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Eons Roundup 15

It’s time for a little bit more recent PBS Eons work this week:

An illustration of Arctodictis, an extinct predatory mammal related to modern marsupials. It's a vaguely wolverine-like animal with a boxy snout, a low-slung body, stout limbs, and a long tail. It's depicted in a crouched stalking pose, and it's colored grey-brown with darker spot and stripe markings.
Arctodictis sp.
An illustration of Thoatherium, an extinct hoofed mammal. It resembles a small horse or deer, with a long face, high-set pointed ears, a boxy body, a short tail, and long slender legs each ending in a single hoofed toe. It's depicted with its head lowered to browse on some leaves, and it's colored reddish-brown with a darker back and limbs and a lighter belly
Thoatherium sp.

• The metatherian predator Arctodictis and the litoptern ungulate Thoatherium from “The Mystery of South America’s False Horses”

Eons Roundup 14

It’s been a while, but let’s catch up with some more work I’ve done for PBS Eons:

An illustration of both a fossil example and the reconstructed internal structure of the enigmatic Paleodictyon, a hexagonal network of tunnels in seafloor sediment created by an unknown organism.
Paleodictyon nodosum

The enigmatic Paleodictyon, from “Something Has Been Making This Mark For 500 Million Years”

An illustration of Loxolophus, an extinct mammal related to early ungulates. It somewhat resembles a modern coatimundi, with a slender snout, long legs with plantigrade feet and claw-like hooves, and a long bushy tail. It's reconstructed with a mottled and striped camouflage pattern of brown and cream fur.
Loxolophus hyattianus
An illustration of Arctocyon, an extinct mammal related to early ungulates. It has a dog-like head with large canine teeth, a stocky bear-like body with plantigrade legs and claw-like hooves, and a long tail. It's reconstructed with an orange-brown pelt with white stripes along its limbs.
Arctocyon primaevus
An illustration of Eoconodon, an extinct mammal related to early ungulates. It has a somewhat deer-like head, a rather cat-like body shape, claw-like hooves on its toes, and a long tail. It's reconstructed with a coat of brown fur spotted with white along its back and sides.
Eoconodon coryphaeus

The archaic ungulates Loxolophus, Arctocyon, and Eoconodon, from “How a Mass Extinction Changed Our Brains”

An illustration of Aturia, an extinct relative of modern nautiluses. It's reconstructed with an orange-brown shell patterned with zigzagging darker stripes.
Aturia sp.

And the nautilid Aturia, from “When Nautiloids Met Their Match”

Wukongopterus

A colored line drawing of Wukongopterus, an extinct pterosaur, standing on all fours facing forwards with its head and tail raised, and a slightly squinty expression to its one visible eye that gives it the impression of being disapproving. It has long triangular jaws lined with tiny sharp teeth, a large semicircular crest along the top of its head, and a fairly long thick neck, a small fuzzy body, and a long tail ending in a multi-lobed vane. Its wings fingers are folded up against its arms and its flight membrane is mostly contracted. It's colored orange-brown with a pale underside, with darker stripes and yellow splotches, and a red eyespot-like marking on its crest.
Wukongopterus lii (crest version 1)
A colored line drawing of Wukongopterus, an extinct pterosaur, standing on all fours facing forwards with its head and tail raised, and a slightly squinty expression to its one visible eye that gives it the impression of being disapproving. It has long triangular jaws lined with tiny sharp teeth, a semicircular crest on the top of the front of its snout, and a fairly long thick neck, a small fuzzy body, and a long tail ending in a multi-lobed vane. Its wings fingers are folded up against its arms and its flight membrane is mostly contracted. It's colored orange-brown with a pale underside, with darker stripes and yellow splotches, and a red eyespot-like marking on its crest.
Wukongopterus lii (crest version 2)

Wukongopterus lii was a pterosaur that lived during the mid-to-late Jurassic, about 164 million years ago, in what is now northeastern China. It was fairly small, with a wingspan of around 70cm (~2’4″), and showed a mixture of anatomical features in-between the long-tailed short-headed ‘rhamphorhynchoids‘ and the short-tailed long-headed pterodactyloids.

Its long jaws were lined with tiny pointed conical teeth, suggesting it was adapted for primarily feeding on insects. It also had a very slight overbite, with the first two pairs of teeth in its upper jaw protruding almost vertically over the end of its lower jaw.

As a fully mature adult it would have had a low bony crest on its head that probably supported a larger cartilaginous structure – similar to other known wukongopterids – although the exact size and shape is unknown since the one confirmed specimen of Wukongopterus is missing that particular part of its skull. Another fossil nicknamed “Ian” may represent a second individual of this species, showing a different crest arrangement further forward on its snout, so I’ve made two different versions of today’s image to reflect that possibility.

Continue reading “Wukongopterus”

Eons Roundup 12 (& Published Art!)

It’s been a while since I last showed off some of these, but here’s some more commission work I’ve done for PBS Eons:

  • Aggiosaurus nicaeensis
  • Aggiosaurus nicaeensis
  • Cricosaurus sp.

The metriorhynchid marine crocodilians Aggiosaurus and Cricosaurus, from “When Crocs Thrived in the Seas”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgqs_9BBX10

And… what’s this?

A familiar Scutellosaurus makes an appearance in a recently-published children’s dinosaur book!

Eons Roundup 11

It’s time for another batch of PBS Eons commission work!

  • An illustration of an extinct marine reptile. It has a lizard-like body and a long paddle-like tail, and a small head with an oddly-shaped wide mouth lined with many tiny teeth – the overall shape of its bizarre jaws resembles the head of a vacuum cleaner!
    Atopodentatus unicus
  • An illustration of an extinct marine reptile. It resembles a turtle with a wide squared-off beak, small spikes on the back of its head, and a wide carapace shaped vaguely like a horseshoe crab.
    Henodus chelyops

The marine reptiles Atopodentatus and Henodus, from “The Triassic Reptile With ‘Two Faces'”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8W26SiCylI

  • An illustration of an extinct giant marine turtle. it has a ridged shell like a leatherback, and a hooked eagle-like beak.
    Archelon ischyros
  • An illustration of an extinct sea turtle.
    Euclastes platyops

The marine turtles Archelon and Euclastes, from “The Return of Giant Skin-Shell Sea Turtles”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmb8XCwb3FI

Eons Roundup 10

Time for some more PBS Eons commission work!

  • An illustration of an extinct marine invertebrate. It has large spiny appdanges at the front of its head, stalked eyes, multiple pairs of fin-like swimming flaps along the sides of its body, and a pair of long streamer-like "tails".
    Lyrarapax unguispinus
  • An illustration of an extinct marine invertebrate. It has large densely-spined appdanges at the front of its head, small eyes on short stalks, multiple pairs of fin-like swimming flaps along the sides of its body, and three pairs of fan-like tail fins.
    Tamisiocaris borealis

The radiodonts Lyrarapax and Tamisiocaris, from “How Plankton Created A Bizarre Giant of the Seas”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0oKBPZODhM

  • An illustration of an extinct lizard-like reptile. It has a row of short spines down its back, and its mouth is open showing "buck teeth" at the front of its jaws and multiple rows of teeth further back.
    Sphenotitan leyesi
  • An illustration of an extinct lizard-like reptile. It has a row of short spines down its back, and a proportionally big head with large eyes.
    Clevosaurus sp.
  • An illustration of an extinct lizard-like reptile. It has a row of short spines down its back, and a proportionally big head with large eyes.
    Kawasphenodon peligrensis

The rhynchocephalians Sphenotitan, Clevosaurus, and Kawasphenodon, from “When Lizards Took Over the World”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peeX3PKOE_w

Eons Roundup 9

New year, new PBS Eons commission roundup day!

  • An illustration of an extinct early walrus. Unlike modern walruses it has no tusks, more resembling a sea lion in appearance.
    Neotherium mirum
  • An illustration of an extinct species of walrus. It has shorter thicker tusks than modern walruses, and it's depicted grubbing around on a muddy seafloor for buried shellfish.
    Valenictus sp.

The ancient walruses Neotherium and Valenictus, from “How the Walrus Got Its Tusks”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKDGYGV2LK8

  • An illustration of an extinct nodosaur, a type of quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur. Its body is covered in densely-packed knobbly spiky armor.
    Borealopelta markmitchelli (life restoration)
  • An illustration of the carcass of an extinct nodosaur, a type of quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur. Its body is covered in knobbly spiky armor, and its belly is massively bloated up from trapped gasses, forcing it to have turned upside down.
    Borealopelta markmitchelli (“bloat-and-float” carcass)

The nodosaurid ankylosaur Borealopelta, in both alive and “bloat-and-float” carcass states, from “The Dinosaur Who Was Buried at Sea”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-UZXBF63z4

  • An illustration of an extinct ankylosaur, a type of quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur. Its body is covered in knobbly spiky armor, but unlike most other ankylosaurids it has no bony club at the tip of its tail.
    Gobisaurus domoculus
  • An illustration of an extinct ankylosaur, a type of quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur. Its body is covered in knobbly spiky armor, and it has a small bony club at the tip of its tail.
    Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus

The ankylosaurid ankylosaurs Gobisaurus and Dyoplosaurus, from “How Ankylosaurs Got Their Clubs”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRt-4SdzWrk

Eons Roundup 8

Once again it’s a PBS Eons commission roundup day!

  • An illustration of an extinct baleen whale. It's looks very similar to modern rorquals, with pleated throat grooves.
    Cerro Ballena rorqual
  • An illustration of an extinct seal. it has an unusually long neck.
    Acrophoca longirostris

An unnamed Cerro Ballena rorqual whale and the long-necked seal Acrophoca, from “How the Andes Mountains Might Have Killed a Bunch of Whales”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNk6r5WljGc

  • An illustration of an extinct pseudosuchian, a relative of modern crocodiles. It resembles a dinosaur much more than a croc, standing bipedally, with a long neck, tiny arms, and a long counter-balancing tail.
    Shuvosaurus inexpectatus
  • A skeletal diagram of an extinct pseudosuchian, a relative of modern crocodiles. It resembles a dinosaur much more than a croc, standing bipedally, with a long neck, tiny arms, and a long counter-balancing tail.
    Effigia okeeffeae skeletal diagram

The poposauroid pseudosuchians Shuvosaurus (life restoration) and Effigia (skeletal) from “When Dinosaur Look-Alikes Ruled the Earth”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsmV34Co32c

Eons Roundup 7

It’s another PBS Eons commission roundup day!

  • An illustration of an extinct mammal related to marsupials, climbing on a tree branch. It's an opposum-like animal with protruding fangs and a long furred tail.
    Pucadelphys andinus
  • An illustration of an extinct mammal related to marsupials. It's a mouse-like animal with large ears and a long naked tail.
    Khasia cordillerensis
  • A lineart illustration of an extinct mammal related to marsupials. It's a bear-like animal with a short deep blunt snout, four stocky plantigrade limbs, and a long tail.
    Paraborhyaena boliviana

The metatherian mammals Pucadelphysand Khasia, and lineart of the sparassodont Paraborhyaena, from “How South America Made the Marsupials”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5doyrUWFbE

  • An illustration of an extinct relative of modern crocodiles. It has a long gharial-like snout, a slightly hunchbacked body, four paddle-like legs, and a long vertically flattened tail.
    Acherontisuchus guajiraensis
  • An illustration of an extinct swimming turtle. It has a very wide and flat carapace, almost circular in shape.
    Puentemys mushaisaensis

The dyrosaurid crocodyliform Acherontisuchus and the bothremydid turtle Puentemys, from “How a Hot Planet Created the World’s Biggest Snake”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-hDNbM-WLk

  • An illustration of an extinct early penguin, in both sitting and swimming poses. It has a long pointed beak and loon-like wings.
    Waimanu manneringi
  • An illustration of an extinct giant penguin. It has a long pointed beak.
    Anthropornis sp.

The early penguin Waimanu and the giant penguin Anthropornis, from “When Penguins Went From The Sky To The Sea”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMArjGQwLvY

Eons Roundup 6

Time for some more recent commissions from PBS Eons!

  • An illustration of an extinct carnivorous mammal. It resembles a dog-hyena, with chunky jaws and a long thin tail.
    Megistotherium osteothastes
  • An illustration of an extinct carnivorous mammal. It resembles a dog-hyena, with chunky jaws and a long thin tail.
    Hyainailouros napakensis

The hyainailourids Megistotherium osteothastes and Hyainailouros napakensis, from “When Giant Hypercarnivores Prowled Africa”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK2nvNxAuk4

  • An illustration of a bear-dog, an extinct carnivorous mammal. It resembles a dog or fox with a long thin tail.
    Daphoenus demilo
  • An illustration of a bear-dog, an extinct carnivorous mammal. It resembles a bear, with a chunky body and a long thin tail.
    Amphicyon giganteus

The bear-dogs Daphoenus demilo and Amphicyon giganteus, from “The Forgotten Story of the Beardogs”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbmLqrnxH2w

  • An illustration of an extinct relative of giant pandas, sitting and eating a bamboo branch. It has more brownish fur than modern pandas, with less defined white markings.
    Ailuropoda microta

The early panda Ailuropoda microta, from “The Fuzzy Origins of the Giant Panda”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DbShys9ww