NatureSaurus @naturesaurus - Tumblr Blog

I'm alive! Sorry for not uploading anything for almost half a year. I've hardly drawn anything since March, and what I did draw wasn't worth showing.

Alright, now let's get to the good stuff. My art has been featured in the Mesozoic Art II book. I got my copy back in August, but didn't get to write about it until now. I'm honoured to be included among all these insanely talented artists (some were new to me). The book is packed with over 200 pages of amazing paleoart and I can't recommend it enough.

As for my section, it opens with an illustration I painted specifically for the book:

It's actually a new version of an old work from 2009:

I thought it would be a fun exercise to remake this work in higher resolution, with updated anatomy etc.

Unfortunately, the whole painting process was such such a slog, I wanted to give up halfway. I forced myself to keep painting until it looked right.

I'm quite happy with how it turned out, though if I were painting it now, I'd use the original, more vivid colours.

Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully it won’t take me another six months to post again :D

antiqueanimals

John Cyril Harrison (1898-1985). Shell Ducks Taking Flight Seaward. Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour.

Christie's

new-dinosaurs

Huaxiazhoulong shouwen Zhu et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Tail club of Huaxiazhoulong shouwen, from Zhu et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Huaxiazhoulong = Chinese armor dragon [in Chinese]; shouwen = painted in the shape of a beast [in Chinese]

Age: Late Cretaceous (Campanian)

Where found: Tangbian Formation, Jiangxi, China

How much is known: Partial skeleton of one individual including most major regions of the body other than the skull.

Notes: Huaxiazhoulong was an ankylosaurid ankylosaur, a group of armored dinosaurs in which most members had a bony club on the end of their tail. The club was likely used both as defense against predators and for fighting with members of their own species. Huaxiazhoulong can be distinguished from other known ankylosaurids in details of its hip and limb bones. It is estimated to have been about 6 m in total body length and is the first dinosaur to be named based on skeletal remains from the Tangbian Formation.

(Schematic skeletal of Huaxiazhoulong shouwen, from Zhu et al., 2024)

Reference: Zhu, Z., J. Wu, Y. You, Y. Jia, C. Chen, X. Yao, W. Zheng, and X. Xu. 2024. A new ankylosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Jiangxi Province, southern China. Historical Biology advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2417208

new-dinosaurs

Lishulong wangi Zhang et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Skull of Lishulong wangi, from Zhang et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Lishulong = Lishu dragon [in Chinese]; wangi = for Wang Zheng-Ju [Chinese fossil hunter]

Age: Early Jurassic (Sinemurian–Toarcian)

Where found: Lufeng Formation, Yunnan, China

How much is known: Partial skull and nine neck vertebrae of one individual.

Notes: Lishulong was an early sauropodomorph. Although many Early Jurassic sauropodomorphs have been named from the Lufeng Formation, Lishulong is the largest one yet found among them, and differs from the others in details of its skull and neck vertebrae. It appears to be closely related to fellow Lufeng sauropodomorph Yunnanosaurus.

Reference: Zhang, Q.-N., L. Jia, T. Wang, Y.-G. Zhang, and H.-L. You. 2024. The largest sauropodomorph skull from the Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation of China. PeerJ 12: e18629. doi: 10.7717/peerj.18629

clawmarks

Zoology: Animals including Birds - Johann Georg Heck; F.A. Brockhaus, pub. - 1850 - via David Rumsey Map Collection

new-dinosaurs

Tianzhenosaurus chengi Pang et al., 2024 (new species)

(Skeleton of Tianzhenosaurus chengi including the type skull, from Pang et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: chengi = for Cheng Zheng-Wu [Chinese paleontologist]

Age: Late Cretaceous (Campanian)

Where found: Huiquanpu Formation, Shanxi, China

How much is known: A nearly complete skull and a nearly complete rest of the skeleton, presumably from the same individual.

Notes: T. chengi was an ankylosaurine ankylosaur, a group of armored dinosaurs known for their distinctive tail club. It was found at the same locality as the only other named species of Tianzhenosaurus, T. youngi, but differs from it in details of its armor plating, skull, and vertebrae. Some researchers have suggested that Tianzhenosaurus represents the same genus as Saichania, an ankylosaur otherwise known from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia, though the describers of T. chengi maintain that the two are distinct enough to be considered separate.

Reference: Pang, Q., Z. Li, and Z. Guo. 2024. A new species of ankylosaurian dinosaur—Tianzhenosaurus chengi sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province, China. Journal of Hebei GEO University 47: 41–73. doi: 10.13937/j.cnki.hbdzdxxb.2024.06.006

new-dinosaurs

Buteo chimborazoensis Lo Coco et al., 2024 (new species)

(Type hindlimb of Buteo chimborazoensis [scale bars = 10 mm], from Lo Coco et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: chimborazoensis = from Mount Chimborazo

Age: Pleistocene (Late Pleistocene)

Where found: Cangagua Formation, Chimborazo, Ecuador

How much is known: A partial right hindlimb.

Notes: Buteo is a genus of medium- to large-sized raptors known from across Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. In Europe, members of this genus are known as buzzards, but species from the Americas (such as the well-known red-tailed hawk, B. jamaicensis) are generally called hawks instead.

B. chimborazoensis was slightly smaller than the red-tailed hawk, being around the same size as the Swainson's hawk (B. swainsoni). Although its overall anatomy indicates that it is probably a member of Buteo, it also shares a few similarities with species in Buteogallus, another genus of medium- to large-sized hawks.

Reference: Lo Coco, G.E., F.L. Agnolín, and J.L.R. Carrión. 2024. New records of Pleistocene birds of prey from Ecuador. Journal of Ornithology advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10336-024-02229-1

knuppitalism-with-ue

And here now the result of the Toolebuc formation #paleostream! This formation is the center of pterosaur diversity in Australia and after long back and fourth I decided to show a calm bay, with migrating protostegids being ambushed by a Kronosaurus.

Important note: this does not represent the depositional environment of this formation. The fossils were preserved in poor oxygenated waters with tons of specialized Inoceramus living on the substrate. However that doesn't really lend itself to an interesting composition.

As you can see in this size chart by B_Wither (modified by @petitepaleoartist and myself) the Toolebuc formation offers a host of predatory fish and marine reptiles. Interestingly ichthyosaurs and protostegids appear to be more common compared to older, colder formations.

Btw. the giant shark is present here as well, indirectly ;)

new-dinosaurs

Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus Rauhut et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Postorbitals [bones in the skull behind the eyes] of Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus [scale bar = 5 cm], from Rauhut et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Alpkarakush = large mythical bird from the Epic of Manas; kyrgyzicus = from the Kyrgyz Republic

Age: Middle Jurassic (Callovian)

Where found: Balabansai Formation, Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan

How much is known: Partial skeletons of two individuals, together including parts of the skull and limbs, as well as some vertebrae. Some isolated teeth and a wishbone from the same locality may also belong to this species (and possibly to one of the aforementioned individuals).

Notes: Alpkarakush was an allosauroid, a group of medium-sized to large theropods that also includes Allosaurus and Giganotosaurus. More specifically, it was a metriacanthosaurid, a lineage of allosauroids known mostly from the Jurassic of Eurasia. The bones in its skull forming the back rim of the eye socket exhibit prominent projections and a rough surface texture, suggesting that they may have supported keratinous display structures overhanging its eyes.

The type specimen of Alpkarakush is estimated to have been about 7–8 m long in total body length and to have weighed about 1.2 tons. Based on microscopic examination of their bone structure, the type specimen was at least 17 years old and close to fully grown when it died, whereas the second partial skeleton found alongside it belonged to a smaller, younger individual. The describers of Alpkarakush consider it plausible that the two individuals were associating with one another before they died.

(Schematic skeletal of Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus showing known bones [scale bar = 1 m], from Rauhut et al., 2024)

Reference: Rauhut, O.W.M., A.A. Bakirov, O. Wings, A.E. Fernandes, and T.R. Hübner. 2024. A new theropod dinosaur from the Callovian Balabansai Formation of Kyrgyzstan. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 201: zlae090. doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae090

new-dinosaurs

Agapornis longipes Pavia et al., 2024 (new species)

(Limb bones [A–J] and a partial lower jaw bone [K] of Agapornis longipes [scale bar = 10 mm], from Pavia et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: longipes = long foot [in Latin]

Age: Pliocene–Pleistocene (Piacenzian–Gelasian)

Where found: Kromdraai, Cooper's Cave, and Swartkrans, Gauteng, South Africa

How much is known: Numerous limb bones and a partial lower jaw bone. It is unknown whether any of these bones belonged to the same individuals.

Notes: Agapornis is the genus of lovebirds, a group of small parrots from Africa. As its name suggests, A. longipes had a relatively longer foot than any other known species of lovebird, living or extinct. Extant lovebirds feed heavily on grass seeds, and species with relatively longer hindlimbs tend to collect this food resource from the ground, so it is plausible that A. longipes also foraged in this manner.

Reference: Pavia, M., J. Braga, M. Delfino, L. Kgasi, A. Manegold, C. Steininger, B. Zipfel, and A. Val. 2024. A new species of lovebird (Aves, Psittaculidae, Agapornis) from the Plio-Pleistocene of the Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng, South Africa). Geobios advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2024.05.006

new-dinosaurs

Campananeyen fragilissimus Lerzo et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Braincase of Campananeyen fragilissimus [scale bar = 5 cm], from Lerzo et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Campananeyen = Las Campanas air [in Mapudungun]; fragilissimus = the most fragile [in Latin]

Age: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)

Where found: Candeleros Formation, Neuquén, Argentina

How much is known: Partial skeleton of one individual including parts of the skull, some vertebrae, the hips, and the feet.

Notes: Campananeyen was a rebbachisaurid, a group of sauropods best known for including the bizarre Nigersaurus from the Early Cretaceous of Niger. The preserved portions of the skull in the Campananeyen type specimen had been previously described in a 2016 paper, but were left unnamed at the time. Like in birds, much of the skeleton in sauropods was hollowed out by a complex network of air sacs extending from their respiratory system. In Campananeyen, this hollowing appears to have been particularly extensive, as it exhibits air spaces in the braincase and hip bones that have not been observed in other rebbachisaurids.

Reference: Lerzo, L.N., F.T. Fernández-Baldor, J.I. Canale, J.A. Whitlock, A. Otero, and P.A. Gallina. 2024. They all floated in the Cretaceous: new rebbachisaurid (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea) with a highly pneumatized skeleton from the Upper Cretaceous (lower Cenomanian) of Patagonia, Argentina. Historical Biology advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2383708

new-dinosaurs

Titanoperdix felixi Zelenkov et al., 2023 (new genus and species)

(Type coracoid of Titanoperdix felixi, from Zelenkov et al., 2023)

Meaning of name: Titanoperdix = titan [in Greek] Perdix [genus of partridges including the gray partridge]; felixi = for Felix Yanovich Dzerzhinsky [Russian zoologist who passed away in 2015]

Age: Pleistocene (Gelasian)

Where found: Malye Goly, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia

How much is known: A fragmentary right coracoid.

Notes: Titanoperdix was a phasianid, a group that includes chickens, partridges, and turkeys. It appears to have been closely related to extant partridges in the genus Perdix, such as the gray partridge (P. perdix). However, it was much larger, being about the size of a male black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix).

Reference: Zelenkov, N., E. Palastrova, N. Martynovich, A. Klementiev, A. Sizov, and N. Volkova. 2023. A tiny duck (Sibirionetta formozovi sp. nov.), a giant grey partridge (Titanoperdix felixi gen. et sp. nov.), a new rail (Porzana payevskyi sp. nov.), and other birds from the Early Pleistocene of Baikalian Siberia. Biological Communications 68: 261–272. doi: 10.21638/spbu03.2023.406

wolfsblog

WOLF ...

arminreindl

I know I usually talk about crocs, but this is too good not to share. A new giant basilosaurid whale with weird anatomy from the Eocene of Peru. Perucetus colossus is a peculiar animal. It's bones were incredibly thick and incredibly dense, very much unlike those of modern whales and even more extreme than even those of the thicker basilosaurids (aptly named Pachycetinae i.e. thick whales). These adaptations have been compared to modern manatees and dugongs. Know the weight range is highly dependent on what you base the math on. Using manatees as a proxy, you get a weight of "only" 85 tons....using extreme values for whales a whopping 340 tons. Mean values for whales a still really big 180 tons. This could indicate that Perucetus rivaled the Blue Whale as the worlds heaviest animal ever.

The ecology is poorly understood tho. We know basilosaurids preferred coastal waters, and with all the similarities to manatees it is reasonable to assume that Perucetus was a shallow water animal itself. It also likely wasn't the fastest swimmer. And the lack of a skull basically means we can't say much on its diet. We can wager a guess and say it wasn't a predator because, you know....it also likely wasn't a grazer. Cool as it would be, we don't really have herbivorous whales like that so its incredibly unlikely. The two more likely suggestions are that it lived on small animals burried in the ocean floor, sorta like a grey whale. Or that it was a scavenger like a sleeper shark (tho I find that suggestion far less likely, giving me scavenging T.rex vibes ngl). But again, once we get a skull we can talk about this better.

Sidenote I do find the name a little underwhelming. It's a bizarre animal and the best we could come up with is "Colossal whale from Peru". I'm also not a mammal person, but from what I'm being told the silhouette is a little exaggerated and it wasn't necessarily that thick in life.

Life reconstruction by A. Gennari, paper can be found here A heavyweight early whale pushes the boundaries of vertebrate morphology | Nature