One of the most famous mosasaurs, Tylosaurus proriger, submerges after taking a breath. It is dark above and light below, as tentatively suggested by some palaeocolour data. The challenges of interpreting scaly reptile palaeocolour, and the tiny scraps of colour data we have for this animal, preclude much confidence in chromatic interpretations of this species, however. Also, if you stare at this long enough, you'll see a few sharks. No foolin'.

Been thinking marine-reptiley thoughts today. Here's one of my latest #paleoart efforts along that line: Tylosaurus proriger. The colour is based on fossil colour data, although it's far from certain that this animal was black and countershaded.

Print link: www.markwitton.co.uk/product-page...

Researchers have uncovered unexpected diversity in how #rabbits see the world. Using advanced 3D morphometric analysis of a large digital skull dataset, the study reveals that differences in skull shape strongly influence orbit orientation and field of view: doi.org/10.1098/rsos... #RSOS

In memoriam: Hans-Dieter Sues (1956–2026) Published in Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology (Ahead of Print, 2026)

My obituary of the highly accomplished and brilliant Professor Hans-Dieter Sues (1956-2026) is now online, let me know if you want a pdf... www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NICGG...

Result from the Pisco Formation, please leave all your angry comments below!
The Miocene of the Pisco basin is an absolute insane hot spot for marine life, over the course of millions of years the sediments recorded dozens of large mammals, especially whales...

No evidence that hominin dispersal across Eurasia was part of a wider turnover in mammal distributions - Nature Communications Hominin dispersal out of Africa may have corresponded with exchanges of other fauna out of Africa. Here, the authors examine taxonomic and functional similarities in Eurasian and African fossil commun...

Sun, J., de la Torre, I. & Bibi, F. No evidence that hominin dispersal across Eurasia was part of a wider turnover in mammal distributions. Nat Commun 17, 3575 (2026). doi.org/10.1038/s414...

New 🦍 💭 paper in @psychscience.bsky.social

We continue to ask simple questions that are hard to answer

"Individual Differences in Great Ape Cognition Across Time and Domains: Stability, Structure, and Predictability"

Bonus: Rasch models in the supplement 🤓

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Thank you so much tor inviting me to represent @manyprimates.bsky.social at #ehbea2026. A bit intimidating but very enjoyable to give my first talk as network co-coordinator.

Viability selection on coat spot patterns correlates with temperature anomalies in Masai giraffes Spot patterns influenced giraffe survival and their effects were altered by temperature anomalies. In calves, spot size may help with thermoregulation while spot shape may conceal them from predators...

2026. Viability selection on coat spot patterns correlates with temperature anomalies in Masai giraffes. doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Quick trip to Bempton Cliffs while in Yorkshire for work

📌Save the date: from 30.09-02.10.2026 the Joint Graduate Meeting in Animal Behaviour will take place @uni-muenster.de, sponsored by @ethoges.bsky.social and the DZG. No registration fees🤗

Take the chance, visit Münster, present your research, build and grow your peer network. More information soon

he workflow for establishing a hybrid framework to estimate body mass in plesiosaurs. (A) Acquire data from fossil specimens (illustrated here using the modified image of Sachicasaurus vitae, Paramo-Fonseca, Benavides-Cabra & Gutierrez, 2018, CC BY 4.0). (B) Create lateral-view silhouettes of skeletal elements. (C) Estimate the dimensions of missing fossil elements through regression formulae and/or comparisons with closely related taxa. (D) Reconstruct the main body axis, including the dimensions and shape of the skull and vertebral column. (E) Reconstruct the ribcage in both lateral view and transverse cross-sections jointly, then restore the soft-tissue outlines of the main body axis and the flippers. (F) Estimate the body mass using the cross-sectional method (Zhao, 2024). (G) Establish body mass equations from the mass estimates of multiple species. Elements in this figure are not to scale. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21146/fig-1

Silhouettes of representative plesiosaur models from different clades, showing the reconstructed body outlines and transverse cross-sections. All models are scaled to the same length. (A) Thalassomedon haningtoni. (B) Aristonectes quiriquinensis. (C) Sachicasaurus vitae. (D) Liopleurodon ferox (E) Abyssosaurus nataliae. (F) Cryptoclidus eurymerus. (G) Martinectes bonneri. (H) Polycotylus latipinnis. (I) Meyerasaurus victor. (J) Macroplata tenuiceps. (K) Seeleyosaurus guilelmiimperatoris. (L) Microcleidus tournemirensis. (M) Nichollssaura borealis. (N) Brancasaurus brancai. (O) Plesiopterys wildi. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21146/fig-4

Representative plesiosaur reconstructions created in this study. (A) Kronosaurus queenslandicus. (B) Albertonectes vanderveldei. (C) Aristonectes quiriquinensis. (D) Plesiopterys wildi. (E) Brancasaurus brancai. (F) Liopleurodon ferox. (G) Seeleyosaurus guilelmiimperatoris. (H) Meyerasaurus victor. (I) Cryptoclidus eurymerus. (J) Mauriciosaurus fernandezi. All limbs are vertically oriented for display. The dorsal ribs in these skeletal reconstructions have been aesthetically refined and thus differ from the initial versions used to infer ribcage cross-sections. Scale bar equals 1 m. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21146/fig-5

Scatter plot and regression models of the pruned skull-neck dataset. The red curve, green dashed line, and the blue dotted line represent the nonlinear regression model based on a log–logistic (LL) function, the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model, and the Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares (PGLS) model, respectively. Lower values of sample-size corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) and mean per cent prediction error (∣%PE∣) represent better model performance. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21146/fig-8

#Body reconstruction and #size estimation of #plesiosaurs by Ruizhe Jackevan Zhao: peerj.com/articles/21146 in @peerj.bsky.social relevant to #EvolutionaryStudies #MathematicalBiology #Paleontology #Zoology

Lobate ctenophore.
@schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 651 #sepacificseamounts #MarineLife

The first non-mammalian synapsid embryo from the Triassic of South Africa Oviparity was likely the plesiomorphic reproductive condition for non-mammalian Synapsida, the stem-mammal group. Yet, despite nearly two centuries of research, no definitive fossil eggs of late Palae...

First-Ever Egg of a Mammal Ancestor Discovered!
Research by myself, Julien Benoit (Wits) and Vincent Fernandez (ESRF) presents the first-ever egg of the therapsid Lystrosaurus, finally answering the question: Did the ancestors of mammals lay eggs? Yes, they did!
doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Pangolins possess a spectacular, dense network of diploic veins for brain drainage!

In our latest study, we show that this pattern may also provide rare morphological evidence linking pangolins and carnivorans in the Ferae clade.

Check it out here: academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...

a house mouse interacting with a problem-solving setup in a seminatural enclosure

Are innovators born that way, or does solving problems come from experience?🐭

In our recent(ish) paper in @asab.org with @valmazza.bsky.social & Anja Guenther, we show innovation may be inherent in wild house mice and experience makes innovators better!

paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123441

#NewPaperDay!
PeerJ Obligate faunivorous megatheropod size class patterns across the Jurassic-Cretaceous Periods peerj.com/articles/210... @peerj.bsky.social

Wakaleo alcootaensis Final Coneptualisation -

For the next 2 months, I will be working on the final W. alcootaensis and adjacent flora and fauna illustration on A2.

Thank you Dr. Adam Yates for feedback and criticisms for Wakaleo and Alcoota sp.!

#sciart #paleoart #palaeontology
#alcoota #wakaleo

#wormwednesday is the perfect opportunity to show off one of my favorite marine worms, Alitta williami. Simply because they are BEAUTIFUL

Map of study site showing the islands of Coiba and Jicarón in Coiba National Park, Panama. On Coiba, both sexes of adult white-faced capuchins use stone tools, while on Jicarón only males have been observed to use tools.

Why do we see sex-biases in tool use in some primate groups but not in others? Read my 2nd PhD chapter, #openaccess in American Journal of Primatology
(doi.org/10.1002/ajp....) for an exploration of this question in an unique island system where white-faced capuchins use stone tools. A 🧵 (1/8)

Scale chart depicting various animals from the Jurassic Tiaojishan formation of China. The magenta scale bar represents 10 centimeters

Scale chart depicting various animals from the Eocene Kuldana formation of south Asia. The magenta scale bar represents 1 meter

Scale chart depicting various animals from the Oligocene Jebel Qatrani formation of Egypt. The magenta scale bar represents 1 meter

Scale chart depicting various animals from the Miocene Cerro Azul formation of Argentina. The magenta scale bar represents 1 meter

Our #marchofthemammals2026 formation frenzy wrap up. As always, thanks to everyone who's stuck around for another March!

#paleoart #sciart #fossilfriday

A worm-like blind snake is climbing on a small tree stem

New paper alert 📣🐍

Blind snakes are usually associated with strict fossoriality. Here, we present the first record of arboreality/ climbing behaviour in the worm-like Madagascar-endemic blind snake Madatyphlops ocularis.

doi.org/10.1071/ZO25...

#snakes @csiropublishing.bsky.social (Aust J Zool)

Female superb lyrebird. Photo: Wikimedia commons

Fig. 4 from the article: Duration of element types with age. Ambiguous elements were significantly shorter in older females than younger females. By contrast, effects of age on conspecific and mimetic element length were not significant.

Fig. 5 from the article: Mimicry of predator vocalisations and mimicry of non-predator vocalisations and their probability of occurrence.

New paper: Female superb lyrebirds show diverse vocal mimicry unrelated to age, but older females more often mimic predators, suggesting mimicry is fine-tuned for nest defence rather than sexual selection.

➡️ vist.ly/4x338

#ornithology #birds #mimicry #vocalisation #age

Flexible, abstract rhythm perception in bumble bees Flexible, abstract rhythm perception underpins human music, dance, and speech, but thus far, it has only been demonstrated in a few birds and mammals. In this work, we show that bumble bees also form ...

“Flexible rhythm perception underpins human music, dance & speech. We show that bees form robust abstract rhythm representations. Results suggest an insect brain can encode & generalize arbitrary complex temporal patterns, pointing to deep evolutionary roots for domain‐general rhythm cognition.”😲
🐝🧪

ISPH logo by George Lyras

The ISPH is back in Europe!

The ISPH returns to Europe for its 8th edition. The symposium will take place at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, in the quiet and charming city of Leiden (the Netherlands) from 6 to 8 July 2027.
isph2027.wordpress.com

I'll only join virtually and miss out on beautiful Leiden, but if you're at @ehbea2026.bsky.social do join our symposium on Thursday afternoon and chat about big data and big team science.
Looking forward to it and to representing @manybabies.org

Brokering peace in the ape (culture) wars | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core Brokering peace in the ape (culture) wars - Volume 8

New paper for primatology, comparative cognition & cultural evolution: @ammiekalan.bsky.social & Tennie “Brokering peace in the ape (culture) wars”.

"Ape culture wars” is the term for the long-running dispute over how ape culture should be understood / studied.
Open access:
doi.org/10.1017/ehs....

African Leopard (Subspecies Panthera pardus pardus) African Leopard in August 2015 by Laura Keene. The zebra was injured during the river crossing but made it to shore. A leopard appeared from now...

Insane standoff captured by Laura Keene on @inaturalist.bsky.social
(The leopard successfully defended the kill)

www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Extremely excited to start my 8-year @royalsociety.org Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship @uniexecec.bsky.social focussing on understanding the role of individual cognitive variation in reintroduction biology. With 2x 4-year Postdoc and PhD positions being advertised shortly - do get in touch if interested!

It originally relates to the ancient distinction between tailless barbary macaques (barbary apes) and other monkeys, iirc. Colin Groves has written about the origins of these and other primatological terms here: www.primate-sg.org/colin_groves...

The original fossil of Eurotamandua from the Messel exhibition at the Darmstadt Natural History Museum.

Finally: A thorough anatomical description of the enigmatic pseudo-anteater Eurotamandua from the Messel pit based on CT data. Futher evidence is provided that this charismatic animal is a stem-pangolin.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...