Sophie M.
@sophiesaurus98.bsky.social
Writer for Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs - Creator of the speculative evolution project "A New Age of Reptiles" - Natural History and Palaeontology Pop Culture - 27 - (she/her) -
Pinned
Sophie M.
@sophiesaurus98.bsky.social
· Jan 9
Creature Sketch Super Sale!
Commission available on Ko-fi.com
ko-fi.com
Posting this again because it didn’t get much traction last time, and a little extra money would really help after missing a couple of weeks of work due to an illness.
$5 for a creature sketch! I also offer $25 fully coloured creature drawings if you’d prefer something in colour.
$5 for a creature sketch! I also offer $25 fully coloured creature drawings if you’d prefer something in colour.
Reposted by Sophie M.
🐻GRIZZLED🐻: Love Letters to 50 of North America's Least Understood Animals
Def the biggest & most personal project of my career. Featuring artwork & foreword by Joel Sartore, as well as insights from a bajillion amazing scientists. 🧪
❤️🔥I HOPE YOU LOVE IT❤️🔥
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804002...
Def the biggest & most personal project of my career. Featuring artwork & foreword by Joel Sartore, as well as insights from a bajillion amazing scientists. 🧪
❤️🔥I HOPE YOU LOVE IT❤️🔥
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804002...
Grizzled by Jason Bittel: 9781426223358 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
Funny, fascinating, and scientifically grounded, this charming book reveals unknown details about 50 well-known animals. Effortlessly readable, Grizzled reintroduces nature lovers to species they th...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:11 PM
🐻GRIZZLED🐻: Love Letters to 50 of North America's Least Understood Animals
Def the biggest & most personal project of my career. Featuring artwork & foreword by Joel Sartore, as well as insights from a bajillion amazing scientists. 🧪
❤️🔥I HOPE YOU LOVE IT❤️🔥
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804002...
Def the biggest & most personal project of my career. Featuring artwork & foreword by Joel Sartore, as well as insights from a bajillion amazing scientists. 🧪
❤️🔥I HOPE YOU LOVE IT❤️🔥
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804002...
Reposted by Sophie M.
To mine MORE coal, Glencore wants to destroy 600 ha of high quality koala habitat that would impact a koala population "of national significance"
Environment Minister Murray Watt is considering the application
Don't let them take out the koalas AND worsen climate damage for private profit
Environment Minister Murray Watt is considering the application
Don't let them take out the koalas AND worsen climate damage for private profit
February 11, 2026 at 9:24 PM
To mine MORE coal, Glencore wants to destroy 600 ha of high quality koala habitat that would impact a koala population "of national significance"
Environment Minister Murray Watt is considering the application
Don't let them take out the koalas AND worsen climate damage for private profit
Environment Minister Murray Watt is considering the application
Don't let them take out the koalas AND worsen climate damage for private profit
Reposted by Sophie M.
February 12, 2026 at 10:25 PM
Reposted by Sophie M.
Really good overview of plans to help Joshua trees survive climate change, on National Geographic, with some description of a project I'd only heard rumored, which might aaaaalmost count as what we call assisted migration
www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/...
www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/...
The desert is getting too hot for Joshua trees. Can we just … move them?
To protect the southwest’s iconic Joshua trees, scientists are tinkering with their genetics and searching for climate havens in—and sometimes outside of—their existing habitat.
www.nationalgeographic.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Really good overview of plans to help Joshua trees survive climate change, on National Geographic, with some description of a project I'd only heard rumored, which might aaaaalmost count as what we call assisted migration
www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/...
www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/...
Reposted by Sophie M.
I nicknamed this one 'Toothless and the Light Fury.'
Detail from a preparatory study.
Detail from a preparatory study.
February 12, 2026 at 9:46 PM
I nicknamed this one 'Toothless and the Light Fury.'
Detail from a preparatory study.
Detail from a preparatory study.
From the depths of my palaeoart archives come unfathomable horrors mankind was never meant to know...
(Art by Richard Grant, Tony Gibbons, Gabriel Garousi, and Robin Birch)
(Art by Richard Grant, Tony Gibbons, Gabriel Garousi, and Robin Birch)
February 12, 2026 at 9:37 PM
From the depths of my palaeoart archives come unfathomable horrors mankind was never meant to know...
(Art by Richard Grant, Tony Gibbons, Gabriel Garousi, and Robin Birch)
(Art by Richard Grant, Tony Gibbons, Gabriel Garousi, and Robin Birch)
Reposted by Sophie M.
Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Birds&Bugs, featuring a Black Phoebe clutching a yummy moth.
#birds #nature #wildlife #photography
#birds #nature #wildlife #photography
February 12, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Birds&Bugs, featuring a Black Phoebe clutching a yummy moth.
#birds #nature #wildlife #photography
#birds #nature #wildlife #photography
Reposted by Sophie M.
The earliest reptile body impressions with scaly skin
Cabarzichnus pulchrus n. igen. n. isp.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Cabarzichnus pulchrus n. igen. n. isp.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
February 12, 2026 at 5:05 PM
The earliest reptile body impressions with scaly skin
Cabarzichnus pulchrus n. igen. n. isp.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Cabarzichnus pulchrus n. igen. n. isp.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Sophie M.
I once again feel compelled to remind folks that you feel science news/new scientific developments are bad and destructive because you are not reading science news: You are reading techbro press releases, regurgitated uncritically by outlets that long ago fired all their science/tech beat reporters.
February 12, 2026 at 6:19 PM
I once again feel compelled to remind folks that you feel science news/new scientific developments are bad and destructive because you are not reading science news: You are reading techbro press releases, regurgitated uncritically by outlets that long ago fired all their science/tech beat reporters.
Reposted by Sophie M.
And Horner had a rep as a creep well before this. Marrying a 19 year-old-student when he was 65, then treating it as some kind of joke or unserious. Women MSU students who told me they were interested in paleo, until their interactions with him. Not to mention how got his fame by claim jumping.
For people outside of paleontology:
This senior paleontologist, who married a 19-year-old, visited a convicted pedophile in 2012 & 2016. Is beefing over a conference argument from 13 years ago, angry because he was banned from a family-friendly event across the Atlantic. The level of petty.
This senior paleontologist, who married a 19-year-old, visited a convicted pedophile in 2012 & 2016. Is beefing over a conference argument from 13 years ago, angry because he was banned from a family-friendly event across the Atlantic. The level of petty.
February 12, 2026 at 12:55 PM
And Horner had a rep as a creep well before this. Marrying a 19 year-old-student when he was 65, then treating it as some kind of joke or unserious. Women MSU students who told me they were interested in paleo, until their interactions with him. Not to mention how got his fame by claim jumping.
Reposted by Sophie M.
But the machines are so unbiased, how could this happen? 🙃
Animation YouTube channels say the platform's AI moderation is inexplicably demonetizing their dinosaur and kaiju videos
“Apparently, kaiju and dinosaurs are strictly for little babies, so if you make videos that just so happen to not be fetus-friendly, you get demonetized”
“Apparently, kaiju and dinosaurs are strictly for little babies, so if you make videos that just so happen to not be fetus-friendly, you get demonetized”
February 12, 2026 at 4:55 PM
But the machines are so unbiased, how could this happen? 🙃
Reposted by Sophie M.
A new titanosauriform with European affinities in the Early Cretaceous of Brazil: insights on Somphospondyli phylogeny, histology and biogeography: Journal of Systematic Palaeontology: Vol 24 , No 1 - Get Access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
A new titanosauriform with European affinities in the Early Cretaceous of Brazil: insights on Somphospondyli phylogeny, histology and biogeography
A non-titanosaur Somphospondyli specimen unearthed from Early Cretaceous (Aptian) deposits of north-eastern Brazil allowed the establishment of a new taxon, Dasosaurus tocantinensis gen. et sp. nov...
www.tandfonline.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:26 PM
A new titanosauriform with European affinities in the Early Cretaceous of Brazil: insights on Somphospondyli phylogeny, histology and biogeography: Journal of Systematic Palaeontology: Vol 24 , No 1 - Get Access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Sophie M.
A New Age of Reptiles: Broadley's Bullcroc and Common Scrapeshell
Isolated from other continents for much of the Cenozoic, South America has developed a degree of biotic endemism only outdone by Australia. In the scrubland and semidesert in the continent's south, giant reptiles abound. (1/13)
Isolated from other continents for much of the Cenozoic, South America has developed a degree of biotic endemism only outdone by Australia. In the scrubland and semidesert in the continent's south, giant reptiles abound. (1/13)
February 10, 2026 at 8:59 PM
A New Age of Reptiles: Broadley's Bullcroc and Common Scrapeshell
Isolated from other continents for much of the Cenozoic, South America has developed a degree of biotic endemism only outdone by Australia. In the scrubland and semidesert in the continent's south, giant reptiles abound. (1/13)
Isolated from other continents for much of the Cenozoic, South America has developed a degree of biotic endemism only outdone by Australia. In the scrubland and semidesert in the continent's south, giant reptiles abound. (1/13)
Reposted by Sophie M.
someone please tell me drawing all of these weird Cambrian guys will be worth it
February 11, 2026 at 11:17 PM
someone please tell me drawing all of these weird Cambrian guys will be worth it
Reposted by Sophie M.
Revamped skeletal drawing of a little known dinosaur named Velociraptor.
February 11, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Revamped skeletal drawing of a little known dinosaur named Velociraptor.
Reposted by Sophie M.
I’m having one of those “everything I draw looks horrible, why do I even try” days. My single biggest obstacle to producing more art is myself, and I find that infuriating but the anger only seems to make it harder to draw. Hopefully tomorrow is different.
February 11, 2026 at 5:45 PM
I’m having one of those “everything I draw looks horrible, why do I even try” days. My single biggest obstacle to producing more art is myself, and I find that infuriating but the anger only seems to make it harder to draw. Hopefully tomorrow is different.
Reposted by Sophie M.
Reposted by Sophie M.
What time is it? It’s #Cheliceratime!
It's the first eurypterid entry of Cheliceratime, happy to start talking about this group with an underdog species!
All the basic infos are here but if you want to learn more, there’s more below!⬇️
#eurypterid #silurian #paleoart #sciart #bugsky #invert
1/4
It's the first eurypterid entry of Cheliceratime, happy to start talking about this group with an underdog species!
All the basic infos are here but if you want to learn more, there’s more below!⬇️
#eurypterid #silurian #paleoart #sciart #bugsky #invert
1/4
February 11, 2026 at 4:30 PM
What time is it? It’s #Cheliceratime!
It's the first eurypterid entry of Cheliceratime, happy to start talking about this group with an underdog species!
All the basic infos are here but if you want to learn more, there’s more below!⬇️
#eurypterid #silurian #paleoart #sciart #bugsky #invert
1/4
It's the first eurypterid entry of Cheliceratime, happy to start talking about this group with an underdog species!
All the basic infos are here but if you want to learn more, there’s more below!⬇️
#eurypterid #silurian #paleoart #sciart #bugsky #invert
1/4
Reposted by Sophie M.
New Vintage Dinosaur Art! And I'm happy to say that it's more Maurice Wilson from the 1950s, courtesy of reader Alexander Guridov. Wilson's art is remarkably well-observed and beautifully painted for the time, and I might get a bit gushing.
Vintage Dinosaur Art: Fossil Amphibians and Reptiles
Last month I reviewed A Guide to Earth History, our first foray into the world of Maurice Wilson’s illustrations in quite some time. At the end of said article, I asked readers (we still have…
chasmosaurs.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:24 PM
New Vintage Dinosaur Art! And I'm happy to say that it's more Maurice Wilson from the 1950s, courtesy of reader Alexander Guridov. Wilson's art is remarkably well-observed and beautifully painted for the time, and I might get a bit gushing.
Reposted by Sophie M.
When I started my PhD ~10 years ago, only 2/5 echinoderm groups (the star-shaped sea stars and brittle stars) had genome-scale phylogenetic datasets. I am proud to say that the quest to complete the clade is now over
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
Phylogenomics of extant Crinoidea (Echinodermata) reveals extensive morphological homoplasies and a Permian origin
Abstract. Crinoids have Ordovician origins and are unique among living echinoderms in their attachment to the substrate. Most diversity is within Comatulid
doi.org
February 11, 2026 at 10:58 AM
When I started my PhD ~10 years ago, only 2/5 echinoderm groups (the star-shaped sea stars and brittle stars) had genome-scale phylogenetic datasets. I am proud to say that the quest to complete the clade is now over
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
Reposted by Sophie M.
Ages ago, while out in the Triassic of New Mexico, paleontologist Kevin Padian told me - apropos of nothing - “You’re a good writer, Riley. Not great. But good.”
And to this day I think Fuck You Kevin.
And to this day I think Fuck You Kevin.
February 11, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Ages ago, while out in the Triassic of New Mexico, paleontologist Kevin Padian told me - apropos of nothing - “You’re a good writer, Riley. Not great. But good.”
And to this day I think Fuck You Kevin.
And to this day I think Fuck You Kevin.
Reposted by Sophie M.
Reposted by Sophie M.
Notice how the popular media narrative has moved on, while people on the ground in Minneapolis are still struggling and crying out that things are as bad as ever. This is how fascist regimes operate — overreach, recalibration, normalization. Get louder, not quieter.
February 11, 2026 at 3:54 AM
Notice how the popular media narrative has moved on, while people on the ground in Minneapolis are still struggling and crying out that things are as bad as ever. This is how fascist regimes operate — overreach, recalibration, normalization. Get louder, not quieter.
Reposted by Sophie M.
Haolong is so cool
February 11, 2026 at 4:20 AM
Haolong is so cool