iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 28/09/2026

"next time you have a head injury you should go to the hospital right away" is interesting advice to give to someone who didn't know she had a head injury

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 28/09/2026

I'm one of the scientists here. Sternberg Museum holds one of the most important pterosaur collections in the world. It is extremely important that the collection remains accessible for research, and it would be a tragedy for Kansas if it has to be transferred out of state.

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Robert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#fossilfriday An example of why the ANSP and its collections must be saved. Atlantochelys mortoni, a giant protostegid sea turtle - named in 1849 by Agassiz based on the proximal humerus fragment. In 2012, someone found a large distal humerus that FIT ONTO THE SAME BONE in ANSP collections. 1/ 🦖🧪

The reunited humerus of the gigantic sea turtle Atlantochelys, on display in a museum: you can clearly see the break that happened sometime prior to the 19th century.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 25/09/2026

I rarely make public criticisms of new papers, but Sancarlo & Paul's latest "paper" is nothing more than a brazen act of taxonomic vandalism. And the organization(?) that publishes the "journal' has a 'family photos' section on their website.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 23/09/2026

I have digitized 四川脊椎动物化石 / The Vertebrate Fossils of Sichuan by He Xinlu (1984) and uploaded it to @archive.org. Useful reference for the fossil record of Sichuan (including today's Chongqing). archive.org/details/he-1...

archive.org

四川脊椎动物化石 / The Vertebrate Fossils of Sichuan

四川脊椎动物化石何信禄编著The Vertebrate Fossils of Sichuan by He Xinlu (Chengu College of Geology)Sichuan Scientific and Technological Publishing House, 1984

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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 22/09/2026

Tyrannosaurus xkcd.com/3300/

Comic. [Person with long hair pointing to diagram with Tyrannosaurus Rex standing next to a person.] PERSON: We now believe the primary prey of Tyrannosaurus Rex was these humans who kept standing next to it for scale.

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Keenan Taylor @talesofkaimere.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Yes, yes,I know it’s bad to leak SVP abstracts under embargo but I simply can’t restrain myself. Get ready for a second species of the Scansoriopterygid Yi, this time unearthed in mid-Jurassic Texas. *places 10 gallon hat over tiny dinosaur, fully encasing it* Meet Yi haw.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 18/09/2026

In Memoriam: Hans-Dieter Sues link.springer.com/article/10.1... I fondly recall having lunch with Hans at SVP 2023. He was cheerful and a delight to be around

link.springer.com

In Memoriam Hans-Dieter Sues - PalZ

PalZ -

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Prof Susie Maidment @tweetisaurus.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Buckle up guys: I've got a story for you about my recent experience submitting a paper to Scientific Reports, a @natureportfolio.nature.com journal. I certainly won't be submitting there or peer-reviewing for them again, and I suggest you don't either, unless you enjoy your privacy being breached!

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Emily Thomas 🦤🏳️‍🌈 @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

As promised - the Infernodrakon holotype's official nickname is Joey! She's named after Joey Ramone: they're lanky, in life they were about the same height (6'6"), and azhdarchids are pretty rock n roll

Holotype of Infernodrakon hastacollis in a carrying case

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 16/09/2026

I got the scheduling info for my talk at #2026SVP! Quetzalcoatlus is not what you think it is. Come see my talk in 26 ABC at 3:30 PM on Friday, Nov 12. See you in Cleveland!

Dear Skye McDavid,

We are writing to let you know that your oral presentation at the SVP 2026 Annual Meeting has been scheduled as follows:

Original Submission ID: 134
Abstract Title: Reappraisal of the genus Quetzalcoatlus Lawson, 1975 (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchidae) and the status of "Quetzalcoatlus" lawsoni
Presenting Author: Skye McDavid

Session Title: Technical Session IX: Archosaur paleobiology & pterosaurs
Session Date and Time: November 12, 2026 1:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Session Location: Room 26 ABC
Scheduled time for your presentation: 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 25/02/2025

Quetzalcoatlus. That's it, that's the skeet.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 16/09/2026

Yep. When ChatGPT first came out, I tried to see if I could use it for phylogenetic matrix editing. And it was less than useless. I asked it to pre-populate an OTU with ? states and it returned a corrupted file. Then I asked it to generate a string of a certain number of question marks so

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らえらぷす @getawaytrike.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

#FossilFriday Zavacephale rinpoche, holotype and reconstructed skeleton in Fukushima Museum.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 11/09/2026

I love New York because where else does an abandoned Korean church get turned into a cannabis dispensary?

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 09/09/2026

Registered for SVP 2026! See you in Cleveland, Ohio!

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Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County @nhm.org · 06/09/2026

Meet prehistoric high-flyer 𝘙𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪! This pterosaur was abundant in the islands that dotted an ancient tropical sea in what is now Central Europe. 𝘙𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴' sharp teeth may have been used to catch fish along the islands it inhabited. 📍 Dinosaur Hall (Upper Floor), Level 1

Skeleton cast of 𝘙𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪 displayed in NHM's Dino Hall.

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Maija Karala @maijakarala.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

#SciArtSeptember 2: violet A recently described specimen of Sinopterus dongi showed, for the first time, evidence of iridescent colour in pterosaurs. There were also traces of horizontal stripes on the soft tissue crest. The Mesozoic world is getting more and more colourful. #SciArt

Painterly digital portrait of an iridescent purple pterosaur

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Dragons of Wales @dragonsofwales.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

A new portrait of Istiodactylus, an Early Cretaceous pterosaur from the Isle of Wight. Previously thought of as a fish-eater, Isiodactylus was reinterpreted as a vulture-like scavenger in a 2012 study by Mark Witton. Procreate and Photoshop. No AI.

A digital portrait of Istiodactylus - an extinct flying reptile. It is shown who a long, curved orange snout with tightly-spaced blade-like teeth at the tip.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 04/09/2026

Anthropic stole TEN books written by my late grandfather. My grandmother to this day receives the occasional royalties check from publishers. But Anthropic, a TRILLION-dollar company, just shrugs and steals to regrind it into slop.

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Jack Stack @jackstack.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Your pencil sees more than your eyes. The process of illustrating an animal is critical to understanding it.

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Andy Farke @andyfarke.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Also, having done some simple illustrations and worked with illustrators myself, the *process* of illustrating new taxa often reveals important data for the underlying science, and helps clarify the writing process. What matters/what doesn't is an important decision in illustration.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 03/09/2026

THIS! I often notice things I otherwise wouldn't have noticed while doing illustrations. It both requires and stimulates *thought*, something that genAI is inherently incapable of.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 26/08/2026

Confirmed for a talk this November. Quetzalcoatlus is not what you think it is.... See you in Cleveland, Ohio! @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social @rv-pegas.bsky.social

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 03/09/2026

SVP Sues the Trump Administration for Shrinking Bears Ears National Monument Now THIS is what I want my membership dues going towards @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social vertpaleo.org/svp-sues-the...

vertpaleo.org

SVP Sues the Trump Administration for Shrinking Bears Ears National Monument – Society of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 03/09/2026

Hey... don't do this. This is a recipe for readers misinterpreting morphology based on your figures. Get a human scientific illustrator. We know how to illustrate things in such a way that they won't be misinterpreted.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 30/08/2026

MANUSCRIPT SUBMITTED! I'm very excited about this one. Years of work. My first 'gen. et sp. nov' @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social @brucelf.bsky.social @justinandell.bsky.social

Skye in the Lauer Foundation laboratory carefully holding a slab of limestone with a fossil in it. The fossil is blurred and has the words 'new pterosaur species' over it. Skye is a woman with blue and brown hair, glasses, and is wearing a vertically striped denim jumpsuit. Even though she looks completely dead inside, she is actually very excited although slightly concerned about holding a fossil for a publicity photo.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 30/08/2026

Iced latte as a fashion accessory

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 26/08/2026

I now realize this is a dolphin but I thought it was an enantiornithine at first.... Do enantiornithines get angel wing from eating too much udon?

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 26/08/2026

Confirmed for a talk this November. Quetzalcoatlus is not what you think it is.... See you in Cleveland, Ohio! @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social @rv-pegas.bsky.social

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 23/08/2026

I love this model of Tylosaurus biting Terminonatator in the @amnh.org K-Pg temporary exhibit.

Model of Tylosaurus biting Terminonatator in the AMNH temporary exhibit on the K-Pg extinction

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invertebrate @crevicedwelling.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

talking about vertebrates like how people talk about invertebrates: I saw a blue jay today! This beautiful bird is native to North America. While its bite is painful, it is nonvenomous & harmless to humans. Unlike most tetrapods, the gray squirrel broods its young internally and gives live birth!

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Imagined a large pterosaur in the Spokane River this time. #PleinAirPaleoart #Paleoart #Pterosaur

Marker and white gel pen sketch on gray toned sketchbook paper held in front of the scene it's based on a little to the right to avoid people fishing from the bank. A dark imaginary azhdarchid pterosaur is wading in the river with an orange beak and red crest and wing membranes.

View above and below the water. Way too cold to swim but I waded out into it and took some photos with my cheap underwater camera before driving upriver to a much warmer spot to swim.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 19/08/2026

Latest JVP volume arrived!

JVP paper volume open to Thomas & McDavid (2026) article on Rexarthuria cliftii

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Pterosaurs: The Field Guide @pterosaursfieldguide.com · 17/08/2026

The finished Skiphosoura bavarica, by Karolina Twardosz. Found 2015, described 2024, a transitional form between Darwinopterus-type monofenestratans and true pterodactyloids. It missed our manuscript, so the guide is how it gets in. fossi.ls/ks Art by @twarda.bsky.social

Paleoart of Skiphosoura bavarica, a crested pterosaur, painted by Karolina Twardosz. Pterosaurs The Field Guide, 14,000 dollar stretch goal unlocked.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 21/04/2025

Pterosaur or not? Unfortunately, it's......erosion. New short paper out with @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social on the putative pterosaur tracks at Gunston Hall, Virginia, and why they aren't pterosaur tracks at all. doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

Figure from a 2023 paper with photos of ambiguous features in sandstone, and interpretive illustrations of those features as pterosaurian manus and pes tracks

figure from McDavid & Thomas (2025) with a much better photo of the feature previously identified as a pterosaur manus track, showing that it's very clearly erosion with a possible chisel mark

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 17/06/2025

Pterodactyloid pterosaur (Aerodactylus or Pterodactylus depending who you ask) with a soft tissue postoccipital crest visible under UVIF

Pterosaur with a soft tissue postoccipital crest visible under UV

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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

While both nori & wakame are edible seaweed, they are separated by >1 billion (!) years of evolution. Nori is red algae, which acquired its chloroplasts via primary endosymbiosis; wakame is brown algae, which acquired its chloroplasts from another algae. They are about divergent as human vs yeast.

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 12/08/2026

Absolutely delightful to get a text message from the city (the number that usually sends out warnings about dangerous weather, emergencies, etc) reminding people not to stare at the sun....

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 12/08/2026

I finally framed and hung my print of gay raptors by @anavoltzart.bsky.social that I got at PaleoFest.

Framed art print of gay raptor dinosaurs lovingly nuzzling each other

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Skye McDavid @skyemcdavid.com · 07/08/2026

It's staggering how often people mess up my name and call me Skye McDonald. Now, McDonald's (the fast food chain) has named Skye Anderson as the President of their USA division, so having a public figure named Skye at the head of McDonald's will result in people getting my name wrong even more.

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