Skye McDavid
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skyemcdavid.com
Skye McDavid
@skyemcdavid.com
scientific illustrator dabbling in paleontological research: pterosaurs, dinosaurs, other fossil reptiles, zoological nomenclature. she/her
Links: https://www.skyemcdavid.com/links
Pinned
Of course the big paper on Azhdarchoid phylogeny comes out while I'm at a museum on a research visit (looking at Azhdarchoid cervicals, obviously) but now I'm back at the hotel so it's time to write a proper thread! 1/28
Reposted by Skye McDavid
when we say we want more streets to be pedestrianized, this is what we mean
November 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM
pterosaur
November 25, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
Geologic Core Sample
xkcd.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
A group of Dorygnathus use a Seirocrinus raft as a hunting ground for fish, when a big Eurhinosaurus suddenly breaches the surface.

This scene takes place in Germany during the Early Jurassic, around 180 million years ago.

Digital painting by Peter Nickolaus, 2025.
November 21, 2025 at 8:08 PM
"I have no problem with high resolution Blender renderings of big 3D models, but i draw the line at playing music."

- my computer, apparently
November 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
As Thanksgiving gets closer, an excellent video from @minutefood.bsky.social on how to deep-fry turkey (or any other food) SAFELY, to avoid the fireballs you've seen in so many PSAs.

TLDR: what matters most is to account for oil displacement.

youtu.be/nFR70RKkN7Q?...
The REAL problem with deep-frying frozen turkeys
YouTube video by MinuteFood
youtu.be
November 19, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
Mainstream palaeoart often seems lily-white in terms of the diversity of its contributors. But pieces of palaeoart that rank among the -MOST SEEN- works in the entire field were examples of black craftsmanship. This week came news on the passing of Garfield G. Minott (1966-2025)... cont
November 15, 2025 at 1:31 PM
He is being very helpful with the 3d modeling.
November 19, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
Of course the big paper on Azhdarchoid phylogeny comes out while I'm at a museum on a research visit (looking at Azhdarchoid cervicals, obviously) but now I'm back at the hotel so it's time to write a proper thread! 1/28
November 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
an insult to scientific illustrators who put time and work into accurately communicating results of research in a visual form

an insult to the researchers whose work is being bastardized here

an insult to the funding bodies who support research for it to be disseminated to the world
AI slop gracing the cover of Royal Society B. Not only in AI yellow but scientifically nonsensical. Come on. I'm certain human photographs and artworks were ignored to platform ... this.
November 18, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
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/
Submit a Claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
A same-sex Pteranodon pair doing a courtship display 😌
November 16, 2025 at 11:55 PM
GAY PTEROSAURS 🏳️‍🌈
A same-sex Pteranodon pair doing a courtship display 😌
November 17, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Thank you to everyone for making #2025SVP in Birmingham productive and fun! After spending the day on planes I'm finally home in NY. Now to actually write up the results of all the data collection I did in UK museums before the conference.....
November 16, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
#2025SVP @griffinlabpaleo.bsky.social: Recent finds increasingly show that large carnivorous dinosaurs were present in the Late Triassic. Reports a new herrerasaurid from the Pebbly Arkose Formation in Zimbabwe.
November 14, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
I can finally share this!!! a huge Thanks to both @skyemcdavid.com and @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social for allowing me to do a Nyctosaur for this poster!!!
November 14, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Love seeing Nixon and Gorbachev as in the Oval Office as an example of diversity of amniote integument. #2025SVP
November 14, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Poster is now publicly available on ResearchGate
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
November 14, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
For a small country, Wales has a surprising number of very, very cool dinosaurs.

Pendraig milnerae (Pendraig = “chief dragon” in Welsh) was discovered in 1952, not far from where I live, but only named in 2021 after being re-discovered in storage by Angela Milner and Susannah Maidment.

#SciArt
November 13, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Come see me today at B199
November 13, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
If you’re at #2025SVP, I’ll be available to chat about this work this afternoon! Our poster on it is at the very end of the balcony (left of the stage) in Hall 3.
November 13, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
New paper out in JSP!
𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬: the phylogeny of Azhdarchoidea (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) and the evolution of giant size in pterosaurs by Thomas & McDavid (2025) buff.ly/j9OujIm

#PaleoSky #Dragons #Pterosaurs #2025SVP buff.ly/3w48C05 @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social @skyemcdavid.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Why are people are still talking about “order” or “family” in a Linnaean taxonomic sense in the year of our lord 2025 #2025SVP
November 13, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
I will die in the hill that apes ARE monkeys and that insisting on a distinction between them is founded in anthropocentrism.
November 12, 2025 at 11:05 PM