Georgia Witton-Maclean

For those who struggle to read from graphics, here's the wording in plain text: "After a year off in 2025 and a period of silence, organisers of recent SVPCA have met with other interested parties to discuss future symposia, including provisional plans for a meeting in late August or early September 2026. More details to follow very soon."

News on #SVPCA, a (mostly) UK-based annual meeting devoted to vertebrate palaeontology. Things have been quiet about the meeting for the last 18 months, but a team of us are working to pick up where we left off. More details to follow ASAP, hopefully very soon.

#FossilFriday #paleontology #fossil

A record-breaking giraffe, me (a 167cm tall human female), a Quetzalcoatlus and a Hatzegopteryx. Painted by Mark Witton.

Forever doomed to be dwarfed by animals which could kick us to death, or swallow us whole. We should start a Human Scale Bar support group!

Next time you doubt you are the right person for a job, remember: Chupa Chups make toothpaste.

New fossils may settle debate over mysterious sail-backed spinosaurs Spinosaurs have sometimes been portrayed as swimmers or divers, but a new species of these dinosaurs bolsters the idea that they were more like gigantic herons

In which I provide a few thoughts on the new Spinosaurus species, S. mirabilis.

www.newscientist.com/article/2516...

I also stressed the deep connections between one of the study authors - Nathan Myhrvold - and Geoffrey Epstein to New Scientist. They didn't mention it, neither has anyone else.

And so begins the countdown to the frightnerman, doomsage, horrormeister. Thanks to @gizz47.bsky.social for this evening of terror, fear and blood. Blood? Blood.

Crimson, copper-smelling blood.

His blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

And bits of sick.

What are the little dark dots? Are they food particles?

The real secret of how work gets done around here: the pets guide our fingers when using computers. The truth, finally, is out. With @gizz47.bsky.social

The best type of tree! #PigeonSky 🕊️

I'm not enjoying the haphazard way I put my running shoes into the shoe rack.

There's a Hellraiser mite!!

The world feels rough right now

So please enjoy this shrimp, filmed off Cozumel, Mexico. It may be a larval reef shrimp, but we don’t know what species or how long it lives or what it eats. The world is still full of wonder and beauty and mystery.

🎥 @pedrovalenciam scuba diver on Insta

Brundle the bearded dragon wears a harness so he can get some enrichment and exercise walking around our Christmas tree.

Brundle's Christmas present came early. With @gizz47.bsky.social.

How many times have you lost Whamageddon? 😂

A freakin' huge griffenfly with a c. 70 cm wingspan, Meganeuropsis, flies vertically in pursuit of the comparatively tiny palaeodictyopteran herbivore Dunbaria fasciipennis. The long, spined legs of Meganeuropsis are reaching forward to trap the smaller insect, while a large wave crashes over rocks behind them. The pattern on Dunbaria is known from fossils, although the colours are not. It's suspected that Meganeuropsis, like other Palaeozoic members of the dragon/damselfly lineage, sported clear wings.

New #paleoart for #FossilFriday: the giant Meganeuropsis hawks Dunbaria in Early Permian Kansas, reaching to trap it with long, spiny legs. This image is set at the coast to reflect the marine occurrences of Meganeuropsis and Dunbaria fossils - not all Carbo-Permian insects lived in swamps! #sciart

Little orange goober swims by a question mark. "What is life?" He muses.

I like how in the last go round he passes underneath something which looks like a question mark. Like he's confused by his existence. Could be my spirit animal. 😆

Congratulations! :)

Hey authors! Check to see if Anthropic stole your book to train their slop generator on. You’re entitled to $1500 per stolen Work.

Look up your work, and if you’re in the database, file a claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup/

Save Geology at the University of Leicester Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?

The geology department at the University of Leicester, where myself and countless others did our palaeontology PhDs, is at serious risk of closure

Please show your support by signing the below!

c.org/KtYyZB8dHk

Have you completed or commissioned a piece of palaeoart in the last year? Nominations are now open for The Marsh Palaeoart Award! 🎨🦕🌿🐌🐟🎨
You can self-nominate, or nominate an artist you think deserves recognition. Check out our website for more details - palaeosoc.org/grants-prize...

Me smacking Dean Lomax in the head with a poster tube at Birmingham SVP 2025.

It's been a while since I smacked @deanrlomax.bsky.social in the head, but I managed to catch up with him at #2025SVP #SVP2025. You can't escape, Dean!

Great evening, and a fantastic building!

SVPCA mugs in front of the SVP logo at the SVP Palaeoart Workshop.

Kicking off #2025SVP with a Palaeoart workshop hosted by @markwitton.bsky.social. Smuggled in our #SVPCA mugs for rebellious reasons. 🦕🦖

Just the one drink? 🫣😂🍻

Hey be good to see you again! This is my first SVP! :)

You can't get rid of us! 😆

We were just here, wandering about. It's very Christmas already!

Was Not Was - Walk The Dinosaur Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Prodigy, Blur, Pulp ...anything (cool) from the Britpop era. Oh, and Ebeneezer Goode. You'll get at least two people dancing to that! 😆 But far more seriously: share.google/QzhvALVDgMqZ...

An art teacher describes a surprising problem of generative AI images: her students now don't believe any art is made by a human. And that's sad.

I suspect this will get worse.

If you like curry, the Balti was invented in Birmingham, and there's a whole area in the city centre known as the Balti Triangle.

Lit up pumpkin eyeball with stitches - from the side.

Lit up pumpkin eyeball with stitches - straight on view.

Pumpkin eyeball with stitches - straight on view.

Pumpkin eyeball with stitches - side view.

The scariest part of #October for me has been having my eyeball cut to pieces and sewn back together. So here it is ...in #pumpkin form! Happy #Halloween! 🎃