Sophie M.'s Avatar

Sophie M.

@sophiesaurus98

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 - 28 - (she/her) -

2,186
Followers
2,569
Following
2,939
Posts
24.07.2023
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by Sophie M. @sophiesaurus98

Preview
An Army Corps project could wipe out one of Florida’s last thriving coral reefs The fate of one of the last thriving coral reefs in Florida may be imperiled by plans to widen the shipping channel leading into Port Everglades.

The US army corps of engineers is considering, right now, what would be the largest destruction of coral reefs in US history. To make a port slightly bigger.

People know this, right?

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

πŸ§ͺπŸ¦‘πŸŒŽ

06.03.2026 20:25 πŸ‘ 146 πŸ” 112 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 9

I need to figure out where I put this book so I can photograph the rest of the art! I think the rest of the dinosaurs were more in line with what you’d expect from Rey.

06.03.2026 21:17 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I think I’ve reached the point where I can no longer find exciting dinosaur books in the wild. The Half Price Books we visited had a stellar selection of important dinosaur books from the 70s-early 90s including some I once spent ages trying to find, but I already owned everything they had! 😭

06.03.2026 21:16 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A selection of natural history books and Nat Geo magazines. A model Pteranodon perches atop a book entitled β€œEcology of Estuarine Fishes”

A selection of natural history books and Nat Geo magazines. A model Pteranodon perches atop a book entitled β€œEcology of Estuarine Fishes”

My slightly late birthday bookstore haul! I didn’t come across anything mind blowing but I’m pretty satisfied with my finds. My partner bought me the Safari Pteranodon after years of wanting it, super happy to finally have a quality Pteranodon figure!

06.03.2026 21:16 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Latest paleoart watercolor is Daemonosaurus. Felt compelled to make this after learning Dr. Hans Sues, who described and named this dinosaur, passed. πŸŽ¨πŸ¦–

06.03.2026 18:26 πŸ‘ 40 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Black Winged Stilt coming into land

Black Winged Stilt coming into land

Black Winged Stilt coming into land at a special scientific nature reserve at Palud in Croatia #birds #thegardenjungle #wildlifephotography #birdwatching #shropshire #UKwildlife #birdphotography #canon #photography

06.03.2026 18:46 πŸ‘ 77 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

BABY DUCKBILL: Steve just finished cleaning this super cute jaw, with rows of tiny teeth! This matches another jaw, femur, and vertebrae that we collected from the same site. A baby dino skeleton is coming out!

#fossilfriday #dinosaurs #dinosaur #scicomm #fossils #publiclands

06.03.2026 18:42 πŸ‘ 25 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Ever Wanted To Know What It Smelled Like Before Getting Eaten By A T. Rex? Good News – You Can! London’s Natural History Museum had to swap out T. rex breath for β€œMaastrichtian Miasma” because it was too disgusting.

I spoke to @rachaelhfunnell.bsky.social yesterday about making synthetic T. rex breath for Sue’s exhibit!

www.iflscience.com/what-did-t-r...

06.03.2026 19:21 πŸ‘ 23 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Vector illustration of Anthracobune wardii, a large bodied stem-perissodactyl from middle Eocene South Asia. The large, stocky, tapir like animal is sitting on its haunches looking up. It is dark brown with a dark underside, with dark stripes on its long tail and white patches on its legs and face

Vector illustration of Anthracobune wardii, a large bodied stem-perissodactyl from middle Eocene South Asia. The large, stocky, tapir like animal is sitting on its haunches looking up. It is dark brown with a dark underside, with dark stripes on its long tail and white patches on its legs and face

#marchofthemammals2026 day 5: Anthracobune wardii, a big chunky stem-perissodactyl

#sciart #paleoart #fossilfriday

06.03.2026 19:23 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
A portrait page with a full restored branch onto the left. It has 6 palm like leaves at the end of one branch, hiding a cone, with a second mature cone below it. On the top right is a male floral organ, which is start shaped, and in the bottom right is a cut-way of the female cone showing its development.

A portrait page with a full restored branch onto the left. It has 6 palm like leaves at the end of one branch, hiding a cone, with a second mature cone below it. On the top right is a male floral organ, which is start shaped, and in the bottom right is a cut-way of the female cone showing its development.

I have another #paleobotany restoration guide for this #FossilFriday. This time, it's Kimuriella densifolia, a whole plant bennettitalean from the Late #Jurassic of Japan.
This plant is composed of three organ taxa: Williamsonia, Zamites, and Weltrichia.
#paleoart #sciart #botany

06.03.2026 19:51 πŸ‘ 37 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A trio of greyish, mottled Plateosaurus. One rears up to feed from a tree while the other two wander around quadrupedally.

A trio of greyish, mottled Plateosaurus. One rears up to feed from a tree while the other two wander around quadrupedally.

It’s funny how odd Luis Rey’s dinosaurs look when they aren’t vibrant and adorned with wattles, spines, etc.

Not in a bad way, of course, but it’s still pretty jarring!

06.03.2026 15:39 πŸ‘ 31 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Bird nests support a diverse, dynamic and distinctive macroarthropod community on the forest floor Nests built by vertebrates, such as birds and mammals, constitute diverse microhabitats that are inhabited by many arthropod taxa and represent important hubs of local biodiversity. Compared to leaf...

New paper! Bird nests (Wood Warblers) are hubs of invertebrate biodiversity on forest floor, hosting more species/individuals than leaf litter. Probably due to heat & food detritus. Losing Wood Warblers = ecological networks lost. #ornithology
resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

06.03.2026 10:17 πŸ‘ 96 πŸ” 38 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Lambert et al. (2001) appears in season 6, ep 4 (β€˜The Fleshy Part of the Thigh’) of The Sopranos, broadcast in April 2006.

Lambert et al. (2001) appears in season 6, ep 4 (β€˜The Fleshy Part of the Thigh’) of The Sopranos, broadcast in April 2006.

Spreads from inside the book, one at left on fossil rodents, one at right on phorusrhacids and horses.

Spreads from inside the book, one at left on fossil rodents, one at right on phorusrhacids and horses.

cover of UK edition, showing green theropod model on black background.

cover of UK edition, showing green theropod model on black background.

Remember when that Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life book I (co)wrote appeared on The Sopranos? Yeah, me too. My 2001 Dorling Kindersley book, co-authored with David Lambert and Liz Wyse, might be the most influential book I've ever been involved in. And...

06.03.2026 12:20 πŸ‘ 84 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

This is surely as draconic as scientifically credible dinosaur art will ever get. Amazing work!

06.03.2026 06:47 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Bajadasaurus πŸ¦•πŸŒˆ

06.03.2026 04:28 πŸ‘ 71 πŸ” 17 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0
Vector illustration of Indohyus indirae, a raccoon sized artiodactyl closely related to whales. This small unassuming ungulate has long legs, a long snout, a thick tail and small hooved feet. It is dark brown with an olivey yellow rump. The animal is seen walking with a lotus leaf in its mouth

Vector illustration of Indohyus indirae, a raccoon sized artiodactyl closely related to whales. This small unassuming ungulate has long legs, a long snout, a thick tail and small hooved feet. It is dark brown with an olivey yellow rump. The animal is seen walking with a lotus leaf in its mouth

#marchofthemammals2026 day 4: Moving on from the Mesozoic to the Early Eocene mangroves of Pakistan with a cheeky Indohyus indirae

05.03.2026 18:01 πŸ‘ 62 πŸ” 18 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1

I’m glad NPR included skeptical voices - because de-extinction is a dangerous fantasy - but we’ve seen this before. Colossal dangles a story/access, journalists take it and say other researchers have criticisms, and nothing changes save for an update to the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Mammoth! timeline

05.03.2026 17:52 πŸ‘ 127 πŸ” 38 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 2

No worries, it was understood!

06.03.2026 00:28 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

There’s also so many instances of species that are now so deeply ingrained into the environments they’ve invaded that there’s nothing we could ever do to extirpate them without taking the whole ecosystem with them. It’s nuanced and complex and hard to apply a one size fits all approach.

05.03.2026 22:41 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I have complicated feelings because we’re obviously responsible for mitigating the damage we cause to ecosystems but simultaneously we’re guilty of having a β€œeverything should stay the same all the time” perspective that is temporally locked to one remarkably narrow strip of time.

05.03.2026 22:41 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Thirty-six solutions to stabilize Earth’s climate An updated visual assessment tool can bridge the gap between climate research and political action

Thirty-six solutions to stabilize Earth’s climate | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

05.03.2026 20:42 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Rendered out a test shot of this vocalising Cryolophosaurus! It's all a bit janky and I have a lot to learn, but it is so fun working in Blender that I can see myself doing loads more of these little shorts.

#sciart #paleoart

05.03.2026 19:41 πŸ‘ 180 πŸ” 35 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 0

I’m so honoured to be able to give it a new home online after decades of it only being available is low-res form. His work is so incredibly influential to me!

05.03.2026 22:01 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A robustly built Carcharodontosaurus stands on a white background, posed in a relaxed stance that shows off its muscular body and clawed hands. It has a three-toned countershaded pattern, black on top, grey-blue in the middle, and a cream underside. The crests above its eyes blue, and its eye is a piercing red.

A robustly built Carcharodontosaurus stands on a white background, posed in a relaxed stance that shows off its muscular body and clawed hands. It has a three-toned countershaded pattern, black on top, grey-blue in the middle, and a cream underside. The crests above its eyes blue, and its eye is a piercing red.

An Argentinosaurus with an alert posture strides across a white background. It has a long, whip-like tail that ends in black and white bands. Its head is held high, adorned with a similar pattern as the tail. The rest of its muscular body is patterned with terracotta browns decorated with yellow streaks and black spots.

An Argentinosaurus with an alert posture strides across a white background. It has a long, whip-like tail that ends in black and white bands. Its head is held high, adorned with a similar pattern as the tail. The rest of its muscular body is patterned with terracotta browns decorated with yellow streaks and black spots.

Here's a sneak preview of the upcoming Jurassic World Institute Dinopedia artwork article, to give you an idea of just how high-quality the images I've received are. This is Carcharodontosaurus and Argentinosaurus, two of the dozens of animals Timothy Bradley illustrated for the JP Institute site!

05.03.2026 20:26 πŸ‘ 36 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image Post image Post image

Todd Marshall pterosaurs

05.03.2026 18:11 πŸ‘ 37 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

This might be delayed until tomorrow, I've had a few unexpected things come up and I'm not sure I'll be able to squeeze in the time to write it.

05.03.2026 18:33 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Redirecting

Michael J. Benton & Emily J. Rayfield (2026)
Bringing dinosaurs to life: A scientific revolution in palaeobiological methods
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 113684
doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.pa...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

05.03.2026 16:29 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Almost there with the leg rig setup. A combination of manually sculpted shape key drivers and muscle and other soft body simulations with surface deform modifiers.

05.03.2026 17:15 πŸ‘ 50 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0
Vector illustration of Jurassic multituberculate Rugosodon eurasiaticus, climbing on the curved branch of Wielandiella, a bennittitale. The rat like allotherian mammal is brown-grey in color with a light underbelly and light spots on its brow. Wielandiella has long curving branches lined with leaf scars, topped with a crown of long, draping leaves. There is a large orange fruiting body in between the branches, dotted with a rough texture

Vector illustration of Jurassic multituberculate Rugosodon eurasiaticus, climbing on the curved branch of Wielandiella, a bennittitale. The rat like allotherian mammal is brown-grey in color with a light underbelly and light spots on its brow. Wielandiella has long curving branches lined with leaf scars, topped with a crown of long, draping leaves. There is a large orange fruiting body in between the branches, dotted with a rough texture

#marchofthemammals2026 day 3: Rugosodon eurasiaticus! Ft. Wieilandiella

03.03.2026 20:59 πŸ‘ 34 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

When assessing #kakapo chicks we weigh them, check their respiration rate and hydration. We usually do this twice in the first four days (this chick is less than a day old), and then every 5-7 days. The frequency of checks depends on their genetic priority. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots

05.03.2026 09:49 πŸ‘ 450 πŸ” 113 πŸ’¬ 11 πŸ“Œ 12