Chris Tijani Barker
@christijanibarker.bsky.social
190 followers 77 following 10 posts
Palaeontologist | PhD | Dinosaur consultant and author | Visiting researcher at University of Southampton | Spinosaurs, theropods, crocodylomorphs & Wealden Supergroup faunas 🇫🇷 🇹🇳 🇬🇧
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christijanibarker.bsky.social
Spinosaurs, dromaeosaurs... and tyrannosaurs? Our new #OA paper with @tetzoo.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social
@simonwills.bsky.social and colleagues examines the theropod assemblage from a poorly known part of the British Cretaceous is out: doi.org/10.1002/spp2.... Art by Anthony Hutchings.
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
tetzoo.bsky.social
New Rauhut et al. PalaeoE paper on Iberian spinosaurids is really interesting but odd that they only cite us (Barker et al. 2021) once, and only in connection with an anatomical trait. I'm biased, but Barker et al. is an important paper in European spinosaurid studies www.nature.com/articles/s41...
New spinosaurids from the Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, UK) and the European origins of Spinosauridae - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - New spinosaurids from the Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, UK) and the European origins of Spinosauridae
www.nature.com
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
tetzoo.bsky.social
This has been a week of mostly #crocodyliforms and #spinosaurids. A lot of great stuff in the works with @christijanibarker.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social and others.... stay tuned.
A hooked upper jaw top from a spinosaurid. Fossil in a box, blacked out to maintain secrecy. Render showing branching internal structures within a fossil.
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
neilgostling.bsky.social
Great day in the Palaeo lab at Dinosaur Isle with @christijanibarker.bsky.social and @jamesmacdonell.bsky.social looking at Isle of Wight dinosaurs. Keep an eye out for some exciting developments...
@sotonbiosciences.bsky.social @unisouthampton.bsky.social
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
tetzoo.bsky.social
In 2022, I and colleagues published our study of a new gigantic spinosaurid theropod from the Isle of Wight's Vectis Formation. The remains were fragmentary, and we've always hoped that new material might come to light. And that's where I'll end things and press 'Post'.... tetzoo.com/blog/2022/6/...
A Giant Spinosaurid Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight — Tetrapod Zoology
Yup, another new dinosaur from the Cretaceous of the UK…
tetzoo.com
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
neilgostling.bsky.social
Hidden in Stone at God's House Tower features work from Archaeology and @sotonbiosciences.bsky.social of @unisouthampton.bsky.social. Here are some pieces inspired by the research in my lab, by @christijanibarker.bsky.social during his PhD... The Spinosaur Ceratosuchops... Work by Karen Fawcett
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
tetzoo.bsky.social
Had a fantastic evening at God's House Tower (Southampton) for Hidden in Stone, a new exhibition arranged by @neilgostling.bsky.social, bringing attention to south coast fossils including Wealden spinosaurids, the Isle of Wight Paleogene and Pleistocene, and more. Aaand...
God's House Tower at night. Upstairs in the museum, showing people in exhibition space with display items like pliosaur skull and wooden dinosaur. Replica pliosaur skull. Replicas of fossils including Anning Plesiosaurus.
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
tetzoo.bsky.social
Hidden in Stone includes appropriate coverage of Wealden spinosaurids (the work of @christijanibarker.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social myself and others), with replica fossils of #Ceratosuchops and items relevant to Bill Walker's discovery of #Baryonyx in the 1980s...
Naish soyjacking to a sign. Again, jesus. Ceratosuchopin skull replicas. Letter from the NHM to Bill Walker and his own geological hammer. Base-mounted replica, with plaque, of the original Baryonyx find.
christijanibarker.bsky.social
First visit to the Oxford Clay Fm. (Callovian, Jurassic) around Tidmoor Point - covered in mud but highly productive, with lots of ammonite and belemnite fragments as well as a shark tooth (?Sphenodus).
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
neilgostling.bsky.social
We have a rich fossil heritage on the south coast, marine reptiles, dinosaurs, the first humans on these islands... And everything in between. Come and find out about it at our new exhibition, running from April 4th to June 1st.
godshousetower.org.uk/eventer/exhi...
@unisouthampton.bsky.social
christijanibarker.bsky.social
Saw a whole bunch of kids books I've written/consulted on out in the wild: these are all DK tomes, including the recent 2024 addition to the Find My Favourite series aimed at younger readers 🦖🦕
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
christijanibarker.bsky.social
Thanks for the kind words! I've had luck at Bexhill/Hastings way (Cretaceous dinosaur bits, tree fern, fish; left pic) and at Bracklesham (Eocene sharks, rays; right pic). Bognor Regis is also a shout but beach conditions need to be just right. Feel free to get in touch if you want any details.
christijanibarker.bsky.social
Thank you for your interest! Unfortunately your specimen is a piece of flint, but I'd happy to send over some places where you can easily find fossils if you're thinking of fossil hunting again
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
thepalass.bsky.social
Spinosaurs, dromaeosaurs & tyrannosaurs in the lower English Wealden: analysis of a tooth-based fauna from the Wadhurst Clay Formation onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @neilgostling.bsky.social @christijanibarker.bsky.social @tetzoo.bsky.social
Artist's reconstruction of the fauna of the Hastings Group, Lower Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup of southern England. A darkly clouded sky is filled with flying pterosaurs and in the foreground large and small predatory theropods feed and splash across a muddy landscape with coniferous trees in the background, feeding from a felled theropod. Illustration by Anthony Hutchings.
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
simonwills.bsky.social
Great to be involved in this research along with @christijanibarker.bsky.social, @tetzoo.bsky.social @simonwills.bsky.social, Lucy Handford, Christope Hendricks, Phil Hadland, Dave Brockhurst and @neilgostling.bsky.social.

The #MachineLearning we used will continue to improve with more data!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
christijanibarker.bsky.social
We used multiple methods to help identify theropod teeth from the Wadhurst Clay Formation of SE England, whose predatory dinosaur fauna has long remained enigmatic. Our results confirm an assemblage containing spinosaurs and dromaeosaurs, and we IDed tyrannosaurs for the first time in this unit.
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
tetzoo.bsky.social
Published today ... our study of predatory dinosaur diversity in the Lower Cretaceous Hastings Group of the Wealden. New data on one of the oldest Cretaceous dinosaur assemblages, revealing new spinosaurid, tyrannosauroid and dromaeosaurid lineages ... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #dinosaurs
East Sussex: Dinosaur teeth discovered in Bexhill
A new study says a discovery at Ashdown Brickworks helped unearth a community of dinosaurs.
www.bbc.co.uk
christijanibarker.bsky.social
Spinosaurs, dromaeosaurs... and tyrannosaurs? Our new #OA paper with @tetzoo.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social
@simonwills.bsky.social and colleagues examines the theropod assemblage from a poorly known part of the British Cretaceous is out: doi.org/10.1002/spp2.... Art by Anthony Hutchings.
Reposted by Chris Tijani Barker
valdosaurus.bsky.social
The highest academic accolade has to be when your work gets turned into a child’s toy making a roaring noise. Ceratosuchops inferodios (hell’s heron) 2021. Xmas presents for young nieces and nephews sorted! @christijanibarker.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social @tetzoo.bsky.social #FossilFriday
christijanibarker.bsky.social
An avid #fossil hunter in my spare time, I have been unable to shake off the compulsive need to look for prehistoric life that has gripped me since childhood. Expect to see bits and pieces from the south coast of England and abroad 🦖🐊🦑🥚
christijanibarker.bsky.social
I am also a palaeontological consultant and content writer for various non-fiction projects, including books on #dinosaurs and other #prehistoric life.
christijanibarker.bsky.social
Hi Bluesky! I'm Chris, a palaeontologist whose research focuses on the taxonomy, systematics, diversity and neuroanatomy of British theropod dinosaurs, with a keen interest in #spinosaurs. All my technical papers are OA and can be found at scholar.google.com/citations?us.... (Art: Anthony Hutchings)