Katie Collins
LightNews LightNews
banner
spissatella.bsky.social
Katie Collins
@spissatella.bsky.social
2.7K followers 200 following 1.1K posts
Taxamorphologist, mollusc-botherer (they/them).
Posts Replies Media Videos
spissatella.bsky.social
Given recent news about definitions of certain words getting in the way of COP talks, do I recapitulate this outfit at the COP-related even at work tomorrow? 🤔
A mirror-selfie of a white person with short blue hair wearing a black T-shirt that says "GENDER IS OVER! If you want it" in white text on the front
November 16, 2025 at 11:21 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
Some snails from work: Cross-sectioned pleurotomarioid, cross-sectioned Campanile, truly behemoth cowry, and ( just casually) the type of Ecphora quadricostata (Say)
A cross-sectioned specimen of a fossil pleurotomarioid snail, infilled with pale yellow sediment A cross-sectioned specimen of Campanile giganteum, the top third of the spire is broken off and in a separate box A hand holding an enormous round brown fossil cowry A specimen of Ecphora quadricostata with all its museum labels and a Paleontological Society scalebar
November 9, 2025 at 3:16 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
They're inflating a sperm whale in my town, which is a strong contender for the oddest sentence I've ever typed
A grey inflatable of a sperm whale partially obscured by a silver van, attended by the person engaged in blowing it up
September 27, 2025 at 9:48 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
Oh my gosh! It is a snail! (Muricidae; Concholepas sp.)
A white hand holding a mollusc shell, showing the interior view which shows it is a widely-flaring snail, rather than a clam, which it otherwise resembles in shape
September 12, 2025 at 6:27 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
This #FossilFriday I have a sneaky surprise to share!! You might THINK this is a funky clam but ....
A white hand holding a mollusc fossil which is oval and has commarginal ribbing
September 12, 2025 at 6:25 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
Enigmonia bognorensis, from the early Eocene of Hampshire UK. 55mya or so, the southern UK (and northern France) were a hot tropical sea, and at the margins were mangroves - and mangrove jingle shells!
A long ovoid brown shiny fossil bivalve sits in a white person's hand, showing the interior with one big central muscle scar An oval brown shiny fossil bivalve sits in a white person's hand, showing the exterior with its unusual central beak and faint concentric and radial ribbing - it looks a little like a limpet
August 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
Learning how to linocut simply to illustrate my most banger bsky posts 😂
A hand holding up a piece of white paper on which is printed in blue a picture of a clam and the words NO HEADS NO LEGS NO GODS NO MASTERS NO GENDERS. Behind this is the inked lino block
August 23, 2025 at 9:32 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
I made it clam, is that ok???
A rough circle drawn the top of a piece of white paper, with an arrow scribbled below pointing down at a rough drawing of an indeterminate clam
August 13, 2025 at 11:03 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
Ladybird friend?? For you??
A ladybird on the back of a hand
July 14, 2025 at 9:36 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
Ladybird friend?? For you??
A ladybird on the back of a hand
July 14, 2025 at 9:24 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
I got to bring my dog to Lyme Regis with me and she met Mary (and Tray), which was a pretty special moment 💕
A white chihuahua sitting in front of a statue of Mary Anning on the Lyme Regis coast. The sky behind is a glorious blue. A white chihuahua determinedly but confusedly sniffing the rear end of the statue of Mary Anning's dog Tray
June 30, 2025 at 7:38 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
M is for Maclurites, which i reconstructed in purple bc why not, and upside down bc I'm a fool 😂; Mesonychoteuthis the mighty Colossal Squid; spiky spiny predatory Venus's Comb shell, Murex; and unique and funky hammer oyster Malleus
A cream coloured piece of fabric with a black M embroidered in the centre. Embroidered around it clockwise ftom top left are extinct early gastropod Maclurites, in purple and accidentally upside down; dark pink Colossal Squid Mesonychoteuthis, spiny Venus' Comb Shell Murex and hammer oyster Malleus
June 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
I hope someone coming to #WCM2025 wants a hand-embroidered, hand-sequinned Janthina waistcoat bc I'm committed now 😂
Pale purple fabric embroidered with a purple Janthina snail. The bubble raft of the snail is rendered in silver sequins.
June 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
I'm on the train to Lyme Regis so L is appropriate today! L is for Limaria, Lambis, Lytoceras and Laevipilina. The Lytoceras I have illustrated here is L. taharoaense, from the Jurassic of NZ, but other species of Lytoceras are found at Lyme!
A cream piece of fabric with a black L embroidered in the centre, surrounded by embroideries of (clockwise from top left) striated bivalve Limaria with red tentacles, spiky conch shell with eyestalks Lambis, huge ribbed ammonite Lytoceras, and tiny silver monoplacophoran Laevipilina
June 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
K is for giant wormy Kuphus, adorable Kaliela, stabby Kelletia and (putatively) Kimberella
A cream piece of cloth with a black K embroidered in the centre, surrounded by embroideries of (from top left) giant shipworm Kuphus, small top-shell snail Kaliela, whelk Kelletia with its stabby appendages out, and orange fossil of a maybe-mollusc, maybe-not creature called Kimberella
June 9, 2025 at 7:16 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
Found an unopened pack of pigment liner pens at the thrift store :3 forgot how much I love stippling (this is one of the syntypes of Crassatella tumida Lamarck (= Crassatella ponderosa (Gmelin)) housed at MNHN Paris)
A black and white stippled drawing of a large clam, Crassatella ponderosa (Gmelin, 1791)
May 20, 2025 at 10:11 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
Slug CREATED.
A tattooed arm holding up a large hot-pink plushy slug model (based on the Mt Kaputar pink slug Triboniophorus n. sp. aff. graeffi "Kaputar").
May 17, 2025 at 6:41 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
J is accidentally all purple and all gastropod; Janthina, Jason, Jujubinus and Jorunna 💜
A cream coloured piece of fabric with a J embroidered in black in the centre. Around it clockwise from top left are embroidered dark purple Violet Snail Janthina; magenta and cream nudibranch Jason; chequered orchid purple and white top shell Jujubinus; and black-speckled white nudibranch Sea Bunny Jorunna
May 14, 2025 at 8:08 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
I is for Ipsa, Io, Idiosepius, and of course, Isognomon 🥰
A cream coloured piece of fabric with an I embroidered in black in the centre and around it clockwise from top left are embroidered the small beige cowry Ipsa, spiny brown snail Io, small speckled squid Idiosepius, and dark purple-brown bivalve Isognomon
May 10, 2025 at 7:59 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
H, of course, is for Hydatina, Hapalochlaena, Hypoturrilites, and Hysteroconcha 💕
A cream coloured piece of fabric with an H embroidered in black in the centre. Around the H clockwise from top left are embroidered a blue and maroon bubble snail Hydatina, a blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena, a green heteromorph ammonite Hypoturrilites, and a spiny Venus shell Hysteroconcha
May 7, 2025 at 7:54 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
G is for Grimpoteuthis, Guildfordia, Gigantidas and Glaucus! I embroidered this one on the diagonal for some reason and will be redoing it - this version I will bring to the WMC auction this year so someone will have the chance to own it!
A cream coloured piece of fabric with a G embroidered in the centre in black, surrounded by (from top left) embroideries of pink and blue dumbo octopus Grimpoteuthis, spiky orange gastropod Guildfordia, brown and white deep-sea mussel Gigantidas, and blue pelagic sea slug Glaucus
May 5, 2025 at 2:54 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
F is for Fimbria, Fragum, Flabellinopsis and Falcidens!
A cream coloured piece of fabric with a F embroidered in the centre in black. Around it, clockwise from top left, are the pink and white bivalve Fimbria; olive green bivalve Fragum; purple and orange nudibranch Flabellinopsis; and fuzzy caudofoveate Falcidens
May 4, 2025 at 7:41 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
I was going to get up and do some sewing but it's illegal for me to move
A white chihuahua snuggled up to the thigh of a person while they both sit together in an armchair
May 4, 2025 at 7:30 AM
spissatella.bsky.social
E is for Euprymna, Elimia, Eudoxochiton and Ensis 💕
A cream coloured piece of cloth with an E embroidered in black in the centre. Around it are embroidered (clockwise from top left) a green bobtail squid Euprymna; a brown snail Elimia; a green and maroon coat-of-mail shell Eudoxochiton; and a white razor clam Ensis
April 30, 2025 at 5:35 PM
spissatella.bsky.social
D is for Diplothyra, Dentalium, Distorsio and Didymoceras!
A cream coloured piece of fabric with a D embroidered in black in the centre, surrounded by embroideries of (clockwise from top left) ribbed, rock-boring clam Diplothyra, tusk shell Dentalium, oddly-spiralling snail Distorsio, and BIZZARELY-spiralling ammonite Didymoceras
April 27, 2025 at 5:50 PM