Sophie M.
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sophiesaurus98.bsky.social
Sophie M.
@sophiesaurus98.bsky.social
1.9K followers 2.4K following 2.2K posts
Writer for Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs - Creator of the speculative evolution project "A New Age of Reptiles" - Natural History and Palaeontology Pop Culture - 27 - (she/her) -
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Reposted by Sophie M.
extinctmonsters.bsky.social
Some images here from the new Natural History Museum of Abu Dhabi. This is where Stan and several other recent high-profile dinosaur sales went.
Museum display of two Tyrannosaurus skeletons, one biting the other in the neck, in front of a verdant projection wall. Looking up a staircase at a big room with a geometric dome-like roof, containing at least four sauropod skeletons A replica whale fall on a sloped platform with a suspended whale skeleton and model shark overhead Gallery with several replica Cenozoic mammals, including what looks like a Deinotherium and Sivatherium
November 20, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
chasmosaurs.bsky.social
Another Michael Benton dinosaur book? Hard to believe we haven't covered them all by now!
Vintage Dinosaur Art: Dinosaurs (Kingfisher My First Encyclopedia)
Right then – who remembers this one? Hopefully quite a few of you, as it was originally published in 1990 in hardback as part of the Young World series, with this paperback recycling appearing in 2…
chasmosaurs.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Reposted by Sophie M.
joannakobierska.bsky.social
Steppe lion enjoys the last days of summer.
But mornings are getting colder, winter is coming.
November 20, 2025 at 11:36 PM
sophiesaurus98.bsky.social
Leaked image from Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age, don't tell Apple!
A cartoony drawing of a mammoth flinging a wolf over its head.
November 20, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
caleb-m-gordon.bsky.social
Hey everyone! I’m excited to share that one of my thesis projects was just published in @currentbiology.bsky.social and featured on phys.org! In this paper, we use an old statistical approach developed by the US Navy in WW2 to predict the aquatic habits of various dinosaurs and marine reptiles 🦖🐊
November 20, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
skwinnicki.bsky.social
Also, it's super fucked up that every cool unsolved bird mystery (like how birds orient during migration, still a very open question in the field, with support for a bunch of alternative hypotheses) is presented as definitely solved by the Google AI.
Google AI result that states "Birds sense magnetic fields through a light-dependent chemical reaction involving a protein called cryptochrome (specifically, Cry4) in their eyes, which allows them to "see" the magnetic field as a visual pattern." There are also a bunch of images of birds and magnetic fields.
November 20, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
witmerlab.bsky.social
Highly recommended! I just finished a cover-to-cover read, and it's a great addition to the avian sensory ecology literature with excellent discussions of the links between brain & behavior. I prefer reading paper books (better retention) but the whole thing is freely downloadable! bit.ly/482xPZm 🦉🧠
"Bird Brains and Behavior: A Synthesis" book by Georg Striedter & Andrew Iwaniuk, surrounded by birds skulls and 3D printed brain endocasts of, from left, ostrich, golden eagle, African grey parrot, American crow, and wild turkey. The pale turquoise endocast is that of a New Caledonian crow.
November 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
dynamoterror.bsky.social
Colored sketch of the newly-validated Nanotyrannus lancensis, though it’s not having a good time. This baby has found itself grappled by a particularly ambitious Didelphodon, after wandering a little too far from home. #backinhell #paleoart #sciart #cretaceous
Colored-pencil drawing of a Didelphodon in a sit-up position, grabbing onto a fluffy baby Nanotyrannus with both hands and one of its feet while its jaws completely envelop and crush the back of the small theropod’s skull. The Didelphodon is overall very dark brown in color, while the baby Nanotyrannus is a mix of olive tan and orange with thin dorsal stripes.
November 10, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
triloboii.bsky.social
A foggy morning in late Cretaceous Montana. The carcass of a large softshell turtle becomes a battleground for Hell Creek's two most ferocious apex predators...

I'm a little late to nano hype but I've got to fill my quota for one non-avian dinosaur per year

#paleoart #sciart #backinhell
Digital illustration of the late Cretaceous tyrannosauroid dinosaur Nanotyrannus lanciensis in a foggy flooded open forest. The dinosaur is surrounded by warm fall foliage, palmettos and reeds. It is pulling sharply at a bit of sinewy meat from the neck of the carcass of a large softshell turtle, Axestemys in some shallow water. A small possum-like mammal, Didelphodon, is disturbed by this, hissing and splashing at the tall dinosaur Digital black and white lineart of the late Cretaceous tyrannosauroid dinosaur Nanotyrannus lanciensis in a foggy flooded open forest. The dinosaur is surrounded by warm fall foliage, palmettos and reeds. It is pulling sharply at a bit of sinewy meat from the neck of the carcass of a large softshell turtle, Axestemys in some shallow water. A small possum-like mammal, Didelphodon, is disturbed by this, hissing and splashing at the tall dinosaur
November 20, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
arctomet.bsky.social
Xin-xin Ren, Xu-ri Wang, Yi-chuan Liu & Shu-bin Ju (2025)
Late Jurassic tectono-volcanic evolution and sauropod radiation of eastern Jiangnan orogen: Evidence from Tunxi Formation, China
China Geology 8(4): 779-796
doi: doi.org/10.31035/cg2...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
doi.org
November 19, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
arctomet.bsky.social
Description of a new clutch of Nanhsiungoolithus chuetienensis reveals possible parataxonomic affiliation of dromaeosaurid egg: Historical Biology: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Description of a new clutch of Nanhsiungoolithus chuetienensis reveals possible parataxonomic affiliation of dromaeosaurid egg
A new clutch of a rarely described oospecies, Nanhsiungoolithus chuetienensis is detailed in this work. The clutch contains 14 eggs radially arranged in two concentric rings, representing the most ...
www.tandfonline.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
deepfrieddna.bsky.social
After being declared extinct twice(!), it was on this day in 1948 that the Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) was rediscovered again. Thanks to intensive conservation work there are now more than 500. www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/tak...
The incredible takahē story
Thought to be extinct not once but twice, the takahē's remarkable story of survival and rediscovery is a testament to the resilience of nature.
www.doc.govt.nz
November 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
mmarcosaurus.bsky.social
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Functional anatomy, jaw mechanisms, and feeding behavior of Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi, Arthrodira)
A new musculoskeletal reconstruction and revision of the cranio-mandibular anatomy of the Devonian arthrodire placoderm Dunkleosteus terrelli from a comparative and functional anatomical perspective....
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
tetzoo.bsky.social
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age: 5 reasons to watch Apple TV’s mammoth new natural history show www.shortlist.com/entertainmen... #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge #AppleTV #BBCStudios
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age: 5 reasons to watch Apple TV’s mammoth new natural history show
Featuring some of the coolest special effects in TV history, we go behind the scenes with the CGI masters at London’s Framestore to meet the artists behind the arctic chill.
www.shortlist.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
serpenillus.bsky.social
Yesterday during a visit to the UTA Herpetology Collection, was my first time seeing a preserved specimen of the Goliath Frog (Conraua goliath), the largest frog in the world. Wow, I just couldn’t believe how massive it was!!!
#frogs #herpetology
Photo of the curator of the herpetology collection of UTA holding a preserved specimen of a Goliath Frog
November 20, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
uglyfossils.bsky.social
Alas, this article on our reptile decomposition research does not come in a scratch-and-sniff format. However, if you'd like to see what my students, colleagues, and I have been up to with our decomposing lizards and crocodylians, here's your chance. 🧪
CSI: Cretaceous. A reptile body farm is shedding light on how dinosaurs died.
Here’s how scientists are solving the “dinosaur death pose” mystery and others.
www.nationalgeographic.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
quentin-cosnefroy.bsky.social
Did Neandertals choose their prey when practicing cannibalism?🍖

Check out our new study, just published in Scientific Reports - @natureportfolio.nature.com!

We provide the strongest evidence to date for a highly selective cannibalism at the end of Neandertal lineage, 41-45.000 years ago.

1/7
Highly selective cannibalism in the Late Pleistocene of Northern Europe reveals Neandertals were targeted prey - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Highly selective cannibalism in the Late Pleistocene of Northern Europe reveals Neandertals were targeted prey
doi.org
November 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
friendsofmidway.bsky.social
#Wisdom is back!
The world’s oldest known living banded bird, Mōlī (Laysan albatross) queen, has returned to Kuailhelani (Midway Atoll). #Birds
November 20, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Reposted by Sophie M.
nywolforg.bsky.social
The Trump administration announced it intended to restore changes to the ESA, a move quickly criticized as ensuring a death sentence to countless species.

The new regulations include changes that will eliminate protections afforded to threatened species under Section 4(d) of the Act. bit.ly/3XJbkDP
Trump Administration Proposes Changes To Endangered Species Act Regulations
In a move long expected, the Trump administration said Wednesday it intended to restore regulatory changes to the Endangered Species Act that President Donald Trump made during his first term, a move ...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org
November 19, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
titoaureliano.bsky.social
🚨New paper alert!🚨

Tooth replacement rates in ancient reptile clades revealed through histology

It brings tooth growth line counts from pterosaurs, dinosaurs, crocodyliforms, and mosasaurs

anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
November 19, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
levihastings.bsky.social
The last leaves of autumn glow even brighter to a hungry pair of Therizinosaurus, bulking up for a long winter. These strange dinosaurs are some of my favorites, and though they're slow movers, they made it just in time to be included in my new calendar!
Digital illustration of a pair of Therizinosaurus dinosaurs grazing autumn leaves in a forest. Art by Levi Hastings detail illustration of Therizinosaurus dinosaurs grazing autumn leaves in a forest. Art by Levi Hastings
November 19, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
ba1laurthebondoc.bsky.social
irritator #paleoart
a lineless digital drawing of an irritator challengeri. it is drawn in a neutral pose, as if walking. its jaw is slightly open. the coloration is inspired by a common loon (gavia immer) with black scales adorned with an white underbelly, stripes and spots; the neck and the small crest are a subtle, iridescent blue. its eye is bright red, wide open. there are 3 versions of the same drawing, one featuring vibrant orange and cyan shading and lighting, a flat version, without the shading and the lighting, and a black and white version. behind the irritator is a black background, surrounded by an uneven, white border. the last image featured in the post is an older drawing ive made, of the same loon-like irritator. the main difference betwen the newer version and the older version is the quality of the anatomy, as well as the level of detail
November 19, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
sauriancyh.bsky.social
Share 4 artworks and tag 4 (or more) people!

I might have a liking of feathery critters, just a bit.

@ferrutxoart.bsky.social
@vyhrart.bsky.social
@extinctfineart.bsky.social
@nataliajagielska.bsky.social
A pair of Velociraptors sitting on a sand dune, under a firey orange sky. One of them has orange feathers, and is laying its head on its mate's back, which has blue feathers. A Microraptor wings open, leaping forward close to the ground, kicking up ginkgo leaves behind it. In the foreground is a forested hill, a blue pterosaur is flying past it; in the background, or the top right corner of the lower half of the image, there is a a plain surrounded by mountains, with a river winding through and flowing to the ocean; the entire sky is covered by white and grey clouds. Black and white drawing of a small pterosaur, with a ballpoint pen for comparison, the pterosaur's height being less than the pen's length. The pterosaur gas a long head with teeth and a small soft tissue crest, darker pycnofibers on its lower arm, upper arm and shin, and small dots on its wing membrane. It is standing on the ground, trying to pull a worm out of the ground with its mouth.
November 12, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Reposted by Sophie M.
vyhrart.bsky.social
Share 4 artworks and tag 4 (or more) people!

Missed this cause of SVP!
#paleoart #sciart

@paleobyliam.bsky.social
@drongojackburb.bsky.social
@emilyart.bsky.social
@lizlagomorph.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
drongojackburb.bsky.social
Share 4 artworks and tag 4 (or more) people!

Late to the party but better then never!

#paleoart #sciart #art
@rlatkdwls.bsky.social
@vyhrart.bsky.social
@paleoart.bsky.social
@hugopaleoart.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 3:31 PM