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Ric Morris

@skull-bloke.bsky.social
1K followers 531 following 127 posts

Welsh border bones enthusiast, photographer, speaker, author of UK mammal bones ID guide, published sometime this decade. Lefty tweeter. Own views, etc!

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Ric Morris @skull-bloke.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
The Government has revealed plans for a new mandatory digital ID. It’s invasive and could mean millions of people unable to go about their daily lives. Right now it's just an idea - we need to stop it becoming a reality. Join me and sign the petition now! you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/re...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Reject plans for a mandatory BritCard (digital ID)
Sir Keir Starmer is considering a mandatory digital ID scheme called “BritCard” that would make us all reliant on a digital pass to go about our daily lives. Mandatory digital IDs give the state enor...
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NearlyKnowledgeable @g0blinegg.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
In the 19th Century, Coalbrookdale was often described as ‘Hell On Earth’ due to the impact of Industrialisation. Perhaps it was this environment that contributed to tragedy below. All I know is that William Maybury deserves to be remembered. nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/2022/03/a-co...
nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com
‘A Coalbrookdale Suicide’- Some Thoughts
Whilst researching another project, I stumbled upon the following story, and since then- I’ve found it hard to get out of my head.  The head...
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The Megalithic Portal Ancient Sites & Stones @megalithic.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Callanish I: Calanais Summer Solstice and Lunar Standstill events on the Isle of Lewis in June, including art events, archaeology talks and a grand LED light show, link below.
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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
Respect new names for popes but throw tantrums over pronouns for neighbors. Got it.
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FlatNClean @flatnclean.com · 11/05/2025
There’s something very familiar about this #SheHulkSunday but I can’t put my finger on it… #ComicSky #SheHulk #ComicBooks
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Kev Shaw @kevshaw99.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Any employee anywhere - Join a Union now!
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mimij9.bsky.social @mimij9.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Any employee in a Reform run council….? Join a Union, NOW!
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hby's stuff @hby.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
#pixelart #artpost
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Vincent Wildlife Trust @vincentwt.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Don't miss this #FREE webinar with fascinating insights into the secretive #Irishstoat. Thanks to all the #CitizenScientists who submitted sightings, photos and videos.
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MythicBrush @efhoward.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
First confirmed lion bite on a Roman gladiator’s bones—found not in Rome, but in York. A pelvis torn in combat 2,000 years ago speaks louder than myth. The arena was real, even at the empire’s edge. 🦁🦴 #RomanBritain #Gladiator #Archaeology #York #AncientViolence #BonesDontLie
bbc.com
Bites on gladiator bones first evidence of combat with lion
Experts say the discovery provides the first physical evidence of gladiatorial combat with animals.
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Dr Laura Eastlake @victorianmasc.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Arthur Conan Doyle has one of the most delightfully legible handwriting styles of any 19thC writer. The letter below is to Bram Stoker, congratulating him on the publication of Dracula. Font people! Why has no-one made this into a font yet, like the Jane Austen font? #C19th
Letter from Doyle to Bram Stoker. My dear Bram SToker, I am sure you will not think it an impertinence if I write to tell you how very much I have enjoyed reading Dracula. I think it is the very best story of diablerie which I have read for many years etc.
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NearlyKnowledgeable @g0blinegg.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
Folklore is a Palimpsest, a physical reminder that the past holds space in the presence. A living, breathing continuum. It calls out from the ephemeral, 'we were here. We lived, and we loved. We weren't so different from you' #Folklore #Shropshire #History
About 200 years of graffiti present at Lilleshall Abbey
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Boo-tros Boo-tros Ghoulish @dlbowman76.com · 14/04/2025
Listen to more classical music. For every like, I shall recommend a good recording. (I'm going to regret this, aren't I?)
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Oregon 🕎🎲 @oregonthedm.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Biggest commitment to a 3 second joke I've ever seen
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Whitaker @protime-fitness1.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
The evidence of his mental illness continues to accumulate.
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Annalee Newitz @annaleen.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
As a freelancer, I feel like any publication I write for should give me a lifetime digital subscription so that I can always access my work. I have written for places where I literally cannot read my own articles due to paywalls.
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BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
1/3 We’ve taken the difficult decision to not return to Global Birdfair as an exhibitor. While we recognise that Birdfair provides an opportunity to meet with members and volunteers, our continued investment in other ways to engage with supporters is proving to be a more effective use of resources.
Image of a Smew from front on in the water. Image credit in bottom right corner reads: Smew © Sarah Kelman, BTO.
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California Dreamin’… 😎 @jerasikehorn.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Gotta love Samuel! ❤️✨
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Ric Morris @skull-bloke.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
"Hello! I'm at #AstonOnClun this morning for @shropshirewildlife.bsky.social ... and everything on the table is dead! No idea how that happened; don't tell my boss!"
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Bob Lynn @boblynn.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
In twilight's hush, where shadows dance and play, Hope doth entwine with despair's dark might. Forth from the depths, a glimmer doth convey, And in its light, the heart doth take flight. Cruel fate may rend, yet still we hold the sway, Courageous hearts, that in darkness find the day. #Poetry #Poem
This illustration captures the essence of the poem's themes of hope and courage amidst despair. Set in a twilight forest, tall trees with intricate, shadowy branches stretch upward, creating an atmosphere of quiet mystery. The interplay of light and shadow dominates the scene, as golden rays pierce through the darkness, illuminating the path ahead. A lone figure stands at the centre, silhouetted against the radiant glow, symbolising resilience and determination. The delicate lines and textured details evoke a sense of movement, as if the shadows themselves are alive, dancing in harmony with the light. The muted blues and blacks contrast with the warm yellows, enhancing the emotional tension between despair and hope. This evocative composition mirrors the poem's imagery, portraying a courageous heart finding light even in the deepest darkness. It invites reflection on perseverance and the transformative power of inner strength.
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Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
No problem! One of my favorite things to say on this topic is, we were practicing compassion and empathy before we were even homo sapiens. This h. erectus skull is toothless, with reabsorbed sockets. That takes YEARS, and it meant someone was chewing their food FOR them. Now THAT is CARE.
A completely toothless homo erectus skull, with reabsorbed tooth sockets. An artist's recreation of the toothless homo erectus, being hand-fed by a companion.
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Jules Howard @juleshoward.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Too often I forget to say, but if you're a teacher reading this and you're looking for a Zoom-speaker to inspire some love for zoology and/or writing, happy to help. x
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WOLFSKULLJACK @wolfskulljack.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
If I go down, I’m taking you with me. -2023
My art, digital. A wolf holds a snake-like creature in its jaws while the snake bites down on the wolf’s head. The title remains unclear on who struck who first
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Ric Morris @skull-bloke.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
I'm not remotely interested in posts about, or photos of, your dogs, cats or random pets unless they are already skeletonised. Sorry not sorry. But that is why I am the Skull Bloke.
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Peggy March @rebelgeo.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
From Pat Byrnes at the New Yorker:;
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Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Ladybird cover stories. The four seasons books. Artist: C F Tunnicliffe
The illustrated front covers of the four Ladybird books ‘what to look for in spring summer autumn and winter’
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Crystal Palace Dinos @cpdinosaurs.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Fantastic colour footage of the Dinos from a 1964 amateur film called "Portrait of Penge", by Gilbert Tomes (who was an early television pioneer) (player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/wa...) Note that one of the Plesiosaurs (Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus) is missing a head and half a neck!
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La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · 03/03/2025
Discover Ice Age L.A. on us. The #TarPits Museum is excited to participate alongside over 30 institutions in this year’s @socalmuseums.bsky.social Free-for-All Day on Sunday, March 16! Will we see you on #FreeMuseumDay? Advance tickets are required—save your spot today: bit.ly/LBTPFFA25
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Touched You Last @touchedyoulast.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
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Tim Osborne Photography 🍁 @timosborne.ca · 21/12/2024
A re-introduction to my new followers. I'm Tim, a photographer in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. You'll mostly find me posting wildlife shots here. But be warned, I may also sprinkle in some sports (Go #oilers) and the occasional political post. Look forward to connecting!
A Great Grey Owl with wings spread landing on a post. Water rolls off of a humpback whale's tail. A Grizzly Bear taking a mid-afternoon nap in the sun. A Great Grey Owl flying just above the snow. Its shadow is seen on the snow mound below.
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Ric Morris @skull-bloke.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
At a loose end in the Bishop's Castle area of South Shropshire tomorrow afternoon? Hear my Confessions! Pre-booking via BC Town Hall (01588 630023) and / or early arrival recommended around 1.30pm, to hear the Confessions Overture!
Poster for event entitled Confessions of a Teenage Skull Collector to be delivered at the Church Barn, Bishops Castle Sunday 23rd Feb at 2pm, as part of Bishops Castle Arts Festival
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Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Fresh out of the oven, some new #paleoart for #FossilFriday: mother Coelodonta antiquitatis hurries along her offspring, Bort, who spent too long looking for a personalised novelty licence plate on the mammoth steppe. "Come along, Bort!", she says. #fossil #Iceage #paleontology
A mother and juvenile woolly rhinoceros walking over an expanse of grass and forbs at sunset. The adult has a dark mane and thick dark stripe around her midriff, and dark brown hair over her shoulders, face and rump. The juvenile has uniform light hair, as indicated by fossil data.
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Dr Hannah Russ FSA @dr-fishbones.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
DEER! 🦌 😱🦴 (IYKYK 😅) The distinctive deep groove distinguishes cervid 🦌 from bovid 🐄🐐🐑 for the metatarsal bone. Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), right metatarsal. Recent reference specimen on the right, archaeological fragment on the left ❤️🦴
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Dr Hannah Russ FSA @dr-fishbones.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
🐓🦃 Chicken Licken or Turkey Lurkey? The landfowl order includes our most popular dinnertable birds, chicken & turkey 🍗 It also includes native & introduced birds - e.g. pheasant, grouse & partridge. Identification can be a challenge, even with a ref collection, online & published ID guides 🦴🤔
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Jack Ashby @jackdashby.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
This is a bluebuck - the first African mammal to be recorded as going extinct in modern times, pushed over the edge by hunting in around 1800. Because this pre-dates the boom in collecting for #museums, very few specimens exist today. This one at @mnhn.fr is one of just four #taxidermy bluebucks.
A side on view of a taxidermy bluebuck. It's a beige antelope with small curved horns, in a display case lined with black.
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James Vincent @jjvincent.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
i'd not heard of the Chinese photographer Fan Ho before this morning, but my god his work is so captivating. the colours! the depth! these pictures are from Hong Kong in the 1950s. you can see more of his photographs here: www.prattleandjaw.com/prattle/2021...
an image of a man rowing a small boat to larger ship. the colours are otherworldly: the green of the water is highlighted by the yellow of the sun and white of rising waves. in the far background of the image a man's silhouette can be seen, outlined by a plume of rising smoke from a firean image of a crowd moving through a busy market. the market is bright, and colourful; hung above the crowds are vertical signs presumably advertising businesses.
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Lorna Richardson @lornarichardson.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
What a fabulous collection & what a resource for understanding landscapes!
theguardian.com
Historic England acquires collection featuring some of UK’s oldest photos
Janette Rosing built up pioneering trove of 8,000 images dating back to the early days of the Industrial Revolution
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NearlyKnowledgeable @g0blinegg.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
⚠️ New Post ⚠️ I've have completely rewritten my article about The Devil's time in Shropshire to reflect my research. You can read all about Owd Scratch and why Shropshire really is his county by following the link below nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-... #Folklore #Shropshire
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Ben Elliott @archsoundscapes.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Spotted this morning from my window: Orkney's Most Wanted. The bane of biodiversity and scourge of the RSPB. A freshly slaughtered Orkney Vole hangs limp in its ferocious jaws. Pretty cute though, when they're not murdering everything in sight. Never seen a snowy one before either.
A snow white stoat on a drystone wall.A snow white stoat with an Orkney vole in its mouth.A snow white stoat on a drystone wallA white stoat jumping from a wall with an Orkney vole in its mouth
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Cameron Yarde Jnr @cameronyardejnr.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
40 years ago today, BBC1's iconic Mirror Globe rotated for the last time. Designed by Sid Sutton, who created the Doctor Who starfield titles, with updated versions from Oliver Elmes, who created the McCoy era Doctor Who titles, it ran from 1969-1985. A graphic design classic.
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JennaBlue 🏳️‍⚧️🌈⚢🟦🟧 @jennablue01.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Money Trickles up... not down.
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Comics Covers @comicscovers.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
The Lone Ranger (4234)
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Shroppiemon @shroppiemon.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Owdo me owd butties, I’ve heard of dogs, osses and folks having strange experiences at Mitchell’s Fold would love to hear yours #mitchellsfold #shropshire #folklore #witchcraft #hereBeGhosses #ShroppiesShropshireStuff
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Helene Benkert @helenebenkert.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Very proud and excited to share our upcoming book, due in May! 🥳 Lots of horse-y goodness spanning disciplines, periods and continents. Co-edited with my wonderful colleagues Kate Kanne @ansoc-erc.bsky.social and Camille Vo Van Qui.
Book cover for an upcoming publication showing a horse skull in the grass and a horse grazing in an open grassland with mountains in the background
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Zooarchaeology Lab Sheffield @zooarchlabsheff.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Congratulations to our very own Phoebe Liu @phoebe-liu.bsky.social, Lenny Salvagno, and Umberto Albarella @umbertoalbarella.bsky.social who have just published a new paper on spavin in cattle! You can read it here for free until the 1st of April - authors.elsevier.com/a/1kau3_glky...
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Umberto Albarella STOP THE GENOCIDE! @umbertoalbarella.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
There is a thread that unites this despicable act of intimidation with the attack on British universities - culture must be vandalised so that fascism and corruption can thrive, trump-style #freepalestine #againstculturalvandalism www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
theguardian.com
Israeli police raid Jerusalem bookshops and arrest Palestinian owners
Raid on Educational Bookshop branches described by rights groups as attempt to create ‘culture of fear’ among Palestinian intellectuals
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Jack Ashby @jackdashby.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Look at this absolute unit. Walruses are a pretty unusual shape for a mammal - just a slug-shaped bag of blubber with some pointy bits sticking out. #taxidermy @mnhn.fr #walrus
A very slug-shaped taxidermy walrus, posed with its back flippers curled under its body, and its tusks pointing down as if foraging
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MᴀᴛᴛA @shropshirematt.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
We need this to happen across the UK. It also solves issues with farmable land, shielding cars from the sun in summer. "In France, legislation came in for car parks with 80+ spaces to be covered in solar panels. Adding around 11GW of renewable energy to the grid" ecoquotetoday.co.uk/blog/solar-c...
ecoquotetoday.co.uk
Should the UK Make Solar Car Parks?
Car parks have plenty of space that’s open to the elements, providing room for potentially thousands of hours of solar power generation across the UK. Should the UK follow France's footsteps?
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H. Pettijohn @punkpaleo.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Skeletal mounts at the Natural History Museum of Utah. #paleontology
A dark brown cast skeleton of a dire wolf, or Aenocyon dirus. The skull is in focus, and the skull's downward angle gives the impression that the animal is staring directly at you.A brown cast skull and neck of Brachychampsa. The jaw is slightly open, exposing several sharp teeth of varying size, and large, round osteoderms run down the back of the neck.A tan cast skeleton of a giant bison, or Bison latifrons. Its long, slightly curved horns hang heavy from its head, and the neural spines that would have supported huge neck and back muscles stand tall just behind the skull.A gray cast skeleton of a Ceratosaurus. Its jaw is wide open, exposing long, sharp teeth, and its heavy body leans in from the right frame.
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Zooarchaeology Lab Sheffield @zooarchlabsheff.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
We've made the move from twitter to BlueSky! Follow us for updates on our activities, interesting #zooarchaeology related things, and pictures of items from our collection. We're starting off with this rather nice comparison of a domestic dog and a wolf.
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