Tyler Keillor
@tylerkeillor.bsky.social
Dad, husband, paleoartist.
Lab manager for Paul Sereno at University of Chicago Fossil Lab
Lab manager for Paul Sereno at University of Chicago Fossil Lab
Prepping out a super-hard concretion from between the jugal, quadrate & pterygoid of a huge fossil croc (this is 1 hour sped up), slowly making a dent… speaking of time, later this afternoon on a campus zoom ceremony for staff, I’ll be recognized for my 25 years working @ UChicago 🐊😁
November 20, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Prepping out a super-hard concretion from between the jugal, quadrate & pterygoid of a huge fossil croc (this is 1 hour sped up), slowly making a dent… speaking of time, later this afternoon on a campus zoom ceremony for staff, I’ll be recognized for my 25 years working @ UChicago 🐊😁
You’re OK! Hugs!
November 14, 2025 at 3:48 PM
You’re OK! Hugs!
Any paleo folks in the Chicagoland area- this afternoon is our final Open House of 2025 - come see what we’ve been working on at the Fossil Lab, 5437 S. Wabash (just West of UChicago main campus). We’ll continue hosting our monthly Open Houses in the spring of 2026! 🦕🦖
November 13, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Any paleo folks in the Chicagoland area- this afternoon is our final Open House of 2025 - come see what we’ve been working on at the Fossil Lab, 5437 S. Wabash (just West of UChicago main campus). We’ll continue hosting our monthly Open Houses in the spring of 2026! 🦕🦖
Last night we saw some of the northern lights despite light pollution over Chicagoland!
November 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Last night we saw some of the northern lights despite light pollution over Chicagoland!
Outstanding rediscovery!
Until I enlarged the image, all I could see was a happy little skull!
Until I enlarged the image, all I could see was a happy little skull!
November 10, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Outstanding rediscovery!
Until I enlarged the image, all I could see was a happy little skull!
Until I enlarged the image, all I could see was a happy little skull!
Looking forward to reading this new pterosaur study, and fitting that while driving home this afternoon I caught this pterosaur-shaped cloud over Chicago!😎
November 6, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Looking forward to reading this new pterosaur study, and fitting that while driving home this afternoon I caught this pterosaur-shaped cloud over Chicago!😎
my Birthday plans for this evening include getting sushi with my wife and son & watching Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster because it’s #GodzillaDay !
November 3, 2025 at 9:07 PM
my Birthday plans for this evening include getting sushi with my wife and son & watching Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster because it’s #GodzillaDay !
A lovely day @ Chicago’s National Museum of Mexican Art, in solidarity w/ our fellow human beings’ beautiful & diverse cultural traditions for Dia de los Muertos…and saw some great graffiti in the neighborhood too!
November 2, 2025 at 9:33 PM
A lovely day @ Chicago’s National Museum of Mexican Art, in solidarity w/ our fellow human beings’ beautiful & diverse cultural traditions for Dia de los Muertos…and saw some great graffiti in the neighborhood too!
Happy Halloween!
October 31, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Happy Halloween!
I can just see from that smile what’s in home iguana’s imagination right now!:
October 25, 2025 at 1:35 AM
I can just see from that smile what’s in home iguana’s imagination right now!:
Check out this timelapse I made while giving an Edmontosaurus a pedicure!
One small part of the story out today in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
One small part of the story out today in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 23, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Check out this timelapse I made while giving an Edmontosaurus a pedicure!
One small part of the story out today in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
One small part of the story out today in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
I’m using a “Chicago pneumatic”, a workhorse engraving pen, not built for fossil prep technically, but widely adopted in the past- though now more options exist from a few companies that are more $$ but built for the purpose. We use a range for different tasks! 🦴
October 17, 2025 at 6:15 PM
I’m using a “Chicago pneumatic”, a workhorse engraving pen, not built for fossil prep technically, but widely adopted in the past- though now more options exist from a few companies that are more $$ but built for the purpose. We use a range for different tasks! 🦴
On #fossilfriday cleaning very hard matrix off a tiny portion of a five-foot-long skull of Sarcosuchus…patience, this takes a while! 🐊💀
October 17, 2025 at 4:18 PM
On #fossilfriday cleaning very hard matrix off a tiny portion of a five-foot-long skull of Sarcosuchus…patience, this takes a while! 🐊💀
Any Chicago area paleo folks out there- please feel welcome to come to the University of Chicago Fossil Lab monthly Open House this afternoon from 3:30-5:00 pm and see what we’re working on!
5437 S. Wabash Ave., just West of main campus 🦕🦖
5437 S. Wabash Ave., just West of main campus 🦕🦖
October 9, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Any Chicago area paleo folks out there- please feel welcome to come to the University of Chicago Fossil Lab monthly Open House this afternoon from 3:30-5:00 pm and see what we’re working on!
5437 S. Wabash Ave., just West of main campus 🦕🦖
5437 S. Wabash Ave., just West of main campus 🦕🦖
Driving home in Chicago today, a group of black SUVs w/ tinted windows swerved to block traffic & U-turn near a bus stop at an intersection (55th & Kildare), masked tactical wearing terrorists jumped out and ran down a residential street. I called: www.icirr.org/fsn
www.chicago.gov/city/en/site...
www.chicago.gov/city/en/site...
September 26, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Driving home in Chicago today, a group of black SUVs w/ tinted windows swerved to block traffic & U-turn near a bus stop at an intersection (55th & Kildare), masked tactical wearing terrorists jumped out and ran down a residential street. I called: www.icirr.org/fsn
www.chicago.gov/city/en/site...
www.chicago.gov/city/en/site...
Another repair I made at that same time (’99-‘00) to the ribs of the defeated Lambeosaurus…after a visitor apparently climbed over the railing & onto the mount to pose for a photo! Mainly cracked plaster filler on bent armatures, which I filled & painted to match with Bill Simpson‘s guidance
September 25, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Another repair I made at that same time (’99-‘00) to the ribs of the defeated Lambeosaurus…after a visitor apparently climbed over the railing & onto the mount to pose for a photo! Mainly cracked plaster filler on bent armatures, which I filled & painted to match with Bill Simpson‘s guidance
The ramp was so close to the Apatosaurus that visitors could reach over the wall and grab the tail: here I am in ‘99 or ‘00 repairing a caudal that was snapped by a visitor (after receiving how-to instructions from Bill Simpson in Geology) back when I was on Exhibits Maintenance staff
September 25, 2025 at 2:06 AM
The ramp was so close to the Apatosaurus that visitors could reach over the wall and grab the tail: here I am in ‘99 or ‘00 repairing a caudal that was snapped by a visitor (after receiving how-to instructions from Bill Simpson in Geology) back when I was on Exhibits Maintenance staff
#SciArtSeptember -prompt today is Fellowship- I’m so grateful to the researchers out there who value the power of art to communicate to the public & collaborate with artists like me to realize these projects! My #paleoart Cyonosaurus yawned all the way to the Field Museum to join Arjan Mann’s team!
September 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM
#SciArtSeptember -prompt today is Fellowship- I’m so grateful to the researchers out there who value the power of art to communicate to the public & collaborate with artists like me to realize these projects! My #paleoart Cyonosaurus yawned all the way to the Field Museum to join Arjan Mann’s team!
Natural bristles from a brush glued onto snout, trimmed and painted for a subtle fuzzy display…I think it’s done! I‘ll add some final thoughts on my new Cyonosaurus sculpture in a follow up thread next-
September 22, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Natural bristles from a brush glued onto snout, trimmed and painted for a subtle fuzzy display…I think it’s done! I‘ll add some final thoughts on my new Cyonosaurus sculpture in a follow up thread next-
It’s debatable wether these guys had whiskers or fuzz of any kind, but Arjan was open to the idea, and the skulls do have interesting pattern of foramina which I could see supporting some kind of sensory features. Short lengths of nylon monofilament are used to suggest simple vibrissae
September 22, 2025 at 12:46 AM
It’s debatable wether these guys had whiskers or fuzz of any kind, but Arjan was open to the idea, and the skulls do have interesting pattern of foramina which I could see supporting some kind of sensory features. Short lengths of nylon monofilament are used to suggest simple vibrissae
Research team Naiomi & Arjan approved coloration direction & gave some suggestions as I refined the paint job. Last steps after this: to add protowhiskers and some fuzz, next!
September 22, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Research team Naiomi & Arjan approved coloration direction & gave some suggestions as I refined the paint job. Last steps after this: to add protowhiskers and some fuzz, next!
The acrylic teeth aren’t painted, but for the skin I use acrylic paint applied by hand with brushes in many layers; here’s the base coat, blocking out areas on the Cyonosaurus cast
September 21, 2025 at 11:47 PM
The acrylic teeth aren’t painted, but for the skin I use acrylic paint applied by hand with brushes in many layers; here’s the base coat, blocking out areas on the Cyonosaurus cast
I used dental acrylic cast into the teeth, & tinted polyurethane resin slushed in layers for the skin, then filled w/ foam to backfill solid but lightweight. I don’t usually cast w/ the glass eyes in-place, but did this time & used darker resin there because that would work w/ color scheme planned
September 21, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I used dental acrylic cast into the teeth, & tinted polyurethane resin slushed in layers for the skin, then filled w/ foam to backfill solid but lightweight. I don’t usually cast w/ the glass eyes in-place, but did this time & used darker resin there because that would work w/ color scheme planned