BIG Congratulations to @stephanspiekman.bsky.social and colleagues for a once in a lifetime publication and thank sooo very much for confiding in me to illustrate this magnificent animal. Here is the link to the Nature paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09167-9

The “plumes” of Mirasaura and Longisquama likely evolved separately from the feathers or feather-like structures we know in Dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Like other Drepanosauromorphs, Mirasaura also had a weird, bird-like and mostly toothless skull

#paleoart

The elaborate crest represents a new perspective in the evolution of feather-like structures in reptiles. Mirasaura was related to another bizarrely-crested reptile, Longisquama, and both appear to belong to an already very weird group: Drepanosauromorphs