px-136kb-Feb-2015-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: CASSOWARIES!! (A) Dwarf or Bennett’s cassowary (Casuarius bennetti), (B) Double-wattled or Southern cassowary (C. casuarius), (C) Single-wattled or Northern cassowary (C. unappendiculatus). Images by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d608351e-60f9-47bc-a4e7-01bf537fe841/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Perron-book-cover-and-IZN-1091px-149kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6ef9a9c7-e0c8-4bd2-a32e-861c706ea203/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Edinburgh-cassowary-montage-975px-149kb-Feb-2015-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve never seen a cassowary in the wild, for shame. But the UK has had captive individuals in several collection for as long as I’ve been around, and I’ve spent appropriate time observing them. This Southern cassowary was photographed at Edinburgh Zoo in 2012. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/de93ca43-ba84-41a4-9b75-3f3e3e0dfabe/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Mack-Searching-for-Pekpek-cover-568px-97kb-Feb-2015-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: cover of Andrew Mack's Searching for Pekpek, a really interesting, enjoyable read on the trials and tribulations involved in doing fieldwork on New Guinea. Do get hold of a copy! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3bf65ddc-56b0-4899-9b5c-345cd68cfd47/cassowary-casque-April-2022-cassowary-species-montage-1133px-210kb-Feb-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: montage depicting the three currently recognised extant cassowary species. (A) Double-wattled or Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius). (B) Double-wattled cassowary in profile. (C) Single-wattled or Northern cassowary (C. unappendiculatus). (D) Dwarf or Bennett’s cassowary (C. bennetti). Photos by D. Naish and R. Perron. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5f3dc006-6c42-4f32-a8f5-98be84f07322/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Naish-%26-Perron-cladogram-updated-1235px-49kb-Feb-2015-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: phylogeny generated from molecular sequences: this is a modified version of the cladogram published in Naish & Perron (2016), with the spelling of 'westermanni' corrected. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f371aa38-ad6c-4646-a717-87f985dc58da/cassowary-casque-April-2022-cassowary-skeleton-Open-Cage-wikipedia-Feb-2015-640px-36kb-Feb-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: mounted cassowary skeleton - so much neat anatomy, and so little work done on it. Image: Open Cage, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f4303603-0630-449d-aecc-4a7485e89189/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Naish-%26-Perron-casque-figure-1080px-157kb-Feb-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: Naish & Perron’s (2016) montage depicting casque anatomy. Note the big air space in the casque (visible in D) and the mass of trabeculae filling its anterior part (visible in B). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/102ab770-aec8-4569-940c-9b5f6b9b9040/cassowary-casque-April-2022-cassowary-skeleton-dorsal-surface-head-996px-134kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: here’s a bonus image not relevant to the issue of casque anatomy but interesting nevertheless. We’re seeing the left side of the dorsal surface of the head, showing the bluish, thickly wrinkled skin, peppered across much of its surface by bristles. Avian bristles are sometimes modified feathers but are sometimes evolutionarily novel. Image: Richard Perron. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/48dc78c3-e68d-4bfb-9d42-76af69d3b525/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Inside-Natures-Giants-cassowary-dissection-1443px-187kb-Feb-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: dissection scenes from the cassowary episode of Inside Nature's Giants. A reddish mush, combined of numerous bloody fibres, is revealed in the casque's interior. Image: (c) Windfall Films. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f361a470-8306-4fc8-b680-9cafe086c214/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Eastick-et-al-2019-cassowary-thermal-window-figure-641px-47kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: Eastick et al.’s (2019) figure on how the different body parts of cassowaries change temperature according to ambient temperature. Notably, casque temperature obviously increases (relative to other body parts) at high temperatures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea2342d0-476d-433e-b936-bb41e37e5723/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Single-wattled-cassowary-22Kartika-wikipedia-Feb-2015-640px-126kb-Feb-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: opinions are divided over whether this image of a sitting Single-wattled cassowary is cute or highly disturbing. Image: 22Kartika, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d35df5b9-37d6-402a-9e12-96bf00590ba4/cassowary-casque-April-2022-cassowary-vocalising-Mission-Beach-1559px-153kb-April-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: these stills from a Mission Beach video show a cassowary preparing to vocalise (at left), and then contracting and inflating its neck as it vocalises (at right). The back of the neck and parts of the rest of the body can be seen to vibrate as the vocalising occurs. Images: Mission Beach Cassowaries youtube channel (original video here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8971406b-c427-4a65-a763-d8d7d0c1dc65/cassowary-casque-April-2022-mutual-sexual-selection-Hone-et-al-2012-1389px-171kb-Feb-2015-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: stalwarts of the mutual sexual selection literature: Crested auklets (Aethia cristatellus) at left; ruffled wing feathers of a Black swan (Cygnus atratus) at right. Images from Hone et al. (2011). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4d6174f1-1fca-4a6b-9371-1cb7f6fe1bda/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Green-%26-Gignac-2020-796px-70kb-April-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: Green & Gignac’s (2020) digital render of a juvenile Southern cassowary in (a) left lateral, (b) dorsal, (c) anterior and (d) posterior view, showing bony configuration of the casque. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a5edf32c-eb56-4054-a678-c50b329298da/cassowary-casque-April-2022-Casuarius-bennetti-Keulemans-1024px-137kb-Feb-2015-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Inside the Cassowary's Casque, Updated for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: aww, cassowaries… aren't they great? Bennett's cassowary image by J. G. Keulemans. Image in public domain. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/3/23/meeting-the-hayling-island-jungle-cat monthly 0.5 2022-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5dc6791f-f779-493a-8a43-a63dde5f3018/HAYLIN%7E3.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting the Hayling Island Jungle cat - Make it stand out Caption: Hayling Island Jungle cat in oblique anterolateral and anterior views. Note the prominent striping near the elbow, the indistinct striping elsewhere, and the short and slender tail. The individual’s colouring and short coat shows that it was from a pale, tropical population and not from one associated with more temperate places. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2958700d-9eb4-4e4b-8d01-0bfe7ef28823/Hayling-Island-swamp-cat-Mar-2022-Chilcomb-Museum-Service-997px-70kb-Mar-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting the Hayling Island Jungle cat - Make it stand out Caption: 2009 photo showing Darren Naish and Hayling Island Jungle cat. Photo by Phil Budd. I had to keep my coat on - the museum's storerooms are cold! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ed8c3a97-5097-4a52-bdbd-4e92ca6591de/Hayling-Island-swamp-cat-Mar-2022-newspaper-article-cat-ver-1-991px-156kb-Mar-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting the Hayling Island Jungle cat - Make it stand out Caption: oh dear. The taxidermist tried their best, I’m sure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3c850df7-66b6-47e3-b731-2d5256f3abe7/Hayling-Island-swamp-cat-Mar-2022-Karl-Shuker-with-Ludlow-Swamp-cat-970px-126kb-Mar-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting the Hayling Island Jungle cat - Make it stand out Caption: Dr Karl Shuker (at right, ha ha) with the mounted specimen of the Ludlow Jungle cat in its display case. The photo was originally taken in 1993 and is taken from the Shropshire Star. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/067766d8-aaa4-4d84-beee-e11487c4630c/Hayling-Island-swamp-cat-Mar-2022-M-Shyamal-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-1045px-239kb-Mar-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Meeting the Hayling Island Jungle cat - Make it stand out Caption: Indian Jungle cat, photographed in Uttarakhand, India. Numerous F. chaus subspecies have been named but recent studies have reduced this down to three. The Indian animals belong to F. c. affinis. Image: L. Shyamal, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/3/15/the-incredible-south-american-maned-wolf monthly 0.5 2024-04-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/66367204-6e24-4111-96fb-fef30470f6a8/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-montage-with-Lindblad-Toh-cladogram-1774px-197kb-Oct-2014-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Maned wolf in nice tidy lateral view. At right, the South American segment of Lindblad-Toh et al.’s (2005) canid cladogram. Images: Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Lindblad-Toh et al. (2005). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/43952b4b-4665-4ce5-a0bb-7aea192bddbf/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Andrelves-wikipedia-936px-234kb-Oct-2014-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: most clear images of Maned wolves are of captive individuals. This image is useful because it really emphasises the remarkably long, slender nature of the limbs: look at that forelimb in particular! Image: AndrewIves, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f3c5fd3b-ec19-4fe3-8fde-50eb852f14fb/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Xavier-et-al-2017-map-936px-110kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: Maned wolf records from the coastal strip of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil; as published by Xavier et al. (2017). I’ve been to Rio de Janeiro, but sadly nowhere where you might be able to see Maned wolves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/05b0934b-bef7-4a2b-8a16-00a4b80fc51e/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Xavier-et-al-2017-roadkill-960px-112kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: nobody likes seeing a beautiful animal dead at the side of the road, but there’s no escaping the fact that death on the roads is a hugely significant global issue for a long list of species. This deceased Brazilian Maned wolf was photographed on BR 101/North (NPM 1305); the photo comes from Xavier et al. (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9f008565-2208-4600-aad3-05ae437c9a5c/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Lucia+Coelho-PD-1061px-102kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: ok, this photo has to be taken in ‘the wild’, right? I don’t know anything about the context of this image but I’m curious. UPDATE: very obviously photographed at the famous Santuário do Caraça monastery in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Thanks to Robin Beck and others for the info. Image: Lucia Coelho, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d4ea407d-dc29-4be2-9fbc-e5f18e91ccac/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Hamilton-Smith-1839-Chrysocyon-1143px-158kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: this depiction of the Maned wolf from Charles Hamilton Smith’s 1839 The Natural History of Dogs makes the animal look more robust and wolf-like than it really is; I think it’s obvious that the artist (whom I think might have been Hamilton Smith himself) was working from a description rather than a specimen. There are some technical errors: the white end of the tail is missing and the legs and feet aren’t dark enough. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/21d6cf16-482e-4bf3-b5f6-f1404bd4c4b5/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Slater-et-al-2009-cladogram-1071px-104kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: Slater et al.’s (2009) canid phylogeny, focusing on the affinities of the Falklands wolf rather than the Maned wolf. Its relevance for us here is that the divergence dates of the Maned wolf (and Bush dog too) put their origins well prior to the origin of the Central American land-bridge. This view has been challenged by more recent studies: there are competing views on divergence dates in this clade. Image: Slater et al. (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/57e642f8-63dc-45a9-8b8c-f3358949cd08/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Sage-Ross-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1027px-198kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: captive Maned wolf, photographed at Beardsley Zoo, Connecticut (USA). Image: Sage Ross, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ff7f6393-6bc3-4ca9-aa30-3f7cd145c0c7/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-melanistic-Chrysocyon-Ferreira-et-al-2017-1008px-50kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: one of Ferreira et al.’s (2017) camera-trap images of a melanistic Maned wolf. This particular photo has been entered in photography competitions and won the People’s Choice Award in the World Land Trust competition: for more information on that go here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e0618e9a-5cc3-48b3-9b0c-1dc8d68e54a3/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-melanistic-Chrysocyon-2-Ferreira-et-al-2017-1100px-65kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: yuuuup, ‘werewolves’ are real, and here’s the proof. Ferreira et al. (2017) didn’t just take the famous photo you see above. They took this one too. Wow! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f6176ea7-5bdf-48dc-9bb7-4110a627952b/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Solanum-Joao-de-Deus-Medieros-CC-BY-SA-2-0-982px-117kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: fruit of Solanum lycocarpum, the Wolf apple or Lobeira, photographed in Brazil. Image: João Medeiros, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fcba5f93-d65a-46f8-a63d-ef2b80ffb6c2/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Robin-Mueller-wikipedia-Oct-2014-800px-125kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Caption: I was initially hoping that this photo depicts a Maned wolf in the wild… but no, it was taken at Salzburg Zoo. Image: Robin Müller, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/87349ae4-b626-4174-b77e-f59f0984bd6f/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-Consorte-McCrea-and-Santos-cover-514px-65kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f0041960-efd4-4ec5-9f0c-ae029c6b2153/Maned-wolf-Mar-2022-anteriors-Alena-Hou%C5%A1kov%C3%A1-and-Spencer-Wright-wikipedia-1360px-156kb-Mar-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Incredible South American Maned Wolf - Make it stand out Image: Maned wolves in three-quarters and anterior view… again, both from captivity. The fur on the neck and shoulder is erectile, and the animal on the right might be deliberately raising its fur. Images: Alena Houšková, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Spencer Wright, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/3/7/kogia-shark-mouthed-horror monthly 0.5 2022-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ec211a42-90cf-4a34-bd5c-e30182e8d9f0/Kogia-Mar-2021-Kogia-Markus-Buehler-2021-1085px-44kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kogia, Shark-Mouthed Horror - Make it stand out Caption: reconstruction of a hunting Pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps about to capture a mysid crustacean. Image: Markus Bühler, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/81b00404-28f1-4509-82b0-83708a904528/Kogia-Mar-2021-NHMUK-skull-lateral-Colin-McHenry-1084px-93kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kogia, Shark-Mouthed Horror - Make it stand out Caption: K. breviceps skull in left lateral view. Note short rostrum, apparent change between long axes of rostrum and cranium, lack of teeth and shortness of cranium overall. Image: (c) Natural History Museum, London/Colin McHenry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a58b0ec7-50c9-406c-ba7c-2c6ceb62a0ec/Kogia-Mar-2021-NHMUK-mandible-lateral-Colin-McHenry-944px-48kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kogia, Shark-Mouthed Horror - Make it stand out Caption: lower jaw of K. breviceps in right lateral view. Image: (c) Natural History Museum, London/Colin McHenry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ae5a7de5-bc0c-4421-83a1-677a5ec0a11c/Kogia-Mar-2021-NHMUK-skull-dorsal-Colin-McHenry-and-Scaphokogia-Muizon-1107px-107kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kogia, Shark-Mouthed Horror - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the skull of K. breviceps in dorsal view (note the highly asymmetrical cranial basin). At right: skull of the extinct Scaphokogia in dorsal view, from Muizon (1988). Images: (c) Natural History Museum, London/Colin McHenry; Muizon (1988). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b2bc131a-d6d2-41f5-ac8b-74358f0800bf/Kogia-Mar-2021-Kogia-drawings-lateral-1063px-84kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kogia, Shark-Mouthed Horror - Make it stand out Caption: K. breviceps (above) and K. sima. Note the similar ‘false gill’ markings but the bigger dorsal fin and smaller size of K. sima. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/79030ae2-b898-4ed3-9261-0d932a5c6404/Kogia-Mar-2021-Bertolotto-et-al-2003-Kogia-head-stranded-707px-53kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kogia, Shark-Mouthed Horror - Make it stand out Caption: the head of a stranded K. sima, reported from Italy by Bortolotto et al. (2003). The version included in the original publication is small and low-res, and thus so is the version used here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/50ac0b33-f63a-49d5-b9d0-b4fcc4673808/Kogia-Mar-2021-Marco-Bonato-Kogia-Comoros-2011-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1555px-101kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kogia, Shark-Mouthed Horror - Make it stand out Caption: K. sima individuals photographed close to the Comoros. That profile looks a bit like that of a globicephaline dolphin, but the behaviour is very different. Oh to see Kogia in life. Images: Marco Bonato (originals here), CC BY-SA 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/387312c4-79f6-4dc6-a082-ab094fd98fed/Kogia-Mar-2021-Kogia-Robert-Pitman-PD-791px-70kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kogia, Shark-Mouthed Horror - Make it stand out Caption: Kogia can breach! This is a K. sima. Image: Robert Pitman, in public domain (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/2/10/happy-16th-birthday-tetrapod-zoology monthly 0.5 2025-01-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/eb6f9986-d504-4b91-8ac4-ef4c5d9e4748/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Teddy-at-West-Wittering-713px-60kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Teddy the West Highland terrier on the wet beach at West Wittering. Could this be a metaphor for the adventures of 2021; Teddy’s incomplete reflection being a reference to our own incomplete fulfilment of life during the year; the cold, wet conditions reflecting the hostility of modern discourse? No; it’s a photo of a small white dog. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e6d7b232-75b0-4762-b6f3-64d4ca85478c/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Flame-in-Pond-2-1411px-243kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: our bearded dragon Flame enjoyed time in the garden during 2021. This is what happens when (during hot weather) I put her down near the pond: she wades into the water and drinks. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c24a5d8d-2089-44f1-8ffe-2503aa6c6b38/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-pterosaur-and-baryonychine-papers-montage-1203px-199kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: two papers I - with colleagues - succeeded in publishing in 2021; the Naish et al. (2021) pterosaur hatchling study, and the Barker et al. (2021) baryonychine description. Images: pterosaur image at left by (c) Mark Witton; baryonychine skeletal reconstructions by Daniel Folkes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b2fbaaba-a09e-44aa-8956-8f99ebe72f11/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-fox-and-badger-night-time-March-2021-1350px-59kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: all of my night-time photos of foxes and badgers are…. terrible! But I like to think they have a sort of aesthetic charm all their own. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c6cf95d7-87ee-46a6-b762-feb6640d62c6/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-c2-top-shelf-figures-July-2021-1268px-195kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: part of the top shelf of cabinet 2. New acquisitions for 2021 include the Minnesota iceman at far left (a gift from Loren Coleman). Image; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/baa90ae5-9e36-4734-b3e3-299e8ecba681/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-dinosaur-figures-for-2021-montage-1169px-188kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: somehow, new animal figures mysteriously found themselves in my collection in 2021. Several of those shown here were birthday gifts. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/70fbeea1-2e45-4488-ba21-3b44a697d188/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-frogs-montage-18-2-2021-1534px-256kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd855f13-c033-4e0e-ba6f-9d4aaeb9f224/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-frogs-night-20-2-2021-1333px-183kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Common frogs (and their spawn) in pond 2 during February 2021. A great year! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dcbc59ae-82fc-49d8-9aa8-d1a212aaeeb2/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-science-writing-and-books-1075px-186kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the journey has been arduous. Has it all been worth it? I have no idea but at least there are books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1ef68341-be78-4729-97a6-ea430b406e79/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Godzilla-vs-Kong-May-2021-955px-116kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b29eba92-fe91-4e6b-a31d-660c3217626d/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Godzilla-video-843px-kb34-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a scene from Vrahno’s very impressive Godzilla Gets a YouTube Award, Part 1 (Fan Parody Animation). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c466c53e-68be-43dc-8df7-4d0ad0a0f9e4/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Starlux-Spinosaurus-18-May-20211440px-133kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Starlux Spinosaurus. I’m pretty confident that this is the oldest Spinosaurus figure in existence. If you know palaeoart history, it’s very clearly based on a late 1970s painting by Giovanni Caselli. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f0cf3e5e-c1ce-4876-adfd-2a05af69033b/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Telegraph-Woods-21-5-21-1329px-321kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: one of my favoured local patches, Telegraph Woods. Like so many of our wooded areas, it’s mostly young, mostly lacks big old trees and is mostly over-used by people and their dogs and nowhere near as wild as it should be. But it’s still extremely valuable local habitat and I love spending time there. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd981d6d-5014-492a-a913-e1e4e81c9f88/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Netley-moorhen-June-2021-1568px-181kb-Feb-20220-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Eurasian moorhen Gallinula chloropus adult and chick, photographed in June 2021. Part of a Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus is in shot as well; the gulls kept a respectful distance from the moorhen, as rallids are badasses. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fb566e6e-94e6-42fd-ad88-1e8d1bc1433b/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Telegraph-27-May-2021-crow-960px-93kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: while walking through the woods in May 2021, I glimpsed a flash of dark movement at the base of the tree. It was an adult Carrion crow Corvus corone, encouraging its chick – which you can see here – to get off the ground and back into the trees. I only realised this on close approach; I quickly took this photo and retreated quietly. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c478797f-da65-49f1-add4-b9287ef86139/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Amazone-World-montage-1268px-195kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: assorted animals of Amazon World (technically, Amazon World Zoo Park), Sandown, Isle of Wight… male White-face saki Pithecia pithecia, Greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus, non-existent Harpy eagle Harpia harpyja. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f59744b2-b4a6-46a2-b757-4454ec1c0aa7/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Hugh-Gray-Darren-drawing-labelled-1408px-129kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: the Hugh Gray Loch Ness Monster photo of 1933 – the first Nessie photo – possesses a set of anatomical details that (I argue) are linked to its probable true identity. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d5e3eda8-bce7-42da-b1ec-9fa01685c139/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-haunted-world-1026px-89kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: your reminder that many people who claim weird experiences already inhabit their own world of weirdness. They are very often not neutral or impartial experiencers. I put it that Hugh Gray, famed Nessie photographer, was one such person. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1274bb60-c3d1-4773-ba78-c33fd1a075b5/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Fortean-Film-Festival-29-Aug-2021-960px-43kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: interior of the Sherborne cinema, a very nice, ‘traditional’ venue. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/58412ffe-aaa9-4856-bfda-6266b2c10c79/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Big-Cat-Mystery-scene-Oct-2021-1185px-101kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Matt Everett filmed me more than once for sequences in his British big cat movie. I say some controversial stuff but.. what the hey, it’s too late to go back now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f53e5894-7246-41d2-82b4-636e1af10f8c/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-TetZooMCon-montage-5-Sept-2021-4-1648px-140kb-Feb-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a TetZooMCon 2021 montage. At left, Naish vs Nash. At right, the planned cover for White and Naish’s Mesozoic Art, due to be completed in 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/428b866e-0098-46af-a722-6fe711f71b11/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Gaia-30-June-2021-montage-1674px-239kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Gaia in the painted hall at Greenwich Naval College during July 2021. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e2ae972b-0c0d-4123-8c43-d0c45de0b684/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Gaia-20-Sept-2021-960px-46kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Luke Jerram’s Gaia installation at a very different venue. Very, very neat. But I can’t help but wonder about the impact of art like this on the environment itself. This forest was supposed to be a place for wild animals; events like this made it yet another part of the world where humans were a constant presence. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/651c0a45-8c94-40b5-b4d8-81f0f71039d5/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Dinopedia-cover-and-drawings-1677px-221kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/60d53cd1-6be8-461d-acb2-f67f0c3037ea/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Dinopedia-PUP-article-Dec-2021-1319px-105kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35dd35cc-27cc-44d5-9197-f84fa4e0024b/TetZoo-birthday-for-spinosaurs-Kerry-Swain-and-Sun-IoW-Bite-3-Oct-2021-1278px-194kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: at left, ITV reporter Kerry Swain holding Anthony Hutchings’ artwork during our PR event. At right, The Sun once again impresses us with the adept photoshop skills of its staff. They co-opted and modified Anthony’s artwork, which isn’t ok but tabloid newspapers do it all the time anyway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7fd5f152-0643-4edc-abe4-4a273b1a6711/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-MOTD-Falmouth-montage-Oct-2021-1487px-185kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Monsters of the Deep is still on show at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Falmouth. I plan to visit a few more times before it finishes its run there. Not yet sure what’s happening next! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d294d039-858d-4ec9-9736-f8a8f4f83a2d/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-MOTD-Falmouth-Hunting-Monsters-talk-Oct-2021-1341px-143kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: Hunting Monsters comes to Cornwall… err, again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7a9fe822-8782-4692-9b4f-2f21ba6f1658/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Sholing-litter-collection-montage-1661px-342kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: I picked up a lot of litter in 2021. What you see here was collected from another of my local patches: Sholing Valley. My aim is to clear it of litter but I cannot work hard enough or fast enough. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/f7a6d1a7-c5dd-4c8e-9a29-3c26ddaf8db4/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Chessel-Bay-plastic-waste-31-10-21-1571px-290kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: at left, just ONE of the trucks we filled with junk. We filled two. At right, an indication of how bad things are. Plastic shit, literally embedded within the fabric of the beach. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9599737e-fdf6-4b96-a71a-b79f88f1bac7/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-New-Forest-13-June-2021-960px-160kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: New Forest, scene 1. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/616492e5-2ada-4187-a7c8-c4d81b75719b/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-New-Forest-sunset-New-Forest-18-12-21-1423px-213kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: New Forest, scene 2. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e1bc6516-ae0a-40cb-80f2-fc9168b68961/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-New-Forest-11-April-2021-960ox-91kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: New Forest, scene 3. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d9c8fa4d-b063-429d-b5dc-6ee0193fe404/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-Marwell-May-and-June-2021-1193px-270kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a few scenes from 2021 trips to Marwell Wildlife made in May and July. Snow leopards Panthera uncia and a female Banteng Bos javanicus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/26b560cf-ecfb-4c18-915c-62549948fb15/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-TetZoo-coverage-graph-2021-1376px-71kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/19f8efab-06eb-487c-a7df-323f34d64907/TetZoo-birthday-for-2022-NHM-DITW-21-July-2021-960px-100kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Happy 16th Birthday, Tetrapod Zoology - Make it stand out Caption: a rare copy of Martill & Naish (2001) discovered for sale - at original price! - in the Natural History Museum, London. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/2/11/chiffchaffs-and-what-are-old-world-warblers monthly 0.5 2026-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6c71ec16-e94d-4e2c-8a42-40bdde626a83/chiffchaff-Feb-2022-Wales-Chiffchaff-2-Aug-2014-772px-81px-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Chiffchaffs and What Are 'Old World Warblers' Anyway? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e39ed981-15fe-43de-a51c-be9231d540ac/chiffchaff-Feb-2022-Wales-Chiffchaff-Aug-2014-1196px-114px-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Chiffchaffs and What Are 'Old World Warblers' Anyway? - Make it stand out Caption: Common chiffchaff, co-operatively posing in profile. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2fb5f8c6-08f4-4fce-9389-1de8e84e4e4b/chiffchaff-Feb-2022-Nov-2018-passerine-montage-small-section-1239px-220kb-Nov-2018-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Chiffchaffs and What Are 'Old World Warblers' Anyway? - Make it stand out Caption: PASSERINES, the most diverse, more successful dinosaurian group of them all. Here are some (not all) of the many passerines I’ve drawn for my giant in-prep textbook project (which you can support at patreon). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bc43cf83-139d-415d-9d82-460b62dbb702/chiffchaff-Feb-2022-European-warbler-montage-1639px-142kb-Aug-2014-Feb-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Chiffchaffs and What Are 'Old World Warblers' Anyway? - Make it stand out Caption: these Old World warbler taxa are always placed together in field guides. But – shock horror – actually represent three phylogenetically distinct radiations, well separated by tropical taxa. From left: Hippolais (this is H. icterina), Acrocephalus (this is A. palustris) and Locustella (this is L. fluviatilis). Images: Vogelartinfo; Dirk-Jan Kraan; Lasse Olsson; all CC BY SA 3.0 and 2.5. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6d59b2e9-3b96-4269-9700-98c8f02b241b/chiffchaff-Feb-2022-passerine-cladogram-2-1500px-103kb-Feb-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Chiffchaffs and What Are 'Old World Warblers' Anyway? - Make it stand out Caption: just to help remind you of the current approximate shape of passerine phylogeny, here’s this. It’s a little dated (I last modified it in 2019) but I haven’t had time to update it. Anyway, the point is that this article is devoted to animals included within Sylvioidea. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ac321b84-b6d5-44c2-90db-a4a53cbf2caf/chiffchaff-Feb-2022-Andreas-Trepte-vs-willow-warbler-Rob-Bendall-1247px-92kb-Aug-2014-Feb-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Chiffchaffs and What Are 'Old World Warblers' Anyway? - Make it stand out Caption: Common chiffchaff (at left) compared with Willow warbler: note darker legs in chiffchaff. the other differences are less easy to appreciate due to the very different lighting conditions of these images... birds often don’t look exactly as they do in books. Images: Andreas Trepte (CC BY-SA 2.5); © Rob Bendall/Highfields. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a1687cab-cbad-48d0-98a5-a988b57d5c83/chiffchaff-Feb-2022%3DFjeldsa-et-al-2020-passerines-642px-93kb-Feb-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Chiffchaffs and What Are 'Old World Warblers' Anyway? - Make it stand out Caption: I’ll just leave this here. I haven’t yet seen this book — hopefully I will soon! https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/1/29/dorling-kindersleys-2001-encyclopedia-of-dinosaurs-prehistoric-life monthly 0.5 2026-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a7894f6c-3d53-4474-944c-ece20be2fff5/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-DK-cover-small-2-601px-44kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e5b0e0f3-dd99-4f59-8b5c-f13caa3bc65e/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Lambert-et-al-2001-covers-Jan-2022-1049px-153kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: the two most familiar covers of Lambert et al. (2001). There’s also a version with a Triceratops skull on the cover. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/feb59196-3bec-4850-a05c-4ff99e1e55c4/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-contents-pages-2022-1083px-106kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: intro pages to the book, showing certain images that appear later in the book. A lot of work went into advising and helping the artists on these reconstructions and some are more of a success than others. I was quite pleased with how the pliosaur turned out (the blue animal with flippers): a real contrast to the original version, and the Paraceratherium (at upper middle) is not bad either. More on the art below… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b932728b-963f-45ea-80e5-06149c1b3d7e/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-David-Lambert-Collins-Dinosaurs-2022-1248px-193kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the only photo I think I’ve seen of author David Lambert (it features on the dustjacket of his 1993 The Ultimate Dinosaur Book, also from Dorling Kindersley). At right. David’s Collins Guide to Dinosaurs of 1983, one of my favourite childhood books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5e42762e-2bca-4ebe-8484-e287e823e693/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-spread-montage-2-1266px-134kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: two spreads as they appear in the final product. There’s a lot of good content here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/0efb4673-7ce2-4ed1-80a5-cc17eceeb6c2/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-spread-montage-1-1213px-116kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: I have mostly fond memories of putting the various spreads together. I had all kinds of ideas on which specific animals and pieces of information should be covered, but we were often constrained based on the images we could get. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1b3ed28b-0305-4999-9eb2-f8d4f4b9ba98/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Bedrock-Studios-art-Jan-2022-1209px-155kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: I think it’s fair to say that a fair bit of the CG artwork in this book fails to hit the mark. It is not just technically inaccurate but also tremendously ugly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/91e9e8a6-dddd-499c-a439-fa0f307a6cba/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-notes-on-dinosaur-images-1-Jan-2022-1254px-120kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: a few of the explanatory sketches I produced to help guide our CG artists. The end results do mostly take account of these suggestions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dadc5fdd-7bee-467a-941b-99b77ef7d7cb/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Luis-Rey-sketches-Jan-2022-1082px-127kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: Luis Rey’s sketches - produced to help guide the CG artists - were so good that we ended up using them throughout the book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7f7c3346-4aff-44da-abe0-b16fcd2033ca/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Argyrolagus-and-Giraffokeryx-Jan-2022-1246px-102kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c95fca96-eda7-488d-b328-e32d699f4748/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Hovasaurus-and-Megalancosaurus-Jan-2022-1254px-94kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: a selection of art (produced using traditional media rather than via CG) that also features in the book. Clockwise from top left: the metatherian Argyrolagus, the giraffid Giraffokeryx, and the diapsid reptiles Megalancosaurus and Hovasaurus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d1cf4a90-b1ff-402d-bc58-dc03c8ad23a2/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Giganotosaurus-DK-Sandown-Jan-2022-960px-282kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: the DK Giganotosaurus model in its current home on the Isle of Wight. It’s often in direct sunlight which is not good when it comes to longevity. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b3598f8-d1d6-4a28-9104-7842e6d92812/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Suchomimus-model-ebay-1385px-117kb-Jan-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: yes, you can obtain the original DK Suchomimus model. Buuut… it ain’t exactly cheap. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/85b4769e-6d1e-400b-9fae-3d7f041efb4d/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Caudipteryx-model-1549px-134kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: at left, images courtesy of Luis Rey, and showing the very nice Caudipteryx model as it looked back in 2000. At far right.. here it is today at the Isle of Wight’s Dinosaur Isle Museum, looking a bit shabby and faded but still doing its part in advocating feathered non-bird dinosaurs. Images: DK/Luis Rey; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4584f082-9a52-4a85-9de3-e81c88414f58/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-vertebrate-cladogram-Jan-2022-1099px-146kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: compiling simplified cladograms – where you depict key taxa and traits and explain why those traits are ‘important’ – is not easy, and it sometimes took several drafts to produce versions that we were happy with. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/72ddee4b-bcb9-466c-945a-7d32ced724b7/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Novacek-mammal-tree-Jan-2022-1223px-110kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: in devising a cladogram for mammals, it seemed only right to follow Novacek’s (1992) tree, even though new contradictory studies were coming in thick and fast. At right, a very simplified version of the tree, as used previously at TetZoo (see links below). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3b0d24c4-3a92-4f79-bdea-8c56dbb6212d/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-DK-cover-small-601px-44kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/484028cf-2b89-4bbb-95ea-852f7895ec7e/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-foreign-cover-montage-Jan-2022-1406px-213kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: I don’t own all translated versions of Lambert et al. (2001), but here’s what I have today. For whatever reason, this book’s cover is hard to photograph. The Italian one is titled Enciclopedia dei Dinosauri e Altri Animali Preistorici. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/333466af-673d-400b-b972-3e8776cb520d/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-DK-prehistoric-life-books-together-1000px-91kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: various of the Dorling Kindersley books I’ve been involved in since 2001, arranged in chronological order (newest at right). I think it’s fair to say that my getting involved with the Encyclopedia in 2000/2001 really paid off in terms of future work. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/6ece1771-35f5-4bba-b11b-d0dc55e27bfd/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Sopranos-s-6-ep-4-1115px-97kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: Lambert et al. (2001) appears in season 6, ep 4 (‘The Fleshy Part of the Thigh’) of The Sopranos, broadcast in April 2006. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/aaffa76a-f756-424a-aa75-199cd4ec8e18/DK-2001-Encyclopedia-Jan-2022-Therizinosaurus--Sinosauropteryx-1064px-151kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Look Back at Dorling Kindersley’s 2001 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life - Make it stand out Caption: it should be extremely obvious that Dorling Kindersley has really upped its game on the quality of its imagery in recent years. The reconstructions here are from Dinosaurs: A Children’s Encyclopedia of 2011 (and republished several times since) and Knowledge Encyclopedia Dinosaur! of 2014, and I was consultant for both. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/1/19/leopard-tortoises monthly 0.5 2026-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/41e67683-84f9-47bf-81f8-72cb19bfd56b/leopard-tortoise-Jan-2022-Leopard-tortoise-CC-BY-SA-2-5-651px-117kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leopard Tortoises - Make it stand out Caption: captive Leopard tortoise in the UK, showing high-domed carapace and a good view of the thorn-like forelimb scales. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/5b42e387-469b-4843-8b47-1fe5cd29b457/leopard-tortoise-Jan-2022-Bernard-Dupont-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-2-0-1203px-236kb-Jan-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leopard Tortoises - Make it stand out Caption: contrary to stereotype, tortoises are confident, active walkers, striding around at reasonable speed and engaging in combat and chasing during the breeding season. Image: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1269c3f4-0b1d-42e9-b09b-ab8638fe9813/leopard-tortoise-Jan-2022-tortoise-montage-sg-1505px-225kb-Jan-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leopard Tortoises - Make it stand out Caption: tortoises - the family Testudinidae - are more diverse than most people realise, with substantial variation in size, shell shape, neck length and ecology. This montage (incorporating images of various species done for my in-prep giant textbook project) shows a variety of ‘normal’ and giant species, including the ‘giraffe-necked’ Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise Cylindraspis vosmaeri and the enormous Megalochelys. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c0304b12-e27d-4749-b596-e988c75ad2ce/leopard-tortoise-Jan-2022-face-Muhammad-Mahdi-Karim-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-2-5-1085px-145kb-Jan-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leopard Tortoises - Make it stand out Caption: Leopard tortoise face; this individual shows a serrated rhamphotheca, something not present in all individuals. Image: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9f5b02b6-16ac-4dcb-a057-08492ca35a21/leopard-tortoise-Jan-2022-Leopard-tortoise-Louisvdw-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1435px-310kb-Jan-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Leopard Tortoises - Make it stand out Caption: useful photo (part of a sequence) showing female Leopard tortoise excavating a hole, laying eggs, and covering it back up. Tortoises are excellent diggers, with feet well adapted for this task. The depth and tidiness of the nest hole is impressive. Image: Louisvdw, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/1/5/conservation-concerns-south-american-dogs monthly 0.5 2022-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b08de776-8535-4851-916a-60ae571a5c19/SAm-canids-Jan-2022-Lindbad-Toh-canid-phylogeny-638px-88kb-Jan-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Conservation Concerns for South America's Remarkable Endemic Dogs, Revisited for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: canid phylogeny from Lindblad Toh et al. (2005). Note that the South American canids belong together, the Maned wolf and Bush dog (remarkably) being sister-taxa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3bd0eca8-c39d-45ca-97a6-80925a2fbf9c/SAm-canids-Jan-2022-Maned-wolf-1219px-278kb-Jan-2022-Jonathan-Wilkins-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Conservation Concerns for South America's Remarkable Endemic Dogs, Revisited for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: remind me why the Maned wolf is sometimes called the 'fox on stilts' again? Most available photos online (including this one) are of captive animals. Image: Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/166abdef-7e8d-45cd-bd3c-2996820db1d9/SAm-canids-Jan-2022-Speothos-bush-dog-montage-1374px-181kb-Jan-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Conservation Concerns for South America's Remarkable Endemic Dogs, Revisited for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: there are photos (and film) of wild Bush dogs, but most available ones show captive individuals like those here. I have my own photos of individuals seen at Marwell Zoo and Chester Zoo, but they’re not that good. Images: Attis; Bonne1978, both CC BY-SA 3.0 (originals here and here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/15918df3-e9b0-4710-bd55-76cf9b6f35cb/SAm-canids-Jan-2022-Small-eared-dog-montage-1125px-115kb-Jan-2022-Igor-de-le-Vingne-%26-Mivart-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Conservation Concerns for South America's Remarkable Endemic Dogs, Revisited for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a very interesting live photo of a Short-eared dog, showing it at an unfamiliar angle. At right, St. George Mivart’s painting of this species from 1890. Images: Igor de le Vingne, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/28cc154f-5467-4b87-8425-eeea73dab300/SAm-canids-Jan-2022-Darwins-fox-montage-1405px-206kb-Jan-2022-Fernando-Borquez-Borquez-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Conservation Concerns for South America's Remarkable Endemic Dogs, Revisited for 2022 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, figures from Farias et al. (2014) in which they revealed camera-trap records confirming the presence of new Darwin’s fox populations in Chile. At right, one of my favourite Darwin’s fox photos (specifically, an animal from the Chiloé Island population). Such a handsome animal. Images: Farias et al. (2014); Fernando Bórquez Bórquez from Castro, Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/12/21/dinopedia-from-princeton-university-press monthly 0.5 2026-03-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2673b063-873d-41e5-8566-da2b5bd6d880/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-Dinopedia-cover-882px-106kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/33f9fd72-fd65-40cf-9170-7cf445e4a228/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-John-Ostrom-montage-1046px-118kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Caption: John Ostrom’s studies on Archaeopteryx, Deinonychus, hadrosaur biology and much else were mostly published between the early 1960s and late 90s. The iconic Deinonychus reconstruction is (c) Robert Bakker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/950d4b82-034e-450a-8395-aa167da00577/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-Bakker-Paul-montage-1209px-144kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Caption: Greg Paul’s detailed anatomical studies of dinosaurs have been integral to our view of Mesozoic dinosaurs. Robert Bakker’s writings and other published works were crucial in bringing new arguments about dinosaur biology to broader attention. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ea9378f1-c5c8-440d-8631-a455debe13a1/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-Gideon-Mantell-1299px-72kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Caption: Gideon Mantell is rightfully credited for the hard work he did on palaeontology and geology, and is forever associated with the discovery of Iguanodon (… even though the animal he found is no longer actually Iguanodon, since that name is now officially fixed on I. bernissartensis from the younger sediments of Belgium). However, the conventional heroic narrative on Mantell ignores the contributions of others, which he downplayed or sought to see expunged. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/729879ca-bc46-45b9-9e55-0460bab1d2a2/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-spinosaurid-and-tyrannosauroid-1392px-74kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Caption: a resting Spinosaurus and the skull of the tyranosauroid Guanlong. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a67e6355-f327-4aec-a9a0-977e3872bc2d/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-Ornithoscelida-montage-1054px-116kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Caption: an Ornithoscelida montage, featuring cladograms from my 2017 article on the initial Baron et al. (2017) paper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/621f7a4d-11c7-4f91-9b9c-b3ced592a570/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-feathers-from-1970s-and-80s-991px-107kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Caption: your regular reminder that the idea of feathers on non-bird dinosaurs was around for some time prior to the discoveries of the 1990s. It always was a good idea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b250310e-9156-43e2-89c6-083b91ee521d/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-Feduccia-book-montage-1378px-153kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Caption: Alan Feduccia has made a career from proclaiming that ‘birds are NOT dinosaurs’ and is still at it, as demonstrated by the 2020 publication of the hilariously titled Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs (kinky!). We shouldn’t ignore this view as anti-scientific rhetoric (even if it is): this stuff has been faithfully reported in the popular press and has had a major influence on public and scientific thought. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7c83f69a-8441-4386-a608-9959e09aa8a1/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-montage-of-illustrations-1262px-200kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Caption: in case it isn’t obvious yet, I did all the illustrations in Dinopedia myself, including the cover art. Here’s a montage of most of the images put together. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/47fbc82b-7a7e-4ae3-9d63-c967da80404d/Dinopedia-Dec-2021-Dinopedia-cover-montage-1412px-213kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - My New Book: Dinopedia from Princeton University Press - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/12/8/the-quetz-monograph-lives monthly 0.5 2024-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/073d80d0-5ca0-4692-8f48-578e964a9583/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Quetz-Padian-et-al-2021-789px-46kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: Padian et al.’s (2021) brand-new skeletal reconstruction of Quetzalcoatlus. It seems that the hindlimbs have been made too long. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9fed8a78-6333-4db1-9a2f-803185b9282b/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Quetz-Monograph-cover-Wann-Langston-1441px-174kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the Quetz Monograph is real (does the printed copy really still say ‘2018’ on the cover?). At right: Wann Langston with an articulated Quetzalcoatlus wing. Images: (c) Society of Vertebrate Paleontology; (c) University of Texas at Austin/Jackson School of Geosciences. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8a47f19f-287c-423a-9205-a65a55093946/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Doug-Lawson-1970s-Uni-Texas-AU-Jackson-S-G-683px-125kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: a 1970s-era Doug Lawson, holding the enormous humerus of Q. northropi. I recently interviewed Doug and hope to use the text here at some point. Image: (c) University of Texas at Austin/Jackson School of Geosciences. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561ee80-cf68-4345-a0ae-b67ff1097b87/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Quetz-monograph-John-Conway-cover-1632px-166kb-Dec-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: cover art of the Quetz Monograph, produced by some guy called John…. Conway? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3fd4fee1-cd2e-4b0f-bddd-92a7556df8e2/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Witton-%26-Naish-2015-terrestrial-stalking-867px-133kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the Witton & Naish (2015) infographic, in which we aimed to graphically summarise the main support for the terrestrial stalking model. From Witton & Naish (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/b86d0efa-4444-4f9a-8246-525ba21ab26d/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Javelinadactylus-Campos-2021-1382px-66kb-Dec-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: at left, TMM 42489-2 as figured by Campos (2021). At right, a speculative reconstruction depicting this animal as a thalassodromid. Scale bar in both = 10 cm. Images: Campos (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ff80a374-e5ab-4c44-9ec7-47baa5e5d19e/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Arambourgiania-Mark-Witton-1417px-143kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Images: the more we’ve learnt about azhdarchids, the more it seems that they were variable in proportions, size and shape. Some would have looked extremely slender in the neck, and this is especially true for the very large Arambourgiania from Jordan. Image: Mark Witton, taken from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c4e9b916-760f-4fe8-9f11-4c07f51c343c/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Mistralazhdarcho-mandible-oblique-ventrolateral-1301px-43kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: it’s not the best photo, but this oblique view of the underside of the Mistralazhdarcho mandible gives you some idea how compressed these parts of the skull are. The tip of the element is to the left. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e19e2aac-75f2-485b-966f-ae29e7107316/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Aerotitan-montage-Novas-et-al-2012-1017px-58kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: Aerotitan compared to Alanqa, a montage featured by Novas et al. (2012), and which treats the Aerotitan holotype (A and B, and visualised on a Quetzalcoatlus skull in E) as a rostrum fragment instead of a mandibular one. From Novas et al. (2012). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/e95f33e9-ac41-4c7c-bce3-d93026d9262d/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Aerotitan-vs-Mistralazhdarcho-montage-1287px-130kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: Aerotitan (at left) and Mistralazhdarcho (right) compared. Aerotitan is depicted here as a rostrum, but if it’s a mandible it should of course be depicted the other way up. Scale bars in both = 5 cm. Images: Novas et al. (2012); Vullo et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7a355132-e1e4-4f5f-a13d-0016d8347688/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Argentinadraco-reconstruction-Dean-Schnabel-1414px-80kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the complete skull and mandible shape of Argentinadraco is currently unknown, but here’s one plausible reconstruction. Why various of these animals had ventral convexities on their lower jaws is unknown. Image: Dean Schnabel (twitter account here). Used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/da968fa5-1242-4d4e-bb0d-0a500a6f49b0/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Pegas-et-al-2021-cladogram-855px-105kb-Dec-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: azhdarchoid phylogeny as per Pêgas et al. (2021), showing the new Alanqidae as outside the azhdarchomorph clade that includes chaoyangopterids (5 here) and azhdarchids. I also like the fact that dsungaripterids are not nested here within Azhdarchoidea, a surprising position supported by some other researchers. Image: Pêgas et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/44f973c3-6f63-415c-84fc-9cc758bf9ad6/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Keresdrakon-Kellner-et-al-2019-1423px-134kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: the incomplete skull of Keresdrakon, associated with a partial skeleton and preserved in a Late Cretaceous desert setting. The tip is to the right (cra = skull; man = mandible; q = quadrate), and the convex dentary crest should be obvious. Image: Kellner et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ee790f8d-0472-442c-bbf9-1824ebb3be02/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Xericeps-and-Apatorhamphus-1381px-94kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the Xericeps mandible in (A) left lateral, (B) dorsal, (C) right lateral and (D) ventral views. The curvature is subtle but is there. At right: (A) Apatorhamphus parts as reconstructed, (B) as imagined using Chaoyangopterus as a template, and (C) the chaoyangopterid Jidapterus for comparison. Scale bars = 50 mm. Xericeps from Martill et al. (2018); Apatorhamphus from McPhee et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9a2dcacb-c2b1-4733-97e6-c992bb060607/azhdarchids-Dec-2021-Vremir-et-al-2013-map-1269px-142kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Quetz Monograph Lives and Other News on Azhdarchid Pterosaurs - Make it stand out Caption: many locations that yield azhdarchids reveal one giant taxon, and two or three ‘small’ taxa. This montage – from Vremir et al. (2013) – incorporates images by Mark Witton; map by Ron Blakey, Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/12/4/noctules-predators-of-passerines-revisited monthly 0.5 2021-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/4b8b7a0d-f92f-4884-a46e-13b488f6d550/noctules-Dec-2021-Greater-noctule-Popa-Lisseanu-et-al-2007-1338px-142kb-Dec-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Greater Noctules: Specialist Predators of Migrating Passerines, Revisited - Make it stand out Caption: there aren’t many good photos of Greater noctules (or, at least, available ones online), but this is one of the best. It’s from Popa-Lisseanu et al. (2007) and is used here via CC BY 2.5. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ccd74d02-d6b5-4749-831c-05b7605de657/noctules-Dec-2021-E-O-Schmidt-drawing-PD-1077px-364kb-Dec-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Greater Noctules: Specialist Predators of Migrating Passerines, Revisited - Make it stand out Caption: an old illustration depicting noctules (albeit not Greater noctules) from one of E. O. Schmidt’s works. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dcdbc6be-237b-4733-9be1-01995dd214d5/noctules-Dec-2021-vesper-bat-cladogram-Volleth-%26-Heller-1994-697ox-67kb-Mar-2011-Dec-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Greater Noctules: Specialist Predators of Migrating Passerines, Revisited - Make it stand out Caption: substantially simplified vesper bat cladogram, as compiled for my vesper bat series of 2011 (see below for links). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/bb18bb2a-9f7a-423c-a26f-3e85f023c415/noctules-Dec-2021-noctule-vs-robin-647px-158kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Greater Noctules: Specialist Predators of Migrating Passerines, Revisited - Make it stand out Caption: an imaginative depiction showing a noctule pursuing a robin with predatory intent. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/3d503f30-8efe-4ebf-99ff-a0e16ffec7b4/noctules-Dec-2021-Eurasian-robin-montage-1327px-101kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Greater Noctules: Specialist Predators of Migrating Passerines, Revisited - Make it stand out Caption: I might not have any photos of noctules catching robins, but I do at least have a lot of photos of European robins. Here are specimens photographed in southern England (left) and Wales. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/c8d9fd45-5352-4f62-ab5b-7bed480e146e/noctules-Dec-2021-Dondini-%26-Vergari-2000-greater-noctule-contents-of-droppings-April-2011-798px-54kb-Dec-2021.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Greater Noctules: Specialist Predators of Migrating Passerines, Revisited - Make it stand out Caption: graph from Dondini & Vergari (2004) with self-explanatory caption. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ad1fada4-3d7e-4eb3-961e-5934400eb942/noctules-Dec-2021-Great-evening-bat-vs-sedge-warbler-905px-111kb-Dec-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Greater Noctules: Specialist Predators of Migrating Passerines, Revisited - Make it stand out Caption: the Greater noctule isn’t the only vesper bat known to capture and eat passerines. This behaviour has also been demonstrated for the Great evening bat Ia io. In the scene depicted here, a Great evening bat is about to capture a Sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/11/22/release-the-fossil-pronghorns monthly 0.5 2021-11-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/439d6898-c29f-4a43-afaf-220a9c1e1903/pronghorns-2021-Ramoceros-and-Osbornoceros-montage-1264px-108kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the asymmetric Ramoceros (see below for more); at right, reconstructed Osbornoceros (though see below) with a colour scheme similar to – but different from – that of the extant Antilocapra. Images: Nobu Tamura CC BY-SA 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7a93b417-1307-4ac8-981c-c196a90c4a9f/pronghorns-2021-Capromeryx-Page-Museum-993px-91kb-Nov-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: the Capromeryx minor mount previously on show at the Page Museum, Los Angeles. C. minor has sometimes been called the Dwarf pronghorn and is famously associated with the La Brea tar pits. Other Capromeryx species are known from other Pleistocene locations. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1da74d60-b533-43f2-99d8-0def16fc3067/pronghorns-2021-pronghorn-cladogram-sg-987px-85kb-Nov-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/8def74ad-7727-4e5f-a02e-6e83676d42ec/pronghorns-2021-Merriamoceras-montage-Nobu-Tamura-1300px-69kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: at left, skull of Merriamoceras. At right: life reconstruction of M. coronatus by Nobu Tamura, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/989781ad-0c8e-4440-95eb-c30f3739f491/pronghorns-2021-Ramoceros-montage-1343px-61kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: skull of Ramoceros ramosus, in posterior view, at left. At right: mounted skeleton of R. osborni on display at the American Museum of Natural History, New York. Images: Ryan Somma, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/820e4332-7017-47b4-8e0c-f64b57425867/pronghorns-2021-Proantilocapra-1934-Osbornoceros-montage-Nobu-Tamura-1171px-68kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: skull of Proantilocapra platycornea in anterior and left lateral view, from Barbour & Schultz (1934), and life restoration labelled as Osbornoceros osborni (though this can’t be correct, since O. osborni has long, gently curved, gazelle-like horns). Image: Nobu Tamura CC BY-SA 4.0, from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/68a16c29-83eb-4f86-9d5e-bd5298446da6/pronghorns-2021-Stockoceras-LACM-914px-101kb-Nov-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: the Pleistocene pronghorn Stockoceros conklingi, known from the southern USA and Mexico, on display at the Los Angeles County Museum, LA. A second Stockoceros species (S. onusrosagris) is known from Arizona. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35db04c4-177e-404d-aa56-c76d917b815d/pronghorns-2021-Hexameryx-Webb-1973-910px-49kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: Webb’s (1973) reconstruction of Hexameryx simpsoni from the Pliocene of Florida. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/dd47b2d1-2230-4b58-ab3b-f50063a43cd6/pronghorns-2021-Ilingoceras-montage-1107px-96kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: reconstructed skull of Ilingoceros, from Heffelfinger et al. (2004). At right, one of Merriam’s original Ilingoceros illustrations from his 1909 description of this animal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/00b5ffe9-adbc-47bd-a7e5-75210db6e5e0/pronghorns-2021-Capromeryx-and-Titanotylopus-Carl-Buell-1214px-180kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Release the Fossil Pronghorns!! - Make it stand out Caption: Capromeryx runs past the legs of the giant camel Titanotylopus. Image by Carl Buell, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/11/9/moores-beach-monster monthly 0.5 2021-11-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/43ab26f2-db8b-41f0-b0e6-2d66dbbac1aa/Moores-Beach-Monster-Nov-2021-landscape-scene-1215px-153kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Santa Cruz’s Duck-Billed Elephant Monster, Definitively Identified - Make it stand out Caption: one of several good photos showing the so-called Moore’s Beach monster. The body was obviously heavily distorted, collapsed and perhaps desiccated but the head was very much intact. These pictures have been widely shared online and I’m not sure who should be properly credited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/ca9e2212-dec0-4ce0-872d-11f7ff5939c7/Moores-Beach-Monster-Nov-2021-montage-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Santa Cruz’s Duck-Billed Elephant Monster, Definitively Identified - Make it stand out Caption: a montage of images showing, variously, the head (in oblique left lateral [#1] and oblique dorsal [#4] views), the head and anterior part of the body in left lateral view [#3] and that landscape image again [#2]. This image was taken from a 'creation science' page here where it was credited to Special Collections, University of California at Santa Cruz https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/d565d5d4-b0e6-48f8-84cb-4fab77e747e0/Moores-Beach-Monster-Nov-2021-close-up-head-shot-633px-72kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Santa Cruz’s Duck-Billed Elephant Monster, Definitively Identified - Make it stand out Caption: I get the impression that not everyone realised or realises that the head’s upper surface is to the left of this image, rather than the right. Note the massively bulbous forehead and the damage to the snout and jaw tips. This damage indicates that the carcass had been exposed on the rocky pavement here for some while (weeks, at least). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/da014ef0-c97e-4a96-94c3-7029bcb2a3c5/Moores-Beach-Monster-Nov-2021-better-qualified-head-shot-965px-101kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Santa Cruz’s Duck-Billed Elephant Monster, Definitively Identified - Make it stand out Caption: the sharpest and most detailed image of the carcass I’ve seen. I don’t recall seeing it online back when I first wrote about this case in 2008. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/9582d3d4-2458-4a49-b137-b153ecb1730c/Moores-Beach-Monster-Nov-2021-beached-Berardius-with-man-1028px-132kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Santa Cruz’s Duck-Billed Elephant Monster, Definitively Identified - Make it stand out Caption: the partially defleshed head of a Berardius that washed up on California’s Ocean Beach in (I think) 2007, here being prepared by Ray Bandar. The image reveals the protruding lower jaw and its anteriorly placed teeth. Image: Jack Bumbacher of CAS, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1f2ec30d-914e-48bc-9b2b-a2e549b5d466/Moores-Beach-Monster-Nov-2021-Moores-Beach-Berardius-skull-lateral-1156px-65kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Santa Cruz’s Duck-Billed Elephant Monster, Definitively Identified - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2742289b-9ecd-42a8-aa38-8de29e070afb/Moores-Beach-Monster-Nov-2021-Moores-Beach-Berardius-skull-anterior-643px-62kb-Nov-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Santa Cruz’s Duck-Billed Elephant Monster, Definitively Identified - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/10/31/dunne-and-karlson-gulls-simplified-review monthly 0.5 2021-11-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635699462309-4SVWMWFHDJFRUSTBCWRA/Dunne-%26-Karlson-review-Oct-2021-book-cover-639px-46kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson’s Gulls Simplified: A Comparative Approach to Identification - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635698958005-WPY9CZYF4WLMNLQ2B4FV/Dunne-%26-Karlson-review-Oct-2021-Herring-gull-group-Tintagel-1122px-93kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson’s Gulls Simplified: A Comparative Approach to Identification - Make it stand out Caption: I have an enormous number of gull photos, and the vast majority show Herring gull L. argentatus. This photo - taken in Cornwall in 2018 - is interesting because it shows how individuals in a group do not necessarily behave aggressively toward one another, even when competing for food. The very different look of the subadult at far right is also interesting. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635698931728-DVTIB2S3PQSF0C83E4G4/Dunne-%26-Karlson-review-Oct-2021-some-pages-1192px-223kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson’s Gulls Simplified: A Comparative Approach to Identification - Make it stand out Caption: a few (non-consecutive) pages from the book, borrowed from NHBS. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635698987589-3MJGB84WXHSU863HZ74G/Dunne-%26-Karlson-review-Oct-2021-Herring-gull-face-1056px-54kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson’s Gulls Simplified: A Comparative Approach to Identification - Make it stand out Caption: Herring gull again. So many details to pay attention to: note the orbital ring, the gonydeal bulge near the tip of the lower jaw and its red spot, the extent of the gape line, and the shape of the bill tip. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/10/23/montauk-monster-a-look-back monthly 0.5 2025-12-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635003849064-ET11KC1AWSK5SBJNE85O/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-Montauk-Monster-Eloy-Manzanero-1088px-87kb-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Caption: speculative and provocative depiction of the Montauk Monster as a real animal by Eloy Manzanero. Other fun depictions of the creature are available :) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634991859769-LZY3GEZFMGO66V3MRDN7/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-whole-carcass-left-lateral-1285px-117kb-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Caption: the initial, most familiar Montauk Monster photo. Some people thought they could see a ‘beak’, others that there was a ‘strap’ on the animal’s right wrist. This original photograph was apparently taken by Jenna Hewitt. While this photo was the first one to appear online, it was apparently taken after Pampalone’s photos, shown below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635000716973-282KTPXSVDG0BVPO1LJC/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-whole-carcass-right-lateral-montage-1406px-136kb-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Caption: the carcass as seen from its right side, now making it even clearer than before that the ‘beak’ is the consequence of the nose and associated facial tissues having rotted away. The existence of greyish fur on the body is also obvious. Photos by Christina Pampalone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634991747328-P2T8HQ9W5GOICSWWMJHF/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-Woolston-beach-early-2000s-1104px-99kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634991791841-FLTCPCG7GBBW5GUFZFK2/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-Woolston-beach-dead-cat-early-2000s-1246px-188kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Caption: the decomposing remains of a domestic cat, partially buried in the sediment of the beach shown above. It was one of several carcases I found and studied during my long-time observation of events at the beach. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635002883993-3F1T2W81JEKZ7BJ38G2U/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-raccoon-skull-wikipedia-Peter-Halasz-CC-BY-Sa-2-5-1175px-63kb-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Caption: a Raccoon skull. Compare the shape and tooth configuration with that of the Montauk Monster. Image: Pengo/Peter Halasz, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634991828312-9SUUSQKL6SO33YR6219N/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-animachina-montage-1085px-164kb-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Caption: I am nothing to do with the creation of this excellent image. Its source is obviously marked on the image, but still I get asked for permission to re-use. Well done and thank you to the original creator. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635000519205-KKCJSGQ8ELPBMB2C0MG9/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-Montauk-2008-stats-graph-1130px-53kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Caption: it’s possible that the Montauk Monster event caused the biggest ever visitor spike at TetZoo… the daily high points here are in the tens of thousands, something I don’t think I’ve seen since. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1635000498029-WPPWC7YSRJ4W7BYY3QH0/Montauk-Monster-revamp-Oct-2021-Alien-Investigations-and-Wild-Case-Files-screengrab-1445px-144kb-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - What Was the Montauk Monster? A Look Back to 2008 - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the TX card for Alien Investigations (the creature depicted there is a deceased and modified marmoset, claimed by its main proponent to be an alien humanoid photographed alive after getting caught in a trap). At right, a shot from Wild Case Files showing me pretending to work in the palaeo lab at the University of Portsmouth. While doing the filming I discovered that we actually had a raccoon skeleton on the premises, and it’s posed at right. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/10/18/giant-fossil-rabbit-nuralagus monthly 0.5 2021-10-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634552285737-1VEA2HP5817FBT0OSY6I/rabbit-necks-Oct-2021-Nuralagus-rex-Minorcan-scene-1074px-175kb-July-2011-re-use-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - You Have Your Giant Fossil Rabbit Neck All Wrong, Redux - Make it stand out Caption: life reconstruction of Minorcan giant rabbit Nuralagus rex, with Oryctolagus for scale at lower right. Image: Quintana et al./Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology; art by Meike Kohler. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634552317974-8DFJYAB99QE6BJM0TOVX/rabbit-necks-Oct-2021-Quintana-et-al-2011-Nuralagus-rex-1005px-118kb-July-2011-re-use-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - You Have Your Giant Fossil Rabbit Neck All Wrong, Redux - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634552363885-H4X5O6AX0T2ATYV0188Y/rabbit-necks-Oct-2021-Taylor-et-al-2009-rabbit+neck-876px-80kb-July-2011-re-use-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - You Have Your Giant Fossil Rabbit Neck All Wrong, Redux - Make it stand out Caption: for our work on dinosaur neck pose, we articulated the neck vertebrae of various living animals using the dry bones alone. At right (B) you can see what happens when you articulate rabbit vertebrae in this way. Yet we know from x-rays of live rabbits that substantially more flexibility is present in life; a rabbit with its neck in ‘life pose’ looks like what’s posed at left (A). This figure is from Taylor et al. (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634552387887-SJK0XETVW0B1LJRLH65G/rabbit-necks-Oct-2021-Vidal-et-al-rabbit-x-ray-853px-53kb-July-2011-re-use-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - You Have Your Giant Fossil Rabbit Neck All Wrong, Redux - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1634553499305-CYT2I39L6HAB023IBLHC/rabbit-necks-Oct-2021-Nuralagus-Conway-and-Naish-1414px-110kb-July-2011-re-use-Oct-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - You Have Your Giant Fossil Rabbit Neck All Wrong, Redux - Make it stand out Caption: at left, John Conway’s straight-necked rabbit, here as portrayed in a magazine article by Natasha Umer. At right, my own reconstruction of Nuralagus from an as-yet-incomplete mega-project. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/10/8/snouters-or-rhinogradentians monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633703463114-TETUIQEG9C10BGTY83MC/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Snouters-book-cover-1223px-139kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: at left, my own copy of Stümpke (1961), which I own thanks to the good graces of Dr Mathew Wedel. At right: a copy posed with an Earwing skeleton (photo by Dr Michael Granatosky). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633718482928-WYOFHWHCTWG3ERE6BKO4/snouter-review-Oct-2021-snouter-phyllograms-1306px-110kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: Stümpke’s book includes a huge amount of insight on the evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships of these animals, and also makes it clear that many issues were unresolved and warranted further study. At left is the phyllogram included in the book (actually, this version – borrowed from a website – is different in some respects from the version present in the edition I have); at right is my effort to depict what it shows more schematically. Illustrations from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633719962931-EUH9D8FN2U2JWIREN4IC/snouter-review-Oct-2021-snouter-cladogram-3-1000px-345kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: an effort to depict rhinogradentian phylogeny, based on the perceived affinities and characters discussed by Stümpke (1961). It appears that all post-archirrhiniform snouters form a clade which diverged early on into two. Stümpke’s ‘monorrhinan’ group is an artificial group according to this view. After completing this diagram I discovered that other efforts to depict snouter phylogeny exist: another can be observed here. Illustrations from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633724004869-LS6KOWQWGFDGKP2P961O/snouter-review-Oct-2021-a-snouter-montage-1193px-206kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: a snouter montage, depicting the better part of anatomical diversity within the group. All of the animals shown here are discussed and (mostly) illustrated further below. Illustrations from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633710716492-PMEBMBX8OS7XU583UM3I/snouter-review-Oct-2021-rhinogradentian-congress-770px-106kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: rhinogradentian experts, gather at the Darwin Institute in Hy-dud-dye-fee in 1953. This photo is taken from here at the excellent French Les Rhinogrades site. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633709546855-NFLZN9EBYH0U4U1294MU/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Archirrhinus-montage-948px-114kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: reconstructions of Archirrhinos, at left from Stümpke (1961); at right, a coloured image produced during the early 2000s. I can find various versions of this image online but not the original. Let me know if you can help as I want to credit the artist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633710119143-01F7R248U6HOM07P6I43/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Emunctator-montage-1274px-250kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: the Snuffling sniffler Emunctator sorbens, a taxon regarded by Stümpke (1961) as a sort of evolutionary connection between snail-like snouters and pillar-nosed snouters. This is my least favourite of the snouters, an opinion probably based on its grotesque lifestyle but mostly its overly human-like face. Images: at left, life-sized model on show at Strasbourg Zoological Museum, photo CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); at right, from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633797840352-Q66RAPE07N65DWP18QAZ/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Epigeonasida-montage-1248px-164kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: the snail-like nasolimacids (like the slime snouter at left) and pillar-nosed rhinocolumnids (like the honeytail shown at right) appear to have formed a clade for which the name Epigeonasida can be used. Illustrations from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633727039528-8UPKPRREXKIVXK01A0UV/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Hypogeonasida-montage-2-1240px-146kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: a hypogeonasidan montage. All members of this highly unusual group were small, subterranean or aquatic animals, some adapted for life in tidal mud (or even inside mollusc shells), others for floating in fresh or brackish water. The Rhinostentor species formed great floating rafts of hundreds of individuals. Illustrations from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633690445028-6UXCN9NVMJKC8LN74R9O/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Rhinotalpa-793px-93kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: Rhinotalpa, the ‘least atypical’ of the georrhinidans. The original illustration that features in Stümpke (1961) is quite small, hence explaining the thick lines of the reproduction here. At bottom, we see Takeshi Tokiwa’s excellent model of this taxon. Unfortunately, all versions of this image online are cut off at far right: I haven’t been able to find a complete version of the image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633691955529-M2FI0A0JHYFF89PD9BU3/snouter-review-Oct-2021-rhinotalpid-phylogenetic-sequence-807px-112kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: georrhinidans arranged into a perceived evolutionary sequence (from left to right), showing progressive anatomical simplification (note the gut), enlargement of the nasarium, and reduction in size (the numbers show total lengths in mm). Illustrations from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633725877654-Y61VPJQY15PQ88NZ3QW0/snouter-review-Oct-2021-hopsorrhinidan-montage-1047px-170kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: a hopsorrhinidan montage. Phyllohopla (upper right) was a mouse-sized, arboreal leaper, thought by Stümpke (1961) to be close to what ancestral forms of this group were like. Hopsorrhinids like the one shown at left had a far longer, more strongly jointed snout and were terrestrial. At lower right we see the Jurassic Otopteryx fossil (original image here), one of several fossils which demonstrates that most key divergences within rhinogradentians did not occur on island archipelagos in the Pacific. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633692184965-LNHFCBTSD2W7JSJAE0G8/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Otopteryx-anatomical-diagrams-820px-52kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: Earwing skeletal and muscular anatomy as depicted by Stümpke (1961). One detail that might not be apparent is that earwings flew tail-first, the jointed snout functioning as a steering tail held out behind the animal during flight. This might explain why the animal in Stümpke’s (1961) portrait – see below – is presenting its rump to us, not its face. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633692496309-I9POVHN7TSJDSIBYQVO9/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Otopteryx-and-Orchidiopsis-montage-1014px-144kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: the most highly modified of the hopsorrhinidans: an Earwing at left, and an Ankel’s vanilla-perfumed orchidsnouter Orchidiopsis rapax at right. The Earwing was said by Stümpke (1961) to be beautifully coloured and iridescent, while orchidsnouters were attractively patterned and coloured, the vanilla-like aroma of this species being used to attract insects. A footnote in Stümpke (1961) noted that orchids were absent from the Hi-yi-yi islands, the actual flowers morphologically closest to orchidsnouter appendages being “closely related to Ranunculaceae” (that’s the buttercup-crowfoot group). Illustrations from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633694418841-X97NN1WUND3G1YOD0X7P/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Tyrannonasus-montage-1105px-200kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: at left, a Predacious snouter attacks a Nasobema, image from Stümpke (1961). At right, another of Takeshi Tokiwa’s remarkable models. Several images of this particular model are available online. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633694158427-VEE8H3U9R91F4PZ54YLI/snouter-review-Oct-2021-polyrrhine-montage-808px-176kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: at left, Eldenopsis suavis using its multi-branched nasarium to locate and collect arthropod prey. This was one of five known ribbon snouter species. At right, a vegetation stand featuring different ontogenetic stages of the remarkable flower-faced Cephalanthus. Illustrations from Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633693210760-PNU2OKAXXWMBFG5MUUW2/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Mamontops-alive-650px-100kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: the evolution within snouters of species over 1 m long means that they cannot be universally regarded as ‘small’ mammals. Mammontops was a mountain-dwelling herbivore, described by Stümpke as “relatively majestic”. The correct spelling of the name, incidentally, is indeed Mammontops, but it was accidentally written ‘Mamontops’ [sic] in the accompanying plate of Stümpke (1961). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633693432886-H2NPSVT4UQK08HMZCMEH/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Fabio-Alejandro-SpecZoo-creatures-to-scale-1201px-69kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: an excellent montage which shows how large the largest of the snouters actually were. Here, we see (1) Shaggyfaced snouter and (2) Giant tasselsnouter to scale with Pioneer Dork, (3) Dixonian Nightstalker and (4) Black carpo (of the Speculative Dinosaur Project). Image: Fabio Alejandro. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633692887799-42RXUIY2YKXY5W0HOSWV/snouter-review-Oct-2021-live-snouter-photographed-1075px-120kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: a discussion of how the living Slovenian snouter was discovered and photographed in 1999, as discussed here. The only photo has been reproduced at small size and very low resolution; sorry for the grainy look. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633795626627-0MJ6YUGPZKEQOC4Q11SJ/snouter-review-Oct-2021-Dendronasus-and-Nasoperforator-1059px-104kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the tiny, ‘tree-nosed’, colonial snouter Dendronasus described by Kashkina (2004). It is aquatic, its highly modified forelimbs functioning as gills. At right, taxiderm specimen of Nasoperforator leguyaderi and illustration of N. bouffoni, both announced in 2012 by the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1633726384430-5K759FIKS3GF4IANT8N6/snouter-review-Oct-2021-snouter-model-montage-1389px-102kb-Oct-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Snouters or Rhinogradentians, a Brief Review - Make it stand out Caption: assorted life reconstructions of snouters, variously observable online and even in a few museums of the world. At far, Takeshi Tokiwa’s model of a Golden toothed snout leaper. In the middle: especially cute nasobeme model. At far right: nasobeme model at the Haus der Natur, Salzburg. Images: Takeshi Tokiwa (far left); Haus der Natur (far right); I’ve been unable to find a credit for the image in the middle, let me know if you can help. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/9/27/two-new-spinosaurid-dinosaurs-from-the-english-cretaceous monthly 0.5 2022-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632771607176-Z5GXHGRWMP43H66CFRAL/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-Anthony-Hutchings-artwork-1376px-154kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: life reconstruction of Ceratosuchops (at left) and Riparovenator, shown sharing a flooded depression on the Wessex Formation floodplain. Image: Anthony Hutchings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632841472274-HZ0C7MXR6I9CAD35ZBP9/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-Wealden-Supergroup-terminology-3-1072px-75kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: the simplified stratigraphic terminology for the Wealden that I’ve used on several occasions now. The Wealden as a whole is what’s known as a Supergroup, and it contains three formal Groups. The old Hastings Group was deposited in the Weald Sub-basin, as was the younger Weald Clay Group. The Wealden Group was deposited in the Wessex Sub-basin. Some of the sections more important to the article here are marked in colour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632776426755-SJTEBLDOIDU2NQJLLNRC/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-Charig-%26-Milner-Baryonyx-papers-1410px-218kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the front page of Charig & Milner’s (1986) initial descriptive paper on Baryonyx. At right, the skeletal reconstruction and skull reconstruction provided in the 1997 monograph (Charig & Milner 1997). For more on the story of Baryonyx’s discovery, see this recent TetZoo article. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632771727717-4LADO7N2BH4Z4X9Y6W43/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-reconstructions-of-both-taxa-1493px-83kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: known skeletal elements of Ceratosuchops (grey silhouette) and Riparovenator (black silhouette) to scale (scale bar = 100 cm). Image by Dan Folkes, from Barker et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632771789018-W3TYVRM3EYO7JKIB9NOS/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-Dinosaur-Isle-Museum-1052px-74kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown, Isle of Wight; the repository for the fossils discussed in this article. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632786530918-AQ8BTL0J0KY17V4RIY5V/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-Suchomimus-Hello%21mrsax-SA-BY-SA-4-0-1230px-137kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: Suchomimus – shown here – is conventionally thought to have been longer-snouted than Baryonyx. The same might have been true of the two new taxa discussed here: they are more like Suchomimus than Baryonyx in numerous anatomical details. Credit: Hello!mrsax, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632773441774-2JWTAGUAPWQTD1N15RGS/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-braincases-of-both-taxa-posterior-view-1154px-83kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: braincases - in posterior view - of Ceratosuchops at left, and Riparovenator at right. The very different orientations of the paroccipital processes (pp) are obvious; other differences visible here include the differing locations of the subcondylar recesses (scr), the different shapes of the basisphenoids (bs) (they’re broad and flaring in Riparovenator but narrow and straight-edged in Ceratosuchops) and the presence of long, narrow basisphenoidal sulci in Ceratosuchops. Scale bars = 50 mm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632784624341-5C4F4O69I1EDULXQUKMV/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-Riparovenator-tail-1426px-73kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: we’ve all been excited and intrigued by recently published data on the spinosaurine tail. Finally, we now have some idea of what the baryonychine tail is like too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632775471092-7CE2PTOV8QQJJ5ORE5DO/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-3D-prints-of-both-taxa-1045px-102kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: at left, 3D prints of the skull roofs of Ceratosuchops (at top) and Riparovenator. Note the open notch in the orbital margin of Ceratosuchops (marked with arrow); the two are also quite different in the form and size of muscle attachments, bony crests and so on. At right: this 3D print of the Riparovenator braincase shows how good our prints are! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632771535650-F4XXS2KGVLJTBJKNL6P9/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-skull-reconstructions-1017px-118kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: reconstructed skulls of our two new taxa, shown on the assumption that their currently unknown sections were like those of Baryonyx. Both look similar but possess numerous features which were likely accentuated in life: Ceratosuchops, for example, has a lower midline premaxillary crest than other baryonychines and thus presumably had a ‘lower’ snout tip but was otherwise deeper and more muscular at the back of the skull. Images by Dan Folkes, from Barker et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632850687743-ZAZLVJZ1PX7I0WT9RYDS/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-Chilton-Chine-Chris-Barker-1444px-100kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: an especially picturesque view of Chilton Chine, discovery site of our two new dinosaurs. Image: Chris Barker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632834509554-GCHIAE03J0RDBUELMUL7/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-Spinosaurus-Naish-1309px-88kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: a reconstruction of Spinosaurus – with the fin-like tail and short hindlimbs but not the ‘M-shaped’ sail – produced for my new book Dinopedia. This individual is resting on a riverbank. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632771455331-5T6859MFGGLRMAT1K6R7/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-time-calibrated-phylogeny-977px-118kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: time-calibrated spinosaurid phylogeny from Barker et al. (2021). See the paper for attribution of silhouettes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1632784401399-JGTXNSSPKCMMZ25MWW1A/Wessex-Fm-baryonychines-Sept-2021-spinosaurid-montage-901px-107kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Two New Spinosaurid Dinosaurs from the English Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: our study mostly supports the idea that Spinosauridae consists of the two clades Spinosaurinae and Baryonychinae, representatives of which are shown here. However, it remains possible that baryonychines are a grade, not a clade. Credit: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/9/15/painted-snipes monthly 0.5 2021-09-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631706323114-J1ZWMGYY1W3K8A56MV55/rostratulids-Sept-2021-Rostratula-afsarnayakkan-CC-BY-SA-4-0-991px-134kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Painted-Snipes - Make it stand out Caption: painted-snipes are really striking birds, and only superficially snipe-like. This is a female Greater painted-snipe. Image: afsarnayakkan, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631706618574-86ZTNK7PPI0P1VZFCP4T/rostratulids-Sept-2021-Nycticryphes-Hector-Bottai-CC-BY-SA-4-0-832px-76kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Painted-Snipes - Make it stand out Caption: a South American painted-snipe photographed in Argentina. Image: Hector Bottai, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631705907127-9WP0P4VKJ3U72NZV6OCB/rostratulids-Sept-2021-Rostratula-and-Jacana-Naish-975px-83kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Painted-Snipes - Make it stand out Caption: painted-snipes (this is a Greater painted-snipe) look very different from jacanas (this is a Wattled jacana Jacana jacana), but numerous lines of evidence indicate that the two share an ancestor. These images are among the hundreds of birds I’ve drawn for my in-prep textbook. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631707724943-FO8QFO7MT8BBZKEI67LD/rostratulids-Sept-2021-Rostratula-minator-fossils-and-modern-skull-1050px-73kb-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Painted-Snipes - Make it stand out Caption: at left, we see humeri (A-D, dorsal view above, ventral view below) and tarsometatarsi (E-G, ) of Nycticryphes (A, E) and Rostratula benghalensis (C-D, G), with the known elements of the extinct R. minator shown as B and F. The species was clearly more like Nycticryphes than R. benghalensis in size. I’m not aware of a life reconstruction of this species. At right, we see images of the R. benghalensis skull in left lateral, dorsal and ventral views. The proportionally large orbits are obvious: note in dorsal view how narrow the frontals are in between them. Images: montage on left from Olson & Eller (1989); skull images from here on SkullSite. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/9/9/tetzoomcon-2021-in-review monthly 0.5 2021-09-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631190261033-PDZL2K0BN4BXRVOWK0ON/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-banner-1404px-151kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631190604729-E98AHJW789X36IN7A7FD/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-TetZoo-history-from-intro-1059px-141kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: a slide from my intro presentation, this one discussing the history of Tetrapod Zoology the blog. For those of you that don’t know, TetZoo has gone through four different iterations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631193262756-OLM3CG3DTFYL69F4W28H/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Darren-Naish-Dinopedia-Duane-Nash-Dinosaur-Enlightenment-1059px-215kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: TetZooMCon 2021 certainly wasn’t dinosaur-focused but we did feature quite a few dinosaur-themed talks and events. My soon-to-be-published Dinopedia was mentioned a few times, and of course Duane Nash’s 2021 Dinosaur Enlightenment was the topic of specific discussion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631189960043-D8V5QFUCXRKN6IE7V1TT/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Kannan-Raja-opening-slide-1525px-196kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: cover slide for Kannan Raja’s excellent talk on wildlife-vehicular collisions in Singapore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631189212909-GDCH7WFFE7NGOH37QKYA/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Patriofelis-Gally242-wikipedia-CC-BY-Sa-3-0-1405px-129kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: mounted skeleton of Patriofelis ferox (one of two species: the other is P. ultra) at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. A robust, powerfully muscled animal with a remarkably stocky skull and giant, stout canines. Image: Gally242, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631189037135-2M8ZGS6NSWFG9SQSLD4R/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Francois-Louis-Pelissier-still-from-talk-1256px-146kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: as discussed by François-Louis Pelissier, the Beast of Gévaudan has been the topic of numerous popular films, books and stories. This is a slide from François’s talk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631184598193-0FWC67EQRGDJ0DJFE24K/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Naish-vs-Nash-Kaiju-battle-1346px-122kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: I’m still not sure who generated this epic image, but… whoever you are, your work will stand for the ages. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631185533926-GNVDMH00RJCOINWP7BTS/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Mark-Simmonds-panel-1-708px-125b-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631185554492-YCDDG7EW7V4QX38ZBWWC/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Mark-Simmonds-panel-2-Nash-vs-Naish-1051px-197kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: panels by Mark Simmons (website at Ultimate Mark; @Toysdream on Twitter). Thank you, Mark! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631188613811-ZMLH42IYQOO4IJ91UIRQ/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Elsa-Panciroli-still-from-talk-1486px-96kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: promotion for Elsa Panciroli’s excellent 2021 book Beasts Before Us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631185926857-VB93A4YY1T2PAFUD5A2O/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Mark-Simmonds-panel-4-Darren-Naish-dinosauroid-1081px-196kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631185733483-NI9B4RS833K15PFLW7C9/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-dinosauroid-cartoons-1121px-113kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: dinosauroid-themed art produced by select attendees. Respectively, Chris Degl and Armin Reindl. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1631184635546-1OM0X4U23NVSJ7UUEXFU/TetZooMCon-2021-Sept-2021-Mesozoic-Art-cover-892px-102kb-Sept-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cronch Cats, Beasts of Gévaudan, Dinosauroids, Mesozoic Art and Much More: TetZooMCon 2021 in Review - Make it stand out Caption: big news at TetZooMCon 2021 — the announcement of Mesozoic Art. The cover art is by Mark Witton, one of many artists whose work appears in the book. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/8/30/dinosauroid-at-nearly-40-years-old monthly 0.5 2026-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630353070403-IDX41MEI00HF3JPJQ2OK/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Russell-and-CMN-dinosauroid-1119kb-107px-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: several images of the dinosauroid (like that shown at right) are quite familiar, but that’s not so for the picture at left. Dale Russell was a tall man, but even so the small stature of the dinosauroid is obvious, it standing 1.35 m tall. Images: © Canadian Museum of Nature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630347888684-JGW85IHTPSRCW2C1AYHC/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Russell-%26-Seguin-composite-1347kb-74px-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the cover page of Russell & Séguin (1982). At right, from l to r: Dale Russell, the dinosauroid during its construction, and Ron Séguin. Images: (c) Ron Séguin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630354969552-KJ151UCTYZVUVNZFGF5E/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-dinosauroid-anatomy-Darren-Naish-806kb-91px-Aug-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: human-like features of the dinosauroid reported by Russell and Séguin, superimposed on a dinosauroid illustration produced for my 2021 Dinopedia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630347709620-2RTVRFHV2M1NX8ATM3ZS/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Russell-%26-Seguin-Naish-articles-montage-1429px-252kb-Aug-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: at left and middle, previous outings of the dinosauroid at TetZoo. At far right, part of my 2008 Fortean Times article (Naish 2008) on dinosauroids. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630351740483-BWBB8XTXU50WRPQGICVY/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Harry-Jerison-graph-1398kb-207px-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: Dale Russell was extremely fond of Harry Jerison’s graphs on the relationship between brain size and body size and often shared them. This work has been superseded and is based on some questionable assumptions (in particular that all vertebrate groups might fit on one of either two best-fit lines). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630352264421-2HGR70ZFPOKFJDDFRBG4/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Sagan-and-Pale-Blue-Dot-1158kb-78px-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: science communicator and scientist extraordinaire Carl Sagan. At right, the famous Pale Blue Dot image, showing Earth as seen from Voyager 1 in 1994 when it was 6 billion kilometres from home, an image that Sagan encouraged NASA to take. Both images in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630347795021-M22Y3GC2NAQHVHQLJYL9/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Russell-%26-Seguin-Sagan-Dragons-of-Eden-montage-1240px-306kb-Aug-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: Sagan’s 1977 The Dragons of Eden, as approved by author of The Space Vampires! At right, the Saurornithoides image that appears in Sagan’s book. Sagan credited this image to Dale Russell’s 1969 paper on Stenonychosaurus. No such image appears there, so I’m not quite sure where it really came from. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630347820164-DOI2UNA9Y2CY2IK9HPIT/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Russell-%26-Seguin-NASA-group-photo-1976-877px-71kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: I love that Mark Stull (the main focus of our attention, because of his correspondence with Russell) is so cheerfully acknowledging the act of photography, unlike everyone else here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630350877288-P0PNDRONT9Z3EXX43G8G/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Teilhard-de-Chardin-860kb-85px-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: whenever I think of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and his book The Phenomenon of Man, I think of Bakker’s words “it was the first popular book … about evolution within the context of orthodox Christianity. Don’t try to read it. It’s impossible” (Campagna 2000, p. 7). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630347743677-WBRAPN5VQZD82WD5XUXI/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Russell-%26-Seguin-Islands-in-the-Cosmos-1373px-135kb-Aug-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: Russell’s 2009 Islands in the Cosmos: the Evolution of Life on Land includes a few nods at the end to the idea of the universe being designed, but the words are obtuse and you can’t pin any specific agenda on what Russell says. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630365114890-9T9M3CEXGXZAEOEMAT2T/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Raup-and-Paul-covers-788kb-161px-Aug-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: several scientists have expressed their dislike of the dinosauroid, among them David Raup (whose article ‘ETI without intelligence’ is included within Regis 1985, shown here) and Greg Paul. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630347861909-71X2BL0ZEJKZXFS7CO7Z/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Russell-%26-Seguin-composite-dinosauroid-articles-1445px-245kb-Aug-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: the dinosauroid has been discussed and depicted in a substantial number of articles and books; this montage shows just a few of these many appearances. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1630348434763-2N2T4YJMJ7B7HOKL8XLW/Dinosauroid-CJES-Aug-2021-Memo-Kosemen-and-Mette-Aumala-dinosauroids-940kb-94px-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Humanoid Dinosaurs Revisited Again: Russell and Séguin’s Dinosauroid at (Nearly) 40 Years Old - Make it stand out Caption: several post-Russell dinosauroids now exist, several ‘more realistic’ in terms of our understanding of maniraptoran anatomy and evolution. These images show C.M. Kösemen’s Avisapiens saurotheos (at top) and Mette Aumala’s Paranthropoharpax naishi. Images of both appear in Naish & Tattersdill (2021). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/8/19/tetzoomcon-2021-tickets-are-live monthly 0.5 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1629371714547-EAWQNZTZ1D2OUFQV309A/TetZooMCon-2021-banner-Aug-2021.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2021 Tickets Are Live - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1629371458435-OYN18DSIJGBF7RUW8J7O/TetZooMCon-promo-5.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2021 Tickets Are Live - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1629371415683-X4D2E6XL1YTUXJFO5J9D/TetZooMCon-promo-1.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2021 Tickets Are Live - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1629371508616-TWJ2TNCTYYJ77SL3YYUV/TetZooMCon-promo-3.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2021 Tickets Are Live - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1629371533455-Q4QJL5T4Q36WHG60FYU1/TetZooMCon-promo-6.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2021 Tickets Are Live - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1629371368305-SWAIGCVLZ8048IZ6V1CP/TetZooMCon-promo-2.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2021 Tickets Are Live - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1629371252287-PGP1RM92BU3U40VFU3K9/TetZooMCon-promo-4.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2021 Tickets Are Live - Make it stand out Caption: art shown here is (l to r) by Raven Amos, Gabriel Ugueto and John Conway. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/8/13/dr-angela-milner-and-the-discovery-of-baryonyx monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1628877164367-PN3SBQ9Q4OY4LT1AUXFF/Milner-and-Baryonyx-Aug-2021-ACM-with-dinosaurs-1115px-76kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dr Angela Milner and the Discovery of Baryonyx - Make it stand out Caption: Dr Angela Milner with various of the fossils she worked on; these images come from this article; it includes some interesting recollections from Dr Milner herself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1628878203684-NZO5AUOF9SAH6RTIZ1ED/Milner-and-Baryonyx-Aug-2021-Gardom-%26-Milner-cover-and-Naish-%26-Barrett-cover-1158px-236kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dr Angela Milner and the Discovery of Baryonyx - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1628878229586-6RUANZW4Z3B53632HYZF/Milner-and-Baryonyx-Aug-2021-William-Walker-with-Baryonyx-868px-78kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dr Angela Milner and the Discovery of Baryonyx - Make it stand out Caption: a now very familiar image of William Walker, holding the original Baryonyx claw while visiting the NHM in London. I like that - entirely coincidentally - Peter Snowball’s artistic depiction of a Wealden scene is behind him, and I believe that that’s Alan Charig in the background. I’m pleased that I was able to get this image used in Naish (2008). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1628882221278-FXND3XGR6RD7OJINMBBB/Milner-and-Baryonyx-Aug-2021-Charig-%26-Milner-Baryonyx-papers-1410px-218kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dr Angela Milner and the Discovery of Baryonyx - Make it stand out Caption: at left, the front page of Charig & Milner’s (1986) initial descriptive paper on Baryonyx. At right, the skeletal reconstruction and skull reconstruction provided in the 1997 monograph (Charig & Milner 1997). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1628880709642-VPW8LDJ5SHWNBKNZMRFX/Milner-and-Baryonyx-Aug-2021-Invicta-Baryonyx-figure-1116px-142kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dr Angela Milner and the Discovery of Baryonyx - Make it stand out Caption: the notion of the quadrupedal Baryonyx has mostly died out today, since we now know that the robust upper arm bones of baryonychines and other spinosaurids likely weren’t used in weight support. I don’t know what role Angela Milner had in the look of the Invicta Baryonyx figure - shown here - but its quadrupedal pose might be a holdover from the view Charig and Milner favoured during the mid-1980s. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1628880513581-978QX9DKL27ZAMWV76GU/Milner-and-Baryonyx-Aug-2021-Jenny-Halstead-Baryonyx-1041px-216kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dr Angela Milner and the Discovery of Baryonyx - Make it stand out Caption: the ‘scavenging Baryonyx’ hypothesis (put forward by mammalogist Andrew Kitchener) will, for me, always be associated with this piece of art by Jenny Halstead from Beverly Halstead’s 1989 Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life. I stole this scan of the image from here at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1628878490312-1IJ8CSJ9XHZB56P56WTE/Milner-and-Baryonyx-Aug-2021-J-Holmes-Baryonyx-1120px-165kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dr Angela Milner and the Discovery of Baryonyx - Make it stand out Caption: among the first artistic reconstructions depicting Baryonyx are those produced by John Holmes, who produced numerous works for the NHM over the years. This illustration is one of several produced by Holmes; it was available as a postcard from the NHM shop. I have one in my own collection. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/8/3/cases-of-over-enthusiastic-swallowing-often-but-not-always-ending-in-death monthly 0.5 2021-08-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627982352882-YSUWSJF3UE4AYHP245S1/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-Aug-2021-roadrunner_vs_phrynosoma_Holte-Houck-2000-1081px-87kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627982426285-9XK8M2LLKCFNJHOT6OK4/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-Aug-2021-Clark-1967-viper-vs-centipede-852px-94kb-Dec-2009-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627982449327-MWY27041AJR8PSBNZNXG/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-revamp-Aug-2021-Kirschner-et-al-perentie-vs-echidna-Dec-2009-Aug-2021.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627983726840-GI99Y9B3IM8JB6Q2CD3E/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-revamp-Aug-2021-Queensland-Museum-perentie-vs-echidna-2-960px-119kb-Dec-2009-Aug-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Caption: perentie and short-beaked echidna, Queensland Museum. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627983748652-QFZOT2HP0HJLQXRY8TDJ/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-revamp-Aug-2021-Queensland-Museum-perentie-vs-echidna-1107px-158kb-Dec-2009-Aug-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Caption: perentie and short-beaked echidna, Queensland Museum. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627982529194-AZG9O2HAAR5P8CU0G58N/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-revamp-Aug-2021-Wolf-%26-Jones-1989_heron-vs-lamprey-2-1177px-109kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627982496009-5VCX4A9Y9RPD98A38GEC/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-revamp-Aug-2021-Wolf-%26-Jones-1989_heron-vs-lamprey-1-1275px-71kb-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627983484815-5U2R1J0UG7MPX8H0Z56G/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-revamp-Aug-2021-Herring-gulls-1415px-112kb-Dec-2009-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Caption: Herring gulls photographed around the shores of the southern UK. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627982947145-8BRL7AETW1TOE3AM53RB/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-revamp-Aug-2021-Camphuysen-et-all-2008-gulls-swallow-plastic-doll-1321px-107kb-Dec-2009-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1627982774251-R76SSWVGGH40RN40TWRW/over-enthusiastic-swallowing-revamp-Aug-2021-Camphuysen-et-all-2008-gulls-swallow-soldiers-medal-phone-1192px-121kb-Dec-2009-Aug-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cases of Over-Enthusiastic Swallowing, Often (But Not Always) Ending in Death - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/7/21/baby-pterosaurs-were-excellent-fliers-and-occupied-different-niches-from-their-parents monthly 0.5 2026-04-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626891034503-L3X4WHSQ884TZSUZIXHB/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-Pterodaustro-adults-with-babies-Mark-Witton-1552px-139kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: small juvenile and even hatchling pterosaurs - here, specimens of Pterodaustro guinazui from the Early Cretaceous of Argentina - were as flight capable as the much larger adults of their species. Pterodaustro is a mid-sized pterosaur with a wingspan of about 2.5 metres. Image: (c) Mark Witton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626891405974-CLM66ZANUYVKYZG9M0AI/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-pterosaur-eggs-montage-1395px-224kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: we don’t know a vast amount about pterosaur eggs and babies, but we at least know enough to see that embryos close to hatching had well-formed wing bones, the wings being of the size and shape consistent with proficient flight ability. At left, we see a diagram and life reconstruction showing an embryonic Pterodaustro., as illustrated by Codorniú et al. (2018). The two diagrams at upper right show the Yixian Formation embryo IVPP V-13758; and at lower right we see the embryo JZMO-03-03-2, also from the Yixian Formation. Images: Codorniú et al. (2018), Unwin et al. (2006). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626890091569-1HZ9BIN9DZ1TRIODOXER/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-Hamipterus-with-babies-Zhao-Chuang-967px-168kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: the discovery of numerous Hamipterus eggs (over 200) has led to popularisation of the idea that the babies of these pterosaurs were flightless and looked after by their parents. But read on… Image: Zhao Chuang. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626890123654-ZZFO3VKS88Q9IZVXIBOM/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-Nemicolopterus-montage-Fig-2-Mark-Witton-1122px-135kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: Brazil’s Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro (which I was lucky enough to visit in 2013) formerly included this model (at left), showing a reconstructed skeleton and life reconstruction of little Nemicolopterus. You can also see a replica of the actual specimen at lower right. At right, a diagram from Naish et al. (2021) in which Nemicolopterus is depicted as part of a possible growth sequence that includes specimens named Huaxiapterus and Sinopterus. Images: Darren Naish, Naish et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626890159716-5TIAI2BHTOK4XX5IYEYZ/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-glide-ratios-Fig-4-Mark-Witton-1517px-123kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: glide angles for assorted tetrapods, with hatchling pterosaurs at top. As should be obvious, hatchling pterosaurs out-perform living gliders. For full discussion see Naish et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626890187740-FPGGCX2MX8MN907X5G6V/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-humeral-dimensions-Fig-6-Mark-Witton-1553px-104kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: the humeri (upper arm bones) of small and hatchling pterosaurs are thick and robust relative to their length, a fact consistent with a function in active flapping flight. For full discussion see Naish et al. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626891917744-2LJ5UXBFMQ2D5UJKQ0IZ/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-Bennett-Pteranodon-juvenile-1190px-75kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: in 2018, Chris Bennett described this partial juvenile Pteranodon specimen (FHSM 17956, representing the distal end of the radius and ulna [at far left), the wrist, and the proximal end of the wing finger). It would have had a wingpspan of about 1.8 metres, but was preserved in a marine environment also frequented by adults. The fact that Pteranodons this size and smaller are mostly absent from the relevant sediments indicates that juveniles inhabited different environments and occupied different niches. Image: Bennett (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626890065731-6H3LB28QV8JA7I1HHYMG/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-niche-art-Mark-Witton-1512px-314kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: as pterosaurs moved through ontogeny, we surmise that they transitioned through several distinct niches. This idea is conveyed in this handy infographic produced by my coauthor Mark Witton: sorry it’s small and low-res here, see Naish et al. (2021) for better quality. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626895143539-PG0ZWXO0RTEI641L8WY0/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-wildebeest-mother-and-calf-Joachim-Huber-855px-139kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: live with your baby, look after your baby, feed on the same stuff as your baby? That’s not niche partitioning. So… the sort of things that mammals (like these wildebeest) do is pretty much the opposite of what pterosaurs did. You should imagine pterosaurs as being more like fish or amphibians than mammals, at least when it comes to niche occupation across ontogeny. Image: CC BY-SA 2.0, Joachim Huber (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626894578207-69I5WQBI6JMNNNBUEO6K/Naish-et-al-2021-pterosaurs-Sci-Rep-Unwin-and-Wellnhofer-pterosaur-book-1316px-226kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Baby Pterosaurs Were Excellent Fliers and Occupied Different Niches From Their Parents - Make it stand out Caption: the ‘flapling’ hypothesis mostly (…. mostly) has its genesis in Unwin’s 2005 The Pterosaurs from Deep Time. The work on pterosaur precociality and niche partitioning that you’ve been reading about here means that scenes like that depicted by John Sibbick on the cover of Peter Wellnhofer’s The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs (first published in 1991) are best regarded as technically wrong. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/7/15/tetzoo-reviews-zoos-bristol-zoo monthly 0.5 2026-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626379874115-EO2375R8UMW8RJ8ISR5R/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Bristol-Zoo-montage-1386px-283kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a Bristol Zoo montage. Clockwise from upper left: South American fur seal, Rhinoceros iguana, Asiatic lion, Common eider, Clown knifefish, Dwarf Indian mudskipper. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626372901631-TA6ISOFGX493K236M7OE/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-ducks-of-Bristol-Zoo-1225px-202kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: zoos tend to be famous for their charismatic megafauna, but it’s not difficult for even a small zoo to have a strong and fascinating collection of smaller animals, like birds. Bristol has long been pretty good for wildfowl, and here are some highlights. At left: the global superstar that is Meller’s duck Anas melleri; upper right Marbled teal Marmaronetta angustirostris; lower right Chiloé wigeon Mareca sibilatrix. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626359296453-DOMASKGKD7ERWOON4ITD/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-zoo-entrance-1133px-115kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626372745884-Z2K23DJWVERVR27VDK1G/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-African-penguins-1407px-215kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Bristol Zoo has a good group of African penguins and is involved with conservation work revolving around this species. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626371852309-TZCN88J4JDGWRR3J79BJ/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-gorilla-statue-1051px-255kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Bristol Zoo features quite a few statues and other installations in its grounds. I don’t have any good photos of live gorillas, but at least I photographed this statue. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626361083556-GQ870KK6EXZ4PT352952/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Alfred-the-gorilla-1134px-118kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a bust of the zoo’s famous gorilla Alfred. At right, an archive photo of Alfred, probably from the 1940s. Images: Darren Naish; Bristol Zoological Society. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626360029097-7QXEACYKMVTBBR8XFV7U/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Brazilian-tapirs-2009-1207px-183kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Brazilian tapirs at the zoo in 2009, here demonstrating how tame and friendly they can be. Long-time readers might recall me using these photos when discussing tapir attacks: go here for one of those articles. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626370432507-RJTGAM5VL55DHPLM7ZZI/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Pygmy-hippo-579px-59kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the zoo’s Pygmy hippo - a female called Sirana - hasn’t been showing when I’ve visited. Here’s the ‘best’ of my photos. Great. Sirana is due to move (or has already moved) to the Gulf Breeze Zoo in Florida. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626370032735-8KNZUXVTF16GJH5YW7J4/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Goodfellows-tree-kangaroo-1278px-185kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: shots of one of the zoo’s very cooperative tree kangaroos (contrast very much upped as the lighting was terrible). I was really taken with the animal’s extremely long, slender, attractively patterned tail. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626369989583-NP432TW4EDH9CPL63B20/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-prairie-dogs-and-drill-2009-1103px-165kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: mammals that were on show in 2009, but seem not to be at the zoo today: prairie dogs and drill. The drill photo was taken through a window and from some distance, but it’s the best I have. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626362625295-09GK7J78YYI1H31YB50L/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-primate-selection-1249px-118kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: most of my primate photos from Bristol Zoo are poor. From left to right: the terribly named Lion-tailed macaque, what I think are Ebony langur Trachypithecus auratus (no longer at the zoo; photo from 2009), and Ring-tailed lemurs (with David Hone visible; he’s the one with the dark hair and red t-shirt). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626368710896-7I4N7ZUE9L1I99UXFWVW/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Eulemur-curled-up-1039px-137kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: lemurs on show at Bristol Zoo in 2009… I think they’re Mongoose lemurs Eulemur mongoz, a species that might not be at the zoo right now (though I could be wrong) Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626353412795-V98N59VASIMA03J21GQ0/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Reptile-House-interior-1079px-238kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: one view of the Reptile House interior. The big buttress root at lower right is of course artificial but there’s a lot of good plant growth in there. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626353476467-7PH3MVTUPEZXW2YYTNEF/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Reptile-House-Phyllobates-frog-1320px-140kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the small but deadly frog so famous for being able to kill thousands and thousands of mice… if only it had the chance. I wrote an article about this frog: go here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626378980703-GCMK9KE6Y7PZ218AZ0MN/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-turtles-of-Bristol-Zoo-1391px-129kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the zoo has a pretty good turtle collection, with several species on show that you probably haven’t seen before. They include (at left) Black marsh turtle and African pancake tortoise Malacochersus tornieri. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626353441948-AEO63MYCZV256B7WUZCS/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Reptile-House-Rieppeleon-chameleon-and-Cuban-boa-1051px-168kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a squamate montage, Bearded pygmy chameleon at left and Cuban boa at right. I’m among the privileged few who’ve met the Rieppel after whom Rieppeleon is named. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626368838369-9T4HQQ5WS5TCK0RSHK8Q/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Shinisaurus-1305px-217kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Shinisaurus has to be one of the coolest looking of living lizards. This animal was totally unknown to those of us in the west until a few decades ago (it was only made known to science in 1930). Now it’s in many captive collections. It’s endangered and disappearing fast in the wild. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626360139627-IFRUTREU7X9QKW7QO4G1/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Reptile-House-Amethystine-python-1454px-133kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the zoo’s large Amethystine python in its very nicely landscaped enclosure. Amethystine or Scrub pythons can be giants, in cases exceeding 5 m. I recall that one especially big wild-living individual was named Scrubby. Good work, Australia. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626359344794-2NV7D5K90TCS6PTUFOXH/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Osteolaemus-1287px-104kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a West African dwarf crocodile at Bristol Zoo, a crocodile of the sort that we’d previously have lumped into Osteolaemus tetraspis. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626359411792-I53WR5VNZG88GTY0OCRF/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-aquarium-gar-and-sturgeon-1196px-147kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: gar and sturgeon in the zoo’s aquarium. Sorry for the saturation; I had to mess with the contrast a lot to reduce the glare on the glass. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626353505707-60X1ZJGEXAQZJSEC0N91/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-New-Guinea-pig-nosed-turtle-Carettochelys-1287px-123kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Carettochelys, the famous New Guinea pig-nosed turtle. This image provides a reasonable view of its very interesting forelimb. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626368521746-OPSSZ6GKGLW535DWKPUG/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Aldabran-tortoise-tells-joke-1076px-217kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a photo that needs an amusing caption… one of these Aldabran giants has evidently just told a joke. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626359443957-G9MADP5LNL2S2S6I7TO0/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-penguin-and-seal-beach-African-penguins-1451px-178kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: African penguins building a stick nest (you see, not all penguins build nests made of stones). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626359371029-JHEIIZDRQGF952MF24VS/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-penguin-and-seal-beach-1084px-217kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a view from one of the walkways of the very nicely constructed Seal and Penguins Coasts exhibit, this time without any eider or terns in shot. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626360613273-VCXJH19VDWGKEWVOR4YB/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-fur-seals-1281px-149kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: an odd feature of fur seal (and other otariid) species is that they routinely rest with the head pointing skywards. I wonder if there’s an anatomical reason for this and if anyone has studied it. Anyway: at left we see one of the fur seals hauled out on land, and on right a view from the underwater viewing area. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626353543722-83IABP7LGTY4M3NYTSZ0/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Inca-terns-1275px-243kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: a nice action shot of some of the zoo’s Inca terns, showing them variously standing there and doing nothing or engaging in what I presume is a courtship display. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626360163043-9CBT8CQTNMKPBJU6AVNU/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-Spinifex-pigeons-and-Azure-winged-magpie-2009-1362px-84kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: birds photographed at the zoo in 2009 (and perhaps not there now? I’m not sure): Crested pigeon Ociphaps lophotes and Azure-winged magpie. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1626372128501-6YI4GHHL62BQF97FI5UH/Bristol-Zoo-July-2021-wooded-edges-of-gorilla-moat-1317px-257kb-July-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: Bristol Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Bristol Zoo is not that big, but it’s big enough to include well-vegetated area like this (around some of the primate islands). Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/7/3/reminiscing-about-walking-with-dinosaurs-part-2 monthly 0.5 2021-12-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625426779440-FLQBBOMAO7YHBQCUY8LE/WWD-lookback-July-2021-WWD-Tyrannosaurus-1999-1254px-173kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: I am - as I hope is clear from these articles - an advocate of WWD’s aims and achievements. It was a force for good. But it remains the fact that some of its models were, alas, not good at portraying the life appearance of the animals concerned. The T. rex in particular is problematic. Image: (c) WWD/BBC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625344063107-T6TZUNINB38RJC5X17KO/WWD-lookback-July-2021-WWD-QJDS-and-WWD-Evidence-cover-1103px-120kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: important sources for the WWD backstory. At left, Vol 3, Number 4 of the Dinosaur Society (UK) Quarterly; at right, Martill & Naish (2000). I’m not sure that enough has been written about the impact of WWD on public opinion and education (… or has it?); both publications should be good places to start if such a project were to occur. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625345432690-PG2EWESSF1LUM3CM6H7H/WWD-lookback-July-2021-WWD-Ornithocheirus-at-UOP-1105px-132kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a sorry end to a noble life. The WWD ‘Ornithocheirus’, folded up in a crate at the University of Portsmouth. Its busted limbs and broken teeth are evidence of a tough few final months…. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625427348527-AJE6TD498E3EX4S2BEHN/WWD-lookback-July-2021-WWD-Diplodocus-1999-1163px-87kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: it’s well known among dinosaur experts that WWD’s diplodocids owe their mostly horizontal necks to then new research published by Stevens & Parrish (1999), later challenged by Taylor et al. (2009). Image: (c) WWD/BBC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625314688356-WOAXY11NG3ZXLJ4HAX4O/WWD-lookback-July-2021-Koolasuchus-head-at-UOP-1103px-117kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: my only photo of the Koolasuchus head, here stowed in a corner of Dave’s office. Wear and tear is obvious around its edges. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625344428354-4G2JTWWDP9JC26OAXUEF/WWD-lookback-July-2021-WWD-Ophthalmosaurus-at-UOP-900px-91kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the WWD Ophthalmosaurus in our department, a carefully placed curtain disguising the opening on its belly which revealed its umbilical wiring. Image: Stig Walsh. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625314414336-ZOXHBQ20W5UQ8OUW429M/WWD-lookback-July-2021-Ophthalmosaurus-at-Sandown-Jan-2011-1326px-127kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the WWD Ophthalmosaurus model, today on display at Dinosaur Isle, Sandown, Isle of Wight. The heteromorph ammonites that accompany it in the display were made specially from plastic piping and look great. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625343823447-RGN16PRB9HGUZ2HUZ67O/WWD-lookback-July-2021-Martill-Manning-WWD-York-1044px-55kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Dave Martill (at left) and Phil Manning at the WWD exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum. In the background, we can see the cynodont model at extreme left (effectively just as a silhouette) and a dromaeosaur maquette (Utahraptor?) at right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625343708143-GSLGKSUPXTECGDQZV7JN/WWD-lookback-July-2021-Coelophysis-at-WWD-York-1087px-102kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: large Coelophysis model on display in the WWD exhibition, photographed at the Yorkshire Museum in 2000. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625428250425-5BIH4Y5QV79AF8M96JHR/WWD-lookback-July-2021-Loch-Ness-Monster-1970s-composite-1390px-222kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was - at some level - involved in the (ultimately doomed and unsuccessful) attempt of the 1970s to have the Loch Ness Monster recognised as a real animal. See my article here for more, as well as Williams (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625426171163-ZZLYLLHX3N4AGL8HX6F8/WWD-lookback-July-2021-WWD-Postosuchus-from-Haines-2000-910px-237kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a textbook caption. From Haines (2000). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625426264113-6PES7I5WO6DT1ZE8BGY5/WWD-lookback-July-2021-Haines-J-Accuse-2000-859px-153kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: any article that includes the term ‘J’accuse’ in the title is – ordinarily – a good read. This is the introduction from Haines (2000). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625422500495-ZJOIV03176S7Y3AKJLTX/WWD-lookback-July-2021-BBC-Wildlife-WWD-cover-658px-141kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: BBC Wildlife vol. 17, no 10 (the October 1999 issue), a rich source of behind-the-scenes WWD material. Try as I might, I’ve been unable to get a good reproduction of the cover that isn’t skewed in some way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1625346132635-NYC77QSVJRK0P9IXUPZ3/WWD-lookback-July-2021-WWD-Liopleurodon-1334px-55kb-July-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: WWD and its makers have received some modicum of flak for ‘super-sizing’ the Jurassic pliosaur Liopleurodon. Fact is though, they didn’t super-size it: rather, one of their consultants pushed the extreme size as a scientifically supported, justifiable extrapolation (Naish et al. 2001), and they followed it. Image: (c) WWD/BBC. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/6/23/reminiscing-about-walking-with-dinosaurs-part-1 monthly 0.5 2021-07-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624544975032-61ZW5J4IORGSOGBSSC85/WWD-lookback-June-2021-WWD-Diplodocus-943px-125kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a now iconic image from the 1999 BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624470565834-0JIA2TLZDWR973JHBITX/WWD-lookback-June-2021-Naish-and-Haines-2007-vs-2017-1006px-60kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: how I would have liked to have worked on WWD… but the timing just wasn’t right. At left, myself and Tim Haines at an event ('The evolution of monsters in the garden of England'!) in 2009. At right, Tim and I during one of the Dinosaurs in the Wild parties of 2017. Despite appearances, I wasn’t working as a bouncer at the time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624470516496-DMHGHSJ56MODSPUOLDUI/WWD-lookback-June-2021-Dinosaurs-in-the-Wild-1360px-156kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: Dinosaurs in the Wild, a descendant of WWD. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624534191176-FTLDKTVZ4HF5A7JIW4L4/WWD-lookback-June-2021-Burnaby-Building-UOP-720px-59kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the beautiful and picturesque Burnaby Building, University of Portsmouth. It is here where some early, pivotal meetings directing the fate of WWD would have occurred. This image is actually a screengrab from a Nat Geo documentary. Portsmouth is, as might be obvious, famous for its brutalist architecture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624530351792-KIGWBXS2GNP57R6818EX/WWD-lookback-June-2021-Liopleurodon-model-at-OUM-776px-131kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the WWD Liopleurodon head, currently on show at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624530948276-ZDOITYDCRRC7YBO0EWP2/WWD-lookback-June-2021-Pal-Ass-Oxford-Clay-and-WWD-Ep-3-1457px-125kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: episode 3 of WWD – ‘A Cruel Sea’ – is essentially the TV version of Martill and Hudson’s book Fossils of the Oxford Clay. The WWD role of such animals as Liopleurodon and Eustreptospondylus is owed to their appearing in the Oxford Clay fauna. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624538335432-3BWL2F5PJ0UR53RFU3OJ/WWD-lookback-June-2021-plesiosaur-alternating-downstroke-model-1357px-64kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: the ‘alternating downstroke’ model for plesiosaur locomotion, developed by Frey & Riess (1982), Tarsitano & Riess (1982) and Riess & Frey (1991), was promoted as the ‘best’ model to use for WWD. These days we don’t favour it so much, partly because it would result in colliding vortices but also because it’s less efficient and less successful than other options available to these animals (see Muscutt et al. 2017). Images: Riess & Frey (1991) at left, Tarsitano & Riess (1982) at right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624523789797-5LOLMIV2WGAE1NTSV9W3/WWD-lookback-June-2021-Mike-Milne-at-IP-2-667px-91kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: great image of Mike Milne, I think photographed at Impossible’s old office on Great Portland Street. That office was on the second floor, so the sauropod poking through the window must have been on a floating platform. Note the copy of Czerkas and Czerkas’s Dinosaurs: a Global View on the desk. Image from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624531638573-GG73ZS8LXZD4KSSBEE79/WWD-lookback-June-2021-WWD-pilot-1364px-70kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: a scene from the pilot, in which vertical-necked sauropods browse from the tops of trees. Needless to say, nothing like this appeared in the final series. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1624471714684-D179RP4JUXC1DYQMDFDZ/WWD-lookback-June-2021-Walking-With-Dinosaurs-palaeomedia-1383px-156kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing About Walking With Dinosaurs, Part 1 - Make it stand out Caption: assorted WWD-themed palaeomedia, most of which we’ll meet in the next article. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/6/7/tetzoo-reviews-zoos-zsl-whipsnade-zoo monthly 0.5 2025-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623140071932-IPIPX5QSPNW8IZXLPESW/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-zsl-whipsnade-sign-1-1238px-169kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623139786100-6RPDJCEYV59KKSTVQ9OF/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-elephant-1-1187px-121kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Whipsnade is one of just a few British zoos to house elephants. Others include Howletts Wild Animal Park, Blackpool Zoo, Colchester Zoo and Chester Zoo. Paignton Zoo’s last elephant died in 2019. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623140655600-WTTQA23NAJQUO15Z4AUR/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-Aquarium-pupfish-breeding-1316px-152kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: both ZSL zoos are committed to conservation efforts. In Whipsnade’s Aquarium, you can see their work on the captive breeding and conservation of killifishes and pupfishes, some of which are now extinct in the wild due to the destruction of their habitats. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623151738513-571WLYHDK0AS95ST6GWS/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-driving-in-the-rain-1-1310px-76kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: truly, the best day for a trip to the zoo. No, I wasn’t driving when I took this photo. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623148731477-5N97K6C35P2HF395C7B4/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-Indian-rhino-western-paddock-2-1301px-147kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Whipsnade is big, with big enclosures for its big animals. This shows the main Great one-horned rhino paddock. Bactrian camels are just visible in the distance. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623146869431-A53DSGP0G27V8MATR9S0/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-view-from-Dunstable-Down-1429px-59b-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: this image doesn’t do it justice at all, but some of the views from the zoo are spectacular. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623144501377-XGNKUADN766CW50Y93DR/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-wolverine-enclosure-1429px-395kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the excellent, appropriately ‘boreal’ landscape and flora of the main wolverine enclosure. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623144467937-44GS9DWK5K67U0MH9EIS/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-boar-with-piglets-new-1000px-108kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: mummy boar and her fantastic piglets. They weren’t close enough or ever still enough for me to get any good photos, alas. And the weather was against me. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623149285779-FSW7BCJ8THN94N3IM0A6/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-wolverine-montage-new-1519px-206kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: I’ve never had such clear, good views of wolverines. What amazing animals. Wolverines are close kin of martens, something I’ve always suspected but have recently seen confirmed by both molecular and anatomical studies. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623149187799-F86B40BS261ELMEJTMNH/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-wolverine-mega-paws-868px-119kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Wolverine, aka Great mega-pawed chunk-weasel. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623149498563-YCVHU8S20RRKDE87ACB8/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-southern-white-rhinos-1415px-74kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: two of Whipsnade’s several Southern white rhinos. One has had its leading horn removed; the other rhino is sporting some impressive hornage. Rhino horns grow quickly, which makes it all the more maddening that people still kill them in order to obtain it. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623105431489-89SWAU3FOUGU0RLTRDMP/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-Hydropotes-water-deer-1-959px-114kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Chinese water deer in fairly unco-operative pose. Squint and you can see one of the massive fang-like canines on the animal’s left side. These animals grow a longer, shaggier coat in the winter. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623104451449-39TB74LQQY4CZDUBV55D/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-Patagonian-maras-1318px-163kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: free-roaming Patagonian maras, sheltering from the rain and walking across a field in order to find shelter from the rain, respectively. I doubt that those maras that wander around in the public areas of the zoo ever get a moment’s peace, since people constantly approach them for photos or even to touch or catch them. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623104962114-SHBI8VA0NAP774W1K695/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-hippo-male-and-juv-1316px-120kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: big bull hippo, kept on the other side of a barrier from the juvenile visible at left. An adult female was present in the field at back right. They didn’t seem to mind the rain. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623140932609-VJULBYVWDENR0EAWDIXA/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-African-lions-855px-163kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: two of the zoo’s lions, co-operatively lounging within a few metres of the glass-fronted viewing area. The one closest to the camera spent a lot of time roaring. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623104901049-ASDKSE0C2VD1L18A2WN4/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-yak-adult-1-1081px-138kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: yak, posing pleasingly in a buttercup field. Well, I think those are buttercups… and buttercups are toxic. They contain ranunculin, a compound that causes burning, blistering of mucous membranes, coughing and worse. I didn’t pay attention at the time, but it seems from my photos that the yaks were deliberately not eating them. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623104927631-FL7VP5CXPRWGQAJ4K9DB/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-yak-group-1006px-197kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: more yaks. Some yaks have a very cow-ish look… and that’s because they’re actually yak x cattle hybrids. It’s all very confusing but this hybrid form is traditionally treated as a separate species Bos grunniens from the far larger, more massive Wild yak B. mutus. Despite this widespread hybridisation, yak are apparently closer to bison than any other extant cattle. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623141195073-ZYQ8TYWVJODX2IN3HAII/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-sloth-bear-through-fencing-580px-117kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: the best view I got of one of the sloth bears. Even with the fence, the characteristic face, ears and claws of the species are evident. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623106572851-VHGU6IESSRNWCO936CGP/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-elephant-2-Rhinoceros-unicornis-1537px-300kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: pachyderms of the Asia section. Whipsnade has several Asian elephants, the adult male of which was kept separate from the others at the time of our visit. I think they have three Great one-horned rhinos. This slightly muddy individual is different from the one you saw in the photo above. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623144297114-KKL01HLSKGBMN4ZXIL9I/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-Aquarium-and-Butterfly-House-entrance-1000px-71kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: unassuming brick-built entrance to the Aquarium and Butterfly House. Outside of covid times (if there will be such a time) I’m guessing that queuing won’t be necessary. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623144319447-EPKCWCSZ0GXG6F6ZZ45C/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-aquarium-shinisaur-display-1000px-151kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: can you spot the Shinisaurus? Oh, there it is. Am noticing that quite a few British collections now have this charismatic semi-aquatic species. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623144343596-RGSEMFTZM83NXNJYQ1KC/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-Osteolaemus-underwater-1000px-45kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Osteolaemus crocodiles underwater. They have a terrestrial area at the back of the enclosure (viewable through large windows). The animal on the left is missing the third finger of its left hand. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623145717847-G5D1HNOA8HMVGNCSEZ3Z/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-American-flamingo-1-1131px-176kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: American flamingo giving me side-eye while pumping and sloshing around in liquid mud. Great fun to watch. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623149663198-DU42SW37F6WQR42UD9U7/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-Flamingo-Lake-1000px-44kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: Flamingo Lake. A group of American flamingos, some of which are sat on mud nests, are just about visible to the right of centre. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623145682316-NLCVDZ7KBC7RH11BN913/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-emu-in-meadow-1433px-147kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: emu in the meadow. Emus and their cousins the cassowaries are always good value for money. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623150545260-DAWMG4ETFOO88EH3ZNVE/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-hippo-installation-elephant-statue-1282px-205kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: I also unashamedly judge zoos on the basis of their signage and installations, and on artwork in the grounds. These things show how seriously the zoo takes its educational and outreach commitments, and how much effort has gone into improving and enriching the grounds. Whipsnade scores well on both counts. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1623150870473-XS1I0PNTFG3C3P02ZGAM/Whipsnade-Zoo-June-2021-cheetah-statue-recycled-elephant-1463px-219kb-June-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Make it stand out Caption: more good and worthy, point-scoring artwork. A cheetah statue, and the ‘recycled elephant’, a figure made from items previously played with and partially destroyed by the zoo’s elephants. Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/6/1/tortoises-as-consumers-of-carrion-part-2 monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1622630156436-WZDWAZSZYOGWX7GA7KW6/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-tortoise-carrion-montage-Hansen-MarwellZoo-David-Attenborough-1310px-132kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: tortoises and carrion, a montage (read on for more). Images: Dennis Hansen, Marwell Wildlife, David Attenborough. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1622624108609-UI6C3DLK58RBCYFKILDU/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Marwell-Manouria-with-trout-1004px-88kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: captive Asian forest tortoises (aka Asian brown tortoise or Burmese mountain tortoises) enjoy a fish carcass, and even appear to attempt to claim ownership of it. “It’s mine!”. Image: Marwell Wildlife. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1622624141964-CLFZTKZ7LTJS40MF9KYQ/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Mattea-%26+Allain+-2020-Chelonoidis-scavenging-fish-1167px-161kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a wild Yellow-footed tortoise Chelonoidis denticulatus, photographed in between taking bites from a fish carcass. Chelonoidis tortoises often consume carrion. Image: Riccardo Mattea, from Mattea & Allain (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1622572871029-HHS1U54535JTH525BIVI/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Dennis-Hansen-Aldabran-tortoise-cannibalism-2-1240px-169kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: a wild Aldabran giant tortoise, photographed while consuming the trachea of a deceased conspecific. Image: Dennis Hansen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1622572899758-WBWIZYPWOWDYDK0ZIYKT/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Dennis-Hansen-Aldabran-tortoise-cannibalism-3-1396px-110kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: still from a video sequence in which an Aldabran giant tortoise and mangrove crab are squabbling over access to the carcass of another tortoise, the hindlimb of which is visible near the middle of frame. The full sequence can be observed here on Twitter. Image: Dennis Hansen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1622573185498-6V1H78FCJX3F00BSJBB3/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Hodari-Nandu-Megalochelys-vs-Pachycrocuta-1429px-156kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: somewhere in southern Asia in the Pleistocene, the giant extinct tortoise Megalochelys and the hyaenid Pachycrocuta compete for the spoils. Image: Hodari Nundu, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1622624185129-IA82YY1K0QQDC1BNK7TJ/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Julia-Lacerda-Meiolania-ponders-fish-1445px-150kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: the horned, spiky-tailed meiolaniid turtle Meiolania prepares to consume a fish carcass. Image: Julio Lacerda, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1622573164143-FH67O1XZ5LNQB0G6G4U0/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Red-footed-tortoise-scavenging-on-horse-743px-115kb-June-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion, Part 2 - Make it stand out Caption: horse carcass with tortoise, an image from Mourthé & Casal (2017). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/5/17/ross-barnett-2019-the-missing-lynx monthly 0.5 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1621262072393-WOEPZW68YL1VEHBTB244/Barnett-Missing-Lynx-May-2021-Barnett-cover-489px-74kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ross Barnett’s 2019 The Missing Lynx: the Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1621258076717-8L8O51JK5GB0Y9DKY1KW/Barnett-Missing-Lynx-May-2021-Badger-Hole-bear-skull-1255px-152kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ross Barnett’s 2019 The Missing Lynx: the Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals - Make it stand out Caption: evidence of the former presence of Brown bear Ursus arctos is widespead across the UK, including in place names and also fossil and zooarchaeological remains (O’Regan 2018). This is the skull of the Badger Hole bear: Badger Hole is a cave close to the famous Wookey Hole in Somerset. Another cave called the Hyena Den is nearby. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1621257967767-2TEF0J94IRSWR5IVUWV6/Barnett-Missing-Lynx-May-2021-Cheddar-wisent-in-Romania-1323px-127kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ross Barnett’s 2019 The Missing Lynx: the Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals - Make it stand out Caption: semi-captive European bison or Wisent Bison bonasus, observed in Romania. You’ll note that they have a rather more cow-ish look than American bison. There are reasons for this (a long history of hybridisation). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1621266261705-4ZBQX3HXG71DEI0CRG33/Barnett-Missing-Lynx-May-2021-Barnett-spine-1389px-108kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ross Barnett’s 2019 The Missing Lynx: the Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals - Make it stand out Caption: seriously, what a good looking book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1621258843526-VTKGEX69FL3BWIOV2IRX/Barnett-Missing-Lynx-May-2021-New-Forest-Wildlife-Centre-Odin-the-Northern-lynx-1118px-146kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ross Barnett’s 2019 The Missing Lynx: the Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals - Make it stand out Caption: the surprisingly recent disappearance of the Northern or Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx from the UK requires that we really should be - and are - discussing its potential reintroduction. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1621258799455-MJBVHQH0GMQD83HJGMK4/Barnett-Missing-Lynx-May-2021-NFWC-wolf-and-Ardross-wolf-1326px-107kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ross Barnett’s 2019 The Missing Lynx: the Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals - Make it stand out Caption: the Wolf Canis lupus is another animal whose metaphorical footprint is firmly stamped into the fabric of British culture and geography. It’s tragic but oh so telling that we extirpated this quintessential symbol of wild places. The object at right is the famous Ardross wolf stone, a stunning piece of 6th or 7th century Pictish art discovered in 1890 in Ardross, Ross-shire (northern Scotland), and on show today at Inverness Museum. Images: Darren Naish; Canmore (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1621257884997-Z61BYJ364OPAWFB3EWCO/Barnett-Missing-Lynx-May-2021-megacerine-diversity-Geist-Megaloceros-life-1404px-148kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ross Barnett’s 2019 The Missing Lynx: the Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals - Make it stand out Caption: Megaloceros giganteus is but one of a reasonable number of megacerine taxa (here shown - probably correctly, I think - to include Dama). This montage is from Geist (1999). At right: my slightly controversial effort to reconstruct M. giganteus in life, as discussed in this TetZoo article of 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1621257927258-FIHWEUNFUYX1XK9UAN6P/Barnett-Missing-Lynx-May-2021-Cheddar-Cave-mammoth-rock-art-1327px-122kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Ross Barnett’s 2019 The Missing Lynx: the Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals - Make it stand out Caption: the somewhat underwhelming Cheddar Cave mammoth carving, just about visible at left if your imagination is good. The accompanying information board is at right. Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/5/2/the-locustella-warblers monthly 0.5 2021-05-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619991094412-YI61JPNX73PKRNJ1NISX/Locustella-May-2021-warbler-montage-1264px-133kb-May-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Locustella Warblers Caption: I haven’t drawn representatives of all the passerine groups yet, but I’m working on it (these drawings are for my STILL in-prep giant textbook project). All of these groups - and others - were long lumped together in a super-inclusive version of Sylviidae, a catchall ‘warbler’ family. We now know that they’re separated by various other ‘family-level’ lineages. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619989063002-QG6SDFQPR4NC3NMF1CKF/Locustella-May-2021-Locustella-naevia-and-L-luscinoides-wikipedia-1023px-95kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Locustella Warblers Caption: two of the most familiar and best-studied Locustella warblers: the Common grasshopper warbler L. naevia at left, and Savi’s warbler L. luscinoides at right. Images: Stefan Hage, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Sergey Yeliseev, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619988152385-H0R78QICASK6JT38QDMM/Locustella-May-2021-Helopsaltes-montage-J-M-Garg-and-Tokumi-Ohsaka-1234px-88kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Locustella Warblers Caption: a Helopsaltes montage. At left, Pallas's grasshopper warbler H. certhiola. At right: Middendorff's grasshopper warbler H. ochotensis. Images: J. M. Garg, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Tokuma Ohsaka, CC0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619988657815-W105YXE2BGEQMMWW4CWW/Locustella-May-2021-Locustella-lanceolata-%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%81-%D0%96%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%80-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-4-0-938px-80kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Locustella Warblers Caption: a singing Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata, a species which occurs from Scandinavia in the west to the shores of the Pacific in the east, and which migrates to south-east Asia during the winter. Image: Денис Жбир, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619992506520-WDMO9IDGIDHJ18F4KF7T/Locustella-May-2021-Itchen-Valley-Country-Park-2-May-2021-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1247px-271kb-May-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Locustella Warblers Caption: the sort of place in northern Europe where you might find Locustella (and warblers of other groups too) during the warmer part of the year. This is a mix of damp grassland and river-edge reedbed with scattered small trees and large shrubs. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619989826754-7RHR2GY9N17OOOUUL0P8/Locustella-May-2021-Locustella-island-endemics-wikipedia-1373px-128kb-May-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Locustella Warblers Caption: non-migratory habits have evolved on numerous occasions within Locustella. Here are two non-migratory island endemics: Friendly bush warbler L. accentor of Borneo at left, and Sulawesi bush warbler L. castanea of Sulawesi at right. Images: John Keulemans (in public domain); A. S. Kono, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619992674531-WUVYJMTF5V9DVNRHTFSO/Locustella-May-2021-Locustella-in-books-at-TetZoo-Towers-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1081px-138kb-May-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Locustella Warblers Caption: now you may no longer dread those few specific pages of your favourite field guide :) And… yes, those are Locustella warblers on the cover of BWP Volume VI (art by Ian Lewington). Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/4/23/comments-on-an-interview-with-jeff-meldrum monthly 0.5 2021-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619202540689-H00NCXZQ2JI08NDO9MVO/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-Bigfoot-portrait-Naish-704px-173kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619195454963-E4JDU0ROT27T8X8U4Q4K/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-Plastic-Plesiosaur-Podcast-1523px-72kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619196645177-9XQO6CSK1WQRGXTTJM2W/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-Jeff-Meldrum-portrait-730px-100kb-April-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum Caption: Dr Jeff Meldrum, primatologist, professor of anatomy and anthropology, and bigfoot proponent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619195503244-8Q4P3OLJ6IKCQ4B99UU4/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-book-covers-1017px-96kb-April-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619204707420-6WNZ39L6227WV3HHU1LX/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-Naish-Focus-Bigfoot-750px-123kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum Caption: is the evidence put forward for bigfoot so bad that we should give up? Whatever you think of my specific intellectual position, my repeated revisiting of the phenomenon shows that I consider it a worthy area of research. But I understand the position of those colleagues who don’t see a reason for us to be all that interested. This is a partial screengrab from a 2012 article of mine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619196771075-YE31YIDWIMQA46W5WNZ5/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-Icon-Films-Bigfoot-New-Evidence-997px-67kb-April-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum Caption: the Sykes et al. (2014) study is linked to a successful (and very watchable) TV series. I don’t know how widely known this is. I was involved at one stage in a follow-up series concentrating on a different set of cryptozoological stories…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619202106298-2YIF353SMWFUSZQW3C69/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-Prof-Neil-Gemmell-Loch-Ness-1094px-90kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum Caption: is Loch Ness (at right) home to EELS? YES. Is the Loch Ness Monster (a) a real and novel biological entity and (b) actually demonstrated by eDNA to BE AN EEL? Nope. At left, your humble author with Prof Neil Gemmell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619195538019-J1RIS9K0U5YK8F0KTM64/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-Roe-female-and-Patty-913px-171kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum Caption: classic bigfoot accounts and sightings - like the William Roe story of the late 1950s and the filmed Patterson-Gimlin encounter - have baggage and it might be wrong to accept them at face value. Images: John Conway; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619195713158-8N89DMDYXFDTN9F1EIIG/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-bigfoot-footprint-montage-913px-171kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum Caption: some bigfoot track features identified as evidence for their biological reality (like a supposed mid-tarsal break and toe slip marks) may be no such thing; they could very well be consistent with hoaxing. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1619195739725-XU6B4QG2IFU646ZZW8Y1/Meldrum-bigfoot-interview-April-2021-Bossburg-bigfoot-cast-600-px-100kb-June-2016-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - eDNA, Footprints and the Biological Bigfoot: Comments on an Interview With Jeff Meldrum Caption: a cast of one of the famous Bossburg prints. Krantz - and, it turns out, Meldrum - think that this track (and those in the rest of the trackway) was genuinely made by bigfoot, but its provenance (associated with a notorious and proven hoaxer) makes it highly problematic. What should we do with evidence that comes from such a tainted pool? It would surely be better to reject it. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/4/16/history-of-the-iraqi-ichthyosaur monthly 0.5 2021-04-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1618570188995-JS9138MVD3BNMFX9314B/Malawania-poster-April-2021-life-reconstruction-Bob-Nicholls-and-Memo-Kosemen-1291px-94kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - History of the Iraqi Ichthyosaur Caption: Bob Nicholls's life restoration of Malawania, coloured by C. M. Kösemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1618569642005-TW04TB2F3ZTJL5QU2W7N/Malawania-poster-April-2021-SVP-poster-sg-1451px-281kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - History of the Iraqi Ichthyosaur Caption: I don’t own the poster anymore, but I least I still have the powerpoint files. A formatting error that I can’t correct has ruined the text in the middle of the poster, d’oh. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1618569699003-A8PYA6ROAE0NZ9HTJE4D/Malawania-poster-April-2021-life-Malawania-in-the-field-1200px-174kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - History of the Iraqi Ichthyosaur Caption: the Malawania holotype as it originally appeared, in the field. Some quick and dirty preparation was carried out in-situ. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1618570578225-EOI12MTJP696DVAVGYNT/Malawania-poster-April-2021-palynomorph-collection-Jeff-Liston-1384px-152kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - History of the Iraqi Ichthyosaur Caption: Jeff Liston took a chunk of matrix from the Malawania block (marked by the dotted line) and then worked with others to extract microfossils. We received quite a shock when the results arrived — the relevant fossils are categorically from the Early Cretaceous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1618569765813-H7TNPULXZ600KR13QUD1/Malawania-poster-April-2021-life-Malawania-specimen-and-Fischer-diagram-1345px-159kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - History of the Iraqi Ichthyosaur Caption: NHMUK PV R6682, the Malawania holotype, at left, and our interpretation of its anatomy at right. The specimen is partly lying on its back and left side, and we're looking 'up' into its ribcage. The forefin is a left one, seen in medial view. The cluster of spines near the forefin are actually gastralium segments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1618570087037-Q64N6UQYYRXIEVT9GRBJ/Malawania-poster-April-2021-phylogeny-and-diversity-640px-84kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - History of the Iraqi Ichthyosaur Caption: the new parvipelvian phylogeny published in Fischer et al. (2013b). Note the temnodontosaur + leptonectid clade, the long ghost lineage for Malawania, and the numerous ophthalmosaurid lineages that crossed the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1618571357380-3UMU9UQSO7VRE1AXHDYV/Malawania-poster-April-2021-life-reconstructions-Malawania-and-Acamptonectes-Bob-Nicholls-and-Memo-Kosemen-1377px-88kb-April-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - History of the Iraqi Ichthyosaur Caption: Malawania at left, the Jurassic-style Cretaceous ichthyosaur from Iraq. Compared to other Cretaceous ichthyosaurs - all of which are ophthalmosaurids, like the Acamptonectes shown at right - Malawania was an archaic ‘living fossil’ of its time. Illustrations by Robert Nicholls, coloured by C. M. Kösemen. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/3/31/announcing-dinopedia-out-september-2021 monthly 0.5 2021-03-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1617203135102-SGWZK9I3RLXU7OMFKH7V/Dinopedia-final-cover-Mar-2021.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Dinopedia, Out September 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1617205328974-9SXHGCTR5STLLBPC4DLW/Dinopedia-Mar-2021-teaser-pics-2-1082px-110kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing Dinopedia, Out September 2021 https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/3/24/the-ichthyosaurs-of-the-kimmeridge-clay monthly 0.5 2021-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616605136405-VMG20SA6RWQ3K0K2IGCE/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Kimm-Clay-books-montage-1054px-170kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: Martill & Etches (2020a, b) is here at last! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616606560894-A3QZBFQ0LQFEWIJBRP6G/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Kimmeridge-Bay-visit-Sept-2011-1159px-152kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: the Kimmeridge Bay coast has yielded one of the world’s most complete and impressive Jurassic marine faunas. The Kimmeridge Clay Formation is an oil-producing mudrock and, as such, is one of the UK’s most economically significant geological units. These images were taken on a 2011 field trip. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616617473313-ZMDP7ZXFFH1G5LUH9T3U/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-ichthyosaur-montage-Parvipelvia-969px-80kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: parvipelvians are mostly regarded by us as ‘classic’ ichthyosaurs more so than the less familiar forms of the Triassic, like those shown below. Many of these reconstructions are now looking a bit dated and need to be redrawn. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616612769957-0O58U2AD6J49BQEFNEKU/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Kimmeridge-Clay-ichthyosaur-montage-1178px-100kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: a montage of assorted Kimmeridge Clay ichthyosaur remains, representing the sort of specimens (vertebrae and partial limb bones) known from the greatest number of examples. These drawings are ripped from Naish & Moon (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616610697788-0D8MD5YHLF4LLD66Z9XI/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-NHM-Ophthalmosaurus-1236px-114kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: the mounted Oxford Clay Ophthalmosaurus icenicus at the Natural History Museum, London... one of the world’s few three-dimensional mounted ichthyosaurs. The once popular idea that this animal was toothless is now thought incorrect. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616611638021-XWVF27EBBJE89J55RXA6/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Huene-1922-Brachypterygius-and-Nannopterygius-785px-60kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: our views on what certain Kimmeridge Clay ichthyosaurs were like was long skewed by reconstructions like this, published by von Huene (1922). Huene exaggerated the look of the limbs: his reconstruction of Macropterygius trigonus (at top) almost certainly makes the forelimb look too big, and his Nannopterygius entheciodon (below) makes the forelimb too small. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616605103555-CACMM63LC3TLURSH448J/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Bernard-Long-Nannopterygius-532px-74kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: my favourite Nannopterygius depiction, even if it is inaccurate in some respects… and shows fishes that didn’t really exist during the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous. Image: Bernard Long. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616609857094-OUFOCTMTVL50FB3QCLSZ/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Nannopterygius-NHMUK-PV-46497-holotype-1060px-125kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: an old photo of the Nannopterygius entheciodon holotype, today on display at the Natural History Museum, London. The incomplete forelimb is visible at right. Image: NHM, London. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616614947484-AOD5LVGFAI2HXOUPTLHY/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Nannopterygius-Zverkov-%26-Jacobs-2021-1201px-78kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: not so weird after all, then… a skeletal reconstruction of Nannopterygius from Zverkov & Jacobs (2021). This specifically depicts N. saveljeviensis (previously mostly known as Paraophthalmosaurus), though with some of its parts being based on those of N. entheciodon. Scale bar = 100 cm. Image: Zverkov & Jacobs (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616607819748-9PE22KGCS6T3VUX96CVA/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Grendelius-holotype-1287px-98kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: at right, the holotype Grendelius mordax skull (CAMSM J68516) on display at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Science, University of Cambridge, UK. At left, an accompanying model depicting the animal in life. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616608480098-B16YNG1M0IPI70LHCKMF/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Zverkov-et-al-2015-Grendelius-reconstruction-1116px-54kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: skeletal reconstruction from Zverkov et al. (2015) of one of the several Russian species currently regarded as congeneric with Grendelius mordax. Specifically, this depicts G. alekseevi, originally described as Otschevia alekseevi. Image: Zverkov et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616608742227-F3LSQZX7ZIHTHIMZRBTN/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-MJML-Thalassodraco-skull-845px-107kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: complete skull of the Kimmeridge Clay ophthalmosaurine ophthalmosaurid Thalassodraco etchesi Jacobs & Martill, 2020. One of the key features of this taxon - a chunky, upwards-and-sideways projecting bony lump above the rear part of the eye socket - is visible here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1616606415402-01T386BR1NF1ZPWI1WXR/Kimm-Clay-ichthyosaurs-Mar-2021-Etches-collection-ophthalmosaurid-MJML-K1747-532px-74kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Ichthyosaurs of the Kimmeridge Clay Caption: the fantastic, near-complete Kimmeridge Clay ophthalmosaurid specimen MJML K1747, preserved with a belly full of fishes and cephalopod remains. It’s figured in Naish & Moon (2020) but we didn’t attempt to determine its precise identity. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/3/10/the-hunt-for-persisting-thylacines-an-interview monthly 0.5 2021-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1615386086760-G6BKYQ0PQTBBNEL3N4LZ/thylacine-interview-Mar-2021-TAG-Waters-photo-879px-65kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Hunt for Persisting Thylacines, an Interview Caption: one of the Thylacine Awareness Group photos released by Neil Waters and his colleagues. Alas, there’s no good reason to think that this shows a thylacine, or has anything to do with thylacines. Image: (c) Thylacine Awareness Group. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1615386012846-ASE6R7MB27NW9CQG0GKV/thylacine-interview-Mar-2021-book-cover-montage-907px-124kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Hunt for Persisting Thylacines, an Interview Caption: two of the key books to consult if you’re interested in thylacine extinction, and claimed post-extinction observations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1615386176952-9H8INCXTI5D2N2AJIBZI/thylacine-interview-Mar-2021-thylacines-alive-montage-1255px-163kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Hunt for Persisting Thylacines, an Interview Caption: a montage of live, captive thylacines. The several claimed ‘living thylacine’ images (and bits of film) taken over the past five decades or so always fail to show the many key anatomical and proportional nuances of this highly distinctive animal. Images in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1615397128757-7DN7VSTCYPD4MPYWLXME/thylacine-interview-Mar-2021-Thylogale-billardierii-JJ-Harrison-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-1079px-200kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Hunt for Persisting Thylacines, an Interview Caption: the ‘thylacine’ images released by the Thylacine Awareness Group have been analysed by experts, and the animals they show have been identified as…. pademelons. Pademelons (this is a Tasmanian pademelon Thylogale billardierii) are small wallabies, mostly (but not universally) regarded as close kin of rock wallabies and tree kangaroos. Image: JJ Robinson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1615386663756-GZPFCYSPKC8FMD61DU42/thylacine-interview-Mar-2021-bigfoot-and-Ivorybilled-woodpecker-montage-1193px-171kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Hunt for Persisting Thylacines, an Interview Caption: how much does the hunt for Bigfoot or the Ivorybilled woodpecker hinge on wishful thinking or expectant attention? It’s a good question. Images: Darren Naish; Jerry A. Payne, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1615387170580-5X5QIQOD36XPJU3P5Q4V/thylacine-interview-Mar-2021-British-alleged-big-cats-montage-1062px-186kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Hunt for Persisting Thylacines, an Interview Caption: people of all sorts make observational mistakes all the time. Some are more understandable, or acceptable, than others. I think - for reasons linked to physical, material evidence - that non-native large cat species live wild in the UK. But I also think, and am usually dismayed by, cases where people see or photograph domestic cats and identify them as pumas or panthers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1615388350266-HFY4X8EZTEOBQCTD5E9K/thylacine-interview-Mar-2021-TetZoo-thylacine-figures-964px-121kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Hunt for Persisting Thylacines, an Interview Caption: thylacine figures in my collection. Thylacines live on in several forms, but do they persist as live animals in the Australian wilderness? The evidence presented so far is not, alas, at all convincing…. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/3/3/tortoises-as-consumers-of-carrion monthly 0.5 2021-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614782551737-N5Y99JX82BQC75Z7NAVQ/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Eastie-eats-rat-head-918px-105kb-Feb-2021-Mathew-Wedel-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion Caption: Eastie vs rat head. Image: Mathew Wedel, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614782617776-LVD9BR3L2ETZUGKGK51G/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Aldabran-tortoise-Attenborough-801px-86kb-Mar-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion Caption: Aldabran giant tortoise and Aldabran giant tortoise, one in healthier state than other. Image: (c) David Attenborough. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614782740159-ZGEPJ8EW8TKH8TV3KFAF/tortoises-eating-carcass-Mar-2021-Splinter-photo-533px-98kb-Feb-2021-Mathew-Wedel-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tortoises as Consumers of Carrion Caption: your ‘mammals vs reptiles’ image of the day. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/2/26/kirk-w-johnson-2018-the-feather-thief monthly 0.5 2021-02-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614303167143-162X9QTUKC23ZA9XMERK/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-covers-montage-1239px-167kb-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: several different covers seem to exist for The Feather Thief. I own the one at furthest left. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614304120949-6FUILXHNZOT31NY1Z7H2/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-Walter-Rothschild-Museum-Tring-968px-136kb-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: the Natural History Museum at Tring, formerly the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum at Tring, Hertfordshire - home of the Natural History Museum ornithological collection - may or may not be in keeping with your view of what a provincial English museum is like. Image: Ian Petticrew, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614344551730-5U5YOPCTPJ0BIS0CR8NA/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-specimens-in-NHM-Tring-interior-Feb-2003-1000px-45kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: part of the interior of the Natural History Museum at Tring as it looked in February 2003. As you can see, very much an ‘old school’ museum. This photo was taken back in the days of physical photos. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614344576340-OWSBXSOWOYO0WGNSRJR3/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-specimens-in-NHM-Tring-collections-889px-110kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: a few of the NHM Tring specimens (from the osteological section, rather than the skin section) which I’ve had reason to examine in my own research. Museums have records of every single specimen; for animals like birds, they’re documented in the published literature as well as in the physical paper files and digital files maintained by the museum curators. Researchers who specialise on the groups concerned often ‘know’ individual specimens. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614303675798-KFYIBBQZFYSTT6XWVAQD/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-Wallace-and-Rothschild-montage-1049px-125kb-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: at left, Alfred R. Wallace in later life, a photo from 1895; at right, images showing Walter Rothschild, plus the cover of the most valuable book that discusses Rothschild and his life. Images in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614345465294-NAEYZ5C230RAVR1ILBCF/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-fruitcrow-and-Spangled-cotinga-1319px-142kb-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: two of the birds involved in the theft. At left, Red-ruffed fruitcrow Pyroderus scutatus. At right, Spangled cotinga Cotinga cayana. Images: Nicolas Huet, in the public domain; Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614345842626-IT5AUZWWZG0GD5RVOPH8/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-Flame-bowerbirds-NHM-Tring-1084px-126kb-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: specimens of the sort that Rist stole, shown here as stored in the museum collections. Note the labels which contain important locality and date information. Image: (c) Natural History Museum, London (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614346492957-6RUTE8NJOI5SS9HLWKUL/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-Feather-Thief-quetzal-feathers-Feb-2003-1030px-103kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: here’s evidence of what Rist did with the birds he stole. These ziploc bags - containing quetzal feathers - were recovered from Rist’s apartment. Image: (c) Kirk Johnson The Feather Thief, from here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1614346767797-JFKAIF0ZHVFDOUMD5CM3/Johnson-Feather-Thief-review-Feb-2021-cover-my-copy-549px-65kb-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Kirk W. Johnson’s 2018 The Feather Thief, a Review Caption: my copy. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/2/16/the-lake-dakataua-migo-lake-monster-footage-of-1994 monthly 0.5 2026-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613505254077-2LNRMKK5PPHXUXWF55VT/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-migo-drawings-composite-2-985px-92kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: different schematic representation of the creature depicted in the Lake Dakataua footage of 1994. Images: at top, Lisa Peach/CFZ; below, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613504678420-0L3YF3UM56SE6VIH3BZ6/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-New-Britain-map-946px-60kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: New Britain, largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago. Image: NordNordWest, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613504701123-UY754UQ2DT6RMEQ4SVEJ/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Lake-Dakataua-google-maps-918px-62kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: the Willaumez Peninsula, location of our lake of interest. Image: Google Maps/Jimmy O’Donnell (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613504011498-BOSMYNL01X86WNUB4RUY/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Heuvelmans-1986-cryptids-smaller-2-954px-147kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613510902347-HM5JDKTK2XLOOX0DCOL4/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-New-Guinea-crocodile-wikipedia-1411px-290kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: New Guinea crocodile… I think (the remote possibility exists that this shows a Hall’s crocodile). Image: Midori, CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613504737114-OZ02NW1MQUCELDEXEH2D/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Tylosaurus-Knight-1790px-100kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: Charles Knight’s Tylosaurus, originally published in an 1899 article by H. F. Osborn. Image in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613503867448-5SN7N3QYR4H8I5WR75DV/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-anguimorph-montage-929px-145kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: the precise position of mosasaurs within Squamata is still debated (they may not be especially close to monitors and kin, as used to be widely thought). It is, however, largely agreed that they’re anguimorphs. The photos show (clockwise from upper left) the extant anguimorphs Anguis, Varanus and Heloderma. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613505461146-OI7FQD6ME7IK6JKMFO3C/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Naish-1997-mosasaurs-1000px-209kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: a mosasaur montage from Naish (1997). (a) is a redrawing of a classic mosasaur image by the great Czech palaeoartist Zdeněk Burian; (b) was supposed to depict a mosasaur as they might actually have looked. It’s now quite dated in showing protruding teeth, a very cetacean-like colour scheme and a tail which lacks a vertical fluke. Hey, it was the ‘90s. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613504283117-3MI48MPES4RQO2RT7TPW/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-many-finned-sea-serpent-1092px-117kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: Cetioscolopendra, the great ‘cetacean centipede’ or ‘many-finned sea-serpent’ of Heuvelmans (1968), as depicted (at top) in In The Wake and (below) by myself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613504250252-2KE04A2RWVNQFMQX4A2W/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Naish-Hunting-Monsters-and-Magin-1996-943px-166kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: key critical works on the Heuvelmans sea monster scheme described in In the Wake: Naish’s 2017 Hunting Monsters and Ulrich Magin’s 1996 article in Fortean Studies 3, the latter still absent as a publicly accessible document. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613505541902-VDKN1IBVJWE4WUQR16P2/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-mosasaur-composite-Entertainer-490px-133kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: screenshots (literally, photos of the screen… ) of the mosasaur model from the Migo documentary. It was very obviously, I think, based on the artistic depictions of Charles Knight and/or Zdeněk Burian. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613565068932-BQTGBKDKPETB5ULH0KGF/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Karl-Shuker-1995-Fortean-Times-1178px-256kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: it’s Karl Shuker - more than any other single person - who’s been most responsible for sharing news of the Migo with the western world. Here’s his 1995 Fortean Times article (Shuker 1995a). Karl has recently reviewed the Migo case at his ShukerNature blog (here and here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613503917670-ZW71J01YI9QDMNINMQ1F/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Ambulocetus-montage-985px-90kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: at top, reconstructed skeleton of the Pakistani stem-whale Ambulocetus; below, reconstruction of Ambulocetus in a hypothetical swimming pose. Images: Notafly, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613505594466-XO1TJ09ZZYTPXXCOV1ZB/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-archaeocete-montage-1273px-108kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: an archaeocete montage, depicting something of the diversity present within the respective lineages (remember: Archaeoceti is a grade, not a clade. Some of these animals are much closer to crown-whales than others). Small and terrestrially capable animals are included, as are long-faced predators of vertebrates and long-bodied giants like the famous Basilosaurus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613508915370-YALIDKH5YEGP7W2OWMJL/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Naish-1997-Heuvelmans-ITW-Thewissen-cover-925px-160kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: covers of Heuvelmans (1968) - a key volume in the promotion of the ‘surviving archaeocete’ hypothesis - and Thewissen (2014), a volume which touches, ever so briefly, on the hypothesis (but doesn’t explore it in depth; it’s certainly not the focus of the book). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613503955451-HN36PEV1T4ECHT3SQ7PB/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Hyperhydra-slide-998px-139kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: one of the several ‘surviving archaeocetes’ of Heuvelmans (1968) is the incredible SUPER-OTTER! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613508556714-LQUHFTH0V5Y7YLQSYULS/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Deinosuchus-Daderot-CCO-1046px-142kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: mounted Deinosuchus skeleton on show at Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City. Image: Daderot, CC0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613509773792-JTSWP58P09Y9H1AYXZBR/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-dolphin-montage-1305px-100kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: at left, my schematic effort from Naish (1996, 1997) to depict the dolphins seen in the documentary footage. At right: a really awful screenshot, taken in the days before I could take screengrabs. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613504797203-SF113WBGD67B0ZDK2HMT/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-spinner-dolphins-Red-Sea-Alexander-Vasenin-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-1000kb-25kb-Sept-2019-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: Spinner dolphins. Image: Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613505651306-5SZ1SHOOT23BNGENH17C/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-migo-footage-sg-FT-102-894px-121kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: still from the Migo footage, artificially darkened to increase contrast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613510207304-BPT7HE8EMRAJ2CQHU3FA/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Migo-footage-stills-1115px-65kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: more stills from the footage. Note the tall posterior section to the back of the head, long and low thorax and dorsally serrated tail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613558791767-FY0T9BJFS4ASM8HXV88M/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-schematic-Migo-depictions-1159px-58kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: additional efforts to depict the animal shown in the Lake Dakataua footage, the upper of which was published in Naish (1996, 1997). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613510243955-3KSVW8NPEG3Q3EJ4CSCY/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-migo-as-protocetid-1996-2212px-115kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: the animal in the footage as a purely hypothetical post-Eocene protocetid. Don’t take this image seriously. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613505416017-3VZ1IEBUHP8UTG3CYFCH/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-porosus-map-1997-1000px-132kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: simplified map depicting the approximate range of the Saltwater crocodile, from Naish (1997). The stars show extralimital records. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613558489807-FWDFPKFNK2VOCHDQJJD7/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-NG-croc-and-Saltie-scutes-compared-790px-174kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: New Guinea and Saltwater crocs differ obviously in cervical scute arrangement and anatomy. Images: Midori, CC BY 3.0 (original here), Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613558531752-GF2C3NJDVLP8CM1UJMCY/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Naish-1996-and-1997-covers-1007px-154kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: the venues for my Migo articles. The CFZ Yearbook volumes are mighty esoteric and contain so much weird content (the image on the cover is from one of de Sarre’s initial bipedalism articles)… pretty awesome if you like that sort of thing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613563695010-O5L8G86LT0L40SHPQNAW/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-UnCon-1997-montage-1430px-267kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: an UnConvention97 montage, featuring excerpts from newspaper pieces in The Express and The Sunday Telegraph. The journos of the day were mostly interested in Richard Wiseman’s take on the Indian rope trick, Jon Downes’s talk on ‘The Phantom Wallaby Slasher of Newquay Zoo’ and Duncan Lunan’s presentation on the green children of Woolpit… but the Migo at least got an occasional mention. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613559793737-6KU32T5KY860RL7H2A76/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Roy-Mackal-with-chinasaur-1343px-99kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: one of the relatively few images of Roy Mackal available online. I think I might have identified the toy dinosaur he’s holding. If I’m right, that’s… that’s not exactly the best toy to be using as a prop, Roy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613560346205-A9EFT89E7GN4JHPVIPDW/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Saltwater-crocodile-drawing-1078px-89kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: it was a croc all along. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613558838325-Q98BPYF3Q6WEL025KXBY/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-Animals-%26-Men-covers-1429px-196kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: part of this article feels something like a love-letter to Animals & Men, the most exciting cryptozoology-themed publication of the 1990s. Here are covers of the issues which charted the developing Migo story. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1613566214582-JBHES96N18EUFSW1TX7P/Migo-1994-Feb-2021-TetZoo-2008-Migo-coverage-629px-127kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ Lake Monster Footage of 1994 Caption: proof that the Migo story was covered at TetZoo before (back in 2008)…. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/2/2/morgawr-and-the-mary-f-photos monthly 0.5 2021-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1612298658372-CGKOL8DS89YOKZ0NYE1Q/Morgawr-Feb-2021-SW-Coast-Path-Sept-2020-1444px-144kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Morgawr and the Mary F Photos Caption: a view from the South-West Coast Path, taken from close to Rosemullion Head, Cornwall, during September 2020. These waters are the haunt of the Morgawr, oh yes. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1612277557906-WR10FE265924A2G4EI70/Morgawr-Feb-2021-Scott-Riley-monster-908px-79kb-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Morgawr and the Mary F Photos Caption: a rendition of the creature supposedly seen from Pendennis Point by a Mrs Scott and Mr Riley during September 1975. It had stumpy horns, bristles down its back, and was seen to dive and emerge at the surface with a conger eel in its mouth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1612277440581-TOMEV6PJJ1Q9W4BBNBNY/Morgawr-Feb-2021-Mary-F-photos-730px-69kb-Feb-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Morgawr and the Mary F Photos Caption: the famous/infamous ‘Mary F’ photos of Morgawr, taken from Rosemullion Head near Falmouth in the February of 1976. An accompanying letter, written to the Falmouth Packet newspaper, described how the creature was visible for just a few seconds and that its visible part was 15-18 ft long. It was said to “move in a funny way” and to be frightening to the observer. The idea that sea and lake monsters strike an unusual level of fear in their witnesses became a staple bit of monster lore from the 1970s onward… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1612281153414-OF53UC4OAWOUFL0DSLLN/Morgawr-Feb-2021-Durgan-Beach-26-Apil-2010-1077px-207kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Morgawr and the Mary F Photos Caption: part of the rocky foreshore of Durgan Beach, photographed on a misty morning in April 2010. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1612281220929-E2UQE70FXKMEC9NYN18A/Morgawr-Feb-2021-Durgan-Beach-skull-with-Globicephala-1198px-165kb-Feb-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Morgawr and the Mary F Photos Caption: at left, the Durgan Beach ‘Morgawr’ skull of 1975. At right, a definite pilot whale skull. The two might not represent the same species (there are two pilot whale species), but I think this proves the true identity of the Durgan Beach skull. Images: Darren Naish, Colin McHenry. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/1/22/tetrapod-zoology-15th-birthday monthly 0.5 2021-01-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611421642365-06FR9S1JHQLLKOXJBBCU/TetZoo-2021-birthday-New-Forest-scene-with-cryptids-Alexander+Vieira-Sept-2020-1081px-289kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: a New Forest scene from September 2020…. albeit slightly augmented by the good work of Alexander Vieira. Lots of references here to material that’s appeared at TetZoo, on which read on… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611426452147-7C180J5CMFL45XPJXNBS/TetZoo-2021-birthday-TetZoo-animal-toys-June-2020-782px-157kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: 2020 being what it was, I had a fair bit of opportunity to mess around with assorted animal models and toys… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611406523602-GK4ZS2VEK2GBLAHQ5UG8/TetZoo-2021-birthday-QI-swimming-giraffes-Feb-2020-1440px-84kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: Henderson & Naish (2010) is discussed on QI, what an accolate. Image: (c) BBC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611347865336-ISNUSP4PJZ7MIB3O15AC/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Crocodiles-of-the-World-Feb-2020-1293px-219kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: a Crocodiles of the World montage, featuring the caimans Palaeosuchus and Melanosuchus. I still need to write a review article of this excellent visitor attraction and conservation centre. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611417556104-CD9TJO8WV6PGTT655E67/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Cornwall-arrival-March-2020-1440px-78kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: March 2020, and we arrive in Cornwall for the official opening of Monsters of the Deep. It’s cold, it’s dark, it’s wet… aaaand the opening ended up not happening anyway. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611421979557-NPYX4YSOP79I6JFQXZAV/TetZoo-2021-birthday-MOTD-opening-March-2020-1058px-212kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: for at least part of March 2020, we were confident that opening of the Monsters of the Deep exhibition would still occur on time. But then… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611416678933-PBT2ECZDLV84RH8IR97N/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Roe-deer-montage-2020-1046px-152kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: I saw Roe deer on quite a few occasions during 2020. I watched them from trains (as per the photo at upper right), and also saw them just a short distance from my house. The two photos at the bottom show a pair of males who were chasing each other, apparently aggressively (the individual with larger antlers was the pursuer). Note how the big-antlered individual takes special account of his antlers when ducking below a fence. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611417277812-G36A5D7RZ610GAJTF10G/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Alex-Lovegrove-Voay-and-cassowary-art-June-2020-945px-133kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: some great art by Alex Lovegrove. At left, the recently extinct Madagascan crocodylian Voay. At right, a cassowary. Both pieces currently await framing, something that was hard to get done in 2020. Images: Alex Lovegrove. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611420831211-6BIUR2HNQK48592C0JN2/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Spinosaurus-toy-montage-Sept-2020-1301px-159kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: spinosaurids get mentioned below, so here’s a reason to feature this… an image showing just some of the Spinosaurus toys and models that are out there and on the market. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611415381226-KSIULA2F0DOCPZKV60H5/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Common-frog-new-metamorphs-Aug-2020-1018px-161kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: summer 2020 was exceptionally good for our garden’s Common frog Rana temporaria population, this hopefully meaning that things are on the up in the local population. Since this photo was taken (August 2020), I’ve gone to some effort to mostly remove duckweed from the pond: it’s generally agreed that it’s a bad thing for the growth and development of tadpoles. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611408118433-7MSGGN9CNNBD34OSJHMQ/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Phylonyms-volume-July-2020-1129px-101kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611407017735-I1ZC586CQP8A7DHOAE2L/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Futurecon-Simon-Roy-SpecBio-2020-891px-95kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: during August 2020, Simon Roy, Memo Kosemen, Daniel Bensen and I (you can see us at right, from top to bottom) engaged in a discussion about SpecBio for the Futuricon – Eurocon 2020 meeting. Adrian Tchaikovsky was supposed to be there too, but alas. The illustration, by Simon, shows an imaginary humanoid that most definitely did not have mammal-like ancestors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611415682067-DSTAVZWDE97CKL8U4KV1/TetZoo-2021-birthday-swift-box-installation-Aug-2020-1390px-115kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: thanks to liaison with the Hampshire Swifts Group, I paid for the installation of a swift box, and here it is being installed in August 2020. Let’s see if it gets used in 2021. There are swifts nesting (at the appropriate part of the year) only a few hundred metres away, so the odds are reasonably high. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611348148674-65ZDV0W3TW0RZOMQ2Q96/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Stonehenge-Rook-Glastonbury-peregrine-2020-910px-94kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: at left, a Rook Corvus frugilegus dismantles and partially consumes a vole at Stonehenge, an event I observed during September 2020. At right, a Peregrine Falco peregrinus at Glastonbury. Images: Darren Naish, Will Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611418544379-0KYGZ8KQYNH713713R8R/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Grey-seal-montage-Pendennis+Point-Sept-2020-1360px-94kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: while in Falmouth in September 2020, I made a special trip to Pendennis Point to see the Grey seal Halichoerus grypus that was hanging around there (often in really close proximity to human swimmers). Here are a few of my better photos. I love watching seals. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611414530343-VRGCZR2DRYS8MVX6T073/TetZoo-2021-birthday-NMMC_Princess-Anne-2020-1024px-67kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: HRH the Princess Royal at our Monsters of the Deep exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth. Stuart Slade, at left, accompanies the princess. Image: (c) National Maritime Museum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611418004921-FTDLB53LEPCGYGR1P34A/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Krensky-2020-Book-of-Mythical-Beasts-and-Magical-Creatures-Feb-2020-1514px-233kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: if you’re at all interested in mythical creatures, cryptozoology and connected subjects, you must get hold of Stephen Krensky’s The Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures (I was consultant). The art is spectacular; it’s by Pham Quang Phuc. Images: (c) Dorling Kindersley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611348940631-VXNFCB1JETGR52K9APL7/TetZoo-2021-birthday-DK-and-Usborne-book-montage-2020-1458px-198kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: I continue to work occasionally as an expert consultant for book publishers. Here are a few more 2020 books I assisted with. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611419067963-656X08NEI5WFPUAELXG8/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Steep-Holm-Sept-2020-1000px-100kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: a September 2020 scene taken from the shore of Weston-super-Mare. In his wisdom, my son Will walked out onto the mudflats, got stuck, and nearly died. The superbly shaped island Steep Holm (home to a bunch of interesting wildlife) is visible at left. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611420299822-WUS1E1FJNVZR25EPAHRG/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Kimmeridge-Clay-Pal-Ass-ichthyosaurs-montage-Dec-2020-1028px-127kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: at left, the Kimmeridge Clay Pal Ass volumes, at last! At right, a speculative 1983 reconstruction of the Kimmeridge Clay ichthyosaur Nannopterygius by Bernard Long. Like so many traditional reconstructions of ichthyosaurs, this makes the animal look way too much like a dolphin rather than a sea-going reptile. Images: Darren Naish, (c) Bernard Long. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611347983768-J5WEDOM6CBVCHJYJ8MLA/TetZoo-2021-birthday-dinosaur-books-Dec-2020-1300px-214kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: for the purposes of a book I finished writing in late 2020, I needed a bunch of dinosaur-themed stuff within easy reach… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611347773255-KF7J1SZZ96TDZ9ZSMJOJ/TetZoo-2021-birthday-coverage-graph-1526px-60kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611423222407-Q649VL2S6YYE8DV3XK37/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Henry-St-Leger-and-Sam-St-Leger-art-Sept-2020-1158px-128kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: 2020 was overwhelmingly dinosaur-themed for me, and there’s plenty of evidence for that, as in these Crystal Palace-themed images – produced for my birthday – by Henry St Leger (at left) and Sam St Leger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1611423885395-ER6YXGWLOT7JZ5M4NPU4/TetZoo-2021-birthday-Dinosaurs-How-They-Lived-%26-Evolved-2020-743px-80kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On Tetrapod Zoology’s 15th Birthday, the Year in Review Caption: my book (co-authored with Paul Barrett) Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved remained in print throughout 2020, and in fact I sold a bunch to those kind enough to buy them (copies are for sale here). A revised edition may well appear at some point in the future. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/1/16/the-netflix-series-alien-worlds monthly 0.5 2022-01-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820259430-5E07EHAKUOG0E63U9O9Q/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Netflix-card-954px-83kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610831193156-IV0HSNRCU8JQYQGLBWX3/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-balloon-predators-769px-41kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: balloon-like predators of the planet Atlas. Read on for something of their backstory. Image: (c) Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610824861972-IN153WE9X4EBSZH2AT2I/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-DK-Darren-alien-1227px-184kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: many of us who write about, or study, animals get asked to design imaginary aliens at one point or another. My biases mean that my aliens always look like vertebrates or arthropods.. in other words, they become charismatic megafauna. Here’s one I helped design for Robin Kerrod’s 2003 Dorling Kindersley book Universe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610824728282-FMZIMGDZ5JWTM9CPJU3L/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-arthropod-studio-618px-59kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: numerous segments of Alien Worlds focused on living animals and their biology and evolution. A sequence on sexual combat in beetles focused on the adventures of a film-maker who films rhinoceros beetles. Image: (c) Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610825982462-8F5NR9F15LCE7IGRJYPW/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Bylinsky-Darwins-Universe-1234px-129kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: having mentioned Gene Bylinsky’s 1981 Life in Darwin’s Universe, I have to share a few of its illustrations because they’re…. interesting! They’re by Wayne McLoughlin. Images: Bylinsky (1981). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820372042-1B4964FTXPTI249WO86R/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Skywhales-sg-Jan-2021-937px-38kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: the manta-like flying animal of the animated movie Skywhales. This film was shown in cinemas, where it accompanied the movie 1984. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820982222-E64RKONFEGW0D2IL79TN/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Sky-grazer-baby-590px-38kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: ground-bound, baby Sky Grazers have to get into the air before predatory, blob-like Scavengers smother and consume them. Credit: (c) Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820401551-9JPMBG8V74LKZK58EQ5G/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-sky-manta-montage-Jan-2021-1243px-162kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: concept and development sketches pertaining to the Sky Grazers, from my notebook. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610827045733-ZEVG3D7WFIM4SKS6QZHO/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Sky-Grazer-vs-Predators-1177px-34kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: a Sky grazer is attacked by a fleet of gas-bag predators. Image: (c) Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610827378543-J7D55WFTL7ACIRLYTZBS/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Janus-multi-limbed-animal-1099px-96kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: the multi-limbed, multi-eyed creatures of Janus are shown predating on smaller, arthropod-like, swarming creatures. Image: (c) Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610826617583-RA5DXLFFST9MRKI709S2/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-oystercatcher-polymorphism-1071px-59kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: one of my favourite examples of polymorphism in a vertebrate…. though it’s pretty subtle compared to that seen in some other organisms… bill shape variation in oystercatchers. Some individuals have slim, pointy, knife-like bills, others have stout, blunted, hammer-like bills. Image: Hosking & Hale (1983). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820437998-9E2BDT6U038XDONCYCSK/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Thing-montage-Jan-2021-930px-119kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: sketches depicting the development of our multi-limbed, vaguely arthropod-like aliens of Janus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610825337676-XIV4QIXABAKDMDWU7FCX/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Eden-Space-Monkey-1253px-136kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: one of the planets explored in the series - Eden - is home to animals that look suspiciously mammal-like. But look below; we started from a very different position. Image: (c) Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820470004-6MG7YKDPXYTTR969KW81/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Eden-space-rabbit-Jan-2021-1048px-83kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: space rabbits! Nothing like this made it into the final series; instead, we have the rabbit-lepidopteran hybrid that is ‘The Grazer’! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820541564-53MDQR8LB10PERML8JZ5/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Eden-megaherbivores-Jan-2021-1397px-94kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: a group of Eden megaherbivores that were not to be. Fire-resistant, stretchy-necked browsers able to burrow and retract their appendages when required. An aquatic lineage were imagined as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820510303-UZ2CUJVZGX1VXULFYEL0/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Eden-space-monkey-prototypes-Jan-2021-1053px-106kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: prototype versions of Eden’s predators, creatures which were loosely ‘ancestral’ to the Space monkey that appeared in the final episode. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610824333539-0AH2WE53BSXRIC57VSE9/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Barlowe-on-screen-Dec-2018-1160px-115kb-Jan-2021-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds Caption: proof that we were very much aware of previous alien concepts. The aliens covered in Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials are visible on screen; Nigel at left, Tim at right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1610820928224-IW6Q99K4DJSYH6BR57BG/Alien-Worlds-Jan-2021-Netflix-card-2-1543px-109kb-Jan-2021-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Netflix Series Alien Worlds https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/12/15/tetzoomcon-2020-an-unbridled-success monthly 0.5 2020-12-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608063456766-3G7BF41K0W0A7GNE4BAF/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Evan-Johnson-Ransom-sg-960px-86kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success Caption: a screengrab from the opening session (thanks to Evan Johnson-Ransom). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608064383387-STABLW6OFOFYOGX6RZU6/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Anjali-Goswami-salamander-image-888px-66kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success Caption: Anjali Goswami’s talk not only included her expression of undying love for salamanders, it also featured excellent and wonderful photo montages like this one. Image: Anjali Goswami. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608064218677-MZ03CPK0KHG58FFE0D8P/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Natalia-Jagielska-art-812px-164kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success Caption: Natalia Jagielska’s excellent illustrations proved fertile ground for conversion into memes. Natalia was not responsible for the labels here :) Image: Natalia Jagielska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608063816352-YV34WKY9583FP5DH1GYJ/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Big-cat-workshop-intro-Neil-Balchan-sg1244px-137kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success Caption: a screengrab from the British big cats workshop intro, by Darren Naish (thanks to Neil Balchan). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608064922508-UURWVMMCW0FCIY0CHCTR/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-palaeoart-workshop-montage-1200px-123kb-Dec-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success Caption: an indication of some of the talent present in the palaeoart workshop, dominated in this instance by coelurosaurian theropods. Clockwise from upper left, the images are by Avatar of Voyeuristic Terror, Matt Dempsey, Natee Himmapaan and Jack Mayer Wood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608062884394-V9C1OBP7S2FOT734FBOG/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Mark-Simmon-1-1028kb-206kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608062906215-MP10FSOLWJ8OLLVO12N8/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Mark-Simmon-2-1034kb-214kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608062926644-2X2AG5OF0QDKQ6H6S6GC/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Mark-Simmon-3-1009kb-191kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608062948402-7Y1O01YVBBUIPOHI2H8C/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Mark-Simmon-4-1034kb-215kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608062970662-X517TVIHQRLNZ70FV717/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Mark-Simmon-5-1033kb-215kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608063570595-AIETZ1HCL5FPJS3BF5CS/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Gothmog-Dave-distracted-meme-750px-92kb-Dec-2020-TetZoo.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success Caption: thanks to Gothmog Dave. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1608065640712-JWKRS2GKU4N4F3DNV79Z/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-TetZooCon-2019-montage-1059px-189kb-Dec-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooMCon 2020 an Unbridled Success Caption: a reminder of what things were like back when we used to meet people. The 2019 TetZooCon was huge, and we were all set in 2020 to move to an even bigger, better venue… https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/12/5/tetzoomcon-2020 monthly 0.5 2020-12-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1607183584180-F8922MMCUTR2QQHF02LI/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-banner-1413px-150kb-Dec-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2020 + Zoom = TETZOOMCON 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1607183990870-QBSZS2QGTP46Y8A6VKEL/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Becky-Wragg-Sykes-Kindred-960px-88kb-Dec-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2020 + Zoom = TETZOOMCON 2020 Caption: Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred, one of our several TetZooMCon speakers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1607183617445-XN753XHVG1MNVC5XJ624/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-Minter-big-cats-1190px-147kb-Dec-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2020 + Zoom = TETZOOMCON 2020 Caption: the British big cat phenomenon - whether you think there are genuine wild-living, non-native cat species involved or not - involves discussions on rewilding, our attitudes to feral wildlife, field biology and evolutionary theory. Rick Minter (shown here) discusses all of these things in his book and his podcast (Big Cat Conversations). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1607183737831-3U2ALJZLSGO8L43L9U91/TetZooMCon-Dec-2020-palaeoart-montage-1027px-138kb-Dec-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2020 + Zoom = TETZOOMCON 2020 Caption: a montage of works involving TetZooMCon palaeoart workshop participants. Clockwise from upper left: Bob Nicholls, Gabriel Ugueto, Raven Amos, Midiaou Diallo and Luis Rey. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/11/27/trope-of-the-buffalo-backed-dinosaur monthly 0.5 2020-11-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606506298944-ESXF21UYFN9PPNKKKQRC/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-McLoughlin-montage-981px-121kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: ‘alternative’ ceratopsians from last time. Images: John McLoughlin; Henry Peihong Tsai. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606492399722-X4QI45T9X92SLNZIDTB5/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-Naish-buffalosaur-933px-52kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: another McLoughlian ceratopsian. I feel ashamed. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606489362207-JXOYWKSN2MCK0VF9XG2P/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-Emily-Willoughby-buffalosaur-685px-66kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: a hypothetical ‘buffalo lizard’ by Emily Willoughby, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606481810881-BCNPJOVIEXWOKT5E0H3E/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-Dixon-Monocorn-1000px-65kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: Dougal Dixon’s Monocorn, as illustrated by Philip Hood in Dixon (1988). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606489426872-HY978WJJ8NF4MASAQCMD/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-Bailey-1997-dinosaurs-1021px-105kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: (1) Spinosaurus and (2) Ouranosaurus as reconstructed (by R. E. Johnson) for Bailey’s 1997 paper. It was argued that these humps might function as thermal shields or as fat storage sites. Image: R. E. Johnson/Bailey (1997). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606484474830-ZNV9DAHZGFFAP6Y0NRGW/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-CP-megalosaur-840px-168kb-Dec-2018-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: the Crystal Palace Megalosaurus, photographed to emphasise its massive shoulder hump, as it looked when I took this photo in 2018. Since then, the model has of course been severely damaged by a person who hung from the lower jaw and then managed to rip most of the face off. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606492460363-NYBQWWHEMWWWLLEXMYAZ/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-CP-Altispinax-montage-599px-75kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: at left, NHMUK R1818, the holotype dorsal vertebrae of Altispinax dunkeri… formerly Becklespinax altispinax (yes, I’m following Michael Maisch’s 2016 argument that A. dunkeri is the right name). At right, Owen’s 1855 depiction of the same specimen: you’ll note that there are various differences between the specimen and the illustration. Images: Natural History Museum; Owen (1855). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606501784393-BXV8OIEZT36TD9HCXBWN/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-Snowball-Wealden-Altispinax-687px-53kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: a detail from Peter Snowball’s 1979 Wealden scene (featured in Charig 1979), showing the theropod Altispinax with a shoulder hump or sail. I think that the original of this painting is in the Natural History Museum, London. Image: (c) Peter Snowball/Natural History Museum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606507702511-CZ095IXI3EDXSS8ZMDBQ/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-Chasmosaurus-Sebastian-Bergmann-800px-116kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Image: mounted skeleton of Chasmosaurus russelli on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Alberta. Even if some of the vertebrae here have neural spines a bit higher than we might expect, I don’t think there’s any indication that we might get a hypothetical ‘buffalo-backed’ descendant of this animal. Image: Sebastian Bergmann, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606489485058-XHHTS9GC8JDIN5DX6RNC/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-Trioceros-skeleton-600px-69kb-Feb-2016-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: some chameleons - like this Jackson’s chameleon Trioceros jacksonii - have elongate dorsal neural spines that are similar to those of tall-spined dinosaurs, and they support sails. Not humps. Jackson’s chameleon is not an especially tall-spined species, some Trioceros species are more sail-backed. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606508059929-4YPP99U794U0S4USOCBV/buffalo-backed-dinosaurs-Nov-2020-Guthrie-humps-1000px-40kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur Caption: Guthrie (1990) argued that the shoulder humps of living mammals mostly correlate with adaptation to a grazing life in open habitats, and function in increasing efficiency by allowing greater stride length. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/11/22/alternative-view-of-horned-dinosaur-anatomy monthly 0.5 2020-11-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606078420548-KXZ3MZPRC59NYFQ6738Q/McLoughlin-1979-ceratopsians-Nov-2020-Brecon-chasmosaurine-1000px-92kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited Caption: no, I do not take seriously the suggestion that the ceratopsian frill (and its associated bony and keratinous structures) evolved within the context of it being an anti-predator structure, as depicted here. Abundant evidence shows instead that it was an extravagant signalling structure that predominantly functioned in sociosexual behaviour. These models are on show at the National Showcaves Centre for Wales, Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606078660743-0WY6BNWGI3XBDQFMH4IU/McLoughlin-1979-ceratopsians-Nov-2020-chasmosaurine-montage-1000px-38kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited Caption: ceratopsian frills are among the most extravagant structures of any dinosaur group. They can contain massive bony ‘windows’ (as in the Chasmosaurus belli skull ROM 843 shown at left), or be solid (as in the Triceratops shown at right, photographed at Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606076917568-42IUIEK05XNTFDEOKEFJ/McLoughlin-1979-ceratopsians-Nov-2020-Dodson-ceratopsian-jaw-musculature-340px-67kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited Caption: ceratopsian jaw musculature as reconstructed in Chasmosaurus and Styracosaurus by Dodson (1996). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606076595589-MCMN123FYF7IRAEEF2OD/McLoughlin-1979-ceratopsians-Nov-2020-Triceratops-musculature-McLoughlin-970px-44kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoologytiny.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited Caption: John McLoughlin proposed that ceratopsian jaw musculature covered the entire frill, and extended over the back. These would - just about - be the biggest muscles ever! Image: McLoughlin (1979). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606076765757-A574G26O0YJ10HHND9P7/McLoughlin-1979-ceratopsians-Nov-2020-Triceratops-profile-1000px-218kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited Caption: John McLoughlin’s Triceratops reconstruction from 1979 book. Image: McLoughlin (1979). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606076795081-C1Y441OZ3ZUZQMLLPLX6/McLoughlin-1979-ceratopsians-Nov-2020-1000px-54kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited Caption: McLoughlin (1979) reconstructed several ceratopsians in additional to Triceratops, including non-ceratopsids like Psittacosaurus and Protoceratops, and ceratopsids like Chasmosaurus (at left) and Styracosaurus (at right). Image: McLoughlin (1979). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606076343953-D4D1E2ONPL8RN35WWYRT/McLoughlin-1979-ceratopsians-Nov-2020-Lambert-Triceratops-a-la-McLoughlin-680px-17kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited Caption: A McLoughlinesque Triceratops as redrawn from 1983 Collins Guide to Dinosaurs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1606134929166-USDLFQN0985G2INF9223/McLoughlin-1979-ceratopsians-Nov-2020-Titanoceratops-Henry-Peihong-Tsai-860px-47kb-3-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited Caption: courtesy of Henry Peihong Tsai, used with permission. Henry adds: “I’ve thrown in the Japanese characters for “menacing” sound effect (“go go go go”), as well as some inaccurate elephantine feet for good measure”. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/11/16/cadborosaurus-carcass-review monthly 0.5 2020-11-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605578162942-P0DLTXHHEN7PLMY3UOCF/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-opening-profiles-1071px-89kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: it’s 1937, and this long, slender object - apparently the carcass of a peculiar vertebrate animal - has been extracted from the stomach of a Sperm whale at a British Columbian whaling station… (images from Bousfield & LeBlond 1995). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605542102869-CL8MCGY7ZZRQBIKOS85C/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Caddy-accounts-and-Archie-Wills-1282px-141kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: at left, three classic, formative Caddy illustrations: Mattison’s 1964 drawings of the Fergusson and Walker 1897 sighting, and the 1933 newspaper illustration based on the Major Langley and F. W. Kemp sighting. At right: Archie H. Wills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605542310332-8JK611R0BFVW3MI1CLYX/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Loch-Ness-montage-1103px-171kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: the Loch Ness Monster made it big in 1933, thanks in no small part to the Spicer sighting (two interpretations of which are which are depicted here - I do so like the Gino d’Achille one). I wasn’t the first to notice that Cadborosaurus made it big so soon after the Loch Ness Monster hit the news: Loxton & Prothero (2013) drew attention to this too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605541247674-5QWIM4PZZPC3XHJ9MRGM/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Cameron-McCormick-montage-1077px-161kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: contrary to claims otherwise, Caddy sightings are not at all consistent. They describe encounters with a substantial diversity of things seen at sea. Image: Cameron McCormick. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605563707688-E5NXBBY8ZNHM8KHGEDXD/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+indigenous-NW-Pacific-art-1068px-137kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: numerous piece of indigenous imagery have been linked with the concept of Cadborosaurus. We should be extremely sceptical of any and all such claims: they’re based on only the most superficial of similarities and ignore the actual stories behind these images and objects. Images: Bousfield & LeBlond (1995). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605563942526-WLXBMGJ3M9AUKSD1KDIF/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+Paul-LeBlond-804px-137kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: the late Dr Paul LeBlond. Image: Times Colonist (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605578590496-JSVNWGXP9U519A3WCZTA/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Haida-map-529px-54kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: location of Haida Gwaii, from (c) Google maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605573931668-W3KLCU51AZH0F0QW5FGV/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+New-Scientist-1993-1000px-115kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: one of the first ‘mainstream’ outings of the discovery (or… rediscovery?) of the Naden Harbour carcass — it’s coverage in this January 1993 New Scientist article by Penny Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605541465040-EPQKMNKR4TF4LYFD0JGC/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Ed-Bousfield-and-1992-montage-1077px-211kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: at left, Ed Bousfield with images of the Naden Harbour carcass. At right, the Bousfield & LeBlond (1992) abstract from American Zoologist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605556148849-AZJG1HWS12NHFS9BOF84/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+speculative-zoology-montage-Naish-2014-1135px-145kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: speculative ‘creature building’ has been, and remains, a prominent part of cryptozoological theorising. You have to make up your mind whether this is a good thing or not. These images are from Naish (2014) and incorporate elements produced by C. M. Kosemen (lower left), John Conway (cat-walrus at upper right), and unnamed artists from South Africa (lower right). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605555489182-P962CKK71NF1GCD8M1XA/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+Boorman-holotype-700px-68kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: the Boorman ‘holotype’ photo of the Naden Harbour carcass, from Bousfield & LeBlond (1995). The photo shows lots more of the surrounding buildings and structures than normally shown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605555587657-AYSGM92481QKHN1PBCTF/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+Boorman-paratype-512px-53kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: the Boorman ‘paratype’ photo of the Naden Harbour carcass, from Bousfield & LeBlond (1995). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605541644059-UT148CKHRSCP8MLMEPTJ/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Bousfield-%26-LeBlond-1995-monograph-1373px-237kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: front cover and abstract of Bousfield & LeBlond (1995). I don’t know how common hard copies are; there are also a few pdf versions (of differing quality) kicking around. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605542457353-9SXU8N7YP8K56I7NG6GF/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Cadborosaurus-head-Bousfield-%26-LeBlond-1995-899px-49kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: the head of the Naden Harbour carcass as interpreted by Bousfield & LeBlond (1995). Can we really discern all the specific details they featured in their illustration? I don’t think so. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605554347564-1JQ1Y5Z2PD61ES4Y9ORH/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Cadborosaurus-vs-actual-plesiosaur-1001px-92kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: is Cadborosaurus - as imagined by Bousfield & LeBlond (1995) - like a plesiosaur? I mean… at all like a plesiosaur? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605553768385-777OG6BVDGV1AQR064BG/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-David-Norman-1985-IED-1159px-201kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: Norman (1985) - here are both editions - is an ok book, but is it the book you should be citing in a technical study supposedly discussing plesiosaur anatomy? Nope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605540852971-I2506Z9QSSDUHQP4UK5D/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Norman-1985-and-Brown-1981-montage-slide-1308px-163kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: the Cryptoclidus reconstruction featured in Norman (1985) is from Brown (1981)… pretty annoying that it’s printed across two pages, and hence disappears into the spine when you try and photograph it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605542647013-YG915VX5VH3C6Z46CVG8/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Cadborosaurus-pseudp-fluke-montage-1035px-109kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: Bousfield & LeBlond (1995) argued that numerous anatomical details could be identified in the ragged tail of the Naden Harbour carcass, that the observed section was only the right-side section of a symmetrical set of hindlimbs, and that the bony elements within this object could be homologised with the hindlimb of a plesiosaur (… and their picture wasn’t of a plesiosaur). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605542751809-UK3B0KB3XZYCK2XGP5FO/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-9+LeBlond-%26-Bousfield-book-cover-450px-69kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: cover of LeBlond & Bousfield (1995). Somewhere online there’s a full version of the very nice painting that graces the cover, but I can’t find it today. I wonder where the original is? (I’d love to own it). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605554403220-KI7FBIYLYAP5XW0051AC/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+Carroll-%26-Gaskill-1985-Pachypleurosaurus-whole-1148px-43kb-Nov-2020.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: Neusticosaurus, a Triassic sauropterygian described and figured by Carroll & Gaskill (1985). The pelvis and hindlimb of this animal was figured by Bousfield & LeBlond (1995) as if the animal was a plesiosaur, which it isn’t. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605562993494-6FLCZEZGMXPT3KI9NR8P/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+plesiosaur-montage-971px-127kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: plesiosaurs were relatively stiff-bodied animals where their wing-like paddles (connected to giant pectoral and pelvic bones) had long, slender phalangeal sections. Images (clockwise from upper left): Plesiosaurus specimen on show at Lyme Regis Museum (Darren Naish); plesiosaur hindlimbs from Williston 1925; Mary Anning’s famous Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus of 1824, in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605561855522-0G7ZA0NWHD1C3UOZY6C0/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+Caddy-cladogram-Feb-2015-799px-125kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: Bousfield & LeBlond (1995) - the Cadborosaurus monograph - explicitly and repeatedly compares the Naden Harbour carcass to plesiosaurs, and pushes the hypothesis that Cadborosaurus is a highly member of this reptile group. Both authors later denied that this is what they were promoting. This cartoon cladogram depicts (from top to bottom) a nothosaur, a plesiosaur, and Cadborosaurus as imagined by Bousfield & LeBlond (1995). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605562492096-4E1B2P10PVC1H5STE6JL/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Cadborosaurus-montage-slide-998px-128kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: a Naden Harbour carcass montage, using images from Bousfield & LeBlond (1995). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605561231632-DVNN3J8C19WE1TFKK1VD/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-species-named-from-photos-889px-137kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: a list of species have been described without the retention of type specimens. Here are a few, clockwise from top left: the Vietnamese snake Cryptophidion anamense, Blonde capuchin ‘Cebus queirozi’, White-cheeked macaque Macaca leucogenys, Galápagos pink land iguana Conolophus marthae. See my 2017 article Animal Species Named From Photos. Images: Wallach & Jones 1994; Mendes Pontes et al. 2006; Li et al. 2015; Gentile & Snell 2009. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605556794748-HFSXPBGJ0U6CY215GBZ2/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-+Caddy-Naish-drawing-923px-62kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: my (now quite dated) attempt to depict Cadborosaurus as it was imagined by Bousfield and LeBlond. I should draw a more accurate, more competent version one day. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605564489746-4LBP7RML735J6P23PJ8W/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-books-that-discuss-Cadborosaurus-montage-1388px-192kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: the key texts on Cadborosaurus. LeBlond & Bousfield (1995) and LeBlond et al. (2014) - the two books on the left - state the case for the creature’s existence. Loxton & Prothero (2013) and Naish (2017) - the two on the right - are critical of these claims. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605574650440-71HGAZYGN9J0ML992X19/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Naish-2000-Fortean-Times-3-1103px-255kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: the Cadborosaurus section from Naish (2000). It mostly repeats content elaborated on elsewhere in the article you’re reading now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605554827339-4K5R5KSDJJLGV21DZCPX/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Camp-Fircom-Shuker-UneXplained-montage-1338px-133kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: at left, the location of Camp Fircom; at right, Shuker’s 1996 The UneXplained. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605574111601-3U5KVCC2F3O7FH5NBQ93/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Camp-Fircom-montage-2-1348px-110kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: my attempts to draw the Camp Fircom carcass, and the first page of Naish (1997). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605564991666-2RQSFDLGNJL797W8OEH3/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Zuiyo-maru-carcass-and-Hemmler-Basking-shark-827px-59kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: if you know anything about sea monster carcasses, you’ll be familiar with the ‘pseudoplesiosaur’ idea. At left, the Zuiyo-maru carcass of 1977. At right: Basking shark decomposition and the creation of a pseudoplesiosaur as illustrated by Markus Bühler. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605540353881-ZRNOC55WRPNMV0AWS7JD/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-sturgeon-slide-1020px-128kb-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: could the Naden Harbour carcass be a decomposed sturgeon? A few details are suggestive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605540294447-XKQQJLX6K72MRIHXGH4S/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Caddy-vs-Merhorse-slide-979px-101kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: Cadborosaurus had its precursor in ‘Halshippus’, the Merhorse of Heuvelmans (1968). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1605540684575-CSJ0G293GQPP6GW2MHYE/Naden-Habour-Cadborosaurus-carcass-Nov-2020-Saggese-Cadborotherium-sirenian-montage-879px-72kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Case of the Cadborosaurus Carcass: a Review Caption: Saggese’s (2005) speculative illustrations of Caddy as a giant, long-necked sirenian. Because Saggese interpreted the animal as a mammal, he argued that it should be renamed ‘Cadborotherium’. The cursor arrow features in the original article. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/11/3/the-dicynodont-as-ground-sloth-hypothesis monthly 0.5 2020-11-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604522112480-1WTEKZXYMCJT5X7CFD2J/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-Sinokannemeyeria-PMC-by-Morosaurus-millenii-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1088px-198kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: dicynodonts are great, and I totally haven’t written enough about them. This is Sinokannemeyeria from the Middle Triassic of China, on display at the Paleozoological Museum of China. Image: Morosaurus millenii, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604521368646-EUTHYUG1PR6077BST9QL/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-Dinodontosaurus-rearing-1059px-101kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: in which I try as hard as I can to make a kannemeyeriiform dicynodont - in this case, Dinodontosaurus from the Middle Triassic of Brazil - to look bipedal in sloth-like fashion. Even those animals absolutely unsuited for bipedal rearing can still do it on occasion, so maybe this scene isn’t thoroughly implausible. But were kannemeyeriiforms specialised for this behaviour? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604516104514-YKQPCNKNPEM0K1AJPIQ2/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-dicynodont-heads-montage-1000px-56kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: a dicynodont montage produced for my in-prep textbook (which can you learn more about, and support, here). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604498397925-JGLP1SWCQBT9KNFCHHQ3/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-cover-of-King-1990-564px-76kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: my reasonably well-used copy of King (1990). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604498111312-CFFRN4Y6VOD8RS5959MZ/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-Cruickshank-1978-montage-tidied-1000px-41kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: Cruickshank (1978) compared the skeletons of dicynodonts like (C) Kannemeyeria with sloths, like (A) Nothrotherium and (B) Hapalops. Image: Cruickshank (1978). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604498143259-V218WHOULK5OD9TO4E5M/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-Cruickshank-1978-life-restoration-scene-1000px-158kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: the rather curious depiction of living kannemeyeriiforms featured in Cruickshank (1978); illustration by Dolores Rokos. The shaggy fur is obvious, but look also for the prehensile tongues, unusual hand and foot posture, as well as the bipedal rearing. Image: Cruickshank (1978). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604498173707-07U75JNW4T3C7930RJXO/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-Cruickshank-1978-life-restoration-crop-620px-33kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: a close-up of one of those shaggy kannemeyeriiforms from Cruickshank (1978). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604516409101-N4D1W5F33RRB3NBD4AJS/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-sloths-in-Brazil-739px-75kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: ground sloths as seen from behind (Eremotherium on the left, Glossotherium on the right). The funnel-shaped ribcages, massive flaring, thickened pelvic girdles, absurdly broad femora and other features are simply not like anything seen in kannemeyeriiforms or other dicynodonts. This photo was taken at the National Museum of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, in 2013 (and thus prior to the fire of 2018). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604522475011-M4L90RZ24531B4F0FVK2/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-NHM-Megatherium-888px-86kb-Nov-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: the fossil sloth that the majority of us are most familiar with, the giant South American megatheriid Megatherium americanum, an animal with a very important role in the history of vertebrate palaeontology. This specimen – a cast, on show at London’s Natural History Museum – has a fascinating backstory of its own, and has been on show in the museum since its opening in 1881. Image: Darren Naish/NHM. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604498205379-3V0IDNCH5IVS4HZ9VFUS/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-Cruickshank-1978-limb-parts-1000px-38kb-Nov-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: do kannemeyeriiform hands really look adapted for knuckle-walking, and do they have long, sloth-like claws? As you can see here, they don’t. At far left, we see the left hand of the kannemeyeriiform Tetragonius; in the middle is the right hand of the sloth Mylodon; and at far right is the right hindlimb of the kannemeyeriiform Ischigualastia. Images: Cruickshank (1978). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604439966662-ESPEURODA2L0AYGLA9AJ/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-Morato-et-al-2008-dicynodont-CoM-1141px-137kb-Nov-2011-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: Morato et al. (2008) constructed a small model of the kannemeyeriiform Dinodontosaurus, scanned it digitally, and then used software to determine the centre of mass: it’s visible as the white dot. Image: Morato et al. (2008). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1604439938916-RECEKA2KZSCH01OPRFNB/dicynodont-ground-sloth-crossover-Nov-2020-Morato-et-al-2008-dicynodont-CoM-2-1175px-45kb-Nov-2011-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dicynodont as Ground Sloth Hypothesis Caption: Morato et al. (2008) used a second technique to determine the position of the centre of mass in both juvenile and adult specimens of the kannemeyeriiform Dinodontosaurus: they constructed clay models and suspended them by wires. The results essentially match the digital technique illustrated above. Image: Morato et al. (2008). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/10/23/the-water-monitor-complex-an-introduction monthly 0.5 2020-10-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1603477086107-QEP5SMQ4UWR7B4J2WNDT/monitors-Oct-2020-profile-montage-1314px-166kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Water Monitor Complex, an Introduction Caption: a selection of monitor profiles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1603483725526-48SJPKBJYYO570U2ZS8X/monitors-Oct-2020-monitor-montage-1301px-164kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Water Monitor Complex, an Introduction Caption: monitors are a diverse bunch and vary substantially in skull shape, dentition, overall size and proportions, and in ecology, behaviour and much else. We mostly stick with the idea that all 80-odd living species should be included in the single genus Varanus, but there’s a good case to be made for splitting this into 10 genera or more. Names for those subdivisions already exist and are traditionally recognised as ‘subgenera’. The images here show (left to right) Savannah or Bosc’s monitor V. exanthematicus, Blue tree monitor V. macraeai and Crocodile monitor V. salvadorii. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1603477117937-YXLAYXB7AU5DVLW86TQ3/monitors-Oct-2020-captive-salvator-1014px-125kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Water Monitor Complex, an Introduction Caption: a captive water monitor encountered at a natural history meeting in 2010, I think of the nominate form V. salvator salvator. Note the handlers robust gloves. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1603477027961-BG830KMYA2JGMIDB6NOF/monitors-Oct-2020-salvator-map-CC-SA-3-0-wikipedia-930px-75kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Water Monitor Complex, an Introduction Caption: a map of water monitor distribution, the different colours showing the ranges of V. salvator subspecies as recognised by Koch et al. (2007). Yellow: V. s. salvator; green: V. s. macromaculatus; blue: V. s. bivittatus; red: V. s. andamanensis; brown: V. s. ziegleri; grey: undescribed Sulawesi subspecies. Image: Martin-rnr, CC BY 3.0 (original here; based on map in Koch et al. (2007)). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1603485123151-D6UBSLRTSKLJCRWBLKVS/monitors-Oct-2020-Water-monitor-Christian-Gloor-1045px-155kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Water Monitor Complex, an Introduction Caption: what a beautiful animal; a water monitor photographed in Indonesia. Image: Christian Gloor, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1603484630789-70BHOHBWNW5SBDD0JBPC/monitors-Oct-2020-Cumings-monitor-lizard-London-Zoo-August-2020-960px-80kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Water Monitor Complex, an Introduction Caption: a number of varanid populations long included in V. salvator look very different from classic populations of the species, and a good case has been built that they should be regarded as distinct species. Look at this fantastic yellow animal (on display at ZSL London Zoo): it’s Cuming’s water monitor, aka Yellow-headed water monitor or Philippine water monitor V. cumingi. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/10/11/monsters-of-the-deep-nmmc monthly 0.5 2020-10-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443799536-ERFGYF0ZQ1H550QIOFB6/MOTD-Oct-2020-Medieval-section-back-left-754px-122kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443841567-QDVNKH3T6WE91W4YCYB5/MOTD-Oct-2020-NMMC-exterior-900px-139kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: Monsters of the Deep is on show at the National Maritime Museum at Discovery Quay, Falmouth. It’s there until January 2022, so you have a while to visit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602444778798-JGFDSQEEMUI4WK1NQU6Y/MOTD-Oct-2020-behind-the-scenes-2018-2019-1332px-214kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: a few behind-the-scenes glimpses. At left, a prototype map of the exhibition as imagined by Stuart and I in 2018. Top right: the Killer whale skeleton arrives! Lower right: my son Will gets a close look at the creatures from the Discovery Collections. Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602462200598-NUWBBAL8C40VC4M3PV2Y/MOTD-Oct-2020-Carta-Marina-upper-left-1010px-212kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: Olaus Magnus’ Carta Marina, the world’s most famous Medieval depiction of sea monsters. Creatures shown here include a sea unicorn, prister, sea pig, ziphius, sea cow, great serpent and others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443871835-7WV0XD8C2UN9MM1J70S0/MOTD-Oct-2020-Hortus-from-University-of-Cambridge-Library-970px-102kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: we have an actual copy of the Hortus Sanitatis on show, loaned from Cambridge University Library. Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443896624-S0A1HXJ91NR69VPSG6SD/MOTD-Oct-2020-sideshow-and-Brighton-mermaid-1040px-101kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: at left, the mermaid-themed sideshow section appears behind an area dominated by Medieval views on sea monsters. At right: an actual real mermaid (loaned by The Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust, Brighton and Hove). Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443961598-F4FA8430FE94DW4EGEBE/MOTD-Oct-2020-Heuvelmans-section-910px-104kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: our cryptozoology section covers the life and work of Bernard Heuvelmans (a copy of his In the Wake is visible at far left, open at the pages on the bogus von Forstner U28 encounter), and the (mostly) ‘post-Heuvelmans’ cryptozoological literature. Image: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602444007930-0DRJH8TU1LHIA6V4UQIQ/MOTD-Oct-2020-Heuvelmans-9-sea-serpents-Tim-Morris-1007px-117kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Images: thanks to the good graces of my friend Tim Morris, we were able to create this giant display panel on the nine sea monsters of Bernard Heuvelmans. Visitors can learn more about the relevant specific sightings (or alleged sightings) via the touchscreen visible at lower right… though, in the age of COVID, special precautions are required. Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443716573-U4OUXK78XEQBJ32VKU0N/MOTD-Oct-2020-Darren-and-coelacanth-rotated-1129px-110kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: there are something like five coelacanth specimens in the UK, so having one on display is a big deal. You might be surprised how large it is. At right, I’ve rotated the image so you can better see the animal in profile. Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602448278561-WM96P0P2RRDG7OS87YVI/MOTD-Oct-2020-Rhedosaurus-vs-the-lighthouse-1175px-33kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: Rhedosaurus remains among the most charismatic of monstrous mega-beasts bought to the big screen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602446992543-3DR0DRTU2YMXQDH10NMI/MOTD-Oct-2020-movie-monsters-and-Kraken-826px-133kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: at left, part of our ‘monsters at the movies’ area. At right; a toy version of the Harryhausen Kraken, prior to its being built into the special diorama we’ve had made. Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443678629-X3WTB4JGMLNVGFVPY232/MOTD-Oct-2020-Boaty-McBoatface-and-HMS-Challenger-1217px-103kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: at left, part of our section on the history of deepsea exploration. At right, you can explore a life-sized replica of the laboratory on board the HMS Challenger. Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602447115515-SP2KO6WQEIARVB3ORKGD/MOTD-Oct-2020-fangtooth-and-viperfish-1099px-134kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: just two of the many real deepsea animals we have on show. Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443171789-AM56ZAQSM3UK49UYZGN1/MOTD-Oct-2020-Viktor-Wynd-montage-998px-99kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: scenes from Viktor Wynd’s UnNatural History Museum… the skeleton of a unicorn, and a taxiderm mount of a British big cat. Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1602443408566-M1UAIW1W9G4H0RTJZV4K/MOTD-Oct-2020-shop-books-and-toys-1349px-158kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Monsters of the Deep, a Ground-Breaking Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall Caption: our shop is amazing! Yes, I may have been involved in the choice of objects… Images: NMMC/Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/10/1/allodapanura-frog-group-part-1 monthly 0.5 2022-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1601649022475-0IHTL4VAB1F7BVNDCH6Y/Allodapanura-Pt-1-frog-montage-1166px-185kb-Oct-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Allodapanura, the Biggest Frog Group You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 1) Caption: a froggy montage, variously depicting (clockwise from upper left) Leptodactylus, Rhinella, Phyllobates (all hyloids) and Rana, Rana larvae… and Rana (all, err, ranoids). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1601637253612-9ZMHMIDRS8TQSWE74E6D/Allodapanura-Pt-1-allodapanuran-montage-2-1162px-140kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Allodapanura, the Biggest Frog Group You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 1) Caption: an allodapanuran montage. 1. The gastrophrynine microhyline Gastrophryne. 2. The otophrynine microhylid Otophryne. 3. The hyperoliid Phlyctimantis. 4. The cophyline microhylid Cophyla. 5. The scaphiophrynine microhylid Scaphiophryne. 6. The squeaker Arthroleptis. 7. The pig-nosed frog Hemisus. 8. The short-headed frog Breviceps. These illustrations are among the many, many frogs I’ve drawn for my in-prep textbook (which you can support and learn about here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1601659290331-DU9QJ5SX54MR2UAQB8GT/Allodapanura-Pt-1-allodapanuran-cladogram-3-810px-67kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Allodapanura, the Biggest Frog Group You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 1) Caption: simplified cladogram of the frog lineages discussed in this article, the topology here mostly based on that of Frost et al. (2006) and Pyron & Wiens (2011). As usual, the illustrations here are from my in-prep textbook (which you can support here). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1601580535972-TWD0D03TSJXSU0F43073/Allodapanura-Pt-1-Breviceps-adspersus-Bernard-Dupont-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-2-0-879px-115kb-Oct-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Allodapanura, the Biggest Frog Group You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 1) Caption: everyone loves Breviceps, they look so cute. This is a Bushveld rain frog B. adspersus. Image: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1601580714228-ERVAHCUT2JL74U1DKP8S/Allodapanura-Pt-1-Breviceps-x-ray-and-Hemisus-marmoratus-Ryanvanhuyssteen-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-2-0-1054px-70kb-Oct-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Allodapanura, the Biggest Frog Group You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 1) Caption: at left, one of my favourite x-rays. It depicts the insides of Breviceps; note how reduced the skeleton it is and how it doesn’t much match the soft-tissue outline. At right: Marbled snout-burrower Hemisus marmoratus. Images: van Dijk (2001); Ryanvanhuyssteen, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1601627075076-OB11AK0SN5GA7FRDME8D/Allodapanura-Pt-1-Hyperoliidae-Kassina-maculuata-Dawson-Hyperolius-viridiflavus-Nick-Hobgood-wikipedia-1029px-88kb-Jan-2015-Oct-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Allodapanura, the Biggest Frog Group You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 1) Caption: a hyperoliid montage. At left, Vlei frog, Red-legged kassina, Red-legged running frog or Spotted running frog (other common names are available!) Phlyctimantis maculatus. At right, Common reed frog Hyperolius viridiflavus of eastern Africa. Images: Dawson, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here); Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1601584175315-IEC0W930Y6G2LEG3482W/Allodapanura-Pt-1-Trichobatrachus-J-Green-public-domain-wikipedia-600-px-71kb-July-2016-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Allodapanura, the Biggest Frog Group You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 1) Caption: Fantastic 19th century illustration of male Trichobatrachus by J. Green. Image from here, in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1601628545935-SP8BRX5XA4VUBP6W2F1A/Allodapanura-Pt-1-Barej-et-al-2010-arthropeltid-feet-with-claws-600px-62kb-July-2016-Oct-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Allodapanura, the Biggest Frog Group You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 1) Caption: Claws visible on the hindfeet of (a) Astylosternus, (b) Trichobatrachus and (c) Scotobleps, from Barej et al. (2010). Scale bar = 5 mm. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/9/19/new-perspectives-on-pterosaur-palaeobiology-the-tetzoo-review monthly 0.5 2020-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600535330424-06EBH9EYFTNL8TS7MMYH/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-cover-813px-128kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: the cover of Hone et al. (2018) features this fine painting of the Early Jurassic pterosaur Dimorphodon macronyx. It’s a ‘new look’ for this animal relative to previously published efforts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600681658552-HYSQFHQKJATWH89G1O6D/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-montage-of-Flugsaurier-2015-1282px-109kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: a reminder of events of the Flugsaurier 2015 meeting, held at the University of Portsmouth. I wrote about the meeting here at TetZoo ver 3 (though all images have been stripped). The montage here features a slide from Witton’s talk on Dimorphodon (the results of which have since been published at PeerJ), the robust holotype skull of Parapsicephalus, and Dave Martill - one of the conference organisers - talking about Ludodactylus from Brazil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600691664870-PVDJ3IN6VIJ9EUAXZY6G/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-Mark-Witton-Rhamphorhynchus-swimming-824px-124kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: Mark Witton reconstruction of Rhamphorhynchus swimming and fish eating, aspects of behaviour informed directly by fossils. This image appears in Witton’s 2018 paper in the volume but can also be seen in a blog article here. Image: Mark Witton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600691772133-YZL2VQHN8FLOS0QH59M9/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-Aspidorhynchus-vs-Rhamphorhynchus-swimming-1447px-128kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: excellent fossils like this one from the Solnhofen Limestone show that pterosaurs were sometimes (or often?) killed by other animals. This shows how the ray-finned fish Aspidorhynchus sometimes snagged or captured the gull-sized Rhamphorhynchus. Image: Frey & Tischlinger (2012). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600677962091-2JKTSILEDFVGGDH8K89J/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-Dawndraco-skeletal-Dean-Schnabel-1310px-100kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: Dawndraco kanzai - most likely a junior synonym of Pteranodon sternbergi (and an ‘extreme male’ example of that species) - as reconstructed by Dean Schnabel (twitter account here). Used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600535143907-GCYLOE0WCT74ILG3SPKT/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-Vesperopterylus-813px-128kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: Vesperopterylus lamadongensis in life, as reconstructed by Zhao Chuang. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600761993622-L6BKAPA2AAQWMX6KEZQX/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-Altmuehlopterus-Ghedoghedo-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-948px-233kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: the holotype of Altmuehlopterus, BSP AS I 745 a, at the Jura Museum, Eichstätt. Image: Ghedoghedo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600762434562-4B1UTDIE8YQ1VUFMFTQZ/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-Noripterus-Hone-et-al-2018-1293px-58kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: Noripterus complicidens, as reconstructed by Hone et al. (2018a) on the basis of the material described by C. C. Young. Diagram by Rebecca Gelertner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1600678292413-WW6KGHNROG73U91OMRFP/GSL-Pterosaur-Palaeobiology-Sept-2020-GSL-vert-palaeo-volumes-366px-60kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology, the TetZoo Review Caption: the GSL volumes I have here in the TetZoo library. I was a co-editor for the ‘Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Saurians’ one. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/9/10/predation-and-corpse-eating-in-armadillos monthly 0.5 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599764532296-N8IL4AV8QA1NX2LI16ZI/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-armadillo-vs-lamb-montage-1000px-25kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: this footage - from Argentina - shows an armadillo biting a lamb and clawing at its neck, then grabbing the animal by the ear and dragging it off for some distance. The footage ends when the farmer doing the filming steps on the armadillo. See if for yourself here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599764668765-CT429UZ3P79ZREVWHT8T/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-armadillo-vs-cow-montage-1000px-134kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: blurry screenshot of armadillo attacking calf, my attempt at clarifying things at right. Again, the footage stops when the person doing the filming puts their booted foot on the armadillo. They then lift it by the tail. See the original footage here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599768147650-SANACWSXHZ3U8O3Q0S3C/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-armadillo-vs-deer-4-1000px-41kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: a rather… imaginative… portrayal of armadillo vs brocket deer predation. I don’t think it really happened like this, but it would be cool if it did. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599763066878-UYR9V9FXZ9BVFYZ5J8YD/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-armadillo-diet-1188px-122kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: this graph from Gallo et al. (2019), which reports armadillo diet in Argentina, shows how significant vertebrate prey are in the diets of some armadillo species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599841391591-7CEN0EG52OC1AJ2MK6RV/armadillo-montage-Sept-2020-Dasypus-Ereenegee-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-3-0-Dasypus-Hans-Stieglitz-CC-BY-SA-3-0-montage-992px-159kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: everyone’s favourite armadillo, the Nine-banded Dasypus novemcinctus. Despite its name it’s variable in band number. Images: Ereenegee, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Hans Stieglitz, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599840686417-XQN7QIZOMQU68MR0E2VQ/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-Pichi-Mikelzubi-wikipedia-CC-BY-3-0-873px-131kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: Pichi Zaedyus pichi, a small armadillo of southern South America, and the only species which undergoes hibernation. Image: Mikelzubi, CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599815401610-3BZM6S57XEUK783PK5J0/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-Euphractus-Charles-J-Sharp-CC-BY-SA-4-wikipedia-854px-116kb-Sept-2020.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: Euphractus. There’s supposed to be six subspecies, which vary in how hairy they are. Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599815520729-EXX5BJ72HTHHQJI4G4AP/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-Euphractus-skull-Klaus-Rassinger-%26-Gerhard-Cammerer-AND-Exlibris-CC-BY-SA-2-5-wikipedia-montage-961px-88kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: at left, a Euphractus skull; generalised enough for the consumption of invertebrates, plants, carrions and even decent-sized vertebrates. At right: front view of a Euphractus. It’s hard to get good information on armadillo hands and feet, which makes this image useful. Images: Klaus Rassinger and Gerhard Cammerer, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Exlibris, CC BY-SA 2.5. (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599839351984-SUSB52MWEO5ISWKS8RHW/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-giant-armadillo-grave-4-1000px-34kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: an entirely hypothetical cartoon which speaks for itself. The armadillo is Priodontes, and it’s holding a human radius. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599841908211-0JY1V2N2VF7TMW9VHCDF/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-Priodontes-PD-wikipedia-727px-108kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: Priodontes, the giant armadillo. In this case, a museum specimen in Prague. Image: public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599819063338-T8PT5UMH2OQEI6GHLKQR/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-Peltephilus-montage-1291px-138kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: there’s a long history of the fossil armadillo Peltephilus being wrongly sized. Even some technical literature screws up the scale bars, making it look at if its skull is a massive 25 cm long. Nope, 11 cm skull length, so whole animal was not more than 1 metre long. The images and text shown here is, therefore, all erroneous (no disrespect intended to relevant authors and artists). The actual appearance of the whole animal is also something artists have been confused about, I especially love the images which make it look like a giant fairy armadillo! Images: skull by Darren Naish; prehistoric-wildlife.com; (c) Nobu Tamura (original here); avancna (deviantart page here); Cox et al. 1988. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599819819918-518ZYVE2K9CQEPGQ3621/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-Macroeuphractus-skull-Vizcaino-%26-De-Iuliis-507px-1746kb-Sept-2020.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: the very impressive skull of Macroeuphractus outesi, as figured by Vizcaíno & De Iuliis (2003); the original illustrations are from an 1894 monograph by Richard Lydekker. Frustratingly, the scale bar is not explained in the accompanying caption. It’s presumably 10 cm though. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599762996090-1F3Q7QY66S1ZTGTN4YK5/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-Vizcaino-and-De-Iuliis-2003-960px-161kb-Macroeuphractus-Sept-2020.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: Vizcaíno & De Iuliis’s (2003) reconstruction of a hunting Macroeuphractus. The idea here is that the armadillo is about to break into a burrow inhabited by cute little juveniles of the chinchillid rodent Lagostomus. The artwork was produced by one of the authors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599762925701-NYKL1VQTZ3BY45IH4GKQ/armadillo-predation-Sept-2020-Mette-Aumala-bearmadillo-1000px-128kb-Sept-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos Caption: Mette Aumala’s speculative Bearmadillo, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/8/15/introducing-unexpected-isle-of-wight-air-filled-hunter-a-new-english-theropod-dinosaur monthly 0.5 2020-09-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599148629166-HFLL95PL6REKG9MTXU3J/Vectaerovenator-Barker-et-al-2020-Trudie-Wilson-reconstruction-1280px-100kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Introducing ‘Unexpected Isle of Wight Air-Filled Hunter’, a New English Theropod Dinosaur Caption: the corpse of a deceased Vectaerovenator floats in the shallow Early Cretaceous sea covering what’s now southern England. Ammonites and platypterygiine ichthyosaurs are nearby. Image (c) Trudie Wilson https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599150963858-CG6IHTRW0XJSP8KT65T4/Vectaerovenator-Barker-et-al-2020-silhouette-with-bones-in-place-1221px-62kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Introducing ‘Unexpected Isle of Wight Air-Filled Hunter’, a New English Theropod Dinosaur Caption: silhouette of Vectaerovenator showing the approximate position of the elements described in our paper. I deliberately made the animal look like a generic tetanuran theropod that isn’t referable to any specific lineage; read on. Image: Barker et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599155187447-3VETXP30NGN165JR94BV/Vectaerovenator-Barker-et-al-2020-vertebra-in-situ-in-the-field-Lockyer-528px-123kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Introducing ‘Unexpected Isle of Wight Air-Filled Hunter’, a New English Theropod Dinosaur Caption: the Vectaerovenator bones were found on the beach, as shown here in this photo by James Lockyer. You should be able to see the vertebra - the grey block with a striated texture - in the middle of the photo’s lower half. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599155830458-PT4PDQ5UHELV1M339MR6/Vectaerovenator-Barker-et-al-2020-IWCMS-cervical-and-dorsal-vertebrae-1378px-125kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Introducing ‘Unexpected Isle of Wight Air-Filled Hunter’, a New English Theropod Dinosaur Caption: these images, showing three of the four described Vectaerovenator vertebrae, show how impressively pneumatic this dinosaur was. The bone at far left is the cervical vertebra IWCMS 2020.407; the other two are the anterior dorsal vertebrae IWCMS 2019.84 and IWCMS 2020.400. All are shown in left lateral view. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599151015924-3SKAQ2DE4DQFC91YRT22/Vectaerovenator-Barker-et-al-2020-views-of-vertebrae-in-hand-880px-76kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Introducing ‘Unexpected Isle of Wight Air-Filled Hunter’, a New English Theropod Dinosaur Caption: Vectaerovenator bones in my hand, which should give you a good idea of their exact size. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599206242906-L9FCXQ05VWXF7UFU60TS/Vectaerovenator-Barker-et-al-2020-IWCMS-cladogram-silhouette-montage-2-1322px-81kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Introducing ‘Unexpected Isle of Wight Air-Filled Hunter’, a New English Theropod Dinosaur Caption: we recovered Vectaerovenator as a potential tyrannosauroid… buuuut we’re not very confident that it’s right. Image: Barker et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599161137338-DZFMDJYOGS2AW5W7FFLA/Vectaerovenator-Barker-et-al-2020-tetanuran-theropod-motley-1405px-89kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Introducing ‘Unexpected Isle of Wight Air-Filled Hunter’, a New English Theropod Dinosaur Caption: obviously, it isn’t possible to determine the life appearance of Vectaerovenator at this stage. But it would have looked something like one of these animals. They represent (left to right) Tyrannosauroidea, Megalosauroidea and Allosauroidea. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1599156254094-KBR9D6JUW01XPRD3RNVL/Vectaerovenator-Barker-et-al-2020-Greensand-montage-Vectidraco-and-tethysuchian-1386px-91kb-Sept-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Introducing ‘Unexpected Isle of Wight Air-Filled Hunter’, a New English Theropod Dinosaur Caption: readers with good memories will recall the other Greensand fossils discussed here in the past, namely the small azhdarchoid pterosaur Vectidraco and the Shanklin croc. Images: Naish et al. (2013); Young et al. (2014). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/8/29/brian-franczak-1955-2020 monthly 0.5 2020-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1598707935689-WU6EFSP3C63FGCUGDI6A/Brian-C-Franczak-Aug-2020-Franczak-montage-1315px-199kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - RIP Brian Franczak (1955-2020) Caption: in memorium Brian Franczak. At left, the only image of Brian I can find online. In the middle: the 1992 New Scientist article which mentions Brian’s study of Amargasaurus (this was also my first viewing of a Franczak piece of art). At right: one of the many Jurassic Park picture cards which Brian illustrated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1598718204751-JHYY6K93N4JNJ41ENKU8/Brian-C-Franczak-Aug-2020-stegosaur-montage-1000px-49kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - RIP Brian Franczak (1955-2020) Caption: I adore Brian’s stegosaur reconstructions. All of those shown here are from Dodson et al. (1990). Clockwise from top left: Dacentrurus armatus, Huayangosaurus tabaii, Tuojiangosaurus multispinus, Wuerhosaurus homheni. Since these images were produced (all are dated 1990), it’s been argued that Wuerhosaurus didn’t have short plates as shown here (the one plate this view is based on is apparently broken). Image: (c) Brian Franczak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1598704363281-85FRI676Y1LFL8NISE2D/Brian-C-Franczak-Aug-2020-pachycephalosaur-scene-947px-214kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - RIP Brian Franczak (1955-2020) Caption: a Franczak reconstruction of Pachycephalosaurus in a woodland clearing. I expect that many of his scenes were based on real localities he visited and probably photographed; they look and feel real. This is one of several ‘animal in its environment’ Franczak scenes included in Dodson et al. (1990). Image: (c) Brian Franczak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1598718531996-41EQEPMOMCP501MHHXP2/Brian-C-Franczak-Aug-2020-megalosaur-and-scelidosaur-scene-1359px-231kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - RIP Brian Franczak (1955-2020) Caption: an Early Jurassic European scene by Brian. A megalosaurid watches a group of scelidosaurs, dimorphodontid pterosaurs fly past. Image: (c) Brian Franczak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1598705042509-EZ0HZ7MD0NGC7ZLNPI15/Brian-C-Franczak-Aug-2020-relevant-dinosaur-book-covers-1399px-198kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - RIP Brian Franczak (1955-2020) Caption: key books which feature Franczak works. The Dodson et al. Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs (on the left) is a large book, so large that I can’t scan or properly photograph the cover. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1598721598927-DT0S8VR6J5K6425LGBY9/Brian-C-Franczak-Aug-2020-Ouranosaurus-1000px-39kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - RIP Brian Franczak (1955-2020) Caption: another Franczak illustration from Dodson et al. (1990), this time depicting the African iguanodontian Ouranosaurus. Image: (c) Brian Franczak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1598722001012-QXEL68CSGQ8JZKYA0MKC/Brian-C-Franczak-Aug-2020-theropod-montage-1000px-39kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoolog.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - RIP Brian Franczak (1955-2020) Caption: another Franczak montage, this time featuring Late Cretaceous theropods. Clockwise from upper left: Aublysodon (as it was imagined in the early 1990s; we today think that ‘aublysodontines’ are juvenile tyrannosaurines), Carnotaurus sastrei and Abelisaurus comahuensis. I love these pieces. A criticism of the Carnotaurus is that its neck is way too slender. Again, this wasn’t known or appreciated in 1990. Image: (c) Brian Franczak. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/8/17/loch-ness-monster-flipper-photos monthly 0.5 2025-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597737138477-XAFXK7PYZWYQD6E3CQPE/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-flipper-1-opener-1028px-132kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: one of the most frequently seen versions of the flipper photos. At right, my attempt (from childhood) to draw it as I interpreted it. We were all led to believe that it really was a flipper, perhaps surrounded by foaming water… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597745292862-1LA4GYCZXT5K64KTUT1B/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Loch-Ness-2016-1081px-97kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: Loch Ness, a substantial body of water. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597745588890-X7UCN13G62DU4M6XXMRB/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Rines-Klein-Dinsdale-996px-127kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: a 1970s scene on the loch. From left to right: Robert Rines, Martin Klein, Tim Dinsdale. Note the hi-tech gear in shot. Image: Dinsdale (1976). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597694548990-TD6PSB1Z1ZXIGYZDHZ2T/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-1972+sonar+chart-800px-189kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: the sonar chart - with annotations from the AAS/LNIB team - corresponding to that section of the morning of 7th/8th August 1972 when supposed sonar contact was made with two large Loch Ness animals. This image (depicting the original printed sheet, designed for release to the press) is from Dick Raynor’s page on the sonar data. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597694384530-X844NPJON5T09ZQSL2L5/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Nick-Witchell-portrait-and-LNS-1258px-80kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: young Nick Witchell on the shores of Loch Ness. At right, the cover of one of the several editions of his book (probably the 1982 edition). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597777583945-RO7Y7G53I0HUF68I9X8Q/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-both-flippers-composite-Rines-et-al-1976-1284px-62kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: black and white versions of the two flipper photos, as shown in the usual (but technically incorrect) rotated view (they should actually be imagined rotated 180 degrees relative to what we see here). The versions shown here were included in Rines et al. (1976). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597742655013-HQGML91DFJDBO675I4MU/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Searle-montage-1366px-184kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: Frank Searle (1921-2005) was quite the character, and his Loch Ness Monster photos were…. well, they were something else. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597750604717-HE0CVH5J3Y8KXG28FLJ8/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Nessiteras-as-per-Scott-1299px-67kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: Scott and his colleagues imagined this specific look for the Loch Ness Monster. It was, in their view, a twin-humped plesiosaur (or, at least, plesiosaur-like animal) with a long neck, horns or breathing tubes on the head, and diamond-shaped flippers or paddles. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597741885537-KNGR64DP8BO89EMPAAHM/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Scott-%26-Rines-1975-screengrab-692px-114kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: the introduction to the infamous Scott & Rines (1975) article. Image: Nature Publishing Group. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597743750388-IKL2FKR8JPH9MW6J4WJA/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Peter-Scott-montage-1397px-178kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: Peter Scott sincerely proclaimed his belief in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, and stated this opinion many times in books and articles. He also painted Nessie many times, most memorably for the ‘courtship’ scene seen here on the cover of Witchell (1989). There are good reasons for thinking that Scott saw the monster as a motivator for the conservation work of the World Wildlife Fund, an idea explored in detail by Baynham-Herd (2020). The woman standing with Scott is his wife, Lady Philippa Scott. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597694871244-M5ES6NA93Q2D626CHF4X/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-plesiosaur-montage-1324px-192kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: at left, Halstead et al.’s (1976) diagram, produced to show how the Loch Ness flipper differed from the wing-shaped limbs of fossil plesiosaurs. At right: the Collard plesiosaur, a specimen which has soft tissue outlines of its paddles preserved and thus informs us on the look of plesiosaur limbs (from Muscutt et al. 2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597750931367-JQLH6NA0GC0DVJ65IIWW/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Rines-1976-Technology-Review-1-553px-83kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: opening page of Rines et al. (1976). It shows both flipper images, plus the peculiar ‘third image’ (on which more later). This article marshalled support for the veracity of the flippers from an impressive cast of relevant experts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597694009903-V60HTCG2GNLVU7BSANV7/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Taylor-%26-Martin-1351px-156kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: palaeontologist John Martin’s redrawing of Nessiteras, from Martin & Taylor (1990). At right, a whimsical geological sequence, showing the long gap between Cretaceous plesiosaurs and Nessiteras. A much larger version of this image was previously featured in the TetZoo review of Gareth Williams’ book on Nessie (go here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597773504312-R5ENZKSKUH3CFNQLJ3VU/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Mackal-embolomere-montage-1242px-137kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: Mackal (1976) used this (at top) skeletal reconstruction of an embolomere from 1926 (originally published by D. M. S. Watson) to introduce his readers to this group (embolomeres have typically been described as ‘ancient amphibians’, but they’re not part of the clade that corresponds to Amphibia as we recognise it today). Below, we see the hypothetical embolomere limb Mackal depicted, kitted out with fin rays. Image: Mackal (1976). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597694152364-MZGCC1XGZT26LK68AT5B/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Mackal-embolomere-from-SM-1058px-92kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: a spectacular bit of SpecZoo… Nessie is a modern-day, enormous embolomere! Mackal’s 1976 book includes great artwork of this imaginary animal, but the best pictures are ruined by the book’s spine. Thanks to Scott Mardis for providing these versions of the illustrations. Image: C. S. Wellek/Mackal (1976). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597740411116-WEFPUWT0Z9KAOCF9CBVM/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Shine-1984-1000px-65kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: cover page of Shine (1984). At this point, the implication from Shine was that Nessie might still be a real unknown animal, but not a reptile as per Scott and Rines’ thoughts, nor a mammal as per Peter Costello and others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597754267401-2SFI270QSSF4TTEAPVGD/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-original-shot-of-flipper-is-mud-1089px-161kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: the original, unmodified ‘flipper photo’. There’s a feint diamond-shaped mark there, but if you see a flipper… well, good for you. Image: AAS. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597754539523-BG9X2R4TDK4J7J6OESX1/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-original-shot-of-flipper-Gillespie-version-905px-87kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: the enhanced version worked on by Gillespie at JPL. This amorphous mass doesn’t look much like the clean-edged flipper we’re more used to. This version of the image comes from Williams (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597754980398-QSTMYDLINLVIM7N9V0EQ/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Harmsworth-2010-and-Williams-2015-covers-869px-92kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: an inevitable component of cryptozoological stories is that many of the details and key observations are shared in popular books and magazines, not in technical literature. All cryptozoological investigators are, therefore, also book collectors. Harmsworth (2010) and Williams (2015) are among the more recent of Nessie volumes which those interested should obtain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597744313124-NPWFTC0DCILNJ59GR2O8/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Mackal-1976-overlapping-cones-1000px-43kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: this diagram - from Mackal (1976) - shows how a fixed sonar beam, combined with a fixed camera-strobe system, could simultaneously detect and record the nearby presence of a large animal. The diagrams of this system, deployed in the loch in 1972 (and in later years too), always show the devices as being fixed on the loch floor. Image: Mackal (1976). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597777914290-IMZKK6DJD5KANB4ZRZKW/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-flipper-1-best-527px-30kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: there isn’t a standard nomenclature for the two photos, but I’ve taken to calling them 1 and 2, because I’m original like that. This is flipper photo 2. You can recognise it by the prominent asymmetry of its vanes, the white spot on the presumed posterior vane, and the reduced scattering of silt at the ‘flipper base’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597780222985-IXJS6OIEJ7YK2LHE300B/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-wakes-on-Loch-Ness-800px-116kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: wakes and waves are an omnipresent feature of the loch’s surface. Here are some I’ve photographed at Loch Ness at various times (albeit in the daytime). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597695097684-9JBSI9AW7YN7O38EGD34/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-third-1972-photo-959px-197kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: the third photo taken on the night of 7th/8th August 1972… implied to show two animals. Excuse me if I’m a little sceptical. Image: AAS. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1597695310007-MPWVIO8L7BPVE4ZD8E0P/Nessie-1972-Flippers-Aug-2020-Nessie-books-I-looked-at-687px-101kb-Aug-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The 1972 Loch Ness Monster Flipper Photos Caption: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… you need to read books to get this information. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/8/3/love-letter-to-common-frog monthly 0.5 2025-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596461001455-99H3T5WPMN63JGAZLGFK/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-adult-male-frog-Pond-1-2009-741px-66kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: our first pond (Pond 1) was installed in 2009, and was immediately discovered by the one or two Common frogs occurring in the immediate area (here’s a male). Common frogs can live for over 7 years (12 is possible in captivity), but they might only have a single breeding event across that time. This boldly patterned individual was only seen in 2009 and 2010. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596458001182-APXII151ZUZR4J2OBLHZ/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-ponds-in-construction-1412px-281kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: Pond 1 and Pond 2 during the early stages of their construction, in 2009 and 2018, respectively. Both have been, and are, successful wildlife ponds, but both could have been better. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596460353064-TFK2G6DUGN6GXTR3TAMD/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-adult-male-frog-Pond-2-2020-1248px-184kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: the only adult frog observed in Pond 2 for 2019 and part of 2020 was this single male. At left, here he is in April 2020, long after the breeding season. At right, a night-time image (note the white eyeshine); he’s calling for females, a fertilised clutch already to his left. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596461647696-Z41SCR45CPFL01JABASG/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-tadpoles-Pond-2-Mar-2020-1427px-190kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: 2020 saw the appearance of two spawn masses in Pond 2 (and none in Pond 1), and here are the tadpoles as of March 2020. Here, they’re in their sessile phase. They don’t do much more than lie on the top of the jelly and aim to absorb sunlight, so direct light is very important. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596459268287-R5XBR976O7351EIHUG71/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-froglets-new-for-2020-1068px-97kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: at left, a brand-new metamorph of late April 2020, part of a clutch from 2019. At right, another 2020 metamorph living in preferred habitat (in July 2020), also from a 2019 clutch. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596458922835-866GJI0J40Y9CH0TXY0M/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-tadpoles-overwinterer-of-2019-vs-new-for-2020-1061px-103kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: the fact that many of our tadpoles overwinter means that, by March 2020, Pond 2 was home to both young, tiny tadpoles as well as larger ones from a 2019 egg clutch. And by April 2020, the 2019 tadpoles (shown on the right) already had hindlegs. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596458152498-E4J2674WHF5R3FYFC8DT/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-frog-patch-1066px-297kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: the habitat preferred by our froglets. It’s not adjacent to either of the ponds but about 3 m away from Pond 2. It evidently provides the right sort of protection, cover, humidity and food supply. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596462737940-Z3PBH6WEKM8F7WSUO2WW/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-froglets-new-for-2020-2-936px-166kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: more 2020 froglets, encountered in Pond 2 and in the frog patch during July 2020. Again, these animals are from a 2019 clutch, not a 2020 one. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1596463877121-CVDS7IGJNTFRJABDATDP/frogs-in-the-garden-Aug-2020-tadpoles-sunning-June-2020-1091px-147kb-Aug-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Love Letter to the Common Frog Caption: a substantial number of non-metamorphosed tadpoles remain in Pond 2; here’s how they were looking as of just a week ago (July 2020). Some of these will overwinter and complete metamorphosis in early 2021. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/7/23/the-david-peters-problem monthly 0.5 2026-03-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595600373129-HJX3Z36QXOKC9M8149YT/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Pterosaur-Heresies-header-and-Reptile-Evolution-dot-com-1445px-132kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: the two main repositories of Peters-based observations and proposals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595670591430-YFK5J0MJO2002K98S6KS/David-Peters-response-July-2020-David-Peters-older-work-vs-modern-work-1415px-146kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: David Peters contends that his older attempts to interpret fossil animals (like the pterosaurs shown here) are “old laundry” which should be ignored, and are irrelevant to his modern efforts. What he fails to understand is that he has never changed, and is still producing work of the exact same quality. This is junk science; it might be correct to label it pseudoscience. Images: David Peters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595538066622-FN0NM8D5PED69U5TT6YF/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters-books-1108px-167kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: the David Peters of the past produced a fair few very good, beautifully illustrated popular books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595538116407-YUFT896QAQH77Y998YZL/David-Peters-response-July-2020-in-the-past-Peters-thought-pterosaurs-looked-ridiculous-Kosemen-and-Naish-1296px-134kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: Peters dislikes the illustrations you see here, claiming that they were created to “lampoon” him. The fact is that these illustrations (created by C. M. Kösemen and myself) accurately depict what Peters was saying about pterosaurs when the illustrations were made. Dorsal frills, soft tissue head crests, extra-long tails and more. Images: C. M. Kösemen (Pteranodon and Pterodactylus); Darren Naish (Campylognathoides). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595590833877-DWWW7ERO1V04K1DEBHSK/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters-vampire-and-Times-Higher-piece-2-833px-194kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: the infamous ‘vampire pterosaur’ Peters abstract from 2003. Some people say that stuff like this makes a mockery of organisations like the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, others that it doesn’t matter and that it’s inevitable that nonsense will slip through the cracks. At right: part of the Times Higher article on Peters and the appearance of his research at the relevant SVP meeting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595585837933-W1W0IKE3JI6B5O46MK16/Bennet-2005-comp-1168px-284kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: in an influential article of 2005, Chris Bennett showed why Peters’ unique takes on pterosaur anatomy - some of which are depicted in the drawings here - should be regarded as discordant with reality. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595585195586-36Z90CIVLKXS6AKEVPJH/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Longisquama-Peters-version-with-Naish-reconstruction-1150px-140kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: the Longisquama holotype consists of the front half of the animal, but Peters has repeatedly claimed that he’s found the whole animal, plus babies, plus extra soft tissue structures. At right: I tried to reconstruct the Peters take (as of 2004) on this animal. Again, he hates my illustration, since he thinks I did it to “lampoon” him. It should be crystal clear obvious that, au contraire, I tried my best to accurately depict his 2004 interpretation of this animal. Images: David Peters, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595538001978-AXA6OXSF04H91MLZB5K6/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters-on-Carusia-with-actual-Corucia-1215px-175px-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: at left, Peters proclaims - again - that Carusia need a new name, since he can’t tell that the living lizard Corucia is spelt C-o-r-u-c-i-a. At right: captive Corucia specimens. Images: David Peters, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595604560187-XLWTLYJ4OBACUOGYZBL5/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Jeholopterus-recon-18-7-2020-584px-76kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: this illustration - produced by David Peters, depicting his interpretation of the Chinese anurognathid pterosaur Jeholopterus - reveals part of the problem. Peters is proud of this image (and others like it), and thinks that it demonstrates his ability to ‘find’ numerous tiny details ‘overlooked’ by other workers. But the details concerned are not genuine details of anatomy. This is a form of pareidolia. Image: David Peters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595588279344-8IQR5PK04W36Z3O3KDJI/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters-anurognathid-reconstructions-1168px-114kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: some assorted 2020 images generated by Peters, depicting anurognathid pterosaurs. The selection of skulls at right reveal numerous oddities that sure look a hell of a lot like misinterpretation of damage. In contrast, Bennett’s reconstruction (in the grey box) looks sane and like a real creature. Note that Peters seriously promotes the existence of anurognathids with flat, disc-like skulls. Images: David Peters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595539371832-5E52P39RPOUOTIQV5YJN/David-Peters-response-July-2020-CAGS1-1-anurognathid-1043px-167kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: here’s proof that Peters of 2020 is still ‘seeing’ stuff that really isn’t there. At left, the anurognathid pterosaur specimen CAGS Z070. At right, a Peters colour-coded interpretation where his magic, computer-assisted vision has allowed him to ‘find’ parts of the skeleton (most obviously extra wing bones) that are not present on the fossil. Image: David Peters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595539159611-RWF85ARG1PYK9LJJHH0H/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters-on-chicken-skull-Dec-2014-651px-74kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: a screengrab from an article at the Peters’ blog Pterosaur Heresies in which he claimed to find new bones in the skull of the domestic chicken. Yes, the domestic chicken, one of the best-understood and most-studied animals. Image: David Peters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595585239080-PUDVNB9LRNCNTWY8HXJ9/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters-sinopterid-and-Peters-Longisquama-over-time-1271px-164kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: self-correction in science is good and noble, don’t get me wrong. But how can you expect people to take you seriously when your interpretations vary this much? As these montages show, Peters’ takes on Sinopterus and Longisquama have changed and changed and changed over the years (nothing special about those two taxa; he’s done the same thing with numerous others). Again, I especially love the “old laundry” years in which Peters proclaimed the presence of clinging babies and dorsal frills and so on. Images: David Peters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595600047424-EWHZMCVNO67MY42GAP61/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters-tree-1002px-118kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: the Peters tree (or, part of it anyway) as of July 2020. There’s a lot of stuff here which contradicts a vast amount of good, careful work done by more trustworthy researchers. Examples visible here include the wide separation of temnospondyl taxa and the inclusion of chroniosuchians and synapsids within Reptilia and Archosauromorpha. Image: David Peters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595601946608-UIE9O6Z1R0BZJXNL9SA2/David-Peters-response-July-2020-David-Peters-on-rodents-mysticetes-pike-1149px-132kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: Peters churns out non-standard results on phylogeny on a regular basis, and states his findings with a characteristic (but philosophically inappropriate) confidence. Here are just a few: that multituberculates are rodents, that mysticetes are desmostylians, that pike are catfishes. Images: David Peters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595585280038-RSWSBIEXKW1OXSOTB1EJ/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters+-MIMITW-Goldsmith-meme-680px-76kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: it’s true, the comments at The Pterosaur Heresies have often been worth paying attention to. Therein, scientists who object to Peters’ conclusions and methodology (they include Chris Brochu, Neil Brocklehurst, Andrea Cau and David Marjanović) point out that his results are wrong, or at best very likely mistaken. None of this substantial criticism has caused Peters to change anything about the way he works. Image: I don’t know who to credit for this image, I didn’t generate it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595538243631-K2N69DFVXTLL9TL3F99D/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Pteranodon-in-neornithine-tree-345px-15kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: what happens if you include Pteranodon in a phylogenetic analysis designed to explore the phylogeny of neornithine birds? Yup, Pteranodon is a pelecaniform, which makes sense, right? Note how logical the phylogeny is. Ancestral neornithines were raptor-like, but then miniaturised and evolved straightened bills; from such ancestors, one clade evolved long legs and giant size. A clade within this one evolved mega-elongate bills and shortened their legs. This analysis generated a single tree, so must be ‘the truth’, right? Thanks to Mickey Mortimer for help in running this analysis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595539007471-L4KQS1EZMVLVXJRDUP75/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Andrea-Cau-tests-Peters-matrix-1664px-129kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: Andrea Cau has specifically tested Peters’ claim that ‘taxon exclusion’ explains why pterosaurs traditionally group with archosaurs rather than lepidosaurs. The result: sorry, Peters, pterosaurs still appear to be archosaurs, close to dinosaurs. Image: Andrea Cau. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595595817898-LODABKVZ13T3WNHKDW29/David-Peters-response-2020-strange-bedfellow-clades-2-1399px-152kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595539258837-2KGCBD2P8XKIC86BUUV2/David-Peters-response-July-2020-Peters-comment-9-8-2016-682px-16px-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: I sometimes leave comments on the Peters blog. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595603031784-MFDBHOIIMAMBEPGBICB6/David-Peters-response-July-2020-google-results-for-Huehuecuetzpalli-2-1346px-176kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: material from Peters dominates google searches. In an age of anti-vaxxers, flat-earthers and mass popularism in global politics, this is not a good thing. In this case I did a search for the Cretaceous lepidosaur Huehuecuetzpalli. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1595590682501-RQDPA869EJOQRZD24W0Z/David-Peters-response-July-2020-assorted-Peters-comments-online-1184px-169kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Why the World Has to Ignore David Peters and ReptileEvolution.com Caption: recent Peters comments posted at YouTube, PeerJ, ResearchGate and elsewhere. He will not, it seems, ever stop in his efforts to promote his views. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/7/11/dodo-in-life monthly 0.5 2025-12-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594470822624-PKKO1PMNGQBIX2P3YGZW/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Gelderland-Dodo-illustrations-906px-82kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: among the most important of Dodo images are these from the Gelderland journal of 1601. These were first published by Kitchener (1993a) and have more recently been discussed by Hume (2003) and Parish (2013). Images: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594462122107-5WTR1HKGATBF6W2U6Z72/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Caloenas-and-Goura-956px-76kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: two of the Dodo’s closest living relatives are the extravagantly plumed Nicobar pigeons (Caloenas) and the crowned pigeons (Goura). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594464429179-AY21CGNSRVDV9WC35XLC/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Roelandt-Savery-Dodo-789px-117kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: probably the most famous depiction of the Dodo ever created, the ‘Edwards’ Roelandt Savery painting. It shows a great many features that have become entrenched in images of the bird including prominent bill ridges, a big, shaggy wing, a curly tail and short legs. The painting is large and shows the bird as larger than life size: it’s about 80 cm tall with a head 30 cm long. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594464860619-1FQMD0XOW5006NUSU54N/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Oxford-Dodo-head-1034px-82kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: the right side of the Oxford Dodo head, the most significant remaining piece of soft tissue evidence pertaining to the bird. There’s a lot that could be said on it. Note that much of the rhamphotheca is missing. Image: gnomonic, CC SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594458804592-GTYA0SNMABNSHFVXDN8V/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-NMS-Van-Neck-scene-2-795px-170kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: this image, from Het Tvveede Boeck of 1601, shows what appears to be a lean, walking Dodo at upper left. The image appears in Kitchener (1990), Fuller (2002) and other sources. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594459097961-6J2VTO5QNM68BTZ3T83A/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-NMS-Clusius-Dodo-and-Hoefnagel-painting-1157px-152kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: at left, Carolus Clusius’s Dodo of 1605, shown with what’s said to be a gizzard stone. At right, Jacob Höfnagel’s Dodo illustration of 1602. This was almost certainly based on a taxiderm specimen. Images: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594465461246-J5OBS95LBOQRUKS14RZ9/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Saftleven-portrait-and-Mansur-Dodo-830px-144kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: at left, the Cornelis Saftleven portrait. It may or may not be an important portrait of the species. At right, Ustad Mansur’s painting. This was stolen from India and taken to Persia in the 1700s, and brought to international attention by Aleksander Ivanov after he noticed it in an exhibition of Indian and Persian art at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in 1955. Images: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594459434846-WXYA7XV672IW9OTNTMYX/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-NMS-Kitchener-Dodo-652px-91kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: the Dodo model at the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, created under the direction of Andrew Kitchener and discussed in Kitchener (1990, 1993a, b). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594459143989-RXTLHCH8CL1I2ZZBF9OZ/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-NMS-Parish-2013-and-Dissanayake-2004-1216px-133kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: at left, Jo Parish’s 2013 volume, a must-have for those interested in extinct birds. At right, part of the cover page of Rajith Dissanayake’s Biologist article on Dodo life appearance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594496754254-VV3LICWSEQV2N6QN3DWX/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Kitchener-New-Scientist-cover-and-Claessens-et-al-2016-Dodo-Monograph-863px-157kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoolo.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: Kitchener’s work of the early 1990s got a fair amount of coverage, part of its appeal being that it designed a new, slimline look for the Dodo. Also worth noting is that good new publications on Dodo osteology have appeared in recent years, like the Claessens et al. monograph. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594555557909-DFZ4ILT2DG5C3OKISH6A/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-J-Parish-skeletal-with-Naish-Dodo-portrait-colour-2-1186px-133kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: Parish’s 2013 skeletal reconstruction, at left, closely matches the profile and proportions of the Mansur painting. My own life reconstruction, at right, was made with reference to the Mansur painting in particular. Images: (c) J. Parish; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594463139402-ETOR9VY0YW90T32V9J7E/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Bristol-Museum-Dodo-model-April-2019-820px-69kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: another life-sized Dodo model, this time one on show at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Like the models at the Natural History Museum, it’s likely heavily inspired by the Savery paintings. Note that the transverse dorsal ridges close to the border of the upper rhamphotheca have been faithfully portrayed. They probably weren’t present in life. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594461384588-9VLV5ZZDJ8JXH723OB2U/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-NMS-Kitchener-Dodo-head-852px-62kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: the face of the Dodo model at National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh. This model is very good, but there are some details that might be off. The lower jaw’s rhamphotheca should likely be black, the nostril should be slit-like rather than wide open, and the animal overall should perhaps be brown rather than grey. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594491522012-TT77UATML24OQ5SNKHWF/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Strickland-%26-Melville-Dodo-head-2-374px-154kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: the most influential image of the Dodo’s face - alongside the Savery paintings - is that published by Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Melville in their 1848 The Dodo and Its Kindred. Several of the details here are surely correct but a few small details might be missing, like the skin crease connecting the eye to the cucullus and the slit-like form of the nostril. Image: in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594555884221-SVZR6QL9Q8QH7VHXVGD5/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Mansur-Dodo-head-Naish-Dodo-2-984px-62kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: some of the features depicted by Mansur (including a brownish face and blue jaw panel) haven’t been shown all that often elsewhere. Images: public domain; Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594461636570-RDBGS5WH5MPUTYQFXMHJ/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-NHM-Extinction-Exhibition-Dodo-975px-103kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: life-sized Dodo model constructed for the Natural History Museum’s Extinction: Not the End of the World exhibition of 2013. I don’t know anything about it but it appears to be based on the model in Edinburgh. In some details (like the wide open nostrils) it’s very similar, but its browner plumage, darker, mottled rhamphotheca and lack of fluffy tail plumes make it different. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594461604815-V4G45WZC20WGJ69EPZYS/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Mansur-Dodo-crop-788px-102kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: close-up of Mansur’s Dodo. A brown overall colour is evidence, as is a very dark head and neck, a slender, compact wing and the lack of a feathery tail. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594497889792-BXHMD6G6R34DEJ2SIL4X/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-assorted-Dodo-literature-1084px-115kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: an assortment of Dodo literature kept at TetZoo Towers. It’s thanks to Julian Hume that I own some of this. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594471549489-VFVS3IEGVLDU3NW824J7/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-NHM-Dodo-models-Jan-2020-1095px-68kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: these models - both on show at the Natural History Museum in London - again depict the ‘classic’ take on the Dodo. The wings are shown as large and bulky, the tail is formed of curling, bushy feathers, the face is bulky and not markedly long or narrow, and the legs look short. These models are probably assumed by some or many visitors to be stuffed Dodos, rather than the models they are. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594488684190-LN8IKQ3PZJ2CTET2K1RO/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Kitchener-dodo-tail-montage-2-653px-37kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: this montage from Kitchener (1993a) gives a good idea of how the Dodo’s tail was depicted by those who saw the bird first hand. We’re seeing (a) Het Tvveede Boeck Dodo; (b) Jacob Höfnagel’s painting; (c) the van der Brij illustration (essentially another version of Het Tvveede Boeck Dodo); (d) one of the Gelderland drawings, and (e) Carolus Clusius’s Dodo. Clearly, the tail was either small, near-absent or absent. Image: Kitchener (1993a). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594469802685-GAGLJGM33AZLNJZPUVJ7/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Gelderland-and-Mansur-hindlimb-montage-991px-88kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: Dodos drawn from life - like those shown in the Gelderland journal - show relatively straight legs, prominently displayed beneath the body. Both the Gelderland drawings and Mansur’s painting (shown at far right) show that the leg was unfeathered from the distal part of the tibia downwards. Images: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594467452789-TT489QHRDL1FGE38M3JK/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-British-Museum-Dodo-foot-images-800px-82kb-July-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life Caption: thanks to the British Museum Dodo foot - the original of which is lost - we have good data on the look of this part of the body. These images (attributed to Joseph Dinkel) originally appeared in G. E. Gray’s 1849 The Genera of Birds. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594556098461-SMMEYTF31T2E9QMLX1JP/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Dodo-Appearance-Cheat-Sheet-1370px-176kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1594560508210-RV4KBE4U006TYASRC6T4/Dodo-in-Life-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Dodo-Appearance-Cheat-Sheet-reduced-1009px-131kb-July-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dodo in Life https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/6/29/dougal-dixon-after-man-initial-pitch-document monthly 0.5 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593464103399-HYMLCRUVY4KOMN1PJPNG/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-After-Man-covers-1208px-154kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: the 1981 (Grenada) and 2018 (Breakdown Press) editions of After Man. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593506060712-BII50904JYZNYC99GM3Z/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-items-at-Conway-Hall-event-2018-1361px-168kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: for the 2018 launch of the Breakdown Press edition of After Man, Dougal brought the initial pitch document, various models he’d made of the animals (like the Vortex shown here), and translated editions of the book. It was a privilege to see these many things. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593505217428-LM7GLMY9KQXWAKX7Y4N2/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-Dougal-and-Night-Stalker-plus-fan-art-1260px-113kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: at left, an iconic photo of Dougal (originally featured on the After Man dustjacket) with his model Night Stalker (the giant flightless bat of the Dixonian Era). At right: there’s a lot of After Man fan art out there now; this image features several of After Man’s mammals. Images: Duncan McNicol/Dougal Dixon; Darren Naish and Rebecca Groom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593459605337-PUDBEJCQCAUB8XZLFPOU/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-the-folder-913px-41kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: the sacred text. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593506938732-QRZPUPQL65XRV7QUMQOL/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-borzoi-predator-rat-montage-1347px-126kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: I hadn’t previously known that Borzoi (part of the sighthound group; essentially long-haired greyhounds) were referenced in the design of After Man’s predator rats. Dougal’s concept sketches of predator rats are shown at right. Images: 1911 painting by Maud Earl, from The New Book of the Dog (original here); (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593461925864-AVXG3MA2VKHDHENFYD1W/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-BOOK-PLAN-1-1408px-140kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593461945299-N29912XS5CT78SD6LOQ5/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-BOOK-PLAN-2-1403px-146kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: the BOOK PLAN for After Man. Images: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593459879034-V0GTKVEQMNZ3TS2MK724/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-tropical-grasslands-spread-1073px-143kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: one of the planned section opener spreads from the the pitch document. Image: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593459911748-8CVQOTY76JLNR07LVT8D/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-tropical-arboreal-mammals-857px-124kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: initial spreads for the tropical forests section. Image: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593461075860-4P9OV1Y3GAT7MVNQDPCA/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-striger-versions-compared-1087px-153kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: at left, the hyper-gracile arboreal cat of the pitch document, engaging in some quality primate control. And - at right - its presumed descendant of the published work, the Striger. Images: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593459945160-CNZT07G9WVSMYWMWEB48/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-marine-animals-spread-1055px-164kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: a mock spread from the pitch document showing marine animals, most notably the Vortex. Image: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593464415454-85WA9ZB4K5LN46YXPL5D/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-vortex-versions-compared-1285px-159kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: the original pitch version of the Vortex compared with the final version, a rather different Kaiju penguin (at least in bill anatomy). Images: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593460187964-ZSAXBK0XY6S80E2D1J2R/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-coniferous-forests-drawing-906px-59kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: original concept sketch showing Dixonian animals of a coniferous forest. Image: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593462264538-M05BQLM4J9DKLRR54CF1/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-gigantelope-death-and-Night-Stalker-1127px-65kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: at left, Dougal’s concept sketches of what happens after a Gigantelope is killed by a Horrane, and then scavenged by raboons and Gholes. Versions of these illustrations appeared in the book, but not the one at the top. At right: what appear to be the very first prototype illustrations of the Night Stalker, one of the most popular and spectacular Dixonian creatures. Images: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1593517294410-RXYR94PXF4BVERU6DZ7E/Dougal-Dixon-After-Man-Initial-Pitch-June-2020-Dougal-Gigantelope-tidied-880px-109kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Dougal Dixon’s After Man, the Initial Pitch Document Caption: another reminder that Dougal’s After Man project included so much extra material beyond that included in the book. There’s a substantial amount of additional art, and models and puppets too. These illustrations depict Megalodorcas giganticus, the Gigantelope. Images: (c) Dougal Dixon. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/6/19/shrews-of-the-world monthly 0.5 2026-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592583911280-JB30A0KA83M3FJJ5BOUB/shrews-reviews-June-2020-Crocidura-and-Scutisorex-Allain-1917-sg-990px-126kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Caption: shrew skeletons are pretty phenomenal, the long skull and massive teeth in particular are striking. This oft-reproduced illustration (from Allain 1917) depicts Crocidura above and Scutisorex below. Incidentally, I think we’d imagine these animals to look like tiny mustelids if we only knew of them from their skeletons. Image: Allain (1917). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592586088661-Q30N4O59L2JJYNEY8GBA/shrews-reviews-June-2020-lipotyphlans-montage-1173px-186kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Captions: lipotyphlans - or eulipotyphlans if you must - are both a familiar and mysterious group of mammals. Various hedgehog, mole and shrew species are familiar to some of us (I’m in western Europe, and have thus encountered such animals many times), but there are other lipotyphlan groups of far more restricted distribution. These images are from my in-prep textbook. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592581354384-VEA70JB3L86L8L8UMHFY/shrews-reviews-June-2020-dead-shrews-from-England-1114px-104kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Caption: I’ve seen Common shrews Sorex araneus on many occasions, mostly in a deceased state. Shrews die from shock when subjected to loud noises (like thunder), and may even die when they find themselves exposed in the open. The individual shown at left is photographed as discovered, in an open area in the Gloucestershire countryside. Shrews are also predated upon by owls a lot. At right, we see four individual retrieved from the stomach of a single Barn owl Tyto alba (which was itself a roadkill). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592578415223-SX6WZD9T8OBKZWTZBIMI/shrews-reviews-June-2020-Sorex-ornatus-skull-crop-NPS-OA-wikipedia-1008px-75kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Caption: shrew skulls are remarkable. Note the mostly fused nature of the bones, the lack of a bony bar connecting the maxilla to the rear of the skull, the hypertrophied, pincer-like, serrated incisors, and the iron-enriched, reddish tooth cusps. This is an Ornate shrew Sorex ornatus skull. Image: US National Parks Service Museum Collection, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592579640216-0QWI1B7J6X44EWMHK7FM/shrews-reviews-June-2020-Neomys-fodiens-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-Blarina-brevicauda-Gilles-Gonthier-CC-BY-2-0-wikipedia-montage-803px-112kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Caption: at top, an Old World water shrew (Neomys). Below: a Northern short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda, here shown stretching and flattening its body while grabbing seeds. Images: Accipiter, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Gilles Gontheir, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592578460618-LJRCU8VG76G989FTGEDD/shrews-reviews-June-2020-PG-Tips-shrew-crop-1116px-173kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Caption: I’ve always liked this illustration, deliberately composited to show how small the smallest shrews are (snails can be variable but most people have a rough idea how big an acorn is). It’s from the 1985 PG Tips Incredible Animals card set; I think the artist is Richard Orr. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592580834929-3EWOXS3H3MU0WJXFQKKL/shrews-reviews-June-2020-Anourosorex-yamashinai-crop-Pei-Jen-Lee-Shaner-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-689px-100kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Caption: a few shrew taxa are chunky and superficially mole-like. This is a Taiwanese mole shrew Anourosorex yamashinai. Image: Pei-Jen Lee Shaner, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592578558383-4RLGPF3ZMF3WKXH98160/shrews-reviews-June-2020-Scutisorex-crop-Peter-Spelt-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-1122px-66kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Caption: hero shrews (Scutisorex) have a remarkably long, ultra-modified spine and a distinctive hunched posture. At times, they can put on a lot of weight and become quite sausage-like. There are two Scutisorex species, one of which (S. thori) was named in 2013. Image: Peter Spelt, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1592574508266-UTABI3JTAMMTP6GY14NB/shrews-reviews-June-2020-shrew-cladogram-1000px-35kb-June-2020-Darre-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Shrews of the World Caption: several competing phylogenies for shrews are available, and here’s a massively simplified, consensus one. Stay tuned, as we’ll see more complex cladograms in future articles. As usual, the illustrations here are for my in-prep textbook, which I despair of ever finishing. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/6/10/cloudrunners-and-other-cloud-rats-of-the-philippines monthly 0.5 2025-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1591819610255-1IIAL9CY1LG9HUYQQJ3I/cloud-rats-June-2020-Crateromys-schadenbergi-AB-Meyer-2-PD-wikipedia-817px-128kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cloudrunners and Other Cloud Rats of the Philippines Caption: colour variation within the luxuriantly furred Bushy-tailed cloudrunner, Giant bushy-tailed cloudrunner or Luzon bushy-tailed cloud rat Crateromys schadenbergi. Image: Adolph Bernhard Meyer, public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1591822184819-4CUY82553K7392Q4T0M0/cloud-rats-June-2020-Crateromys-schadenbergi-stuffed-specimen-Musser-et-al-1985-with-Panay-cloudrunner-Krysa-Heaneyova-CC-BY-SA-4-0-wikipedia-1082px-105kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cloudrunners and Other Cloud Rats of the Philippines Caption: the Bushy-tailed cloudrunner (at left) is truly an extreme murid, look at that tail! This taxiderm specimen was figured by Musser et al. (1985). Other species, like this Panay cloudrunner (right), are less extreme. Images: Musser et al. (1985); Petr Hamerník, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1591889961390-YB5P5PYHQ7UCYZ62R82E/cloud-rats-June-2020-Ilin-Island-cloudrunner-1157px-98kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cloudrunners and Other Cloud Rats of the Philippines Caption: Ilin Island cloudrunner C. paulus in life, and as illustrated by Toni Llobet for the Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Volume 7. Images: (c) Toni Llobet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1591820129179-P9C6N377TPD092JRY3HZ/cloud-rats-June-2020-Crateromys-australis-holotype-and-skull-montage-Musser-1168px-92kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cloudrunners and Other Cloud Rats of the Philippines Caption: at left, the holotype of the Dinagat cloud rat Crateromys australis Musser et al., 1985, an adult male c 55 cm long in total. At right: the skulls of (top to bottom) C. schadenbergi, C. australis and C. paulus to scale. The species obviously differ in size. Images: Musser et al. (1985). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1591819404368-6IG4C1ILG6P8ATVMGM9P/cloud-rats-June-2020-Musser-cloud-rats-1981-534px-72kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cloudrunners and Other Cloud Rats of the Philippines Caption: this map from Musser et al. (1985) shows how the presence of cloud rats on Dinagat might suggest their presence on Panay and elsewhere in the archipelago… Image: Musser et al. (1985). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1591821144225-MA0H6SOWVC7ZT2IM4KC2/cloud-rats-June-2020-Phloeomys-cumingi-Jaroslav-Vogeltanz-wikipedia-1021px-125kb-June-2020-SA-BY-3-0-wikipedia-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cloudrunners and Other Cloud Rats of the Philippines Caption: other members of the Philippine clade that include Crateromys are also spectacular. This is the Southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat Phloeomys cumingi, Image: Jaroslav Vogeltanz, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1591893546978-EXH2FYUQF55B4P1Z0N7L/cloud-rats-June-2020-Miocene-map-SE-Asia-and-Wallacea-Jansa-et-al-2006-2-958px-241kb-June-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cloudrunners and Other Cloud Rats of the Philippines Caption: Jansa et al. (2006) found northern Luzon to be the place where ‘Old Endemic’ Philippine murids (‘E’ in the cladogram) have their centre of distribution. At the time shown in this map (about 15 million years ago), the northern Philippines were separated from the southern islands by deepwater channels, so migration to that southern section likely happened later on. Image: Jansa et al. (2006). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1591823150511-UMWEYUBPIS4RNA5X4B32/cloud-rats-June-2020-muroid-montage-small-897px-189kb-Mar-2017-June-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cloudrunners and Other Cloud Rats of the Philippines Caption: TetZoo tries to do justice to muroid rodents, it really does! More are coming… Images from the in-prep textbook. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/5/29/did-mesozoic-mammals-give-birth-to-live-babies-or-did-they-lay-eggs monthly 0.5 2023-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590781109236-UYM3JMSQIFE7JCYORVY1/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-mammal-montage-with-eggs-1202px-93kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: were non-therian mammals like morganucodontids, docodonts and multituberculates laying eggs like monotremes (represented here by the echidna Zaglossus) or giving birth to pink little babies like placental mammals do? Image: Darren Naish (images from the in-prep textbook project). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590771365651-OQ0K2GQUNR8643ZZB0X8/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-mammal-cladogram-1076px-85kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: a highly simplified cladogram which depicts the relationships relevant to this article. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590784861736-H4BGXJZYGSZ7DQPJCIB7/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-Volaticotherium-Chuang-Zhao-and-Lida-Xing-500px-66kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: everyone’s favourite volaticothere reconstruction; it’s by Chuang Zhao and Lida Xing. Should we imagine this animal as an egg-layer? I’ve said yes, but I could be very wrong. Image: (c) Chuang Zhao and Lida Xing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590773067776-72FCNP0NBRCUW6O6RIBE/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-Mesozoic-mammal-books-1000px-52kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: there are a few - not that many - books on stem-mammal evolution out there, all of which have their strengths and weaknesses. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590772630128-2JZ4O255ZWT8L3K29Z1I/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-McLoughlin-cover-533px-113kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: most people interested in the history of palaeoart and the popularisation of dinosaur-themed palaeontology are familiar with John McLoughlin’s Archosauria. Less well know is its successor, Synapsida. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590772482675-6EG3FCAZ2KSIKL6E9Q1D/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-Hotton-et-al-cover-518px-50kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: there aren’t many books which cover the biology of stem-mammals, and Hotton et al. (1986) is invaluable if you’re interested in this subject. Guillette & Hotton’s (1986) paper on stem-mammal reproduction is within. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590834416556-5XS3BF18XO5DQUE9E4KX/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-viviparous-squamates-montage-1349px-247kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: viviparity has evolved on a great many occasions within squamates, yet we don’t think of the viviparous species as the ‘end’ members of an evolutionary sequence. Maybe we should think about synapsid viviparity in the same way. Here are but a few viviparous squamates. Clockwise from upper left: Common slow-worm Anguis fragilis, Common European adder Vipera berus, Cunningham’s skink Egernia cunninghami. Images: Neil Phillips (used with permission); Benny Trapp, CC BY 3.0 (original here); Donald Hobern, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590835335238-JX15HU5A7DNO6A2X9FC1/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-Lee-%26-Shine-squamate-viviparity-cladogram-2-803px-129kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: Lee & Shine (1998) discussed several cases in squamate phylogeny where oviparity might have re-evolved within a viviparous clade (the example here concerns anguid lizards). In at least some of these cases, however, the topologies that support such transitions are not especially robust and have been overturned by more recent studies (1998 is a long time ago when it comes to squamate phylogeny). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590772084640-HYAUQX87RJL83LQVU7O3/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-Kielan-Jaworoska-1979-mtb-pelvic-girdle-and-skeleton-1084px-92kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: at left, the pelvic girdle of the small multituberculate Kryptobaatar dashzevegi in (at left) dorsal view and (at right) posterior view, as figured by Kielan-Jaworowska (1979). The published version of Kielan-Jaworowska (1979) has these diagrams mislabelled. At right, a Kryptobaatar skeleton photographed in the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, Brussels. This was a large-eyed, superficially rodent-like animal. Images: Kielan-Jaworowska (1979); Ghedogedo, CC BY SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590785080248-EBRX0N7Y7U1GNQJZKDRH/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-an-echidna-montage-1111px-108kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: I’m surprised to find that I don’t own all that many echidna-themed images, but here are two. The painting is at Marwell Wildlife; the skeleton of Tachyglossus is (or was?) on show at the Hunterian Museum and Art, Gallery, Glasgow. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590840250538-SHIAXN1NV92RNNX4ALXZ/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-Antechinus-and-view-of-pouch-young-wikipedia-1190px-105kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: it’s likely that some non-therian mammals were similar to modern marsupials (like the Antechinus agilis shown here) in giving birth to small, helpless babies. Images: Mel Williams, CC BY 2.0 (original here); John Baumgartner, CC BY 2. 0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590785561926-OI9XTFS2IFABRJ5ZYEDB/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-Kayentatherium-with-babies-1203px-61kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: zombie Kayentatherium considers her tiny babies. I haven’t yet done any tritylodontid imagery myself…. Image: (c) University of Texas (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590837750237-M3MJHBPA5U1ITH4VCPF8/Mesozoic-mammal-eggs-May-2020-early-mammals-cladogram-with-reproductive-states-crop-Tet-Zoo-1053px-81kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Mesozoic Mammals Give Birth to Live Babies or Did They Lay Eggs? Caption: a highly speculative depiction of how oviparity and viviparity might have been distributed across mammals. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/5/20/stop-saying-that-there-are-too-many-sauropod-dinosaurs-part-8-the-last-part monthly 0.5 2020-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590083956057-D8T2F1R1GG2U37ZQT8BB/TMDD-Pt-8-montage-of-previous-parts-1267px-133kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 8 (THE LAST PART) Caption: a montage of things relevant to previous parts of this series. Upper left: Cenozoic megamammals relevant to the TMDD contention. Upper right: a Bakker (1993) depiction of Morrison stratigraphy and dinosaurs. Bottom: Maraapunisaurus, as reconstructed by Slate Weasel. Images: Darren Naish, Bakker (1993), Slate Weasel, CC0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590084000386-YFSWZZ3E0SXGA5QTPFCL/TMDD-Pt-8-Charles-Gilmore-PD-812px-101kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 8 (THE LAST PART) Caption: Charles Whitney Gilmore (1874-1945), former curator of the Division of Vertebrate Paleontology at the United States National Museum (USNM), successful monographer of stegosaurs, ornithopods and theropods, and prolific describer of ceratopsians, crocodilians, ichthyosaurs… and sauropods. Image: public domain, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590084871938-VO2WHQ6OHEBRFHPWIQOF/TMDD-Pt-8-Scott-Hartman-diplodocine-skeletals-1004px-37kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 8 (THE LAST PART) Caption: a (now somewhat dated) montage by Scott Hartman, showing three diplodocines compared. AMNH 223 (the one in the middle) is labelled here as Diplodocus longus, whereas recent study (Tschopp et al. 2015) indicates that it’s likely the same species as the animal previously called Seismosaurus hallorum, but now included in Diplodocus. Here’s your evidence right there that experts have already vetted and tested the possibility of synonymising these animals. Image: (c) Scott Hartman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1590086226300-K8RSEQ5SGNDJ7Q0RV9V8/TMDD-Pt-8-Prothero-and-Naish-diplodocines-1197px-183kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 8 (THE LAST PART) Caption: in case you didn’t know, this series of articles was mostly written in response to contentions made in Don Prothero’s 2019 book The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries (Prothero 2019). Images: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/5/15/stop-saying-that-there-are-too-many-sauropod-dinosaurs-part-7 monthly 0.5 2020-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1589564840884-6TZS99TBSHG8W6G7IYSE/TMDD-Pt-7-Trebar-Garden-May-2018-1163px-228kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 7 Caption: a somewhat ‘Mesozoic’ scene, photographed in the English westcountry in 2018. Ferns - including tree ferns like those shown here - and cycads of many sorts were available as sauropod food. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1589564804364-M1LROO4C13BIEDVHX31M/TMDD-Pt-7-ginkgo-diplodocid-montage-1400px-264kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 7 Caption: ginkgos were available as food to sauropods (albeit not the modern species Ginkgo biloba, shown here). Sauropods of many sorts could also have fed from the ground, on ferns and other ground-hugging species. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1589566641353-S9XLXJYOS1GSP0DGFZEL/TMDD-Pt-7-fern-meadow-winter-1072px-210kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 7 Caption: it’s easy to forget or under-estimate how abundant ferns must have been in parts of the Mesozoic world. Today, huge fern meadows are present in such places as England and New Zealand. This photo - take in southern England in December 2019 - shows dead Braken Pteridium aquilinum during the winter. The quantity of fern biomass here might impress you - imagine what this scene was like when the plants were alive. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/5/5/stop-saying-that-there-are-too-many-sauropod-dinosaurs-part-6 monthly 0.5 2020-05-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588949652405-AEYYFDN0E2R44GY4CUS1/TMDD-Pt-6-May-2020-Camarasaurus-Tyrrell-Etemenanki3-wikipedia--CC-BY-SA-4-0-1082px-161kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 6 Caption: we know that the Morrison Formation sauropod Camarasaurus ranged from New Mexico in the south to Montana in the north. However, this applies to the whole genus, and no one Camarasaurus species has a range that encompasses this whole region. How widespread were those species when they were alive? Image: Etemenanki3, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588949131895-LLZJ32YK964CDIHMIIAB/TMDD-Pt-6-May-2020-Matternes-Ice-Age-Mammals-1043px-130kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 6 Caption: there’s an assumption that modern faunas - where megaherbivore diversity is low - are representative of the way things ‘should’ be. But prehistoric faunas show that we live in an impoverished world where diversity is lower than the standard for the Cenozoic. Image: (c) Jay Matternes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588948189674-4BIIQXRLRFNBUIWIIRES/TMDD-Pt-6-May-2020-N-Am-bison-range-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-3-0-631px-47kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 6 Caption: extant megamammals very often have historic ranges that involve the better part of a continent. This map shows the estimated range of the North American bison, though a caveat is that it includes data from a Holocene population sometimes regarded as a distinct, extinct species (Bison occidentalis). Image: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588947306307-BZ76GSKWX503B5XB3VN1/TMDD-Pt-6-May-2020-Lehman-Campanian-N-America-3-537px-56kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 6 Caption: large ornithischians during at least part of the Late Cretaceous may have been provincial - that is, endemic to areas smaller than those we might expect based on the ranges of modern megamammals. Note that this diagram is now quite misleading in that the animals shown were not contemporaneous as Lehman (2001) thought, plus some of the locations pinpointed as discovery sites for the respective taxa are erroneous. Image: Lehman (2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588947250671-QQI4C62RN5WZME3WFP8A/TMDD-Pt-6-May-2020-Sampson-et-al-2020-ceratopsids-685px-107kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 6 Caption: Sampson et al. (2010) argued that high provinciality was present in the North American ceratopsids of the Campanian, though some of their conclusions have since been challenged. Image: Sampson et al. (2010). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588951178166-ZNQVS0RCDFJN5LPDPMRO/TMDD-Pt-6-May-2020-megaherbivore-montage-2-1147px-145kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 6 Caption: there’s a mostly unspoken assumption in discussing sauropod biology that they were somehow similar to proboscideans. In reality, extinct proboscideans (like the Woolly mammoth shown here) were living in a very different world from modern elephants, likewise for other extinct giant mammals (like Paraceratherium), likewise for sauropods (like the apatosaurine shown here). Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/5/1/stop-saying-that-there-are-too-many-sauropod-dinosaurs-part-5 monthly 0.5 2020-05-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588353304640-Q0IXWHTETP3JPQ2TOXUI/TMDD-Pt-5-May-2020-montage-of-series-1337px-143kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 5 Caption: a montage of images relevant to previous articles in this series. Image: Prothero (2019), Darren Naish, Bakker (1993). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588347205641-S2MPDAJHMTS0GCR332SN/TMDD-Pt-5-May-2020-Tsavo-1971-elephants-post-drought-661px-113kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 5 Caption: droughts and shortages of edible browse can cause elephant die-offs. Surely packed masses of Mesozoic megaherbivores were afflicted by this sort of thing too? This photo was taken in Tsavo Park in 1971. The dying animal is the group matriarch. Image: Spinage (1994). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588337625892-GXQ5UZJUUPSW8DSU0IMJ/TMDD-Pt-5-May-2020-prehistorybyliam-1127px-191kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 5 Caption: Morrison Formation environments included open spaces and ecotones like the sort shown here. But there were also dense, thickly vegetated stretches of forest, at least at times. Image: Liam Elward (original here), used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588357871771-NOVIOXVZGBQG7GG1S7GM/TMDD-Pt-5-May-2020-Morrison-packed-with-sauropods-2-1064px-141kb-May-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 5 Caption: how sauropod-busy were Morrison environments? Were there MILLIONS of giant adult sauropods, of multiple species, roaming the land? Mostly there were not, read on. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588337404074-BQ39GRNCWLAJE7RHZG4M/TMDD-Pt-5-May-2020-Farlow-et-al-2010-graph-composite-601px-36kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 5 Caption: Farlow et al. (2010) includes various diagrams which function to model sauropod population density in Late Jurassic North American environments. Some of their assumptions about biomass and so on might be off but it’s a valuable study. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588337439199-HW44E3TCO30OV54DL395/TMDD-Pt-5-May-2020-Morrison-forest-reconstruction-Carpenter-2006-760px-64kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 5 Caption: Carpenter (2006) produced this reconstructed cross-section of a Morrison woodland to show how giant trees forming the canopies of gallery forests were large enough to provide shade and cover for giants like Maraapunisaurus. Image: Carpenter (2006). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1588352258889-KM2YMTKS9C9HE6BKC767/TMDD-Pt-5-May-2020-diplodocids-John-Conway-1280px-57kb-May-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 5 Caption: there are good reasons for thinking that gigantic sauropods really were rare objects on the landscape. This fantastic painting shows how the very biggest specimens - like this immense dark Barosaurus - would have dwarfed more ‘normal sized’ sauropods. Image: John Conway (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/4/24/stop-saying-that-there-are-too-many-sauropod-dinosaurs-part-4 monthly 0.5 2020-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587725523289-HPMW5KIG8BLS2XV2OY80/TMDD-Pt-4-April-2020-Johan-Egerkrans-sg-April-2020-1453px-112kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: beautiful Morrison Formation scene by Johan Egerkrans, showing Ceratosaurus at left and some apatosaurines at right. Rhamphorhynchid pterosaurs and a docodont mammal appear as well. Image: (c) Johan Egerkrans, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587733275416-2E2A9BCCU20X88L235WV/TMDD-Pt-4-April-2020-Brachiosaurus-and-Allosaurus-Vladimir-Nikolov-resized-cropped-968px-227kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: I think everyone agrees that Brachiosaurus altithorax - shown here, interacting with Allosaurus - is a distinct taxon, but what about all the other Morrison Formation sauropods? Image: Vladimir Nikolov, used with permission. Vladimir’s artwork can be seen here and here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587725300271-SMH9DPTO1YG6OM8RAGXK/TMDD-Pt-4-April-2020-Morrison-map-Maidment-%26-Muxworthy-2019-screengrab-1238px-124kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: a reminder of the extent of the Morrison Formation, and of the distances between various of its outcrops. Not only does the Morrison span a substantial chunk of Mesozoic time, it was deposited over a vast geographical area. Image: Maidment & Muxworthy (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587726272958-MDBA4B7VCY75WVK5M743/TMDD-Pt-4-April-2020-Camarasaurus-lentus-CM-11338-Carnegie-Quarry-993px-188kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: perhaps the most famous Carnegie Quarry sauropod find is this remarkably complete, articulated Camarasaurus lentus juvenile (CM 11338). Incidentally, it’s one of several sauropod specimens which confirms that these animals habitually held their necks in erect poses. The tail in this specimen was originally bent right over the back. Image: James St. John, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587729027094-EBAVGLCYAJ3776TJ4IH4/TMDD-Pt-4-April-2020-Douglass-Quarry-DNM-1236px-235kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: Carnegie Quarry is at the core of the huge Dinosaur National Monument complex, and the quarry wall is famous for its numerous dinosaur bones. It’s just about impossible to get the whole wall in the same photo. Quite why and how so many giant dinosaurs became preserved in the same small area remains the issue of discussion (Carpenter 2013). Image: Wild About Utah (from here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587728529365-PORFBNJWSZNZU8USAX8X/TMDD-Pt-4-April-2020-Morrison-palaeogeography-Maidment-%26-Muxworthy-2019-screengrab-1106px-86kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: sedimentological evidence shows that the environments present in Late Jurassic North America (and representing those areas whose sediments now form part of the Morrison Formation) were diverse, and changed over the relevant timespan. These two maps show just some of the changes that occurred across the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming during the time the Morrison Formation was deposited. Note the scale bars! Image: Maidment & Muxworthy (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587740648912-R7PHSMSJ7YP76J5V3RUE/TMDD-Pt-4-April-2020-Bakker-Morrison-1993-strat-650px-36kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: the numerous Morrison sauropods were far from contemporaneous. This diagram - from Bakker (1993) - depicts the stratigraphic distribution of Morrison sauropod and theropod species through a 91.5 m succession in Wyoming. Image: Bakker (1993). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587731983041-NX1SEFFO2WQQMB7Y2PEJ/TMDD-Pt-4-April-2020-Stokesosaurus-contemplation-Vladimir-Nikolov-resized-cropped-1058px-139kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: the environments represented by the Morrison Formation would have included rolling hills, plateaus and other highland areas - we mustn’t imagine the entire area of deposition as a gigantic flat floodplain. In this fantastic illustration by Vladimir Nikolov, a Stokesosaurus consider hiding inside a diplodocid carcass already occupied by two sheltering dryosaurs. Vladimir’s artwork can be seen here and here. Image: Vladimir Nikolov, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587735126360-5D9U079EO9MVVJ2LLVFA/TMDD_Pt-4-April-2020-Muhammad-Rizky-Maulana-Morrison-sauropod-montage-crop-1279px-37kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 4 Caption: yes, there are a lot of Morrison Formation sauropods - this montage nicely illustrates that. But, as we’ve established by now, the species concerned were not all contemporaneous, and did not all live in the same place, and did not all frequent the same environments. Image: Muhammad Rizky Maulana (using skeletals made by Gunnar Bivens, Scott Hartman, Henrique Paes, and Gregory S. Paul), used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/4/21/stop-saying-that-there-are-too-many-sauropod-dinosaurs-part-3 monthly 0.5 2020-04-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587501266784-UUNVGKSRS1RNEU385N3E/TMDD-Pt-3-April-2020-Morrison-diplodocid-montage-1340px-202kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: a Morrison diplodocid montage. Clockwise from far left: Brontosaurus excelsus at Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History; the absurd neck of Barosaurus at the Royal Ontario Museum; the relatively diminutive Kaatedocus siberi at the IRSNB, Brussels. Images: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); KristyVan, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Paul Hermans, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587489112574-QLY81XWXIRMZ8LDP0DK1/TMDD-Pt-3-April-2020-giraffes-composite-1128px-190kb-June-2016-April-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: oh my god, how many times have giraffes been featured at TetZoo now? Too many times, I think. At left: a captive Rothschild’s-type giraffe on show at Colchester Zoo, UK. At right: a famous photo showing Bernard Grzimek investigating a sadly deceased Maasai giraffe. Images: Darren Naish, (c) BBC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587490552627-ZNAU0YTNOPXNXPWP1O6H/TMDD-Pt-3-April-2020-giraffe-books-865px-69kb-April-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: there aren’t that many books which give you detailed insider info on giraffes, but these three are a start. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587488982544-GFPOTIO5HWS7W59YJXA6/TMDD-pt-3-April-2020-Mihlbachler-et-al-2004-giraffe-skulls-1220px-87kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: giraffe skulls are variable, but are they really variable? Well, not really. The main variation concerns how much ossification there is on the top of the skull and the size of the median horn. Mihlbachler et al. (2004) figured this selection of skulls to depict giraffe skull variation. Image: Mihlbachler et al. (2004). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587497122081-FUXJNPOFVCFV7U7L9WNY/TMDD-Pt-3-April-2020-Galeamopus-hayi-AMNH-969-Ryan-Somma-wikipedia-950px-111kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: recent studies have led to the naming of several new Morrison Formation diplodocid species and genera, and the reidentification of specimens previously assumed to be Diplodocus or Apatosaurus. This skull (AMNH 969), on show in New York, was long thought to belong to Diplodocus but is now referred to Galeamopus. Image: Ryan Somma, CC BY-SA-2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587489817270-UF2DV9POGF0X1WO1R1GP/TMDD-Pt-3-April-2020-Barosaurus-lentus-and-Diplodocus-carnegii-Greg-Paul-783px-74kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: are Morrison Formation diplodocids - like the diplodocines Barosaurus lentus (at top) and Diplodocus carnegii, shown here - similar enough to be intraspecific? The anatomical differences are pretty profound, more than what you’d expect within a species. Image: (c) Greg Paul. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587473810933-L9Z9UXQL3CI6K1TQTRPW/TMDD_Pt-3-April-2020-giraffes-many-Marwell-600px-132kb-June-2016-April-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: a group of captive giraffes at Marwell Wildlife, UK. Most captive giraffes are hybrids between Rothschild’s or Nubian giraffes and Reticulated giraffes - these are - and hence many have now been sterilised to prevent further breeding. Look for the individual lacking most of its tail. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587473766866-WCPB61Z4N61HMMO963SY/TMDD-Pt-3-April-2020-giraffe-distribution-map-993px-153kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: range maps of the different giraffe taxa reveal several places where the ranges butt up against one another, or even overlap. Image: Fennessy et al. (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587500348098-9151T9EJ3HC55EY5D3CO/TMDD-Pt-3-April-2020-Morrison-sauropods-Sept-18-2016-1393px-74kb-April-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 3 Caption: it’s become obvious to me that I don’t have sufficient illustrations of Morrison sauropods. I need to do more. This montage shows a brachiosaur, apatosaurine and camarasaur. As usual, these illustrations were produced for my in-prep textbook. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/4/19/stop-saying-that-there-are-too-many-sauropod-dinosaurs-part-2 monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587300529257-NZ0H3F7PV35MG36UHAZC/TMDD-Pt-2-April-2020-Apatosaurus-louisae-Tadek-Kurpaski-wikipedia-1230px-238kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 2 Caption: Apatosaurus louisae on display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. This is CM 3018, the holotype of the species, and one of the best described, most thoroughly known of all apatosaurine diplodocids. This is just one of around 17 diplodocid species recognised from the Morrison Formation. Image: Tadek Kurpaski, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587296232368-ULT2VXGYQZKKXN65UMUY/TMDD-Pt-2-April-2020-CMZ-Paraceratherium-skull-1420px-95kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 2 Caption: the amazing skull of Paraceratherium transouralicum (this is the specimen on show at the Cambridge Museum of Zoology, a cast of Hsanda Gol specimen AMNH 18650). Prior to the 1980s, Paraceratherium was oversplit into several genera. Is this relevant to the TMDD contention? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587296102960-PAI62MGE2TA8NE99ABBK/TMDD-Pt-2-April-2020-brontothere-composite-1368px-125kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 2 Caption: the best known brontotheres were very large herbivores (larger than the biggest living rhinos) with bony nasal horns. One of the last brontotheres - Megacerops - is highly variable in horn form, and this previously led to gross taxonomic inflation. The reconstruction at left was produced for my in-prep textbook. The skull at right is on show at the Natural History Museum, London. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587305859096-BPU8HHTTKX7W3P7JU8FK/TMDD-Pt-2-April-2020-rhino-montage-2-Mar-2016-912px-82kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 2 Caption: three rhino taxa which underwent some fair degree of taxonomic revision during the 1980s and 90s. 1. The gigantic Eurasian hyracodontid Paraceratherium. 2. The North American hornless rhinocerotid Trigonias. 3. The North American elasmotheriine rhnocerotid Subhyracodon. These are among a huge number of rhinos I’ve reconstructed for the in-prep textbook. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587296182680-9698EE9MXY4CL0XU9ONN/TMDD-Pt-2-April-2020-Prothero-Rhinoceros-Giants-cover-904px-156kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 2 Caption: Don Prothero’s 2013 book on indricotheres. I’m pretty confident that the look advocated in this book for indricotheres - in which they’re said to have a massive upper lip and elephant-like, flappy ears - is partly bogus, especially the thing about the ears (Mark Witton covers this issue in more depth here). The art - by the excellent Carl Buell - is very nice though. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587296156568-6K2W0BPZMQTEDOT67C4O/TMDD-Pt-2-April-2020-Li-et-al-2017-Paraceratherium-montage-687px-70kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 2 Caption: the days of recognising multiple indricothere genera are gone, but this doesn’t mean - contra Prothero (2019) - that there’s only one species! This figure, showing the jaws of five species, comes from Li et al. (2017). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/4/17/stop-saying-that-there-are-too-many-sauropod-dinosaurs-part-1 monthly 0.5 2020-04-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587137446675-YDUYB1JK95OFNRAGFC17/TMDD-April-2020-some-dinosaurs-of-2019-910px-75kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 1 Caption: these years, just about every year is a dinosaur year. Here are just a few of the many Mesozoic dinosaurs published as new in 2019. Yeah yeah, don’t be a smartass - the people are there as scale bars. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587138236506-PJQCT2RPNQ4VACYNXY63/TMDD-April-2020-Morrison-Formation-Michael-Overton-CC-BY-SA-2-5-wikipedia-1046px-172kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 1 Caption: a Morrison Formation exposure in Utah. These rocks - or, more specifically, the environments represented by them - are the setting for the article here (and its several subsequent parts). Image: Michael Overton, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587139139225-IRNSAOLYWTJJXI3Q2I2O/TMDD-April-2020-Diplodocus-mural-Mark-Witton-2018-1600px-245kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 1 Caption: we’ll be talking about both familiar and obscure Morrison Formation sauropods here. This mural image by Mark Witton - revamped several times over the years, as discussed by Mark here - depicts Diplodocus longus. Image: (c) Mark Witton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587131796708-3KT24T8E89GC560SKHLA/TMDD-April-2020-ontogenetic-morphing-posterkids-760px-90kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 1 Caption: poster-children of the ontogenetic morphing hypothesis. Nanotyrannus, Dracorex and Torosaurus. Some Mesozoic dinosaurs surely did undergo surprising change across ontogeny. It doesn’t mean they all did. Images: James St. John, CC BY 2.0 (original here); Daniel Hendricks, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here); Kabacchi, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587140012183-76RNQPXRI8MAU54J09SX/TMDD-April-2020-Haplocanthosaurus-utterbacki-IJReid-CC-4-0-1424px-70kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 1 Caption: composite skeletal reconstruction of Haplocanthosaurus, a Morrison Formation sauropod that may be closely related to - or an early-diverging member of - Diplodocoidea. Image: IJReid, CC BY 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587141461920-4AGHKED02I5HW96BIEGK/TMDD-April-2020-Maraapunisaurus-Slate-Weasel-wikipedia-1422px-43kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 1 Caption: views on Maraapunisaurus (formerly Amphicoelias fragillimus) have varied quiet a bit since I first wrote about it in 2006 (see links below). Most recently, Carpenter (2018) has argued that it was most likely a rebbachisaurid, not a diplodocid, and with a total length of perhaps 30 m. The reconstruction here depicts it as a rebbachisaurid. Note the typo in ‘fragillimus’. Image: Slate Weasel, CC0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587132115718-MHFNX8CS2XQBTMGMGLTN/TMDD-April-2020-Prothero-2019-Dinosaurs-in-25-Discoveries-350px-56kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 1 Caption: Prothero (2019). I was a reviewer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1587145248148-FAEZXUTA7S0JCOQD5B0H/TMDD-April-2020-Diplodocus-Morrison-scene-Darren-Naish-782px-133kb-April-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Stop Saying That There Are Too Many Sauropod Dinosaurs, Part 1 Caption: it should be obvious that I don’t have enough scenes depicting Morrison Formation dinosaurs, since I’ve had to use this one about 50 times by now. The sauropods are Diplodocus… again. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/3/29/professor-jenny-clack-1947-2020 monthly 0.5 2020-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585590248544-E0H7QNTHVKYIWQVQ8OI8/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-field-and-Spitfire-montage-1000px-46kb-Rob-Clack-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: at left, Professor Jenny Clack, in the field at Burnmouth in the Scottish Borders. At right: in 2017, Jenny and her husband Rob got to fly in a Spitfire. Images: (c) Rob Clack, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585512631247-AXYFXFYJIYTCDHU6CAPZ/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-Clack-papers-1000px-73kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: a selection of Clack publications in the TetZoo library. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585590488156-9V8ZTHAMR4FHYW6IG2LF/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-Ballagon-type-locality-1000px-137kb-Mar-2020-Rob-Clack-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: Jenny Clack (and Professor Robert Insall) at the Ballagan Formation type locality, near Glasgow. Image: (c) Rob Clack, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585512075718-18P6N0JC46H4DQL4UPHL/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-Ichthyostega-Ahlberg-et-al-2005-1000px-33px-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: in more recent years, it’s become obvious that Ichthyostega - the classic ‘early tetrapod’ - was not just a formidable, toothy predator, but an unusual, specialised animal with paddle-like hindlimbs, a proportionally short tail and a regionalised vertebral column. Image: Ahlberg et al. (2005). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585505101083-RLVJPC45S83XE58RIXOD/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-anamniote-montage-1000px-42kb-March-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: life reconstructions of three early tetrapods worked on by Clack: the big Crassigyrinus, the small, aquatic Acanthostega, and the big (c 1 m long) Ichthyostega. These images are among tens of archaic tetrapods reconstructed for my in-prep textbook. I’ve learnt recently that the Crassigyrinus will soon need revising. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585505223121-EDAGE8J9LMCYMM94T3J6/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-Gaining-Ground-covers-978px-53kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: covers of the first and second editions of Clack’s Gaining Ground. The cover images are, respectively, by Jenny Clack and Julia Molnar. The Clack image shows two individuals engaging in courtship: the green hump at the back left is the body of a second animal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585506649892-9UL6PCAMVCNDJ0VMADSI/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-Acanthostega-gunnari-Ghedoghedo-Brussels-wikipedia-800px-84kb-CC-3-0-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: several of the archaic Devonian tetrapods study by Clack and her colleagues are excellent, 3D and with very detailed preservation. This image shows an Acanthostega gunnari cast at Musee De L'Histoire Naturelle, Brussels. Image: Ghedoghedo. CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585515864567-DP8KWG8MSEVD0I39CS73/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-Acanthostega-model-Cambridge-July-2016-1000px-28kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: life-sized models of Ichthyostega and Acanthostega have been made a few times. Here’s the Acanthostega on show at the Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge. I’ve photographed this model several times but none of my photos are that good - I stole this image from Christian Kammerer (source). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585589908318-L28EOID0MZ6TCVOAEGJ4/Jenny-Clack-Mar-2020-TWeed-Team-photo-1000px-23kb-Rob-Clack-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Professor Jenny Clack, 1947-2020 Caption: the Tournaisian rocks of Burnmouth, north of Berwick-upon-Tweed, have, within recent decades, proved an important new locality for tetrapods. As a consequence, Jenny and colleagues set up the TW:eed Project, the acronym standing for Tetrapod World: Early Evolution and Diversity. Jenny (in the green top) stands close to the middle. Image: (c) Rob Clack, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/3/23/theropods-of-the-english-wealden-questions-part-1 monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585004971175-R81Q5W4EQ6JLCLFJL5BJ/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Wealden-dinosaur-montage-956px-139kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: at left, a Wessex Formation scene, depicting Eotyrannus, a compsognathid (at lower right), a pachycephalosaurian Yaverlandia in the middle distance, and the titanosauriform ‘Angloposeidon’. I need to do some new Wealden dinosaur artwork. At right: a younger, slimmer version of this blog’s author, holding the holotype claw of Baryonyx walkeri in 2001 or thereabouts. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585002227277-YDGD2HM6WZA9GCNE7SFY/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Wealden-strat-simple-1121px-85kb-April-2018-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: simplified stratigraphic nomenclature of the Wealden Supergroup. Note that the Hastings Group is much older than the Weald Clay and Wealden groups. The vast majority of Wealden dinosaurs come from the Wessex Formation. Image: Naish (2010). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585011961816-PYGGDZBLQ1BDMHONPF4Z/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Neovenator-reconstruction-with-bones-2-D-Naish-600-px-tiny-June-2017-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: the Wessex Formation allosauroid Neovenator – here shown with some of its facial bones in partial x-ray – was covered here at TetZoo (ver 3) back in 2017. Our conclusions on the facial anatomy of this dinosaur (Barker et al. 2017) have since been challenged. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585001862759-LJTI8OF9RMPKM9PF2NWJ/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Wealden-dinosaur-book-covers-884px-127kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: at left, Martill & Naish (2001) (cover art by Julian Hume). At right, Batten (2011), truly a must-have volume on Wealden palaeontology. Martill & Naish (2001) is now hard to get and only sold at ridiculous prices. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1584999895659-SHZQJ7OZFU52M1YY8N9G/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Dinosaurs-IoW-2001-Yaverlandia-Naish-%26-Martill-2001-600px-174kb-April-2018-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: at top, the Yaverlandia holotype in (left) ventral and (right) dorsal view. Below, the source of shame. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585000196740-3X8B3C7Q0BL9O9YXSRUQ/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Yaverlandia-Orbis-426px-69kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: life reconstructions of Yaverlandia are few and far between. This one (seeming to show the animal in a quadrupedal pose: note how the artist has hidden the hand, a classic case of trying to cover up a mistake) is from the fabled Orbis part-work magazine series. I think (but can’t confirm) that the artist was Jim Channel. Image: (c) Orbis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585002681161-29JO3RG3SRL02I363HHH/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Pelecanimimus-holotype-skull-1274px-250kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: it’s well known in the theropod research community that the full description of this amazing fossil – the holotype of the Spanish ornithomimosaur Pelecanimimus – was done back in the 1990s [UPDATE: nope, 2004], but hasn’t seen print for a bunch of reasons. Consequently, good information on the specimen isn’t (yet) available. Despite that, this photo has been widely shared online. I don’t know who to credit for it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585001200079-SMA0TUNFCNXECQUPEOXQ/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-DinoPress-montages-from-2002-1229px-140kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: these drawings – produced for Dino Press magazine back in 2002 – look very dated now. They’re supposed to show those smaller theropod groups confirmed for the Wealden (at top) and predicted for the Wealden but still awaiting discovery (at bottom). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585011695994-PZOAC5AANXDL1V3EW6B5/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Wessex-Fm-dinosaurs-1-with-ornithomimid-600px-148kb-June-2014-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: in 2014, I superimposed an ornithomimid into the Wessex Formation scene you saw above… this effort was not meant to be entirely serious (and an ornithomimid is the wrong kind of ornithomimosaur anyway). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585008364177-XGCDMGMEVVJM9UKIZEPJ/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Mortimer-Thecocoelurus-montage-2014-1048px-44kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: Mickey produced this image for a 2014 article at The Theropod Database (here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585005288369-KQCMK2ND3NAS3J9XBWKJ/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Eotyrannus-phylogeny-as-per-2007-956px-139kb-April-2018-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: the phylogeny I generated for my PhD thesis led me to think that Mirischia might be a tyrannosauroid… in which case Aristosuchus might also be a tyrannosauroid. This isn’t supported, however, in the in-prep Eotyrannus study I’ve co-authored with Andrea Cau. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585010725078-QHTNW41A9NJURXZYIGDG/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Aristosuchus-composite-809px-52kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: Aristosuchus pusillus is known from a sacrum and its conjoined pubic bones, which possess a notably long, narrow pubic boot (shown in ventral view in the image at bottom right). At left, we see where these bones would fit within the animal (here portrayed as a corpse; the reconstruction is dated and was produced for a conference poster I presented in 1999). Images: Darren Naish, Owen (1876). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1585009142178-CB7W45D14WX7Y8QDK3DW/Wealden-theropod-questions-Mar-2020-Calamosaurus-verts-recon-whiter-1000px-24kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Theropod Dinosaurs of the English Wealden, Some Questions (Part 1) Caption: at left, one of the two holotype Calamosaurus foxi vertebrae in multiple views (from Naish et al. 2001). The bone is about 40 mm long in total. At right, a schematic reconstruction showing the two vertebrae in place in the cervical column of a compsognathid- or tyrannosauroid-like coelurosaur (from Naish 2002). Scale bar = 50 mm. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/3/10/hummingbird-sized-archaic-birds-of-cretaceous monthly 0.5 2025-05-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/fd4212d8-1bf5-4f2e-8fc9-e16b70573569/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-blood-amber-montage-May-2025-1208px-123kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous - Make it stand out Caption: article at left from New Scientist; article at right from New York Times. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1584091561904-FFYQVSTG2T7KEJBJODU9/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-take-2-reconstruction-Mette-Aumala-800px-28kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: a few artists have already produced speculative life reconstructions of Oculudentavis as a lepidosaur or similar reptile. It would have to be a big-brained, shallow-snouted, big-eyed one. Image: (c) Mette Aumala, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583934513911-Z219MI7HFZQCMSRCONRV/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-fossils-in-amber-montage-502px-32kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: a number of really interesting vertebrate fossils in amber have been published in recent years. Among them are the two partial enantiornithine bird wings shown at left (both from Xing et al. 2016a), and the tiny anguimorph lizard Barlochersaurus winhtini (from Daza et al. 2018). Images: Xing et al. (2016), CC BY 4.0, Daza et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583921118067-I547PE3FIZCJD7Q3BQF3/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Gabriel-Ugueto-2-760px-46kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: life reconstruction of Oculudentavis khaungraae Xing et al., 2020, depicting it as a tree-dwelling avialan theropod with partly colourful plumage. Image: (c) Gabriel Ugueto, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583873585226-9RE1HQJM88YGAA7ZCLKY/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Xing-et-al-skull-in-amber-1-700px-74kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: one of several images of the tiny Oculudentavis skull provided by Xing et al. (2020), this one (from their Extended Data) showing the specimen in left lateral view. The scale bar is 2 mm. Image: Xing et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583875094075-UD0NZQ82E46PLH1W8LHO/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Naish-rough-skeletal-446px-19kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: a very rough, semi-schematic skeletal reconstruction of Oculudentavis which I produced in order to gain a rough idea of possible size. As you can see, it would have been tiny. The overall form of the skeleton is based on that of jeholornithiform birds; read on. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583873715288-SKNBAYAIVBJ5OI3T4QR9/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Xing-et-al-skull-digital-1-842px-54kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: digital scan of the skull of Oculudentavis in right lateral view (from the Extended Data of Xing et al. 2020). Note the overall toothiness. The dotted lines here show where slices were recorded during the scanning process. Image: Xing et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583920964106-JN6CT1OIYEEMQ4S3XDK7/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Naish-life-reconstruction-386px-35kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: speculative life reconstruction of Oculudentavis, its feathering and other details inspired by Jeholornis and other archaic members of Avialae. I’ve depicted it on the forest floor but am not necessarily saying that this is where it spent all of its time. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583936196018-JX2VQIURJUXHDW7XA4ST/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Mesozoic-bird-montage-with-Oculudentavis-645px-48kb-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: Oculudentavis would have looked noticeably small relative to other Mesozoic birds, though not absurdly so. It’s compared here with Archaeopteryx (at upper left) and an assortment of others, most of which are enantiornithines. These illustrations are for my in-prep giant textbook project. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583875730306-F5PF08PQYF5K5XVSI7LF/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Davide-Bonnadonna-theropod-size-evolution-600-px-tiny-July-August-Mar-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: theropods display a continuous, pervasive decrease in size when we look at the inferred size of ancestral species at successive nodes across the lineage leading to birds. From left to right, this illustration by Davide Bonnadonna shows the ancestral neotheropod (~220 Million years old), the ancestral tetanuran (~200 myo), the ancestral coelurosaur (~175 myo), the ancestral paravian (~165 myo), and Archaeopteryx (150 myo). Image: Davide Bonnadonna. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583935562725-4KQ1G1WBIFMYG1IZUYR1/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Xing-et-al-silhouettes-584px-14kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: Xing et al. (2020) don’t provide a size estimate for Oculudentavis, but they do provide these silhouettes, which show Oculudentavis to scale with a hummingbird and chicken (and part of an ostrich is just visible at far right). Image: Xing et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583873899177-CFWDDM00ZA6JW0BPFKC2/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Wang-and-Zhou-2017-cladogram-652px-55kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: part of a time-calibrated theropod tree (from Wang & Zhou 2017). According to Xing et al. (2020), Oculudentavis occupies a position more root-ward than Jeholornithiformes, but more crown-ward than Archaeopteryx. If correct, this means that its lineage originated during the latest part of the Jurassic. Image: Wang & Zhou (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583920882725-NO79J0XPH66Z2CQ3RL2S/Oculudentavis-Mar-2020-Stumpffia-and-Brookesia-cf-lineata-Mark-Scherz-568px-22kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Minuscule Hummingbird-Sized Archaic Birds Existed During the Cretaceous Caption: the modern world is inhabited by truly tiny lizards and frogs, like this c 3cm SVL Brookesia chameleon and c 1cm Stumpffia frog. Were similarly tiny tetrapods also around in the Cretaceous? Images: (c) Mark D. Scherz, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/3/2/dinosaurs-pterosaurs-uv-sensitive-visual-displays monthly 0.5 2023-02-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583190185190-15MC5AAFU0Y37IJIIC83/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-heterodontosaur-Brian-Engh-1441px-150kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: would a live dinosaur - like this heterodontosaur - look utterly different if its tissues were photoluminescent? Brian Engh explored this possibility in this excellent piece of art, included in Woodruff et al. (2020). Image: Brian Engh. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583189778260-TP9HLKHMOY81BWQJ4Z5E/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-Dunning-glowing-puffin-965px-73kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: in 2018, Jamie Dunning and colleagues reported the discovery of photoluminescence in puffins. Image: (c) Jamie Dunning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583189745334-CNSTA8YU8J33UFZYBG9K/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-David-Proetzer-glowbone-chameleon-1103px-62kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: Prötzel et al.’s (2018) bone-glow research on chameleons shows that the photoluminescing bones of these lizards were actually visible through the skin. Image: David Prötzel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583190096063-879CU0I214PHTXC4QQQG/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-montage-1218px-149kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: dinosaurs and pterosaurs are of course notable for their remarkable variety of what I term extravagant structures, a selection of which are depicted here. (a) Parasaurolophus, a hadrosaurid ornithopod. (b) Pachycephalosaurus. (c) Triceratops, a ceratopsid ceratopsian. (d) Dilophosaurus, a theropod. (e) Pteranodon and (f) Tupandactylus the pterodactyloid pterosaurs. (g) Miragaia the stegosaur. (h) Edmontonia the nodosaurid ankylosaur. From Woodruff et al. (2020), images by Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583194078554-N4SMMPJEZJFLK5IUG3UY/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-twitter-thread-3-late-Jan-2019-892px-104kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: a palaeontologist ponders new papers on photoluminescence, and then gets talking to one of the relevant researchers. And I chimed in as well, sorry. The rest is history… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583189829780-5TSHJ7HSAAK07NY5ARNH/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-DITW-leptoceratops-UV-1370px-65kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: the idea that Mesozoic dinosaurs might have been exploiting photoluminescence isn’t altogether new. Here are rough sketches I produced depicting the concept of a photoluminescent Leptoceratops produced for the travelling visitor experience Dinosaurs in the Wild. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583194398959-5Y59L2CAMMZPF7EKS4I5/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-ceratopsian-toys-1200px-95kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: for fun, let’s use toy ceratopsians rather than the real things. Could these dinosaurs have had ‘glowing’ bones as modern chameleons do? No, almost certainly not. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583191378098-96FEYXKHPOPPVJR0MMPM/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-Huxley-grebe-TREE-cover-montage-949px-126kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: at left, mutual sexual selection at play in the Great crested grebe, as illustrated by Julian Huxley in 1914. At right, cover of the famous issue of TREE which includes Knell et al.’s (2012) seminal review. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583194979397-ND43GP6D7YSTABXZLRND/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-Borealopelta-CC-SA-4-0-wikipedia-783px-114kb-Mar-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: could the in-situ, fully intact armour of ankylosaurs like that of the amazing holotype of Borealopelta, shown here, give insight into the potential of photoluminescence in these animals? Image: CC SA 4.0, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1583189950520-MK4K0VPYWXG7ZXGPXK7W/HB-photolumi-Woodruff-et-al-Mar-2020-Hone-et-al-Bellubrunnus-1000px-28kb-Mar-2020.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Did Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs 'Glow'? Extinct Archosaurs and the Capacity for Photoluminescent Visual Displays Caption: people have been examining fossils with UV light for decades. These images show the Jurassic pterosaur Bellubrunnus roethgaengeri, illuminated via the use of UV. Image: Hone et al. 2012 (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/2/28/corucia-most-amazing-of-skinks monthly 0.5 2025-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582909779152-N0O997FBSABIRLKB1W70/Corucia-Feb-2020-Grange-Reptiles-2-1000px-63kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: a captive Corucia in a commercial collection. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582914284709-0ZXJSYQNSSLTK9ZPJL7B/Corucia-Feb-2020-TetZoo-skinks-series-montage1255px-129kb-Feb-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: there’s a lot about skinks in the Tet Zoo archives, please see the links below. Thank Christ for wayback machine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582910837500-RZI3CIXFXA7ZEJWF1J1M/Corucia-Feb-2020-Solomon-Islands-wikipedia-SLB-UNOCHA-CC-BY-3-0-1000px-41kbTetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: the Solomon Islands. Image by OCHA (original here), CC BY 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582909456072-B2GEFIK8N0CTANHIB4HT/Corucia-Feb-2020-dark-eyes-2-1000px-48kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: a captive Corucia in a private collection. Note the dark irides which make this individual look different from some of the other animals shown here. Image: S. Hilgers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582909133287-5590ORIVESV3IP60V2GK/Corucia-Feb-2020-skinks-19-Feb-2019-1000px-38kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: representatives of most (but not all) of the skink lineages currently regarded as ‘families’ by Hedges and colleagues. 1: Mabuya, of Mabuyidae. 2: Acontias, of Acontidae (I think it should really be Acontiidae). 3: Ristella, of Ristellidae. 4: Scincus, of Scincidae. 5: Lygosoma, of Lygosomidae. 6: Egernia, of Egerniidae. 7: Eugongylus, of Eugongylidae. These images are from my in-prep textbook, progress of which can be observed here. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582909091734-ZC8MFDP89NL3GA2WXE9R/Corucia-Feb-2020-lygosomine-skinks-cladogram-Oct-2014-1000px-59kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: substantially simplified cladogram depicting lygosomine skink phylogeny, mostly based on Pyron et al. (2013). Images (top to bottom): Wolfgang Wuster, H. Zell, $Mathe94$, Benjamint444 (all CC BY-SA 3.0), Mark Stevens (CC BY 2.0), W. A. Djatmiko, S. Caut et al. (both CC BY-SA 3.0). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582909195624-8X8U3B9TGB189U473QFH/Corucia-Feb-2020-Bristol-Zoo-1-1000px-23kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: fine side-eye from this captive Corucia at Bristol Zoo, UK. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582911018983-ZF6VFE8WBUHXDQKWO183/Corucia-Feb-2020-dark-eyes-1-1000px-43kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: dark-eyed captive Corucia, and here’s proof that this arboreal lizard will - in captivity - drink from standing water (at least some arboreal lizards don’t do this, they rely only on water droplets on leaves). Image: S. Hilger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582909960386-3Q3FDSMT0V008A0UYW6Z/Corucia-Feb-2020-Bristol-Zoo-3-1000px-48kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: a captive Corucia at Bristol Zoo. Note the sharply curved claws and interesting nose in these lizards. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1582913561749-WNRDMWE38Y74DJ3NTJJB/Corucia-Feb-2020-TimVickers-wikipedia-OD-1000px-41kb-Feb-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Corucia of the Solomon Islands, Most Amazing of Skinks Caption: another captive Corucia. This image is useful and interesting because it shows the cross-sectional shape of the body: note that the side of the body is flat and that there’s an obvious change in angle between the side and dorsal surface. Image: TimVickers (original here), public domain. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/2/16/dinosaur-books-of-2019 monthly 0.5 2020-02-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879388201-ZTBUFXFSOQLWV8MEWY7C/dinosaur-books-of-2019-2-1000px-50kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581885630107-O3721WWYSH4Y9K5I46HN/dinosaur-books-of-2019-MP%26L-1000px-78px-Feb-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879441246-ILEN7K65QG39ODT3YBQP/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Theropods-MP%26L-7-1000px-30kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian A selection of pages from Molina-Pérez & Larramendi (2019). At left, eggs depicted to scale (with a basketball). At right, just two of the many pages that feature theropod skeletal elements. Images: Molina-Pérez & Larramendi (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879467757-BC9G52R1TQ049G4RF9YJ/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Theropods-MP%26L-3-1000px-19kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian Just two of the many UNNAMED theropod species reconstructed in the book. Exciting stuff! The humans that feature in the book are an interesting lot. Images: Molina-Pérez & Larramendi (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879569335-D91O4UPPP68T5UA75FTD/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Theropods-MP%26L-6-1000px-35kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian If the reconstructions in the book are anything to go by, Spinostropheus - according to one specimen (an ulna) it could reach huge sizes - was among the most remarkable of theropods. Just look at it. Image: Molina-Pérez & Larramendi (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879501944-0M4XUA88IEJL8YKDHI3I/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Theropods-MP%26L-5-1000px-46kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian The several montages in the book are truly things of beauty. Image: Molina-Pérez & Larramendi (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879537731-EG35II6QHSGHVOCNER24/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Theropods-MP%26L-4-1000-x-35kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian So, so many diagrams of tracks and trackways. Image: Molina-Pérez & Larramendi (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581886425086-NCLKS91QPZMLSSSRGBSD/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Extreme-Dinosaurs-2-cover-640px-30kb-Feb-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879604127-HURTSHS00IQHZ48EJBQZ/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Luis-Rey-montage-1000px-66kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian A collection of Rey works at TetZoo Towers. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879630344-IKMAG5KB7420BC7U9IKX/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Luis-Rey-1-1000px-55kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian Some representative pages from Extreme Dinosaurs 2. At right, note the person wearing an oviraptorosaur costume while sat in a nest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879664412-BXTH7BW3A5FR1SPF8YHR/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Luis-Rey-2-Therizinosaurus-1000px-62kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian More representative pages, this time depicting therizinosaurs. Brightly coloured faces, bold patterns on the feathering, inflatable throat structures… what’s not to love? Image: Rey (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581886745297-YTCJGWE8M8G7WWQNEUHX/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Saurian-cover-1000px-24kb-Feb-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879712853-HMLCBRI2SEJX5R93214S/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Saurian-2-1000px-47kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian Representative pages, here showing the raptor prey restraint model in action. Poor pachycephalosaur. Image: Parker et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879756173-EQ9MU70BCW2RLFXWUC6X/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Saurian-3-T-rex-Palmer-1000px-29kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian RJ Palmer’s T. rex is one of the stars of the show. Some of you will know that the Saurian team abandoned an earlier, more feathery version. Assorted humans function as scale bars; you can likely guess who this one is based on. Image: Parker et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581879784686-9HFN6MMRI5JXHGJ4UIA7/dinosaur-books-of-2019-Saurian-1-1000px-49kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s Saurian Oh wow, so much of the art in this book is just phenomenal. This scene depicts competition among scavengers at a carcass. You might just be able to see the anguimorph lizard inside the body cavity. Image: Parker et al. (2019). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/2/9/african-gastropholis-lizards monthly 0.5 2023-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581286437770-1U7VN9U5IYATEBYYH8NX/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-Christchurch-reptiles-27-4-08-podarcis-Boscombe-2-1000px-46kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: if you’re European, lacertids are the lizards you know best. In the UK, we only have two natives, one of which is Zootoca vivipara, the Viviparous lizard. Here’s a wild individual. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581265565862-XU3JMS58QD5L9S4S0JI3/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-Gastropholis-prasina-montage-1000px-81kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: a captive Green keel-bellied lizard Gastropholis prasina, in repose. Check out that tail! Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581286917964-TDSTNJG84B15RCN5XK71/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-Gastropholis-vittata-Fischer-%26-Hempel-1886-PD-wikipedia-750px-14kb-Feb-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: an 1886 illustration of the Striped keel-bellied lizard G. vittata, from J. G. Fischer’s publication. Image: J. G. Fischer, public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581265611695-DXYC9GY01FYWWIIOG3KE/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-Gastropholis-echinata-wikipedia-1000px-69kb-Feb-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: you can see why this species is called Gastropholis echinata (the species name meaning ‘spiny’). It’s from a 1919 description of the species by K. P. Schmidt. Image: K. P. Schmidt/AMNH, public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581265638253-NUEDPKEVM9YW43IWAUBH/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-Gastropholis-tropidopholis-K-P-Schmidt-1919-AMNH-PD-TINY-Feb-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: another Gastropholis species: the Congolese G. tropidopholis. Again this image is from a 1919 paper by K. P. Schmidt. Image: K. P. Schmidt/AMNH, public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581285048393-EEWTLN6A11V6U8HGSLT4/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-Takydromus-Sept-2014-1000px-26kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: a Takydromus - an Asian grass lizard - in captivity. These lacertids are similar to the African Gastropholis species in several respects, but are not that closely related to them. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581284915906-XOKPEUD2V7US8V39QUMV/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-tree-monitor-montage-Feb-2014-1000px-107kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: I’ve had reason to draw prasinoids - green tree monitors - on several occasions, and here’s a montage depicting several species. Can these varanids be considered convergent with the long-tailed, arboreal lacertid Gastropholis? Hmm, maybe. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581282628946-ZDGMXWQYP3BS7N8GAM0V/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-lacertid-phylogeny-with-Gastropholis-1000px-68kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: a substantially simplified lacertid phylogeny, showing the approximate structure pieced together in assorted studies. Gastropholis by Darren Naish, Acanthodactylus by Richard Hing, Eremias by Yuriy75 (CC BY-SA 3.0; original here), Takydromus by Acapella (CC BY-SA 3.0; original here), Lacerta by Darren Naish, Gallotia by Petermann (CC BY-SA 3.0; original here), Psammodromus by Wolfgang Wüster. Image CC BY-SA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1581265681348-NCJFSJGTYYQ2LASICRHR/Gastropholis-Feb-2020-Gastropholis-prasina-detail-1000px-69kb-Feb-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Mostly Arboreal African Gastropholis Lizards Caption: Green keel-bellied lizard in profile. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/1/31/tetzoo-reviews-zoos-the-isle-of-wight-zoo monthly 0.5 2025-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580554630932-31PGEDPPTKWS92GYHOM2/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-TetZoo-zoo-articles-montage-1274px-147kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: there are a few articles in the TetZoo archives on zoos, but not nearly as many as I’d hoped there’d be by now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580555595960-29NAN1CQO5FP9T22D4F1/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-website-front-1326px-147kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: the zoo’s website is here. It has a facebook page here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580553657275-NSWJMN7M9R57Z4FCBG38/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-tiger-2-IoW-ZOO-1000px-42kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: it was wet, cold and misty when Will and I visited. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580553445477-HCKRIS2MSJ3Q163K7T8E/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-tiger-1-IoW-ZOO-1000px-39kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: one of the zoo’s several tigers. Some of the tigers here have lived into their 20s, which makes them among the oldest tigers in the world. The world’s oldest tigers have variously been 22, 25 or similar. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580552317289-3UABN6CA7F59TV6TYUV2/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-tiger-statue-2-IoW-ZOO-1000px-16kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: that’s a really interesting statue. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580552898062-FYAXO6I6KQGMHOFU37NM/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-lion-4-IoW-ZOO-montage-1000px-35kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: the two white lions that were at the zoo when we visited in early 2019: Frosty (left) and Casper. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580552346875-LGF1R6SZBIH4JDWBZ6JJ/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-lion-flehman-IoW-ZOO-1000px-39kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: Casper the white lion, exhibiting flehmen response, February 2020. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580552397612-PL2IEBYC9V9NHSWVMPTN/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-raccoon-IoW-ZOO-700px-700px-52kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: one of the several raccoons at the Isle of Wight Zoo. So floofy. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580552458145-210TY15EQJOZQSJQBUVA/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-capuchin-1-IoW-ZOO-montage-1000px-29kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: Harley (I think), a hybrid capuchin. These monkeys sometimes look like grumpy little people wearing thick fur coats. I’m following recent taxonomic proposals (Lynch Alfaro et al. 2012) in putting the ‘robust capuchins’ within Sapajus, and outside of Cebus. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580553342623-VS2EQ7DE0F7MDTK35C18/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-spider-monkey-1-IoW-ZOO-montage-1000px-22kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: spider monkeys at the zoo, February 2019. I’ve taken lots of photos of captive spider monkeys, usually because I’m trying to capture pictures where they look like de Loys ape. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580552766428-GA26OQS7NFDQZ1NKSVNY/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-Mellers-duck-1-IoW-ZOO-1000px-48kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: could it be that I have before me…. a Meller’s duck? Such a fine bird. There’s a TetZoo review of knowledge on this species here at ver 2. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580555495898-TUOX78Q6VK7OL2202C9X/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-Green-iguana-769px-124kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: we’ve all seen Green iguanas Iguana iguana before (hey, the ‘Green iguana’ of tradition is a species complex that needs major revision). But they’re so great to look at that I never get bored of them. This big male was in the middle of eating. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1580554705300-UYD7XU9WIRSYPFPMMUL8/IoW-Zoo-Jan-2020-rock-intallation-1000px-49kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tet Zoo Reviews Zoos: the Isle of Wight Zoo Caption: you can - in part - judge a zoo by its constructed installations. I approve of this rocky observation area for the tiger enclosures, opened by Chris Packham in 2004 (TV presenter Chris Packham is the partner of Charlotte Corney, the Wildheart Trust’s founder). Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/12/31/tetrapod-zoology-14th-birthday monthly 0.5 2022-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579631366589-P64VDEOU8CKNOKM9NSMK/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-TetZoo-montage-for-fb-SECOND-21-1-2019-887px-123kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: a montage of TetZoo-themed things relevant to 2019, read on… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579631501434-HJLFG4R2Y5QGWGZGUK1M/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-TetZooCon-Oct-2019-Armin-Reindl-960px-75kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: we’ll start here. It depicts Joschua Knüppe, was taken at TetZooCon 2019, and was modified by Armin Reindl. I’ve lost track of who took the original, sorry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579547545585-21L1F9DW2T2C3KWZ46V4/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-TetZoo-Towers-4-3-2019-1440px-230kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: TetZoo Towers, the scene of our story’s Act 1. Yikes, it was a mess at the time this photo was taken… Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579545493907-JQ4FJORP3UNKHN5PQ6NH/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Sandown-26-1-2019-montage-865px-102kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: life-sized dinosaur models at Dinosaur Isle, Sandown. At left, one of Andrew Cocks’s Eotyrannus models (with cannon-fodder ornithischian in mouth). At right, the famous Dorling Kindersley Caudipteryx, with Luis Rey colour scheme. It was in a weird, crooked pose until Luis recently corrected it. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579548051236-JNCIQD06H2UR0HKM0X6Q/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Pulhamite-garden-27-1-2019-960px-164kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: a cave - not a natural one, but one made by people - in the Pulhamite garden at Holly Hill, Hampshire, UK. I love this stuff. Reminiscent of the Prehistoric Court at Crystal Palace, of course. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579545314994-H7CSF8RUW0ONAYKMGFSV/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Isle-of-Wight-Zoo-Mellers-duck-23-2-2019-1000px-96kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: OH MY GOD IT’S MELLER’S DUCK. Yes, they have them at the Isle of Wight Zoo. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579612026034-MDX6JTN6EVSNTMQS1B55/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-OroBOT-perspective-940px-75kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: OroBOT! A mobile, articulated robot replica of Orobates. From the BBC Focus magazine article here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579604362028-C8KIVKJIQILLT07ZTVVQ/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-frogs-and-frogspawn-18-2-2019-909px-87kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: the arrival of frogs and frogspawn in the early part of the year is always a significant annual event, and generally occurs round about the second week of February. Two clumps of spawn were produced in 2019; many of the tadpoles made it to froglet stage and some over-wintered and are still in the pond right now (January 2020). The species here is the European common frog Rana temporaria. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579609190668-3BN99IGQV86HU59WLRBB/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-DK-2019-book-covers-828px-134kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: new books for 2019. A new edition of Dorling Kindersley’s Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life appeared during the year: I helped with the update but have yet to see a copy. What’s Where on Earth: Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life (Barker & Naish 2019) also appeared. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579528168548-K8VO09NZO20CBQJL4MD6/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-DHTLE-Japanese-cover-montage-721px-80kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: cover views of the new Japanese edition of Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved (Naish & Barrett 2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579604301508-QV386SX8HZ0WZ0GMFHL9/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Camardo-2019-Focus-magazine-705px-68kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: opening spread of Giovanni Camardo’s 2019 article on alternative timeline dinosaur evolution. I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating: James Kuether’s dinosaurs are everywhere these days. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579605779617-G0PZEB7HY2WC5YIN0I01/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Chessel-Bay-plastic-pollution-756px-146kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: imagine trying to clean a beach like this of its plastic pollution. It isn’t going to happen: no-one is ever going to remove all of this waste. Chessel Bay, Southampton, March 2019. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579545998781-E1PGF42AF2RDQVF6X7PB/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Marwell-mountain-zebra-15-4-2019-montage-1057px-86kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: Marwell Zoo has so many great animals. At left, Crocodile monitor Varanus salvadorii in the new tropical house. At right, Mountain zebra Equus zebra (note the dewlap). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579543321504-9ZIW9LKWWGDQQ9C1U80Y/Portsmouth-Comic-Con-Roger-Dicken-sauropod-5-5-2019-960px-108kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: while at Portsmouth Comic Con in May, I got to see several of Roger Dicken’s movie models; here’s a sauropod, I think from The Land That Time Forgot. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579543694828-3SUHJ4KA9O87F4OAZOL6/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-New-Forest-26-7-2019-2-montage-643px-103kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: some summertime shots of the New Forest, UK. It really is the most spectacular location and I love spending time there. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579612792993-UE5GN8ZMS199QGN01EG6/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Bob-Nicholls-models-18-6-2019-1046px-85kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: I visited Bob Nicholls of paleocreations.com during summer 2019. Wow, he has some cool stuff. One of the psittacosaurs is for sale… Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579546848140-MMPEWGPA20QNO1W7G2N7/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Cheltenham-SciFest-5-6-2019-montage-869px-103kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: books and book signing at the 2019 Cheltenham Science Festival. Jules Howard books make a guest appearance. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579613368923-WHMARJ5PZPQXUUCKEPJG/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-The-Sun-no-shit-sherloch-montage-708px-97kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: quality, genius journalism from the rag known as The Sun, oh what fun. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579528241377-FNPAHU3KGHASQPNRNRNI/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Daily-Mail-June-2019-897px-93kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579613638594-D08CEH078UGV844CKT0Z/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-David-Button-and-the-Iguanodon-OUMNH-698px-118kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: at the 2019 Dinosaurs and Art event - hosted at Oxford University Museum of Natural History - David Button uses the mounted Iguanodon bernissartensis replica to make a point about iguanodontian anatomy and posture. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579548300120-6RR0KFNZPPDQMW7JBHQI/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-orca-Cuviers-beaked-whale-12-7-2019-960px-69kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: you need a really good camera to take good photos of distant whales, and I don’t have one. So what I’d sometimes do, as a temporary record of recording what we’d seen, was photograph other people’s camera screens. Here, you can see someone else’s photo of two Cuvier’s beaked whales. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579605926394-L07TVCDYIO8MM0IT42OX/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-orca-12-7-2019-960px-69kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: a scene from the Pont Aven, July 2019. Our progress across the Bay of Biscay is charted, and we keep tally of the cetaceans (and other interesting animals) we see. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579604851565-Q9Y0X8HXZGHUOK8RUBMC/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Handmaids-Tale-Don-Lessem-book-8-7-2019-800px-77kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: here’s something that’s kind of a big deal. I worked - as consultant - on the second edition of Don Lessem’s Ultimate Dinopedia book, published 2017. And - look - here it is, making a guest appearance in season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale (in an episode that I watched in July 2019). In the episode, Emily reads part of the section on Spinosaurus (but changes the wording slightly relative to what’s actually in the book). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579606295782-BWXA3HOB3JRXRJ3PK4R9/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Fortean-Times-July-2019-2-montage-674px-82kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: Hunting Monsters is written about in Fortean Times 382, what an honour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579527407986-ENHOO95PIWDYHVYLC3VE/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Anglesey-choughs-Aug-2019-481px-33kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: Red-billed choughs Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax on Anglesey. As usual, my photos aren’t the best, but at least they show what I saw. Choughs are among the oddest of corvids. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579528421211-97VVE2BS4RU2JJYTGSJ1/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Anglesey-11-8-2019-goosander-group-1000px-83kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: a Goosander raft in the Menai Straits, Anglesey. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579530385378-PDKQR7DE973Q425IWVMZ/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Anglesey-Sea-Zoo-leatherback-16-8-2019-1-montage-990px-114kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: my best efforts to mimic what happened in photos depicting the famous Harlech Beach leatherback. This model is on show at Anglesey’s Sea Zoo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579634499901-694EMYLNMEZGXNUZSGW7/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Anglesey-11-8-2019-squirrel-wood-888px-154kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: I took so many photos on Anglesey that I have too many to share, but here’s one more. Green spaces are of vital importance to our well-being, we must do everything to preserve them. The humans are Emma, Will and Toni. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579632484152-FC5HG4XF6HJVLF8M4PQ6/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Brian-Ford-toy-dinosaurs-350-px-tiny-Feb-2015-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: a now iconic image. Nothing says science like a full run of Encyclopedia Brittanica. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579632545790-6PG8HYX1BX64HAGPY5Q3/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Brian-Ford-Switek-screengrab-600-px-tiny-Feb-2015-Darren-Naish-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: Mr Ford talks about Riley Black on a cruise liner (from this 2015 TetZoo article). This is an old photo that comes from TetZoo ver 3: I try not to link directly to the SciAm host of ver 3 but to the wayback machine versions of the respective articles, firstly because SciAm have removed most of the images; secondly because they’ve paywalled them too. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579543859873-K7PUUQH9007GZVOEHOO7/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-sex-lakes-11-5-2019-montage712px-56kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: the ‘sex lakes’ idea was mocked hilariously throughout the year. I am nothing to do with these images, widely shared online. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579607559302-DKBOS4HZYJ1VVCSB9L7B/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-lemme-splash-title-screen-840px-40kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579528308543-DKWVSCJ8WLAWNV05O041/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-PopPalaeo-7-9-2019-DITW-tyrannosaur-960px-64kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: a Dinosaurs in the Wild Tyrannosaurus model observes events at PopPalaeo 2019. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579530333911-KIBZA43UT4QZ3JTJBRVH/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-SVPCA-14-9-2019-3d-Neovenator-print-montage-786px-68kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: some scenes from the 67th SVPCA, Isle of Wight. At left, a 3D-printed Neovenator skeleton. At right, a table-load of John Sibbick originals. Yes, ORIGINALS. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579545641062-V2Q913BQ79E23Z8GYXWY/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Brisbane-dragon-9-10-2019-960px-134kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: it turns out that Brisbane is absolutely full of these amazing animals. I photographed every individual I saw. They were Australian water dragons Intellagama lesueurii. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579529678174-JB2OMEAKYDODVPZOMIRW/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Queensland-Museum-9-10-2019-parentie-2-montage-657px-89px-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: scenes from the excellent Queensland Museum, Brisbane. At left, the famous Perentie Varanus giganteus specimen that died while swallowing an echidna (there’s an old TetZoo article about it here). At right, a real live wombat! Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579527976320-1B97J8AAM6PU7CD7E309/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-TetZooCon-Oct-2019-ZSL-Lauren-Laura-Sam-Kannan-montage-683px-80kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: at left: Lauren, Laura, Sam and Kannan at London’s Zoo Reptile House. At right: your humble author with a giant penguin. Always with the giant penguins. This one might be a little too giant. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579529542040-UYCPE49BBH6NK5L4WD1K/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-TetZoo-London-Comic-Con-skeksis-Reddish-montage-747px-71kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: at left: Dr Cox/BiPolarCosplay as SkekSo, Skeksis Emperor. At right: Naish and Reddish, together at last. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579527693904-6H4IAD8Y0BDY5BCVVL3Q/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-London-Comic-Con-wampa-960px-70kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: some Naishes (Will at left) with a Wampa; junior Hoth rebel at far right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579634897841-E687D3O9XX1DQZ3DTWFH/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Bristol-Museum-dodo-and-Archaeopteryx-673px-61kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: my time in Bristol means that I’ve made numerous visits to the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, which has a ton of excellent stuff. Here’s a dodo model, and an Archaeopteryx. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579609276380-FEF9VJT5F15GIIWSBEY5/TetZoo-14th-Birthyday-Jan-2020-climate-march-30-11-2019-960px-101kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: a Climate Strike march in Bristol, November 2019. We want our governments to instigate change. They mostly want to carry on as normal, because who cares about the future. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579630233307-8NWJYWZTT86N4ZPICHNM/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-smart-dinosaur-montage-548px-52kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: an ‘alternative timeline smart dinosaurs’ montage, featuring various creatures written about in the TetZoo series. Images: Jim Limwood, CC BY 2.0 (original here), Norman (1991), John Sibbick/Norman (1985), Darren Naish, C. M. Kösemen, John McLoughlin, Matt Collins, Mette Aumala. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579630904726-BENN703PHRL55NX1B867/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-BirdWorld-birds-montage-1069px-82kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: a selection of birds on show at Birdworld, Surrey. They have a lot of great stuff. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579629534467-S03QK1TWYPY9VBRE9V5R/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Flame-outside-760px-156kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: Flame the dragon, on this occasion being most upset about the look of the sky. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579617507720-4Q7D46CFPAORN08TUWB4/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2019-MOTD-billboard-949px-103kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: Monsters of the Deep teaser - more info is available here, and watch the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth Twitter account too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579527262703-MO0VKTF559PO1EQMW465/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-excel-graph-for-2019-1146px-53kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579633832290-7854XOBPWEX1ZTNSR9VL/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-summer-2019-toys-380px-51kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: for levity, some toys. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579635694848-6FJNCNROW870WFFEE1BQ/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-bigfoot-dick-vs-mystery-emo-skinks-738px-67kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: which of these two articles do you think brought in more visitors: the one about bigfoot’s dick, or the one about mystery skinks from Tonga? The answer may depress you, but may also be very predictable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579527305995-64D185CDGY4YS97KKOG3/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Naish-Peak-25-11-2019-404px-8kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: this is what happens when I blog about speculative zoology… I mean the peak at far right. So don’t judge me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579617929344-TFSUENFB0IXXNTS206HQ/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-Andrew-Dutt-kaiju-battle-960px-65kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: Andrew Dutt produced this masterpiece. It reflects John Conway’s great love of movies like Pacific Rim and the unstoppable force that is the Category V kaiju Petersquama. Image: Andrew Dutt, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1579635200567-EFU9DLKI03QEC9R7I5SV/TetZoo-14th-Birthday-Jan-2020-pond-2-9-6-2019-680px-148kb-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology's 14th Year of Operation, 2019 in Review Caption: another personally relevant thing I haven’t discussed here at all: 2019’s maturation of pond 2. It and its surrounds proved a total wildlife haven. I dearly hope this small green area persists after we move away… https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/1/12/lore-of-the-loveland-frog monthly 0.5 2025-12-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578829042995-GAASYJ229P1FC0GC98V1/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Cryptozoologicon-montage-1000px-30kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: at left, cover of the 2013 book The Cryptozoologicon. At right, a scene from the book’s interior, depicting yetis in a Himalayan scene; by John Conway. Image: Conway et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578830016310-KPL0RQ0E97V0SZKC8UY6/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Loveland-Frog-cryptid-wiki-956px-71kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: I really think that some artists have made the Loveland Frog look substantially too frog-like, and this is one of the most extreme examples. But, hey, it’s a nice and technically very competent piece of art. Nice to see Pioneer Dork being used as a scale bar. Image: artist unattributed, Cryptid Wiki (source). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578827408129-9J7V8BBSACHBDV5YRFZ5/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Bord-%26-Bord-Ron-Schaffner-illustration-1000px-155kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: Ron Schaffner’s evocative illustration of the Loveland Frog, very obviously based on the pencil sketch shown below. Note the suggestion of cranial horns, the rows of parasagittal spines and the oval eyes. Image: Ron Schaffner, from Bord & Bord (1989). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578827452596-6CH7XUFH2TFM2WX6VZLF/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-original-drawing-381px-58kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: A pencil drawing of the Loveland Frog, I assume that made by Ray Shockey (though I’ve been unable to confirm this; I found it, unattributed, at various sites online and haven’t seen it in print). The artist evidently had quite some skill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578831926808-NF92S9G88MA43QTPEP9F/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Loveland-Frog-with-butt-runs-570px-86kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: another depiction of Shockey’s frogish encounter, this time showing the creature with a sumptuous butt and disturbingly human-like physique. This image is widely available online but I’ve been unable to find the artist’s name. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578831034708-OZXUNVK4C7UH9ME3DVHZ/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Loveland-Frogs-group-of-three-John-Meszaros-640px-138kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: images showing all three of Hunnicut’s Loveland Frogs together are rare, but at least there’s this fine piece of work by John Meszaros. Image: Cryptids State-by-State, John Meszaros (source). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578829155609-8ZMKBL3KP6RDQB0BRJV2/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Loveland-Frog-2016-still-from-footage-1000px-51kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: a still from the 2016 footage taken by Sam Jacobs and his girlfriend. The actual footage is exceedingly dark and this image has been brightened as much as possible (by the people at Fox19 News). Some think that the photo actually shows a lawn decoration with added lightbulbs. Image: Fox19 News (source). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578831820024-ZRDRIAZGDO2RZQC5OTCE/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-South-Carolina-lizardman-1280px-84kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: this is the very best photo of the South Carolina Lizardman, though sadly I couldn’t find the version with the top hat and cane. Taken by a mysteriously anonymous source. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578827885287-JHS8ZIJXH373F7GL7429/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Creature-From-Black-Lagoon-still-CR-not-restricted-wikipedia-600px-43kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: is it really coincidental that the Creature from the Black Lagoon appeared the year prior to the first appearance of the Loveland Frog? Well, probably not. Image: public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578827492479-13H6X1WAWE6VESKTERLA/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Irwin-1993-monster-and-Wapiti-from-behind-1000px-61kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: how do we explain (or attempt to explain) ‘monster’ sightings like the creature reported by John Irwin in 1993? Irwin’s drawing (from Coleman 1995) is shown at left. The ‘monster’ here has several deer-like features. Could it be that Irwin saw a foreshortened deer and misinterpreted it as a biped? The deer image at right (a Wapiti female) is from Geist (1999). Images: Coleman (1995), Geist (1999). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578834565913-8FFJWMQHSFNNQBL5EFUZ/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Squamozoic-Terrible-terrameleon-electric-eel-550px-19kb-Jan-2020-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: short-faced, tailless, bipedal body forms evolved on a few occasions among the iguanians of the Squamozoic, most famously in the terrameleons (this is a Terrible terrameleon). It’s not a big step from here to time-travelling, intelligent, tool-using iguanians in 20th century Ohio. Image: electriceel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578834045701-82WTHFAYOTWMDVJ2RPK9/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Squamozoic-character-montage-Mar-2013-Jan-2020-1000px-tiny-Jan-2020-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: a large, intelligent iguanian from the Squamozoic surely explains the Loveland Frog (and likely Lizardman and similar cryptids too). Here are but a few of the Squamozoic’s many denizens. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1578827140057-UCJXW0X4KS10SG3M6C49/Loveland-Frog-Jan-2020-Bord-%26-Bord-1980-Keel-1975-montage-1000px-74kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lore of the Loveland Frog Caption: the Bords were surely right, and John Keel was too. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/12/28/extreme-cetaceans-part-3 monthly 0.5 2023-12-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1577704164381-VP6WATBMEC5VM7RNVMFR/extreme-cetaceans-sea-montage-pt-3-1000px-48kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 3 Caption: Stenella longirostris, Phocoena dioptrica and Sousa chinensis, three of the cetacean species covered in the previous parts of this series. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1577704273552-ETRKB0CS9HN1AZ57BDU8/extreme-cetaceans-pt-3-Lissodelphis-peronii-1847-Alcide-Dessalines-d%27Orbigny-public-domain-1000px-10kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoologyyiny.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 3 Caption: Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny’s 1847 illustration of the Southern right whale dolphin Lissodelphis peronii. The species is named for naturalist François Peron, the first European to report a sighting of this species. Image: public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1577704298589-L2VOCJT3PV9SU7KFEOK2/extreme-cetaceans-pt-3-Anim0796-NOAA-Photo-Library-1000px-11kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoologyyiny.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 3 Caption: a Southern right whale dolphin group, photographed in 2008. These dolphins are often seen in large groups of 100 individuals or more. Image: Lieutenant Elizabeth Crapo, NOAA Corp, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1577711987907-1NF0TVMKNATFB293DTXK/extreme-cetaceans-pt-3-basilosaurs-and-vortex-1000px-123kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 3 Caption: old depictions of basilosaurs and other archaeocetes – those at top are from McEwan (1978) and Naish (1996) – reveal that right whale dolphins are actually descendants of a lineage outside of Neoceti. Or perhaps they’re future penguins, like the Vortex (from Dixon 1981). Images: McEwan (1978) and Naish (1996), Dixon (1981). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1577704340334-M81VXDH8EPN5JFN2IZKV/extreme-cetaceans-pt-3-pesut-Today-1989-article-1000px-55kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 3 Caption: a Today newspaper article of 1989 reports ‘the Pesut’ as a new kind of dolphin. I regret that I don’t have the complete citation for this article; in my wisdom I clipped the date and other details at some point. Readers with exceptional memories might recognise the photo at upper right as the inspiration for a SpecZoo-themed piece of art… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1577712834102-GIBV1MU4YJ3QC8XXJB34/extreme-cetaceans-pt-3-Orcaella-Stefan-Brending-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-888px-62kb-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 3 Caption: an Irrawaddy dolphin photographed in Cambodia. Image: Stefan Brending, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1577708667804-ISAROE3WMUQXQEXJWYYE/extreme-cetaceans-pt-3-pesut-Orcaella-alone-1000px-23kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 3 Caption: an effort to portray an Irrawaddy dolphin in life. This dolphin can reach 2.75 m in length, males being larger. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1577707364085-W416CL2EKZI8RV26VAH1/extreme-cetaceans-sea-montage-pt-3-more-1000px-48kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 3 Caption: I said the montage would become increasingly cluttered. And we’re not done yet. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/12/13/alternative-timeline-dinosaurs-the-view-from-2019-part-3-the-dinosauroid-and-its-chums monthly 0.5 2025-09-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576405051316-F7E4LLZ9OAN38YUKVV9B/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Anthropoharpax-Mette-Aumala-CG-sculpt-Dec-2019-995px-35px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: what’s this? It’s an unfinished sculpt of the head of Paranthropoharpax, by Mette Aumala. Read on for more. Image: (c) Mette Aumala. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576263765263-MTTFYFNCGQD3JGQ48EU3/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-big-dinosauroid-montage-Dec-2019-1313px-785px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: a whole bunch of dinosauroids, variously by (left to right) Mette Aumala, C. M. Kösemen, John McLoughlin, Matt Collins, John Sibbick. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576261381596-29TSSF997ATS4GRMBR39/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Russell-and-Seguin-models-Dec-2019-580px-45px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: if you’ve ever opened a post-1980s dinosaur book, chances are high that you’ve seen photos of Dale Russell and Ron Séguin’s troodontid and dinosauroid models. This is the commonest set of images, as reproduced in Russell (1987, 1989) and other sources. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576259442167-SFLC0JML6AD6NMU7KCG5/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Dale-Russell-%26-Ron-Seguin-via-Jordan-Mallon-Dec-2019-680px-53px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: a rare photo of Dale Russell (at left) and Ron Séguin in the company of the dinosauroid; this photo belongs to the archives of the Canadian Museum of Nature and was shared in September 2019 by Jordan Mallon. Image: (c) CMN. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576260565695-1QUM1V6Z68SYF7OT6DCW/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Ely-Kish-dinosauroid-statuettes-via-Mike-Ryan-Dec-2019-1140px-123px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: Ely Kish’s dinosauroid models, used as the basis for a large painting which she finished; it remains in storage and has never seen print. These images were shared on Michael Ryan’s blog (here). Images: (c) Michael Ryan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576257642798-VRCSN83KG4LGKZPHDECI/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-post-Russell-dinosauroid-montage-Dec-2019-980px-151px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: some post-Russell versions of the dinosauroid. At far left: a life-sized model on display at Dorchester’s Dinosaur Museum; at centre, two views of the suit made by Peter Minister for the 1991 TV series Dinosaur!; at far right, John Sibbick’s take on the dinosauroid, from David Norman’s 1985 book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Images: Jim Limwood, CC BY 2.0 (original here), Norman (1991), John Sibbick/Norman (1985). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576256363802-GBF90DOM0N5OAQL65OBX/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-McLoughlin-and-McGee-montage-Dec-2019-1166px-649px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: at left, John McLoughlin’s dinosauroid (which I opted to name Bioparaptor). At right: the cover of Magee’s unusual book on big-brained dinosaurs (which Amazon now values at about £200). Images: McLoughlin 1984, Magee 1993. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576259674202-YIIOYEEQCUSGDKUGMV5T/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Anthropoharpax-Mette-Aumala-Dec-2019-1024px-231px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: for a change, I’m not going to share Memo’s Avisapiens (well, it’s already visible in the montage at top), but Mette Aumala’s Paranthropoharpax naishi. For an article on this creature go here. Mette has recently been working on a CG portraits of this species (go here on Twitter). Image (c) Mette Aumala. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1576256027213-7B7K0XNHY5BGD0VGRIOE/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-dinosauroid-montage-Dec-2019-1241px-151px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 3): the Dinosauroid and its Chums Caption: screengrabs of pages from two recent-ish articles discussing the dinosauroid: Hecht (2008) and Socha (2008). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/12/6/alternative-timeline-dinosaurs-the-view-from-2019-part-2 monthly 0.5 2025-10-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575807628602-7DRSOIFRP5JVKMLMELKR/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Dixon-1988-The-New-Dinosaurs-and-SpecDinos-project-montage-1323px-165kb-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575718941878-J6YUC5EK40BU5AWCE7SD/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-BBC-CrowdScience-6-12-2019-2048px-91px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: a whole radio show on speculative dinosaurs! You need a BBC account to access it. Image: BBC (from here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575718640515-FUS1M7ELJVRIZ6EEZO7S/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-jungle-maniraptoran-final-1000px-317kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: a speculative arboreal maniraptoran from an alternative timeline. It runs and leaps about in tropical tree-tops, has extremely powerful, prehensile feet, and predates on primate-like mammals. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575655802187-XUGT5R5OTV18R8NGE5XR/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Sliders-screengrab-In+Dino+Veritas-S2-ep7-1249px-53kb-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: non-bird dinosaurs and humans live alongside one another in the episode In Dino Veritas (season 2, ep 7) of the TV series Sliders, which aired in April 1996. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575805717329-IQR7HOYBLHGG3KRUHNAY/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Conway-Morris-and-Gould-book-covers-1333px-115kb-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: some of the key books relevant to the discussion here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575656753793-44HIAGMU6XJWNMRTQ4PR/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Horizon-SCM-screengrab-1161px-55kb-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: Simon Conway Morris talks about the evolution of intelligence while a dinosauroid reads a newspaper in the background. This is a screengrab from the 2007 episode of BBC Horizon titled My Pet Dinosaur. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575719404798-YXCW5FLRTXNN1H3C658H/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Vastatosaurus-artwork-838px-81kb-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: I don’t especially like the dinosaurs of Jackson’s King Kong (they’re too conservative), but a lot of the artwork is neat. This concept art depicts Vastatosaurus rex, a giant Holocene tyrannosaurid that evolved from Tyrannosaurus. Image: The World of Kong (here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575656186107-MWDCE07IHBTBZBXZCJ7G/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-J-Pickrell-Focus-1000px-47px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: opening spread from Pickrell (2017), art by James Gilleard. Some of the creatures here are based on those of TND and the Speculative Dinosaur Project. Image: BBC Focus magazine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575654462746-4SKQXF774GKZJXFD9J27/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Dixon-Gourmand-791px-65kb-Aug-2013-Dec-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: the Gourmand Ganeosaurus tardus, a carrion-feeding tyrannosaur whose ancestors migrated to South America during an alt-timeline version of the Great American Biotic Interchange. I’ve never been able to figure out what it’s eating. Image: art by Steve Holden, from Dixon (1988). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1575656221851-1NC7MFM0WOWMGSZ4ZWNZ/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-J-Pickrell-Focus-2-1000px-19px-Dec-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 2) Caption: more art from Pickrell (2017), by James Gilleard. Image: BBC Focus magazine. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/11/23/alternative-timeline-dinosaurs-the-view-from-2019-part-1 monthly 0.5 2025-10-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574524749300-L2G8AQFF4XLIE82QKAG7/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-speculative-dinosaurs-montage-1039px-136kb-Aug-2013-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: a montage of speculative dinosaurs, and one pterosaur. From left to right: McLoughlin’s Bioparaptor, Dixon’s Lank (at back), Kosemen’s Avisapiens, Dixon’s Balaclav, and a tree maniraptoran from Pickrell’s 2019 article. Some of these animals will be discussed in future TetZoo articles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574526602304-OLDV9WWDCPO15WCX5LDH/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Dixon-1988-The-New-Dinosaurs-1000px-74kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: the benchmark in the world of alternative timeline dinosaurs is this book, appearing in 1988… the same year that one or two other influential books on dinosaurs appeared in print (looking at you, Predatory Dinosaurs of the World). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574518111568-SEPNEYN4YN90HUDYR6BQ/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-David-Lambert-SpecDinos-montage-1446px-282kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: my introduction to alternative timeline speculative dinosaurs was in part thanks to David Lambert’s Dinosaur Data Book (Lambert 1990), which features this really nice montage: there are Dixonian dinosaurs from The New Dinosaurs, and Russell and Séguin’s dinosauroid at far right. The brief BBC Wildlife magazine ad on The New Dinosaurs - featuring the Kloon (top right) - also caught my imagination. For all kinds of reasons, I never saw The New Dinosaurs in bookshops. Images: Dixon 1988, Lambert 1990. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574518935610-W43J0XIV97DIH2LHX0CL/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Dixon-New-Dinosaurs-coloured-by-Ethan-Kocak-684px-136kb-Aug-2013-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: a montage that depicts various of the creatures of Dougal Dixon’s TND. We see here a combination of flightless pterosaurs, climbing and terrestrial, predatory theropods, aquatic ornithischians, amphibious pterosaurs and theropods, and others. These illustrations are redrawn from those featured in Dixon (1988). Image: Darren Naish, colouring by Ethan Kocak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574520990347-VZEQKSBIREWPRGTSEO3T/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Greg-Paul-new-dinosaurs-1455px-430kb-Aug-2013-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: alternative timeline dinosaurs of the modern era, as imagined by Greg Paul (1990). Plains-dwelling hadrosaurs and ceratopsians are hunted by cursorial tyrannosaurs. They live alongside small, cud-chewing bipedal ornithischians, burrowing mammals and geese. Image: (c) Greg Paul. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574526734136-171O0MD0GM3RTTQVHPH1/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Dixon-1988-Herbafagus-Dixon-1000px-70kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: the Lank has sometimes been criticised as one of the worst creatures of TND. But maybe this isn’t at all fair… Image: (c) Dixon 1988/Steve Holden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574515720940-2T8QQPKKATIZA8JZE1C1/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Manga-cover-and-colour-749px-77kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: at left, the cover of Dixon & Ogawa (2009). At right, one of the several colour pieces included within. Images: (c) Dixon & Ogawa (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574515245072-F6CO6W8V4D5U29TTVZDM/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Manga-contents-749px-77kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: scenes from Dixon & Ogawa (2009), one from a Harridan-themed story (the Harridan is a raptor-like, mountain-dwelling pterosaur), and one from an Amazon-themed story involving a Pangaloon and a Watergulp. Images: (c) Dixon & Ogawa (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574514881302-NQDUNANO2B4E2SHN3K1M/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-SpecWorld-cenoceratopsians-749px-77kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: brilliant artwork appears throughout the Speculative Dinosaur Project. This illustration depicts a group of Eastern balundaurs, with mulongs, perfects and jaubs in attendance. Image: CC BY-SA 2.5, Speculative Dinosaur Project (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574519234969-J0Y9YO0LKBH3JNWVMF4U/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-Giovanni-Camardo-opening-spread-1215kb-155kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: opening pages of Camardo (2019). By now, James Keuther’s CG dinosaurs might be somewhat familiar (I’ve worked with James on several projects, most notably various recent Dorling Kindersley books). UPDATE: thanks to Caleb W. (see comments), I now know that the the model was created by Raul Lunia, but then used by others. Image: (c) Focus magazine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1574530551350-SPIP716WTRNK6WN8F9MS/SpecDinos-Nov-2019-SpecWorld-mammals-859px-49kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Alternative Timeline Dinosaurs, the View From 2019 (Part 1) Caption: the Speculative Dinosaur Project was and is particularly good on mammals. Here are two I chose at random: the Amazonian Nekopossum (left) and the apocryphal Drop-bear, also native to South America (unlike our own timeline’s Drop-bear). Image: Speculative Dinosaur Project. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/11/16/suburban-birdwatching-in-queensland-australia monthly 0.5 2023-08-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573928645559-UYMZFB79QML5WDNS11SU/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-Aussie-bird-montage-912px-108kb-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Dusky moorhen, Australian white ibis and Little black cormorant captured in the same one shot (at left). At right: a wonderful Torresian crow. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573926340012-JBD49NBHZ4R1YQWENYT4/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-feral-pigeon-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: if you’re truly interested in animals, you’re interested in invasives, aliens and introductions, and there’s no shame in paying attention to them or studying them. So go ahead and photograph that feral pigeon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910352010-5U3U9A1SYS8SDXL5ZTDN/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-ibis-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: my first bin chicken. This individual spent time probing into the gap between the pavement and a retaining wall, searching for arthropods. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573911002374-X8MNS8CI3KQHY5TC8CK7/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-ibis-2-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Australian white ibis out and about in town. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573924407252-JYQUTRCVXZ2VWV8TDLGP/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-ibises-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: large numbers of ibises are readily visible in parks and other green places in Brisbane. The birds stand or sit on the grass and rest in trees. The first individual I saw (the one probing in the paved area, shown above) was initially sat on the grass, chest against the ground. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573928402529-8RQVTYHUOWPF4RB73J3C/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-ibises-2-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: aaaand… even more ibises. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573924062594-G709GYMIV7FTHNI4HBYC/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-Maned-duck-Hardhead-montage-972px-93kb-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: at left, two Australian wood ducks. resting or sleeping. At right: a Hardhead heads across the water towards me. Presumably, it (and its partner) was used to being fed by people. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573911054267-U7JZP1S138BKK9KE0LRJ/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-pb-duck-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Pacific black duck. Of the three recognised subspecies, the Australian one is A. superciliosa rogersi. This subspecies also occurs in Indonesis and New Guinea. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910385960-OB3Q0AGK0UBXKVL6BIFE/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-anhinga-2-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: an anhinga surfaces and swallows what I presume is a fish. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910405104-MGEOJ6M3YOQWYI60WQMN/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-anhinga-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: more swimming anhinga action. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573924787737-VEWOOKT2BFR0CWE5VCLH/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-cormorant-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Little pied cormorant, foraging in a shallow pool with abundant algae and other aquatic plants. Its appearances at the surface were really brief compared to the other cormorants I’ve watched, and this is the only photo that clearly shows its head and bill. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910439941-NSWS0HZEP8L2DCUFDAWJ/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-moorhens-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Dusky moorhens search for food in an area where the water is being disturbed by a swimming Little pied cormorant. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910465592-SHYSXHNDLG5YRD4P6SSW/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-silver-gulls-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Silver gulls look similar to Northern Hemisphere species like the Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus, and there’s a reason for that. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573924263336-V7NPOQ62FQT5PAJESLU3/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-masked-lapwing-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Masked lapwing, or Black-shouldered lapwing if you’re so inclined. Note that the carpometacarpal spurs aren’t readily visible here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910912714-MQ08NZMTYNQ977Q75SLY/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-kookaburra-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: a Laughing kookaburra in the wild, perched and vigilant. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910940836-DKLP8M75YY81I7L9PPLX/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-kookaburra-and-miner-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: a Noisy miner (at left) arrives to harass a Laughing kookaburra. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573928038039-NTYBGRGVDGTJF9WVRWEW/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-lorikeet-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Rainbow lorikeet at the top of a palm tree. The green collar confirms the identification, since similar lorikeet species (like the Red-collared lorikeet T. rubritorquis) lack this feature. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573927271274-3O6HINPVDR9USYQSCJ5X/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-Noisy-miner-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: a Noisy miner, eating parts of a Mexican burrito on a restaurant table. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573926592440-BM28NYW0VIB5SQVAVTP1/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-myna-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Common or India mynas are one of the most important alien birds in Australia (‘important’ in economic and ecological terms). Note that this individual is afflicted by a problem most commonly associated with urban pigeons: mangled toes and missing toe segments (the hallux claw is missing on the left foot). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573925970769-AA4XN8ODUENQ30AWH8S3/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-bf-honeyeater-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: a Blue-faced honeyeater, photographed at distance while it was on the top of a building. The area of blue facial skin is variable in these birds; this individual seemed to have only a small amount of blue. The skin is green in juveniles. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910723243-ZSOVEMQWTOF8U3FY9ATG/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-butcherbird-and-miners-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: a Grey butcherbird (at left) waits for food in a park; to the right are a group of Noisy miners. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910753564-U4ZY4R9PJLOZHOVPV8VY/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-currawong-3-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: a (slightly blurry) Pied currawong caught in the middle of a run, just prior to takeoff. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573927809228-I86H0FVA29JDX155PB9P/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-currawong-montage-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Pied currawong from below. There are supposed to be three currawong species, but there are so many local variants, intermediate grades and island endemics that the story is quite difficult to resolve. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573911754154-SS4UJBE39OC6CROVLC1J/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-Torresian-crow-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Torresian crow, what an excellent bird. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573925834249-RTIZMO5MW4UU2F30CWYC/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-Torresian-crow-montage-919px-124kb-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: more Torresian crows, both in a group, in a tree, and foraging on the ground in an urban area. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573928257315-EXBCKJSWBNX3DX8OBAQC/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-Torresian-crows-4-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: Torresian crows and flowers. I like the artiness of this photo. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573910782313-G4TWIDTGJKCCEB6LFME3/birdwatching-Australia-Oct-2019-Aussie-ravens-1000px-tiny-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Suburban Birdwatching in Queensland, Australia Caption: a pair of Australian ravens forage on a lawn, to the displeasure of nearby Torresian crows. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/11/8/a-review-of-robert-l-frances-disentangled-ethnozoology-and-environmental-explanation-of-the-gloucester-sea-serpent monthly 0.5 2025-01-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573224710409-XM14CDYMSLA73VP49WB5/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-Captain-Beach-1817-Gloucester-sea-serpent-tiny-900px-65kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: the most famous depiction of the Gloucester Sea Serpent is this fanciful one dating to August 1817, said to have been drawn from life. I don’t think the name of the artist is on record. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573224853914-2BPWS6E88AOE7H40MRUN/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-ONeill-Soini-books-cover-montage-1000px-64kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: two books dedicated to the Gloucester Sea Serpent – written for adults – are in existence, and both are worth reading. June O’Neill’s book of 1999 (though this is the cover of the 2003 Paraview edition), and Wayne Soini’s of 2010. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573226583985-X4E8OEYZ62H04XW07X5I/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-1817-Nahant-old-illustration-tiny-800px-32kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: this is another especially famous depiction of the Gloucester Sea Serpent from 1817, and again it’s by an anonymous artist. The idea that the monster was seen at relatively close range is again emphasised. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573226720327-DSHV7OZ8CNWBSKAO7JTA/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-sea-monster-books-650px-tiny-April-2019-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: books that discuss sea monster reports – here are some (albeit not all) of them – mostly interpret the relevant encounters as descriptions of giant, scientifically unrecognised animal species. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573226758617-K38MH1FSPS6RN9WW19R7/Disentangled-Review-Nov-2019-Heuvelmans-montage-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: the most influential sea monster book of them all is Heuvelmans (1968). Therein, he argued for the existence of nine distinct sea monster types, illustrated at left by Cameron McCormick. Their purported existence hasn’t exactly been embraced by biologists at large. Images: Cameron McCormick, Heuvelmans (1968). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573226809219-54RZZ6NUIK4R97FSOORK/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-yellow-belly-montage-600-px-tiny-Feb-2016-Nov-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: some, perhaps many, of the sea monsters endorsed at times by cryptozoologists now need to be reinterpreted as observations of known animal species entangled with marine debris. Among them is the supposedly tadpole-like ‘yellow belly’ of Heuvelmans (1968). This imagined creature has been discussed at TetZoo on several occasions over the years. Images: Heuvelmans (1968), Darren Naish, Tim Morris. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573226855131-AQJAHT3ELCMK1NTO1JYR/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-Biccard-sea-monster-850px-32kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: Biccard’s illustration of the 1857 sea monster (or UMO) seen from Table Bay, Cape Town. There weren’t two monsters: the picture shows two views of the same object. Heuvelmans (1968) was unable to place this creature within any one of his nine sea monster categories. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573227232428-TG7LV8RSZ0TY9CQUXFNA/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-NHM-tuna-model-1000px-29kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: tuna are remarkable fishes, and France (2019) emphasises how incredible they are. Strong, fast, and surprisingly big (this life-sized model – formerly on show at London’s NHM – is about 2 m long), they might help explain the Gloucester Sea Serpent UMO. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573227428687-8CTT0INOXH9B2E1FKCNR/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Hagelund-baby-and-pipefish-CM-Sept-2011-Nov-2019-600px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: the entanglement hypothesis doesn’t mean that all ‘sea monster’ reports describe animals that can be interpreted in the same way: some accounts are, more likely, just misidentifications. One example mentioned by France is that of the ‘baby Cadborosaurus’, reinterpreted by myself and colleagues in 2011 (Woodley et al. 2011). Image: Woodley et al. (2011). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573227476817-M77ZWGSYGU8GBZIUXSSP/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-Hanna-mystery-fish-1000px-14kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: S. W. Hanna’s sketch of the giant mystery fish – 7.6 m long – captured in a net off New Harbor, Maine, in 1880. Most books on sea monsters mention or discuss this animal, most frequently with the (frankly very silly) idea that it might have been a giant serpentine shark. Image: public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1573227683816-OONZ1AEOQ3UL4JJV953Y/Disentangled-review-Nov-2019-book-cover-tiny-1000px-81kb-Nov-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Review of Robert L. France’s Disentangled: Ethnozoology and Environmental Explanation of the Gloucester Sea Serpent Caption: France (2019), one of the most important volumes now published on sea monsters, and certainly the most technical. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/10/28/the-sixth-tetzoocon monthly 0.5 2022-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572342063910-GHLVSY4GS9U8LN48SJD1/TetZooCon-2019-Rebecca-Groom-palaeoplushies-gulls-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: TetZooCon 2019 was merchandise heaven… or maybe hell if you wanted to limit your spending. Here’s a shot of just some of the palaeoplushies on sale at Rebecca Groom’s stall. I’m now the proud owner of a Yellow-legged gull. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572342096642-DSRURY96BOM74IEGYJC6/TetZooCon-2019-palaeoart-workshop-1000px-tinyOct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: it was a busy event: here’s a scene from the palaeoart workshop. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572341828795-TQBPVURW4PUBOPUSBEIP/TetZooCon-2019-Holly-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Ellen Coombs talks whales at TetZooCon 2019 - a fantastic talk. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572288636742-A7XAY6RPCLX21Q4MWR67/TetZooCon-2019-dinosaur-and-pterosaur-palaeobiology-discussion-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: a dinosaur and pterosaur palaeobiology discussion roundtable. It went alright.. Left to right: Chris Barker, Jordan Bestwick, Dave Hone, Rebecca Lakin, Darren Naish. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572287174199-8H7SN075UMYGMOAH4OTT/TetZooCon-2019-Mike-Dickison-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Mike Dickison’s talk on New Zealand’s birds was full of up-to-the-minute science and surprises from the world of palaeontology and genetics. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572287602270-N70411K7N3S8GXXH06DL/TetZooCon-2019-palaeoart-Steve-White-stand-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: this picture conveys some idea of how much palaeoart-themed stuff there was at TetZooCon 2019. Look: poster boards with actual art, people like Steve White (with glasses, on left), and stands and stalls covered in art for sale. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572287250243-CDEYOPF9JUK6XWUKPZS0/TetZooCon-2019-Agata-deer-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: I absolutely adore Agata Stachowiak’s Megaloceros model, and was extremely pleased to see it at TetZooCon 2019. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572287755194-3MXUCQAZMS0UCQPEXWCQ/TetZooCon-2019-Luis-Rey-palaeoart-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Luis Rey original artwork was on show at TetZooCon 2019 (actual, physical, painted artwork). Luis himself appears in the image at right. Images: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572287845573-GDHYSAPYU1KTZKMOXQYY/TetZooCon-2019-Paul-Glynn-diorama-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: a small section of Paul Glynn’s excellent and enormous Cretaceous diorama. We hope to see more of Paul’s models and model landscapes at future events. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572288787181-H1QSIHGMGCVX1FAG25I1/TetZooCon-2019-John-Conway-Barosaurus-art-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: more artwork: a John Conway print of a mega-giant Barosaurus standing alongside other dinosaurs. Some of you will know that this image is based on finds discussed over at SV-POW! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572287302961-P2WR658KYD7DKCOAD9UH/TetZooCon-2019-Dougal-Dixon-and-Breakdown-Press-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Dougal Dixon (at left) and Tom of Breakdown Press, both selling books. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572341902930-MS217JEVP52I97W8W428/TetZooCon-2019-Swans-and-Amber-Eames-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Amber Eames talks about Swans: Mystery of the Missing at TetZooCon 2019. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572341286148-VSYZG0F91KEOKZZEEI91/TetZooCon-2019-NHU-film-making-discussion-2-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: participants in the Natural History film-making discussion event. Left to right: Nick Lyon, Paul Stewart, Zoe Cousins, Amber Eames, Darren Naish. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572342848677-0HCMQNIZL0AAOXQ18G2D/TetZooCon-2019-Jordan-Bestwick-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Jordan Bestwick spoke about his PhD work, soon to appear in print. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572341963115-RLG6CK74GTSWWOV1NI4S/TetZooCon-2019-Rebecca-Lakin-talk-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Rebecca Lakin at TetZooCon 2019, another excellent talk. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572343499772-FO6MO69CGPDYYL1ZCIFS/TetZooCon-2019-Lauren-eagles-slide-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Lauren McGough, eagle expert and all-round superstar. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572287469674-3TCOSAO2EQMBJZBHWNYC/TetZooCon-2019-Ross-Barnett-slide-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: the crowning achievement of Ross Barnett’s career, surely: having his research written about in The Daily Mash. Such accolade. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572341507974-7E0F5WPAIYCM0HNNX1JA/TetZooCon-2019-Tim-Haines-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: Tim Haines - with assistant - talks digital dinosaur projects at TetZooCon 2019. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572344701605-IPSRDJVP6ETJ32FG6F1V/TetZooCon-2019-ZSL-London-Zoo-trip-montage-tiny-Oct-2019-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: a selection of great animals seen at ZSL London Zoo on our post-TetZooCon field trip (clockwise from top left: Dumeril’s salamander, Galapagos giant tortoise, Splendid sunbird, Pygmy hippo). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1572288410801-YW677AYXPY48SBBUKL2R/TetZooCon-2019-Real-John-Conway-actual-badge-1000px-tiny-Oct-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Sixth TetZooCon Caption: he is the One and Only John Conway. Allegedly. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/10/4/final-call-for-tetzoocon-2019 monthly 0.5 2024-06-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1570273129060-8YVC1D4Y1SN2K82GVEYB/TetZooCon-2019-final-call-JCTArtStudio-montage-1080k-131kb-2-Oct-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Final Call For TetZooCon 2019 Caption: scenes from TetZooCon 2018, our biggest and best meeting so far. The 2019 meeting is shaping up to be bigger and better. To those not attending, watch #TetZooCon for live coverage. Image: JCTArtStudio/Jed Taylor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1570272823125-2IITS1K2X4UWF4KBFYNC/TetZooCon-2019-final-call-Groom-palaeoplushies-1160k-165kb-2-Oct-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Final Call For TetZooCon 2019 Caption: I went over to Instagram and…. here’s proof that things are really coming along with respect to merchandise for TetZooCon 2019. These are Rebecca Groom’s palaeoplushies. In previous years, they’ve all sold out within the first few hours of the meeting! Images: Rebecca Groom/palaeoplushies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1570272964798-1GU4PAULNTKMEYOGJ47A/TetZooCon-2019-final-call-JCTArtStudio-1080k-814kb-2-Oct-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Final Call For TetZooCon 2019 Caption: Jed Taylor is going to knock it out of the park this year, his stuff looks incredible. Here’s a shot of some of his merchandise. Image: JCTArtStudio/Jed Taylor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1570272128723-OXTQCYD9D9VDZIH78IB6/TetZooCon-2019-final-call-Tim-Haines-Primeval-montage-979k-85kb-2-Oct-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Final Call For TetZooCon 2019 Caption: this year is the 20th anniversary of the screening of Walking With Dinosaurs, so it’s especially fitting that Tim Haines - at far right in this image, with your humble blog-author - will be speaking at TetZooCon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1570271471140-Z47QTD9MT14SQ2KN1CLR/TetZooCon-2019-final-call-Luis-Rey-Extreme-Dinosaurs-1k-75kb-2-Oct-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Final Call For TetZooCon 2019 Caption: Luis Rey’s brand-new book will be on sale at TetZooCon 2019. Image: (c) Luis Rey/Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/9/27/extreme-cetaceans-part-2 monthly 0.5 2025-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/35f1f1dd-8c04-40cd-a206-f2201c32eba6/Spectacled-porpoise-newly-added-1498px-50kb-Dec-2025-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 2: the Spectacled Porpoise - Make it stand out Caption: a female Spectacled porpoise. Image by Frédérique Lucas, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1569611893975-N77OY4J0FDIS6B4GFP8X/Phocoena-phocoena-Erik-Christensen-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-1024px-109kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 2: the Spectacled Porpoise Caption: Phocoena phocoena, the archtypical member of Phocoenidae. Image: Erik Christensen, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1569610528979-U5ZDFL402SPO6TB3KEZH/extreme-cetaceans-2-spectacled-porpoise-Sekiguchi-et-al-2006-616px-52kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 2: the Spectacled Porpoise Caption: Spectacled porpoises photographed in the wild, in the Southern Ocean, in 2001. A male is at back, an adult female is closest to us, and a calf is in the middle. Image: Sekiguchi et al. (2006). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1569609598603-UP03R3LKZACI2NMNIFLR/extreme-cetaceans-2-spectacled-porpoise-variation-848px-42kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 2: the Spectacled Porpoise Caption: male, female and juvenile Spectacled porpoise, as illustrated by Uko Gorter for Natalie et al. (2018). The remarkable size of the male’s dorsal fin is obvious. Image: (c) Uko Gorter/Natalie et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1569610863347-DGRMWY0IZP1OJCP2NDKC/extreme-cetaceans-2-sea-montage-1k-35kb-Sept-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 2: the Spectacled Porpoise Caption: I’m going to build a montage of the extreme cetaceans discussed in this series. This image will become more cluttered over time. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/9/20/extreme-cetaceans-part-1 monthly 0.5 2023-12-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568995346050-IXLKY8ZDVJSH2C8FHGCN/extreme-cetaceans-1-spinner-dolphins-Red-Sea-Alexander-Vasenin-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-1000kb-25kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 1 Caption: a nice, normal looking group of Spinner dolphins. The obvious dark cape and paler side regions make these look like Hawaiian spinners but they were apparently photographed in the Red Sea. Image: Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, wikipedia (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568993545979-U11091OJFTFEN71QH3C3/extreme-cetaceabs-1-Shirahai-%26-Jarrett-2006-Eastern-spinner-Brett-Jarrett-tiny-1000px-14kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 1 Caption: one of the very best depictions of an ‘extreme’ male Eastern spinner is this one, from Shirahai & Jarrett’s 2006 Whales, Dolphins and Seals. Image: (c) Brett Jarrett. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568990092222-T1ZKRHFNXD0C3YO6FYK5/extreme-cetaceans-1-Perrin-%26-Mesnicks-2003-spinners-603px-44kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 1 Caption: adult males differ in appearance across spinner populations, and it seems that the most ‘extreme’ males are those from the most polygynous populations. This diagram (from Perrin & Mesnick 2003) shows - from top to bottom - male Hawaiian, Eastern and ‘whitebelly’ spinners. Image: Perrin & Mesnick (2003). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568988405356-KO27JHENRML1QCP3NUKF/extreme-cetaceans-1-s-shaped-posture-in-cetaceans-614px-29kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 1 Caption: S-shaped postures, depicted (sometimes schematically) in cetaceans of very different sizes and proportions, from Horback et al. (2010). (A) Spinner dolphin, (B) Beluga, (C) Humpback whale. Evolve dorsal and ventral convexities on the body and tailstock, and you can exaggerate the intensity of this signal. Image: Horback et al. (2010). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568995114977-MELQHDMW48JSZV0EK8N1/extreme-cetaceans-1-Sousa-Singapore-Tolomea-CC-BY-2-0-wikipedia-1000kb-44kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 1 Caption: humpback dolphins are not especially well known, and even less well known is that they’re kept in captivity in a few places and have been trained to do tricks. This individual was photographed in captivity in Singapore. Image: Tolomea, CC BY 2.0, wikipedia (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1569013336950-PM77E3LDY0T8LI1P5PV5/extreme-cetaceans-1-Sousa-Tom-Ritchie-composite-Sept-2019-1000px-17kb-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 1 Caption: comparatively few people know that there are dolphins with humps, but check it out. These are Tom Ritchie’s illustrations of Sousa dolphins, representing adult males identified by Watson (1981) as S. chinensis (above) and S. teuszii (below). Images: Watson 1981. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1569013707668-0I9ZGTA3PBIMKUH0W5VD/extreme-cetaceans-1-Plon-et-al-2018-Sousa-and-Tursiops-vasculature-compared-581px-38kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Extreme Cetaceans, Part 1 Caption: (A) vasculature in the dorsal fin and hump of a humpback dolphin compared with (B) dorsal fin vasculature in a Tursiops dolphin. The blood vessels in Tursiops are proportionally larger, but there’s a great number of them in the humpback dolphin, thanks to the hump. Image: Plön et al. 2018. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/9/8/philip-j-senters-fire-breathing-dinosaurs-the-tetzoo-review monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567971255025-L2EK6U4O10225AY6JGFU/Senter-2019-review-Leandra-Walters-Parasaurolophus-832px-47kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: a smouldering Parasaurolophus: the cover art for the book, by Leandra Walters. Image: (c) Leandra Walters/Senter (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568040571144-MARAYSX3A7706C1S80I7/Senter-2019-review-Ken-Ham-2-485px-144kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: the Bible specifically states that the first few books of the Old Testament are not meant to be taken literally. Despite this, a number of Young Earth creationists promote a view of the ancient world where people lived alongside allosaurs and pterosaurs and so on. If you’ve seen a version of this page mentioning lemonade and homosexuality, it’s a spoof (the original text does not include that section of text). Image: (c) Ken Ham, Dinosaurs of Eden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568046068372-6A9TTSPL6PGE2EJAO7MS/Senter-2019-review-SI-2017-cover-564px-83kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: the book reviewed here is not the first time Senter has written about the ‘fire-breathing dinosaurs’ idea. Image: (c) Skeptical Inquirer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567971353880-GXEPAHXOYCBKQWL0CJYP/Senter-2019-review-cover-600px-90kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: the handsome cover of Senter (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567972099882-9T9A510XPFSS10MK9I7U/Senter-2019-review-Brachinus-Patrick-Coin-CC-BY-SA-2.5-491px-54kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: some creationist authors have argued that certain dinosaurs could have functioned just like the living bombadier beetles AND SPEWED FIRE!!!!1! One minor issue: bombadier beetles don’t spew fire, they eject hot liquid. Image: Patrick Coin, CC BY-SA 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567971555223-A4EODZYZBM9D56LSL0F4/Senter-2019-review-fire-breather-Parasaurolophus-480px-24kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: Parasaurolophus - beloved posterchild of the fire-breathing dinosaurs movement - flames an anachronistic Ceratosaurus, a familiar image from the creationist literature. I believe that this is from one of Ken Ham’s books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568036526786-DLDN4TSRSHTZEWJQMZ0K/Senter-2019-review-Parasaurolophus-crest-interior-CC-BY-SA-2.5-491px-54kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: it’s well known that the crests of lambeosaurine hadrosaurs were hollow, and contained connected internal tubes and chambers. Were these used in the production of fire? No. Image: Sullivan & Williamson (1999). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567972842487-FGPCJ9OUVA2OD8H3ZAWC/Senter-2019-review-Gish-montage-1110px-172kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: why have creationists been so big on the ‘dragons were fire-breathing dinosaurs’ thing? I think it’s partly an effort to attract children to their cult. It isn’t coincidental that most illustrations of fire-breathing dinosaurs appear in books written for children, like this one by Duane Gish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568035524365-R9RRSBD5LPEIKW35OX8C/Senter-2019-review-Destruction-of-Leviathan-Gustave-Dore-1865-public-domain-504px-265kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.png Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: in this most famous depiction of Leviathan - that by Gustave Doré, dating to 1865 - Leviathan is depicted as a monstrous winged serpent of the seas. Image: public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568038119847-7GT7ABX1BFP8C8K0TKTY/Senter-2019-review-Senter-Behemoth-1000px-54kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: Senter (2019) uses cartoons like this one to emphasise that Behemoth never was a dinosaur, elephant or hippopotamus, but “a demonic entity that the ancient Hebrews envisioned as a serpent” (Senter 2019, p. 142). The caption to this illustration is “Will be real Behemoth please stand up?”. Image: Senter (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568039857097-44RIPXF8CCO4T43MSKUT/Senter-2019-review-Megalosaurus-animatronic-650px-69kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: need to feature a depiction of an extinct animal? I, personally, would prefer it if a more up-to-date and aesthetically pleasing image were used in place of this one. Senter (2019) uses several images of models similar to this one when discussing extinct taxa. Image: I’ve been unable to find a source for this picture; it comes from that bottomless pit of hell called pinterest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567973163055-FY2GITZH6XXA73AEQAV8/Senter-2019-review-Silly-Chef-cartoon-748px-64kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: Senter (2019) compares creationist decisions to those made by a character called ‘Silly Chef’ (the muppet-like individual in the middle) who features in a series of cartoons that appear throughout the book. Image: Senter (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568042106725-XIFJD1PGG89MYT6EPFK9/Senter-2019-review-Senter-with-hand-for-scale-2-1000px-19kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: Senter (2019) is not a big book. Here’s a copy with my hand for scale. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1568042311133-GUE6XI498D130GB3SKUC/Senter-2019-review-Senter-with-hand-for-scale-1000px-72kb-Sept-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Philip J. Senter’s Fire-Breathing Dinosaurs?, the TetZoo Review Caption: I was expecting a much, much larger book. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/8/30/whale-watching-in-the-bay-of-biscay monthly 0.5 2024-06-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185425301-OQLZ006KKWIIFY2PB70B/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Pont-Aven-Santander-960px-53kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: our vessel of choice - the Pont-Aven - at port in Santander, Spain. I cannot tell you how much trouble I went to to get to this ship before departure time. I very nearly didn’t make it. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185522202-CO7RMYX418F7KNB48CDP/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Naish-and-Marven-960px-77kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: the man, the legend; Nigel Marven. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185879297-YSLE00MSEBG6KLPJNGLI/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Delphinus-face-from-Alex-764px-441kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: several cetaceans have extremely complex markings allowing them to be identified to species and even population. Individuals can be recognised on the basis of their markings too. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567187092806-A3YNRIKSB0J31MKRWY0A/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Fin-whale-2-Alex-1000px-45kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: in good weather, the blow of a big whale (like a Fin whale - as here - or a Sperm whale) is visible from great distance, and in the case of these two species can be diagnostic. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567187164322-MCYVE525L4N4FW7EIMOA/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Striped-dolphin-leap-3-Alex-1000px-42kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: a dynamic leap by a Striped dolphin. Dolphins of some species appear to be attracted to ships and even to deliberately show off when they get close to them. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185593928-2IPGRMPDZ31KPE6Q11AL/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Fin-whale-1-Alex-1000px-28kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: back and dorsal fin of a Fin whale, remnants of the blow still hanging in the air. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185641424-AXZR3Z3PCTH631QCDHVC/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Fin-whale-2-Alex-1000px-35kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: excellent view of the splashguard - the conical structure surrounding and ahead of the blowholes - and paired blowholes of a surfacing Fin whale. Despite its name, the dorsal fin of the Fin whale is smaller and blunter than that of some other rorquals. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185733583-S1Q8HG6OEAOZNPKQ6V02/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Delphinus-leap-from-Alex-1000px-498kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: here’s the whole-body view of the common dolphin shown in detail above. This individual only has one stripe extending from the beak to the flipper, with a large pale area separating the eye and flipper. Different configurations are present in different populations. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185753090-IXTBGIIXXUJDO1WDFB5R/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Delphinus-group-from-Alex-1000px-41kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: as the light begins to fade during the later part of the day, a group of Short-beaked common dolphin carve through a surging wave. Note the calf close to the adult at upper right. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185691544-YB6JJISNJHC5R0LMM0AE/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Striped-dolphin-leap-2-Alex-1000px-62kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: we had many excellent views of high-leaping Striped dolphin. Note how much spray and splashing is associated with the leaping of this species. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185341364-T241EYUHG6DZADZPTO5I/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Cuviers-beaked-whale-1-Alex-1000px-27kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: Cuvier’s beaked whale, seen relatively close to the ship. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185383730-INQK66FJG2UHJ62B2TBG/Biscay-whales-July-2019-Cuviers-beaked-whale-scarred-male-Alex-950px-22kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: heavily scarred Cuvier’s beaked whale, seen at distance and only briefly. We didn’t see any other individuals with scarring as impressive as this. Image: Alex Srdic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1567185948824-YVU3CI2LXZ1JW04SHICB/Biscay-whales-July-2019-ORCA-team-1348px-46kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whale Watching in the Bay of Biscay Caption: another plus… amazing sunsets, and sunrises too. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/8/24/books-on-the-loch-ness-monster-3-the-man-who-filmed-nessie-tim-dinsdale-and-the-enigma-of-loch-ness monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566672985259-9UZC0I09PC0BLNB8IAVJ/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Dinsdale-BBC-appearance-600px-15kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: Tim Dinsdale with his own reconstruction of the Loch Ness Monster (a clay model, held in place on a painted wooden board). I presume this photo was taken on the set of the BBC Panorama studio. Image: (c) Tim Dinsdale. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566647574813-7S6FRKPS3C5L702RJ9AF/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Dinsdale-book-covers-1000px-55kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: covers of Dinsdale’s Loch Ness books - though not depicting all editions. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566647692053-GZFPVHHS2TVZRIBBTOZX/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Angus-Dinsdale-cover-500px-47kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: cover of A. Dinsdale’s 2013 book The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566649007075-P8FOJ9V3ED4BCS9167JN/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Dinsdale-Loch-Ness-map-1000px-74kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: Dinsdale’s 1977 map is meant to be about Loch Ness in general. It is, of course, quite heavy on monster promotion (Dinsdale 1977). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566673766124-XLVFM9EVW7Q7875KEVTJ/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Dinsdale-Nessie-model-1960-1000px-32kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: Dinsdale’s identikit rendition of what the Loch Ness Monster must look like, reconstructed by taking averages from the various eyewitness encounters he’d read. Image: Dinsdale (1960). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566648212097-WN4QEYUTQ7AUKCMTGBF0/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Dinsdale-film-screengrab-1000px-34kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: a screengrab from the approximately 1 minute long Dinsdale film of April 1960. The dark object was thought by Dinsdale to be the mahogany brown, ‘peaked’ back of a massive aquatic animal. Image: (c) Tim Dinsdale. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566676802697-6BYIYCXGLQ4YDA3B82JE/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Fort-Augustus-Inversaw-Alex-Campbell-cottage-far-right-1000p-tiny-37kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: a key character in the Loch Ness saga is water bailiff and journalist Alex Campbell. While at Fort Augustus, I got to see his waterside home, Inverawe. It’s the building at far right here. Dinsdale spent time with Campbell immediately before seeing and filming his ‘monster’ of April 1960. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566676887107-YS61VY97A5NDLBWRPXU0/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Loch-Ness-looking-south-2-2016-1000px-33kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: Loch Ness is often a beautiful and serene body of water, but I can’t help feeling that it must seem remote and lonely at times of the year. This photo was taken in the Spring of 2016. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566676991958-QRPP5P9ZXCVR0FK2L4WO/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Fort-Augustus-sign-1000-px-52kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: few people seriously interested in the Loch Ness Monster can claim to have spent as much time on, or close to, the waters of the loch as Dinsdale did. But many people familiar with Dinsdale’s writings have sought to follow his footsteps, at least in part. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566677128954-S6B7P931F2DOAT0TRGCZ/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Loch-Ness-tea-stained-water-2016-1000px-23kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: you’ve probably read that the water of Loch Ness is tea-coloured. This is what it looks like when the bottom is less than 1 m away. Get to a depth of 10 m, and there’s essentially no light and nothing but darkness - at least, as far as the human eye is concerned. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566677229121-DAO7VLFAPC36XXTZXWGT/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Loch-Ness-looking-south-2016-1000px-17kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: a Loch Ness scene, fortuitously featuring a waterbird (in this case, a Mute swan Cygnus olor) and a boat. Both objects have undoubtedly contributed in no small part to the phenomenon known as the Loch Ness Monster. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566676718166-F90E0KN1ULPL8J6S60PS/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Loch-Ness-monster-model-OUMNH-1000px-47kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: Dinsdale was never explicit about the zoological identity he favoured for the Loch Ness Monster, but he clearly favoured the idea that it was a living plesiosaur, albeit one that had undergone a fair amount of change since the end of the Cretaceous. The legend of the late-surviving plesiosaur - reflected in this model, made for a TV show and photographed at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in 2005 - owes something to Dinsdale’s writing. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566647495789-ZD8TDR4902K1DGF6CGC0/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Storsjo-oar-event-1000px-31kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: the ‘two people in a lake come so close to a monster that they have to hit it with an oar’ trope has been taken seriously enough to inspire this re-enactment, this time involving the Lake Storsjö monster of Sweden. The man with the oar is Ragner Björks. Image: Bord & Bord (1980). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566673518191-FZ1B6MRDTVFJ6CXD2CDI/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Dinsdale-cover-1982-6th-edition-2-1000px-110kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: scientific interest in Nessie might have waned during the 1980s, but this was the decade that gave us this fantastic book cover. You might doubt that encounters as close and thrilling as this ever occurred. It belongs to the sixth edition of this book, published in 1982. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566677427899-NL9ATAOA49IP5FWF0PQE/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Peter-O%27Connor-600-px-14kb-Mar-2019-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: the Peter O’Connor photo of 1960 - this is a low-res, cropped version - has appeared several times at TetZoo over the years and is almost certainly a hoax, most likely an overturned kayak and a model head and neck (Naish 2017). Dinsdale included it in early editions of his book Loch Ness Monster but it - and any accompanying prose devoted by Mr O’Connor - is absent from the fourth edition and those that appeared afterwards. Image (c) Peter O’Connor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566673579425-L4YUIN3QXAFNXLT54WRH/Dinsdale-Aug-2019-Shiels-Loch-Ness-muppet-300px-5kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 3: The Man Who Filmed Nessie: Tim Dinsdale and the Enigma of Loch Ness Caption: the infamous 1977 Shiels muppet photo. Exactly what it depicts (a plasticine model superimposed on a scene showing water? A floating model posed in the loch?) remains uncertain. Image: (c) Tony Shiels. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/8/18/announcing-tetzoocon-2019-the-biggest-yet monthly 0.5 2019-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566130391288-K7AD7XA7Q13T0P9T5LTV/TetZooCon-2019-promo-banner-1000px-25kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2019 – the Biggest Yet This year’s banner includes just some of the birds I’ve drawn for my in-prep textbook… but let’s not talk about that today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566130511227-N84D7TUAIXYTH8RCXSRM/TetZooCon-2019-promo-Agata-Stachowiak-Megaloceros-960px-51kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2019 – the Biggest Yet Beautiful Megaloceros model made by Agata Stachowiak. You might recognise the colour scheme if you’re a regular TetZoo reader. Image: (c) Agata Stachowiak, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566130777502-5AWLLDF91XL21THT13W0/TetZooCon-2019-promo-palaeoart-JCTaylor-Groomo-1000px-68kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2019 – the Biggest Yet Just two of our several palaeoart presenters for TetZooCon 2019, both - coincidentally - holding dromaeosaurids. Jed Taylor (of JCTArtStudio) at left; Rebecca Groom (of palaeoplushies) at right. Images: (c) JCTaylor, Rebecca Groom, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566130615357-60CYRPFWBRW2WT0MM8B2/TetZooCon-2019-promo-David-Hone-Berlin-1000px-32kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2019 – the Biggest Yet Dr David Hone will be speaking at TetZooCon 2019, and signing his book The Tyrannosaur Chronicles. Image: (c) David Hone, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566131032272-SHLYE3P4PFTU8UFGBWE9/TetZooCon-2019-promo-Swans-Moive-Amber-Eames-1000px-25kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2019 – the Biggest Yet Amber Eames will be talking about her film devoted to the plight of migratory Bewick’s swans. Images: (c) Amber Eames, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566130255465-5WHZ6BEHDQ1OIK12VC5T/TetZooCon-2019-promo-Paul-Stewart-Sir-David-Mike-Gunton-1000px-57kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2019 – the Biggest Yet Wildlife film-maker, producer, author and qualified zoologist Dr Paul Stewart (in the middle; here with Sir David Attenborough and other team members) will be at TetZooCon 2019. Image: (c) Paul Stewart, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566130698008-RQXZ6EU5BKCOAEGGYDCJ/TetZooCon-2019-promo-Lauren-McGough-with-eagle-1000px-31kb-Aug-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2019 – the Biggest Yet One of our many star speakers for 2019: the amazing Lauren McGough. Image: (c) Lauren McGough, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1566130358043-4WT0BT7DTB3N8GTGSAMC/TetZooCon-2019-speaker-montage-17-8-2019-1000px-tiny.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Announcing TetZooCon 2019 – the Biggest Yet https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/7/28/the-first-year-of-tetrapod-zoology-ver-4 monthly 0.5 2019-07-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564355483261-99YD0WY8DEMRU3VWPQ6D/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-Patrick-Murphy-tapir-960-px-tiny-Oct-2018-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 If there’s ever a TetZoo Park, it’ll have a lot of tapirs, especially Kabomani ones. Image: Patrick Murphy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564355740533-3AL4P7NH8ON2FVG0CHIF/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-bigfoot-vocalising-DARKNESS-2-cropped-600-px-tiny-June-2016-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 Who doesn’t love bigfoot, wailing in the dark? More colorful versions of this image are available on merchandise at the TetZoo redbubble shop. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564357454802-23T006A6OS2Z56Y84N2O/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-Vectidraco-montage-Jan-2014-456px-38kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 The Vectidraco daisymorrisae holotype (NHMUK PV R36621) in (A) left lateral, (B) right lateral, (C) dorsal and (D) ventral views, and - at right - shown in anatomical position as per the animal's presumed profile in life. Image: figures from Naish et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564358746784-5Q063MCHWR24TD8F74FW/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Megaloceros-cheat-sheet-1000-px-tiny-Sept-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 Megaloceros cheat-sheet, from the September 2018 article on the life appearance of this animal. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564358653250-2BI9WX5XRXSXT2AXU6Q1/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-tapir-1-Chester-Zoo-May-2015-673-px-tiny-Oct-2018-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 A Tapirus terrestris at Chester Zoo, UK. Relevant to tapir discussions covered here in October 2018. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564358275647-KEW08TTMSQAS3VNHD3A7/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-CP-Sept-2018-Iguanodon-head-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 Head of the reclining Crystal Palace Iguanodon. There’s an awful lot to say about these models… and I’m pretty sure they’ve been extensively discussed on a blog run by a colleague of mine. If only I could remember the name of it, or the url. Ok, ok, Mark Witton has been discussing all the models A LOT. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564358353908-EX0HJ4VJP99SHYTX28UE/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-Heilmann-Proavian-Heilmann-Proavis-lateral-small-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 Gerhard Heilmann’s take on the appearance of ‘Proavis’ - a hypothetical bird ancestor - as illustrated in his Danish book of 1916. For more see the article on Heilmann and his Proavis from January 2019. Image: Heilmann (1916). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564358165600-8UV8JDGKYQHK9FPLUYC4/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-LNM-books-Binns-Loch-Ness-books-1000-px-61kb-Mar-2019-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 Pretty soon there’ll be an entire wing of Tet Zoo Towers devoted to Loch Ness literature. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564355791181-0E72PXF60VBBYFEO4YXK/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-cautious-climber-Mar-2019-cautious-climber-montage-1000-px-296kb-Mar-2019-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 Slow loris, sloth and hypothetical pre-hominid, three ‘cautious climbers’ illustrated in the cautious climber article of March 2019. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564356219906-LIJWF67Z7FGUROVCRNJK/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-Godzilla-toy-680px-73kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpeg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 I have it bad for the Big G. Here’s a recent addition to my toy and model collection. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564358963886-0ZELA47KQGT3OU7Y7N09/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-sleeping-giant-panda-1000px-49kb-April-2019-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 Sleep well, little, err, giant panda. From Chengdu Panda Base. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564358551130-OROEX7U7DFO4ISMZ13RS/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-patreon-ad-960px-45kb-2016-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 I constantly upload in-prep stuff to patreon, support me there and see it come together :) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564358397862-CKO3HJ4ZQRRE58SJ8FJH/ver-4-ONE-YEAR-Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-mer-tapir-colourised-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The First Year of Tetrapod Zoology Ver 4 The inevitable consequence of overlapping obsessions: actinopterygians and tapirs. Result: mertapir. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/7/27/hacks-vs-wildlife-the-eternal-vilification-of-gulls monthly 0.5 2025-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564241693247-MKC81F2EW7GU002SVYHT/gulls-2019-sensational-hack-headlines-762px-150kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: it’s summertime in the UK, and this can only mean one thing…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564243380362-N81VC2YG9L2T6HNSTFR3/gulls-2019-sensational-hack-headlines-Gizmo-dog-775px-128kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: alas, poor Gizmo. Screengrabs of headlines from some of the UK’s most noble gutter rags. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564240701135-CC5Y9SD41ZATQC4T1YA7/gulls-2019-tintagel-Herring-gulls-700px-240kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: white-headed gulls (those gull species remaining in the genus Larus) are good-looking birds, in cases with wingspans that exceed 1.3 m. This is a Herring gull (photographed in Cornwall, England) with an unusually shaped head. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564239689450-DT4LSWDFURQ22391EKGH/gulls-2019-tintagel-gulls-at-table-2-377kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: Herring gulls consume leftovers at a restaurant in Tintagel, Cornwall. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564242593874-3YBH3K53FLI0A51M70KO/gulls-2019-LBB-gull-BristolTM-857px-122kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: a fine Lesser black-backed gull at a train station. Note the yellow legs, the small extent of the white spotting on the black tips to the primaries, and fairly dark mantle. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564239577207-ULBAGE1SE6OMALD87XI4/gulls-2019-Herring-gull-BristolTM-750px-88kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: a Bristolian Herring gull eating a feral pigeon, again at a train station. Did the gull kill the pigeon, or was the pigeon a victim of a train collision? I don’t know, but either is possible. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564239783389-PDNAFCPYCOY51U27F5YE/gull-2019-gull-scrum-1-Lisbon-600-px-tiny-Sept-2015-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: a large group of white-headed gulls compete for food scraps in Lisbon, Portugal. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564243625304-W1MROEO5ZPHI1B7ILNYA/gulls-2019-JNCC-Herring-gull-graph-861px-46kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: there’s some degree of uncertainty as goes how reliable urban Herring gull counts are, but the overall trend over recent decades is certainly one of overall population decline. This graph is from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee Herring gull page. The dotted lines show 95% confidence limits. Image: JNCC (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1564243912245-N9OQPP56G4KXATR7U19S/gulls-2019-tintagel-Herring-gulls-Orton-Sept-2014-562px-210kb-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Hacks Vs Wildlife: the Eternal Vilification of Gulls Caption: white-headed gulls are slow to mature and have different plumage phases depending on age. It’s therefore typical to see birds of several different year stages at any one place where gulls hang out. This 1st winter Herring gull was photographed at Orton, Devon. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/7/14/five-famous-palaeolithic-rock-art-enigmas monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/2c79815d-c5fb-4a43-af9c-6f1f4f732fe2/cave-art-new-montages-1085px-73kb-July-2019-Oct-2022-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563527209938-0M9886OGZ3QHAN9C08E7/cave-art-2019-Lascaux-unicorn-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: the famous Lascaux ‘unicorn’ or ‘licorne’. Pretty weird that an animal with two horns ever became a ‘unicorn’, but whatevs. Credit: New Cryptozoology Tarmola Wiki (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563527899070-OU57EKB5WQOM7Y5O60AV/cave-art-2019-Unicorn-Panel-in-the-Hall-of-the-Bulls-Lascaux-Cave-France-N-Aujoulat-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: the ‘unicorn’ (at far left) in the Hall of the Bulls, Lascaux Cave. Image: N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP, from Martin-Sanchez et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563282934737-OQ4E34HUYZIQPK33PBTU/cave-art-2019-Panthalops-Philip-Sclater-wikipedia-public-domain-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: could the ‘unicorn’ be a Chiru? I dunno, it doesn’t seem like a good match. Image: Philip Sclater, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563283000378-DH0DHGHWQA80JA73UPVY/cave-art-2019-Kurten-on-unicorn-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: Björn Kurtén’s Pleistocene Mammals of Europe features this composite, showing the ‘unicorn’ next to a Chiru, the idea being that they look quite similar. But I think the picture is a bit of a cheat since Chiru horns point upwards and backwards, not forwards. Image: Kurtén (1968). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563528247359-6OBZL9563OU8OIWKVX7R/cave-art-2019-Lewis-Williams-redrawing-of-Breuil-sorcere-wikipedia-public-domain-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: a redrawing of Breuil’s interpretation of the ‘Sorcerer’, from Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams’s 1998 book The Shamans of Prehistory. As discussed in the text, this may be too generous relative to the original. Image: Clottes & Lewis-Williams (1996). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563528308704-DOG082IWSW36PNLQNO15/cave-art-2019-the-ritual-monster-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: a scene from The Ritual, a great movie I really liked. Image: Netflix/Collider (taken from here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563533029372-G4JBBNM879U9CQVKBLVG/cave-art-2019-sorcerer-2-strangehistory.net-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: a post-Breuil photograph of the image. As you can see, it doesn’t definitely show the many details he thought it did. But were they present originally and later lost, or not captured in photos? Image: strangehistory.net (from here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563283140131-TMB86CM2PB97DYJDZSMG/cave-art-2019-Isturitz-statuette-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: a drawing of the Isturitz statuette, borrowed from Michel Raynal’s now defunct webpage (a newer drawing of the image has since been produced by Mauricio Antón; see Antón et al. 2009). Lion or scimitar-toothed cat? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563528469346-9JY8QCIZO88WPO6PY4AB/cave-art-2019-homotherium-or-lion-Anton-et-al-2009-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: Antón et al. (2009) argued that Homotherium (A, B) would differ noticeably from Cave lion (C, D) in proportions. The homothere has taller shoulders, a longer neck, a flatter head, and a more sloping back than a pantherine like a lion. Image: Antón et al. 2009. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563529663388-MQXLQK7KH9Y8ZXGB9M9X/cave-art-2019-lascaux-women-Don-Hithcock-donsmaps-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: one of several photos showing the famous Isturitz ‘bison and two women’ engraved bone shard. This is a replica on display at Musée d'Archeologie Nationale et Domaine, St-Germain-en-Laye. Image: Don Hitchcock, from donsmaps.com. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563529986444-VZBRVFGULJ0APDRSQDVU/cave-art-2019-lascaux-women-Don-Hithcock-donsmaps-tiny-2-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: drawings of the same piece, this time showing both the bison side and the ‘two women’ side. Image: this version appeared in Heuvelmans & Porchnev, but is taken here from donsmaps.com. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563530222585-5631T9IXPOGPPFIPI3EK/cave-art-2019-pongoides-face-profile-Heuvelmans-2016-600-px-tiny-April-2017-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: Heuvelmans and a few other authors argued that Neanderthals were bestial creatures with an enlarged upturned nose. I covered this whole take on Neanderthals in my review of Heuvelmans (2016), here. Image: Heuvelmans 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563283408141-QZJYTWUCD30IRPGYNVDC/cave-art-2019-cosquer-cave-auks-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: the Cosquer Cave ‘penguins’. I don’t know who to credit this image to but will add info when I get it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563283540651-23XUR9WNF8UHB70PWM4G/cave-art-2019-Pinguinus-great-auk-with-Cosquer-Cave-monster-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: is the Cosquer Cave animal really a depiction of a Great auk? Hmm, maybe… but the similarity isn’t actually convincing. Images: auk by Darren Naish; Cosquer Cave animal from Mysterious Universe (here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563283571216-Q9APPR8V7WCSBMELEMGO/cave-art-2019-Long-neck-sea-serpent-Megalotaria-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: one of the most familiar depictions of Megalotaria is this painting from Janet and Colin Bord’s article on sea monsters from the partwork series The Unexplained (and latterly included in the book Creatures From Elsewhere). Not sure who the artist was. Image: (c) Orbis Publishing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1563283877832-QFF50YBM427K6UJNS81M/cave-art-2019-Megalotaria-Sept-2008-Stefano-Maugeri-composite-Cosquer-penguin-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Five Famous Palaeolithic Rock Art Enigmas Caption: so - is that Cosquer Cave animal a depiction of the long-necked mega-seal Megalotaria? Err, wouldn’t Megalotaria have to actually exist first? Images: Megalotaria (c), Stefano Maugeri (from here); Cosquer Cave animal from Mysterious Universe (here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/7/8/tell-me-something-interesting-about-dunnocks monthly 0.5 2026-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1562585352644-2TELLC86XEX5YOM1S8BB/dunnocks-2019-dunnock-on-hedge-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tell Me Something Interesting About Dunnocks Caption: I’ve never found Dunnocks especially easy to photograph… but, then, I could say that about most of the birds I’ve tried to photograph. This one is living up to one of its vernacular names and standing on top of a (recently trimmed) hedge. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1562590624308-KEDNEMSKO2WGIJ0ZZ5XU/dunnocks-2019-passeroid-cladogram-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tell Me Something Interesting About Dunnocks Caption: substantially simplified cladogram of passeroid passerines, showing some of the main lineages. Accentors are close to true sparrows, wagtails and pipits and kin but are part of a paraphyletic assemblage of mostly thin-billed lineages (based on the phylogeny of Selvatti et al. (2015)). This cladogram uses images produced for my STILL in-prep textbook on the vertebrate fossil record, on which go here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1562585542947-LRNGN9UDP89QDL6KS3TT/dunnocks-2019-dunnock-in-undergrowth-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tell Me Something Interesting About Dunnocks Caption: dunnocks are often seen in undergrowth, and thus in poor light. This photo (from 2006) shows one of the birds that used to live in my garden. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1562585844642-VI74QC4770H7DCKIUMQR/dunnocks-2019-dunnock-possible-display-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tell Me Something Interesting About Dunnocks Caption: I’ve seen a Dunnock do something that looked like soliciting on one occasion and have a bunch of poor photos of it, here are two of them. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1562585748408-Q5OUFL1C0U5GMNKS0Q92/dunnocks-2019-David-Quinn-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tell Me Something Interesting About Dunnocks Caption: David Quinn’s excellent illustration, showing the female’s precopulatory display. Image: (c) David Quinn. This drawing has appeared in Davies (1992) and Birkhead et al. (2014). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1562585950160-DW6HKNMOZFXMZPSVPXU2/dunnocks-2019-dunnock-face-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tell Me Something Interesting About Dunnocks Caption: the face a of a Dunnock. There are some similarities here with wagtails and pipits, and with sparrows and finches and their kin. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1562586056635-2YT2PR5VBJGAGT4T3H2N/dunnocks-2019-dunnock-montage-1000px-tiny-July-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tell Me Something Interesting About Dunnocks Caption: dunnocks encountered in the UK. The most striking plumage feature of this bird - the prominent streaking on its mantle and flanks - is not obvious in all views. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1562585451951-64YEXHZUKR3P3QRTYI4E/dunnocks-2019-cover-of-Davies-700px-tiny-July-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tell Me Something Interesting About Dunnocks Caption: Nick Davies’s 1992 book is the classic work on these birds. Hey, there’s that illustration by David Quinn again. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/6/28/mark-wittons-the-palaeoartists-handbook monthly 0.5 2026-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561741590144-KBVH0MLWOU5TNUS7Z2F6/Witton-TPH-Diplodocus-mural-Mark-Witton-2018-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: today, Mark Witton is well known for generating large-scale artworks like this one - depicting the sauropod Diplodocus, and produced to accompanying the NHM’s Dippy specimen as it tours the UK - in addition to work done to accompany press releases. Image: (c) Mark Witton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561741326515-GQD1DZWYDTLATQBWECRU/Witton-WPH-Palaeoartists-Handbook-cover-645px-tiny-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561797976450-0QQ259F8AJKRT4NC6OXH/Witton-TPH-DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-DPP-books-covers-tiny-1000-px-Feb-2019-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: there aren’t many ‘crucial’/’must have’ volumes on palaeoart, but the Dinosaurs Past and Present volumes are among them, volume II in particular because of Greg Paul’s article (Paul 1987). Images: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County/University of Washington Press. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561741521008-3A4ZPRV7L8SGL6OH76MR/Witton-TPH-Nemegt-Sunrise-Raven-Amos-648kb-tiny-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: Witton (2018) includes artwork by several artists, sometimes included to depict diverse styles, compositions and approaches. This is ‘Nemegt Sunrise’ by the amazing Raven Amos (website here), and depicts the oviraptorosaur Conchoraptor with a hermit crab. Image: (c) R. Amos. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561741299115-PRWZFBQ89YG3VOIDX13K/Witton-TPH-palaeoart-books-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: the number of books devoted to palaeoart is growing. I think I’ve managed to keep up so far. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561801180636-V1BC67MK0EZZJDYK86HN/Witton-TPH-CP-Sept-2018-Iguanodon-pair-from-front-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: the Crystal Palace animals remain among the most accurate renditions of prehistoric life ever made (like all palaeoartistic reconstructions, they have to be seen as being of their time), and Mark Witton’s take on them is one I absolutely agree with. This photo of the Iguanodon pair was taken in September 2018. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561741717038-WSXW3SJRPAUMGO8MCAG2/Witton-Deinotherium-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: in many cases, the favoured, traditional look for a given prehistoric animal is not necessarily the one we might favour. Here’s an example: Mark has argued that a new look for the proboscidean Deinotherium - shown here - should be considered. Image: (c) Mark Witton/Witton (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561741387735-VZWFE4JHW3OX3537GSV3/Witton-TPH-Centrosaurus-epidermal-correlates-Witton-PHB-930px-tiny-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: extensive sections of Witton (2018) discuss osteological correlates for external texture and other features. In some cases - like ceratopsian dinosaurs - there are many such correlates. Image: (c) Mark Witton/Witton (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561800851403-4923BYMK0H07SW766F5C/Witton-TPH-Conway-et-al-2012-All-Yesterdays-cover-1000p-48kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: Conway et al.’s 2012 All Yesterdays has changed the way many people approach palaeoart… but is this for better, or for worse? Image: Conway et al. (2012). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561802517226-WHI23KOH72N7GJC72ZFY/Witton-TPH-Woollysaurs-2015-Witton-1000px-39kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: Mark has indulged in some speculation himself (here: shaggy-coated pachyrhinosaurs), and it’s down to opinion as to whether this is as extreme as anything depicted in All Yesterdays. Image: Mark Witton/Witton (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561802616242-EV4TOK0DLJNZMX7RS7LV/Witton-TPH-woollysaur-Franco-Tempesta-Usborne-680px-36kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: it would be wrong to avoid bringing attention to Franco Tempesta’s woolly, cold-adapted pachyrhinosaur, very obviously inspired by Mark Witton’s, and appearing in the 2016 Usborne book Build Your Own DInosaurs Sticker Book. I was consultant, but I’m sure that that’s coincidental. Image: (c) Franco Tempesta/Usborne. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561800930809-COXSEIODN8LUMCLNMPH9/Witton-TPH-Chris-Masna-Spinofaaras-a03-980p-31kb-2-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: not all AY-inspired art is meant to be scientifically responsible and potentially realistic, some of it is deliberately whimsical and fanciful. Exhibit A: the wonder that is Spinofaaras vulgaris, a creature that now has an internet life of its own. Image: (c) Chris Masna (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561741426143-PZ369HRLAZL0CR13U07X/Witton-TPH-azhdarchids-2008-criticism-780px-tiny-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: feedback and criticism is crucial, but it can be difficult to know what to say to artists when you aren’t one yourself. In this section of the book, Mark provides advice, using his 2008 azhdarchid image as a piece that might benefit from constructive criticism. This piece accompanied the Witton & Naish (2008) PLoS paper on azhdarchids. Image: (c) Mark Witton/Witton (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561802387637-07H7QJ4OMCI2NKJWR9FT/Witton-TPH-Thalassodromeus-Witton-2017-1000px-25kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Mark Witton’s The Palaeoartist’s Handbook Caption: the book is just full of spectacular imagery like this, much of which hasn’t appeared in print before. This image depicts the azhdarchoid pterosaur Thalassodromeus. Image: (c) Mark Witton/Witton (2018). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/6/21/the-worlds-best-books-on-woodpeckers monthly 0.5 2024-06-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561158031497-QT4HMFHKKUE5G5BALP84/woodpecker-books-June-2019-Green-woodpecker-March-2016-500px-tiny-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The World’s Best Books on Woodpeckers Caption: this is one of the two woodpecker species I see on a regular basis: Green woodpecker Picus viridis (this photo from March 2016). All my photos are bad. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561136126449-LJK3MBICSA7O7J5M1YR3/woodpecker-books-June-2019-Winkler-cover-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The World’s Best Books on Woodpeckers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561136158774-YRUZE8690K9VNVRIY5UU/woodpecker-books-June-2019-Pica-Press-books-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The World’s Best Books on Woodpeckers Caption: the Helm/Pica Press bird books (oops, plus a few others) in the Tet Zoo Towers library. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561136178543-CPN0QB59YMEABCES8N85/woodpecker-books-June-2019-Skutch-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The World’s Best Books on Woodpeckers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561136085416-UM3MJMK11CBUFGUVDEEC/woodpecker-books-June-2019-Gardner-piciforms-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The World’s Best Books on Woodpeckers Caption: at left, Fiery-billed aracari (Pteroglossus frantzii) vs Pale-billed woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis). At right, Imperial Campephilus imperialis. Just two of the many excellent illustrations by Dana Gardner included in Skutch (1985). Image: Dana Gardner/Skutch (1985). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561136051799-C88MTJ97L3D9UVKIST2O/woodpecker-books-June-2019-Gorman-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The World’s Best Books on Woodpeckers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561136015187-W3094G5KKO1SJO8P81LJ/woodpecker-books-June-2019-Gallagher-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The World’s Best Books on Woodpeckers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1561136218677-MC9JDOBNZW0ZQYQZ83FD/woodpecker-books-June-2019-woodpecker-books-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The World’s Best Books on Woodpeckers Books on woodpeckers. There are others… Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/6/15/lyall-watson-whales-of-the-world monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560684866696-5MK3UZVU9O77KQ384I5B/Watson-Whales-1981-Watson-cover-800px-79kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: the somewhat worn cover of my copy of Watson’s Whales of the World (the 1988 softback edition). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560689976153-OS6OJRZWIE97H6J9MJN3/Watson-Whales-1981-ziphiid-key-1000px-80kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: Watson (1981) includes both ‘wet keys’ (providing information on the life appearance of cetaceans, and intended to be used in the field) and ‘dry keys’ (providing information on skeletal material meant to be used to identify stranded animals or carcasses). Image: Watson 1981. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560683784160-XE35AU449CRYN84IFF7L/Watson-Whales-1981-Watson-portrait-and-Supernature-montage-1000px-46kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: at left: Dr Lyall Watson. At right: 1973’s Supernature, Watson’s most famous book. Images: list of quotations of Lyall Watson (here), goodreads.com (here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560684019536-ZERIC4G54PCMXAND4Z89/Watson-Whales-1981-Ritchie-whales-montage-1000px-29kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: several of Ritchie’s whales, composited together (it might be obvious that I especially like beaked whales). Clockwise from upper left, we’re seeing Fraser’s dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei, Peale’s dolphin Lagenorhynchus australis, Strap-toothed whale Mesoplodon layardii, Rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis and Blainville’s beaked whale M. densirostris; Baird’s beaked whale Berardius bairdii is the big animal in the background. Images: Tom Ritchie/Watson 1981. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560688652917-D6KMQD2EZQ9U4RI49WJP/Watson-Whales-1981-Ritchie-vaquita-with-Olson-NOAA-photo-1000px-40kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: Ritchie’s Vaquita - at top - is apparently the first published full-body depiction of this animal’s life appearance. Below, a photo of a Vaquita in life. Extinction looms for this small cetacean. Images: Tom Ritchie/Watson 1981, Paula Olson/NOAA, in public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560683841331-E5W95WN3C4973P7NQJN4/Watson-Whales-1981-Tom-Ritchie-Stejnegers-beaked-whale-600px-99tiny-Mar-2015-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: Ritchie’s depiction of Stejneger’s beaked whale Mesoplodon stejnegeri. The hues and pattern depicted here are very different from other takes on the appearance of this animal. Image: Tom Ritchie/Watson 1981. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560684984435-FQVMA7IL8IXA7QBSOKMM/Watson-Whales-1981-technicolour-whales-Dec-2015-Darren-Naish-%26-Gareth-Monger-600px-176kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: I once wrote an April Fool’s article whereby a newly designed machine was said to have revealed the true life appearance of whales (it’s here at TetZoo ver 3). The imaginary multi-coloured whales devised for that spoof article were in part inspired by Tom Ritchie’s illustrations. Images: Gareth Monger and Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560690137860-OWHOS0GJ28SQ8EFQMW7T/Watson-Whales-1981-Martin-1990-globicephalid-opener-1000px-50kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: Watson (1981) wasn’t the only popular volume of the late 20th century to adopt some aspects of ‘non-traditional’ taxonomy. Anthony Martin et al.’s 1990 Whales and Dolphins also includes a globicephalid section (Martin 1990), which opens with this fantastic artwork (by Bruce Pearson). Image: Bruce Pearson/Martin 1990. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560688618709-9EYNJAWAB84XIGCVDVP3/Watson-Whales-1981-Ritchie-montage-of-pages-ver-2-1000px-tiny-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: Watson’s Whales of the World includes various montage illustrations like this, which depict the field signs and characteristic markings of groups of species. The pictures look great. However, it has been argued that some of the details shown here are not wholly reliable (read on). Images: Tom Ritchie/Watson 1981. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560684247478-5NW0VHXSK8028X34TLRB/Watson-Whales-1981-Ritchie-Tasmacetus-1000px-75kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: close-up of Ritchie’s illustration of Shepherd’s beaked whale Tasmacetus shepherdi, one of my favourite living cetaceans. But it isn’t called Shepherd’s beaked whale in Watson (1981). Instead, it’s the Tasman whale. Image: Tom Ritchie/Watson 1981. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560684444160-H2VDMGLXLRVYMDJ9PR13/Watson-Whales-1981-whales-Naish-1000px-30kb-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: my own whale illustrations - these were produced for various articles published back in the 1990s - were heavily inspired by those of Tom Ritchie. The originals of these illustrations appear to be lost today, so I have to draw them all anew for my in-prep textbook. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1560690614968-A1ZURCZ6MN587PFUUOGD/Watson-Whales-1981-marine-mammal-books-resized-Feb-2015-b-%26-w-600px-87kb-Mar-2015-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Remembering Lyall Watson’s Whales of the World Caption: of all the popular and semi-technical books on cetaceans and other marine mammals, Watson (1981) remains one of the most interesting and attractive. This photo is from 2015 and I’ve acquired quite a few additional relevant volumes since. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/6/6/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-some-trivial-but-monstrous-thoughts monthly 0.5 2019-06-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559835667464-EH626R87N2EHZ5PPVKAB/Godzilla-KOTM-promo-WB-image-960px-30kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts A main theme of Godzilla: King of the Monsters is that humanity is an infection upon the planet, and that titans are the cure. Image: (c) Warner Bros. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559837251579-XUMSK413NXF95WXJ1K6J/Godzilla-KOTM-Godzilla-plasma-gland-350-px-34kb-Nov-2010-May-2015-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts The ‘science of Godzilla’ has been covered a fair bit at TetZoo in the past… Image: The Biological Nature of Godzilla. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559833090094-HRALY7AA8F73T96LRZIP/Godzilla-KOTM-godzilla-figures-1000px-33kb-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts Figures in my collection. As a Godzilla fan, it’s great that at least some of these characters have been licensed anew for a modern movie franchise. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559834962678-3HT6YF10G247SXT4STQ4/Godzilla-KOTM-promo-montage-Film-Music-Central-800px-53px-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts Montage of the main monsters - re-branded as titans for this movie - starring in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Image: (c) Film Music Central (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559831595457-VTVM7752H689DYAFY2I3/Godzilla-KOTM-Frank-Searle-Nessie-610px-34kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts One of Frank Searle’s (in)famous Nessie photos. I’m 99% sure that this exact image made a brief appearance in KOTM. Image: (c) Frank Searle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559836451478-1N6TY8RFFXQA0YIQJ53B/Godzilla-KOTM-wolves-18-2-2016-600px-282kb-June-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts Check out all the interesting body language going on in this captive wolf pack. The especially dark animal near the middle is presumably an ‘alpha’. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559831935815-V9WGHQEXN7ESNY8XM13A/Godzilla-KOTM-mokele-mbembe-June-2018-Mackal-1987-recon-mokele-mbembe-600px-118kb-June-2018-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts One of the most famous of mystery beasts: mokele-mbembe, a creature popularly suggested to be a modern-day amphibious sauropod dinosaur. This illustration is by David Miller for Roy Mackal’s 1987 book on the subject. Image: David Miller/Mackal 1987. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559834899149-GXM27T767EPU2M9NJCTO/Godzilla-KOTM-Jurassic-Park-frozen-embryos-1015px-38kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts Oh Hollywood, why you no do scientific names right? This image is not from a Godzilla film… Image: (c) Universal Pictures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559837964204-8TA23KA5HRI69SQIYRJB/Godzilla-KOTM-hollow-Earth-cartoon-784px-102kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts Here’s the ‘Hollow Earth’ image that appears most frequently online (this being because it was uploaded to wikipedia). It’s from William Bradshaw’s 1892 novel The Goddess of Atvatabar. Image: public domain, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559838215775-ZSJSEG0UAQODSB2IG87E/Godzilla-KOTM-hollow-Earth-Burroughs-Frazetta-784px-102kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts The Hollow Earth of Edgar Rice Burroughs is supposed to have looked something like this… [UPDATE: nope, this is nothing to do with the Hollow Earth - it was instead done for the cover of a 1967 magazine issue that celebrated the movie One Million Years BC. Thanks to Alan Friswell for this correction]. This is one of Frank Frazetta’s inimitable illustrations. Image: (c) Frank Frazetta, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559832863696-SUB7SS1GA98JUZQ4XNUC/Godzilla-KOTM-Godzilla-meltdown-composite-1000px-61kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts In the 1995 movie Godzilla vs Destoroyah, Godzilla burns up from the inside and endures a painful phase of looking spectacularly patchworked with glowing red. Images: (c) Toho. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559837133857-SXM7ICJ8BDU8F76MQN4F/Godzilla-KOTM-Godzilla-1954-620px-84kb-June-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Some Trivial But Monstrous Thoughts A strength of the new Legendary Godzilla movies is they establish an approximate continuity with the original film of 1954. To go a different route and start Godzilla afresh, I think, is a big mistake. Image: (c) Toho Studios. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/5/31/death-by-falling-rocks-and-trees monthly 0.5 2026-04-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559321039269-PI91XJIZ9RCX1D7XOUGS/accidents-lammergeier-killed-by-rocks-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Death by Falling Rocks and Trees Caption: lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus, killed in an avalanche, presumably in the Himalayas. Image: (c) Eric Dragesco/Ardea London/Henny (1990). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559320840277-GG9OWVKTE8VDN4TEW1U7/accidents-elephant-killed-by-falling-tree-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Death by Falling Rocks and Trees Caption: elephants are sometimes killed by falling or toppled trees. This photo of a deceased bull is from Douglas-Hamilton & Douglas-Hamilton (1975). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559320681849-HN913OTEUI6WLOZDHIHW/accidents-horse-killed-by-tree+-New-Forest-July-2011-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Death by Falling Rocks and Trees Caption: look carefully — there’s the skeleton of a horse in there, seemingly killed by this falling tree. Image: (c) Lizzy Peat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559320735553-PZCYBSRQGWT3ZLJMTQ06/accidents-horse-killed-by-tree-ZOOM-New-Forest-July-2011-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Death by Falling Rocks and Trees Caption: close-up of the remains… Image: (c) Lizzy Peat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559320263492-VLB41OFVJR1G8AAPWOAR/accidents-deer-killed-by-falling-tree-composite-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Death by Falling Rocks and Trees Caption: deer (a whitetail, at left, and a wapiti at right) killed by falling trees. Both images come from this hunting site; there are other images too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1559320494895-9GD6625931SRJCPZ6J9X/accidents-beaver-killed-by-tree-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Death by Falling Rocks and Trees Caption: unfortunate European beaver killed by a silver birch, one of several images online of beavers killed by trees. Image: Beate Strøm Jahansen, from here. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/5/24/lessons-from-a-dog-a-life-with-willow monthly 0.5 2019-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558700564613-QI0L05V9QEG7LPNXVB83/life-of-Willow-1st-photo-24-feb-2013-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow Willow on the day we brought her home (though here at my mother-in-law’s house) in February 2013. She has a really foxy look in this photo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558700788350-QUFSKIBWSVPXRDRUCFLH/life-of-Willow-Willow-2-muddy-at-Swanwick-690px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558701037601-DYACB38ONQP11Z4LCNQA/life-of-Willow-Willow-montage-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow At left: Willow (with rope toy) waits for commands from Toni; a photo from 2014. At right: a trip to the beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558700888958-09GK71KOM7IXN6P820X9/life-of-Willow-Willow-and-Ted-1-9-9-2017-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow Willow proved to be an excellent carer of Teddy, who was initially a tiny pup. This photo is from September 2017. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558700445909-DQLSP7WH74ET4SIJ5NM1/life-of-Willow-Willow-and-flame-montage-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow I don’t know if it would be right to describe Flame and Willow as friends, but they certainly tolerated each other. Flame sometimes climbed on Willow’s back. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558700346536-PALXWTEKP0VLO2EQDS80/life-of-Willow-Willow-running-dec-2015-montage-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow That hilarious look on her face as she runs - the trademark ‘Staffie grin’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558700289644-L8STGMQ2NRB6O09XGO0I/life-of-Willow-Christmas-Dec-2013-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow Christmas 2013, and Willow proves to be an expert at breaking open Christmas presents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558701553912-RMZZSJGOSNIOYSO7WNQ6/life-of-Willow-Willow-scrape-marks-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow Ichnology of a domestic mammal. Prominent claw scrape marks made by Willow, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558700185910-0HADF3M0B1YMYHKUIA1O/life-of-Willow-Willow-eating-deceased-whelks-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow The strandline of West Wittering beach, on this occasion, was littered with dead whelks which Willow took to cracking open and eating. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558701299928-NCZ5A5KDAUGDROC4DICA/life-of-Willow-Wales-and-Brock-Hill-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow At left: on a 2014 holiday in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. At right: in the New Forest, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558701339991-ESZJMCZ28I7NAVPM30U9/life-of-willow-Willow-Telegraph-Woods-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow This photo was taken on a fieldtrip where my son Will and I went to see deer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558701192518-JZUDUOLXWFXD7Q8M1F4U/life-of-Willow-Rhos-Barn-Brecon-holiday-beach-April-2014-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Lessons From a Dog: a Life With Willow Willow the dog leads Will and Emma the humans. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/5/18/birdwatching-in-suburban-china monthly 0.5 2023-10-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558211784586-UI14U4VH3O65GR8B6U2U/birds-in-China-May-2019-White-browed-laughingthrushes-1-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: come on - everybody loves White-browed laughingthrushes Pterorhinus sannio! More on this species below. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558206989953-IVF6612Y7MGKHJCRDSGT/birds-in-China-May-2019-Birds-of-China-cover-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: MacKinnon & Phillipps (2000), A Field Guide to the Birds of China. It’s not the most attractive field guide out there, but it does seem to be the best one. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558212376005-7KWBAI9BEET3X0GSS9O6/birds-in-China-May-2019-pigeon-and-whooper-swan-montage-1000kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: feral pigeons and Whooper swans in China. Discussed below. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558211264773-I03BD6YBOXS4W4H8HDRJ/birds-in-China-May-2019-rallid-and-grebe-montage-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: rallids and grebes of China. At top left: Common coot Fulica atra. At top right: Common moorhen Gallinula chloropus. Below: Little grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558211202560-NIOL7LKCHJCCEU2LA24G/birds-in-China-May-2019-raptor7-crop-1000px-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: small, broad-winged raptor… of some sort. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558198505748-OXCEUTOE3EU30XREB7TL/birds-in-China-May-2019-Spotted-dove-montage-1000kb-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: what is this pigeon… or dove, if you want? Read on. Both photos show the same individual, photographed at Chengdu Panda Base. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558211476444-WVVLBJUQ65UN6EZUFN3Y/birds-in-China-May-2019-shrike-montage-1000px-211kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: Burmese shrike Lanius colluroides, two different individuals (the one at left is singing). This species occurs throughout south-east Asia as well as China and is mostly associated with lowland forests. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558207138460-RKM2O7MXXJVND834LD8N/birds-in-China-May-2019-Light-vented-bulbul-1000px-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: Light-vented bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis. Different individuals seen, variously, in an ornamental garden and in a planted region in the middle of a heavily pedestrianised area. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558198014694-KLLHVI1UN4K1TWXQT5GH/birds-in-China-May-2019-babbler-and-leiothrix-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: at left, White-browed laughingthrush Pterorhinus sannio singing. At right: Red-billed leiothrix Leiothrix lutea. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558198164374-N78424FH37406D9J8O2V/birds-in-China-May-2019-Pallas-leaf-warbler-1000kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: definitely a phylloscopid… and perhaps a Pallas’s leaf warbler Phylloscopus proregulus. Both images show the same individual. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558198383230-NWM2Z7MOI2IHNK7GEI9R/birds-in-China-May-2019-Rufous-faced+warbler-in-garden-at-ZDM-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: blurry Rufous-faced warbler A. albogularis, photographed in the gardens of the Zigong Dinosaur Museum. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558208019492-0PU46CG72L2E0GQB136A/birds-in-China-May-2019-bushtit-1000kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: Black-throated tit Aegithalos concinnus, showing the head, throat, chest and belly markings diagnostic for this species. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558208209979-N4NYHKABQTKCGYGNX2DW/birds-in-China-May-2019-goodbye-ver-3-long-tailed-tit-26-2-2018-tiny-July-2018-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: this photo wasn’t taken in China, but in England, and shows an aegithalid species very familiar to European people like myself: the Long-tailed tit A. caudatus, which also occurs in China. Its long tail is not typical of all members of this group. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558207897756-CV7IEVSVIYIHD9Y6OC6W/birds-in-China-May-2019-Green-backed-tit-montage-1000kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: really bad photos of a tit which turned out to be a Green-backed tit Parus monticolus. Lighting conditions were often against me when I was getting these photos. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558207548310-3LUMOHJ0XT7X0GSJ2G7V/birds-in-China-May-2019-pipit-near-Gengu-factory-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: Olive-backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni, in characteristic theropod skulking pose. The Olive-backed pipit is a widespread Asian species, occurring from the edge of the Urals to the coasts of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558197478708-QD7WC8MPYCZAFH17GUC3/birds-in-China-May-2019-wagtail-sparrow-montage-1000px-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: at left, two different Hodgson’s wagtail Motacilla alba alboides, a subspecies of White wagtail. At right: Eurasian tree sparrow Passer montanus. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558197615016-DOKL9BC4WFF688XBUI4I/birds-in-China-May-2019-blackbird-at-pond-in-ZDM-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: a blackbird, foraging at the edge of a pond where stones have been stuck into cement. I would have thought that this is a Common or Eurasian blackbird Turdus merula, but it might be a Chinese blackbird T. mandarinus. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558197672362-HJLQUUSR8803T8GZ0J5T/birds-in-China-May-2019-Oriental-magpie-robin-montage-1000px-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: Oriental magpie-robin Copsychus saularis male and female (male at top, female below). The male in the images here lived right next to a factory. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558212233546-AAVE1EVOPIFN3832YSEN/birds-in-China-May-2019-white-rumped-shama-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: another member of the muscicapid clade Copsychini, a male White-rumped shama Copsychus malabaricus. This one was photographed in captivity in the UK, not in Asia. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1558197727586-BSPC43R3FCUMCT7PSAHI/birds-in-China-May-2019-starling-montage-1000px-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Birdwatching in Suburban China Caption: Red-billed starling Sturnus sericeus in downtown Zigong. There were about 15 birds in this group; the bird shown at left is the same individual seen at far right in the photo on the right. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/5/10/the-fate-of-burians-styracosaurus monthly 0.5 2021-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557570902994-K08V30YDWFPTMKMOLBNT/Styracosaurus-literature-montage-960px-98kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557495481252-3AR2C03BF3UEOEHQRLWW/Styracosaurus-Land-That-Time-Forgot-screengrab-760px-165kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: screengrab from The Land That Time Forgot, showing the styracosaur that doesn’t get shot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557495549260-TZBSLZOLTAIYTEG925W2/Styracosaurus-model-1-896px-54kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: Roger Dicken’s Styracosaurus, as seen at Portsmouth Comic Con in May 2019. Note the massively wide, deep snout and prominent depressions on the frill. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557495745552-72FB5IBDIGX75Y7N773T/Styracosaurus-Burian-1-1000px-42kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: one of so many beautiful and hugely influential scenes of ancient life by Zdeněk Burian. High-quality reproductions of this image reveal far brighter colours than those normally obvious in books (like a red ring around the eyes), and extra details like a scaly fringe to the side of the upper beak. Though best known for versions published in the 1970s, it was produced in 1941. Image: (c) Zdeněk Burian. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557496095184-QBM9MT8LMQDRWP3TIQQE/Styracosaurus-Vernon-small-540px-146kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557499131678-1GEAZU86H6S4DHCETMC0/Styracosaurus-Burian-1-detail-1941-signature-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: see that dated signature at bottom? The date is ‘41’, and if you’re not convinced, look below… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557499196348-TA3GJQCTTQKZ18I2CF8K/Styracosaurus-stegosaurus-Burian-1-detail-1941-signature-1000px-29kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: a detail of Burian’s best known Stegosaurus painting, again showing ‘41’. Image: (c) Zdeněk Burian. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557496263833-FG5VL80SHGJGCOGMHH0P/Styracosaurus-Ladybird-covers-montage-1000px-56kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: at left, the two Ladybird books discussed below. My copy of the 1974 Dinosaurs has a bright pink scribble across its cover. At right, a bonus Burianesque styracosaur depicted on the cover of another Ladybird book. Images: Darren Naish, Arran Alexander Collection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557496211132-R0LWL2NT7JW5QIST34TJ/Styracosaurus-Labybird-Bernard-Robinson-full-scene-1000px-392kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: the Ladybird/Bernard Robinson vision of Styracosaurus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557496400308-OT9M302S9MOL317QDF1B/Styracosaurus-Labybird-1974-Bernard-Robinson-665px-248kb-May-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: Styracosaurus from the 1978 Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. Image: Ladybird/Bernard Robinson. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557498914027-CQAJ964MTUG2DENDNGKH/Styracosaurus-skeleton-AMNH-5372-1000px-26kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: the Styracosaurus skeleton AMNH 7372, originally named as the distinct species S. parksi in 1937 (but now regarded as synonymous with S. albertensis). Image: AMNH/public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557498698870-6KGGNVGLE0QH2XK5B563/Styracosaurus-albertensis-skull-front-Claire-Houck-CC-BY-SA-2-0-wikipedia-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus Caption: the skull of Styracosaurus albertensis, as seen from the front. The beak section is narrow and deep, not wide and rounded. This is AMNH 7372 in New York, collected from what’s now Dinosaur Provincial Park by Barnum Brown in 1915. Image: Claire Houck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1557571303902-EHMLQ71VTVB31AP1JCRV/Styracosaurus-Chasmosaurus-Bakker-original-Burian-552px-69kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Fate of Burian’s Styracosaurus https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/5/4/on-may-the-4th-some-star-wars-musings monthly 0.5 2022-05-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556985749961-CS4B1FJ95UI3EN8J5VU5/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-toys-on-shelf-1000px-tiny-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: Star Wars creatures. From left to right: tauntauns, opee, wampa, Max Rebo (in ball organ), Sy Snootles, Droopy McCool, Amanaman, rancor. We’ll be talking about some of these creatures below. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556980568794-VY111BA3BK6MZXA78FYP/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-Krayt-dragon-bones-screengrab-490px-108kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: that Krayt Dragon skeleton sure looks a lot like a replica sauropod with a semi-fictional head. Now we know why. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556983824064-G33I7EN05XZEAYOQVJZP/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-One-Of-Our-Dinosaurs-1000px-16kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: a scene from One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. Yup, that skeleton looks familiar. These days it’s funny to think that it’s meant to be one and the same as Dippy of NHM London fame, and that it ended its life a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Image: IMDB. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556983934269-P3RTESIIPTSR0EPFYUFJ/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-Skywalker-on-tauntaun-1000px-130kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: tauntauns started life as kangaroo-dinosaur creatures, the first concept art by Joe Johnston actually making them look rather like fuzzy theropods (could Johnston have been inspired by the fuzzy dinosaur artwork that had appeared in Bakker’s Scientific American article?). Today they’re one of the most-loved creatures of the canon. Image: StarWars.com. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556980716150-ID5AHYI38E6V22U7U687/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-boga-screengrab-596px-42kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: turns out that the species is called a Varactyl, and the individual Obi-Wan is riding is called Boga. Ok. Image: Lucasfilm Ltd. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556985519457-05ZXSTDZCVIKZLK9F16Q/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-rancor-defence-960px-157kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: rancors have featured in a huge number of Star Wars stories now. This artwork is pretty badass (the individual shown here is much bigger than the young one Skywalker encountered in Jabba’s palace). Image: reddit (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556984101449-UL82EYYQ3JXI3U2Q66CI/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-Star-Wars-toys-1000px-50kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: I’ve proudly retained at least some of my Star Wars toys. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556981164103-MMHO7ZP5NCALJX5Z1CY1/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-Wildlife-of-Star-Wars-book-cover-592px-128kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: Whitlatch & Carrau’s The Wildlife of Star Wars, front cover. Image: amazon.co.uk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556982938183-UVRHEEFSSOWC6UNO1SEP/Star-Wars-May-4th-2019-swimming-jaguar-740px-130kb-May-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - On May the 4th, Some Star Wars Musings Caption: a screengrab from one of those amazing pieces of film that show jaguars swimming underwater. This footage comes from what I think is a Brazilian zoo with a special glass-fronted swimming pool. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/4/27/sea-monster-sightings-and-the-plesiosaur-effect monthly 0.5 2024-05-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556370773943-A735YG3FYONBLX2ZLDW1/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-draw-at-sea-modified-april-new-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: sea monsters real and imagined, an old illustration done as a prototype for a mural. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556369606767-JZ1FVIQ0TU3R83ORIUAU/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Heuvelmans-montage-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: in the most influential book ever written on sea monsters, Bernard Heuvelmans argued for the existence of nine distinct sea monster types, illustrated at left by Cameron McCormick. It was thought for a while that Heuvelmans (1968) had done a good job in discovering a valid biological signal in sea monster reports. But… no. Images: Cameron McCormick, Heuvelmans (1968). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556370877515-V6AKNRKDJQ2VSREB8NKV/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Daedalus-sea-serpent-1848-770px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: classic sea monsters like this one - the Daedalus encounter from 1848, involving a creature seen off the coast of Namibia in the south-east Atlantic - have often been regarded as inexplicable, and as evidence for the reality of sea monsters. But they might be explainable after all. Image: Illustrated London News, in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556369743292-3SCS7SZILTMH0BZEV2W4/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-sea-monster-books-650px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: the cryptozoological literature includes many volumes that discuss sea monster reports, and often interpret them within the ‘prehistoric survivor paradigm’ (or PSP). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556370360275-C4079DJV8FW5JN1YWV3S/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Plesiosaurus-1824-original-resized-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: long-necked plesiosaurs - this is Mary Anning’s famous Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus of 1824, as described by William Conybeare - became increasingly familiar to the public from the 1820s onwards. Image: in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556451782066-IYGX0ERJY760PHUK95I3/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Cringle-sea-serpent-500px-108kb-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: quite a few sea monsters were likened by their observers to plesiosaurs and other ancient marine reptiles. This rendition shows the monster seen from the Umfuli in December 1893, south of the Canary Islands. Image: in public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556451536094-2ZBKSTC5LHL6YNFK3A2L/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Naish-Mesozoic-marine-reptiles-crop-925px-43kb-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: has an increasing familiarity with Mesozoic marine reptiles - like the various sauropterygians, ichthyosaurs and kin shown here - influenced people’s ideas on their sightings of modern sea monsters? These illustrations are among the many I’ve done for my in-prep textbook, on which go here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556371194949-7EHBTQT9GJMLQ83JAX1T/Paxton-%26-Naish-Hunting-Monsters-cover-yet-again-Mar-2019-April-2019-326-px-55kb-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: have I ever mentioned the book Hunting Monsters, available from all good digital retailers and in most book stores? Maybe I have. Image: Naish (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556370007681-6HDHUWBBT9H818ME81DU/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-graphs-1003px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: some of our graphs (Paxton & Naish 2019). Eyewitnesses increasingly mentioned ‘plesiosaurs’ and the presence of necks throughout the 1800s. Across the same time frame, references to serpent-like features were in decline. Image: Paxton & Naish (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556369857333-E018XWFNIH1WKTMCXQRA/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Punch-1848-sea-monsters-770px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: this 1848 cartoon, from Punch magazine, indicates some familiarity among the public of the time with fossil animals like ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Image: Paxton & Naish (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556450979857-UVCJB79CHJNEQ6URIUDD/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Fox-coverage-screengrab-981px-128kb-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: Fox News coverage of our research. “Loch Ness”? “Dinosaurs”? “Delusion”? Sigh. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556449456252-9ERKAKN1W0YEUTKW25FC/Paxton-%26-Naish-2019-Hagelund-baby-and-pipefish-CM-Sept-2011-600px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sea Monster Sightings and the ‘Plesiosaur Effect’ Caption: at least some of us have published technical research, in the peer-reviewed literature, where we aim to evaluate and test cryptozoological claims and hypotheses. In 2011, a re-evaluation of the Hagelund ‘baby Cadborosaurus’ showed that it was most like a misidentified pipefish (Woodley et al. 2011). Image: Woodley et al. (2011). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/4/22/usbornes-all-about-monsters monthly 0.5 2025-12-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556046040143-TOWPFIZXDUF8UZBW7I04/Usborne-Monsters-cover-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556047646144-TCG0WL0ZGQGIQP7AN7P9/Usborne-Monsters-Mononhagela-monster-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: the Monongahela monster, illustrated as if we actually knew what it looked like: a thick-bodied, serpentine creature that swam with a spiralling action and had homodont, conical teeth. The art throughout the book is fantastic. Image: John Francis/Usborne/Miller 1977. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556046222787-UXPRLMLK4W5BZWZVFMQG/Usborne-Monsters-Randall-%26-Keane-frogman-dragged-to-death-1000px-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: the best sea monster story, here retold by Randall & Keane (1978). Image: Randall & Keane (1978). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556046297818-XBLP2O6K01OL47XRBI85/Usborne-Monsters-yeti-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: the yeti - here, very much the Dinanthropoides of Heuvelmans - as a hominid of the snows. Image: John Francis/Usborne/Miller 1977. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556046383514-CMF3BCKNZBILIHVUX95S/Usborne-Monsters-sasquatch-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: a gracile, thin-furred, ‘old man’ bigfoot (which is a bit odd, given that the creature is depicted in a snowy landscape). Image: John Francis/Usborne/Miller 1977. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556046120177-KULRB9NVH20UYAW5ZO42/Usborne-Monsters-Nessie-composite-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: Nessie as a plesiosaur. And, at right, the famous flipper depicted as if it might be real. Hey, it was the 1970s. Image: Usborne/Miller 1977. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556046427799-X0M51FZ8XXA9VR50FUR2/Usborne-Monsters-Lambton-worm-werewolf-composite-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: at left: a rendition of John Lambton’s battling of the Lambton worm, an oft-recounted piece of English folklore. Right: a wolfman of the Lon Chaney sort. Image: Usborne/Miller 1977. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556047701833-3GASNL5FKQB8QT9D6MQP/Usborne-Monsters-Tyrannosaurus-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: Tyrannosaurus as a monster, dripping with blood… which, to be fair, must have happened at times. And yay ducks. Image: John Francis/Usborne/Miller 1977. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556046574174-6QNFZWW23QRJVAXBF6GH/Usborne-Monsters-Crystal-Palace-Iguanodon-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: the Crystal Palace reclining Iguanodon, as it looked during the late 70s. Contrast this with the images shown in the TetZoo article here. Image: Usborne/Miller 1977. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1556048125138-UQ4JB5XVIWQT0N410YRE/Usborne-Monsters-water-monster-crop-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Usborne’s All About Monsters Caption: water monster from the opening pages of the book. The weed snagged on the teeth is a nice touch (and reminds me of the creatures from the 1975 movie The Land That Time Forgot). Image: John Francis/Usborne/Miller 1977. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/4/20/cocks-of-the-rock-extreme-cotingas monthly 0.5 2022-02-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555774861933-V50R92XSCI0KFWSXF9QZ/Rupicola-2019-Tunnicliffe-Rupicola-cover-1000px-tiny-April-201-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: the very first image of a cock-of-the-rock I ever recall seeing. From the cover of Charles Tunnicliffe’s Tropical Birds of 1960. This is one of the famously influential ‘tea card’ books, where you have to collect the cards to complete the book. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555775053692-RVY1E6PIDLPHMUKWQ6OH/Rupicola-2019-passerine-cladogram-2-1500px-tiny-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: a much-simplified depiction of passerine phylogeny. Suboscines and oscines form the two great groups. This diagram is one of a huge number produced for my in-prep textbook on the vertebrate fossil record, on which go here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555774673364-6VZ7HC62NP2Y1GVLAM3D/Rupicola-2019-Kirwan-Green-Cotingas-and-Manakins-300px-tiny-June-2013-Oct-2016-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: if you’re seriously interested in cotingas and manakins (and their close kin), you should obtain Kirwan & Green (2011). It’s a brilliant book. Image: Christopher Helm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555774743123-RUAXFV1MVANQ63EWGDA4/Rupicola-2019-Phoenicircus-carnifex-etiennelfr-wikipedia-CC-BY-2-5-760px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: Guianan red cotinga (Phoenicircus carnifex) in hand. What a striking bird. Image: Etienne Littlefair, wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555774787186-MTDZKZSPXIFTDFD8GJRK/Rupicola-2019-Rupicola-peruviana-JYB-Devot-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: images showing Rupicola in life virtually always show them in forested settings, but they also frequent caves, the walls of ravines, and boulder fields. These photos, showing a female Andean cock-of-the-rock at her nest and while elsewhere in a cave, were taken in the Cueva del Higueron, Peru. Images: JYB Devot, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (originals here and here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555774814476-M67ZGI8MJN6EHC0QRXJ6/Rupicola-2019-Rupicola-rupicola-Aisse-Gaertner-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-4-0-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: male Guianan cock-of-the-rock, showing characteristic filaments and ‘orange peel’-like feathers on the back. Image: Aisse Gaertner, wikipedia, CC BY SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555775329276-ZW5CUUHVGGQU0O3651B5/Rupicola-2019-Rupicola-peruviana-Jerry-Thompson-wikipedia-CC-BY-2-0-650px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: male captive Andean cock-of-the-rock, photographed at San Diego Zoo. The lush black wings and lack of trailing filaments make this species look very different from the Guianan species. Not all Andean cocks-of-the-rock are the same: there are at least four distinct populations, conventionally identified as subspecies. Image: Jerry Thompson, CC BY 2.0, wikipedia (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555775268042-4DV71WEPNXB5H2VP1VNN/Rupicola-2019-Rupicola-rupicola-Juniorgirotto-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-4-0-815px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: male Guianan cock-of-the-rock, in a pose which allows us to see the length of the bill through the lower part of the fan of feathers. Note that this individual is missing part of one of his toes. Image: Juniorgirotto, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555785213544-YRB92L6XQETQCYLA7VJO/Rupicola-2019-Rupicola-rupicola-faded-museum-specimen-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Cocks-of-the-Rock, Extreme Cotingas Caption: museum specimens of Rupicola don’t fare well after decades in sunlight, it seems. I’ve never seen a live cock-of-the-rock… so far, only museum specimens like this Guianan one. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/4/12/the-new-world-leaf-nosed-bat-radiation monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555148882199-8XSBDR5G2V9EQMITM819/phyllostomids-intro-bat-books-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: TetZoo Towers bat library. The several boxfiles of reprints and photocopied articles are not shown. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555093615278-JMB3QRCS797F4F5U834E/phyllostomids-intro-Chrotopterus-auritus-GH-Ford-PD-wikipedia-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: Chrotopterus, a big spear-nosed bat. Notice how this bat has relatively broad, low-aspect wings and a large, deep uropatagium (the membrane between the legs). Contrast this with some of the images below. Image: George Henry Ford, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555237754839-V872NWVH7NX0BDNTFDXS/phyllostomids-intro-Chrotopterus-auritus-and-Chiroderma-villoGuilherme-Garbino-wikipedia-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: some phyllostomid portraits. At left: Big-eared woolly bat or Peters’s false vampire Chrotopterus auritus. At right: Hairy big-eyed bat Chiroderma villosum. Images: both Guilherme Garbino, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (originals here and here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555149083406-NYYKH8QVIRRTGPPS28JJ/phyllostomids-intro-Dermanura-tolteca-de-Saussure-1860-PD-Sturnira-lilium-Tobusaru-crop-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-3-0-montage-1000px-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: the tail and uropatagia (the membranes joining the inner sides of the legs to the tail) are reduced, and sometimes highly reduced, in some phyllostomids. Here, we see this reduced condition in (at left) the Toltect fruit-eating bat Dermanura tolteca and (at right) in a Little yellow-shouldered bat Sturnira lilium. Images: M.H. de Saussure, 1860, in public domain (original here); Tobusaru, wikipedia CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555240085887-MAQKH31U61DXO4T65MRJ/phyllostomids-intro-Ectophylla-alba-Geoff-Gallice-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-2-0-Leyo-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-2-5-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: the most prominent exception to the ‘phyllostomids are mostly brown’ generalisation is the Honduran white bat Ectophylla alba, sometimes likened to a fuzzy ping-pong ball and well known for its habit of constructing tents by biting through leaf ribs such that the two sides of the leaf droop on either side of the central axis. Note the yellow ears and nose leaf! The individual at left is releasing a bit of urine. Images: Geoff Gallice, wikipedia, CC BY 2.0 (original here); Leyo, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5. (original here) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555239108986-BDI6HEKZARD7L9IHDGKK/phyllostomids-intro-Glossophaga-soricina-Betty-Wills-Hylonycteris-underwoodii-Karin-Schneeberger-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: some distantly related (but broadly similar) members of the phyllostomid clade Glossophaginae. At left: a long-tongued champion (though not necessarily the longest-tongued of phyllostomids), Pallas’s long-tongued bat Glossophaga soricina. At right: Underwood’s long-tongued bat Hylonycteris underwoodii. Images: Betty Wills, wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Karin Schneeberger/Felineora, wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555093045792-H3LGGWYFMEKYRIJ3J2E3/phyllostomids-intro-Centurio-Jplevraud-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-3-0-800px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: resting Wrinkle-faced bats Centurio senex partially conceal their faces beneath thick skin folds. Translucent patches on the lower of these skin folds seem to allow these bats to detect light-level changes even when their faces are covered. Image: Jplevraud, wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555092874365-JZR12MLRJDOO3V3JKALY/phyllostomids-intro-Vampyrum-Marco-Tschapka-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-3-0-925px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: Vampyrum, the False vampire or Spectral bat (see comments for a hot take on the term ‘false vampire’), has to be considered one of the most awesome of all bats. It’s convergently similar to the distantly related megadermatid bats of Africa, Asia and Australasia, also (confusingly) often called false vampires. Image: Marco Tschapka, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555245720810-D5FOERF8RBKDLI3WIE9N/phyllostomids-intro-Vampyrum-skull-NBC-wikipedia-CC-0-890px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: the very impressive skull of Vampyrum. It is robust, with big, strong teeth, especially prominent upper canines (which have an additional internal cusp) and a prominent sagittal crest. The skull can be 5.1 cm long in total (which is big for a bat). Image: Naturalis Biodiversity Center, wikipedia, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555240900142-OYRMZKMOB8F8G58Z3PJF/phyllostomids-intro-Macrotus-NWS-Trachops-cirrhosus-Karin-Schneeberger-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-3-0-wikipedia-composite-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: a few more vertebrate-eating phyllostomids. At left: California leaf-nosed bat Macrotus californicus, the most northerly occurring phyllostomid. At right: Fringe-lipped bat Trachops cirrhosus, a widespread species of Central and South America that eats seeds, fruits, arthropods and lizards in addition to frogs. Images: National Wildlife Service, wikipedia, public domain (original here); Karin Schneeberger/Felineora, wikipedia CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555246625227-QGCQLME7EZP7G0CDWX5X/phyllostomid-bat-cladogram-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: substantially simplified phyllostomid cladogram, based mostly on Baker et al. (2003), and using their nomenclature (though they regarded false vampires - as Vampyrini - as nested within Phyllostominae). Images (top to bottom): Macrotus = National Wildlife Service, wikipedia, public domain (original here); Desmodus = Uwe Schmidt, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); Vampyrum = Marco Tschapka, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Phyllostomus = Karin Schneeberger/Felineora, wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (original here); Platalina = Juan A. Malo de Molina, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here); Sturnira = Burtonlim, wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555259062743-LF0R01DSGWOJ1XU6K0NZ/phyllostomids-intro-bats-2018-microbats-as-per-Smith-1976-cladogram-600-px-tiny-Feb-2018-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: prior to recent (post-2000-ish) molecular studies, noctilionoids were thought to be close kin of rhinolophoids as well as emballonuroids and vespertilionoids. Rhinolophoids are now known to belong elsewhere. The illustrations here are among the many, many bat drawings I’ve done for my in-prep textbook project, progress on which can be seen here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555257450695-AV6LVYWASUWLUNUW9SNX/noctilionoid-bat-cladogram-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: simplified cladogram depicting the affinities of several of the bat groups shown - via morphological and molecular studies - to belong together within Noctilionoidea. The illustrations here are among the many, many bat drawings I’ve done for my in-prep textbook project, progress on which can be seen here. The Vampyrum representing Phyllostomidae, incidentally, is a placeholder which needs replacing (the existing illustration was copied directly from the work of another artist). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1555093725376-KQ3CHSRWNSADWCY7AN56/phyllostomids-intro-Chiroderma-salvini-Joseph-Smit-wikipedia-PD-April-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The New World Leaf-Nosed Bat Radiation Caption: beautiful illustration of Salvin’s big-eyed bat Chiroderma salvini, a stenodermatine phyllostomid that has a wide range across South and Central America. The facial stripes are not normally this pronounced in life, though it should be noted that populations are variable as goes stripe thickness. Image: Joseph Smit, in public domain (original here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/4/5/sleep-behaviour-and-sleep-postures-in-non-human-animals monthly 0.5 2026-04-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554481724970-ZUA1R0ZPMPZAQUMZXSL6/sleeping-April-2019-cat-large-and-small-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: the sleeping behaviour of some animals is quite familiar to us. Other animals? — less so. Images: Malcolm Daniel, used with permission (left), Darren Naish (right). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554484035392-YL2OMQ1SKT1HIDTN6UMF/sleeping-April-2019-sleeping-giant-panda-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: some sort of bear-like creature, asleep. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554484873648-VC4JYS1QOFXGJU31M7O8/sleeping-April-2019-Stan-the-Tyrannosaurus-John-Conway-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: John Conway’s sleeping Tyrannosaurus, from All Yesterdays. We don’t know how non-bird dinosaurs slept (though several fossils give us a good idea for some groups at least). We can, nevertheless, make lots of inferences based on the behaviour of living animals. Image: John Conway/All Yesterdays. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554502440647-BPU53G8OU01MJIDX1JA9/sleeping-April-2019-Animal-World-in-colour-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: Maurice Burton’s Sleep and Hibernation in the Animal World, part of the Animal World in Colour series, shown at left at their home in the TetZoo library (there are 12 titles in total, so I’m still missing three). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554504234904-8JCUR50VKRY1QG9G44BI/sleeping-April-2019-fish-montage-FB-Nov-2013-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: fishes. I ain’t sayin’ nothing, apart from what I just said. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554502650318-7EISVVMTS69DU5S4LDFS/sleeping-April-2019-Pectoral-sandpiper-Andy-Reago-%26-Chrissy-McClarren-wikipedia-CC-BY-2-0-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: Pectoral sandpiper, the most wideawake of the waders… pending future discoveries. Image: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren, wikipedia, CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554504478527-7ROS6JY7YTF7W50LUJWN/sleeping-April-2019-frigatebird-600-px-tiny-June-2013-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: I’ve seen hundreds of frigatebirds while in South America - this is my best photo of one - but I don’t remember noticing that any were asleep. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554483094146-0GMHV7VMUS4WNFDDKCUW/sleeping-April-2019-sleeping-cow-in-India-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: sleeping cow, photographed in India, in a pose not considered that typical for bovids or artiodactyls in general. It’s not that uncommon if you look at sufficient numbers of sleeping cows, however. Image: the original source has disappeared from the internet! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554483011304-3E0Q2B4SL0IPU6H03PVO/sleeping-April-2019-donkey-on-side-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: sleeping domestic donkey, reclining on its side. The animal stayed like this for some time (an hour at least). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554506429970-38AC0LEX8JPURDNREXHH/sleeping-April-2019-human-female-in-snow-Dec-2017-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: human sleep behaviour is interesting - we’re unusual, relative to other primates, in several respects. Sleeping in the snow is not usually advised though. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554483732672-YJYSIJ59BLCYHEZBX0HA/sleeping-April-2019-sleeping-baby-giraffe-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: here’s a baby giraffe in the so-called ‘kettle posture’ typical for sleeping giraffes (though they can sleep in other poses too). This image is all over the internet and I haven’t succeeded in finding who should be credited for the original. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554481580410-F4ZI16HOASXCG5JQ2059/sleeping-April-2019-sleeping-Asian-elephant-wikipedia-Fruggo-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: sleeping Asian elephant in captivity. Image: Fruggo, CC BY 1.0, wikipedia (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554502988429-7EWAMISSY3EPAO1NB4G4/sleeping-April-2019-ptarmigan-in-snow-burrow-Ad-Cameron-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: a Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus in its snow burrow. This illustration - by Ad Cameron - is meant to show the bird sleeping in its burrow, but a bird properly using such a refuge would be concealed from outside view. Image: Ad Cameron, in Perrins (1992). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554503363488-BS6SL8Q1X6ACASLRTYVG/sleeping-April-2019-treecreeper-in-Burton-wrens-Ad-Cameron-1000px-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: at left, a tree-creeper (Certhia), sleeping while partially tucked up inside a cavity in a tree. At right, a rendition of one of those famous cases in which large numbers of wrens (Troglodytes troglodytes) - more than 40 or 50 - have been discovered packed inside the same nest, huddled together for warmth. In this case, the wrens are using an empty House martin Delichon urbicum nest. Images: Burton (1969), Ad Cameron, in Perrins (1992). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554482513329-G9ZK66SZXP27VJ5VML9A/sleeping-April-2019-sleeping-sparrows-May-2011-500px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: this photo is pretty terrible but it’s the only one I have of small birds (in this case: House sparrows Passer domesticus) sleeping in a concealed spot, tucked up beneath a roof and perched on tangled vegetation. It was taken in May 2011 and is partly so bad because I didn’t want to disturb the birds. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554482830325-H5JE8BT7WZO1N0R2N3L1/sleeping-April-2019-trogons-on-Borneo-Matthew-Connors-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: trogons (a Harpactes species, perhaps Whitehead’s trogon H. whiteheadi) photographed asleep at night, in Borneo. Image: Matthew Connors, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554503739172-SI5I8K6HN5YZQ7NDQKGV/sleeping-April-2019-king-penguin-asleep-montage-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: at left, King penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus sleeping, bill tucked under wing. I can’t confirm that this is what it does show. However… at right, an illustration of exactly the same thing, from Burton (1969). Bonus mystery penguin in the background. Image: jpmatth, CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 (original here), Burton (1969). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554482669177-691ETY2U9B9Y4UY3CRQ1/sleeping-April-2019-mute-swan-Neil-Phillips-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: sleeping Mute swan Cygnus olor, not obviously employing unihemispheric sleep. Image: Neil Phillips, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554483876261-QB5TAID4SZ3KI1O65UNQ/sleeping-April-2019-sleeping-seal-Rock-Paper-Lizard-1000px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: a captive Harbour seal Phoca vitulina sleeping underwater. Image: Rock Paper Lizard (thanks to Vasha for the heads-up). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554483900187-49E2GK6S11BS9PPXKCJ0/sleeping-April-2019-iguanian-asleep-Matthew-Connors-4-lizard-500px-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: a sleeping iguanian - an Ornate earless agama Aphaniotis ornata, a draconine agamid endemic to Borneo - photographed at night in a forest. Image: Matthew Connors, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1554481939559-HV1E2FRZPNFL7PV5QTMF/sleeping-April-2019-green-lizard-Neil-Phillips-966px-tiny-April-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Sleep Behaviour and Sleep Postures in Non-Human Animals Caption: not sure if this lizard - this is a Lacerta species, most likely a Western green lizard L. bilineata - is fully asleep, but at least it has one of its eyes closed. Image: Neil Phillips, used with permission. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/3/29/books-on-the-loch-ness-monster-2-gareth-williamss-a-monstrous-commotion monthly 0.5 2025-12-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553964298638-6S3GIZ303N6IWE00TE15/Williams-LNM-review-Unexplained-Mysteries-back-cover-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: the most impressive and interesting of the several Nessie paintings produced by Peter Scott - here, depicted on the back of my battered copy of the PG Tips 1987 Unexplained Mysteries of the World, written by Robert J. M. Rickard. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553892424540-3KN158UAA1XFDD334IQE/Williams-LNM-review-Gareth-Williams-Monstrous-Commotion-cover-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: front cover of Williams (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553893120648-8PS62ZN3BD60JUDSI1OK/Williams-LNM-review-Loch-Ness-hills-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: Loch Ness is a beautiful and sublime place, monster or not. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553897323295-WC941835G56I9H9B2UJG/Williams-LNM-review-Loch-Ness-books-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: I’ve said before that there are awful lot of books on the Loch Ness Monster… even this is far from a complete selection of what’s out there (I’m still collecting). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553960131567-DSP55ADMXPYALTWSQZ3F/Williams-LNM-review-Macnab-photo-original-from-Raynor-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: Peter Macnab’s photo of 1955. This is the version lacking the vegetation in the foreground. Regarded by some Nessie proponents as depicting two monsters swimming in close proximity, it is most likely part of a boat wake, as suggested by the lines in the water about parallel to the ‘monster(s)’. This is a scan of the original photo, provided by Dick Raynor (and available here). Image: (c) P. A. Macnab. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553960525379-VPZ0SSR5OS5SH5095T6D/Williams-LNM-Torquil-MacLeod-Nessie-montage-final-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: Torquil MacLeod’s Nessie of February 1960, observed through binoculars and estimated to be 13-15 m long, as drawn by Alan Jones for Witchell (1975). Image: Alan Jones/Witchell (1975). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553963481426-6RA765KYLD4Y0FA4DJC3/Williams-LNM-review-Rines-Klein-Dinsdale-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: Dinsdale (standing, at right) with Robert Rines (l) and Martin Klein in 1970. Image: Dinsdale (1976). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553892778541-K2XGX8ENS59XBRXCS4EF/Williams-LNM-review-Dinsdale-with-take-on-Nessie-darker-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: Tim Dinsdale and his identikit-style view of what the Loch Ness Monster looked like. He reached this view by bundling all eyewitness accounts together and taking averages. Image: (c) Tim Dinsdale. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553895883001-A4QJHI7ME5J1IAGPHTW4/Williams-LNM-review-Peter-Scott-Nessies-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: here’s another of the big, spectacular, Nessie-themed works of art produced by Peter Scott (this is only a section of the whole thing). Image: (c) Peter Scott. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553894313255-THJO72MS0MEJ34F4GD66/Williams-LNM-review-Wildlife-cover-Scott-Nessie-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: by the mid 1970s, Peter Scott was happy to publicly state a belief in the Loch Ness Monster, and there are even photographs of him wearing an ‘I Believe in Nessie’ t-shirt. Here’s the cover of a magazine issue that features a key Scott article on the subject. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553894537686-2KZBXD49E35SCTP1A5UJ/Williams-LNM-review-big-mouths-long-necks-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: palaeontologists specialising on plesiosaurs have near universally been very hostile to the idea that the Loch Ness Monster might be a living plesiosaur. But it’s also a very familiar idea that plesiosaur experts have sometimes toyed with. This diagram is from Big Mouths and Long Necks, a short book devoted to plesiosaurs. Image: Taylor & Martin (1990). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553963711283-BHQA11FUSOVCDHQP5GKQ/Williams-LNM-review-Nessie-drawings-Rines-Egerton-flipper-Mar-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: my own take on one of the Rines/Egerton ‘flipper photos’, drawn when I was about 14. Like many people in those years (this would’ve been drawn in the late 1980s), I had been led to believe that the photos really show the giant, diamond-shaped flippers of a very big animal. They don’t. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553892528860-2IB2N52URDDSTVZEYXMI/Williams-LNM-review-LNM-gargoyle-head-composite-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: the weird and ugly ‘gargoyle head’, interpreted as the snorkelled, horned, short-faced creature depicted at right in this painting by Peter Scott. Read on for another version of that Scott painting. Images: Rines et al. (1976), Peter Scott. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553892328054-S3PJA57BFBR53PXX8GSF/Williams-LNM-review-Scott-%26-Rines-1975-screengrab-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: the first part of the Scott & Rines (1975) article. Image: Nature Publishing Group. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553899018512-Z2TVEXWJ3157JO4PNJRH/Williams-LNM-review-Peter-Scott-books-2-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: the Peter Scott books I own. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553893294822-STYVTCTH221OQYIVKROL/Williams-LNM-review-Rines-letters-New-Scientist-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: Robert Rines has been a mildly controversial figure, and there have been occasions in which his credentials and qualifications were called into question. Here are two letters from the pages of New Scientist, both from 1982 (vol 95, issues 1315 and 1320, respectively). Image: New Scientist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553899682046-48U2E8MFGK4I6F2XIM27/Williams-LNM-review-NHM-extinction-exhibition-Latimeria-model-600-px-Aug-2013-Mar-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: the idea that Latimeria, the extant coelacanth, provides support for the view that Mesozoic-grade vertebrate taxa might persist to the present without leaving a fossil record is very naive. In case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve now known of Holocene coelacanths for more than 80 years. This model was on display at the Natural History Museum (London, UK) in 2013. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553963146442-8Z8KNID05ARBJ1A3L2S5/Williams-LNM-review-Cryptozoologicon-montage-1000px-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: The Cryptozoologicon Volume I sometimes mocks the aggressive tone used by some cryptozoologists. At right, part of John Conway’s scene of a Himalayan yeti group. Image: John Conway/Conway et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553964773637-O4WKUNIH5Q291IV5ZXY1/Williams-LNM-review-Nessie-model-Mar-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: your author (on the right) with Nessie. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553963322976-W03THIX5Z6P4Q4BWYBZU/Williams-LNM-review-LNM-Focus-on-Fact-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: the idea that Nessie might have retractable snorkels on its head - an odd idea, to be sure - has long been fairly popular in the LNM literature. The ‘gargoyle head’ photo has to be interpreted within this context. Image: Randall & Keane (1978). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553963036369-6PCYKB574XRHT1ATBKAQ/Williams-LNM-review-Loch-Ness-Kaiyodo-toy-1000px-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: more evidence for the snorkel-headed Nessie meme: this is the brilliant Kaiyodo toy. Mine was specially shipped from Japan, and oh do I love it. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1553895238656-WS7AC1THKSZGZ9YN49EG/Williams-LNM-review-Scott-gargoyle-head-scan-1000px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 2: Gareth Williams’s A Monstrous Commotion Caption: the only versions of Peter Scott’s renditions of the ‘gargoyle head’ illustration I’ve seen online have been tiny and very low-res, so here’s my best effort at reproducing the best version I have to hand (it’s from the 1981 Reader’s Digest book Into the Unknown). Image: Peter Scott/Bradbury (1981). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/3/16/the-cautious-climber-hypothesis monthly 0.5 2026-03-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552771808176-0H9BGA2XTADYZ6OOONW8/cautious-climber-Mar-2019-primate-art-Edinburgh-Zoo-Feb-2015-700px-327kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Cautious Climber Hypothesis Caption: hominids - represented here by a gorilla, orangutan and chimpanzee (the human needed to complete the scene is missing) - are different from other anthropoid primates in many important aspects. What particular adaptational history caused them … us… to be so different? This mural is on show at Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland, and is by Russell Dempster. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552773887611-HURT87D3W0WK4HSPG6VW/cautious-climber-Mar-2019-primate-evolution-books-1000px-354kb-Mar-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Cautious Climber Hypothesis Caption: primate evolution is another of those subjects that gets written about a lot. Here are some of the (mostly hominid-themed) primate books in the TetZoo collection, but far from all of them. Pet and fringe theories abound in the popular and semi-popular literature on hominid evolution. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552769314489-YCR624BSW4YF369Z4DS7/cautious-climber-Mar-2019-hominoid-cladogram-red-box-1000-px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Cautious Climber Hypothesis Caption: the red box shows the section of the family tree we’re especially interested in here. The animals concerned are hominoids, but not part of the hominid crown (that is, they’re not part of the hominid group delimited by living hominid lineages). They’re stem-hominids, or ‘pre-hominids’. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552769088799-KS7NET0N82Y2Q991VNWQ/cautious-climbers-Mar-2019-Richmond-et-al-2001-bipedal-hominid-origin-models-69kb-859-px-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Cautious Climber Hypothesis Caption: which form of locomotion was typical of those hominoids ancestral to hominids? Were they brachiators, arboreal climbers, or digitigrade or knuckle-walking terrestrial forms? Image: Richmond et al. (2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552769571408-XG79OXXAW6Q6W2EBSNB6/cautious-climber-Mar-2019-cautious-climber-montage-1000-px-296kb-Mar-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Cautious Climber Hypothesis Caption: did hominids start their history as ‘cautious climbers’, convergently similar to such arboreal mammals as lorises, sloths, various leaf-eating Old and New World monkeys, and some extinct lemurs? The pre-hominid at far right is a hypothetical animal - a ‘concestor’ - that matches this prediction. A slow loris and three-toed sloth are shown at left. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552774154790-7JYR7UKRZ0A19FXSGK3I/cautious-climber-Mar-2019-cautious-climbing-potto-1000-px-101kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Cautious Climber Hypothesis Caption: cautious climbers generally don’t leap, or drop from height onto other structures when climbing. Instead, they mostly climb slowly and deliberately, with actions like these (here depicted in a potto) being used to move from one branch to another. Image: Napier & Napier (1985) (and based on an original by Charles-Dominique). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552774359331-72A4SQPLT1N6SEUN5BCY/cautious-climber-Mar-2019-orangutan-skeleton-Tournai-Michael-Wal-wikipedia-718px-58kb-Mar-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Cautious Climber Hypothesis Caption: hominid skeletons - this is that of an orangutan, photographed at Musée d'histoire Naturelle, Tournai (Belgium) - possess numerous features indicative of arboreal adaptation. Image: Michel Wal, CC BY-SA 3.0, wikipedia (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552768823875-HQV7U7WICR9HG3JMCAFS/cautious-climbers-Mar-2019-Dougal-Dixon-sloth-person-760px-615kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Cautious Climber Hypothesis Caption: this article isn’t about SpecBio. But if pre-hominids were vaguely sloth-like in some ways, a different trajectory of hominid evolution might have resulted in a radiation of increasingly sloth-like primates… in which case, maybe things like this could have evolved. Maybe. This is Giganthropus, a fictional sloth-like hominid featured in Dougal Dixon’s 1990 Man After Man. Image: Philip Hood, in Dixon (1990). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/3/7/books-on-the-loch-ness-monster-1-ronald-binnss-the-loch-ness-mystery-reloaded monthly 0.5 2022-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1552001761764-ZT0VQR22QMUSU5KRDI9Z/LNM-books-Binns-Loch-Ness-Monster-montage-1000-px-36kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: Nessie, the beast of many forms. It’s almost as if people are describing all manner of different things. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551994731781-6RKVUHF2FR7BOD7FMHR1/LNM-books-Binns-Loch-Ness-Mystery-Solved-covers-1000-px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: Binns (1983), hardback (at left) and 1984 softback edition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551998029973-Y1BH6U9P8625TOW0QL0C/LNM-books-Binns-red-deer-Loch-Ness-April-2016-1000-px-42kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: it should not be assumed that people - even people who’ve lived their lives in rural places, surrounded by wildlife - can always identify such animals as deer, seals and waterbirds (like grebes and cormorants) when they see them in unusual places, poses or situations. Deer are abundant around Loch Ness. I photographed this male Red deer adjacent to Loch Knockie, which is just a few hundred metres to the east of Loch Ness. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551981790277-67S1L0FVV0NWI4NO3M92/LNM-books-Binns-Reloaded-cover-320-px-88kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: cover of Binns (2017). Buy it if interested in the Loch Ness Monster, lake monster lore, cryptozoology or scepticism. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551991497064-GV7T3GKGG4VAJNUA9DYE/LNM-books-Binns-Dinsdale-drawing-of-Spicer-creature-1500-px-tiny-Mar-2019-326-px-55kb-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: the Spicer sighting as conventionally portrayed, here by Dinsdale (1976). Image: Dinsdale (1976). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551997755012-ARPK6Q6M4W7BL60MLBFB/LNM-books-Binns-Spicer-account-Gino+D%27Achille-597-px-49px-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: probably the best ever depiction of the Loch Ness Monster in action. Surely this is what Mr Spicer actually saw. A beautiful image by the legendary Gino D’Achille. Image: (c) Gino D’Achille. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551981906896-FAWUXTU4E1MHMLH12K1B/LNM-books-Binns-Loch-Ness-Monster-Peter-O%27Connor-600-px-14kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: the O’Connor photo has never made sense as goes lighting. O’Connor’s story is suspiciously odd. And the object he photographed does not appear to be an animal. It looks likely to be an inverted kayak, and looks uncannily similar to the specific kayak that O’Connor owned. The image here - scanned from one of the several LNM books - is a cropped version that doesn’t feature the whole of the object. Image: (c) Peter O’Connor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551994857550-JFZ50VCYJMLU5TU8LOSA/LNM-books-Binns-Hugh-Gray-swan-montage-1000-px-tiny-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: at top, the Hugh Gray photo of 1933. A ‘mid-sized’ object (look at the ripples), that’s white or near-white, has a sinuous appendage at one end, a short, pointed appendage at the other, and a dark appendage that disappears into the water close to one of its ends. The double-strike areas (featuring pale triangular patches) indicate double-exposure (that is, the film failed to move on and was exposed again). Image: Naish (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551997488269-45X13NHMMCSPWLF4ZWY9/LNM-books-Binns-Holiday-Gray-monster-as-Tullimonstrum-1000-px-28kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: ahh, classic Holiday. The object in the Hugh Gray photo interpreted as a modern-day, big Tullimonstrum. Image: Holiday (1968). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551997685854-B0WZH8E5X1AVPHBLY52V/LNM-books-Binns-Loch-Ness-books-1000-px-61kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: but a fraction of the books that exist on the Loch Ness Monster. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551995184002-4OZOG1YQEHA2C41QDJDO/LNM-books-Binns-Hunting-Monster-cover-yet-again-Mar-2019-326-px-55kb-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: in which I tried to develop a sociological or anthropological view of cryptids - Nessie included - as icons embedded within culture. The softback version was preceded by a 2016 digital one (which has a different cover). Image: Naish (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551995811710-11C7CU4GXCC2CAL9D9M8/LNM-books-Binns-Loch-Ness-toy-and-ticket-tour-2016-1200-px-151kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: you can be an atheist and still love buildings of worship. Likewise, thinking that Nessie is not real does not stop Loch Ness from being a remarkable place or one with a great amount of allure. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551995355066-G94JGT5FJ980JMHDWBND/LNM-books-Binns-Nessie-humps-Sept-2016-tiny-870-px-16kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: the surface of Loch Ness, photographed in September 2016. Many people’s monster sightings are of a calibre similar to this. These are waves, made by a boat. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551995481524-0I4715UJDFNDSPNL4XMR/LNM-books-Binns-Hugh-Gray-Heron-Allen-crop-640-px-88kb-Mar-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Books on the Loch Ness Monster 1: Ronald Binns’s The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded Caption: here’s a close-up of the Hugh Gray photo again. I say again: the ripples show that this object is ‘mid-sized’ (as in, 1 m long or so). Weird that an object which I say looks like a swan also has what looks like a swan’s leg and what looks like a swan’s pointed tail. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/2/28/potoos-as-an-internet-phenomenon monthly 0.5 2024-12-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551367291308-19BPRRR89RSMJ10M7RFH/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-potoo-montage-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: it’s true, I’m guilty of using potoos in memes myself. The one at left was my profile picture on social media for a while; the one at right appeared at TetZoo ver 3. The original photo has been memed a lot. The original photo is sometimes credited to Kristin Lundquist, though that’s not where I got it from. Image: (c) Kristin Lundquist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551366628403-RIJWX8E0PAQE7H2F09S6/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-potoo-monster-1280-px-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: two of a set of famous potoo-themed photos (there are at least four in total). These went viral in 2015 and finding a photographer to credit has not been possible, but if there’s anyone in particular who should be credited, I’d be interested in knowing their name. This is definitely a Great potoo Nyctibius grandis (or, part of the series of populations currently included within that species, anyway). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551367533605-87SJLKO6W0LY37FAZ5TW/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-potoo-with-owls-camelid-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: potoos and some amused (or bored) owls. I love this picture. It’s here on imgur. Image: princeemberstorm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551367561534-2LQ8ZF4OUVGDG4RS9YK0/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-potoo-as-a-sir-PolarBearsArentReal-640-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.png Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: potoos are just ripe for things like this, it seems. This image, titled ‘Potoo is a sir’, appeared on imgur in 2014 and is borrowed from here. Image: (c) Polarbearsarentreal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551367632189-RAYX74MYHU0LS5V7U73D/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-potoos-on-twitter-montage-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: potoo-themed accounts of Twitter. The avatar at left is that of illustrator Angela Hsieh, aka @hisiheyah. A selection of others are at right: our lord and saviour potoo or @PotooPotoo is the most relevant for the purposes of the article here. Images: Angela Hsieh, Twitter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551366566853-QM9QABE5ET0MCLSNVC2X/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-Question-Duck-giant-potoo-750-px-tiny-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: ‘The Great Potoo’, interpreted somewhat literally, from the online comic Question Duck (original panel here). Image: (c) Question Duck. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551366664308-YYNNF3ZUKDJCL5SPH1QS/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-Casanova-the-potoo-773-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: other potoo-themed costumes are now available - I’m pretty sure that Casanova is not a one-off. Image: (c) SarahDee/Fur Affinity, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551366807059-Q1MIKZTY26MTE7ZVZW04/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-gryphon-montage-1000-px-tiny-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: cartoon potoo griffins, by Cyndi Foster, aka Gingo, aka Gryphon Queen (here at DeviantArt). This is why the internet was made. Images: (c) Cyndi Foster/Gingo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551367178462-HTM97XTKS2PTKZVF080O/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-gryphon-montage-2-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: at left, a marbled polecat x potoo griffin, “the most majestic and noble of griffins”, by uropygid (original here). At right, a potoo griffin that combines black panther and potoo features, by Seneca’s Art Rocks. Images: (c) Uncle Max/uropygid, Seneca’s Art Rocks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551367205116-4F3H3PLHQ3373T28G710/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-potoo-hybrid-montage-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: potoo x Pallas cat by iguanamouth (from their “kept getting requests for gryphons so heres a bunch of them At Once “ project), Potoo x Chihuahua by Pechschwinge, from their Daily Gryphon Challenge. Images: (c) iguanamouth, Pechschwinge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551367243083-VXO45GOLBJH5BI8H54O1/Potoos-Internet-Sensation-Feb-2019-potoo-holy-saviour-dragongirl22-458-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Potoos As An Internet Phenomenon Caption: ‘Our Lord and savior potoo bird’. This image is by dragongirl222, who does a whole range of potoo-themed merchandise at redbubble. Image: (c) dragongirl222. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/2/25/recollections-of-dinosaurs-past-and-present-the-1980s-exhibition monthly 0.5 2025-05-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/7b65606d-7b40-423a-8332-6902924aed2a/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-May-2025-montage-Spike-Ekins-1743px-268kb-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition - Make it stand out Caption: a relevant montage, showing (left to right) Charles Knight’s Dryptosaurus painting of 1897 (in public domain); entrance to the exhibition at NHM London (photo by Spike Ekins, used with permission); Allosaurus model by Stephen Czerkas (photo by Darren Naish). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551116877625-OO49UHLXTZSGL7BMODOR/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Bakker+Deinonychus-550-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: Robert Bakker’s 1969 sprinting Deinonychus, produced to accompany John Ostrom’s seminal article on this amazing dinosaur. Artistic depictions like this one cement the idea that art has conveyed scientific concepts to the public... but you’ve heard all that before. This is one of several Bakker images included within the exhibition discussed in this article. Image: (c) Robert Bakker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551110829815-TC8BRO3KROEMBK69GH58/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Spike-Ekins-310-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: the entrance to what might have been the best palaeoart-themed exhibition of all time, as seen at London’s Natural History Museum in late 1990 and early 1991. A better quality version of this photo will be uploaded to TetZoo in the near future (thanks to Spike Ekins for permission). Image: Spike Ekins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551111125501-OPAEZW5GF6AEXT45H9X2/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-NHM-building-and-pterosaur-model-composite-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: London’s Natural History Museum is an amazing building, decorated inside and out with images of plants and animals. The pterosaur at left is one of several visible on the outside of the museum. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551107850966-9L59Z05QEFRDRC2QPUB5/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-DPP-books-covers-tiny-1000-px-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: the covers of volumes I and II of Dinosaurs Past and Present. Both were initially published (in 1987) in hardback, and later (1989) released as softback. My copies are softbacks. Images: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County/University of Washington Press. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551112483835-NVAOLTDLUSZ48SZUSOMA/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Spike-Ekins-2-525-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: here’s the only photo I’ve seen that shows what the exhibition looked like. Behind the Czerkas Allosaurus, framed illustrations on the wall include pieces by Ken Carpenter (at left) and Greg Paul (at right). I can definitely see Paul’s Styracosaurus vs Albertosaurus image. A better quality version of this photo will be uploaded to TetZoo in the near future (thanks to Spike Ekins for permission). Image: Spike Ekins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551107756990-SMIG2YPPFJ9PZBG03BUP/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-DPP-Vol-I-books-price-tags-tiny-1000-px-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: my copies of the Dinosaurs Past and Present books still contain their original price labels. Oh, not as expensive as I remembered, then. Whatever. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551111293469-79NTU9G5RLWMMKDNBZ5U/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Laelaps-Charles-Knight-1897-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: Charles Knight’s Dryptosaurus painting of 1897 was included in the exhibition and was loaned from the American Museum of Natural History. It’s 58 cm long, 40 cm tall. Image: public domain, wikipedia (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551112679565-7PLO8097G5SHRQ4W04NU/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Zallinger-tyrannosaur-350-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: Rudolph Zallinger’s incredible mural at Yale’s Peabody Museum is virtually never shown in published photos, and most of the images you’ve seen - like this one - are from the prototype ‘Study’, in which the animals look quite different. Image: (c) Rudolph Zallinger/Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551115483002-8T5ERKX55GL7M065K0DG/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Mark-Hallett-crossing-the-flats-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: Mark Hallett’s ‘Crossing the Flats’ was at the exhibition. It’s a big piece, more than 1.2 m long. Today we don’t think that Mamenchisaurus looked quite like this (Mark was basing his reconstruction on the idea that Mamenchisaurus was a diplodocid). This painting always interested me because of the bipedal, narrow-chord pterosaurs as much as the sauropods. Image: (c) Mark Hallett. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551115808797-5VRDH6VJC4SEV4ZRVLGY/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-GSP-1987-how-to-guide-612-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: Greg Paul’s 1987 article from Dinosaurs Past and Present, Volume II remains one of the best guides to the life appearance of extinct archosaurs, even though it’s now substantially dated. John Conway and I aim to produce a volume that ‘replaces’ it at some point; meanwhile there’s Mark Witton’s excellent The Palaeoartist’s Handbook (which will be reviewed here at TetZoo soon). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551113317482-GGB4LPSGYDQS2PTPZ4ZJ/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-GSP-feathery-theropods-Deinonychus-602-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: Greg Paul’s art is among the most influential dinosaur-themed palaeoart ever produced. Today we know that his feathered non-bird theropods aren’t feathery enough but, hey, you have to start somewhere. This painting was featured in the exhibition. Image (c) Greg Paul. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551107513829-9CH3D2N90NQ5I2D55LS8/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Lauber-News-About-Dinosaurs-tiny-1000-px-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: Greg Paul’s running Daspletosaurus - here on the cover of Lauber (1989) - is one of his most famous paintings, yet I don’t remember seeing it. Oh well. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551111039069-YMLULLWL0VPSF9YF45U3/Bakker-1986-cover-300-px-tiny-June-2015-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: a John Gurche painting of 1985 appeared on the cover of an especially famous and influential book (Bakker 1986). Image: Penguin Books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551107306080-T2W1UTYHWK1KX73D3H5M/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Bev-Halstead-Edinburgh-tiny-tiny-1000-px-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: for its stint at the Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, publicity for Dinosaurs Past and Present included this photo-shoot, involving the late palaeontologist Beverly Halstead and Ron Seguin’s troodontid and dinosauroid models. Halstead is at far right. I don’t know if Halstead is goofing around (he has his arm around the dinosauroid’s shoulders), but it looks like he is. Image: (c) New Scientist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551107120368-CK99ZFMK4ZIC9IWLLG5T/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Wallace-Rise-and-Fall-tiny-1000-px-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: one of several books that were highly inspirational if you encountered them at the right time. Wallace (1989) includes both exciting artwork as well as cutting-edge news (Protoavis?! Wtf!, I thought). And on the cover? Yes, it’s Czerkas’s allosaur, portrayed as a dark and sinister predator: “the Darth Vader of animals”, to quote John Conway. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551107028569-M7UTT0L44G3DUTLDTW9F/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-Czerkas-Allosaurus-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: Stephen Czerkas’s brilliant Allosaurus model at the Natural History Museum, London (as demonstrated by the accompanying stonework) in 1990. Note that the model is in a different position relative to where it is in Spike’s photos shown above. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1551125581569-X0IOMLNWTWL2WN3ZYQLV/DinosP%26P-Feb-2019-palaeoart-books-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Recollections of Dinosaurs Past and Present, the 1980s Exhibition Caption: what has happened in the world of palaeoart since the days of Dinosaurs Past and Present? Quite a lot… Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/2/17/multi-species-nesting-in-late-cretaceous-europe monthly 0.5 2019-02-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1550418081591-1IHYR0SU7TW2VOSEFZ83/Romanian-eggs-update-Feb-2019-enantiornithine-montage-17-2-2019-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Multi-Species Nesting Assemblage in the Late Cretaceous of Europe Enantiornithines — here are just a few of them. In-prep montage from my in-prep textbook. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1550415336471-CAVR4M1BCL1UW1O535FH/Romanian-eggs-update-Feb-2019-Od-eggshell-accumulation-890-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Multi-Species Nesting Assemblage in the Late Cretaceous of Europe Different chunks of the (originally lens-shaped) Oarda de Jos eggshell assemblage. You can see abundant eggshell fragments (a, b) as well as crushed but complete eggs (the image at bottom). Scale bars = 1 cm. Image: Vremir, Dyke et al. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1550414771507-FGHI8DJUX44GMQTALQB3/Romanian-eggs-update-Feb-2019-Balaur-in-Hateg-enviro-Emily-Willoughby-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Multi-Species Nesting Assemblage in the Late Cretaceous of Europe The Romanian maniraptoran theropod Balaur bondoc, originally published as a dromaeosaurid, has a number of features which indicate that an avialan position might be more likely, and this is the position it has occupied in several phylogenetic analyses. If it really is an avialan, it has to be interpreted as a big, secondarily flightless member of the group. We explored this idea in Cau et al. (2015). Image: Emily Willoughby. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1550416437866-OG6WK4GXP21JBJR2YBJQ/Romanian-eggs-update-Feb-2019-croc-eggshell-microstructure-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Multi-Species Nesting Assemblage in the Late Cretaceous of Europe Examined under microscopes (A-B show thin-sections viewed with a standard light microscope; C-D views from the SEM), eggshell fragments look like this. These images show the crocodylomorph eggshell in the assemblage. Image: Fernández et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1550415961460-NCRWYN7CJNJ5JB19B40E/Romanian-eggs-update-Feb-2019-Julio-Laceda-Sebes-Fm-enantiornithine-colony-May-2012-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Z.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Multi-Species Nesting Assemblage in the Late Cretaceous of Europe Remember this scene? Produced in 2012 by Julio Lacerda, it depicts the possible appearance of the enantiornithine nesting colony we infer for the locality. Maybe some of the colony did look like this. But it now seems that a few crocodylomorphs and the odd lizard were in the immediate area as well. Image: Julio Lacerda. UPDATE: this is a horribly lo-res version of the image, I aim to publish a better one in time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1550415023648-BW5SQ3RNOH5NZ5PP3RU7/Romanian-eggs-update-Feb-2019-gekkotan-eggshell-microstructure-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Multi-Species Nesting Assemblage in the Late Cretaceous of Europe ‘Geckoid eggshell’ in the Oarda de Jos assemblage, as seen via SEM. The images (note the different scales) show (A) a distinct two-layered structure and (B) numerous tiny holes in the prisms of the second later. Image: Fernández et al. (2019). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1550422814808-ITD2UBKPAXYVDPQA2URM/Romanian-eggs-update-Feb-2019-osprey-nest-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A Multi-Species Nesting Assemblage in the Late Cretaceous of Europe Opportunistic, parasitic, co-operative and harmonious nesting associations exist in the modern world; here’s an example where raptor nests (in this case, that of an Osprey Pandion haliaetus pair) invite the association of passerines, herons and others. Cases like this could well have existed in the Cretaceous. Image: D’Ami et al. (1969). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/2/8/tetzoo-bookshelf-february-2019-part-1 monthly 0.5 2019-03-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549653378010-6MZJ52DBLPSXCQS4IG5N/books-Feb-2019-books-to-review-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549643107709-MID2F4YA8J6QTLMCD14S/books-Feb-2019-Everhart-Oceans-of-Kansas-cover-420-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549652847861-M49LQHZRJVL4121J30XB/books-Feb-2019-Dan-Varner-shark-vs-mosasaur-sg-900-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 One of Dan Varner’s greatest illustrations (in my opinion): the shark Cretoxyrhina takes out a Tylosaurus. This and many other Varner pieces feature in Oceans of Kansas. Image: (c) Dan Varner/Oceans of Kansas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549642708833-ZUAALXEW6OSBWAUCHO09/books-Feb-2019-Unnatural-Selection-front-cover-design-low-resolution-Katrina-van-Grouw-330-px-tiny-May-2018-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549642740655-9OISW9X1VCKBYEEE8G8Z/books-Feb-2019-van-Grouw-2018-pigeons-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 Unnatural Selection showcases an extraordinary number of unusual domestic animals (these are all domestic pigeon breeds), but the main theme is the evolutionary plasticity, and potential, that human selective breeding has created in these species. Image: van Grouw (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549643142633-VG34QE03WPIZ9PBLKN65/books-Feb-2019-Unnatural-Selection-goose-ancestry-Katrina-van-Grouw-600-px-tiny-May-2018-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 Geese (wild and domesticate) from Unnatural Selection. This panel combines Katrina’s illustrations with Natee Himmapaan’s amazing skills in writing and labelling. Credit: Katrina van Grouw/van Grouw (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549642634333-YA46PAU1VAAT7CLWNZZI/books-Feb-2019-Jonathan-Losos-Improbable-Destinies-cover-Feb-2019-tiny-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549642417602-2TE89NU3S2CBXPMJY3IC/books-Feb-2019-dinosauroid-Losos-dinosauroid-600-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 Marlin Peterson’s re-drawing of one of the Kosmen/Roy dinosauroids, from Jonathan Losos’s Improbable Destinies. Image: Losos (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549643179037-9S8LXLQB0L8FFBVX0T9R/books-Feb-2019-Audubons-Last-Wilderness-Journey-cover-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549643211548-626Y6O2ZQUENXI86O2DY/books-Feb-2019-Audubons-Last-Wilderness-Journey-black-bear-pages-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549643237392-LIWNZSHAWIDW7EO0TSB7/books-Feb-2019-Audubons-Last-Wilderness-Journey-skunk-pages-1000-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549647501957-0YZS42UQTS63LQGUCHTA/books-Feb-2019-Feduccia-book-covers-600-px-tiny-Nov-2017-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 It is a major problem that there has long been a total shortage of reliable books on bird evolution. Alan Feduccia’s books - two of which are shown here - are unreliable and misleading. Images: Yale University Press (left); Yale University Press (right). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549647634076-WQFIDSW3NWP8R0J219FR/books-Feb-2019-Reilley-cover-Feb-2019-795-px-tiny-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 The excellent cover art - featuring paintings by Jon Fjeldså (whose illustrations appear in several of his own papers) - depicts the cladogram published by Jetz et al. (2012). Image: Pelagic Publishing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549647773418-NDV8ZUT37EIGHF499A0R/books-Feb-2019-passerine-cladogram-2-600-px-tiny-Oct-2016-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 There are a lot of passerine lineages: this simplified cladogram features the major lineages only. It is fitting that about half of Reilly’s The Ascent of Birds is devoted to this one group. Image: Darren Naish, from my textbook project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549643269098-DTGJ92NEK9QD8NA8FWVR/books-Feb-2019-Naish-bird-book-screen-cap-hornbills-pp-June-2011-490-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549643285498-CGFEW1S671FL277XNBKX/books-Feb-2019-Naish-bird-book-screen-cap-mirandornithines-pp-June-490-px-tiny-2011-Feb-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 Screengrabs from the aborted Naish ‘The Bird Family Tree’ book. Yes, I should pick it up and get it published. No, I can’t do that due to a list of other projects that prevent such action. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549643826614-USC6TR1LBDBHKZJ08DFJ/books-Feb-2019-Geniez-Snakes-cover-2-Feb-2019-tiny-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1549648015394-703VMSFIRE9947VMI1QA/books-Feb-2019-Geniez-Snakes-cover-3-weboryx-900-px-tiny-Feb-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo Bookshelf, February 2019, Part 1 Pages from Geniez (2018). It’s a great-looking book. Image: weboryx.com twitter account. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/1/28/tetrapod-zoology-is-a-teenager-now monthly 0.5 2023-09-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548757610834-WTBIK6FEGVON7FWKR5HV/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-1st-TetZoo-article-3-2006-600-px-tiny-Jan-2016-Jan-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: once again I’m going to begin by reminding you of how it all began, back in 2006… you can see that very first article (should you want to) here. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548693348262-FX4OD33M5HAJFSBBO0K0/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Swanwick-teals-waders-geese-18-2-2018-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: there are so many great places to see water- and seabirds around the coasts of the UK. One of my favourite haunts at the moment is Swanwick in Hampshire. Teals at left; Brent geese at right. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548694252294-Z9SASBVS8VWEXK1EHXYM/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-DITW-Packham-16-2-2018-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: scenes from Dinosaurs in the Wild. At left, your humble author with John Pickrell (and friend: John is the one not holding the plush tyrannosaur). At right: myself, Siouxsie the Dakotaraptor, and Chris Packham. Images: Darren Naish, Megan McCubbin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548695363671-62LLK55DY9A2SYDWVYPP/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Chessel-Bay-10-3-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: beach cleaning is always such a joy (am being ironic). Here’s a haul after just a few hour’s work. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548755873434-QQK1KLQ4QTQDT5XWZPZU/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-BBC-and-Milo-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: Milo the Neotropical giant toad - at right - now lives at Tet Zoo Towers, but his original home was the BBC Natural History Unit, at BBC Bristol. Like Milo, I spent time at BBC Bristol during 2018. Why? Well… we shall see. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548754096336-33VNGQN4KNN29GUPM5FQ/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-aepyornithid-drawings-March-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: work on The Big Book (my in-prep textbook The Vertebrate Fossil Record) mostly involved birds across 2018. In cases, as here, I had to revamp some old illustrations. This image shows old (at right) and new images of Aepyornis… and surely I won’t need to revamp Aepyornis AGAIN, right? Some of you will know what I’m getting at. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548709963483-YK798G8B3VCTIDVYHD8W/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Sunday-Brunch-set-8-April-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: a view from the set of Sunday Brunch, April 2018. Ash, Chrissie and a hatchling Dakotaraptor at left. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548758873835-HDSA3YLGADYIY7Y5F1CQ/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Sunday-Brunch-live-8-April-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: Chrissie, Darren and the Dakotaraptor hatchling, live on Sunday Brunch on April 8th 2018. Image: (c) Sunday Brunch/Channel 4. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548753704261-P0O6VDOTXQBQ4NTT4JVF/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-New-Naturalist-books-2-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: the Collins New Naturalist books on display at the Collins office in London. Most of us own at least a few of these volumes. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548753802769-Q5BGQXNAKJAH174SVVU2/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Chicheley-Hall-11-5-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: attendees of the Sexual Selection meeting at Chicheley Hall, Buckinghamshire. Image: Rob Knell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548699826024-LZLA20MR3S9U79SS9ZDO/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Tintagel-May-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: I went to Tintagel, north Cornwall, in May 2018. Here’s a scene of the coastline there, with seabirds. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548696655963-R2V888D6L9R0LSB47D33/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Naish-and-Ford-May-2018-cover-slide-dark-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: at left, the cover slide for the event. At right: protesters outside Conway Hall, as imagined by Gareth Monger. Well done if you recognise the reference. Images: Darren Naish, (c) Gareth Monger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548696772645-YRCAF7AT0HE5FES9U5CA/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Naish-and-Ford-May-2018-Luke-Muscutt-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: Darren Naish (left) and Brian Ford (right). Image: Luke Muscutt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548753980598-LVWXYZLGP1PKGZUJ7DHT/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Portsmouth-ComiCon-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: in May 2018, I (with my kids Will and Emma) attended the Portsmouth Comic Con, and here are some scenes. Not really relevant to TetZoo, but what the hell. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548699637237-MUXDLEYVLDLQMHD72T2Y/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Hunting-Monsters-on-Jeopardy-12-6-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: Hunting Monsters appears on Jeopardy. Image: (c) Jeopardy, NBC/American Broadcasting Company. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548695460795-8WY7TXNI77GP33TVDF80/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Metro-2-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: playing with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom lego at the Metro offices. I’m not entirely sure why Natasha is making the face she is. Image: (c) Metro. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548755536312-4GSR5L6OS5COWA6VB844/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Eotyrannus-cover-slide-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: Naish at BioTweeps 2018. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548755613022-SCQJAWEVQURQWOKMJAAI/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Eotyrannus-in-its-boxes-Jan-2012-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: the Eotyrannus holotype, in its storage boxes, at Dinosaur Isle, Sandown, Isle of Wight… as it looked in 2012. One day my work on this dinosaur will be published. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548693789357-PEEXWKZG57TU1Z1MRYYS/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Eotyrannus-crowdfunding-6-7-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: Eotyrannus at gofundme — SUCCESS. Image: gofundme. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548754384514-TNFND0D8UHX7LMS39QXJ/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-fish-t-shirt-Aug-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: this image has to go somewhere and here is as good a place as any. It’s not made by me, but by naughtyhippo (if that is her real name). Available on merchandise here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548756310782-GO2IZNHFGRZW4MSXUANV/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-patreon-ad-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: leaving SciAm means that I’m now entirely dependent on support at Patreon. What a gamble. As of right now, the site needs updating. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548693873063-DHH9FOUX897GRS9VNXW9/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Hay-on-Wye-landscape-2-25-8-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: from time spent in Hay-on-Wye. This is Hay Bluff. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548693930888-QXI0MPBYMP1JNJQ6N2PV/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Hay-on-Wye-books-1-20-8-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: don’t go to Hay-on-Wye, it will be bad. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548710126004-TVSMW43RXXCTSS8PEL9O/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Vectidraco-and-pterosaur-montage-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: at left, an illustration of the Vectidraco pelvis, some key features labelled. At right: a pterosaur montage produced for the TetZoo article on pterosaur palaeoneurology. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548755100487-RZ01IWJK8OKO2AMMK142/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-DITW-Darren-and-Tim-11-5-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: me (at left) with Tim Haines - of Impossible Pictures, Walking With Dinosaurs, Primeval and so on - doing some Dinosaurs in the Wild promotion for radio during May 2018. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548693998504-F19VP2T9NP7HGDRANLZB/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Dixon-event-Conway-Hall-2-12-9-2018-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: at Conway Hall, for the After Man-themed event with Dougal Dixon. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548695638095-ZYH4WBJMG667W9Z08GJF/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Crystal-Palace-Emma-Wain-15-9-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: special access to the islands at Crystal Palace, what a treat. Here, I’m talking about what the Victorians thought about ichthyosaurs. For more, see Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. Image: Emma Wain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548693638527-WM9ZX6CKEQPTB908AJQ4/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-DHTLE-Economist-screengran-Sept-2018-tinyJan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: screengrab from the Economist’s review of the second edition of Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved. The lead quote comes from Bob Nicholls, creator of the fuzzy Tianyulong we see at left. Image: (c) Economist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548699937243-E96YEHI5MWVA37AR7BOO/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-TetZooCon-Albert-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: scenes from TetZooCon 2018. At left, Albert Chen discusses TetZoo. At right: a box of Dinosaurs in the Wild plushies. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548700190977-9DJGN9ZQUKDUPJGZ8FYV/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-TetZooCon-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: TetZooCon 2018 included a dedicated SpecBio discussion, and here’s Gert van Dijk talking about his own Furaha project, at said event. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548697126680-98IACWZAS83YUQSJ3OML/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Where-on-Earth-DK-2-Oct-2018-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: screengrabs from the in-press Where on Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life, by Chris Barker and Darren Naish. Images: Barker & Naish/Dorling Kindersley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548710275028-C0H9UTFOL1PQOBDRMV08/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Castle-Urquhart-1-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: Castle Urquhurt, as photographed from the surface of Loch Ness (a scene from 2014, not 2018). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548699553585-N5JY4JI4VJFMULHVKNFK/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Loch-Ness-Focus-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: artwork accompanying Naish (2018b). I didn’t write that caption, since the ‘For centuries’ thing is not true. Image: (c) BBC Focus, Naish (2018b). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548695900512-CCSK2AFOV2DZ25K98P72/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-ZSL-event-3-15-11-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: one of the highlights of the ZSL book-themed event — Jules Howard tells us about the digital duck vagina app. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548695992071-099LUAHHFKHJKAWZNVGD/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Pop-Palaeo-2019-Public-Engagement-Event-19-12-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: crew at the public engagement event of December’s Popularising Palaeontology event. L to r: Elsa Panciroli, Mark Witton, Chris Manias, Becky Wragg Sykes, Darren Naish. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548695811168-EWLCLHHXGB513F6BYMVD/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-JSM-BNSS-newt-cards-1-12-2018-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: herpetology-themed snap cards, obtained at the Joint Scientific Meeting of the British Herpetological Society and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548693522820-DXMQPAS12WAS1MJID9QO/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Chengdu-Panda-Base-entrance-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: the entrance to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan, China. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548700557327-ZEWHLG697QCQF7OX48Q0/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-TetZooCon-thylacines-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: toy thylacines - did you know that there are this many? The grey 3D-printed one - and the painted version at far right (the sitting one) - were obtained at TetZooCon 2018 and were made by Rebecca Groom of palaeoplushies. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548697065303-2L7MA8C93AT2Y8HLUJZ6/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-graph-Jan-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1548754857415-1Y8XFTGQUQA1VHMZ7SQO/Tet-Zoo-13th-birthday-fish-toys-3-10-10-2018-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Tetrapod Zoology Is A Teenager Now Caption: oh, fish. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/1/18/the-life-appearance-of-sauropod-dinosaurs monthly 0.5 2025-12-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547833660035-5JHYBFEHDP2LYY2P8WX1/sauropod-life-appearance-Cooley-titanosaur-head-600-px-tiny-Sept-2015-Jan-2019-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: a really nice, life-sized model of a titanosaurian sauropod, on display in Romania and constructed by Brian Cooley. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547830101121-JOE4YK4GFJ0BMTOZZOU5/sauropod-trunk-montage-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: did sauropods have trunks? NO. It’s the dumbest idea ever, and every piece of evidence counts against it. Several authors have independently explored this idea, including Robert Bakker (upper right) and Bill Munns (lower right). The two images at left are from Knoll et al.’s (2006) paper refuting the trunk idea. Images: Knoll et al. (2006), Bakker (1986), Bill Munns (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547824505124-6ZX7B2MWNK53LHJ23TU3/sauropod-life-appearance-Apesteguia-Bonitasaura-reconstruction--and-dentary-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: Apesteguía (2004) argued that some titanosaurs - this is the rhino-sized Bonitasaura - had keratinised ‘guillotine crests’ on the edges of the jaws. I think that this is likely a mistake. Image: Apesteguía (2004). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547830303515-41S9UQM5QG6DYT20PFWB/sauropod-life-appearance-Matt-Wedel-Sauroposeidon-head-suggestions-Aug-2014-SVPOW-Witmer-montage-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: the soft dinosaur revolution comes to Sauropod Town. At left, an image by Matt Wedel which shows why we need more soft tissue on our sauropods. At right, Larry Witmer’s (2001) depiction of the different possibilities as goes nostril position in sauropods. (a) is the most likely option based on anatomical data. Image: Mathew Wedel, Witmer (2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547824633316-BTD477P9AMSCZRDL1WS0/sauropod-life-appearance-Sarmientosaurus-Witmerland-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: the skulls of some sauropods - this is the titanosaur Sarmientosaurus - indicate that there were bulbous nasal structures covering much of the snout region. Image: WitmerLab. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547831900891-N9RQHVW3RDSRF44JO0N3/sauropod-life-appearance-Martin-1987-Cetiosaurus-neck-rom-May-2011-Taylor-et-al-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: were sauropod necks mostly semi-horizontal and with a limited range of motion, as argued by Martin (1987) and illustrated at left? Nope; it’s more likely that the necks were often held aloft and far more flexible, as argued by Taylor et al. (2009) and depicted at right. Images: Martin (1987), Taylor et al. (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547825999787-7J230BP5I643W8U3QFGL/sauropod-life-appearance-Paul-1998-sauropod-neck-base-Tetrapod-Zoology-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: there are good reasons for thinking that sauropod necks were habitually inclined upwards, as is typical for terrestrial tetrapods in general, and several fossils are actually preserved with the neck in this orientation. This montage by Greg Paul shows several of the fossil concerned. Image: Paul (1998). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547825892174-1RZIVEJHLI4PEGCW6NIK/sauropod-life-appearance-Omeisaurus-skeleton-montage-Zigong-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: the necks of some sauropods - a good example is the ultra-long-necked Omeisaurus, photographed at Zigong Dinosaur Museum - are somewhat laterally compressed for at least part of their length. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547830466860-E20DLELAI1MCYXR0I48J/sauropod-life-appearance-nhm-jan-2008-camarasaur-redo-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: the neck bases of some sauropods - this is the Camarasaurus replica on display in London’s NHM - are shockingly broad (though note that this is a composite, with duplication of some elements). It would be wrong to show the neck as a narrow, hose-like object with parallel sides. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547830577458-1I5QRFUJG4D8BFDO4Q4T/sauropod-life-appearance-Ely-Kish-making-apatosaurine-1983-500-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: the brilliant, late Ely Kish, one of the best palaeoartists of all time, constructing a scale model of Apatosaurus (in preparation for a large painting). Partly on the advice of palaeontologist Dale Russell, she depicted great lateral concavities on the sides of the neck. Image: Russell (1987). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547824235906-6ZZQU317GTWOCL9YW5KI/sauropod-life-appearance-Troco-diplodocid-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: as weird as it might seem, it is at least plausible that the sauropod neck was decorated with weird soft-tissue display structures, as depicted here on a diplodocid. Image: Emiliano Troco. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547825401382-SSSL2FH3HKM2SBP9CW8X/sauropod-life-appearance-hand-montage-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: sauropod hands are essentially unique. They’re weird, semi-tubular structures with pillar-like metacarpals. At left, a brachiosaur hand. At right, the hand of the turiasaur Zby. Images: Anthony Maltese, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547894988145-1BON0QJBYOUJULR9S0BJ/sauropod-life-appearance-Falkingham-et-al-PLOS-Bird-trackways-small-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: Roland T. Bird’s sauropod track illustrations from the 1940s - shown here - clearly show the true, highly unusual form of the sauropod manus. Shame on those who ignored this information in the following decades. Image: Falkingham et al. (2014), CC BY 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547824325352-54BAGW3YPQRCB0HIXUSL/sauropod-life-appearance-Milan-et-al-2005-sauropod-hands-with-tubercles-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: vertical scores associated with sauropod hand prints indicate that at least some of them had tuberculate hand skin, as depicted here (at right) in this modified version of a Greg Paul illustration. Image: Milàn et al. (2005). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547895677505-2WFSDIA0REG3OINK48BS/sauropod-life-appearance-Tschopp-et-al-Camarasaurus-manus-and-pes%3Dsmall-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: Tschopp et al. (2015) used data from complete Camarasaurus hands and feet to produce the skeletal and soft-tissue models you see here (in 1 and 2), and then used these to generate tracks (3). The tracks are an exact match for real fossil tracks. Image: (c) Tschopp et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547824124055-S6OUO7BYQ2DPRW9JGPHY/sauropod-life-appearance-Hartman-sauropod-limb-gauge-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: sauropods were variable in cross-sectional shape and in whether they walked with narrow-gauge or wide-gauge gaits, as depicted here by Scott Hartman. Image: Scott Hartman’s skeletaldrawing.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547830884861-THSATP5RCICQ9V4FNWPJ/sauropod-life-appearance-NHM-Jan-2008-Diplodocus-3-enhanced-500-px-tiny-Feb-2015-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: tall neural spines, massive, wing-shaped transverse processes and other structures show that an enormous quantity of musculature would have been obvious along the proximal part of the sauropod tail. This is the tail of … ugh .. Dippy, the cast of Diplodocus carnegii until recently on show in London. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547824000105-UGCWEQ8CDV5078ECD6X1/sauropod-life-appearance-sauropod-skin-montage-Czerkas-fig-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: Haestasaurus from the English Wealden (shown at left) and a few other sauropods preserve polygonal scales that vary somewhat in size. Image: Darren Naish, Czerkas (1994). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547825513912-896S79012KQOZDP63V88/sauropod-life-appearance-Czerkas-1994-sauropod-dermal-spines-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: large, laterally compressed conical and semi-conical dermal structures lined the upper surface of the tail (at least) in some diplodocids, and perhaps in other diplodocoids and sauropods too. Image: Czerkas (1994). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547825589199-FDWNAFM2KWRZAEJRMHB2/sauropod-life-appearance-Czerkas-1994-sauropod-dermal-spines-2-composite-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: the conical and semi-conical dermal spines of some diplodocids were variable in height, breadth and shape, as illustrated here. Image: Czerkas (1994). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547825699382-B0DL474PK6LEXVFB628T/sauropod-life-appearance-Czerkas-1992-sauropod-dermal-spines-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: the discovery of those conical and semi-conical spines in a diplodocid led Stephen Czerkas to produce this new look for these dinosaurs. It might be correct, but it is not clear whether the structures were as extensive along the animal’s length as shown here. Image: Czerkas (1992). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547835345765-SZPA72IJAGIM3IKA2QEO/sauropod-life-appearance-Perentie-600-px-tiny-May-2014-Stephen-Zozaya-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: the idea that big terrestrial animals have to be bland never was correct. Perenties Varanus giganteus might not be that colourful, but they help emphasise the possibility that striking patterns can be present even in very large terrestrial reptiles. Image: (c) Stephen Zozaya. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1547831063951-579OAJN5RDWVQDS3EG63/sauropod-life-appearance-books-for-sauropod-fans-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of Sauropod Dinosaurs Caption: want to know more about sauropod life appearance? It sometimes surprises people that there are scarcely any good books dedicated to specific Mesozoic dinosaur groups. For sauropods, the main must-have volume is Mark Hallett and Matt Wedel’s The Sauropod Dinosaurs. It’s really good. Dinosaurs Past and Present Vol II is also worth getting, in part because it includes Greg Paul’s (now quite dated, but still useful) article on dinosaur life appearance. Images: amazon (here and here). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/1/1/heilmann-thompson-beebe-tetrapteryx-and-the-proavian monthly 0.5 2026-01-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546360066423-O46YM81NNZ0WZAT60A84/Heilmann-Proavian-Heilmann-fighting-Proavis-cropped-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: fighting, gliding and climbing proavians, depicted in a cluttered woodland environment, by Gerhard Heilmann. This is typical of Heilmann’s many excellent scenes. He used posed plaster models of the creatures before drawing. This illustration was used in the 1916 Danish version of the book (it first appeared in one of his 1912 articles) but does not appear in the 1926 English version. As we’ll see below, the decision to exclude some images from the 1926 version might have served to make it seem more scholarly than its predecessor. Image: Heilmann (1916). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546355718517-6GCN38TT43IBFDZWYXD9/Heilmann-Proavian-Gerhard-Heilmann-portrait-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: self-portrait of Gerhard Heilmann, produced in 1902. Heilmann was an argumentative man often in conflict with “various forms of authority”, and at loggerheads with his own family (Nieuwland 2004). This illustration was included in Nieuwland (2004). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546357359993-ILA0GC3F9AU9UZ8PGM8R/Heilmann-Proavian-Heilmann-1926-Fig-140-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: Heilmann’s draftmanship was superb. This illustration (fig. 140 from Heilmann 1926) shows thigh feathering on the chicks of various birds, with 8 being a gliding gecko. “The animal with which we may best compare the bird-ancestor, is the Fringed gecko” [sic] (p. 197). Image: Heilmann (1926). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546357143839-OI8GNBWP3JOWUM29K8KG/Heilmann-Proavian-Euparkeria-capensis-Taenadoman-CC-BY-SA-3-0-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: Euparkeria capensis has long been intimated as a sort of bird ancestor by those looking for such creatures outside of theropod dinosaurs. Not only is this animal only very distantly related to birds, it’s not even part of the crown-archosaur clade. Image: Taenadoman, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546362420345-WK0QVC2AT7EH90BC26N0/Heilmann-Proavian-Heilmann-Proavis-lateral-small-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: Heilmann’s skeletal reconstruction of Proavis, as depicted in the 1916 Danish version of the book… but not in the 1926 English version. Note the lack of long feathers on the hindlimbs. Incidentally, note also that Heilmann was partly responsible for encouraging the belief that forelimb feathers did not cover the hands during the earliest stages of bird evolution. Image: Heilmann (1916). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546356680741-VRER5RYKWTW87F4HMFG2/Heilmann-Proavian-Thompson-grid-Diodon-to-Mola-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: Thompson applied his Cartesian grid technique to many animal lineages, his aim being to show that mathematically predictable transformation in one or more anatomical regions could result in profound anatomical change. Here’s one of my favourite examples: how you can derive a molid sunfish (Mola was known to Thompson as Orthagoriscus) from a porcupinefish. Image: Thompson (1917). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546357632686-FOVDN3DWBAOX7F8W6E3G/Heilmann-Proavian-Heilmann-Cartesian-transformations-from-1916-small-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: Heilmann included these Cartesian transformations in the 1916 version of his book, but they weren’t included in the 1926 English version. His take on Proavis was not, therefore, simple guesswork. Image: this montage is from Witmer (1991) but the originals are from Heilmann (1916). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546358680631-MVVEIXDA1AZJZYBBRKNC/Heilmann-Proavian-Heilmann-1926-climbing-skeletal-small-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: the more dynamic, climbing version of Heilmann’s Proavis skeletal reconstruction, the only version of the reconstruction included in the 1926 English version of his book. Image: Heilmann (1926). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546356482204-OC8JSKSSMTH2YL41VQNL/Heilmann-Proavian-Beebe-Tetrapteryx-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: William Beebe’s hypothetical tetrapteryx creature. A pre-Archaeopteryx glider. You’ll note that Beebe was a pretty good artist [UPDATE: this is an error. The illustrations in this publication were by Dwight Franklin, not by Beebe!]. Image: Beebe (1915). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546356173680-M5TO9TW6C81PLUTOKYTO/Heilmann-Proavian-Heilmann-iconic-Proavis-cropped-small-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: Heilmann’s most iconic version of his Proavis. Note the long feathers on the back of the thigh and how they’re invisible and thus not deemed important in the gliding individual in the background. Heilmann said that the long feathers close to the base of the tail would produce the required lift in this region. Image: Heilmann (1926). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546356061142-DXY8G089Z7MH9PA46MSD/Heilmann-Proavian-Beebe-version-iconic-Proavis-1000-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: William Beebe seems to have produced his own take on Heilmann’s iconic proavian scene. We’re presuming that it was produced some time after Heilmann’s illustration was, but this hasn’t yet been fully confirmed. The illustration appears here courtesy of Paul Stewart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546358362753-P8KYS1REJZ3VBPQD2LEK/Heilmann-Proavian-Longrich-2006-Archaeopteryx-hindlimb-feathers-small-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: recent work shows that Archaeopteryx really did have long feathers on the proximal portions of its hindlimbs (these reconstructions are by Longrich (2006)), though they weren’t as long as the feathers Beebe imagined for his tetrapteryx stage creature. Image: Longrich (2006). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1546361671981-LBVKAYSHFI3O3TKLAGXQ/Heilmann-Proavian-Pycraft-1906-806-px-tiny-Jan-2019-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Heilmann, Thompson, Beebe, Tetrapteryx and the Proavian Caption: before Heilmann, there was Pycraft’s proavian of 1906. We’ll have to discuss this creature and its backstory another time. Image: Pycraft (1910). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/12/16/the-most-amazing-tetzoo-themed-discoveries-of-2018 monthly 0.5 2024-06-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544988671295-XNBB80RLGSV9PNDX7PW6/amazing-new-tetrapods-montage-cropped-Dec-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: animals we will meet below, a montage. Images: (c) Philippe Verbelen, (c) Kristen Grace, Florida Museum of Natural History, Graham et al. (2018), CC BY-SA 4.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544979281127-Z1ADHJCUAMTTGTYIVFRW/chiffchaff-crop-600-px-tiny-Aug-2014-amazing-new-tetrapods-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: a Common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita encountered in western Europe, a familiar Eurasian-African phylloscopid leaf warbler. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544979518354-GYQKCM1DQ0IIJT8W17Y3/Rote-leaf-warbler-Philippe-Verbelen-amazing-new-tetrapods-Dec-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: Rote leaf warbler in life, a novel member of an otherwise conservative group. Image: (c) Philippe Verbelen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544980145416-8F6N39RU2I53PAYUH7HK/Hoffman-et-al-Neanderthal-cave-art-from-Spain-amazing-new-tetrapods-Dec-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: red abstract markings, discovered in several Spanish caves, are old, and in fact were seemingly made by hominins long before H. sapiens moved into Europe. The red sinuous marking and system of squares and lines near the middle of this photo are purported to have been made by Neanderthals (other images, depicting animals and present adjacent to these markings, were seemingly created more recently by H. sapiens individuals). Image: (c) P. Saura. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544980634090-QSFFRWOI763NGEEWXVMC/Neanderthal-hashtag-Stewart-Finlayson-amazing-new-tetrapods-Dec-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: one of the most famous pieces of claimed Neanderthal rock art: the Gorham's Cave ‘hashtag’ from Gibraltar. Image: (c) Stewart Finlayson. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544978463387-59CCCKOID9V6X1JZSSJG/Barlochersaurus-Daza-et-al-2018-amazing-new-tetrapods-Dec-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: the Barlochersaurus winhtini holotype, from Daza et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544986627397-KRI3XPG9O0KFO5IW92HK/Barlochersaurus-photo-Daza-et-al-2018-amazing-new-tetrapods-Dec-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: Barlochersaurus in life. It’s about the size of a paperclip. Image: (c) Kristen Grace, Florida Museum of Natural History (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544987644390-508OJKDJJOZKK3UJM6AD/Habrosaurus-life-D-Naish-amazing-new-tetrapods-CC-BY-SA-4-0-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: a life reconstruction of the Cretaceous siren Habrosaurus, showing features typical of the group. This animal could reach 1.5 m in total length. Image: Darren Naish (prepared for my in-prep texbook The Vertebrate Fossil Record, on which go here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544978724637-16YYZIS2XS1P720DQNX2/Reticulated-siren-Graham-et-al-2018-amazing-new-tetrapods-CC-BY-SA-4-0-Dec-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 Caption: the Reticulated siren paratype specimen, as described by Graham et al. (2018). Image: Graham et al. (2018), CC BY-SA 4.0. Original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544978641406-HDZOAZZPOBR5Q0TDN03U/TetZooniverse-Christmas-2018-tiny-from-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Most Amazing TetZoo-Themed Discoveries of 2018 https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/12/11/up-close-and-personal-crystal-palace-dinosaurs monthly 0.5 2024-07-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544530706213-WICTNAMHZAFYF3NTUZT0/CP-Sept-2018-Crystal-Palace-both-iguanodon-close-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: you’ve seen the Crystal Palace dinosaurs before (or images of them, anyway), but you might not have seen them up-close like this. Neither had I prior to this very special visit. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544528821388-FQEFZ8HIHQJH0GN6WART/CP-Sept-2018-Perri-Wheeler-models-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: Perri Wheeler’s brilliant models of the three Crystal Palace dinosaurs (from back to front: Megalosaurus, Hylaeosaurus, Iguanodon). As a pathological collector of model dinosaurs, I sure would like to own a set, but I also sure would like for these models (or a set very similar to them) to be commercially available. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544530797000-70PE44Z70B5ZSCPKC8HQ/CP-Sept-2018-Crystal-Palace-mosasaur-2-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: the amazing, enormous head of the Mosasaurus. Many of the scales on the body were recently repaired as the entire skin across the body was in a poor state. More on the mosasaur below. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544530931879-ZSIFV4L64EIXRQW5W5GR/CP-Sept-2018-standing-Iguanodon-new-paint-scheme-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: the standing Iguanodon was given renovation and a new paint scheme within recent years. Unfortunately, further repair work is already required. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544531902291-T7M122XSON55Q7NEJH39/CP-Sept-2018-Iguanodon-head-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: head of the reclining Iguanodon. Only a privileged few have seen the head from its left side. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544532011861-2CI9B2QMTN5BQZBY1GGX/CP-Sept-2018-Iguanodon-reclining-left-side-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: again, relatively few people will have seen the reclining Iguanodon from this side. It’s striking how natural, realistic and well-proportioned the model looks in this view: very much like a real animal. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544532167667-7VKEYTJLGC0F8BFXNX8W/CP-Sept-2018-Crystal-Palace-Hylaeosaurus-close-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: Hylaeosaurus was thought by Owen and Hawkins to be an iguana-like reptile with a “lofty serrated or jagged crest, extended along the middle of the back”, though many aspects of the reconstruction were noted as being “at present conjectural” (Owen 2013, p. 18). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544531043928-19G8W6N0V9ECJUU2PDNM/CP-Sept-2018-Crystal-Palace-megalosaurus-close-1-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: the pachydermal, vaguely bear-like Megalosaurus is actually a composite of information compiled from both Jurassic and Cretaceous theropods. The tall shoulder hump was included because Owen erroneously regarded the tall-spined Altispinax (previously Becklespinax) vertebrae as belonging to the shoulder region of Megalosaurus (Naish 2010). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544531359841-9DOVAHQN9B3L3KUJ3OYZ/CP-Sept-2018-megalosaur-head-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: a lot of detail was added to the megalosaur’s face, some of it is superficially crocodylian-like. Note the ominous cracks at the tip of the nose and along the side of the lower jaw. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544530605532-53PUHCJ2JTKPQB6JHRWK/CP-Sept-2018-Iguanodon-interior-composite-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: view of the interior of the standing Iguanodon, with and without flash. The light at the far end of the image is coming in through the Iguanodon’s mouth. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544530563799-HWNB7LWOUJ32VIIKGTH7/CP-Sept-2018-Hylaeosaurus-interior-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: a view of the hylaeosaur’s interior! Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544529142099-2I8HPUFEL0F6HZSMLJ87/CP-Sept-2018-mosasaur-palatal-teeth-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: looking into the mouth of the Mosasaurus. “The large pointed teeth on the jaws are very conspicuous; but, in addition to these, the gigantic reptile had teeth on a bone of the roof of the mouth (the pterygoid), like some of the modern lizards” (Owen 2013, p. 11). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544528964351-5527FN5UVXCX9RREKSXI/CP-Sept-2018-labyrinthodon-palatal-teeth-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: anterior view of one of the temnospondyls. Check out the accurate palatal teeth. To Owen and Hawkins, this animal was Labyrinthodon salamandroides, a sort of composite based on temnospondyl bones and teeth, and inferences made from croc-line archosaur footprints, thought by Owen and those who followed his work to be made by Labyrinthodon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544529918681-6CGSOIBMSHYFSU3B646O/CP-Sept-2018-pterosaurs-on-cliff-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: the two large Crystal Palace pterosaurs represent the species known to Owen and Hawkins as Pterodactylus cuvieri (though the possibility that more than one species is represented is raised by Owen’s remarks in the accompanying guide). Unfortunately, one of the models is now badly broken. The two smaller pterosaur models are not currently on display and have had a really unfortunate history: they’ve been vandalised, broken and stolen several times. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544530225439-29XEJIV5QBVGOR2EGUWW/CP-Sept-2018-large-pterosaur-profile-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: as per usual, the model up-close - this is the Pterodactylus cuvieri posed with open wings - is a remarkable bit of craftmanship. Pterodactylus cuvieri was named for bones that have more recently been included within the genera Ornithocheirus and Anhanguera, and have most recently been awarded the new name Cimoliopterus. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544530432946-FOP2UZQODMW9XQ3C6C84/CP-Sept-2018-pterosaur-detail-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: and here’s a close-up of that detail. I absolutely adore the work here; check out all those individual scales. It seems remarkable now to think that Owen and Hawkins really imagined pterosaurs to look like this, but here’s the evidence. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544529365578-LRRAR9LCXZ3RU7TP1OFA/CP-Sept-2018-pterosaur-cliff-chalk-700-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: broken sections of the ‘pterosaur cliff’ reveal that we’re looking at chalk… which isn’t a surprise, and is exactly what we would expect, but here’s confirmation. You should be able to see a few of the dark, shiny flint nodules too. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544529474488-ORLQFRWCZ657PJAU3OFV/CP-Sept-2018-teleosaur-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Caption: the two Teleosaurus of Crystal Palace. While compared by Owen with gharials, it’s interesting that the dorsal scute pattern they were given is very clearly based on living crocodiles. As per usual, look at the remarkable amount of well-rendered detail. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544531529969-P9MOEZKN3IEL04V0ZP88/CP-Sept-2018-Darren-and-Iguanodon-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544531569492-HXUQ0E1FUI7T5C8S4AY6/CP-Sept-2018-dinosaurs-with-vegetation-1000-px-tiny-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Up Close and Personal With the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs As should be obvious from these photos, the entire area has become somewhat overgrown recently, and much maintenance is needed. The Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs group are doing what they can, but help is needed. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/12/6/final-tetrapod-zoology-12th-birthday-event monthly 0.5 2018-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544111660553-34LVYV5YV8JIGQM0B0CB/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-PopPalaeo-Dec-2017-DITW-Hunting-Monsters-montage-Dec-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event 2017 in the TetZooniverse: mostly Dinosaurs in the Wild and Hunting Monsters. But other stuff too. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108214407-6UJMOTBHR3K63K2O6EB6/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-Baron-Oct-2017-330-px-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event In which I gratuitously use Matt Baron (on the right) in the promotion of (the first edition of) Naish & Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved. Have I ever mentioned my idea on how male Caucasian humans all look exactly alike when they grow facial hair? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108273950-Y3LYZGBHD84BOPGYJIN2/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-bird-drawings-Jan-2018-600-px-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event I’ve been drawing a whole lot of Paleogene birds for The Big Book. And the other birds as well. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108338347-9FR8F3JNVLA2M8ZMAJYB/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-Evolution-in-Minutes-Nov-2017-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event It’s Evolution in Minutes, a book of bite-sized summaries of just about everything we understand about evolution. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108376632-2UTKGZX7U96NM2YOIUQ6/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-palaeoplushies-thylacine-Dec-2017-600-px-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event Today, I’m the proud owner of a PalaeoPlushies thylacine - a Christmas 2017 gift from my mother-in-law, Sheila. He’s called Kid Cynoceph and I love him. Buy your own here! [UPDATE: currently sold out!] Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108586633-BP7ANIJS1MLV8B69CPYC/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-PopPalaeo-Dec-2017-Jed-Taylor-600-px-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event Preparing to present a fish-themed talk at PopPalaeo. Photo kindly provided by Jed Taylor.... whose work you absolutely have to check out if you’re interested in artistic depictions of dinosaurs (and other animals). Image: Jed Taylor. Oh yeah - this is the photo that caused this whole article to be pulled from SciAm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108623415-2ELW3DEOR92JY8YVYC16/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-High-Tatras-Jan-2017-600-px-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event Holy crap the High Tetras mountains are incredible. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108693193-8TMD7USMCA25H6L00RBK/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-DITW-Greenwich-Feb-2018-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event A sign that will greet you as you leave North Greenwich underground station, London. I’ll write, at length, about Dinosaurs in the Wild sometime soon.... [UPDATE: I eventually published both Dinosaurs in the Wild: An Inside View at ver 3 and The Last Day of Dinosaurs in the Wild here at ver 4]. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108751028-VBQTDKW0KXXV8CBOBE36/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-graph-600-px-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1544108832889-6WQHXKW9I32WABJS5CNU/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-lammergeier-drawing-jan-2018-330-px-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Much Belated Final Part of the Tetrapod Zoology 12th Birthday Event I will keep drawing drawing drawing all the vertebrates until there is nothing left. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/11/29/pouches-of-the-sungrebe monthly 0.5 2021-02-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543531533225-2ZCPW1VH01RAPEIF12IJ/sungrebe-pouch-swimming-sungrebe-L-Catchick-wikipedia-CC-BY-3-0-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches of the Sungrebe Caption: the Sungrebe is a boldly marked heliornithid that occurs from southern Mexico in the north to Bolivia and northern Argentina in the south. It is c 30 cm long, remains relatively abundant, and is associated with swamps, marshes and well-vegetated streams and rivers. Image: L. Catchick, wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543532072454-9NJ2JMQ2Z92EQCXNCY2W/sungrebe-pouch-Alvarez-del-Toro-1971-chick-photo-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches of the Sungrebe Caption: yes, there are published photos of Sungrebe babies inside their father’s pouches. Or.. there’s one photo, anyway. Here it is, and it comes from Álvarez del Toro’s 1971 paper. Image: Álvarez del Toro (1971). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543531316698-512U8FAI6QWLEDA84HFD/sungrebe-pouch-Alvarez-del-Toro-1971-diagram-1-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches of the Sungrebe Caption: pouch configuration, with feathering removed and chick in place, in the male Sungrebe, as illustrated by Álvarez del Toro (1971). This was drawn directly from a specimen. Image: Álvarez del Toro (1971). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543531409877-31CTIZJBP1HZR6BDY04O/sungrebe-pouch-Alvarez-del-Toro-1971-diagram-2-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches of the Sungrebe Caption: Álvarez del Toro’s (1971) illustration of the pouch, now with the feathering in place. The feathers form a lateral wall to the pouch and keep the chick in place. Image: Álvarez del Toro (1971). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543535241845-DGVCRXH60PJDUL825C29/sungrebe-pouch-Heliornis-portrait-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches of the Sungrebe Caption: Heliornis, as illustrated for the HUGE bird section of the in-prep The Vertebrate Fossil Record. Yes, there are fossil heliornithids (or… claimed heliornithids, anyway). Progress on this book can be viewed here at my patreon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543533692885-7VIQ0Z3UW8X4LT9WTOJO/sungrebe-pouch-Ad-Cameron-nightjars-and-woodcocks-carrying-tiny-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches of the Sungrebe Caption: ornithologists spent decades arguing over whether nightjars (these are European nightjars Caprimulgus europaeus) and Eurasian woodcocks Scolopax rusticola carry their eggs and/or chicks in flight. It now seems that woodcocks do do this (as do other waders, like some shanks), but that nightjars seemingly don’t. Image: Ad Cameron, in Perrins (1992). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543533956709-WCKPSII9EKUR40A2LOTZ/sungrebe-pouch-dromaeosaur-carrying-babies-Alex-Sone-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches of the Sungrebe Caption: there are no pouches here, but at least we have a speculative scene where an adult maniraptoran (presumably a dromaeosaur) is carrying its young. Image: Alex Sone (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543534600277-UIPVSSD428ONRKJ6QWER/sungrebe-pouch-FB-poll-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Pouches of the Sungrebe Caption: put ‘A really weird bird’ into a poll … and, wow, people really like really weird birds. This is a screengrab from a facebook poll. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/11/25/erroll-fullers-the-passenger-pigeon monthly 0.5 2018-11-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543157813100-LEZX8O8ZVNVQPHBVQD84/Fuller-2015-Passenger-Pigeon-book-review-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Erroll Fuller’s The Passenger Pigeon Cover, featuring John James Audubon’s illustration from The Birds of North America. Credit: fair use. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543158112651-IS3RMNR0FTFEMGBAJP04/Fuller-2015-Passenger-Pigeon-book-review-Louis-Agassiz-Fuertes-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Erroll Fuller’s The Passenger Pigeon Juvenile, male and female Passenger pigeon, as illustrated by Louis Agassiz Fuertes in 1910. Credit: public domain, original here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1543158288589-PKZOZOI43KPE0BM80F5G/Fuller-2015-Passenger-Pigeon-book-review-Great-Auk-cover-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Erroll Fuller’s The Passenger Pigeon The Passenger Pigeon is not as huge and impressive as Fuller’s The Great Auk book, but that’s ok. Credit: fair use. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/11/20/the-second-edition-of-naish-and-barretts-dinosaurs-how-they-lived-and-evolved monthly 0.5 2024-02-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542756077658-4PJVORF5LVKCEM2XC459/Dinosaurs-2nd-ed-new-cover-art-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Second Edition of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved Naish and Barrett, second edition - with a new cover! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542757195692-CS2UV1X9YJGGYUKGIBHC/Dinosaurs-2nd-ed-Emma-drawing-maniraptoran-Nov-2013-600-px-tiny-May-2016-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Second Edition of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved Caption: some of Emma’s drawings feature in the book. No, I’m kidding - they don’t. Or do they. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542755583234-5TU4ZDJTRAHCAPVC2RDS/Dinosaurs-2nd-ed-Bob-Nicholls-art-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Second Edition of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved Caption: new cover art by Bob Nicholls of Paleocreations. I own a full-sized print of this amazing piece. Damn… I own a lot of Bob Nicholls art now. Credit: Bob Nicholls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542755716856-3CAULS5OKNNSE0B7EMZD/Dinosaurs-2nd-ed-theropod-cladogram-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Second Edition of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved Caption: some of the cladograms of Dinosaurs 2nd ed have been tweaked a little. This one depicts Theropoda, the predatory dinosaurs. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542755835518-SBW9XKVL01BFLP88Q3KV/Dinosaurs-2nd-ed-dinosaur-cladogram-Ornithoscelida-600-px-tiny-Mar-2017-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Second Edition of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved Caption: the Baron et al. model, as depicted in the 2017 article I wrote about it for TetZoo ver 2. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542756492988-43BDFTM7UFJ1HRK1C5Y8/Dinosaurs-2nd-ed-Dececchi-et-al-Fig-2-PeerJ-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Second Edition of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved Caption: Dececchi et al. (2016) showed that at least some non-bird maniraptorans do not have the right combination of anatomical features to benefit from WAIR as originally envisioned. This work affected our thinking on flight origins in Dinosaurs 2nd ed. Credit: Dececchi et al. 2016, PeerJ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542755411331-T6FXCRRM1HHH1CWC839A/Dinosaurs-2nd-ed-Russian-cover-art-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Second Edition of Naish and Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved Caption: Dinosaurs, the Russian edition. Now I know what my name looks like in Russian. Yes, the title is not the same as the English one. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/11/14/aldrovandis-monstrous-rooster-a-15th-century-dino-chicken monthly 0.5 2024-06-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542216189399-JE8QXE0OHHV2BTDQ3757/Aldrovandi-1640-monstrous-rooster-pic-better-quality-UO-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Aldrovandi’s Monstrous Rooster, a 16th Century Dino-Chicken Caption: original image of Aldrovandi’s monstrous rooster, from volume 2 of his Ornithologia. Credit: scan archived by University of Oregon (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542217111022-4L6FNDUQSW0ZPMN6AEYX/Aldrovandi-1963-Lind-cover-amazon-491-px-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Aldrovandi’s Monstrous Rooster, a 16th Century Dino-Chicken Caption: the cover of Lind’s 1963 translation of Aldrovandi’s chicken text. What’s that thing on the cover? Well… that’s a whole ‘nother story. Credit: amazon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542215266615-MUFJ0PCH6F7YSI742KFG/Aldrovandi-Markus-Buehler-Green-peafowl-right-lateral-neck-down-600-px-tiny-Jan-2013-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Aldrovandi’s Monstrous Rooster, a 16th Century Dino-Chicken Caption: there are a great many amazing gallinaceous birds, and here’s one of my favourites: the Green peacock. This is a captive individual at Tierpark Berlin. There’s an entire TetZoo article on this species: see links below. Credit: Markus Bühler, used with permission . https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542215506831-FYJLGBGA19105XZH11R2/Aldrovandi-1640-monstrous-rooster-cover-translation-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Aldrovandi’s Monstrous Rooster, a 16th Century Dino-Chicken Caption: cover of Corti & Civardi (2009), showing a colourised version of Aldrovandi’s monstrous rooster. Oh to see such a bird in life. Credit: Corti & Civardi (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542215088740-HY0ZE9U2MF6C1EMJYSI1/Aldrovandi-portrait-public-domain-wikipedia-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Aldrovandi’s Monstrous Rooster, a 16th Century Dino-Chicken Caption: Agostino Carracci’s portrait of Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605), physician, philosopher and naturalist. Credit: image in public domain, from wikipedia (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542217502314-IIHIQZFAYUS8WECQ5UOY/Aldrovandi-chicken-3-mating-Canaries-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Aldrovandi’s Monstrous Rooster, a 16th Century Dino-Chicken Caption: damn, chickens are awesome. These birds belonged to a group living semi-wild on Madeira. Credit: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542215582751-FUEORZIZB5LE81WNWUXF/Aldrovandi-accurate-chickens-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Aldrovandi’s Monstrous Rooster, a 16th Century Dino-Chicken Caption: Aldrovandi was a skilled and accurate artist, and his illustrations of known species - familiar and foreign - are usually highly accurate, as is demonstrated by these chickens. His chicken text also includes several illustrations of curassows, and they’re all essentially accurate. Credit: Corti & Civardi (2009). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1542216870642-00B543GUTPV3362H7GVJ/Aldrovandi-chickensaurus-Rebecca-Groom-600-px-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.png Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Aldrovandi’s Monstrous Rooster, a 16th Century Dino-Chicken Caption: if a ‘dino-chicken’ ever does come to pass, it should be awesome and beautiful — like a real chicken. Err, in which case I don’t think anyone will look at it and think of a connection with the Mesozoic maniraptorans it’s meant to evoke. Whatever. Credit: Rebecca Groom. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/11/8/comical-tales-from-the-animal-kingdom-a-zoological-society-of-london-meeting monthly 0.5 2018-11-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541703936982-KL0NNQV7RJOG6KWUG0A7/ZSL-books-slide-2-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Comical Tales From the Animal Kingdom, a Zoological Society of London Meeting There will be books. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541703785427-O4VC1YNHGFVZDYZ66YVV/DinosaursHTLE-ed-2.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Comical Tales From the Animal Kingdom, a Zoological Society of London Meeting Books. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541704013560-YBGM4YD0ZFGT1Y5SI9AF/ZSL-books-slide-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Comical Tales From the Animal Kingdom, a Zoological Society of London Meeting A slide I generated for my talk, showing some (yeah… some) of the dinosaur-themed books I’ve been involved in during my career as a freelancer. What’s the story here? All will be revealed on the 15th. Oh, and I’m talking about dinosaur sex as well. Again. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/11/5/brian-switeks-my-beloved-brontosaurus monthly 0.5 2018-11-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541437921263-UAAJ6J1MNNQSQP1YFN40/Switek-2013-full-cover-artwork-no-words-1400-px-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Brian Switek’s My Beloved Brontosaurus: A Belated Review The brilliant cover-art to Switek (2013), by Mark Stutzman. Image: Switek (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541438306891-VH4CS3CS3KI5WBTK5662/Switek-2013-Brontosaurus-old-skull-AMNH-Nov-2011-800-px-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Brian Switek’s My Beloved Brontosaurus: A Belated Review The iconic diplodocid specimen (AMNH 460) on display in the American Museum of Natural History, New York, with its semi-imaginary skull. Long labelled as Brontosaurus excelsus, and then Apatosaurus excelsus, it’s currently of indeterminate status. Image: AMNH, in public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541438834463-NOW9QLM98PPO484C1ZYP/Switek-2013-cover-1400-px-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Brian Switek’s My Beloved Brontosaurus: A Belated Review Front cover of Switek (2013). Some apatosaurines truly were gargantuan - the individual shown here might be overly gargantuan, but the image is brilliant anyway. Image: Switek (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541438940346-ZE0JKL6QRNH3XJYTMVG6/Switek-2013-Apatosaurus-louisae-CMNH-FunkMonk-wikipedia-Nov-600-px-2011-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Brian Switek’s My Beloved Brontosaurus: A Belated Review Another fantastic apatosaurine: this is Apatosaurus louisae, photographed at the Carnegie Museum. You might be wondering what the deal is as goes those massive club-like processes on the cervical vertebrae. Yeah, we’re working on that. Really… we are. Image: Tadek Kurpaski CC BY 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541438060318-39H70Q0KPW14MC4EFGV5/Switek-2013-Brinkman-Second-Jurassic-Dinosaur-Rush-Nov-2011-285-px-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Brian Switek’s My Beloved Brontosaurus: A Belated Review Another excellent volume on the history of Mesozoic dinosaur palaeontology: Paul Brinkman’s 2010 The Second Jurassic Dinosaur Rush. My review of this book can be found here (at the paywalled and utterly useless no-man’s land that is the SciAm blogs site). Image: Brinkman (2010). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541446521250-8LE7QORHA3GBIERZHGC0/Switek-2013-Great-Dinosaur-Discoveries-UK-cover-Nov-2011-tiny-July-2013-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Brian Switek’s My Beloved Brontosaurus: A Belated Review It is important, I feel, that we document the history of our changing ideas, something I tried to do in The Great Dinosaur Discoveries (Naish 2009). Image: Naish (2009). https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/11/2/new-living-animals-we-want-to-find monthly 0.5 2022-08-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541195409493-2LF36MJFRNZKE2C8M0X9/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Hing-Darren-1-reduced-600-px-by-400-px-tiny-July-2017-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: the 2017 precursor to the article you’re reading here was all about fossil animals. It included this photo, which shows me in the act of discovering a dinosaur bone in the Moroccan Sahara. Image: Richard Hing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541195266234-7BAUHVQO9YCAOHXYUY8L/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Hunting-Monsters-MM-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: many of my thoughts on mystery animals can be found in my 2017 book Hunting Monsters. I am not - sorry - much impressed by the case for such supposed animals as the mokele-mbembe, an artistic reconstruction of which is shown at right. Image: David Miller, in Mackal (1987). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541195527473-SU2PG3YVN5060R7RKIEF/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-protobats-and-Giganto-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: among my suggested ‘fossils we want to find’ are protobats (like the hypothetical examples shown at left, from Graham (2002)) and a good skeleton of the giant hominid Gigantopithecus blacki. This ilustration of a lower jaw is from Simons & Ettel's (1970) magazine article. Images: Graham (2002), Simons & Ettel (1970). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541181162439-OAQHTQZSQT726MXUN0V0/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-bigfoot-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: are crypto-hominids a cultural phenomenon more than a zoological one? I’ve argued for both possibilities at different times. Whatever… for the purposes of the article you’re reading now, I hope we can agree that the discovery of such an animal would be high on any hypothetical ‘wants’ list. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541192131071-1T0M5Z256K8CKHFZSHDJ/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-passerine-montage-27-June-2018-small-section-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: passerine birds are diverse, to a degree… here’s just a sample of their diversity. This is part of a giant montage that’s being built for my in-prep textbook The Vertebrate Fossil Record. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541181374804-348CJW7976BH4N9N2JCF/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Malaysian-rail-babbler-Krung-Ching-CC-BY-SA-2-0-wikipedia-tiny-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: Eupetes, the Malaysian rail-babbler. A hypothetical big, flightless passerine should be a close relative of this bird. Image: Francesco Verronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541181530977-4ES4Q85VNMCGS7LI8I47/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Andrias-Karlsruhe-MB-Dec-2010-tiny-Nov-2018-Markus-Buehler-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: an Asian giant salamander (Andrias) photographed in captivity. Record-holding specimens of Andrias can be 1.8 m long and exceed 60 kg, and some extinct species reached even larger sizes. Image: Markus Bühler. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541181715494-02Z8ZZN1RGWR50AUF221/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Burian-Andrias-scheuchzeri-Dec-2010-330-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Nov-2018-Zdenek-Burian-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: some extinct cryptobranchids - this is Zdeněk Burian’s reconstruction of Andrias scheuchzeri - inhabited European ponds and lakes. I’ve previously criticised this image for showing the animal as terrestrial. Since then, the proposal has been made that some extinct cryptobranchids (albeit not A. scheuchzeri) were significantly more terrestrial than living species. Image: (c) Zdeněk Burian. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541182601563-LEOQMA4JLUU6GTSXXN55/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-andrias-montage-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: at left, an Andrias skull. Image: Darren Naish. At right: Japanese giant salamander (A. japonicus) illustration by Y. de Hoev from 1887. Image: Y. de Hoev, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541182201340-U47PD75O92I8CER5GLWZ/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-albanerpetontid-McGowan-%26-Evans-1995-650-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: new salamander species are occasionally discovered in Europe and Asia even now. It would be amazing if an animal suspected to be a ‘new salamander’ one day turned out to be a living albanerpetontid. These reconstructions were published by McGowan & Evans (1995). They might have erred in implying that the scales would be externally visible as shown here; more likely is that they were concealed by epidermis, as in other scaly fossil amphibians. Image: McGowan & Evans (1995). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541192288494-QZZLLI8TW8Z8CVQJC40X/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-albanerpetontid-new-tets-April-2016-modified-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: an artistic reconstruction of a live albanerpetontid… produced for my in-prep The Vertebrate Fossil Record. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541180407244-CMFC4WTMP1OZY9OE7FND/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-palaeognath-map-Mar-2014-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: as this map shows, modern palaeognaths occurred everywhere until recently (except Antarctica) with the exception of northern North America and the cooler parts of Eurasia. Extinctions across Eurasia, Madagascar and New Zealand of course saw the disappearance of various members of the group. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541179687775-64PDMXB0SU0J3ZP3KISL/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Bipes-Naish-April-2014-resized-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: Bipes, an ajolote of Mexico (they might occur in parts of the USA as well). Three extant species are recognised. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541180102219-ZT7XOB1MLKHBIJMYRNAB/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Bipes-digging-from-Gans-Feb-2017-tiny-Nov-2018-Carl-Gans-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: Carl Gans’s illustration of a burrowing ajolote, showing how the large, well-clawed forelimbs function in propulsion. This is clearly a Five-toed worm lizard Bipes biporus; the other extant species have four and three digits, respectively. Image: Gans (1974). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541180319106-6NCQFST9OGN7A020QHZF/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-amphisbaenian-colourised-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: what would a gigantic, predatory, limbed amphisbaenian look like? Like this, of course. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541192433304-0QAOHJUCX78346SEACI0/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Platanista-gangetica-NOAA-wikipedia-PD-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: river dolphins are pretty special looking. This is a Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica). Image: Zahangir Alom / Marine Mammal Commission / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, public domain (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541192559771-OQU8JOYFAKIZUWKGU2JD/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-Eurasian-river-dolphin-new-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: if there are extant west Eurasian or African river dolphins, they should look like this. This is a hypothetical species, modelled on the American Inia and Asian Platanista. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1541179258308-HBQGJEHZVNZTB568ZV4N/new-living-animals-Nov-2018-eel-inside-heart-of-a-shark-modified-typhlonectid-Neil-Phillips-1000-px-tiny-Nov-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Living Animals We Want to Find Caption: at left, a snubnosed eel found living inside the heart of a shark. Eels are not tetrapods, it’s true. But here’s evidence that aquatic vertebrates can become endoparasites. Image: Caira et al. (1997). At right: an aquatic typhlonectid caecilian. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we discover an endoparasitic one of those as well. Image: Neil Phillips. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/10/25/whatever-happened-to-the-kabomani-tapir monthly 0.5 2024-02-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540489151962-L89KY3ZAXBWSCMIUWOIO/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-Patrick-Murphy-tapir-960-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: Tapirus… poster-child for TetZoo Park. Image: Patrick Murphy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540489219545-6FY87NE4X1AE94BS9WZ7/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-tapir-TetZoopodcats-logo-660-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: there’s TetZoo HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE NEW TAPIR merchandise. Go here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540489514915-HWATFR3OZBZCRBZ8W4T8/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-Cozzuol-et-al-2013-Tapirus-kabomani-camera-trap-pic-1-Dec-2013-Fabricio-R-Santos-600-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: one of several T. kabomani images captured by remote cameras: from Cozzuol et al. (2013). Image: Cozzuol et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540493032170-127JLVF76AP6R7B8HGEL/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-Tapirus-pygmaeus-van-Roosmalen-Amazon-book-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: the Black dwarf tapir, as illustrated in Marc van Roosmalen’s 2013 book. Image: van Roosmalen (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540488977641-V5B7D3QG77NS93CMESXM/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-Voss-et-al-2014-cladogram-section-596-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: this section of Voss et al.’s (2014) molecular phylogeny shows T. pinchaque and T. kabomani as poorly differentiated from T. terrestris. Image: Voss et al. (2014). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540494069179-DNM08VV5RRG9T61GHV5E/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-Tapirus-kabomani-head-drawing-Fabricio-R-Santos-600-px-tiny-Dec-2013-ver-2-Oct-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: portrait of T. kabomani, produced by G. Braga to accompany Cozzuol et al.’s (2013) original paper. Image: Cozzuol et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540493339485-5QR01GSEYX2T66TP2508/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-Ruiz-Garcia-et-al-2015-cladogram-498-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: Ruiz-García et al.’s (2015) maximum likelihood tree, incoporated mitochondrial gene data for 93 tapir specimens. T. pinchaque is blue, T. terrestris is red, T. kabomani is green, and T. bairdii is purple. Note that kabomani is nested within T. terrestris. Image: Ruiz-García et al.’s (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540489320488-K2ABXX96RNP4IOF6G14R/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-Dumba-et-al-PCA-874-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: the landmark-based morphometric work published recently by Dumbá et al. (2018) shows T. kabomani to overlap quite extensively with the morphospace occupied by T. terrestris. Image: Dumbá et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540494237875-MPUKQS6A69OPIOCWC2VD/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-mountain-tapir-550-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: the Mountain or Woolly tapir was posited by Cozzuol et al. (2013) as closer to T. terrestris than is T. kabomani, but the inverse was recovered by Ruiz-García et al. (2015). Image: Just Chaos, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540494625671-KKW7NMVOR0LHQC8XUNX9/Kabomani-tapir-Oct-2018-tapir-1-Chester-Zoo-May-2015-673-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Whatever Happened to the Kabomani Tapir? Caption: Tapirus terrestris is a pretty variable animal, seemingly with a complex evolutionary history and a degree of morphological variation that’s only now beginning to come to light. This captive individual is from Chester Zoo, UK. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/10/21/avocets-in-flight-and-phylogeny monthly 0.5 2025-11-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/77ef201b-accf-4502-8986-13cf7df8cd6e/avocets-Oct-2018-avocet-montage-1251px-73kb-Oct-2018-April-2023-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Avocets in Flight and Phylogeny - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540136094233-WMMJ41T85G9CH60M5PFG/avocets-Oct-2018-avocet-flock-1-tiny-Oct-2018-B-Dempsey-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Avocets in Flight and Phylogeny Caption: Pied avocets (and Black-tailed godwits) in flight. Image: Bernie Dempsey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540136160064-EFQ5ZZZ5E18V1SEEYQAS/avocets-Oct-2018-avocet-flock-3-tiny-Oct-2018-B-Dempsey-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Avocets in Flight and Phylogeny Caption: another shot of the same group of Pied avocets (and Black-tailed godwits) in flight. Image: Bernie Dempsey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540136220088-DUI419U1GWBI9HQIGT87/avocets-Oct-2018-Tim-Felce-CC-BY-SA-2-0-800+px-tiny-Minsmere-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Avocets in Flight and Phylogeny Caption: a Pied avocet, photographed at Minsmere, UK. Note the highly reduced hallux. Image: Tim Felce, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540134022077-TE76M5RBHQQB7FGGBLGV/avocets-Oct-2018-charadrii-montage-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Avocets in Flight and Phylogeny Caption: a selection of birds included within the charadriiform group Charadrii, chosen to represent most (though not all) main lineages. This is a montage produced for in-prep textbook The Vertebrate Fossil Record. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540133850101-YOGHLNHI6N2P7WONV1XM/avocets-Oct-2018-charadrii-only-charadriiforms-cladogram-1000-px-tiny-21-10-2018.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Avocets in Flight and Phylogeny Caption: there are several competing cladograms for Charadrii: this one is a simplified version of the topology recovered by Mayr (2011). Like all of these sorts of cladograms, this one was produced for my in-prep textbook… on which go here. Pluvianus is missing simply because I haven’t drawn it yet. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540133769281-ARWRN7GFFG6EO3WC6SB6/avocets-Oct-2018-RSPB-symbol-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Avocets in Flight and Phylogeny Caption: the modern RSPB logo. Image: fair use. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1540136377607-F9Q6V0ZNWRMMM39KFXM3/avocets-Oct-2018-avocet-flock-2-tiny-Oct-2018-B-Dempsey-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Avocets in Flight and Phylogeny Caption: Pied avocets and Black-tailed godwits (and a gull), alarmed by a nearby peregrine. Image: Bernie Dempsey. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/10/17/tet-zoo-ver-3-and-a-dark-day-for-the-sharing-of-knowledge monthly 0.5 2018-10-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539855456378-E4TKG06EN386A49FG3S9/TetZoo-ver-3-banner-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo ver 3 and a Dark Day for the Dissemination of Knowledge Once upon a time, you could look at blogs for free. Imagine that. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539852791586-BER918JOY38TY3IQAI4W/SciAm-locked-out-13-10-2018.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo ver 3 and a Dark Day for the Dissemination of Knowledge In the background - behind the pop-up with the hilariously appropriate feature about money - you should be able to see that I was trying to access my 2015 ver 3 article on cassowaries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539854868067-K3JLZT10QK09CZQOPJBB/TetZoo-ver-3-locked-out-montage-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo ver 3 and a Dark Day for the Dissemination of Knowledge A montage depicting things covered in just a few of the TetZoo ver 3 articles, all of which are now safely locked away and only available to you if you own a SciAm subscription. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539855700534-DO39LBBN177KLHIY0IPA/TetZoo-ver-3-simplified-tetrapod-cladogram-July-2011-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZoo ver 3 and a Dark Day for the Dissemination of Knowledge This image appeared in the very first TetZoo ver 3 article of July 2011. Oh god… you mean I have to back up eight years worth of old articles? Great. Good job I have nothing else to do. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/10/11/tetzoocon-2018-were-you-there monthly 0.5 2018-10-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539306678266-HREQI5B8IQFMG8Q1JZAT/TetZooCon-2018-Xane-7127-bird-workshop-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far TetZooCon 2018: the first one to be more like an actual convention, or conference. Left to right: Caitlin Kight, Hanneke Meijer, Darren Naish. Image: Xane/Michael Lesniowski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539298626365-7WIYQDN3XKJ5UUXXW4G3/TetZooCon-2018-avatars-composited-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far It’s a TetZooCon tradition that we make special little icons for our speakers and other presenters, and here’s the haul for 2018. Image: John Conway/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539298716959-RRYNTOXP19K9RAPRP3XJ/TetZooCon-2018-Xane-7195-banner-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far What with it being the fifth TetZooCon, the 2018 banner was a special one. Image: Xane/Michael Lesniowski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539305781781-0G9L0X0V43RHH92U00DM/TetZooCon-2018-palaeoart-montage-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far A huge quantity of palaeoart was both on show at TetZooCon 2018, and available for sale. Part of my personal haul from the meeting is shown at right. More on palaeoart below. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539305866805-B71RM5UKZJBEW2612ZN8/TetZooCon-2018-Jenn-Jackson-whales-1-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Jenn Jackson gave the most enthralling presentation on baleen whales. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539307178573-1ZBE2TALSPF8KYYOJ1FT/TetZooCon-2018-Fiona-Taylor-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Fiona Taylor discusses the use of music in wildlife documentaries, and also shows us how it’s done. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539298162073-4OGD3QTDUFXJ7P0RD7Y4/TetZooCon-2018-Zhang-1-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Steven Zhang talks Palaeoloxodon - specifically, at this point, about the alleged survival of this animal into the Holocene (the evidence isn’t great). Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539298400845-OYX86YIK464UJOOU5YWW/Xane-7113-bird-roundtable-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far A scene from the bird evolution roundtable event. From left to right: Albert Chen, Caitlin Kight, Hanneke Meijer. Image: Xane/Michael Lesniowski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539298325421-O2V4ZQ3RCZ1OGGEL3VAH/TetZooCon-2018-Lucy-Cooke-signing.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Lucy Cooke (at right) signs copies of The Unexpected Truth About Animals. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539304895664-1E8N41UWXQ902A2RIIK7/TetZooCon-2018-Xane-7621-Katrina-van-Grouw-with-book-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Katrina van Grouw and her fabulous book Unnatural Selection at TetZooCon 2018. Image: Xane/Michael Lesniowski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539299883179-CLZ587KK010IIF7HTB60/TetZooCon-2018-Xane-7240-Bob-Nicholls-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Bob Nicholls of Palaeocreations was selling prints, including those featuring the cover and concept art for Naish & Barrett’s Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved. Image: Xane/Michael Lesniowski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539297963627-TPLN0X54OCJNHT9B2KFN/TetZooCon-2018-palaeoartists-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far A selection of palaeoartists present at TetZooCon 2018 (and this isn’t all of them). Left to right: Luis Rey, John Conway, Bob Nicholls, Steve White, Mark Witton and Rebecca Groom. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539301331833-PLYEQJKRE0PM9SK2ZXNY/TetZooCon-2018-Xane-7268-Ian-Redmond-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Ian Redmond talks about gorillas, Dian Fossey and conservation at TetZooCon 2018. Image: Xane/Michael Lesniowski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539301159240-QVEJWVCCGX8ACCB60OQI/TetZooCon-2018-Ian-Redmond-%26-Darren-Naish-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Ian Redmond, Darren Naish and Archie the Elephant (follow him on twitter @ArchietheEle) at TetZooCon 2018. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539304990693-D2I0ULPEXBJ1IJDL1BNA/TetZooCon-2018-Mark-OShea-talk-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Mark O’Shea at TetZooCon 2018: Mark certainly won the prize for longest talk title. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539301509732-HZBJMOS6M016DNWXNQ40/TetZooCon-2018-OShea-book-of-snakes-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Mark O’Shea’s 2018 The Book of Snakes, a must-have for those interested in reptiles. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539302626444-FV8695N224TMH3J7DAKY/TetZooCon-2018-Womack-cover-slide-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Robyn Womack’s cover slide. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539305101649-JVY30X9YPP345STHSBV5/TetZooCon-2018-Albert-Chen-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far TetZooCon 2018 was the Albert Chen TetZooCon, and he is quite literally wearing the t-shirt. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539299260124-O91SD3JCAHZ9561W5J9Y/TetZooCon-2018-Hanneke-Meijer-with-Simon-Roy-illustration-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Hanneke Meijer talks about the giant marabou storks and other birds that lived alongside the hobbits (and other mammals) of Flores in the past. The artwork is by Simon Roy. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539305215479-4IUC6YRYIMQNQAJVW4ZK/TetZooCon-2018-Glyn-Young-Mellers-duck-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-and-Xane-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far It’s thanks to Glyn Young that I have a great interest in Meller’s duck (at left is a captive individual at Bristol Zoo, biting my finger), so it was great to have Glyn himself speak about this species (and others) at TetZooCon 2018. Images: Darren Naish, Xane/Michael Lesniowski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539301586152-JTCB5E78AOQSSUTQKYOK/TetZooCon-2018-Aron-Ra-composite-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Aron Ra at TetZooCon 2018: at left, with his 2016 book; at right, with Naish. Images: Georgia Witton-Maclean, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539302185242-Y183WKIUUKIF6MMVEE8I/TetZooCon-2018-SpecBio-on-stage-2-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far From left to right: Gert van Dijk, Darren Naish and Dougal Dixon on stage during the SpecBio discussion at TetZooCon 2018. Dougal Dixon illustrations relevant to (but not included within) After Man are on the screen behind us. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539298070586-FNJNNA4T3C0883G8FOHW/TetZooCon-2018-audience-with-hands-up-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far A view of the audience, taken from the stage. Note that most people have their hands up. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539301728746-9XJY8HQS1IDVGYLUVWD7/TetZooCon-2018-Dougal-Dixon-with-books-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Dougal Dixon with copies of the 2018 Breakdown Press edition of After Man… and note the exclusive DVDs as well. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539299063199-Q10M0DMPCASWS5FT4JLN/TetZooCon-2018-Xane-7604-quiz-prizes-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Just some of the prizes available to quiz winners this year. Thanks to those who made the many kind donations. Image: Xane/Michael Lesniowski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539298875532-O1H67AMMMNOOEFSJ61RS/TetZooCon-2018-Albert-Chen-quiz-winner-tiny-Oct-2018-GWM-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Well done Albert, the 2018 quiz winner. He chose the Fauna Figures bichir and Dinosaurs in the Wild Dakotaraptor. Image: Georgia Witton-Maclean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539301875486-MX75FWKZI41MIKRAGGTS/TetZooCon-2018-Crystal-Palace-1000-px-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far The post-TetZooCon fieldtrip to Crystal Palace. It isn’t coincidental that we stopped to take the group photo at the Megaloceros models. Image: Will Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1539302749825-0WH65BHYUWI96FJRTCPL/TetZooCon-2018-signed-books-tiny-Oct-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - TetZooCon 2018: Best TetZooCon So Far Just some of the books I got signed by their authors at TetZooCon 2018. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/9/27/reminiscing-on-tetrapood-zoology-book-one monthly 0.5 2024-11-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1538084284680-Y2FJ7009PTZ7M5FYV0CX/Tet-Zoo-Book-One-is-8-final-cover-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing on Tetrapood Zoology: Book One… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1538084648252-YQ9NLQAGLF3XKH9G3QDM/Tet-Zoo-Book-One-is-8-golden-eagle-macropredator-resized-Oct-2010-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing on Tetrapood Zoology: Book One… Caption: if anything might be considered emblematic of Book One it’s giant killer eagles. Golden eagles can and do kill domestic cattle calves. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1538084101905-ZHPODF54YIQ4B17Q6Q14/Tet-Zoo-Book-One-is-8-Tet-Zoo-book-thanks-Oct-2010-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing on Tetrapood Zoology: Book One… Caption: a most amusing montage depicting assorted humans who assisted in some way with stuff that led to the production of the book. Images: Darren Naish, Neil Phillips, (c) University of Portsmouth, (c) Steve Backshall https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1538085424101-T7H7CZMTV6LD1WY2K82O/Tet-Zoo-Book-One-is-8-final-BOOK-PILE-BUY-MORE-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing on Tetrapood Zoology: Book One… Caption: no no NO — you do NOT own too many book already! BUY MORE!!! Digital books don’t work, I tell you. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1538084519225-ERUX1C1M26TDL6IO7ELQ/Tet-Zoo-Book-One-is-8-tetrapood-zoology-Dallas-Krentzel-crop-705-px-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing on Tetrapood Zoology: Book One… Caption: spot the cryptic typo. Image: Dallas Krentzel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1538084335845-NAYOYSJ3IPW7G1RLBFET/Tet-Zoo-Book-One-is-8-Sept-2018-book-one-draft-cover-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reminiscing on Tetrapood Zoology: Book One… Caption: art by the brilliant C. M. Kösemen. Incidentally - and wholly coincidentally - Kevin Schreck’s movie Tangent Realms: The World of C. M. Kösemen premiered today in New York! https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/9/21/reasons-to-attend-tetzoocon-2018 monthly 0.5 2018-09-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537490474438-RBGVKZFBUZJU16DGUU11/TetZooCon-2018-promo-FINAL-BANNER-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 Our 2018 banner. It incorporates illustrations produced by participants in the palaeoart workshop of 2017 and looks pretty neat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537491116978-GOAQ1E81D85J2L7YQ1PT/TetZooCon-2018-promo-Rebecca-Groom-palaeoplushies-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 My god, we have some amazing merchandise on sale this year (read on for more). Once again, Rebecca Groom will be selling her palaeoplushies — last year, the WHOLE LOT sold out before lunch. Image: (c) Rebecca Groom/palaeoplushies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537494086888-8V5NFUK0AFDW39TZTLYE/TetZooCon-2018-promo-Ian-Redmond-Aron-Ra-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 Two of many TetZooCon 2018 speakers. Left: Ian Redmond; right: Aron Ra. Images: (c) Ian Redmond, (c) Aron Ra. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537494164291-F0GVYUB0BQFFIAZLSPQ0/TetZooCon-2018-promo-bird-cladogram-July-2013-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 This image has no special relevance to any of the TetZooCon bird talks, but here it is anyway. It’s a (now somewhat dated) bird phylogeny, produced for my 2014 paper on bird palaeobehaviour (available here). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537490560654-FBNI5911WG9FOD9NYD2G/TetZooCon-2018-promo-Unnatural-Selection-front-cover-Katrina-van-Grouw-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 Katrina van Grouw (with duck), and the cover of her amazing 2018 book Unnatural Selection (to be reviewed here, hopefully soon). Images: (c) Katrina van Grouw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537494390042-D9W154F2JUJAP6BTJZ4H/TetZooCon-2018-promo-Vortex-and-Gert-van-Dijk-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 A SpecBio montage relevant to TetZooCon 2018. At left: the Vortex from Dougal Dixon’s 1981 After Man. At right: Gert van Dijk, here photographed at the LonCon 72nd World Science Fiction Convention in 2014. Images: Dixon 1981, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537494543276-PH4ZFXUA1GDMQKN3S9RM/TetZooCon-2018-promo-Mark-O%27Shea-and-Book-of-Snakes-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 We have Professor Mark O’Shea! Mark will be selling and signing his new book. Images: (c) Mark O’Shea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537495043495-20305UGFVPJ5KYBRTUUH/TetZooCon-2018-promo-Lucy-Cooke-and-book-cover-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 Lucy Cooke and equine friends, and the cover of her 2018 book The Truth About Animals (which I’m planning to review here later this year). Images: (c) Lucy Cooke, Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537490822437-318PBOGA3GH1RL1Y771Q/TetZooCon-2018-promo-Bob-Nicholls-Mark-Witton-palaeoart-montage-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 The 2018 palaeoart workshop is going to be outstanding. We have Bob Nicholls (though he won’t be bringing the lifesized pliosaur head with him, alas); Mark Witton will be selling The Palaeoartist’s Handbook. I’ve been lucky enough to see a copy and…. it’s one of the most spectacular books I’ve ever seen, I love it. Images: (c) Bob Nicholls, Mark Witton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537490667327-1NGU0VADYSDZL8R18N4D/TetZooCon-2018-promo-Jed-Taylor-mugs-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Reasons to Attend TetZooCon 2018 An amazing display of merchandise will be on sale at TetZooCon this year, be sure to bring £££. These dromaeosaur-themed mugs will be there, and are by the inimitable Jed Taylor, what a star. Image: Jed Taylor. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/9/16/the-dougal-dixon-iafter-mani-event-of-september-2018 monthly 0.5 2021-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537142071060-OO6MUWXSK43IRDGYVC4J/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-AfterMan-covers-slide-862-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: Dixon 1981; Dixon 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537141007710-NL55PORNKBBS4T1QD4JG/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-Naish-at-Conway-Hall-960-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: at Conway Hall once again, such a noble venue. Image: Will Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537141072377-AMV0FW3YHWMXD81W1HMN/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-Dougal-Dixon-on-stage-960-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: Dougal on stage, showing the original page plan for After Man. Small vignettes, showing the planned look of all the pages, are arranged in sequence. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537142166082-HL78NCCAGR4KV7401S0G/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-translations-and-vortex-model-960-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: foreign language translations of After Man, a Vortex and Raboon model, and relevant magazine issues (like the October 1981 ish of BBC Wildlife). (c) Dougal Dixon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537141188361-MJ9Q4BQ9J6FQ08TEY9EO/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-draft-spread-895-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: original text and original draft double-page spread for After Man, showing creatures inhabiting tropical grasslands. You’ll recognise some (but not all!) of the creatures as the prototypes of versions that made it to final publication. (c) Dougal Dixon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537141319792-MSPLE6DHZNOBITCFRU86/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-desert-leaper-model-844-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: Desert leaper model. For the handful of you that haven’t read After Man, the Desert leaper is a giant, desert-dwelling muroid rodent (in cases more than 3 m long) that undergoes significant fluctuation in fat deposition (and hence mass) according to season. (c) Dougal Dixon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537141795227-CUA14UXO889ZM8YWSIJ0/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-original-sketches-945-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: original sketches, by Dougal, of creatures illustrated for After Man. The animals were then re-illustrated by various other artists. (c) Dougal Dixon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537141921705-ZNP06T5CV1WBUI17X5Z5/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-vortex-model-871-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: the Vortex model that Dougal brought along. It’s about 60 cm long. (c) Dougal Dixon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1537141707566-JNQSBPI0PXRNEP71SKGV/Dougal-Dixon-AfterMan-event-Sept-2018-Dixon-and-Naish-resized-512-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Dougal Dixon After Man Event of September 2018 Caption: Darren Naish (l) and Dougal Dixon (r) on stage at Conway Hall, September 2018. Image: Will Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/9/9/the-life-appearance-of-the-giant-deer-megaloceros monthly 0.5 2026-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536530932260-EAJQ7BUF6AWOWIMVJ1PN/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Hutchinson-Extinct-Monsters-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: a very conventional, traditional image of Megaloceros giganteus: it's depicted looking like a giant red deer, basically. Males and females are not that different in size, but males are often shown as maned. Most interest in this deer has, of course, concerned the spectacularly antlered males. This image is from Hutchinson's Extinct Monsters (published several times over the 1890s). Image: Hutchinson (1892). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536527797364-5302QAK6QVJE7NU6SYND/Megaloceros-appearance-Sept-2012-710-px-tiny-Sept-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: a fine Megaloceros skull on show at London's Grant Museum. I seem to recall hearing or reading - possibly in one of Stephen J. Gould's papers - that this is one of the largest specimens in existence. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536527605717-KIYX8VJQ78V6OZQW49GN/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Beggars-Bush-Megaloceros-skulls-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology-Darren-Naish.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: male M. giganteus skulls in the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, examined in 2008. Yes, there is indeed a preponderance of males. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536527115312-5QGTR492B9AHCWSQQVRY/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Dama-dama-with-starling-rider-600-px-tiny-April-2014-Dave-Hone-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: note the many obvious external features of this male Fallow deer: a throat bulge corresponding with the larynx - an 'Adam's apple' - is obvious, and this is a boldly marked deer overall, with prominent spots (including some that have coalesced into stripes), a white rump patch, and pale ventral regions. If megacerines are close kin of Dama deer, we might predict a similar ancestral condition for Megaloceros and its relatives. Image: Dave Hone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536531182745-7DGZL70EBD0ZU47REWCL/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Cougnac-Cave-864-px-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: the famous panel at Cougnac, southwest France, showing M. giganteus males and females. This part of the cave is also interesting in depicting a short-horned bovid (at upper right) sometimes interpreted as a tahr. There are also ibex here too. I'm uncertain of the exact origin of the photo shown here: I took it from Fabio Manucci's blog Agathaumus. Numerous additional photos of the same cave can be seen at Don's Maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536526765644-CFTI64UYGSXED8BW7STQ/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Guthrie-composite-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: cave art depicting M. giganteus is not all that numerous (most ancient depictions of deer are of reindeer or red deer), but what does exist shows several details worthy of note, here emphasised in illustrations produced by R. Dale Guthrie. The shoulder hump is a consistent feature. Image: Guthrie (2005). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536532021933-FAZFMYLTDCM4LQDC63VR/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Pavel-Riha-wikipedia-CC-BY-SA-3-0-560-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: other people have taken the same evidence I've discussed here and produced very similar reconstructions. This piece - which I hadn't seen until after producing my own illustrations (on which, see below) - is by Pavel Riha. Image: Pavel Riha, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536526970258-SWX3YHT0GLPDW2TMG43U/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Geist-Megaloceros-with-Dama-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: M. giganteus as reconstructed by Valerius Geist, and shown to scale with the extant Dama dama. Geist was (and presumably is) a strong advocate of the idea that megacerines (yes: megacerines, not 'megalocerines') are part of the same lineage as Dama. Image: Geist (1999). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536527358345-R6OB4GVD1KHQ25B00V9X/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Guthrie-Megaloceros-tidied-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros Caption: at left, the best of the M. giganteus images from Cougnac in France, as re-drawn by Guthrie (2005). At right, Guthrie's reconstruction of the animal's life appearance. Image: Guthrie (2005). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536527538360-SN4W7C0SHZEEM9TCLGDS/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Megaloceros-cheat-sheet-1000-px-tiny-Sept-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536532198674-E34U6VE48680KBQYRC5K/Megaloceros-appearance-2018-Megaloceros-Naish-black-background-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Life Appearance of the Giant Deer Megaloceros https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/9/3/the-last-day-of-dinosaurs-in-the-wild monthly 0.5 2024-06-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536002649883-IXK5ZRL5TP6I0D8H3SNQ/DITW-last-day-Jasmine-Arden-Brown-960-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last Day of Dinosaurs in the Wild Caption: preparing to embark on a last ever tour of Late Maastrichtian western North America. Chrononaut Jasmine Arden-Brown introduces us to the world of Chronotex. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536001932857-RFY78I0F3013MH6JYV5I/DITW-last-day-montage-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last Day of Dinosaurs in the Wild Caption: as with any project of this size and scale, there's the long process whereby models and other props come together over time, and then there's the concept art, the explanatory diagrams, and so on. I've kept a record of as much of this stuff as I could. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536002150670-7PYJZ0FIFRDEPGJU143X/DITW-last-day-Didelphodon-and-Acheroraptor-in-light-1000-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last Day of Dinosaurs in the Wild Caption: here are two of the (normally nocturnal) Dinosaurs in the Wild animals seen in full illumination. At left, the metatherian mammal Didelphodon; at right, the small dromaeosaur Acheroraptor (it never stays still for long, hence the motion blur). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536002312686-1VN0UWV8KYJ1BQCWXECF/DITW-last-day-actors-incl-happy-Mike-Archer-27-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last Day of Dinosaurs in the Wild Caption: our final goodbye party was a solemn, quiet affair. Obviously. Thanks, Mike. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536002478524-6HVJ3JSLDH2TMNMOUUU2/DITW-last-day-dangerous-box-936-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last Day of Dinosaurs in the Wild Caption: a very dangerous box. Working in the Mesozoic is not all that easy. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536003724023-UGSVK2LXDDV9CKF9JKI2/DITW-last-day-Dakotaraptor-fight-606-px-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last Day of Dinosaurs in the Wild Caption: there's so much to see through the windows that, even after multiple visits, I still haven't seen it all. In this sequence (seen while looking across the Dakotaraptor nesting colony), two female dromaeosaurs engage in a squabble. Image: Kerry Mulvihill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1536003875375-EZFV2NFHF6IXHNEQSKI5/DITW-last-day-temporal-field-generator-700-px-tiny-Sept-2018-Sept-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Last Day of Dinosaurs in the Wild Caption: the temporal field generator is always on. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/8/28/the-tet-zoo-guide-to-mastigures monthly 0.5 2021-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535458002207-BV4Y3K8HHWN1ICKXTMFI/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: a large mastigure is a fine, handsome, happy-looking lizard. The dark overall colour and yellow dorsal occellations show that this captive specimen is a Moroccan mastigure Uromastyx acanthinurus. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535458667712-HSWS023Y47SDI4ORDCLI/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-dispar-flavofasciata-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: head detail of a captive U. acanthinurus. Note the pseudoteeth-like upper labial scales. The white exudate around the nostrils is pretty typical: it's salt discharge and evidence of nasal salt excretion typical for desert-dwelling lizards. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535458280561-7RL8PQEOWBOHVN77UCSZ/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-thomasi-2-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: a captive U. thomasi. The complex colouration - the facial banding in particular - is notable, as is the very short, broad, plump tail. This is a small mastigure with a total length of less than 15 cm. Recent surveys indicate that it is now extinct on mainland Oman - its type location - and is now unique to Masirah Island where local extinction has also occurred due to habitat destruction. There are anecdotal 2012 references to its persistence on the mainland, however. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535466598277-YS1JBP1M2S0LYLBYABS9/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-aegyptius-skull-Digimorph-1182-px-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: the skull of U. aegyptia, as scanned for The Deep Scaly Project and available here. Note that the partially fused teeth are largest posteriorly. The mandible is deep, the front of the dentary is toothless and bony pseudoteeth are present in the premaxilla. Image: Digimorph. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535461850324-DHEPKOYGEA4J4T9NVA9P/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-loricatus-Boulenger-1885-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: an Iraqi, Mesopotamian or Small-scaled spiny-tailed lizard Saara loricata (formerly U. loricatus), a mid-sized species of Iran and Iraq, as illustrated in one of Boulenger's 1885 catalogues of amphibians and reptiles kept in the collections of the British Museum. Image: Boulenger 1885. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535460482741-8QJSQBF30UI2QVVILMVU/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-asmussi-Blanford-1876-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: Persian or Iranian spiny-tailed lizard Saara asmussi, as illustrated in William Blanford's paper of 1876. This species occurs in Iran, southern Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Saara species were included within Uromastyx prior to Wilms et al. (2009). Image: Blanford 1876. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535457881918-7TWPG2YAARQY7Z491N1K/mastigures-Aug-2018-dead-baby-mastigure-composite-572-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: a sadly deceased baby mastigure (probably U. acanthinurus), discovered in the Moroccan Sahara. Cause of death unknown. Note that the tail is fully developed and sports the full complement of tail spines, despite the animal's small size. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535457004635-C3DK392EBVIIPKQFB7JP/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-tail-490-px-tiny-June-2011-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: the tail of a deceased mastigure (probably U. acanthinurus), discovered in the Moroccan Sahara. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535457087639-VXI75MYT5VEBEQDIEK2L/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-giant-and-Barbaturex-compared-with-Tone-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: I was curious to know what a c 90 cm mastigure would look like compared to a person. The smaller of these silhouettes reveals the answer. Not as impressive as I was hoping. The larger lizard silhouette depicts the approximate size of the Eocene taxon Barbaturex, though we don't know that it had spiny whorls on its tail as shown in the illustration. The human figure is 1.7 m tall. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535460224822-QDASLJPZK1EQ3F5VO72T/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-aegyptia-Anderson-1-779-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: an Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard U. aegyptia, as depicted in John Anderson's 1898 volume on the amphibians and reptiles of Egypt. Image: Anderson 1898. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535462322648-OE0OFB4XXGS4IYVRBYF5/mastigures-Aug-2018-Averianov-%26-Danilov-1996-uromastycine-jaw-fossils-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: just one of the many uromastycine fossil jaw fragments from the Lower Eocene of Kyrgyzstan descibed by Averianov & Danilov (1996). These fossils - and others - demonstrate the antiquity of this group within Eurasia and show that it didn't arrive in the region after its Miocene collision with Africa. The scales bars = 1 mm. Image: Averianov & Danilov (1996). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535457563047-89W9PLCWDUIHRBOCMYMB/mastigures-Aug-2018-acrodont-iguanians-cladogram-1000-px-tiny-28-8-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: a phylogeny for agamids and their close kin, as recovered by Honda et al. (2000). Mastigures and butterfly agamas form a clade, and both are outside the clade that includes chameleons and 'Agamidae' of tradition. Like all of these sorts of diagrams, this was produced for my in-prep Vertebrate Fossil Record book, progress on which can be seen here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535457246157-52JGAPFW476MCIF5EW93/mastigures-Aug-2018-Apesteguia-et-al-2016-Jeddaherdan-reconstruction-555-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: the Cretaceous uromastycine Jeddaherdan aleadonta is known from the chunk of lower jaw shown here, depicted within a silhouetted skull of Uromastyx. The scale bar is in mm. Image: Apesteguía et al. (2016). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535459835612-EZTNE7ILARYK0U50PL4Z/mastigures-Aug-2018-acrodont-iguanians-Pyron-et-al-cladogram-1000-px-tiny-28-8-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: mastigures and butterfly agamas have not been found to form a clade in all phylogenetic studies: in Pyron et al.'s (2013) study - this cladogram depicts the topology they recovered - the two are successively closer to remaining Agamidae. Note the taxonomic names they used for the agamid lineages. Like all of these sorts of diagrams, this was produced for my in-prep Vertebrate Fossil Record book, progress on which can be seen here. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535470583171-C48X5XPEXH9AG7LP71UH/mastigures-Aug-2018-Leiolepis-TheReptilarium-flickr-CC-2-0-747-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: butterfly agamas (Leiolepis) do look mastigure-like in some features of the face (those tall ridges over the orbits especially), but are otherwise far slimmer, longer-limbed and without their other specialisations. The two groups may be closely related - though it still seems that they diverged during the Late Cretaceous, at least. Image: TheReptilarium, CC BY 2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535469874590-08WTBAQHYH9TZXD0WNIG/mastigures-Aug-2018-Eocene-phorusrhacids-map-modified-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: an Eocene map depicting the planet as of around 40 million years ago. At this point, Afro-Arabia had not docked with Eurasia. But members of the mastigure lineage were already present in Eurasia and Afro-Arabia by the time. Image: the original version was used in Angst et al. (2013); this has been modified as per CC BY 2.5. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535458817586-SCGR4WSG366TG2N6OJLH/mastigures-Aug-2018-Tamar-et-al-2018-phylogeny-568-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: Tamar et al. (2018) found Uromastyx to consist of two main clades, one mostly associated with the Arabian Peninsula and the borders of the Red Sea, one with the western Sahara. Saara forms the sister-group to Uromastyx. Image: Tamar et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535470876305-U852BYUV4Q5CU402AVKI/mastigures-Aug-2018-Uromastyx-aegyptia-microlepis-Iraq-public-domain-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: I would love to see a large, spectacular mastigure in the wild. This mastigure (U. aegyptia microlepis), photographed in Al Anbar, Iraq, is a grand, magnificent animal. Image: U.S. Federal Government, Public Domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535461692952-NDNQ2YUOG9RK8IGEER2O/mastigures-Aug-2018-large-Uro-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - The Tet Zoo Guide to Mastigures Caption: the large size and interesting appearance of many mastigure species - this is a captive U. aegyptia - has long made them appealing objects of trade and medicinal use, and as objects for the table too. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/8/23/postcranial-palaeoneurology-and-the-lifestyles-of-pterosaurs monthly 0.5 2019-12-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535062763451-QCXJ87YWM6ZE2YB6PASD/pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-Vectidraco-montage-Jan-2014-tiny-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Postcranial Palaeoneurology and the Lifestyles of Pterosaurs The Vectidraco daisymorrisae holotype (NHMUK PV R36621) in (A) left lateral, (B) right lateral, (C) dorsal and (D) ventral views, and - at right - shown in anatomical position as per the animal's presumed profile in life. Image: figures from Naish et al. (2013). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535066264722-EZZAR4QIMLONJLKFFSOJ/pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-Liz-Martin-Silverstone-2015-06-11-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Postcranial Palaeoneurology and the Lifestyles of Pterosaurs My friend and colleague Dr Liz Martin-Silverstone, at work in the field (at left, Liz is finding fossils in a river in Romania) and in a museum exhibition at right (Liz is standing next to an exhibition panel all about her work. Let's not talk about that weird silhouette at upper right...). Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535063696442-3GM56MERTCTZ94W2WOBP/pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-Martin-Silverstone-et-al-2018-Vectidraco-and-ornithocheirids-compared-711-px-tiny-Fig-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology-.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Postcranial Palaeoneurology and the Lifestyles of Pterosaurs Pelvic regions of the three pterosaurs included in our study, to scale: (A) Vectidraco daisymorrisae holotype NHMUK PV R36621, (B) Anhanguera specimen AMNH FARB 22555, (C) Coloborhynchus robustus specimen SMNK PAL 1133. Scale bar = 50 mm. Image: Martin-Silverstone et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535062992965-RE4SKUADSC6M7I6D5AER/pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-Vectidraco-post-acetabular-process-medial-pneumaticity-600-px-tiny-Mar-2013-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Postcranial Palaeoneurology and the Lifestyles of Pterosaurs The Vectidraco holotype is one of those wonderful specimens that preserves a great many neat little anatomical details - look at these various pneumatic cavities on the T-shaped post-acetabular process on the posterior part of the ilium. Waitaminute.... aren't all the specimens like this? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535068017966-698L8K3WLL4QF47CPU2B/pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-Giffin-628-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Postcranial Palaeoneurology and the Lifestyles of Pterosaurs In a series of really interesting papers, Emily Giffin linked neural canal size with form and function in diverse tetrapods. This graph (from Giffin 1995b) shows how birds flying and flightless differ as goes the position of the largest parts of their spinal cords. The ostrich (Struthio) lacks a large spinal cord section in the anterior (brachial) part of its spinal column. Image: Giffin (1995b). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535065566326-4GGI8U43A3FDUMVBF9C3/pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-Martin-Silverstone-et-al-2018-Pal-Ass-composite-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Postcranial Palaeoneurology and the Lifestyles of Pterosaurs Neural canal cross-sectional area in our three pterosaur taxa: when normalised for centrum size, Vectidraco has a proportionally large neural canal. This composite image incorporates figures from Martin-Silverstone et al. (2018) but was produced by the Palaeontological Association. Image: Martin-Silverstone et al. (2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535063943311-TBWD792L144UCRU4YZEN/pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-Vectidraco-July-2017-Aug-2018-1000-px-tiny-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Postcranial Palaeoneurology and the Lifestyles of Pterosaurs Vectidraco could almost certainly fly well, as shown at left. But - like many, most or all azhdarchoids - it was likely a proficient and regular terrestrial walker as well, as shown at right. Image: Mark Witton (left), Darren Naish (right). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1535062354232-AJ4010AUMB5LLVEQTI16/pterosaur-palaeoneurology-Aug-2018-pterosaur-locomotion-montage-2-July-2017-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Postcranial Palaeoneurology and the Lifestyles of Pterosaurs Behaviour speculatively inferred for the pterosaurs incorporated in our study. (A) A dedicated aerial lifestyle involving little terrestrial behaviour, as per Anhanguera; (B) reasonable terrestrial abilities in an animal otherwise very similar to its close, highly aerial relatives, as per Coloborhynchus; (C) proficient and regular terrestrial behaviour in an animal that routinely feeds and forages on the ground, as per Vectidraco. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/8/16/could-we-domesticate-non-bird-dinosaurs monthly 0.5 2025-06-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/a79bd357-b437-428c-b181-7c717d47dd4d/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Robins-Kocak-montage-added-1310px-115kb-June-2022-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? - Make it stand out Caption: an ornithomimid being ridden at a riding school; a luxuriantly feathered, selectively bred dromaeosaurid. Images: James Robins (l), Ethan Kocak (r); used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534466126658-RI08TOYBQDDIKWMHRVYW/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Michael-Skrepnick-Parasaurolophus--Taylor-631-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: a friendly pet Parasaurolophus, as illustrated by Mike Skrepnick (and used with his permission) for a 'Would Dinosaurs Make Good Pets' project produced in conjunction with Dinosaur Provincial Park. Image: Mike Skrepnick. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534465570646-MMZPZEI87ZUOUDDXZWMP/James-Robins-urban-oviraptorosaur-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: during the 1990s, British artist Jim Robins produced a whole set of illustrations depicting non-bird dinosaurs in modern, human-dominated scenes. With his permission, I reproduce several of them here. Image: James Robins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534460646653-7ZSVGGZ41A7BN9RZ8FVO/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Magee-1993-industrial-Parasaurolophus-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: an industrial Parasaurolophus, from Magee (1993): "Did the hadrosaurs evolve breathing apparatus to protect themselves from atmospheric pollution", Magee asks. Ok. You might recognise the Parasaurolophus if you're familiar with the contents of Bakker's Dinosaur Heresies. Image: Magee (1993). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534460913301-V52CQGH2MW5APD1K6YUK/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-silkback-bearded-dragon-pixabay-70-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: today there are captive lizards - forms of the Central bearded dragon Pogona vitticeps - that are significantly novel relative to their wild ancestors. The weirdest is the Silkback or Silkie: a lizard that lacks scales. There's some debate, but these animals are pretty close to being considered 'domestic'. Image: CC0, Pixabay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534468064348-NIXO1J0FL7KRYR9ALIET/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Alaskan-moose-pair-Ryan-Hagerty-wikipedia-public-domain-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: Moose Alces alces (these are Alaskan moose) are often mentioned in discussions of domestication attempts. The commonest thing said is that they come with too much baggage to allow domestication -- but this simply might not be true at all. Image: Ryan Hagerty, in the public domain. Original at Pixnio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534461552087-ZRZ0IE40UC0L70IE4048/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Woodward-et-al-Maiasaura-life-history-1000-px-tiny-Aug-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: if dinosaurs like hadrosaurs (this graph shows Maiasaura) grew this quickly - we're talking about an animal that is well over 1000 kg within 2 years and capable of breeding by that time, and can be raised on a diet of easily obtained, cheap fodder and produces large clutches to boot - well, we have an animal that might be very desirable as a subject of domestication. Image: Woodward et al. (2015). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534469136127-R7UFZFHMFF9PIQAEULDQ/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Jurassic-Park-comics-1994-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: trained or restrained combat dromaeosaurs: a familiar part of the Jurassic Park universe long pre-dating the Jurassic World movies. This panel is from a 1994 comic published in the Dark Horse Jurassic Park 'Raptors Attack' storyline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534462259606-I78GJ418XKJOIUD9RJK2/caracara-and-owl-tiny.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: at least some bird-like non-bird maniraptorans were plausibly similar to, or approached, various modern birds in intelligence. Were they as smart as raptors and owls? ... neither of which are that smart compared to birds more 'properly' considered intelligent. At left, a trained Striated caracara Phalcoboenus australis extracts sticks in order to obtain a reward. At right, a hybrid Turkmenistan x Siberian eagle owl Bubo bubo trained to follow commands and perform in display flights. Neither birds shown here belong to domesticated species, but they're still relevant. Images: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534503982322-JTYMGU05XLKKMCASKZDI/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-James-Robins-urban-police-dromaeosaur-snip-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: the effective function of a 'trained police dromaeosaur' as big as this one might not be plausible, but it sure is a cool image (even if the dromaeosaur is shown as unfeathered, tsk). Image: James Robins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534466735271-JDN7XKSK4U4BW08BMAZL/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Ethan-Kocak-3-sauropod-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: super-sized sauropods could be bred to be fatter, more muscular and hence higher-yielding than their wild ancestors if domesticated and used for meat production, the result being chubbier, bulkier animals. But what would this mean for the controlling and handling of such massive, powerful animals? Could we even control them at all? Image: Ethan Kocak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534465731865-38ELAGAMF5MWCV8299N9/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-war-elephants-2-690-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: armoured war elephants have been used by several cultures. This image originally appeared in Friedrich Arnold Brokhaus's atlas, published sometime before 1850. Image: Karl Gröning; Elephants: A Cultural and Natural History. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534467534921-VGG1MZ7WIQU7212BTOCH/James-Robins-girl-with-theropods-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: small theropods, and maybe other dinosaurs too, might make good pets, though they may prove incompatible with smaller pets of different species, as implied here. This is another of the illustrations produced by Jim Robins described above (and used here with permission). Image: James Robins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534471271412-T4YU6S0BEI5EF2WU21ZU/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-ceratopsid-1000-px-1-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: a bland, domesticated ceratopsid with reduced cranial structures relative to its wild ancestor. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534466337979-KY4E6UVO51KDU4UDF1Q9/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Michael-Skrepnick-Ornithomimus-Gabrielle-767-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: a girl and her ornithomimid. Greg Paul said of theropods in Predatory Dinosaurs of the World that "Their stiff, perhaps feathery bodies were not what one would care to have sleep at the foot of the bed" (Paul 1988, p. 19), but maybe he was wrong. This is another of Mike Skrepnick's illustrations from his 'Would Dinosaurs Make Good Pets' project. Image: Mike Skrepnick. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534462073852-K8PLX55SYXNO92G6KB3D/domestic-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Ethan-Kocak-domestic-theropods-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Could We Domesticate (Non-Bird) Dinosaurs? Caption: I give you captively bred domestic theropods created by Ethan Kocak: a short-faced, miniature tyranno-pug, and a plush, poodle-like maniraptoran with luxuriant plumage. Image: Ethan Kocak. He's a New York Times bestselling artist, dontchaknow. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/8/11/a-1996-letter-from-dr-phil-currie monthly 0.5 2018-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534001045952-1JTL4STSGPMM9TOCAHOK/Currie-%26-Sovak-1991-Flying-Dinosaurs-cover-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A 1996 Letter from Dr Phil Currie Phil Currie's The Flying Dinosaurs (Currie 1991). The artwork is innovative and often really interesting, even though the coelurosaurian dinosaurs are mostly shown as un-feathered. The book includes pterosaurs... which is weird but in keeping with the 'evolution of flight' subtitle. Image: Darren Naish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534002098354-I5EHP7L8A8MPC1VRZWY9/Philip-Currie-letter-1996-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A 1996 Letter from Dr Phil Currie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1534002143808-V8AHOAMAAZO77VZQTY3R/Philip-Currie-at-HOG-Dinosaurs-meal-May-2008-resized-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - A 1996 Letter from Dr Phil Currie Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/8/7/new-dinosaur-books-part-2-ben-garrods-so-you-think-you-know-about-dinosaurs-series monthly 0.5 2018-08-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533683937962-BQL3RP7TLL9AP2HSW6R9/Garrod-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Garrod-books-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Dinosaur Books, Part 2: Ben Garrod’s ‘So You Think You Know About… Dinosaurs’ Series Ben Garrod's new dinosaur books - another three are due to appear very soon. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533684280180-QOXZN0EWNXQTS3FOHXPJ/Garrod-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Tyrannosaurus-Ugueto-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Dinosaur Books, Part 2: Ben Garrod’s ‘So You Think You Know About… Dinosaurs’ Series Excellent illustrations by Gabriel Ugueto appear in each of the books. Hey, Gabriel and I actually worked together on a large poster about tyrannosaurs included in a magazine -- it was published early in 2018 but I still haven't seen it because the publishers never sent me a copy and no longer have any to provide. Huh. Image: Gabriel Ugueto/Ben Garrod/Zephyr. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533684571048-VET0CNZJ3KPU2SJ7O1ME/Garrod-dinosaurs-Kocak-cartoons-Aug-2018-nose-balloons-montage-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Dinosaur Books, Part 2: Ben Garrod’s ‘So You Think You Know About… Dinosaurs’ Series Ceratopsian nose balloons go mainstream (images by Ethan Kocak). I can't take credit for this. Or can I. Images: Ethan Kocak/Ben Garrod/Zephyr. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533684696852-DYOCE7VAZ4LP1I4D1DY6/Garrod-dinosaurs-Aug-2018-Triceratops-Kirby-753-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Dinosaur Books, Part 2: Ben Garrod’s ‘So You Think You Know About… Dinosaurs’ Series It's nothing to with Ben Garrod's books, but I thought I'd include another image of ceratopsian nose balloons for good measure. This brilliant piece is by J. W. Kirby and the original can be seen here at KirbyniferousRegret's deviantart page. Image: J. W. Kirby. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/8/7/podcast-listeners-update-your-feeds monthly 0.5 2018-08-07 https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/8/4/new-dinosaur-books-part-1 monthly 0.5 2018-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533385846988-G34NNI4WAO7ZE1XG8KPK/Barrett-stegosaur-book-Aug-2018-Stegosaurus-cover-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Dinosaur Books, Part 1: Barrett on Stegosaurs Cover of Barrett (2017)... perhaps the only published volume fully devoted to stegosaurs and stegosaurs alone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533385934170-BY43RHUYT3RLER0RKSKW/Barrett-stegosaur-book-Aug-2018-2-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Dinosaur Books, Part 1: Barrett on Stegosaurs A look inside. This is an info-packed book with great graphics and loads of photos and diagrams. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533386034160-L52K19QFJARVZ3K1ZEHZ/Barrett-stegosaur-book-Aug-2018-Sophie-stegosaur-NHM-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Dinosaur Books, Part 1: Barrett on Stegosaurs Sophie the Stegosaurus - or NHMUK PV R36730, if you prefer - in person at the Natural History Museum, London. I'm sure many of us have an unreasonable number of photos of this amazing specimen. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533386124821-EF1SL4PUMPPMJJ7AHEUW/Barrett-stegosaur-book-Aug-2018-stegosaur-accurate-vs-hump-back-coloured-July-2016-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - New Dinosaur Books, Part 1: Barrett on Stegosaurs A reminder that the stegosaurs of your parents or grandparents - or those of a recent terrible movie franchise - are not in keeping with the way these animals more likely looked. These drawings are old, excuse the GSP tail muscles. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/8/1/bigfoots-genitals-what-do-we-know monthly 0.5 2025-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533165901893-FY8VBCIAGGEZ1O5KVHR7/Cockburn-tweet-on-Riggleman-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: the offending tweet. What we're all asking is: how anatomically accurate might this depiction be? Spoiler: not accurate at all (err.. assuming that Bigfoot even exists, a minor detail). Image: Twitter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533161346909-MMK41T4JOD99AEY17TJ4/Bigfoot-in-LA-572-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: I've only had one up-close encounter with a Bigfoot myself (it happened in California); I didn't have opportunity at the time to do any checking as goes any details of anatomy, but here's the proof. Image: [safely anonymous source]/Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533162060160-IAQI0ZOTF2UK331ZIF89/bigfoot-vocalising-DARKNESS-2-cropped-600-px-tiny-June-2016-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: if Bigfoot is real, just remember that it's probably the most terrifying animal in existence. Seriously. I tried to modify my drawing (available on merchandise!) so that the animal appears to be in the dark. I failed. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533161520040-FP32WEN0UY5YVTYN3WL3/Redwoods-footage-Peter-Visscher-BBC-Wildlife-1998-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: at left, we see a rather grainy still from the 'Redwoods footage'; at right is an interpretation (drawn by Peter Visscher, based on an initial interpretation produced by Jeff Meldrum). The penis isn't visible in this part of the footage. Image: Meldrum & Greenwell (1998)/BBC Wildlife. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533161703999-UAM6CELL7W4BSVN4WDWU/Magraner-bar-manu-drawing-Raynal-2001-320-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: herpetologist and cryptozoologist Jordi Magraner drew this obviously male bar-manu (a crypto-hominid reported from Pakistan) as described by a witness. The account was published by Michel Raynal (2001). Image: Raynal (2001). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533163385725-SKM3BYBA8E00Y48GB9XB/Coleman-2003-Bigfoot-True-Story-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: Loren Coleman's 2003 Bigfoot! includes a whole chapter on ideas and observations about sexual behaviour and anatomy. If Bigfoot isn't real, maybe this stuff is fatuous. Then again, even if Bigfoot isn't real, our attitude to this stuff might still tell us something. And if Bigfoot is real? Well... Image: Simon & Schuster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533163620961-2CR18H8HK0C49ZR6A5R3/Patterson-Gimlin-scene-final-2-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: the creature in the Patterson-Gimlin footage of 1967 – now affectionately known as 'Patty' within the Bigfoot research community – seemingly has breasts comparable to those of some humans. Is it coincidental that Roger Patterson was very familiar with William Roe's female Bigfoot of the 1950s (see below)? Or is this consistent with the ostensible biological reality of this animal? Because images of the Patterson-Gimlin film are copyright protected (like virtually all images of Bigfoot), I made this myself and it's available for use. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533163851801-5UL2SGDF89R7LVDQ38YS/William-Roe-BC-bigfoot-1955-Sept-2014-355-px-tiny-Aug-2018-John-Conway-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: late in the 1950s, William Roe reported his encounter (supposedly from earlier in the decade) with another obviously female Bigfoot in Canada. This drawing was produced by Roe's daughter, under his direction. I can't be the only one who thinks the anatomy here is a bit... gravity-defying. This is not the original drawing, but a re-drawing produced by John Conway for our 2013 book The Cryptozoologicon: Volume One. Image: John Conway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533160939291-IDP6N9E3OBV3J7TS540Z/Khakhlov-sleeping-almas-Shackley-1983-1000-px-tiny-Aug-2018-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: several accounts describe crypto-hominids sleeping in this very unusual posture, or at least in postures like it. This drawing was apparently produced by a Soviet zoologist called Khlakhlov during the early 1900s and depicts an Almas – an Asian crypto-hominid – encountered in the Dzungarian region. The drawing is reproduced in Myra Shackley's 1983 book. Image: Shackley (1983). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1533167086967-X2GZ4BB0E8DFEAU3HL4D/Chester-Zoo-Colombian-spider-monkey-May-2015-Aug-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Bigfoot’s Genitals: What Do We Know? Caption: non-human primates of many sorts have diverse and remarkable genitals. Variously platyrrhines – spider monkeys are the most famous – have enormous clitorides. This is a Colombian or Black-headed spider monkey Ateles fusciceps rufiventris using a stick as a scratching tool. Image: Darren Naish. https://tetzoo.com/blog/2018/7/14/welcome-to-tetrapod-zoology-ver-4 monthly 0.5 2018-07-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532965269628-MIFEK37EGETEYPUW0DF7/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-launch-Tet-Zoo-planned-banner-May-2011-July-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 A really old banner I prepared for Tet Zoo ver 2 and used there for a while. It features various items specially relevant at the time (May 2011), much of it involving Wealden theropods (on which more soon). Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532967717199-SQZFUB2LO26OKCSLJJFF/Rhacodactylus-gecko-on-Tetrapod-Zoology-Book-One-600-px-tiny-April-2014-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 A Rhacodactylus gecko climbing on a copy of Tetrapod Zoology Book One, of course. One day I'll be able to publish the follow-up volumes to that book. Image: Ethan Kocak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532964592583-XHGSIIDKQSXMLYDUW6WY/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-launch-Darrendon-cropped-May-2011-July-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 I approve of fan-art. I'm not sure if this counts (it's from a Christmas card for the Centre for Fortean Zoology, designed by Mark North), but it's a worthy addition. I'm playing the role of the 'Darrenadon' in an on-stage version of The Lost World. Image: Mark North. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532965582587-Y675ZH1UTXWF456XUSAR/Brazilian-tapir-montage-600-px-tiny-Dec-2015-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 Tapirs. Tet Zoo loves tapirs. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532964038727-922XC660EDF3FUD731A6/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-launch-screengrab-of-ver-1-eagles-July-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 Screengrab of part of the first ever 'proper' Tet Zoo article, the killer eagles one of January 2006. That weird photo of me holding a bottle was taken at a conference held at the Natural History Museum, London; I think by Richard Forrest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532964301876-BWRHLR7DTI8MDWVC443O/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-launch-Sb-mug-break-Feb-2011-July-2011-July-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 An ominous portent of things to come -- my beloved ScienceBlogs mug suddenly made a cracking noise one day and split neatly in half. Read down to see what this was, err, portenting... is that a word? Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1531608165297-5DPSCDVBHK198BZTSH6H/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-launch-Tet-Zoo-ver-3-montage-July-2011-resized-July-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 A montage depicting 'things relevant to Tet Zoo' as of July 2011, and used in the article launching Tet Zoo ver 3. 2011 is such a long time ago... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1531608899784-JT7IGVGQN08IA01KYKG9/Tet-Zoo-ver-4-launch-1st-Tet-Z-ver-3-article-July-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.JPG Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 Screengrab of part of the very first article at Tet Zoo ver 3, the SciAm years (2011-2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532965890672-JLW8QUTYY39JCK7DJAEG/Tet-Zoo-12th-birthday-High-Tatras-Jan-2017-600-px-tiny-May-2018-Darren-Naish-Tetrapod-Zoology.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 The third (and final) part of the Tet Zoo 12th birthday review - published at Tet Zoo ver 3 - is currently offline because of image permission problems (read on). The article will have to be published here, at ver 4. Here's one of the photos from that article. It shows the High Tatras, Poland. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532968685033-2RUBGSYB8V83CV3YQFM2/Bossiney-Cove-gull-and-fulmar.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 Seabirds: yet another group of tetrapods I've never covered sufficiently at Tet Zoo (despite 12 years of operation). Let's correct that. Here, a Herring gull Larus argentatus protests at the nearby presence of a Northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis. Image: Darren Naish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510be2c1e4b0b9ef3923f158/1532964910907-H5GCDY2OHEEMV9H6GWLH/patreon-screengrab-June-2016.jpg Tetrapod Zoology Blog - Welcome to Tetrapod Zoology ver 4 There are currently over 550 in-progress illustrations at the Tet Zoo patreon. 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