Shrutik A. Boricha

Historical illustration of a sloth seated on a mossy rock, with long, curved claws prominently displayed on both hands and feet. The sloth has shaggy brown fur, a rounded face with large eyes, and a small, smiling mouth. To the right is a detailed profile head sketch in black and white, showing the animal’s face and fur texture. The setting includes small plants and earthy ground beneath the rock. The illustration is labeled in old-style script with the sloth's names in several languages.

🦥 Recueil de divers oiseaux étrangers et peu communs
A Nuremberg: Chez les Héritiers de Seligmann, 1768-1776.

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Black and white historical illustration showing two Asiatic elephants, a large adult and a smaller calf, standing closely together. The adult elephant’s trunk gently wraps around the calf’s head in a protective or affectionate manner. The background features additional elephants grazing and rocky terrain with some grass and plants in the foreground. The detailed etching highlights the rough texture of the elephants’ skin and natural environment. The image is labeled “Plate IX” and titled "Asiatic Elephant" from an 1886 publication.

🐘 The ivory king;.
New York, C. Scribner's sons, 1886..

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Results from the Nanotyrannus #Paleostream!
First two are N. lancensis, 3 and 4 are N. lethaeus.
You might notice some paleoart homages here ;)
#BackInHell

Illustration of a one-horned rhinoceros standing on a small grassy island surrounded by water. The rhino has thick, segmented armor-like skin with distinct folds, a single prominent horn on its snout, and a rounded body with short, sturdy legs. Behind the rhinoceros, tropical plants with broad leaves and spiky fronds provide a natural backdrop. The image is labeled "Rhinoceros unicornis L." and features fine detailing typical of 18th-19th century scientific illustrations.

🦏 Die Säugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur /.
Erlangen: Expedition des Schreber'schen säugthier- und des Esper'schen Schmetterlingswerkes [etc., 1774]-1846..

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An #echidna showing off its many excellent features:
🐜Long ant-eating, electro-receptive snout.
♠️Massive digging feet.
🌵Anti-predator spines.
💅 Huge backward-pointing hind-claws, to scratch in between their spines.
🧥Thick fur coat to survive winter in #Tasmania.
#MammalWatching #WildOz #echidnas

Illustration of two American beavers by a riverbank, one sitting upright gnawing on a tree trunk with visible circular bite marks, the other on all fours near the water. Both beavers have dark brown fur, prominent orange teeth, large webbed hind feet, and flat, textured tails. The background shows a calm river and soft foliage under a cloudy sky, showcasing their natural habitat. The image is detailed and lifelike, emphasizing the beavers' physical features and behaviors.

🦫 The quadrupeds of North America. v.1.
New York, V.G. Audubon, 1851-54.

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It's #WorldGorillaDay, highlighting this primate which is endangered due to factors including habitat loss, disease and poaching.

This plate in Studia Zoologica (1856) by Anders Gustav Dahlbom (1806-1856), lists the species as Gorilla gina. As far as we know, this gorilla wasn't called Gina!

Premolar Ecomorphology in Anthropoid Primates: A Machine Learning Approach Key Findings Anthropoid premolar anatomy and topography varies with diet: folivores and highly insectivorous species tend to have sharp premolars with tall cusps, while hard-object feeders tend to ha...

New paper out! We identified features of primate premolars that correspond with diet and explored their usefulness for predicting dietary habits of extinct species. #primates #research #ecomorphology @siobhancooke.bsky.social

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

🐘 At the Museum, practically 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 day is National Elephant Appreciation Day.

Within our African and North American Diorama Halls, lifelike wild animals—like our iconic and majestic African elephant herd—roam their natural habitats in timeless glory.

Historical illustration titled "Genera mammalium, Madrid, 1919," depicting a wombat (Phascolomys ursinus) in full profile with dark brown fur and sturdy body. Above the wombat are detailed anatomical sketches including two skull views, claws, and teeth, labeled with numbers and letters for two species, Phascolomys ursinus and Lasiorhinus latifrons. The illustration highlights the wombat’s robust skull structure, sharp curved claws, and distinctive dental features, emphasizing its classification within the marsupial family Phascolomyidae.

🦝 Genera mammalium
Madrid, 1919.

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King Penguin chick, South Georgia.

#SuperSeabirdSunday #birds #seabirds

an old black and white photo of a man standing with arms raised dramatically to mimic the large skeleton he is standing next to that is a large mammal that also has its clawed arms raised

#TBT From the Archives 💡 Dave Webb and the Giant Ground Sloths

The beloved giant ground sloth fossils featured in our Florida Fossils exhibit are the result of paleontologist Dave Webb's research and the work he and his students put into the specimens:
www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/vertpaleo/bl...

Illustration of a koala (Phascolarctos cinereus cinereus) sitting on a tree branch. The koala is shown in profile with detailed fur texture, rounded ears, a large nose, and sharp claws gripping the branch. The image appears on a vintage book page with text discussing koala sanctuaries and conservation efforts in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia.

🐨 Did you hear?! BHL-Australia portal just released. C pg on famous Australian marsupial Phascolarctos cinereus bhl.ala.org.au/page/17795092#page/85/mode/1up #bhlpod

Illustration of a great-tailed squirrel perched on a tree stump near leafy branches. The squirrel has a bushy tail curled upward, detailed fur in shades of brown and white, and is holding a nut in its front paws. In the background, there are trees, rolling hills, and a river under a pale sky. The artwork is a natural history print from Philadelphia, highlighting the grizzled giant squirrel, noted as the smallest giant squirrel from the Indian subcontinent.

🐻 The Cabinet of natural history and American rural sports, .
Philadelphia: J. & T. Doughty.. Happy Squirrel Week! The grizzled giant squirrel is the smallest of the giant squirrels found n the Indian subcontinent

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NEW! In episode #85, Ray and Dave explore the history of all things Elephantidae 🐘❗️with Advait Jukar @amjukar.bsky.social delving into their shovels, tusks, and trunks.

Listen to episode #85 now!
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/adva...

Learn about Advait Jukar:
www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/people/advai...

Ep #85 Mammoth Tusks, Gomphothere Shovels and Elephant Trunks with Advait Jukar | Paleo Nerds Ray and Dave explore the history of all things Elephantidae, including Mammoths, Mastodons, and Gomphotheres, with Advait Jukar, delving into their shovels, tusks, and trunks.

Scientist Spotted 🔦 The fun folks at the @paleonerdspod.bsky.social had a great talk with our paleontologist Advait Jukar @amjukar.bsky.social about all things Elephantidae like gomphotheres, mastodons and mammoths, including shovels, tusks, and trunks. 🦣 Listen:
www.paleonerds.com/podcast/adva...

Last but never least, to my parents and well-wishers: your belief and backing made this possible. 🪄 (4/4)

Special thanks to Prof. Devapriya (IISER Pune) and Prof. Nibedita (IIT Bombay), my internship supervisors, for sparking and nurturing my interest in paleontology, respectively. 🌱 (3/4)

This opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without the early mentorship I received. Deep thanks to Prof. Rekha (NIT Rourkela), my MSc thesis advisor and mentor, for helping me better understand the nitty-gritties of research. 🐾(2/4)

A picture of the Century Tower at UF in the background with some lush, green trees in the foreground.

I’m delighted to share that I’ll be joining the University of Florida to pursue my PhD in Zoology starting Fall 2025! 🎉 I’ll be working in Prof. @amjukar.bsky.social's lab, studying North American mammalian paleoecology and functional morphology. 🐎🦴 (1/4)