Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social)

Palaeontologist and palaeoartist. Follow my work at Affiliated with the University of Portsmouth, views and opinions are my own.

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

I know, I know, we're not even halfway through 2023. But if you're a forward-thinking type who wants a 2024 #paleoart calendar, the good people at Ackermann have already created one featuring my art!
Check it out at https://t.co/E8fhHmKJjt.

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

@PalaeoJules @EJR_Paleo_MSc @vitaimagination Shouldn't everyone be?

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

More new #paleoart at #Patreon: my take on the large Mesozoic mammal Didelphodon, a hard-biting, 4-6 kg carnivore that might have been semi-aquatic (if only someone would publish those data!). High-res version and discussion at https://t.co/VwxV7YLWt0. #sciart

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

New #paleoart at #Patreon: a tyrannical triptych, showing all the habitats once occupied by Tyrannosaurus. Far from just inhabiting humid coastal plains and forests, you could also find T. rex in cool northern regions and mountains. More info here: https://t.co/yfrg0J1HvK #sciart

[Palaeontographical Society @Palaeonto_Soc]

Also worth noting the excellent example of palaeoart inspired by British Fossil material - just the sort of thing our new Marsh Palaeoart Award is all about! Submissions are currently open, more details on our website: https://t.co/2sQiEC8OxM

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

New #Paleoart at #Patreon for #FossilFriday: how we've modelled floating in swimming in large theropods, starring T. rex - or "Sea rex", as it should be known whenever swimming in marine habitats. High-res image and discussion at https://t.co/imFTVrCzQn.

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

@FrecklesXX20 You're on the right track, but not entirely.

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

Wrapped up two big #paleoart projects this week, so for the rest of the year I'll be beavering away on my sixth book for a Dec deadline. There's a cryptic clue to the nature of the book in this image - and no, it's not pterosaurs (Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni, if anyone's wondering).

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

@Veloci_Rakwon Good guess, but nope!

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

Holy moly, even more new #paleoart at #Patreon? Baby tyrannosaurids emerge from their buried nest, completing the reproductive theme of this week's posts. Hi-res version of this image and lots of discussion about juvenile tyrant dinosaurs at: https://t.co/pc8n4wWtCj

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

@RoarReximus Thanks!

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

More new #paleoart at #Patreon: an attempt to show a realistic take on dinosaur copulation. A lot of what's said about dinosaur mating is pretty ridiculous so, in an essay accompanying the hi-res version of this image, I try to cut to the sensible stuff.
https://t.co/RO85NXOAZy

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

For #FossilFriday, new #paleoart at #Patreon: nesting Tyrannosaurus deposits her eggs into a hole in the ground. Many dinosaurs seem to have buried their eggs, including some big theropods - we just don't see it depicted often. Hi-res and discussion: https://t.co/AkbfvYcVII

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

@Kelazeer I totally understand! Male dinosaurs almost certainly had phalluses of some kind, as crocs and "basal" birds like ratites and ducks have them. Cloacal kissing is probably something birds developed independently from other theropods.

[RJ Palmer 🔜 Gen Con AS-90 @arvalis]

I will be giving a dinosaur anatomy talk at Lightbox Expo next month. Gonna cover a lotta shorthand tips and tricks to make your dinosaurs not suck!

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

New #paleoart at #Patreon: Tyrannosaurus face bites. Thanks to large numbers of injured tyrannosaurid skulls, we know a lot about this behaviour. The main take-home? They weren't very nice to one another. High-res art and discussion at: https://t.co/aSW7j8ftKv

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

@TetZoo So this time stallholders are booking tickets like filthy Normies? Better get myself organised.

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

@Palaeonto_Soc (Please share this widely around your palaeo/palaeoart spheres, especially as the palaeo community is increasingly fragmented)

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

Big and very welcome #paleoart news: the @Palaeonto_Soc has announced a new palaeoart award, structured around UK palaeontology. Details below - you have until November 25th to enter for a £500 prize + 1 year of PalSoc membership!

[Palaeontographical Society @Palaeonto_Soc]

🎨Marsh Palaeoart Award! 🎨
We are delighted to launch this new award recognising talent in the depiction of fossil faunas from the British Isles! Supported by @MarshAwards, our judges incl. @MarkWitton & @gsciencelady. £500 prize! More details: https://t.co/WKz7yrriYi

[Alan Tennyson @TennysonAlan]

This is such a fantastic portrayal of the world's most gigantic penguins (from Otago!). See our display in Te Taiao @Te_Papa

[Mark Witton (Bluesky: @markwitton.bsky.social) @MarkWitton]

#Paleoart of giant fossil penguins, Kumimanu, for #FossilFriday. Penguin diversity exploded in the Palaeogene and human-sized, spear-beaked Kumimanu were just one of many lineages. Their feathers weren't precisely like those of modern penguins yet, and some had reddish colours.