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kakapojay.bsky.social
Jay
@kakapojay.bsky.social
6.2K followers 310 following 1.1K posts
Producer for factual TV (Earth, Walking with Dinosaurs 2025, Evolution), science communicator, paleoartist, paleontology enthusiast (she/they) 🏳️‍⚧️

https://kakapojay.com/
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kakapojay.bsky.social
Jay @kakapojay.bsky.social · Oct 18
Hello new (and old) friends! I'm Jay and I'm an assistant producer for science documentaries (currently working on Walking with Dinosaurs 2025 & Evolution), a science communicator, and a paleoartist! Please do give me profile a look if that sounds like it's up your alley!

#sciart #paleoart
Me looking vaguely cute A profile illustration of a dodo Illustration of two tyrannosaurs doing a courtship dance through a burnt out forest Illustration of a Shantungosaurus coming across a parade of baby sauropods
kakapojay.bsky.social
I've finally left the other place. I should have done it a long time ago, but better late than never.
January 5, 2026 at 9:26 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
WIP preparing a VERY paleoflora heavy piece... pray for me
WIP of an Apatosaurus meandering through a Jurassic clearing
January 5, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Jay
nataliajagielska.bsky.social
Exciting news! I was interviewed by @currentbiology.bsky.social for their Q & A section, where I talk about the future of palaeontology, dangers of AI in education, social media and science communication. Featuring, my doodles!

cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)01552-0
January 5, 2026 at 3:49 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
A mated pair of Lisowicia trundle through a conifer forest. I'm not super happy with this piece (I really struggled with the lighting), but I'm glad I attempted a plant-heavy background with this Cheirolepidiaceae forest.

#sciart #paleoart
Two giant dicynodonts, brown and gold, move through a forest. The male is larger, with pointy downward facing tusks, and the female is smaller with forward facing tusks.
January 4, 2026 at 8:13 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
More Blender shenanigans, this time with Apatosaurus!
January 3, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Jay
carlbergstrom.com
"I don’t know why my fellowship was terminated. I suspect that it has something to do with studying a species that doesn’t fit the binary of what we expect to see in nature, with completely different males and females."

@carlzimmer.com profiles my wonderful coauthor @jjinsing.bsky.social Gift link.
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:10 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
My first bit of paleoart for 2026! A Torosaurus duel - I'm really enjoying including my Blender models in my workflow as it allows me to explore lots of composition options before comitting.

#sciart #paleoart
Two mottled brown Torosaurus duel at sunset.
January 1, 2026 at 10:43 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
Hardy little fellas!!
January 1, 2026 at 7:18 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
I've been spending a lot more time in Blender recently! Here's a Torosaurus - all movements somewhat exaggerated as I just wanted to play around with the rig and the damped motion of the tail
January 1, 2026 at 6:02 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
2025 was an absurdly challenging and painful year for me, as it seems it has been for very many people - but I am so proud of my achievements and I want to take a moment for them. (1/8)
Collage with myself and some of my projects this year - art and WWD2025
December 31, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Reposted by Jay
serpenillus.bsky.social
The time for my traditional post summing up the year is here! So, to wrap up 2025 I first want to take a moment to thank everyone here for being so amazingly supportive of my art and for always having such kind words and admiration for my work

#paleoart #sciart
A collage showing a pic of me in the center and 4 of my illustrations around
December 31, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Jay
emilyhiggs-art.bsky.social
Art vs artist 2025 🖊️🦖🦕
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#artvsartist #paleoart
December 30, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Jay
nataliajagielska.bsky.social
My updated website is up, which works as a visual CV 💙✨ it's also the main direct way of getting in touch with me regarding non-University enquiries

(switch to desktop mode, not phone optimised yet)
natalia-jagielska.weebly.com
NATALIA JAGIELSKA
Natalia Jagielska PhD, MEarthSci (b. 1997)   graduated with a Doctorate in Geosciences, specialising in vertebrate palaeontology, at the  University of Edinburgh  in 2024. Her team discovered...
natalia-jagielska.weebly.com
December 27, 2025 at 10:46 AM
kakapojay.bsky.social
Before we close out 2025, here is Walking with Dinosaurs thread number 4 (and a bit) – this time, The Pack, my personal favourite episode. It follows the young Albertosaurus Rose as she faces the trials and tribulations of the ancient Horseshoe Canyon– will she succeed? (1/60)
Rose the Albertosaurus
December 26, 2025 at 10:37 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
I've been trying this sort of quick-and-dirty approach to painting over my Blender models recently, and I'm really enjoying it!

(...I've only just realised those horns are too far forward)

#sciart #paleoart
Two Carnotaurus bellow at something off-screen.
December 26, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by Jay
joschuaknuppe.bsky.social
Manipuloyx, a new alvarezsaur with really fascinating hands!
The condition of the fingers isn't that unusual for the clade but the OSTEODERMS on the hand are new!
December 26, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Reposted by Jay
joschuaknuppe.bsky.social
You know what, lets make this easier!
Below are all the formation pieces done this year, what were your favorites this year, which ones are you looking forward to!
Bugti Hills, Bahariya, Rio do Rasto, Gigantopithecus assemblage...
December 25, 2025 at 3:53 AM
kakapojay.bsky.social
After four months and 36 illustrations, I present the final Kem Kem chart – a look at of one of the most incredible ecosystems the world has ever seen.

Short thread below!

#sciart #paleoart
Size comparison between Araripesuchus, Xericeps, Siroccopteryx, Rebbachisaurus, an indeterminate leptocleidid, Galianemys, Laganosuchus, Neoceratodus, an indeterminate iguanodontian, Hamadasuchus, Alanqa, Spinosaurus, an indeterminate titanosaur, Anhanguera, Ornithocheirus, Nicorhynchus, Aidachar, Elosuchus, Afrotapejara, Carcharodontosaurus, Onchopristis, Norisophis, Simoliophis, Bawitius, Apatorhamphus, Deltadromeus, Leptostomia, an indeterminate abelisaur, an indeterminate noasaurid, an indeterminate dromaeosaur, Concavotectum, Axelrodichthys, Tribodus, Haimirichia and myself.
December 22, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Reposted by Jay
emilyhiggs-art.bsky.social
Dunkleosteus ~ Dunkle’s bone 🐠🦴
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Here is my finished design for my monster of the deep 💙
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I went through many colour variations to find the right ‘look’ and I ended up going for this murky swamp-like palette
.
What do you think?

#paleoart #sciart
December 21, 2025 at 2:15 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
The last (!?) of our Kem Kem animals, the mackerel shark Haimirichia, and the hybodont Tribodus! These are both small bodied, not thought to breach the 2m mark.

Size comparison and important (!) note below ⬇️

#sciart #paleoart
A dark striped Haimirichia shark and a brown spotted Tribodus
December 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Jay
nataliajagielska.bsky.social
Before the European Enlightenment, cultures across the world engaged scientifically with the natural history, and showcased it visually with their own unique visual language and perception of the living world. I do not understand the current aversion to different "styles" in scientific visual art.
Fish Swimming Amid Falling Flowers (落花遊魚圖) Liu Cai (劉寀, active 1080-1120), Song Dynasty (960-1279) Handscroll, ink and color on silk The Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-25 AD) rhinoceros-shaped bronze zun vessel, decorated with gold and silver in cloud patterns Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911 Nie Huang The Illustrated Compendium of Marine Creatures, Volume 4. Horseshoe crab. Manuscript of Senchu-fu (lit. Thousand insects picture book) with ferns animal animals associated with the plant litter
December 16, 2025 at 5:42 AM
kakapojay.bsky.social
A new personal project - a short 2D-animated film, coming 2026!
A square poster with the title 'Ichor' in gold, against a dark background and a ring of curled up Camptosaurus.
December 15, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Jay
stievenvdp.bsky.social
Last of the walgvogels...
retro, woodblockstyle illustration of a dodo.
December 15, 2025 at 4:40 PM
kakapojay.bsky.social
I am so fucking sad and angry.
robinince.bsky.social Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 24d
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 10:16 AM
kakapojay.bsky.social
Yes!!!!!
December 11, 2025 at 10:48 AM