Mark W. Westneat | Lightnews

Mark Westneat 🐟

@mwestneat.bsky.social

2.1K followers 600 following 170 posts

Biologist at UChicago interested in biomechanics, phylogenetics and evolution, structure and function, marine biodiversity and conservation, fishes of coral reefs and freshwaters

Videos

Environmental science 51%

Geography 14%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · 11d

Happy Halloween! We are THE haunted Harper Ave block in Hyde Park, and will serve candy to thousands of South Side Chicago kids tonight! I have a bunch of cool skulls out in the yard but the baseball graveyard is the most popular. 😆

Halloween graveyard with Cubs playoff hopes and White Sox whole season deeply grieved.

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · 25d

Seems like the L flag was bad luck. Brewers are now 0-3 after using it to celebrate their opponents loss. Oops.

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 27d

ICB
From the Evan's lab!
Developmental and Functional Interactions Structure Patterns of Variational #Modularity in the Lunar #Wrasse Skull
by
Hugi,& @sternarchella.bsky.social et al

doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

Evans lab
koryevans.weebly.com/people.html

Fig. 3
Modularity hypotheses for cranial bones of Thalassoma lunare. Each color represents a different module. The operculum represents the preopercular/opercular series. See Table 1 for a description of the functional and developmental patterns that underly each hypothesis.

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Linnea Lungstrom @linnealungstrom.bsky.social · Oct 12

Our killer team of @mfarjo.bsky.social, Ryan Isdonas, Andrew George, and @mwestneat.bsky.social found:
🐠head/body shapes are related to diet
🐠fishes have pairs of high/low aspect ratio propulsive fins (caudal/pectoral)
🐠caudal fins have the highest evolutionary rates & covary with body/pectoral fins

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Oct 12

So excited to see our paper on #phylogenetics and #morphometrics integrated with feeding #ecology in the surgeonfishes by @linnealungstrom.bsky.social get posted, her first in a series on their incredibly cool biology. 🐟🦑🧪🌎🌿

Linnea Lungstrom @linnealungstrom.bsky.social · Oct 11

No better reason to join Bluesky then to say the first chapter of my PhD is out as a preprint! New surgeonfish phylogeny, ecomorphological relationships, evolutionary shape correlations-with NEW method to accurately account for phylogenetic covariation among shapes!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of fin and body shape in the surgeonfishes

Patterns of evolutionary change in the fin and body shapes of fishes are strongly related to dietary ecology and locomotor mechanisms, and associations between shapes affects ecomorphological relation...

www.biorxiv.org

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Linnea Lungstrom @linnealungstrom.bsky.social · Oct 11

Phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of fin and body shape in the surgeonfishes

www.biorxiv.org

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Oct 7

Seems worth noting this award in light of the present circumstances. Get the troops out of our fair city please, perhaps after they enjoy a great Malnati’s pizza!

Headline photo of Chicago skyline with note about award for being the best big city.

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Daniel Bolnick @danielbolnick.bsky.social · Sep 27

Science news article about 2nd year grad students being unceremoniously dropped from the GRFP eligibility with no explanation or warning:
www.science.org/content/arti...

‘Completely shattered.’ Changes to NSF’s graduate student fellowship spur outcry

The announcement comes months later than usual, leaving many would-be applicants stranded

www.science.org

Reposted by Kelly R. Zamudio, Mark W. Westneat, John R. Hutchinson

Dr. Jessica L Ware @jessicalwarelab.bsky.social · Sep 26

Join us! We are hiring a new #curator at the #AMNH in #Vertebrate #Zoology careers.amnh.org/postings/4600 #academicjobs #tenuretrack

Assistant Curator, Vertebrate Zoology

The Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) seeks an Assistant Curator in either the Department of Ornithology, Ichthyology, or Mammalogy to start on or after J...

careers.amnh.org

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat, Vincent Raoult

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · Sep 11

Drone observations reveal white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) dorsal fins are highly flexible and possible investigatory structures

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🧪🌎🦑🦈🐠

Drone observations reveal white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) dorsal fins are highly flexible and possible investigatory structures

Drones are becoming increasingly useful in their ability to observe wildlife. They have been especially useful in documenting marine animals such as sharks. Here we present novel aerial drone observa....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Mark W. Westneat, Jesse M. Alston

Megan Barkdull @meganbarkdull.bsky.social · Sep 8

While full solicitation isn’t up, looks like we have 2025 proposal deadlines for the GRFP: www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

www.nsf.gov

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Sep 3

It’s a start, congrats to our Harvard colleagues!

www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/p...

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat, Rosemary A. Joyce, C. Kirabo Jackson , and 2 more Mark W. Westneat, Rosemary A. Joyce, C. Kirabo Jackson, Hong, David Darmofal

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · Sep 2

I'm aware that the President likes to go on television and beg me to call him to ask for troops.

I find it strange, as Chicago doesn't want troops.

I also have experience asking him for assistance – just to have the rug pulled up from underneath me when execution meets reality.

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat, John R. Hutchinson

Jonathan Huie, PhD @jmhuie.bsky.social · Aug 28

Excited to share the first paper from my PhD!

We looked at what traits help Aneides salamanders excel at climbing using museum specimens, CT scans, SEM, and more! No claws or toe pads, so how do they do it? In short, with long limbs, big feet and grippy toes! 🦎🧪

DM for PDF

doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

Phylogeny of Aneides and Plethodon with animal photos

Phylomorphospace showing body shape variation

Morphospace of toe bones and box lots showing estimated gripping force

Representative SEM images of salamander feet

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 28

#OceanOptimism newsroom.wcs.org/News-Release...

Philippines Declares New MPA in Biodiversity-Rich Siquijor Waters

New York, NY, August 13, 2025—In a historic milestone nearly 18 years in the making, the Philippines has officially designated Bitaug Marine Protected Area (MPA), now the largest MPA in Siquijor and c...

newsroom.wcs.org

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 27

Great, thanks for using it!

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 27

Ever wonder how the axial locomotor system is arranged into segmented myomeres of red and white muscle in a large pelagic surgeonfish? Well, now you know! 🐟🧪🦑

Red and white fish muscle with bright white tendons

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Christopher Zobek @czobek.bsky.social · Aug 26

I’m proud to announce my first first-author paper of my Ph.D! We described and modeled the muscle architecture of a pangolin’s tongue using DiceCT and 3D modeling approaches. Each model is available on the Holliday lab Sketchfab.

academic.oup.com/icb/advance-...

sketchfab.com/holliday/col...

3D Muscle Architecture of the Tongue of the White-bellied Pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) Reveals a Muscular Hydrostat

Synopsis. The tongues of pangolins are among the more derived of other mammalian ant-eating specialists, extending nearly a body length to capture food. Pa

academic.oup.com

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 26

Naso! Great genus of surgeonfishes, sporting the vicious cutting scalpel blades at the base of their tail. Here is a better color photo of that bignose where you can see the tail blades.
🐟🦑🧪🌎

A bignose unicornfish, dark fish with yellowish fin edges, vertical bars on the body, and double scalpel blades at the base of the tail.

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 26

Bignose Unicornfish! Yep, Naso vlamingii, a very nice specimen for our research, collected with permit. They have 2 wicked sharp scalpel blades on each side of their tail base, but are they venomous? We will know soon!
🐟🦑🌿🧪🌎

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Joanna Bryson, Mark W. Westneat , and 12 more Anne Applebaum, Joanna Bryson, Mark W. Westneat, Steve Peers, Iain Davidson, Michael A. Clemens, Joseph Schafer, Robert C. Richards, Adrian Daub, Lisa Diedrich, Henry Jones, Sean P. Corcoran, Pádua Fernandes, Aviel Roshwald, Dan Immergluck

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · Aug 24

The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention.

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 21

Acanthuriform fishes! Research goals on Moorea are focused on morphology and evolution of defensive spines and backbones of surgeonfishes, angelfishes, and butterflyfishes. We have a scientific permit to collect specimens, and here are 2 beauties, Acanthurus lineatus and Pygoplites diacanthus. 🐟🦑🧪

The lined surgeonfish, with beautiful blue and yellow lines on the body and orange pelvic fins

The regal angelfish, with stunning blue, orange and white bars and a bright yellow tail

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 21

Local Moorea fish markets are interesting, with stringers hung (and often taxonomically sorted!) on the side of the road. Gotta get there early- these were mostly gone by about 5:30 am. Some good specimens for Linnea and Olivia’s research! 🐟🧪🦑🌎

Early morning fish market, stringers of fish between grad students Linnea and Olivia.

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 20

The Red-Vented Bulbul stopped by my cottage on Moorea. You can just see his red ass! 🧪🌿🐦‍⬛

Dark bird with a red butt on a green fence

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 20

Not sure, some parts look simple, other faces fairly technical

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