iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

I haven't been on Devianart or Discord for a hot minute. I do plan to update my Deinosuchus diagrams, as well as a few others. I also keep meaning to set up my own sit where I can have everything in one place. I'm also working on illustrations for a book series, which is keeping me busy.

010

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

I do have more in the pipeline, including a multiview diagram, a gdi, specimen diagram, and skeletal of the Appalachian Deinosuchus schwimmeri, so stay tuned.

120

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

It's World Crocodile Day and I conveniently just finished my skeletal of Deinosuchus hatcheri, a gigantic crocodylian (or near crocodylian) from Campanian Laramidia. This has been in the works for a long time and it feels good to have it done. #WorldCrocodileDay #dinosaurs #paleoart #Deinosuchus

Left lateral skeletal diagram of Deinosuchus hatcheri

34715

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

I could streamline this by just using the non-vector skull I've drawn, but that's a shortcut that won't save time in the long run.

120

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Here's an update on my Deinosuchus skeletal. Nearly all the bones are done, just gotta finish the skull detailing and the osteoderms. Also the back leg. But theoretically in the home stretch. #paleontology #Deinosuchus #paleoart

WIP skeletal diagram of Deinosuchus hatcheri with out any soft tissue. Scale bar is 1 meter long.

1216

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

This might be one of my favorite diagrams I've made, a multiview diagram of the holotype of Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus, the best hadrosaur. It was a fun to figure out how best to represent multiple views. #paleoart #fossilfriday

0175

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Between homeschooling two boys, taking care of two more under 3, and everything else in life, I don't have much time for skeletals, but I have been making progress on my Deinosuchus skeletal in my spare time. Everything is scaled, just gotta pose and draw it all. Family comes first though.

Work in progress of my Deinosuchus hatcheri skeletal drawing, showing my non-rigorous reconstruction of the holotype specimen, CM 963.

030

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

My own reconstruction of AMNH 3073 is just under 11.2 meters. Using Laramidian specimens gives us the entire skull and mandibles, most of the pre-sacral vertebrae, several caudals, a femur, a humerus, as well as most of the shoulder and pelvis. The Eastern species fills in the tail and limbs.

130

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

I also want to note that using the differences they reported between the largest/smallest vertebrae of a section and the mean can bring the estimate up to 11.3 meters. Deinosuchus appears to have had a proportionately long tail, based on the caudals we have.

120

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

The proportions look wrong, but given the skull material we have for AMNH 3073 and the limb material that can be cross-scaled from smaller individuals, so there isn't much room to play with. The vertebrae length is comparable to a very large saltwater crocodile, but with a skull over twice as large.

120

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Iijima and Kubo 2020 used a large data set of crocodylian vertebrae to generate regression equations for various parts of the vertebrae column. They estimated AMNH 3073 to be between ~7-8.3 meters long, with their most likely value being 7.7 meters.

120

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Schwimmer estimated AMNH 3073 to be 12 meters long in his book, "KIng of the Crocodylians". This is the largest estimate for AMNH 3073 that can be scientifically verified, since it was produced using a regression equation for Alligators from Woodword et al. 1995.

120

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

AMNH 3073 is the holotype of "Phobosuchus riograndensis" and probably the most famous specimen of Deinosuchus, thanks to the charismatic (and mostly plaster) skull reconstruction. While it isn't the largest Deinosuchus known, it does have the largest known skull material.

120

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

We all know that #Deinosuchus is a giant crocodylian, but how giant was it? This diagram shows the largest and smallest estimates for AMNNH 3073 to appear in scientific literature over the last 25 years, plus an estimate based on my WIP skeletal. #paleoart #paleontology

Diagram showing various size estimates for AMNH 3073, the holotype of Deinosuchus riograndensis. The largest is from Schwimmer 2002, at ~12.2 meters. The smallest is ~7.3 meters, from Iijima and Kubo 2020. The artists own estimate is ~11.2 meters. The preserved material of AMNH 3073 is also shown for reference.

180

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Some more #paleoart, this is a diagram I threw together for my wife when she needed some visualizations for teaching homologous structures and evolution. Took a bunch of skulls from completed projects and some WIPs and added in a couple horrible mammal skulls. #sciart

0196

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Yup, I wouldn't be surprised if they used AI for some concept art and design.

010

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

We also don't have precise stratigraphic locations for most of these skulls, which also makes it hard to say much about change over time.

020

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Interestingly, there seem to be some distinct differences between the latest specimens (at the top) and the earliest specimens (at the bottom). Unfortunately the later material is either undescribed or very incomplete, so it is hard to really compare them to the more complete skulls.

120

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

#Torosaurus skulls, laid out approximately in stratigraphic order. Torosaurus is a large, controversial chasmosaurine with two? species from the American west. I've got a few more chasmosaurine skeletals to post and I have a few more I'd like to work on over the year. #paleontology #paleoart

Rigorous diagram of Torosaurus latus skulls, showing preserved material, formation, and size estimates.

191

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

I've changed a lot about how I do skeletals and this skeletal was showing its age. I was able to find some more reference material and get a lot more detail out of the material I was using. Been some interesting, if fairly subtle, changes and some downsizing.

040

TA Holmes @fadeno.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

First post here, I've got some new skeletals to share, but wanted to drop this WIP - I've been (slowly) updating my Deinosuchus diagrams from the ground up. Here are three specimens of the western species: TMM 43620-1, AMNH 3073, and TMM 43632-1.

Skeletal drawing of the skulls of three individuals of Deinosuchus in left lateral view.

1113