Charlotte MacMillan
@vinfernalis.bsky.social
Finishing up a Spanish degree and doing my senior project/thesis on the international fossil trade. Aiming to become a librarian and writer.
Happy #FossilFriday to the dunkleosteus toy my sister's boyfriend got me for Christmas :)
December 27, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Happy #FossilFriday to the dunkleosteus toy my sister's boyfriend got me for Christmas :)
I post a lot of fossil auction news because a lot of specimens don't get the kind of (inter)national attention that some of the absolute most expensive specimens do. Even some of the specimens worth millions sold in the past month or so haven't gotten much focus since they're not the MOST expensive
December 11, 2025 at 8:41 PM
I post a lot of fossil auction news because a lot of specimens don't get the kind of (inter)national attention that some of the absolute most expensive specimens do. Even some of the specimens worth millions sold in the past month or so haven't gotten much focus since they're not the MOST expensive
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
NEW paper out today in Royal Society Open Science: “Fossilized melanosomes reveal colour patterning of a sauropod dinosaur” (2025). 🦕
Research conducted in part & facilitated by Elevation Science.
Art by Tess Gallagher.
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
Research conducted in part & facilitated by Elevation Science.
Art by Tess Gallagher.
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
December 11, 2025 at 12:30 AM
NEW paper out today in Royal Society Open Science: “Fossilized melanosomes reveal colour patterning of a sauropod dinosaur” (2025). 🦕
Research conducted in part & facilitated by Elevation Science.
Art by Tess Gallagher.
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
Research conducted in part & facilitated by Elevation Science.
Art by Tess Gallagher.
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
The Oviraptorosaur "Spike" sold for a little over 4.6mil USD today at Christie's. This was on the lower end of their estimated price.
December 11, 2025 at 7:26 PM
The Oviraptorosaur "Spike" sold for a little over 4.6mil USD today at Christie's. This was on the lower end of their estimated price.
A question for paleo folks since I couldn't find the answer elsewhere: is directly asking people and organizations about field work the best way to find out about those opportunities? How likely are digs to allow journalists or press to tag along? #paleontology
December 9, 2025 at 8:02 AM
A question for paleo folks since I couldn't find the answer elsewhere: is directly asking people and organizations about field work the best way to find out about those opportunities? How likely are digs to allow journalists or press to tag along? #paleontology
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
It did not take very long at all. Bidding for this one starts at around a third of a million USD. I'm very curious to see how the Christie's auction on the 11th goes for both this fossil and others. #nanotyrannus
December 9, 2025 at 6:58 AM
It did not take very long at all. Bidding for this one starts at around a third of a million USD. I'm very curious to see how the Christie's auction on the 11th goes for both this fossil and others. #nanotyrannus
Update: that final number is 5.377 million, which makes her the 13th most expensive fossil ever sold at auction.
Cera the juvenile triceratops just sold at auction from Phillips for 4.35 million USD. That will probably go up some once certain fees are calculated.
November 19, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Update: that final number is 5.377 million, which makes her the 13th most expensive fossil ever sold at auction.
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
Mainstream palaeoart often seems lily-white in terms of the diversity of its contributors. But pieces of palaeoart that rank among the -MOST SEEN- works in the entire field were examples of black craftsmanship. This week came news on the passing of Garfield G. Minott (1966-2025)... cont
November 15, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Mainstream palaeoart often seems lily-white in terms of the diversity of its contributors. But pieces of palaeoart that rank among the -MOST SEEN- works in the entire field were examples of black craftsmanship. This week came news on the passing of Garfield G. Minott (1966-2025)... cont
Cera the juvenile triceratops just sold at auction from Phillips for 4.35 million USD. That will probably go up some once certain fees are calculated.
November 19, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Cera the juvenile triceratops just sold at auction from Phillips for 4.35 million USD. That will probably go up some once certain fees are calculated.
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
🚨PTEROSAUR NEWS🚨
a warm welcome to bakiribu waridza, a filter-feeding ctenochasmatid from the early cretaceous romualdo formation of brazil. described by @alinemghilardi.bsky.social et al., it is recovered as a sibling taxon to the 'flamingo pterosaur' pterodaustro
(art by julio lacerda)
a warm welcome to bakiribu waridza, a filter-feeding ctenochasmatid from the early cretaceous romualdo formation of brazil. described by @alinemghilardi.bsky.social et al., it is recovered as a sibling taxon to the 'flamingo pterosaur' pterodaustro
(art by julio lacerda)
November 10, 2025 at 12:11 PM
🚨PTEROSAUR NEWS🚨
a warm welcome to bakiribu waridza, a filter-feeding ctenochasmatid from the early cretaceous romualdo formation of brazil. described by @alinemghilardi.bsky.social et al., it is recovered as a sibling taxon to the 'flamingo pterosaur' pterodaustro
(art by julio lacerda)
a warm welcome to bakiribu waridza, a filter-feeding ctenochasmatid from the early cretaceous romualdo formation of brazil. described by @alinemghilardi.bsky.social et al., it is recovered as a sibling taxon to the 'flamingo pterosaur' pterodaustro
(art by julio lacerda)
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
Feeding Without Jaws opens this Wednesday!
Our temporary #exhibition tells the immersive story of our ancestors, jawless fish. Find out about why these ancient fish have fascinated palaeontologists, & what new discoveries have been made about them.
www.birmingham.ac.uk...
#LapworthRocks
Our temporary #exhibition tells the immersive story of our ancestors, jawless fish. Find out about why these ancient fish have fascinated palaeontologists, & what new discoveries have been made about them.
www.birmingham.ac.uk...
#LapworthRocks
November 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Feeding Without Jaws opens this Wednesday!
Our temporary #exhibition tells the immersive story of our ancestors, jawless fish. Find out about why these ancient fish have fascinated palaeontologists, & what new discoveries have been made about them.
www.birmingham.ac.uk...
#LapworthRocks
Our temporary #exhibition tells the immersive story of our ancestors, jawless fish. Find out about why these ancient fish have fascinated palaeontologists, & what new discoveries have been made about them.
www.birmingham.ac.uk...
#LapworthRocks
Also, Cera from Christie's is going to be auctioned next week on Nov. 19th.
What I'm wondering is if this is going to become another specimen like last July's ceratosaurus and completely blow the estimate out of the water.
If Spike sells for at least the higher end of the estimate, it will be at least the tenth most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. On the lowest end of the estimate, it becomes the 13th most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. #fossils #paleontology
November 11, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Also, Cera from Christie's is going to be auctioned next week on Nov. 19th.
What I'm wondering is if this is going to become another specimen like last July's ceratosaurus and completely blow the estimate out of the water.
If Spike sells for at least the higher end of the estimate, it will be at least the tenth most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. On the lowest end of the estimate, it becomes the 13th most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. #fossils #paleontology
November 9, 2025 at 5:34 AM
What I'm wondering is if this is going to become another specimen like last July's ceratosaurus and completely blow the estimate out of the water.
If Spike sells for at least the higher end of the estimate, it will be at least the tenth most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. On the lowest end of the estimate, it becomes the 13th most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. #fossils #paleontology
November 9, 2025 at 5:32 AM
If Spike sells for at least the higher end of the estimate, it will be at least the tenth most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. On the lowest end of the estimate, it becomes the 13th most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. #fossils #paleontology
How are we feeling about next month's Christie's auction of Spike the Caenagnathid? #fossils #paleontology
November 9, 2025 at 5:27 AM
How are we feeling about next month's Christie's auction of Spike the Caenagnathid? #fossils #paleontology
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
An exceptionally preserved Caenagnathid skeleton known as "Spike" could fetch up to £5 million ($6.5 million) at Christie's London this December.
This Exceptionally Preserved Dinosaur Skeleton Could Fetch Up to $6.5 Million at Auction
An exceptionally preserved Caenagnathid skeleton known as "Spike" could fetch up to £5 million ($6.5 million) at Christie's London this December.
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
An exceptionally preserved Caenagnathid skeleton known as "Spike" could fetch up to £5 million ($6.5 million) at Christie's London this December.
This is the book that got me into paleontology when I was five. I poured over the pictures again and again, especially the marine life at the beginning.
November 4, 2025 at 10:37 PM
This is the book that got me into paleontology when I was five. I poured over the pictures again and again, especially the marine life at the beginning.
I will be very curious to see if there are any nanotyrannus fossils that go up for auction or other major sales within the next couple of years...
November 3, 2025 at 1:02 PM
I will be very curious to see if there are any nanotyrannus fossils that go up for auction or other major sales within the next couple of years...
As someone currently writing about certain controversial aspects of paleontology and related lines of work (namely the fossil trade) it's definitely a very intriguing subject!
For real. You could make an anthropological study about the social/cultural dynamics surrounding the Nanotyrannus debate. A lot of bitterness, ego, vitriol, and toxicity on both sides.
I would love love love to see an anthropological study of the social / cultural dynamics of the whole history of the Nanotyrannus thing, done by someone genuinely outside of the field and independent of any of the folks involved.
November 3, 2025 at 1:01 PM
As someone currently writing about certain controversial aspects of paleontology and related lines of work (namely the fossil trade) it's definitely a very intriguing subject!
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
Nanotyrannus is real.
For years I’ve considered many mid-sized gracile tyrannosaurs to be juvenile T. rex.
But I was wrong. This stunning new skeleton of a mature long-armed small tyrannosaur is clearly a different species.
Isn’t science fun?!
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
For years I’ve considered many mid-sized gracile tyrannosaurs to be juvenile T. rex.
But I was wrong. This stunning new skeleton of a mature long-armed small tyrannosaur is clearly a different species.
Isn’t science fun?!
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Researchers discover new tyrannosaur species in ‘duelling dinosaurs’ fossil
Analysis of Montana fossils shows the battling predator was a fully grown Nanotyrannus, not a young T rex
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Nanotyrannus is real.
For years I’ve considered many mid-sized gracile tyrannosaurs to be juvenile T. rex.
But I was wrong. This stunning new skeleton of a mature long-armed small tyrannosaur is clearly a different species.
Isn’t science fun?!
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
For years I’ve considered many mid-sized gracile tyrannosaurs to be juvenile T. rex.
But I was wrong. This stunning new skeleton of a mature long-armed small tyrannosaur is clearly a different species.
Isn’t science fun?!
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
Make sure you are meeting the needs and interests of all readers in your community! Check out our #SpanishSeriesNonfiction list with both new and upcoming titles: bit.ly/4hyKbge
October 28, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Make sure you are meeting the needs and interests of all readers in your community! Check out our #SpanishSeriesNonfiction list with both new and upcoming titles: bit.ly/4hyKbge
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
No kings in America.
October 18, 2025 at 5:46 PM
No kings in America.
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
#FossilFriday I decided to try bring awareness to a dinosaur from where I live: California. Enter Augustynolophus morrisi. Discovered in the Moreno Formation, this hadrosaur lived sometime around 70-66 million years ago, and is the state dinosaur of California. 1/2
October 10, 2025 at 4:37 PM
#FossilFriday I decided to try bring awareness to a dinosaur from where I live: California. Enter Augustynolophus morrisi. Discovered in the Moreno Formation, this hadrosaur lived sometime around 70-66 million years ago, and is the state dinosaur of California. 1/2
Reposted by Charlotte MacMillan
Happy #FossilFriday! It’s #Croctober so check out these #fossils of the ‘Terror Croc’ Deinosuchus! These’re from South Carolina, about 80 million years ago, now at the Science Museum of Minnesota, incl. osteoderms (armor plates), & parts of 2 vertebrae from this croc that reached up to 35 feet long!
October 11, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Happy #FossilFriday! It’s #Croctober so check out these #fossils of the ‘Terror Croc’ Deinosuchus! These’re from South Carolina, about 80 million years ago, now at the Science Museum of Minnesota, incl. osteoderms (armor plates), & parts of 2 vertebrae from this croc that reached up to 35 feet long!