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. French New Yorker. 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
Visit to the mountain

A Zhejiangopterus climbs to the mountaintop, where the view is higher than any it had ever seen on its own wings.

Inspired by the Tang dynasty travelogue “My First Visit to the Western Hill” by Liu Zongyuan (始得西山宴遊記 柳宗元)
#paleoart #sciart
June 15, 2025 at 2:49 PM
I did an art.... haven't done much art since Sun Country Airlines lost my Apple Pencil. Bought one of the cheap knockoffs and it's terrible, but I did do this. Still made by grumpy human that can eat cheese have emotions.
January 8, 2026 at 9:11 PM
A train conductor just accused me of stealing someone else's card in order to fraudulently get discounted fare tickets, seemingly just because I'm young and not visibily obvious that I'm disabled.

Young people can be disabled, and those disabilities are often invisible.
January 5, 2026 at 3:14 PM
My cat fully believes that the ironing board is solely for cat cuddles and that the clothes iron serves solely for warming up the cat cuddling table. Ironing wrinkles out of clothes is just one of those silly things humans do, like playing video games or eating vegetables.
January 3, 2026 at 5:34 PM
My predictions for 2026
January 1, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
Couldn't have said it better.
On being an AI hater
anthonymoser.github.io/writing/ai/h...
I Am An AI Hater
I am an AI hater. This is considered rude, but I do not care, because I am a hater.
anthonymoser.github.io
December 29, 2025 at 7:15 PM
The software I used and the illustrations I made
December 28, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
decked out in her breeding plumage, arizona's most eligible dilophosaurus debutante takes a much-needed rest by a stream. who knew that competing for a mate could be such an exhausting endeavour?
#paleoart comm by @literallymiguel.bsky.social
December 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
#Sciart #Paleoart #Dinosaur Juvenile Tyrannosaurus attacking Nanotyrannus
December 28, 2025 at 8:18 AM
They were roommates??
Nanotyrannus
Went back to working on this during flocking #paleostream
#paleoart #sciart #backinhell
December 28, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
Nanotyrannus
Went back to working on this during flocking #paleostream
#paleoart #sciart #backinhell
November 8, 2025 at 11:05 AM
got proofs back from JVP and they managed to mess up the spelling of my name... again.
December 26, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Hey @microsoft.com have you considered that when I search Clip Studio Paint that means I want to open the software that is on my computer and not open Edge to do a Bing Search for Clip Studio Paint thanks :)
December 26, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
We, and the birds in the trees, and the rats in the cellar, and the snake in the grass; all of us are descended from incredibly friend shaped animals, such as Acanthostega
December 24, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
'Tis the season for some festive science songs.

If you've ever wanted to hear someone sing about a dimunitive tyranosaur then now is your chance
December 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Ebenezer Scrooge was stingy and mean but he was absolutely justified in disliking Christmas, and he did not deserve to have his individuality peer pressured out of him by three ghosts.
December 19, 2025 at 3:50 PM
The first pterosaur cervical to be found in Alabama! Watch this space for upcoming research on Alabama pterosaurs!
😲 Pterosaur discovery Alert‼️David Braswell found pterosaur vertebrae in ~82 million-year-old (Cretaceous) marls of Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Alabama at a trip I organized for the Alabama Paleo Society! These are now the first pterosaur vertebrae in UA's fossil collection. #FossilFriday
December 19, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
A Pteranodon longiceps just messing around in the water. This sub-adult’s crest is not yet as large or as brightly coloured as those of more mature individuals.
#SciArt
December 19, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Is your cat doing phylogenetic analysis? Recognize the signs before it's too late!
December 15, 2025 at 4:35 PM
"Can you explain this gap in your resume?"
"My cat sat on me, so I could not get up from the sofa"
December 15, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
Warm.
December 14, 2025 at 10:33 AM
The good news is that I've had another manuscript accepted.

The bad news is that it's another boring nomenclatural note that approximately 3 people will care about.

The good news is that it has a cool skeletal diagram infographic that @slvrhwk.bsky.social made!
December 9, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I'm still slightly annoyed that Trader Joe's discontinued the vegan meat lover's pizza.
December 9, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Reposted by Skye McDavid
One of my neighbors has been putting up these fish facts posters. All kinds of different fish, marine, freshwater, deep, shallow, all kinds. This is a good one. “Stg this real fish” took me out. Good work, neighbor.
December 7, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Paper by @griffinlabpaleo.bsky.social independently revalidates Nanotyrannus lancensis using different methodology from the recent Zanno & Napoli paper. But what I'm most excited about is the Coelophysis hyoid histology is finally out too! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
December 4, 2025 at 7:37 PM