#chasmosaur

[boobookittenartblog]

Western North America hosted a remarkable diversity of dinosaurs during the Campanian period. Among the most diverse clades was the Chasmosaurinae. Up until now, ten chasmosaur species have been recognised from the upper Campanian of western North America, with distinct species occurring in the northern and southern parts of the continent...

Read more: New species of dinosaur discovered lying forgotten in a museum

Picture credit: University of Bath

[alphynix]

In the late 1990s a partial skeleton of a ceratopsian was discovered in New Mexico, USA. These remains were initially thought to belong to Torosaurus, but after more of the specimen was recovered in the mid-2010s it became clear the bones actually represented an entirely new species of horned dinosaur – officially named in 2022 as Sierraceratops turneri.

Sierraceratops lived during the Late Cretaceous, around 72 million years ago, in what at the time was the southern region of the island continent of Laramidia. About 4.6m long (~15'), it had fairly short chunky brow horns, long pointed cheek horns, and a relatively large frill.

It was part of a unique lineage of ceratopsians that were endemic to southern Laramidia, with its closest known relatives being Bravoceratops from western Texas and Coahuilaceratops from northern Mexico.

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Nix Illustration | Tumblr | Twitter | Patreon

[actual-haise]

Quick drawing of Torosaurus inspired by the nonbinary flag for Pride Month

[cu-riogach]

Ornithischian Illustrations #1

Triceratops horridus

The drab palette of the body was inspired by mammalian megafauna, primarily rhinocerotes. The blue colouration was inspired by the colourfulness of birds, but there was no specfic reference in-mind. This was meant to be an older bull; I imagine females would have less colourful frills, as bright ornaments are usually secondary sex characteristics.

Camptosaurus dispar

Colouration innspired by the Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). Depicted individual is female.

Scolosaurus cutleri

Colour pattern was not referenced from any specific aninimal. This individual was inteded to be a female, I imagine males would be more brightly-coloured.

Heterodontosaurus tucki

Colouration inspired by meerkats (Suricata suricatta) and various ratites—the tuft of fuzz on the head was copied directly from emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae). Pictured individual is male.

[whendinosaursruledtheworld]

Top 100 Dinosaur facts: Day 22

Chasmosaurus had huge openings on its frill. Thes helped to lighten the frill so they could move and lift their heads.

Image Source

[sciencetoastudent]

Posted by David Orr at 7:40 AM

Welcome to part two of the LITC 2014 Dinosaur Gift Guide! If you missed the first installment, check it out here. the goal with this brief series of posts is to highlight artists and other independent creators of dinosaur goods. Since paleontology depends on the work of artists to reach the public, it's vital to directly support them when possible. There has never been an easier time to do it, and dinosaur lovers have never had such a wealth of amazing art by so many talented people. Onward with the second installment. I've decided to split this guide off into a trilogy to keep the post lengths reasonable, so the third and final part will be coming Wednesday!

The Paleopost Postcard set, featuring the work of Tiffany Turrill and Brynn Metheney. Tiffany Turrill and Brynn Metheney are concept artists in the videogame industry, and every single time they share their dinosaur work, it's the sweetest of sweet treats. Their Paleopost postcard set is a great way to get some of their finest work in one package - saurian and otherwise extinct. Arthropod Meeting by Glendon Mellow, available from his Redbubble shop as a print or as part of his wonderful 2015 calendar. Glendon Mellow doesn't do a lot of dinosaurs, but his utterly unique eye deserves inclusion here, often drawing from prehistory for inspiration in his surreal juxtapositions. His Avimimus, available as an iPhone or Galaxy case would be a great set of training wheels for someone working up the nerve to commission him for one of his striking tattoo designs! Trikeratos by Scott Elyard, an exploration of cybernetic technology and prehistoric life, available as prints, pillow, tote bag, or tee at Redbubble. Scott Elyard also has a uniquely unfettered imagination, with a portfolio populated by cybernetic saurians and brightly colored skull portraits. Lesser Bowertyrant by Raven Amos, available as a print, pillow, or tote bag from Redbubble. Raven Amos' work is consistently eye-popping, with bold color choices, stylistic daring, and intricate line work. Raven's work is available at Neatorama as well as Redbubble. The Neatorama store also includes her Nintendo/Kaiju Mashup series. Her GaMario and Linkzilla are slam dunks. The mighty Dreadnoughtus, illustrated by Christopher DiPiazza and available as a print from the Jersey Boys Hunt Dinosaurs Zazzle shop. Christopher DiPiazza has been sharing wonderful watercolor paintings of dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasties for a good long while over at Jersey Boys Hunt Dinosaurs, and you can support him and the blog as an enterprise at their official Zazzle shop. From their heraldic blog logo to feathered maniraptors panoramas, there's plenty of great stuff to choose from. The Caffienated Raptor mug, by Emily Willoughby and available from her on-line store. Emily Willoughby is a shining star in today's paleoart universe, bringing a naturalism to her feathered maniraptors that perhaps more than anyone other single body of work invites lovers of today's extant theropods to extend that appreciation to their Mesozoic forebears. The TetZoo Aisle The covers of All Yesterdays and Cryptozoologicon: Volume 1, from Irregular Books. The fellows of the TetZoo/ Irregular Books empire are marvels of productivity, especially considering the high quality of their work. I consider All Yesterdays a must-have for paleoart enthusiasts, both for the sheer volume of beautiful, challenging work inside and for the way it communicates the strong tug-of-war between imagination and inference at the heart of paleontological restoration. Their Cryptozoologicon: Volume 1 applies a similar approach to the existence of cryptids. Darren Naish's Tetrapod Zoology: Book 1 would round out a nice little book set. Of course, there are other options available to support their unflagging efforts to educate and inspire natural history enthusiasts. Memo Kosemen sells prints from his DeviantArt account, John Conway sells his from his own site, and Darren Naish sells his designs on tees at Redbubble. The TetZoo Podcast also has its own Redbubble shop.

We'll wrap up with the third part on Wednesday, which will include even more artwork and books to stuff those stockings with.

[sciencetoastudent]

Posted by David Orr at 3:10 PM

Though any time of year is the right time to bestow a saurian gift upon a friend or loved one, this time of year seems to put special focus on gift-giving. I'm not sure why. In the interest of helping people find unique and inspiring dinosaur gifts, I've put together this guide. It's certainly not meant to be comprehensive, but rather is an attempt help you choose gifts that both delight their recipient and support the forward progress of paleontology. One easy and meaningful way to do that is to support artists who care about how distant chapters of life's story are presented, and work hard to research their subjects and depict them in novel ways. Also deserving of support are the publishers who commission said artists and dedicated shops who specialize in dinosaurs, such as Everything Dinosaur and Dan's Dinosaurs. What I especially love about the Dan's Dinosaurs is that they work directly with artists, so there are a number of links below that lead to their site - if you're looking to wow someone with original artworks or excellent sculptures, it's a great place to start. Andy Farke at the Integrative Paleontologists had a similar post idea, and beat me to the punch. Be sure to read his gift guide over there. Since this was already mostly written up, and there are a few differences, I figured I'd go ahead and post mine, as well. It's so packed with sweet goodies, I'll be splitting it in two, with the second half queued up for Monday.

Stenopterygius Palaeoplushie by Rebecca Groom, available at Etsy. Rebecca Groom's work has been steadily growing in popularity, and for good reason. She crafts some of the finest plush prehistoric critters I've seen (and you don't have to rely on my opinion - her Velociraptor Kickstarter was a resounding success). Her Palaeoplushies are available in limited supply at her Etsy shop, with a larger range at Dan's Dinosaurs. Rebecca also designed a heraldic Microraptor that would be welcome in any enthusiast's wardrobe. Velociraptor portrait by Angela Connor, available at her Redbubble shop. Angela Connor has popped up here before when I included her Paleo Portraits series in a Mesozoic Miscellany post. I love the simplicity and charm of the project, putting special focus on the "soul" of the animals, if I may be so woo-woo. Stegoceras validum by Matt Martyniuk, available as a print from his DeviantArt store. Matt Martyniuk is no stranger to readers of this blog, as a whip-smart researcher and terrific illustrator. His book projects would be especially inspiring to the paleontology prodigies in your life. His A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs came out in 2012, and this year he released his first Beasts of Antiquity title. Matt also sells prints at his DeviantArt page, my favorites of which reimagine classic natural history illustration styles of the 18th and 19th century with modern knowledge of dinosaurs: as if an Audubon stepped into the Mesozoic. Tempest Tricera by Sharon Wegner-Larson, available from her Redbubble shop or Etsy. Sharon Wegner-Larson's Synapsid Sunrise was one of the delights of our All Yesterdays Contest back in 2013. Her paleo-themed fabric designs such are wonderful (see the full set here), as are her watercolors of sea life and Mesozoic megafauna such as the incredible Triceratops shared above. Her Redbubble shop has two of her pieces, and you can currently purchase pillows, paintings, and prints in her Etsy Store. Chubbie Anzu by David Krentz, from his Shapeways store. David Krentz is also a fixture in the online paleo community, a jack-of-all trades who nonetheless seems to be a master of all. He has a Shapeways shop where you can purchase his sculptures (ranging from realistic to the fanciful like the Anzu shared above), and Dan's Dinosaurs sells his work as well. For the budding paleoartists in your life, the Krentz Presentz: Drawing Tyrannosaurus Rex DVD available from Dan's Dinosaurs would be an ideal choice. As if that wasn't enough, David has some really fun designs available on tees in his Redbubble shop. Oviraptorid tee shirt by Jaime Headden, available from Redbubble. Jaime Headden's illustrates intricately stippled skulls and life restorations, and would be perfect for those who admire the simple elegance of skeletal anatomy. Prairie Moon Corythosaurus (original painting) by Angie Rodrigues, available from Dan's Dinosaurs. Angie Rodrigues hasn't been very active lately, but is one of my perennial favorites. Her originals are featured at Dan's Dinosaurs, and for those who can't quite spend that much, she's got prints available at her own Redbubble shop and DeviantArt, including Triceratops: Autumn Refuge and Fly Away, featuring Iguanodon and Iberomesornis. Ornithomimosaurs in autumn, available from Chris Masnaghetti's Society 6 page. Christian Masnaghetti's work has impressed me for a while, and he keeps pushing himself stylistically and technically (I love his recent "Spino-potamus"). Purchase his prints at Society 6 and Redbubble. I also interviewed him a couple years ago, so check out more of his stuff there.

Stay tuned for the second half on Monday, which includes much more artwork as well as a number of books to stock the shelves of the dinosaur enthusiasts in your life (surely you know dozens).

[demi-shoggoth]

Samebito

Image by deviantart user chasmosaur

[The samebito comes from a rather different background than many of the yokai proper we've showcased here. Rather than originating in picture scrolls written explicitly to create yokai or in folktales incorporated into those scrolls, the samebito is a monster with a literary pedigree. The earliest record of these critters appears in a gesaku, the Edo-period equivalent of a short story. Samebito were brought to the attention of the west by Lacfadio Hearn, who did much to publicize Japanese traditions with his series of books.

I haven't been able to find a single illustration of a samebito that matches what I've got in my head--I see the samebito as looking something like an anthropomorphic goblin shark.]

Samebito

An enormous creature stands here, a cross between an ogre and a shark. It clutches a polearm in its clawed hands. A beard of tendrils like an octopus’ arms dangles at the base of its massive jaws, and its nose points far beyond its emerald eyes.

Despite their monstrous appearances, samebito have the same range of personalities as humans do—they are as likely to be kindly as they are to be cruel. These martial giants of the deep seas maintain their own civilization far below the waves, but most of them find employment as bodyguards, artisans or elite troops for more powerful oceanic creatures such as dragons, storm giants and even kraken. They typically approach humanoids with cautious skepticism, knowing that their monstrous appearances create problems. A samebito befriended, however, is a fast and loyal ally.

Samebito are carnivores, hunting whales and other oceanic leviathans for sustenance. All samebito possess some innate magical skill, which many of them turn to the creation of magical weapons. The forges of the samebito, built around abyssal volcanoes, are said to be some of the most wondrous on the Material Plane. Although it has been said that the tears of a samebito become pearls and rubies, this is merely a reference to the vast stores of wealth that these treasures bestow upon the samebito.

Samebito CR 12 XP 19,200 N monstrous humanoid (aquatic) Init +7; Senses darkvision 120 ft., keen scent, low-light vision, Perception +23, Defense AC 26, touch 16, flat-footed 23 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +12 natural, +4 deflection) hp 172 (15d10+90) Fort +11, Ref +12, Will +12 DR 10/magic; Resist cold 10, fire 10; Defensive Qualities deep-born Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 60 ft. Melee +2 naginata +23/+18/+13 (1d10+12/x4), bite +18 (2d6+3 plus bleed), beard +18 (1d6+3 plus disarm) or 2 claws +20 (1d8+7), bite +20 (2d6+7 plus bleed), beard +18 (1d6+3 plus disarm) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (20 ft. with naginata) Special Attacks bleed (1d6) Spell-like Abilities CL 15th, concentration +19 Constant—freedom of movement, shield of faith Statistics Str 25, Dex 17, Con 23, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 14 Base Atk +15; CMB +23 (+27 disarm); CMD 36 (40 vs. disarm) Feats Combat Expertise, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Greater Disarm, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Master Craftsman, Multiattack Skills Craft (weaponsmith) +21, Perception +23, Stealth +21, Survival +19, Swim +16; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth Languages Common, Aquan SQ amphibious Ecology Environment temperate costal and aquatic Organization solitary, pair or retinue (3-10) Treasure double standard (+2 naginata, other treasures) Special Abilities Beard (Ex) A samebito’s beard is a secondary attack that deals bludgeoning damage. A samebito may make a free combat maneuver check to disarm without provoking an attack of opportunity when it hits with its beard attack. Deep-born (Ex) A samebito is immune to damage from water pressure. Keen Scent (Ex) A samebito can notice creatures by scent in a 180 foot radius underwater and can smell blood in the water at a range of 1 mile.