Jay
@kakapojay.bsky.social
Assistant producer for factual TV (Earth, Walking with Dinosaurs 2025, Evolution), science communicator, paleoartist, paleontology enthusiast (she/they) 🏳️⚧️
https://kakapojay.com/
https://kakapojay.com/
One of my favourite memories of working on WWD was having my weekly chats with @arctomet.bsky.social - and on Tuesday we finally got to meet in person!
November 13, 2025 at 11:21 AM
One of my favourite memories of working on WWD was having my weekly chats with @arctomet.bsky.social - and on Tuesday we finally got to meet in person!
It is hard to get a size for a lot of these fragmentary pterosaurs - I've gone for a tentative 4-5ish metre wingspan here.
November 9, 2025 at 8:26 PM
It is hard to get a size for a lot of these fragmentary pterosaurs - I've gone for a tentative 4-5ish metre wingspan here.
Back to the skies of the Kem Kem, we find one of the many toothed pterosaurs of the region, Siroccopteryx! This critter has somewhat modestly sized teeth compared to it's cousins, and I've illustrated it here with a speculative crest.
Size comparison below ⬇️
#sciart #paleoart
Size comparison below ⬇️
#sciart #paleoart
November 9, 2025 at 8:25 PM
While it's our smallest aquatic critter so far, it's still pretty sizeable at around 2-3m in length. Jeremy Wade would have the time of his life in the Kem Kem.
November 8, 2025 at 9:34 PM
While it's our smallest aquatic critter so far, it's still pretty sizeable at around 2-3m in length. Jeremy Wade would have the time of his life in the Kem Kem.
While not larger than Elosuchus, Laganosuchus is still a pretty hefty addition to the roster. I'm finding it trickier to come up with a clean composition for the aquatic section - something I'll keep working on.
November 7, 2025 at 6:57 PM
While not larger than Elosuchus, Laganosuchus is still a pretty hefty addition to the roster. I'm finding it trickier to come up with a clean composition for the aquatic section - something I'll keep working on.
I love early paleoart like this. One of my favourite potential sites are the Mokhali caves in Lesotho, and there's a nice list of a few other potential examples of early paleoart on the last page of this paper.
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
November 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM
I love early paleoart like this. One of my favourite potential sites are the Mokhali caves in Lesotho, and there's a nice list of a few other potential examples of early paleoart on the last page of this paper.
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Perspective was a real pain with this illustration, so there's a solid chance I'll redraw it before I finish the series. Anyways, I've plopped him right down at the bottom of the scene, well away from Spinosaurus - phew!
November 3, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Perspective was a real pain with this illustration, so there's a solid chance I'll redraw it before I finish the series. Anyways, I've plopped him right down at the bottom of the scene, well away from Spinosaurus - phew!
This is one of the tiniest of our animals so far, I think only beat out by Leptostomia. Big thanks to @arminreindl.bsky.social for help with some anatomy details!
November 2, 2025 at 5:30 PM
This is one of the tiniest of our animals so far, I think only beat out by Leptostomia. Big thanks to @arminreindl.bsky.social for help with some anatomy details!
After a month or so, we return to the Kem Kem with this adorable critter - the metre-long Araripesuchus! There are many species of Araripesuchus, but the one here is A. rattoides, which sports protruding teeth on the front of the lower jaw.
Size comparison below ⬇️
#sciart #paleoart
Size comparison below ⬇️
#sciart #paleoart
November 2, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Lovely afternoon looking at jars of taxidermy with @skyemcdavid.com !
November 1, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Lovely afternoon looking at jars of taxidermy with @skyemcdavid.com !
Thank you for the love on this piece - I was really pleased with it! I thought I would share the WIP blocking out stage of this piece. I find these early stages extremely satisfying.
October 31, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Thank you for the love on this piece - I was really pleased with it! I thought I would share the WIP blocking out stage of this piece. I find these early stages extremely satisfying.
Time for me to pack it in 😔 usernamefournumbers has shown that my caption was incorrect, as every adult Tyrannosaurus that ever existed was more than 12 metres long and over 10 tonnes at all times
October 31, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Time for me to pack it in 😔 usernamefournumbers has shown that my caption was incorrect, as every adult Tyrannosaurus that ever existed was more than 12 metres long and over 10 tonnes at all times
You know, the longer I look at this specimen, the more skeptical I am. That doesn't look anything like an Appalachian tyrannosaur.
I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops
I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops
October 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
You know, the longer I look at this specimen, the more skeptical I am. That doesn't look anything like an Appalachian tyrannosaur.
I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops
I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops
Hello! Anyone who uses Krita - any idea why my brushes all have this strange colour banding out of nowhere where it used to blend out smoothly? I'm using the standard soft round brush - it just sort of started happening.
October 29, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Hello! Anyone who uses Krita - any idea why my brushes all have this strange colour banding out of nowhere where it used to blend out smoothly? I'm using the standard soft round brush - it just sort of started happening.
This is how I started the piece, with a very cursed featherless version, then blocking out the feathers afterwards in multiple sections.
October 29, 2025 at 7:45 PM
This is how I started the piece, with a very cursed featherless version, then blocking out the feathers afterwards in multiple sections.
A recent piece I did for work - Archaeopteryx! Don't get too excited though, this isn't a concept for a VFX animal, moreso just a one-off illustration. It was a really fun exercise in learning how to render out bigger swathes of feathers!
Some fun WIP stuff below ⬇️
#sciart #paleoart
Some fun WIP stuff below ⬇️
#sciart #paleoart
October 29, 2025 at 7:44 PM
nonsense creature doodle
October 27, 2025 at 7:15 PM
nonsense creature doodle
Spotted this in Zagreb !
October 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Spotted this in Zagreb !
I must issue an apology - I have clearly been misinterpreting the data and have resized the Kem Kem fauna accordingly.
I am *definitely* not being held at beak-point by Leptostomia.
I am *definitely* not being held at beak-point by Leptostomia.
October 8, 2025 at 9:34 PM
I must issue an apology - I have clearly been misinterpreting the data and have resized the Kem Kem fauna accordingly.
I am *definitely* not being held at beak-point by Leptostomia.
I am *definitely* not being held at beak-point by Leptostomia.
This is the smallest dinosaur here! I'm certain there must have been birds around, but as far as I can tell, no fossils have been found, or at least, none have been clearly identified.
October 3, 2025 at 9:23 PM
This is the smallest dinosaur here! I'm certain there must have been birds around, but as far as I can tell, no fossils have been found, or at least, none have been clearly identified.