Mark Witton

@markwitton.bsky.social

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

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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

Voted! #dogsatpollingstations

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#Sauropod dinosaur tracks from the Purbeck Group (Early Cretaceous) of Spyway Quarry, Dorset, #UK 🦕 Richard J. Butler, Kirsty M. Edgar, Lewis Haller et al royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... (Art: @markwitton.bsky.social) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Over the weekend I uploaded images to #Patreon about the history and present state of Megalosaurus in #paleoart, including new restorations of my own. Check them out here: www.patreon.com/markwitton (and, I'm doing so, support the production of an upcoming paper on this topic) #sciart #dinosaurs

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Still another six months to go until the book is available (via UCL Press as an open access publication!), but we now have a catalogue page and a cover - by @markwitton.bsky.social, and featuring Gertie the Dinosaur in centre stage www.uclpress.co.uk/collections/...

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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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New open-access paper for #FossilFriday! Richard Hing and I examine the idea that griffins were inspired by the horned #dinosaurs Protoceratops, concluding that the idea is non-evidenced at best, and outright problematic at worst. Check it out here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

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@markwitton.bsky.social #FossilFriday phys.org/news/2024-06...

New study finds dinosaur fossils did not inspire the mythological griffinphys.org A popular and widely-promoted claim that dinosaur fossils inspired the legend of the griffin, the mythological creature with a raptorial bird head and wings on a lion body, has been challenged in a ne...

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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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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...

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...

Pathfinder Second Ed.: Dr Dhrolin's Dictionary of Dinosaurswww.kickstarter.com A palaeontology-themed supplement for tabletop roleplaying games.

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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

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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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

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).

On vacation at Loch Ness. Was snapping some arty photos of the scenery when... holy crap! Enough to convince this hardened sceptic.

This month at #Patreon, I've been posting new skeletal reconstructions of various megalosauroids: Megalosaurus, Baryonyx and Spinosaurus. Lengthy discussions accompany each restoration. Check out the full series at www.patreon.com/markwitton. #FossilFriday #Dinosaurs #paleoart

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Sort-of new to the internet #paleoart for #FossilFriday: the complete version of the Egyptian sauropod Paralititan having a robust conversation with Spinosaurus. This was produced for the @palaeogames.bsky.social DnD book - check it out at palaeogames.com. #sciart #dinosaurs

More new #paleoart posted to #Patreon: Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus, prevented from fighting by not being on the same canvas: new takes on old images, updated for the mysterious Book 6. High res versions of these (and more!) at www.patreon.com/posts/book-6.... #sciart #dinosaurs

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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New #paleoart at #Patreon! Here's an image that I'm sure won't cause any upset at all among tyrannosaur fans: giant azhdarchid pterosaurs drive T. rex away from a juvenile Triceratops carcass. High-res version, WIPs and discussion here: www.patreon.com/posts/103222... #sciart

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More new #paleoart at #Patreon: a subadult Canadian Tyrannosaurus hauls Leptoceratops from a burrow under a Cretaceous blood moon. To the north are vast alluvial plains. Lots of info about this image, and the hi-res version, at www.patreon.com/posts/103286.... #sciart