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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 15h

Have made the trek from accommodation to #MarineReptileConf2026 at Oxford University Museum of Natural History ... in the rain ... and things now kicking off

Marine Reptile Conference 2026 conference booklet, Bob Nicholls art on cover.

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Another #ichthyosaur session at #MarineReptileConf2026! First up is Max Hoepelman et al. on immature ichthyosaurs and implications they have for ontogenetic niche shifts and Strawberry Bank ecology.

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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 16h

Aaand more #ichthyosaurs at #MarineReptileConf2026. Steve Etches presented on a new Kimmeridge Clay Nannopterygius specimen, recently collected from the field. Then Aylin Gjøringbø et al. on microanatomical variation in Late Jurassic ichthyosaur pelvic girdles. Last talk in session!

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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 17h

More #ichthyosaurs... Kieran Satchell et al. on a Black Ven Ichthyosaurus specimen that has convincing intestinal preservation. #MarineReptileConf2026

Cover slide and speaker on stage. Kieran Satchell.

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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 17h

It's Ben G Thomas at #MarineReptileConf2026, first talk in an #ichthyosaurs session, this one on new Jurassic specimens suggested to be new taxa of Grendelius, and of Grendelius-like animals

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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 19h

Now Donald Henderson on comparing shark, ichthyosaur and cetacean body shapes and streamlining. #MarineReptileConf2026 #ichthyosaurs Some nice dissing of the aquatic Spinosaurus model early on.

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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 19h

Next at #MarineReptileConf2026 ... extant marine reptiles, specifically sea snakes from Finn McElrue-Inch et al., and what drives strandings around Australia

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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 19h

Next at #MarineReptileConf2026 is ecosystems 2 section, starting with Christian Voiculescu-Holvad on Danish Chalk fossils in species-rich hotspot. Abundant chondrichthyans but numerous mosasaurs including first neonates for one group: in pelagic setting as now appears typical. Also new pterosaur!

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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 20h

Now J L Etienne et al. on marine reptiles from Kimmeridge Clay 'Monster Beds'. Etienne has personally collected over 2.5K vertebrate specimens. Huge number of new ichthyosaur and crocodylomorph specimens shown so far. #MarineReptileConf2026

Cover slide showing ichthyosaurs and metriorhynchid.

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Just thought I'd check if anyone is sharing thoughts on #MarineReptileConf2026 at Twitter...

Result from twitter query, with 'no results' as answer.

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Next at #MarineReptileConf2026 is Cass Morrison et al. on functional diversity of ecosystems to understand diversification in Triassic marine reptile assemblages

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Numerous fragments - isolated vertebrae, parts of skulls etc - demonstrating presence of ichthyosaur groups not reported before, numerous previously overlooked specimens. #MarineReptileConf2026

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Next at #MarineReptileConf2026 is P Nordenhaug et al. on Triassic fossils from Svalbard and what they tell us about recovery of ecosystems after extinction event

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First talk at ##MarineReptileConf2026 is Andrzej Wolniewicz et al. on origin and early evolution of ichthyosaurs (or ichthyosauriforms, since some workers dont include them within Ichthyosauria)

Marine reptile conference, speaker A Wolniewicz on stage.

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Lene Liebe Delsett @leneliebedelsett.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Have made the trek from accommodation to #MarineReptileConf2026 at Oxford University Museum of Natural History ... in the rain ... and things now kicking off

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Reposted by Darren Naish

I really wish I was at #MarineReptileConf2026 at @morethanadodo.bsky.social but am instead a remote and proud supervisor and colleague of four great scientists from the Natural History Museum @uio.no 🤩🧪 Highly recommended talks:

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Reposted by Darren Naish

Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In case you forgot or didn't read it the first time.... Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos tetzoo.com/blog/2020/9/... #armadillos #mammals #xenarthrans

Predation and Corpse-Eating in Armadillos — Tetrapod Zoology

It starts with the dragging off of a lamb. It ends with bearmadillos.

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Reposted by Darren Naish

I'm over in the west of England right now but heading tonight to Oxford for Marine Reptiles 2026, which kicks off tomorrow. Follow #MarineReptileConf2026 ... when not taking notes I'll share developments when I can. Hopefully others will share updates too :)

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I've been to Jurassic Discovery in Seaton again

Two T. rex giant animatronics and a Triceratops bathed in red light.

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Reposted by Darren Naish

How's it going with the Tetrapod Zoology efforts to rescue all my old SQUAMATE material and republish it at Tet Zoo ver 4? A quick review of progress 2025-2026. First up: lacertids, starting with racerunners, a neat Eurasian group adapted for steppes and deserts tetzoo.com/blog/2025/4/... #reptiles

Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! — Tetrapod Zoology

It’s 2025, not 2024. But, as per last year, I still aim to rescue and republish the squamate-themed articles originally published at Tet Zoo ver 2 and 3, and today mostly ruined, paywalled, or removed...

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Also... this particular stretch of railway had at least four dead birds along its length. The skeletonized remains of a second (probably a feral pigeon) are visible very close to the owl...

Stretch of railway with dead Tawny owl and bones of a second, smaller bird.

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I photograph dead animals I see on railway tracks. Judge, don't judge, I don't care. Sometimes the deaths are especially sad. This is a Tawny owl.

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Finally - for now - we move to Gekkota, another major wing of the squamate family tree, and specifically an article on their eggs and egg morphology... tetzoo.com/blog/2026/8/... #lizards #reptiles #herpetology

The Eggs of Geckos — Tetrapod Zoology

A quick look at gecko eggs, what they’re like, what they mean for gecko distribution, and where all that calcium comes from!

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Ok, this one (from July 2026) isn't a republished article from the archives but a new one, a book review. Specifically it's on taxonomic vandalism, a subject closely connected to squamate studies and #herpetology... tetzoo.com/blog/2026/7/... #books #reptiles #bookreview

Snake Men by Zach St. George — Tetrapod Zoology

A fun, fast-paced new book covers taxonomic vandalism in the reptile world, and one notorious vandal in particular…

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Here's a very unusual article I republished in 2025, this one more #cryptozoology-themed than pure #herpetology; it's devoted to a mythical African snake termed the Crowing crested cobra... tetzoo.com/blog/2025/9/... #snakes #herpetology #reptiles

The Crowing Crested Cobra Once More — Tetrapod Zoology

In which I once more rescue an article from the broken Tet Zoo archives, this time from ver 3 at Sci Am, and specifically from November 2011…

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Moving now to anguids - the group that includes American alligator lizards, plus American and Eurasian glass lizards - here's an article on the slow-worms, one of my favourite lizard groups... tetzoo.com/blog/2025/7/... #reptiles #herpetology #lizards

Record-Holding Champion Giant Slow-Worms — Tetrapod Zoology

As a regular reader of Tetrapod Zoology, you will know I’m sure that I made some effort in 2024 to rescue ruined squamate-themed articles from vers 2 and 3 of the blog…

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Racerunner Lizards of the World Unite, New for 2025! — Tetrapod Zoology

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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

That is a really good question. Few frogs seen across the summer, either because they are no more or because they were hiding away. I'll find out when spawning kicks off in Jan/Feb 2027...

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Reposted by Darren Naish

Geste @geste.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

A very good frog

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Spot the frog on Tuesday, and Spot the frog on Sunday. Such a good frog.

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Yes! Just made a series of TikToks about them, to be released soon. The Saurolophus is one I'm in quest of

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Alexander Lees @alexanderlees.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Filming about to begin ... TetZooTowers_collection at TikTok

An assortment of toy dinosaurs (and one Triassic pseudosuchian) on a desk.

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Reposted by Darren Naish

An idiosyncratic list of birds on a boat in the North Atlantic... #Ornithology #UKBirding

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Turns out Naish (2002) didn't like Paul Harrison's book on sea and lake monsters. In 2019, charges were made about the accuracy of certain of Harrison's accounts, albeit with respect to his writings on murderers, not cryptozoology.

Naish review of Harrison's book on sea and lake monsters from Fortean Times.

Part of cover of Fortean Times issue 163, October 2002.

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It was his serial killer stuff that has the major ethical issues, not monster writings.

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