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Mark Witton

@markwitton.bsky.social

1685 followers 178 following 164 posts

Palaeoartist, palaeontologist, author, documentary consultant and creature designer. Not necessarily in that order. More about me at markwitton.co.uk.

Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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For #FossilFriday, some #paleoart produced to accompany studies on Spyway Quarry, one of Britain's most important sauropod track sites. A new open-access paper on this Early Cretaceous site dropped this week - check it out at royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10..... #dinosaurs #sciart

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Voted! #dogsatpollingstations

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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This was unveiled sooner than expected! Great to see it getting a positive response - there's still plenty of love for Gertie, it seems.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Just for fun, here's some Dilophosaurus #paleoart from the PalaeoGames D&D book (palaeogames.com). Dilophosaurus lived in seasonally arid settings and is shown here in an open, parched landscape. I have speculatively depicted them as cannibals, an adult chasing after juveniles.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Just for fun, here's some Dilophosaurus #paleoart from the PalaeoGames D&D book (palaeogames.com). Dilophosaurus lived in seasonally arid settings and is shown here in an open, parched landscape. I have speculatively depicted them as cannibals, an adult chasing after juveniles.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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I saw TetZooCon advertised on BlueSky, so I now look forward to my gift.

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Dr Susannah Lydon's avatar Dr Susannah Lydon @susieoftraken.bsky.social
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If you are interested in fossils & culture this is a great #FossilFriday read. Geomyths - such as "griffins have origins in Protoceratops fossils" - can be hugely seductive, but that doesn't mean they are supported by evidence.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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To celebrate the new PalaeoGames Pathfinder Kickstarter for Doctor Drohlin's Dictionary of Dinosaurs, here's an image I created for the D&D original. Carnotaurus was a fast runner, so it's a good job this guy has a horse.

Details on the Pathfinder edition: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pal...

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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To celebrate the new PalaeoGames Pathfinder Kickstarter for Doctor Drohlin's Dictionary of Dinosaurs, here's an image I created for the D&D original. Carnotaurus was a fast runner, so it's a good job this guy has a horse.

Details on the Pathfinder edition: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pal...

4 replies 16 reposts 54 likes

Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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The PalaeoGames #dinosaur themed tabletop roleplaying book I helped to illustrate, Dr Dhrolin's Dictionary of Dinosaurs, is being adapted for Pathfinder. Want science-informed extinct species in your Pathfinder adventures? This is the Kickstarter for you!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/pal...

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Late to the party again for #FossilFriday. I've been thinking a lot about Megalosaurus this week, so here's some #paleoart of one from 2020. It's ambushing Cetiosaurus, another historically important #dinosaur species. #sciart

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Late to the party again for #FossilFriday. I've been thinking a lot about Megalosaurus this week, so here's some #paleoart of one from 2020. It's ambushing Cetiosaurus, another historically important #dinosaur species. #sciart

0 replies 23 reposts 63 likes

Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Proofs on an open-access manuscript about a certain mythological creature and its connection with fossils submitted. Publication should be soon - we're talking days, not weeks. Excited to be able to share it soon!

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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From... 2019? Yikes - #paleoart of Deinonychus mantling a juvenile Sauroposeidon for #FossilFriday. Contrary to many dromaeosaur artworks, there's no compelling evidence that these animals hunted in groups, and their feet were made for gripping, not kicking and slashing. #dinosaurs

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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From... 2019? Yikes - #paleoart of Deinonychus mantling a juvenile Sauroposeidon for #FossilFriday. Contrary to many dromaeosaur artworks, there's no compelling evidence that these animals hunted in groups, and their feet were made for gripping, not kicking and slashing. #dinosaurs

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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My first time being on the cover of JVP, too! Congrats on finally, finally getting to the end.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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I was vacationing on the shores of Loch Ness last week. Just for fun, here's the elasmosaur Thalassomedon showing what a surfacing plesiosaur would actually look like. Nessie-like elevated necks are physically impossible without a bird-like body plan (i.e. a very lightweight neck on a heavier body).

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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On vacation at Loch Ness. Was snapping some arty photos of the scenery when... holy crap! Enough to convince this hardened sceptic.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Bits of the discussion should make it into various accessible places, but I imagine most of it will stay on Patreon. A lot of the Spinosaurus discussion echoes what Scott Hartman has said, so that's a recommended read.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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This wouldn't be anything to do with a certain geological unit with a beelzebubian, stream-ish quality, would it?

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Final materials for Book 6 SUBMITTED. Off they go, into the wilds of designing, layout and proofing, ready to mature into a real book by early 2025.

#paleoart #dinosaurs #sciart

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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We know that pterosaurs could pack surprisingly large prey items into their torsos; they really filled them up. So you could probably get reasonably sized critters into an azhdarchid belly once you fold all the limbs down. As of yet, there's no evidence for crops in flying reptiles.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Yep. I designed a lot of stuff for PP and consulted on several scenes. My heaviest job was the pterosaurs, but I also did the concept art for the ammonites and several dinosaurs.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Hatz was deliberately designed to be impressive. I mean, all the animals were meant to be spectacular in one way or another, but I added lots of little touches to the Hazt design to make it particularly special: the unusually big crest, the fluffy tail, the bulk of the head etc.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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I've never thought to mash these skeletals up before, but this is what it looks like when you pitch the giant azhdarchid Quetzalcoatlus northropi against the predicted dimensions of a hatchling Tyrannosaurus. More evidence that the Mesozoic hated baby dinosaurs. #sciart

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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Entering endgame on the publication of a new paper about... well, here's a teaser image.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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I've never thought to mash these skeletals up before, but this is what it looks like when you pitch the giant azhdarchid Quetzalcoatlus northropi against the predicted dimensions of a hatchling Tyrannosaurus. More evidence that the Mesozoic hated baby dinosaurs. #sciart

4 replies 38 reposts 138 likes

Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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All (almost) correct. That's not Guanlong, but it is a proceratosaurid.

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Mark Witton's avatar Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social
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They aren't, but they could be! I should really upload some stuff there. For the Greater Good.

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