http://search.deviantart.com/?q=gallery:ferahgo-the-assassin/507011&section= deviantART RSS for gallery:ferahgo-the-assassin/507011 en-us Copyright 2013, deviantART.com Fri, 24 May 2013 03:26:25 PDT deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://st.deviantart.net/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Ostrich-Characteristics-369144168 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Ostrich-Characteristics-369144168 Wed, 01 May 2013 19:11:02 PDT Ostrich Characteristics nonadult digitalart/paintings/illustrations/technical EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Piscivory-366792235 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Piscivory-366792235 Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:12:34 PDT Microraptor Piscivory nonadult digitalart/paintings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby Xing et al 2013 of the tiny, iridescent four-winged dromaeosaur Microraptor eating a fish, the osteoglossiform Jinanichthys, near a swampy Jehol pond. The illustration is based on a new specimen described as having the skeletons of 3-4 of these fish preserved in its gut. This study is important because it demonstrates that Microraptor was probably a generalist predator, capable of preying on on a wide variety of small animals. Previous specimens have been found with evidence of a scansorial mammal as well as an enantiornithine bird preserved in the gut, but this is the first instance of Microraptor stomach contents that takes it out of the trees by necessity and places it on the ground, near water.

The illustration incorporates a lot of research. The iridescent color of the animal is modeled after the Li 2012 color study on a Microraptor specimen, which detected fossilized melanosomes consistent with the iridescent black in some modern birds. The two long tail feathers were not preserved in this specimen, so were left off by request of the authors. The manner with which the Microraptor is grasping the fish is based on the Fowler 2011 study on dromaeosaur prey restraint, which analyzed the pes and leg proportions of deinonychosaurs and found them to be extremely similar to those of modern birds of prey, indicating that the animals likely grasped smaller prey with its feet while tearing at it with its mouth. The plant life in the background is modeled entirely after known plant fossils from the Jiufotang and Yixian formations, including the aquatic seed plant Archaefructus and the eudicot Leefructus, as well as the ever-present Ginkgo apodes. The nearby pond sports an algae bloom, a phenomenon that was probably quite common in early Cretaceous ponds, as blooms are often caused by falling volcanic ash.

As often is the case, Jon provided a tremendous amount of help via critiques and suggestions, especially with shading. Much <3.

Detail shot: [link] ]]> Xing et al 2013 of the tiny, iridescent four-winged dromaeosaur Microraptor eating a fish, the osteoglossiform Jinanichthys, near a swampy Jehol pond. The illustration is based on a new specimen described as having the skeletons of 3-4 of these fish preserved in its gut. This study is important because it demonstrates that Microraptor was probably a generalist predator, capable of preying on on a wide variety of small animals. Previous specimens have been found with evidence of a scansorial mammal as well as an enantiornithine bird preserved in the gut, but this is the first instance of Microraptor stomach contents that takes it out of the trees by necessity and places it on the ground, near water.

The illustration incorporates a lot of research. The iridescent color of the animal is modeled after the Li 2012 color study on a Microraptor specimen, which detected fossilized melanosomes consistent with the iridescent black in some modern birds. The two long tail feathers were not preserved in this specimen, so were left off by request of the authors. The manner with which the Microraptor is grasping the fish is based on the Fowler 2011 study on dromaeosaur prey restraint, which analyzed the pes and leg proportions of deinonychosaurs and found them to be extremely similar to those of modern birds of prey, indicating that the animals likely grasped smaller prey with its feet while tearing at it with its mouth. The plant life in the background is modeled entirely after known plant fossils from the Jiufotang and Yixian formations, including the aquatic seed plant Archaefructus and the eudicot Leefructus, as well as the ever-present Ginkgo apodes. The nearby pond sports an algae bloom, a phenomenon that was probably quite common in early Cretaceous ponds, as blooms are often caused by falling volcanic ash.

As often is the case, Jon provided a tremendous amount of help via critiques and suggestions, especially with shading. Much <3.

Detail shot: [link]

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Great-Frigatebird-366416213 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Great-Frigatebird-366416213 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:35:51 PDT Great Frigatebird nonadult traditional/paintings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby Fregata minor, inflating its unique gular pouch to impress the ladies. Frigatebirds are really interesting birds. I've had the opportunity to see several of them in the wild recently, though not in display (and magnificent, not great). They are incredibly lightly-built, epic soarers, and have the highest ratio of wing-area-to-body-mass (and the lowest wing loading) of any living bird. This means they can soar for hours while barely moving, staying perfectly in place, like giant, angular kites.

This is another piece for the hopeful museum contract. Watercolor & gouache on A2 watercolor paper, 42 cm by 60 cm. PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE. ]]> Fregata minor, inflating its unique gular pouch to impress the ladies. Frigatebirds are really interesting birds. I've had the opportunity to see several of them in the wild recently, though not in display (and magnificent, not great). They are incredibly lightly-built, epic soarers, and have the highest ratio of wing-area-to-body-mass (and the lowest wing loading) of any living bird. This means they can soar for hours while barely moving, staying perfectly in place, like giant, angular kites.

This is another piece for the hopeful museum contract. Watercolor & gouache on A2 watercolor paper, 42 cm by 60 cm. PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Ostrich-366153555 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Ostrich-366153555 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:46:43 PDT Ostrich nonadult traditional/paintings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby Struthio camelus. Will hopefully appear in the Shanghai Natural History Museum, providing our team wins the contract.

Oil paint on A3 illustration board (30 cm by 42 cm). PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE. ]]> Struthio camelus. Will hopefully appear in the Shanghai Natural History Museum, providing our team wins the contract.

Oil paint on A3 illustration board (30 cm by 42 cm). PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Haunts-of-the-Peacock-370550236 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Haunts-of-the-Peacock-370550236 Wed, 08 May 2013 21:48:20 PDT Haunts of the Peacock nonadult traditional/paintings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby Pavo cristatus. I wanted to paint the animal in a more naturalistic pose than is typical for the extravagant males, with his gorgeous train in view without being displayed. Here he sits on a branch and ponders the mysteries of existence as he overlooks his native florid Indian jungles.

Gouache on mixed media board, 16" x 20". ]]> Pavo cristatus. I wanted to paint the animal in a more naturalistic pose than is typical for the extravagant males, with his gorgeous train in view without being displayed. Here he sits on a branch and ponders the mysteries of existence as he overlooks his native florid Indian jungles.

Gouache on mixed media board, 16" x 20".

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Baldpate-Red-tails-357160771 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Baldpate-Red-tails-357160771 Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:22:02 PST Baldpate Red-tails nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Omnivory-355730829 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Omnivory-355730829 Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:59:15 PST Microraptor Omnivory nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs' version of the "All Yesterdays" contest. This version of the contest is differentiated from the original by requiring the artist to illustrate the speculative behavior in a style different from their usual, with a specific emphasis on straying from the hyper-detailed, realistic style that most paleoartists seem to be trying to capture these days. I tried a sort of cell-shaded, pseudo-vector type of look for mine, which I'm sure most of you will notice is very different from my usual fare.

Anyway, this is a little different from most entries to this contest in that while it's speculative, it is something that I genuinely believe is the case (that Microraptor was an omnivore), and I think it's perfectly possible that one of the ~300 undescribed specimens of this animal may preserve plant matter gut contents. Hard to say. In any case, I think that Microraptor has certain features that are consistent with omnivory in maniraptorans, including having somewhat unusual dentition by dromaeosaur standards.

Here I've depicted it munching on a tasty cycad fruit.

I intend to do a more in-depth blog post exploring this concept sometime in the coming weeks. I also hope that my watchers aren't sick of me drawing Microraptors yet... there will be more to come. ]]> Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs' version of the "All Yesterdays" contest. This version of the contest is differentiated from the original by requiring the artist to illustrate the speculative behavior in a style different from their usual, with a specific emphasis on straying from the hyper-detailed, realistic style that most paleoartists seem to be trying to capture these days. I tried a sort of cell-shaded, pseudo-vector type of look for mine, which I'm sure most of you will notice is very different from my usual fare.

Anyway, this is a little different from most entries to this contest in that while it's speculative, it is something that I genuinely believe is the case (that Microraptor was an omnivore), and I think it's perfectly possible that one of the ~300 undescribed specimens of this animal may preserve plant matter gut contents. Hard to say. In any case, I think that Microraptor has certain features that are consistent with omnivory in maniraptorans, including having somewhat unusual dentition by dromaeosaur standards.

Here I've depicted it munching on a tasty cycad fruit.

I intend to do a more in-depth blog post exploring this concept sometime in the coming weeks. I also hope that my watchers aren't sick of me drawing Microraptors yet... there will be more to come.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Eosinopteryx-351193445 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Eosinopteryx-351193445 Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:06:02 PST Eosinopteryx nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby Eosinopteryx brevipenna, the new troodontid described last week in Nature Communications. This tiny feathery, from the Late Jurassic Tiaojishan formation of Liaoning, China, differs from other basal troodontids in that it lacked the long feathers on the metatarsals and pes that typifies related animals, such as Anchiornis. It also had much shorter footclaws than related species, and this together with the lack of "legwings" indicates it was very likely a terrestrial bird. The animal is also a bit unusual in that its tail is rather short and lacks any sign of retrices, which gives it a bit unusual and somehow more "primitive" appearance than its relatives.

Here, the little fellow perches atop a mossy stump, possibly the highest vantage point it was able to manage. The paper makes no mention of whether the ungual on the second digit of the foot could be retracted, but the fossil's second pedal claw is clearly larger than the other claws on the foot, so it's possible it was used to aid in balance as well as predation.

Photoshop CS4.

Godefroit, P.; Demuynck, H.; Dyke, G.; Hu, D.; Escuillié, F. O.; Claeys, P. (2013). "Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod from China". Nature Communications 4: 1394. doi:10.1038/ncomms2389. ]]> Eosinopteryx brevipenna, the new troodontid described last week in Nature Communications. This tiny feathery, from the Late Jurassic Tiaojishan formation of Liaoning, China, differs from other basal troodontids in that it lacked the long feathers on the metatarsals and pes that typifies related animals, such as Anchiornis. It also had much shorter footclaws than related species, and this together with the lack of "legwings" indicates it was very likely a terrestrial bird. The animal is also a bit unusual in that its tail is rather short and lacks any sign of retrices, which gives it a bit unusual and somehow more "primitive" appearance than its relatives.

Here, the little fellow perches atop a mossy stump, possibly the highest vantage point it was able to manage. The paper makes no mention of whether the ungual on the second digit of the foot could be retracted, but the fossil's second pedal claw is clearly larger than the other claws on the foot, so it's possible it was used to aid in balance as well as predation.

Photoshop CS4.

Godefroit, P.; Demuynck, H.; Dyke, G.; Hu, D.; Escuillié, F. O.; Claeys, P. (2013). "Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod from China". Nature Communications 4: 1394. doi:10.1038/ncomms2389.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Utahraptor-at-Dawn-349434786 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Utahraptor-at-Dawn-349434786 Sat, 19 Jan 2013 17:38:09 PST Utahraptor at Dawn nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby Utahraptor stands in the shallows of the great early Cretaceous inland sea, looking out to the horizon as the sun rises. Utahraptor, though one of the largest dromaeosaurs, was certainly not always taking down large prey in a dramatic and bloody fashion. On this morning, these dromaeosaurs were not hungry enough to hunt, so they combed the beach for shellfish and protein minutiae washed in by the tide. A small flock of ornithocheiroid pterosaurs pass by above.

Considered making this my 'All Yesterdays' entry (a Utahraptor not being a big badass and ripping apart everything in sight? Unheard of) but ultimately decided to do something more original for that.

Commission for an individual customer. Photoshop CS4, 80+ hours. ]]> Utahraptor stands in the shallows of the great early Cretaceous inland sea, looking out to the horizon as the sun rises. Utahraptor, though one of the largest dromaeosaurs, was certainly not always taking down large prey in a dramatic and bloody fashion. On this morning, these dromaeosaurs were not hungry enough to hunt, so they combed the beach for shellfish and protein minutiae washed in by the tide. A small flock of ornithocheiroid pterosaurs pass by above.

Considered making this my 'All Yesterdays' entry (a Utahraptor not being a big badass and ripping apart everything in sight? Unheard of) but ultimately decided to do something more original for that.

Commission for an individual customer. Photoshop CS4, 80+ hours.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Takeoff-343914806 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Takeoff-343914806 Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:37:29 PST Microraptor Takeoff nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby old picture of mine, and is hopefully the last full picture for this creation/evolution book, though I know I've been saying that for a while. It's very interesting how much the scope of the project has, well, evolved since 2008.

This painting is, obviously, a depiction of Microraptor gui gliding down from a rock. It is a rock and not a tree branch because (in my opinion, at least) there is not yet enough evidence for the idea that Microraptor was arboreal, so it's possible that it didn't spend very much time in trees at all. Here it is chasing Pompiloperus, a species of early Cretaceous Jehol digger wasp. Insect-chasing was unlikely to be something that Microraptor did often, but as we can learn from All Yesterdays, animals commonly do things they don't do commonly, if you know what I mean.

This is old news at this point, but the main impetus for deciding to redo the old drawing was the Microraptor color study, which revealed a few finer points of the animal: that its long-assumed headcrest was more likely to be an artifact of smushed feathers in fossilization, that at least some Microraptor had a pair of long tail ribbons extending back from the fan, and most notably, that the animal's feathers were iridescent, perhaps shiny blue-black like a crow.

There seems to be some debate at present about whether Microraptor's legwings were typically held perpendicular to the metatarsals or more in parallel when gliding, so I painted them somewhat intermediate - a likely position for takeoff, I think.

This represents probably over 100 hour of work and is entirely hand-painted in Photoshop CS4. As always, a huge thanks to ~Agahnim for endless support, critiques and suggestions.

Be sure to buy the book if you want to see this in high-res!

This will be my last upload for 2012 (perhaps my last ever, if the Mayans are right ). May 2013 be full of many featheries! ]]> old picture of mine, and is hopefully the last full picture for this creation/evolution book, though I know I've been saying that for a while. It's very interesting how much the scope of the project has, well, evolved since 2008.

This painting is, obviously, a depiction of Microraptor gui gliding down from a rock. It is a rock and not a tree branch because (in my opinion, at least) there is not yet enough evidence for the idea that Microraptor was arboreal, so it's possible that it didn't spend very much time in trees at all. Here it is chasing Pompiloperus, a species of early Cretaceous Jehol digger wasp. Insect-chasing was unlikely to be something that Microraptor did often, but as we can learn from All Yesterdays, animals commonly do things they don't do commonly, if you know what I mean.

This is old news at this point, but the main impetus for deciding to redo the old drawing was the Microraptor color study, which revealed a few finer points of the animal: that its long-assumed headcrest was more likely to be an artifact of smushed feathers in fossilization, that at least some Microraptor had a pair of long tail ribbons extending back from the fan, and most notably, that the animal's feathers were iridescent, perhaps shiny blue-black like a crow.

There seems to be some debate at present about whether Microraptor's legwings were typically held perpendicular to the metatarsals or more in parallel when gliding, so I painted them somewhat intermediate - a likely position for takeoff, I think.

This represents probably over 100 hour of work and is entirely hand-painted in Photoshop CS4. As always, a huge thanks to ~Agahnim for endless support, critiques and suggestions.

Be sure to buy the book if you want to see this in high-res!

This will be my last upload for 2012 (perhaps my last ever, if the Mayans are right ). May 2013 be full of many featheries!

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Survivor-The-Aptian-Riverbank-331967287 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Survivor-The-Aptian-Riverbank-331967287 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:32:00 PDT Survivor: The Aptian Riverbank nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Survivor fan, per se. However, I would label myself as a Michael Skupin fan, who is absolutely the most badass bad-ass to ever play on the show. I loved the second season - the Australian outback - to death. I loved how it was actually about wilderness survival, and in many respects the social manipulation and trickery took a backseat to the more day-to-day demands of staying dry and keeping well-fed. That's the sort of Survivor I really liked to watch. The newest season, taking place in the Philippines, would not normally have caught my attention, but Mike has made a return and so I'm watching just for that.

So how does this relate to a Deinonychus RPRing some poor hapless generic psittacosaurid? Well, my favorite Mike scene in the second season was when he managed to run down and kill a wild pig with nothing but a stick and a knife, thereby feeding his whole tribe on a delicious meal of ham and bacon. ~Agahnim commented on the whole scene, and Mike in general, as being kind of reminiscent of a dromaeosaur, and a generic psittacosaurid is a good analogue to a bristly black pig: so you can say that this painting is modeled after that epic run-down of the wild pig on that Australian riverbank. After Mike kills the pig, he's sort of crouching over it (mantling, perhaps) by the river and looking up in a sort of... blinking confusion at why his tribemates are freaking out and going "EWW GROSS!" Lol.

You can watch the lead-up to the pig chase, the kill and aftermath here: [link] The other tribe members' reactions to the whole thing are equal parts amusing and irritating.

So yes, this is accurate paleoart inspired by a scene from a long-ago Survivor episode. BECAUSE I CAN. ]]> Survivor fan, per se. However, I would label myself as a Michael Skupin fan, who is absolutely the most badass bad-ass to ever play on the show. I loved the second season - the Australian outback - to death. I loved how it was actually about wilderness survival, and in many respects the social manipulation and trickery took a backseat to the more day-to-day demands of staying dry and keeping well-fed. That's the sort of Survivor I really liked to watch. The newest season, taking place in the Philippines, would not normally have caught my attention, but Mike has made a return and so I'm watching just for that.

So how does this relate to a Deinonychus RPRing some poor hapless generic psittacosaurid? Well, my favorite Mike scene in the second season was when he managed to run down and kill a wild pig with nothing but a stick and a knife, thereby feeding his whole tribe on a delicious meal of ham and bacon. ~Agahnim commented on the whole scene, and Mike in general, as being kind of reminiscent of a dromaeosaur, and a generic psittacosaurid is a good analogue to a bristly black pig: so you can say that this painting is modeled after that epic run-down of the wild pig on that Australian riverbank. After Mike kills the pig, he's sort of crouching over it (mantling, perhaps) by the river and looking up in a sort of... blinking confusion at why his tribemates are freaking out and going "EWW GROSS!" Lol.

You can watch the lead-up to the pig chase, the kill and aftermath here: [link] The other tribe members' reactions to the whole thing are equal parts amusing and irritating.

So yes, this is accurate paleoart inspired by a scene from a long-ago Survivor episode. BECAUSE I CAN.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Low-key-Magpie-340561131 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Low-key-Magpie-340561131 Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:18:08 PST Low-key Magpie nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby
(I am physically incapable of drawing anything that doesn't have feathers.)

Alt version: [link] ]]>
(I am physically incapable of drawing anything that doesn't have feathers.)

Alt version: [link]

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Threat-Display-340134573 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Threat-Display-340134573 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:24:39 PST Microraptor Threat Display nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Microraptor doing a threat display, inspired by this fantastic photo of an eagle-owl.

Many animals, when threatened, will use absolutely everything in their power to make themselves look bigger. There are endless artworks out there of Microraptor using its legwings for the obvious function - to fly or glide - but if trying to make itself look bigger, the little dromaeosaur has an obvious advantage over its two-winged brethren.

Such a little poof. ]]> Microraptor doing a threat display, inspired by this fantastic photo of an eagle-owl.

Many animals, when threatened, will use absolutely everything in their power to make themselves look bigger. There are endless artworks out there of Microraptor using its legwings for the obvious function - to fly or glide - but if trying to make itself look bigger, the little dromaeosaur has an obvious advantage over its two-winged brethren.

Such a little poof.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Three-Dromaeosaur-RPR-Doodles-348357766 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Three-Dromaeosaur-RPR-Doodles-348357766 Sun, 13 Jan 2013 13:44:06 PST Three Dromaeosaur RPR Doodles nonadult traditional/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby
Top: a generic large dromaeosaur being trolled by a small one in the form of "tail pulling", a behavior that has been observed in various species of modern corvid.

Middle: Snake from Metal Gear Solid 3 as a Deinonychus.

Bottom: Utahraptor having a mammal meal. Based on this photo. ]]>
Top: a generic large dromaeosaur being trolled by a small one in the form of "tail pulling", a behavior that has been observed in various species of modern corvid.

Middle: Snake from Metal Gear Solid 3 as a Deinonychus.

Bottom: Utahraptor having a mammal meal. Based on this photo.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Long-tailed-Duck-347851850 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Long-tailed-Duck-347851850 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:39:15 PST Long-tailed Duck nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby
Barnegat Light, NJ. ]]>
Barnegat Light, NJ.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Harlequin-Scratch-347835036 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Harlequin-Scratch-347835036 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:45:46 PST Harlequin Scratch nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2013 *EWilloughby
Barnegat Light, NJ. ]]>
Barnegat Light, NJ.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Camptosaurus-Skeletons-Old-and-New-332266110 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Camptosaurus-Skeletons-Old-and-New-332266110 Sat, 13 Oct 2012 18:11:20 PDT Camptosaurus Skeletons - Old and New nonadult digitalart/drawings/illustrations/conceptual EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Highlights a while back. The issue is now out, so I'm free to upload it to my galleries.

It depicts the "before" (top) and "after" (bottom) status of the Smithsonian Museum's Camptosaurus skeleton, which underwent some substantial renovation recently. The skeleton was originally mounted for the museum in 1911, and has become badly damaged and out-of-date in the century of its service. It has now been entirely remounted, both to repair the damage and to conform with modern accuracy standards. If you're ever at the natural history museum in DC, look for Camptosaurus in the Dinosaur Hall!

Here's a scan of the article if anyone is interested. [link] ]]> Highlights a while back. The issue is now out, so I'm free to upload it to my galleries.

It depicts the "before" (top) and "after" (bottom) status of the Smithsonian Museum's Camptosaurus skeleton, which underwent some substantial renovation recently. The skeleton was originally mounted for the museum in 1911, and has become badly damaged and out-of-date in the century of its service. It has now been entirely remounted, both to repair the damage and to conform with modern accuracy standards. If you're ever at the natural history museum in DC, look for Camptosaurus in the Dinosaur Hall!

Here's a scan of the article if anyone is interested. [link]

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Loki-Raptor-327452726 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Loki-Raptor-327452726 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 21:11:43 PDT Loki Raptor! nonadult fanart/digital/drawings/movies EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby this set as well as this one, but it always bothered me a little how these sets always omit the awesome villain, as well as the most awesome family of dinosaurs. So I figured I'd remedy that.

The helmet is meant to be part of a Zuniceratops skull. I tried to be as accurate as possible with the skull, the dromaeosaurid anatomy, and the costume. Yes, this is what I do with my Saturday evenings...

Though, naturally, Tom Hiddleston doesn't need much help being a raptor.

I'll scrap this later. Just had to permit myself a bit of silliness. ]]> this set as well as this one, but it always bothered me a little how these sets always omit the awesome villain, as well as the most awesome family of dinosaurs. So I figured I'd remedy that.

The helmet is meant to be part of a Zuniceratops skull. I tried to be as accurate as possible with the skull, the dromaeosaurid anatomy, and the costume. Yes, this is what I do with my Saturday evenings...

Though, naturally, Tom Hiddleston doesn't need much help being a raptor.

I'll scrap this later. Just had to permit myself a bit of silliness.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Hangin-with-Mr-Cooper-331963240 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Hangin-with-Mr-Cooper-331963240 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:23:14 PDT Hangin' with Mr. Cooper nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby
Cooper's hawks aren't terribly common in my area, so I was happy to get a nice shot of this guy. ]]>
Cooper's hawks aren't terribly common in my area, so I was happy to get a nice shot of this guy.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Great-Blue-Heron-in-Flight-325761230 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Great-Blue-Heron-in-Flight-325761230 Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:48:49 PDT Great Blue Heron in Flight nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby
(Yes, I will be uploading more paleoart soon. Don't worry, I haven't turned into a total birdbrain.) ]]>
(Yes, I will be uploading more paleoart soon. Don't worry, I haven't turned into a total birdbrain.)

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Black-crowned-Night-Heron-325758571 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Black-crowned-Night-Heron-325758571 Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:31:46 PDT Black-crowned Night Heron nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby
Notice here his weird toes. Looks like he's sustained some injury that clipped off the claws on several of them, which appear to have healed over properly. Wonder what happened! Ohio gators?! ]]>
Notice here his weird toes. Looks like he's sustained some injury that clipped off the claws on several of them, which appear to have healed over properly. Wonder what happened! Ohio gators?!

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/The-Rains-of-Rogling-Sciurumimus-315382255 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/The-Rains-of-Rogling-Sciurumimus-315382255 Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:38:31 PDT The Rains of Rogling - Sciurumimus nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Sciurumimus, perched on a rock by the Bavarian sea as it waits patiently for its mother to return to it. Two pterodactylid pterosaurs comb the beach in the background. From the late Jurassic Rögling Formation of Germany, ~150 mya.

Am I the only one who keeps wanting to call this thing "Scurrymimus" out loud? Or sometimes Screw-you-mimus. ]]> Sciurumimus, perched on a rock by the Bavarian sea as it waits patiently for its mother to return to it. Two pterodactylid pterosaurs comb the beach in the background. From the late Jurassic Rögling Formation of Germany, ~150 mya.

Am I the only one who keeps wanting to call this thing "Scurrymimus" out loud? Or sometimes Screw-you-mimus.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Birding-for-Warblers-329902267 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Birding-for-Warblers-329902267 Sat, 29 Sep 2012 20:21:38 PDT Birding for Warblers nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby
Oh lord help me, I'm drawing birding cartoons now.

(Inspired by real life and an exchange with . Frickin' yellowthroats.)

You know the drill - WHO CAN NAME THEM ALL?! ]]>
Oh lord help me, I'm drawing birding cartoons now.

(Inspired by real life and an exchange with . Frickin' yellowthroats.)

You know the drill - WHO CAN NAME THEM ALL?!

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Green-Heron-with-Tadpole-317832304 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Green-Heron-with-Tadpole-317832304 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 21:24:17 PDT Green Heron with Tadpole nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby [link] ]]> [link]

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Deinonychosaur-Tracks-closeup-313509793 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Deinonychosaur-Tracks-closeup-313509793 Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:24:50 PDT Deinonychosaur Tracks - closeup nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby this painting, since the dromaeosaur is of course the most interesting part of it and a lot of the details were lost in the DA-sized version. Will move to scraps eventually.

Hate to say it, but I might actually like this version better than the big one. ]]> this painting, since the dromaeosaur is of course the most interesting part of it and a lot of the details were lost in the DA-sized version. Will move to scraps eventually.

Hate to say it, but I might actually like this version better than the big one.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Necks-Lie-317824298 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Necks-Lie-317824298 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 20:32:42 PDT Necks Lie nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby SV-POW post on the topic: the physical appearance of an animal's neck and the neck vertebrae alone do not always jive. Necks "lie". The green heron's neck is the biggest liar of them all.

A blogpost I made goes into much more detail and features more of my recent photography and a few sketches. Any feedback is appreciated! ]]> SV-POW post on the topic: the physical appearance of an animal's neck and the neck vertebrae alone do not always jive. Necks "lie". The green heron's neck is the biggest liar of them all.

A blogpost I made goes into much more detail and features more of my recent photography and a few sketches. Any feedback is appreciated!

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Green-Heron-317832584 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Green-Heron-317832584 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 21:26:03 PDT Green Heron nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby [link] ]]> [link]

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Hox12-Development-317248320 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Hox12-Development-317248320 Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:51:35 PDT Hox12 Development nonadult digitalart/drawings/technical EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby previous chart on skink toes - is a collaboration between myself and ~Agahnim for our evolution book. The image relates to an explanation for the reason why theropod dinosaurs appear to have lost their two outermost fingers, but bird embryos form and then lose the inner- and outermost fingers. If birds evolved from dinosaurs, then one would expect that the three "fingers" present in modern birds would have evolved from the three fingers of theropod dinosaurs. However, this is not the case, and this seeming inconsistency has been a common argument of both creationists and BANDits for decades.

I drew the images, and he did the formatting and wrote the following description:

To understand the effects of a frameshift, it’s helpful to imagine an absent-minded postman who accidentally gives several people the mail that was meant for their neighbors.  Just as this causes a person’s mailbox to contain mail that normally would have gone in their neighbor’s mailbox, a frameshift has caused the middle two toes of the two-toed earless skink embryo to develop using the genetic code that normally would have been used by the inner two.  This is a documented case in living animals where a frameshift has caused the exact same difference that exists between the hands of birds and theropods, so it is clearly possible the same thing could have happened in birds also.  And in fact, there is a way to measure whether it happened or not.

If you accidentally receive your neighbor’s mail, you don’t usually need to guess at whether you did.  If your neighbor subscribes to a magazine that you don’t, and you see a copy of that magazine in your own mailbox, you can usually figure out what’s happened.  What if there were a way to look for the same thing in the hands of bird embryos, and examine whether the genetic code we would normally expect to see used by an embryo’s inner three fingers has ended up in birds’ middle three? Just as receiving your neighbor’s magazine is a sure sign that his mail was delivered to you, perhaps one of the fingers of bird embryos develops using a combination of genes normally reserved for a different finger, which would be a sure sign that a frameshift took place.
 
This is exactly what’s the case.  In all animals that have five fingers as adults, the genes Hox13 and Hox12 are both expressed in the development of the outer four fingers, while the innermost finger (the finger which is the thumb on a human) develops using only Hox13 and not Hox12.  If you imagine these five fingers as five neighbors, developing with Hox13 and without Hox12 is the equivalent of a magazine that’s delivered only to the innermost finger and none of the others.  On bird embryos, the innermost finger does not develop into anything—only the middle three do—so ordinarily one would expect both Hox13 and Hox12 to be expressed in all three of the embryonic fingers which eventually fuse into their hands.  However, what we find instead is that the second-innermost finger of bird embryos develops with Hox13 but without Hox12. To put it another way, the magazine meant for the embryo’s innermost finger has been delivered to its second-innermost finger.  Even if it weren’t for the fossil evidence suggesting the ancestors of birds lost their outer two finger, this evidence from Hox genes would be enough to show that the three fingers of birds were originally the inner three, but the genetic postman has delivered their mail to the middle three embryonic fingers instead.

Diagram referenced from: Vargas, Alexander O. and John F. Fallon. “The Digits of the Wings of Birds Are 1, 2, and 3. A Review.” Journal of Experimental Zoology 304B (2005): 206–219. ]]> previous chart on skink toes - is a collaboration between myself and ~Agahnim for our evolution book. The image relates to an explanation for the reason why theropod dinosaurs appear to have lost their two outermost fingers, but bird embryos form and then lose the inner- and outermost fingers. If birds evolved from dinosaurs, then one would expect that the three "fingers" present in modern birds would have evolved from the three fingers of theropod dinosaurs. However, this is not the case, and this seeming inconsistency has been a common argument of both creationists and BANDits for decades.

I drew the images, and he did the formatting and wrote the following description:

To understand the effects of a frameshift, it’s helpful to imagine an absent-minded postman who accidentally gives several people the mail that was meant for their neighbors.  Just as this causes a person’s mailbox to contain mail that normally would have gone in their neighbor’s mailbox, a frameshift has caused the middle two toes of the two-toed earless skink embryo to develop using the genetic code that normally would have been used by the inner two.  This is a documented case in living animals where a frameshift has caused the exact same difference that exists between the hands of birds and theropods, so it is clearly possible the same thing could have happened in birds also.  And in fact, there is a way to measure whether it happened or not.

If you accidentally receive your neighbor’s mail, you don’t usually need to guess at whether you did.  If your neighbor subscribes to a magazine that you don’t, and you see a copy of that magazine in your own mailbox, you can usually figure out what’s happened.  What if there were a way to look for the same thing in the hands of bird embryos, and examine whether the genetic code we would normally expect to see used by an embryo’s inner three fingers has ended up in birds’ middle three? Just as receiving your neighbor’s magazine is a sure sign that his mail was delivered to you, perhaps one of the fingers of bird embryos develops using a combination of genes normally reserved for a different finger, which would be a sure sign that a frameshift took place.
 
This is exactly what’s the case.  In all animals that have five fingers as adults, the genes Hox13 and Hox12 are both expressed in the development of the outer four fingers, while the innermost finger (the finger which is the thumb on a human) develops using only Hox13 and not Hox12.  If you imagine these five fingers as five neighbors, developing with Hox13 and without Hox12 is the equivalent of a magazine that’s delivered only to the innermost finger and none of the others.  On bird embryos, the innermost finger does not develop into anything—only the middle three do—so ordinarily one would expect both Hox13 and Hox12 to be expressed in all three of the embryonic fingers which eventually fuse into their hands.  However, what we find instead is that the second-innermost finger of bird embryos develops with Hox13 but without Hox12. To put it another way, the magazine meant for the embryo’s innermost finger has been delivered to its second-innermost finger.  Even if it weren’t for the fossil evidence suggesting the ancestors of birds lost their outer two finger, this evidence from Hox genes would be enough to show that the three fingers of birds were originally the inner three, but the genetic postman has delivered their mail to the middle three embryonic fingers instead.

Diagram referenced from: Vargas, Alexander O. and John F. Fallon. “The Digits of the Wings of Birds Are 1, 2, and 3. A Review.” Journal of Experimental Zoology 304B (2005): 206–219.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Development-of-Skink-Toes-314138373 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Development-of-Skink-Toes-314138373 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:33:56 PDT Development of Skink Toes nonadult digitalart/drawings/technical EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Agahnim. I drew the images, and he created the text, all of the formatting, and the caption below. This image relates to an explanation for the reason why theropod dinosaurs appear to have lost their two outermost fingers, but bird embryos form and then lose the inner- and outermost fingers. If birds evolved from dinosaurs, and ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, then one would expect that the two long-lost fingers that briefly appear in the embryo of a bird to be the same two lost in primitive theropod dinosaurs. However, this is not the case, and this seeming inconsistency has been a common argument of both creationists and BANDits for decades.

However, it was eventually established that a digit frameshift is responsible for this exact sort of inconsistency. Of course the genetics of long-extinct theropods cannot be examined, but the same mutation with the same effect has been observed in a number of living organisms, and these skinks are perhaps the best example.

Caption reads: This diagram shows the embryonic development in the two-toed earless skink compared to in the four-toed earless skink. Although the two toes of the two-toed skink have the same size, shape, and number of joints as the inner two toes of the four-toed skink, they develop from the middle two toes of their embryo. This difference is caused by a type of frameshift. Diagram adapted from Shapiro 2002.*

*Shapiro, Michael. “Developmental Morphology of Limb Reduction in Hemiergis (Squamata: Scinidae) Chondrogenesis, Osteology, and Heterochrony.” Journal of Morphology 254 (2002): 211-231. ]]> Agahnim. I drew the images, and he created the text, all of the formatting, and the caption below. This image relates to an explanation for the reason why theropod dinosaurs appear to have lost their two outermost fingers, but bird embryos form and then lose the inner- and outermost fingers. If birds evolved from dinosaurs, and ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, then one would expect that the two long-lost fingers that briefly appear in the embryo of a bird to be the same two lost in primitive theropod dinosaurs. However, this is not the case, and this seeming inconsistency has been a common argument of both creationists and BANDits for decades.

However, it was eventually established that a digit frameshift is responsible for this exact sort of inconsistency. Of course the genetics of long-extinct theropods cannot be examined, but the same mutation with the same effect has been observed in a number of living organisms, and these skinks are perhaps the best example.

Caption reads: This diagram shows the embryonic development in the two-toed earless skink compared to in the four-toed earless skink. Although the two toes of the two-toed skink have the same size, shape, and number of joints as the inner two toes of the four-toed skink, they develop from the middle two toes of their embryo. This difference is caused by a type of frameshift. Diagram adapted from Shapiro 2002.*

*Shapiro, Michael. “Developmental Morphology of Limb Reduction in Hemiergis (Squamata: Scinidae) Chondrogenesis, Osteology, and Heterochrony.” Journal of Morphology 254 (2002): 211-231.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Feather-Evolution-313472392 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Feather-Evolution-313472392 Sun, 08 Jul 2012 17:51:12 PDT Feather Evolution nonadult digitalart/drawings/technical EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Agahnim, ~keesey and others. The "stages" represented here are highly simplified from reality (the "interlocking" and "non-interlocking" barbule stages are basically combined into one, since it's not really possible to tell them apart in fossils) due to making it as easy to understand as possible to creationists.

The caption, written by Agahnim:

Five stages in the evolution of feathers, based on an analysis of feather evolution in a 1999 paper by Richard Prum. Each of these stages in feather evolution has been found on dinosaur fossils except for stage 3, which is known from cretaceous amber.

Stage 1 - Simple fibers: Hollow unbranched fibers, with no barbs or barbules. Found on Sciurumimus albersdoerferi.

Stage 2 - Bundles of fibers: Groups of unbranched fibers, each attaching to a central point. Found on Sinosauropteryx prima.

Stage 3 - Unbranched barbs: Rows of unbranched barbs attached to a central shaft. Found preserved in amber alongside troodontid teeth.

Stage 4 - Barbs and barbules: Rows of barbs attached to a central shaft, which branch further into barbules. Found on Protarchaeopteryx robusta.

Stage 5 - Fully-developed flight feathers: Barbs and interlocking barbules; asymmetrical shape. Found on Microraptor gui. ]]> Agahnim, ~keesey and others. The "stages" represented here are highly simplified from reality (the "interlocking" and "non-interlocking" barbule stages are basically combined into one, since it's not really possible to tell them apart in fossils) due to making it as easy to understand as possible to creationists.

The caption, written by Agahnim:

Five stages in the evolution of feathers, based on an analysis of feather evolution in a 1999 paper by Richard Prum. Each of these stages in feather evolution has been found on dinosaur fossils except for stage 3, which is known from cretaceous amber.

Stage 1 - Simple fibers: Hollow unbranched fibers, with no barbs or barbules. Found on Sciurumimus albersdoerferi.

Stage 2 - Bundles of fibers: Groups of unbranched fibers, each attaching to a central point. Found on Sinosauropteryx prima.

Stage 3 - Unbranched barbs: Rows of unbranched barbs attached to a central shaft. Found preserved in amber alongside troodontid teeth.

Stage 4 - Barbs and barbules: Rows of barbs attached to a central shaft, which branch further into barbules. Found on Protarchaeopteryx robusta.

Stage 5 - Fully-developed flight feathers: Barbs and interlocking barbules; asymmetrical shape. Found on Microraptor gui.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Common-Yellowthroat-311985905 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Common-Yellowthroat-311985905 Sun, 01 Jul 2012 19:00:36 PDT Common Yellowthroat nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Red-winged-Blackbird-311932934 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Red-winged-Blackbird-311932934 Sun, 01 Jul 2012 14:06:31 PDT Red-winged Blackbird nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Osprey-Harassment-311916441 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Osprey-Harassment-311916441 Sun, 01 Jul 2012 12:45:04 PDT Osprey Harassment nonadult photography/nature/birds EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Sign-of-the-Dromaeosaur-309265687 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Sign-of-the-Dromaeosaur-309265687 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:14:47 PDT Sign of the Dromaeosaur nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby released today, so I'm free to upload! This is an illustration for discovery of a series of new trackways of deinonychosaur footprints from the Liujiaxia Dinosaur National Geological Park, Yongjing County, Gansu Province in China. The footprints range quite a bit in size, indicating several different taxa which could include troodontids as well as dromaeosaurs. Some are found in close proximity to titanosaur footprints (drawn based on Huanghetitan here). The deinonychosaur is represented here as a dromaeosaur genus similar in size and morphology to Deinonychus. ]]> released today, so I'm free to upload! This is an illustration for discovery of a series of new trackways of deinonychosaur footprints from the Liujiaxia Dinosaur National Geological Park, Yongjing County, Gansu Province in China. The footprints range quite a bit in size, indicating several different taxa which could include troodontids as well as dromaeosaurs. Some are found in close proximity to titanosaur footprints (drawn based on Huanghetitan here). The deinonychosaur is represented here as a dromaeosaur genus similar in size and morphology to Deinonychus.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Deinonychus-with-Wren-308372165 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Deinonychus-with-Wren-308372165 Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:14:32 PDT Deinonychus with Wren nonadult traditional/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby
Just a little 30-minute sketch I drew for my dad for Father's Day, in between several much larger projects I've been toiling through (one of which I'm waiting on the ok to upload publicly). Probably will scrap it in a day or so.

Micron pen and prismacolor pencils. ]]>
Just a little 30-minute sketch I drew for my dad for Father's Day, in between several much larger projects I've been toiling through (one of which I'm waiting on the ok to upload publicly). Probably will scrap it in a day or so.

Micron pen and prismacolor pencils.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Bird-Panoply-305990726 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Bird-Panoply-305990726 Sat, 02 Jun 2012 18:23:34 PDT Bird Panoply nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby
Proof that I can draw extant dinosaurs too!

A cookie for anyone who can name all 36 species. They're all very common birds of the eastern US.

Many of these poses are loosely referenced from creative commons images. ]]>
Proof that I can draw extant dinosaurs too!

A cookie for anyone who can name all 36 species. They're all very common birds of the eastern US.

Many of these poses are loosely referenced from creative commons images.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Mei-long-is-not-always-sleeping-293398059 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Mei-long-is-not-always-sleeping-293398059 Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:26:11 PDT Mei long is not always sleeping nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Mei long, the famous sleeping dragon. I'd wanted to draw this animal for a while, so it was a good excuse to put some more effort into it than I normally would've.

Mei long is well-known from its beautiful holotype, which shows the animal perfectly preserved in a sleeping position when it had died, presumably from volcanic ash. The curled holotype is tiny - probably no larger than a softball - but many people don't seem to realize that it represents a very young juvenile. The adult animal was probably a strapping troodontid around the size of a duck. I've reconstructed two adult Meis here, a male and a female, running through a rare patch of Liaoning deciduous trees. The male is nearer to the viewer and is almost identical to his mate save for brighter rufus display patches and a reddish facial streak. Many birds, such as woodpeckers, exhibit a similar sort of dimorphism.

I wanted to draw this cute little troodontid doing something other than sleeping, for once. Even though its holotype fossil is one of the most gorgeous paravians to come out of China (and that's saying something), reconstructing it in this position every time is overlooking the beauty the animal surely exhibited in wakefulness as well. This long-legged, pheasant-sized troodontid was probably a fleet of foot, agile little predator that may've darted through the undergrowth and over logs, flashing glints of shiny feathers in the sunlight.

High res version here: [link] ]]> Mei long, the famous sleeping dragon. I'd wanted to draw this animal for a while, so it was a good excuse to put some more effort into it than I normally would've.

Mei long is well-known from its beautiful holotype, which shows the animal perfectly preserved in a sleeping position when it had died, presumably from volcanic ash. The curled holotype is tiny - probably no larger than a softball - but many people don't seem to realize that it represents a very young juvenile. The adult animal was probably a strapping troodontid around the size of a duck. I've reconstructed two adult Meis here, a male and a female, running through a rare patch of Liaoning deciduous trees. The male is nearer to the viewer and is almost identical to his mate save for brighter rufus display patches and a reddish facial streak. Many birds, such as woodpeckers, exhibit a similar sort of dimorphism.

I wanted to draw this cute little troodontid doing something other than sleeping, for once. Even though its holotype fossil is one of the most gorgeous paravians to come out of China (and that's saying something), reconstructing it in this position every time is overlooking the beauty the animal surely exhibited in wakefulness as well. This long-legged, pheasant-sized troodontid was probably a fleet of foot, agile little predator that may've darted through the undergrowth and over logs, flashing glints of shiny feathers in the sunlight.

High res version here: [link]

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Deinonychus-Prey-Restraint-275810840 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Deinonychus-Prey-Restraint-275810840 Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:02:25 PST Deinonychus Prey Restraint nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby Deinonychus and other dromaeosaurs (the "raptor prey restraint" model, or RPR). This excellent publication is available free to download. It suggests that the unique foot morphology of dromaeosaurs was an adaptation to take prey in a very similar manner to extant birds of prey: by grasping with the foot claws, digging in with the hypertrophied "sickle" claw, and tightly hanging on to the prey animal as it struggles and thrashes around. The dromaeosaur would then begin to feed on it while it's still alive, until it finally dies from blood loss and organ failure, all the while standing on top of the animal to pin it down (a likely use of the unusually short ankles found in dromaeosaurs) and using primitive flight strokes with its "wings" to maintain balance.

The primary animal of study in the RPR paper is Deinonychus, so that's what I've drawn here. It is shown preying on the basal ornithopod Zephyrosaurus. Though Deinonychus is usually depicted in a dense floodplain environment, here I've reconstructed it amongst some higher-altitude arid North American mountains.

This is my version of a Christmas dinner. ]]> Deinonychus and other dromaeosaurs (the "raptor prey restraint" model, or RPR). This excellent publication is available free to download. It suggests that the unique foot morphology of dromaeosaurs was an adaptation to take prey in a very similar manner to extant birds of prey: by grasping with the foot claws, digging in with the hypertrophied "sickle" claw, and tightly hanging on to the prey animal as it struggles and thrashes around. The dromaeosaur would then begin to feed on it while it's still alive, until it finally dies from blood loss and organ failure, all the while standing on top of the animal to pin it down (a likely use of the unusually short ankles found in dromaeosaurs) and using primitive flight strokes with its "wings" to maintain balance.

The primary animal of study in the RPR paper is Deinonychus, so that's what I've drawn here. It is shown preying on the basal ornithopod Zephyrosaurus. Though Deinonychus is usually depicted in a dense floodplain environment, here I've reconstructed it amongst some higher-altitude arid North American mountains.

This is my version of a Christmas dinner.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Talos-sampsoni-259574105 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Talos-sampsoni-259574105 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:06:05 PDT Talos sampsoni nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby Talos sampsoni of Utah's Kaiparowits Formation. The described specimen of this derived troodontid had an interesting feature, which is that the sickle claw-bearing toe of the left foot had been broken in life, including a surface lesion, and had then healed. The authors speculate that the toe may have been damaged in some sort of physical trauma or infection. A popular theory is that it was damaged in the act of predation, though that remains a speculative idea.

Here I've reconstructed it inspecting the hurt toe after the injury had occurred, perhaps cleaning it as best as it was able.

The paper is open access, so please feel free to read more about it here. ]]> Talos sampsoni of Utah's Kaiparowits Formation. The described specimen of this derived troodontid had an interesting feature, which is that the sickle claw-bearing toe of the left foot had been broken in life, including a surface lesion, and had then healed. The authors speculate that the toe may have been damaged in some sort of physical trauma or infection. A popular theory is that it was damaged in the act of predation, though that remains a speculative idea.

Here I've reconstructed it inspecting the hurt toe after the injury had occurred, perhaps cleaning it as best as it was able.

The paper is open access, so please feel free to read more about it here.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Saurornitholestes-227354617 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Saurornitholestes-227354617 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:25:03 PDT Saurornitholestes nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby new discovery involving fossilized scratch marks, presumably from the foot claws of a maniraptoran, at the entrance to an ancient primitive mammal burrow. I illustrated it at the time and some of you may remember it. However more recently a museum representative from Denver contacted me wanting a larger resolution version of the piece, so I updated it accordingly and added some additional details for accuracy and interesting-ness, including the trio of Pteranodon longiceps from a recent submission. (This is not the highest resolution, obviously, but I think the improvement in detail is noticeable.)

To reiterate the study:

The scratched-out burrows provide a unique insight into both the behavior and diet of these dinosaurs, which must have occasionally dug out the burrows of their prey, like many modern predators do. This trace fossil was found in Utah and is dated at around 80 million years old, which means the claw marks could belong to several different small dromaeosaurs or troodonts. I've illustrated the dromaeosaur Saurornitholestes here, which was similar in size and anatomy to Velociraptor. The findings were published in the journal Geology. ]]> new discovery involving fossilized scratch marks, presumably from the foot claws of a maniraptoran, at the entrance to an ancient primitive mammal burrow. I illustrated it at the time and some of you may remember it. However more recently a museum representative from Denver contacted me wanting a larger resolution version of the piece, so I updated it accordingly and added some additional details for accuracy and interesting-ness, including the trio of Pteranodon longiceps from a recent submission. (This is not the highest resolution, obviously, but I think the improvement in detail is noticeable.)

To reiterate the study:

The scratched-out burrows provide a unique insight into both the behavior and diet of these dinosaurs, which must have occasionally dug out the burrows of their prey, like many modern predators do. This trace fossil was found in Utah and is dated at around 80 million years old, which means the claw marks could belong to several different small dromaeosaurs or troodonts. I've illustrated the dromaeosaur Saurornitholestes here, which was similar in size and anatomy to Velociraptor. The findings were published in the journal Geology.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Jehol-Juxtaposition-264304483 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Microraptor-Jehol-Juxtaposition-264304483 Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:04:19 PDT Microraptor: Jehol Juxtaposition nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby
Since both images are intended for print, a lot of the detail in the background will be lost when I finally resize them to upload at DA. I thought it would be nice, though, to show some elements from each image that will be downsized in the final versions. They seemed to fit together well. Think of it as a glorified WIP.

This particular scene depicts Microraptor gui, a tiny four-winged gliding dromaeosaur, and Epicharmeropsis, an ancient mayfly.

Photoshop CS4 ]]>
Since both images are intended for print, a lot of the detail in the background will be lost when I finally resize them to upload at DA. I thought it would be nice, though, to show some elements from each image that will be downsized in the final versions. They seemed to fit together well. Think of it as a glorified WIP.

This particular scene depicts Microraptor gui, a tiny four-winged gliding dromaeosaur, and Epicharmeropsis, an ancient mayfly.

Photoshop CS4

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/The-Tree-of-Yum-Animalia-295408072 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/The-Tree-of-Yum-Animalia-295408072 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:03:20 PDT The Tree of Yum: Animalia nonadult digitalart/drawings/illustrations/technical EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby
Some of you may remember my The Tree of Yum: Plantae, which shows the evolutionary relationships amongst the majority of plant matter that humans consume on a regular basis. Since then I'd been wanting to do the same for meats and mushrooms, so here is the finished meat cladogram.

This isn't meant to be a completely rigorous study - as in the Plantae cladogram, the branch lengths aren't meant to represent the divergence time, and some clade ranks (particularly genera) were omitted if the groups happened to be somewhat paraphyletic. I also didn't include sub- or super-ranks, and I didn't bother nesting orders and families if the nesting wasn't completely obvious, as that would require more research than I have time to spend on a project like this for fun.

Obviously this also doesn't demonstrate all of the animals that people eat across the globe - I've especially given fish the short shrift, but edible fish pretty literally go on forever, so I had to draw the line somewhere so the graph wasn't overly dominated by them. There are a ton of other animals that people eat that I didn't include here - this is meant to represent the more "normal" meats typically eaten in the western world. If I included absolutely every animal eaten by humans, I'd have a ridiculously exhaustive list that has little bearing on reality for the average culinary westerner. This cladogram is probably a little less interesting than the plant one, because it is far more intuitive. Most of us with a passing interest in biology could have figured out the gist of most of these relationships, but nevertheless I hope that some of you learn something from it.

Again, please download to see the details!

[Edit] Yes, I know that I didn't include every animal eaten by humans. Please read the description! I have to keep this succinct and I wanted to include only meats that are commonly eaten among westerners. ]]>
Some of you may remember my The Tree of Yum: Plantae, which shows the evolutionary relationships amongst the majority of plant matter that humans consume on a regular basis. Since then I'd been wanting to do the same for meats and mushrooms, so here is the finished meat cladogram.

This isn't meant to be a completely rigorous study - as in the Plantae cladogram, the branch lengths aren't meant to represent the divergence time, and some clade ranks (particularly genera) were omitted if the groups happened to be somewhat paraphyletic. I also didn't include sub- or super-ranks, and I didn't bother nesting orders and families if the nesting wasn't completely obvious, as that would require more research than I have time to spend on a project like this for fun.

Obviously this also doesn't demonstrate all of the animals that people eat across the globe - I've especially given fish the short shrift, but edible fish pretty literally go on forever, so I had to draw the line somewhere so the graph wasn't overly dominated by them. There are a ton of other animals that people eat that I didn't include here - this is meant to represent the more "normal" meats typically eaten in the western world. If I included absolutely every animal eaten by humans, I'd have a ridiculously exhaustive list that has little bearing on reality for the average culinary westerner. This cladogram is probably a little less interesting than the plant one, because it is far more intuitive. Most of us with a passing interest in biology could have figured out the gist of most of these relationships, but nevertheless I hope that some of you learn something from it.

Again, please download to see the details!

[Edit] Yes, I know that I didn't include every animal eaten by humans. Please read the description! I have to keep this succinct and I wanted to include only meats that are commonly eaten among westerners.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Jeholornis-in-the-Morning-Light-288930240 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Jeholornis-in-the-Morning-Light-288930240 Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:44:45 PST Jeholornis in the Morning Light nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Agahnim, ~keesey and others. This is the basal bird Jeholornis from the Jehol Group of early Cretaceous of China (of the Jiufotang formation, around 120 million years ago). This species is meant to represent the original J. prima, though the tail fronds are based on the well-preserved tail of J. palmapenis, which may not be a distinct species.

Jeholornis was fairly similar in anatomy to the more well-known Archaeopteryx, but differs in being decidedly more "birdlike" in several respects. It had very few teeth, more well-developed shoulder girdles, longer forelimbs, and claw morphology that indicates perching ability. The hallux may or may not be reversed, and more likely than not is representative of a state of partial reversal.

The type fossil of J. prima is interesting in that it preserved a collection of fossilized seeds in crop area. It is unknown what plant they belonged to, but here I've reconstructed it eating the seeds of a fallen branch of the Ginkgo tree, which it very likely would have done. The morphology of the mandible, dentaries and teeth indicate that Jeholornis was well-adapted for feeding on seeds. The seed-eating lifestyle would allow more carotenoids to be present in the animal's diet than would a stricter carnivorous lifestyle, so I've taken some liberties here in giving it some slightly brighter colors on the head and tailfan, which was likely used for display.

It is depicted alongside the Jehol dragonfly Aeschnidium.

Special thanks to ~Agahnim and *Nambroth for their invaluable suggestions and critiques.

High-res version here. ]]> Agahnim, ~keesey and others. This is the basal bird Jeholornis from the Jehol Group of early Cretaceous of China (of the Jiufotang formation, around 120 million years ago). This species is meant to represent the original J. prima, though the tail fronds are based on the well-preserved tail of J. palmapenis, which may not be a distinct species.

Jeholornis was fairly similar in anatomy to the more well-known Archaeopteryx, but differs in being decidedly more "birdlike" in several respects. It had very few teeth, more well-developed shoulder girdles, longer forelimbs, and claw morphology that indicates perching ability. The hallux may or may not be reversed, and more likely than not is representative of a state of partial reversal.

The type fossil of J. prima is interesting in that it preserved a collection of fossilized seeds in crop area. It is unknown what plant they belonged to, but here I've reconstructed it eating the seeds of a fallen branch of the Ginkgo tree, which it very likely would have done. The morphology of the mandible, dentaries and teeth indicate that Jeholornis was well-adapted for feeding on seeds. The seed-eating lifestyle would allow more carotenoids to be present in the animal's diet than would a stricter carnivorous lifestyle, so I've taken some liberties here in giving it some slightly brighter colors on the head and tailfan, which was likely used for display.

It is depicted alongside the Jehol dragonfly Aeschnidium.

Special thanks to ~Agahnim and *Nambroth for their invaluable suggestions and critiques.

High-res version here.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Through-the-Cage-271075748 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Through-the-Cage-271075748 Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:22:13 PST Through the Cage nonadult digitalart/drawings/illustrations/storybook EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby Agahnim's short science fiction story "Cretaceous Roulette". As you can probably infer from the image, the story is based around the idea of time travel and dinosaurs, but it definitely isn't your typical time travel-dinosaurs story. It incorporates a lot of real scientific research (paleontological and otherwise), a lot of clever and vaguely Back to the Future-related time travel conundrums, and some other interesting references. Go read it, I highly recommend it!

As for this image, I used a Bambiraptor skeletal on which to base the Saurornitholestes, since I couldn't find a good one for the latter and they are very closely-related. This was the first time I tried to draw a realistic human in a really long time, so it was an interesting experience. ~Agahnim assisted with several aspects of the shading and perspective.

Cretaceous Roulette
Part I
Part II
Part III ]]> Agahnim's short science fiction story "Cretaceous Roulette". As you can probably infer from the image, the story is based around the idea of time travel and dinosaurs, but it definitely isn't your typical time travel-dinosaurs story. It incorporates a lot of real scientific research (paleontological and otherwise), a lot of clever and vaguely Back to the Future-related time travel conundrums, and some other interesting references. Go read it, I highly recommend it!

As for this image, I used a Bambiraptor skeletal on which to base the Saurornitholestes, since I couldn't find a good one for the latter and they are very closely-related. This was the first time I tried to draw a realistic human in a really long time, so it was an interesting experience. ~Agahnim assisted with several aspects of the shading and perspective.

Cretaceous Roulette
Part I
Part II
Part III

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Pigeon-skeletals-287782653 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Pigeon-skeletals-287782653 Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:15:01 PST Pigeon skeletals nonadult digitalart/drawings/technical EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby Archaeopteryx. The editor isn't sure which version he wants to use yet.

References come mostly from Wikimedia commons and Youtube videos of pigeons walking (they were very exciting, I assure you).

[Edit] Changed a few minor things, including the addition of the ceres to the silhouette, more defined condyles on the right tarsometatarsus, and the fused fibula on the tibiotarsus. ]]> Archaeopteryx. The editor isn't sure which version he wants to use yet.

References come mostly from Wikimedia commons and Youtube videos of pigeons walking (they were very exciting, I assure you).

[Edit] Changed a few minor things, including the addition of the ceres to the silhouette, more defined condyles on the right tarsometatarsus, and the fused fibula on the tibiotarsus.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/How-Raptors-Lost-Their-Primaries-287545900 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/How-Raptors-Lost-Their-Primaries-287545900 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:06:47 PST How Raptors Lost Their Primaries nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2012-2013 *EWilloughby P. phagia is a terrible thing, and these poor afflicted deinonychosaurs need support and encouragement rather than ridicule.

In increasingly rare instances, P. phagia has been known to mutate to several different genera and species, all of which cause horrible physical deficiencies for the affected animals. Known variations of this terrible, terrible parasite include:

Primaropteryx wristattachia: this variation somehow detaches the primaries from the phalange, leaving them dangling from the wrist.
Remigopteryx phagia: this variation is known to totally consume the arm feathers of a deinonychosaur.
Pronatowrist breakius: This especially dangerous parasite actually deforms the arms by bending the wrists into unnatural positions. Is very painful for the animal.
Jurassopark completefuckupius: Too terrible to describe here. ]]> P. phagia is a terrible thing, and these poor afflicted deinonychosaurs need support and encouragement rather than ridicule.

In increasingly rare instances, P. phagia has been known to mutate to several different genera and species, all of which cause horrible physical deficiencies for the affected animals. Known variations of this terrible, terrible parasite include:

Primaropteryx wristattachia: this variation somehow detaches the primaries from the phalange, leaving them dangling from the wrist.
Remigopteryx phagia: this variation is known to totally consume the arm feathers of a deinonychosaur.
Pronatowrist breakius: This especially dangerous parasite actually deforms the arms by bending the wrists into unnatural positions. Is very painful for the animal.
Jurassopark completefuckupius: Too terrible to describe here.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Liaoning-Scene-Microraptor-and-Sinornithosaurus-266904113 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Liaoning-Scene-Microraptor-and-Sinornithosaurus-266904113 Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:07:29 PDT Liaoning Scene: Microraptor and Sinornithosaurus nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby
This represents a hypothetical scene from the Jehol group of early Cretaceous Liaoning of China, something like 122 million years ago. Several animals from the Yixian formation are represented here: Sinornithosaurus millennii, a feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur; Liaoxitriton zhongjiani, a salamander; Alloraphidia, a snakefly; Epicharmeropsis, a mayfly, and a dead Callobatrachus, a frog.

The gliding dinosaurs are meant to be generic microraptorine dinosaurs, not Microraptor gui specifically, in order to avoid the slight anachronism caused by placing Microraptor and Sinornithosaurus in the same scene. Despite that, it is (obviously) based on Microraptor gui (I started this scene before I learned that the two animals were not quite contemporary, I admit).

This illustration will be the section header for the chapter on feathered dinosaurs for the book on evolution and religion that I'm currently working on with a few other people, including ~Agahnim and ~keesey. Once again, thank you ~MattMart and especially Agahnim for many critiques and suggestions.

To see a larger version, please click here. DA's compression screws up the colors when I upload a larger version here, so I'm linking to it externally. ]]>
This represents a hypothetical scene from the Jehol group of early Cretaceous Liaoning of China, something like 122 million years ago. Several animals from the Yixian formation are represented here: Sinornithosaurus millennii, a feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur; Liaoxitriton zhongjiani, a salamander; Alloraphidia, a snakefly; Epicharmeropsis, a mayfly, and a dead Callobatrachus, a frog.

The gliding dinosaurs are meant to be generic microraptorine dinosaurs, not Microraptor gui specifically, in order to avoid the slight anachronism caused by placing Microraptor and Sinornithosaurus in the same scene. Despite that, it is (obviously) based on Microraptor gui (I started this scene before I learned that the two animals were not quite contemporary, I admit).

This illustration will be the section header for the chapter on feathered dinosaurs for the book on evolution and religion that I'm currently working on with a few other people, including ~Agahnim and ~keesey. Once again, thank you ~MattMart and especially Agahnim for many critiques and suggestions.

To see a larger version, please click here. DA's compression screws up the colors when I upload a larger version here, so I'm linking to it externally.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Triangle-of-Turtles-264820483 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Triangle-of-Turtles-264820483 Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:15:56 PDT Triangle of Turtles nonadult photography/nature/reptiles EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Paleo-Chrono-Trigger-253406460 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Paleo-Chrono-Trigger-253406460 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 05:58:13 PDT Paleo-Chrono Trigger nonadult fanart/digital/drawings/games EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby Download to see full-size

Ever wonder what the main cast of Chrono Trigger would look like as extinct paleofauna? No? Too bad. I'm hoping that the jokes and references here are not too obscure to be generally appreciated, but I'm not holding my breath (I know exactly one person other than myself who's into both paleontology and Chrono Trigger, so we'll see...).

I went to a lot of trouble choosing an animal for each character that I think really makes sense in some way or another, though some of them might be a stretch. Also, for each one, the genus name is the real animal but the species name was made up to reflect something about the character.

Somehow it seems appropriate that Magus & Lucca are the only ones with semi-opposable thumbs.

The first person who can accurately point out all of the references (including the Latin species meanings) wins a free piece of art from me. ]]> Download to see full-size

Ever wonder what the main cast of Chrono Trigger would look like as extinct paleofauna? No? Too bad. I'm hoping that the jokes and references here are not too obscure to be generally appreciated, but I'm not holding my breath (I know exactly one person other than myself who's into both paleontology and Chrono Trigger, so we'll see...).

I went to a lot of trouble choosing an animal for each character that I think really makes sense in some way or another, though some of them might be a stretch. Also, for each one, the genus name is the real animal but the species name was made up to reflect something about the character.

Somehow it seems appropriate that Magus & Lucca are the only ones with semi-opposable thumbs.

The first person who can accurately point out all of the references (including the Latin species meanings) wins a free piece of art from me.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Cats-Love-Magus-252934478 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Cats-Love-Magus-252934478 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:47:14 PDT Cats Love Magus nonadult fanart/digital/drawings/games EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby
I know video game fanart isn't exactly my usual fare here, but bear with me. I'm playing Chrono Trigger again for the second time in maybe ten years and it's rekindled an obsession. So, here's some slightly random art of everyone's favorite fiendlord. And cats. ]]>
I know video game fanart isn't exactly my usual fare here, but bear with me. I'm playing Chrono Trigger again for the second time in maybe ten years and it's rekindled an obsession. So, here's some slightly random art of everyone's favorite fiendlord. And cats.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Pteranodon-Trio-215655737 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Pteranodon-Trio-215655737 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:44:35 PDT Pteranodon Trio nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby Pteranodon longiceps, two males and one female. Portion of an upcoming larger piece.

Photoshop CS4. ]]> Pteranodon longiceps, two males and one female. Portion of an upcoming larger piece.

Photoshop CS4.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Utahraptor-ostrommaysorum-211775119 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Utahraptor-ostrommaysorum-211775119 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 23:45:41 PDT Utahraptor ostrommaysorum nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Utahraptor ostrommaysorum intended for the Wikipedia article on the animal. *shartman's skeletal used as reference.

Download for larger version.

[Edit] Improved wrist folding, added tailfan. ]]> Utahraptor ostrommaysorum intended for the Wikipedia article on the animal. *shartman's skeletal used as reference.

Download for larger version.

[Edit] Improved wrist folding, added tailfan.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Anchiornis-sexual-dimorphism-211191241 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Anchiornis-sexual-dimorphism-211191241 Tue, 31 May 2011 19:14:22 PDT Anchiornis: sexual dimorphism nonadult traditional/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby envelope art contest on James Gurney's blog, it gave me an excuse to draw something I've wanted to for a while: my speculative perception of sexual dimorphism in the troodontid Anchiornis.

Anchiornis is the first non-avian dinosaur for which true colors have been determined from the fossil, and as such we now know that it looks strikingly similar, coloration-wise, to a modern woodpecker. Most woodpeckers (with some notable exceptions, like the pileated woodpecker) are sexually dimorphic, in that the male typically possess bright red coloration on its head, while the female lacks most or all of the red. Here, I've drawn the male closer to the viewer, with his characteristic red crest and facial markings. The female, behind him, lacks the red facial markings and her crest is a duller greyish-brown.

This was drawn on a regular #10 envelope with ink, Prismacolor marker & pencil, and white acrylic highlights. Working on such a small scale with traditional media is a pain in the butt, and the details suffer somewhat as a result. This has also been touched up digitally, but the physical contest entry will not enjoy this benefit.

[Edit] This ended up winning second place in the contest. Very pleased. ]]> envelope art contest on James Gurney's blog, it gave me an excuse to draw something I've wanted to for a while: my speculative perception of sexual dimorphism in the troodontid Anchiornis.

Anchiornis is the first non-avian dinosaur for which true colors have been determined from the fossil, and as such we now know that it looks strikingly similar, coloration-wise, to a modern woodpecker. Most woodpeckers (with some notable exceptions, like the pileated woodpecker) are sexually dimorphic, in that the male typically possess bright red coloration on its head, while the female lacks most or all of the red. Here, I've drawn the male closer to the viewer, with his characteristic red crest and facial markings. The female, behind him, lacks the red facial markings and her crest is a duller greyish-brown.

This was drawn on a regular #10 envelope with ink, Prismacolor marker & pencil, and white acrylic highlights. Working on such a small scale with traditional media is a pain in the butt, and the details suffer somewhat as a result. This has also been touched up digitally, but the physical contest entry will not enjoy this benefit.

[Edit] This ended up winning second place in the contest. Very pleased.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Thunder-Thighs-198642679 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Thunder-Thighs-198642679 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:13:18 PST Thunder Thighs nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby Brontomerus whose description was released yesterday. Brontomerus means "thunder thighs" in Greek, referring to its massive ilium which would have supported the largest leg muscles of any sauropod. Its describers theorize that it may have used these powerful legs to kick at predators to defend itself. This picture is loosely based on the official reconstruction by Francisco Gascó, which is based on the data provided in the paper.

See the National Geographic article here: [link]
And the Wikipedia article here: [link] ]]> Brontomerus whose description was released yesterday. Brontomerus means "thunder thighs" in Greek, referring to its massive ilium which would have supported the largest leg muscles of any sauropod. Its describers theorize that it may have used these powerful legs to kick at predators to defend itself. This picture is loosely based on the official reconstruction by Francisco Gascó, which is based on the data provided in the paper.

See the National Geographic article here: [link]
And the Wikipedia article here: [link]

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/The-Tree-of-Yum-Plantae-197043559 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/The-Tree-of-Yum-Plantae-197043559 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:17:36 PST The Tree of Yum: Plantae nonadult digitalart/drawings/illustrations/technical EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby
My initial feeling that these relationships aren't very intuitive was proven correct. In fact, a lot of the relatedness I found seemed pretty bizarre to me, though I'm no botanist. I think the main reason for this strangeness is the power of human artificial selection, which has produced the vast majority of the plants found in this chart. We can do pretty crazy things to plants (and animals, just look at dogs) with a few thousand generations of selective breeding.

This isn't meant to be extremely scientific: I've divided the clades very simplistically, and the branch lengths aren't meant to represent divergence time. (I.e., no bootstrapping ) I tried dividing them into monocots vs dicots when I first started, but quickly learned that these groups are paraphyletic. Plant systematics is messy as hell, and there are a huge number of "unranked" groups that I mostly didn't include here.

Also, this should be obvious, but not every fruit/vegetable/herb/nut in existence is represented here, just what I considered to be the largest or most important groups. For example, parsnips are very closely related to carrots, but I left them out because let's be honest, who the hell even knows what a parsnip is? I left out a lot of herbs and stuff too, because those just go on forever. At 1 MB, it's already big enough as it is.

PLEASE download to view, obviously you can't see the details very well unless you do so. ]]>
My initial feeling that these relationships aren't very intuitive was proven correct. In fact, a lot of the relatedness I found seemed pretty bizarre to me, though I'm no botanist. I think the main reason for this strangeness is the power of human artificial selection, which has produced the vast majority of the plants found in this chart. We can do pretty crazy things to plants (and animals, just look at dogs) with a few thousand generations of selective breeding.

This isn't meant to be extremely scientific: I've divided the clades very simplistically, and the branch lengths aren't meant to represent divergence time. (I.e., no bootstrapping ) I tried dividing them into monocots vs dicots when I first started, but quickly learned that these groups are paraphyletic. Plant systematics is messy as hell, and there are a huge number of "unranked" groups that I mostly didn't include here.

Also, this should be obvious, but not every fruit/vegetable/herb/nut in existence is represented here, just what I considered to be the largest or most important groups. For example, parsnips are very closely related to carrots, but I left them out because let's be honest, who the hell even knows what a parsnip is? I left out a lot of herbs and stuff too, because those just go on forever. At 1 MB, it's already big enough as it is.

PLEASE download to view, obviously you can't see the details very well unless you do so.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Concavenator-at-Dawn-194901654 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Concavenator-at-Dawn-194901654 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:56:52 PST Concavenator at Dawn nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2011-2013 *EWilloughby Concavenator corcovatus described in September. Concavenator was a mid-sized carcharodontosaurid dinosaur with two very unique features: elongated vertebrae forming two "humps" on its back, as well as what might be primitive quill-like integument on its arms. The validity of the quills is debated, though, as the knobs found on the bones may be muscle attachment points rather than quill anchors.

The discoverers theorize that the elongated vertebral crests may have supported a hump whose function was in thermoregulation. While I neither support nor deny that hypothesis, I chose to illustrate the animal beginning to rustle from rest at dawn, as it absorbs some of the sunlight needed to start its day. ]]> Concavenator corcovatus described in September. Concavenator was a mid-sized carcharodontosaurid dinosaur with two very unique features: elongated vertebrae forming two "humps" on its back, as well as what might be primitive quill-like integument on its arms. The validity of the quills is debated, though, as the knobs found on the bones may be muscle attachment points rather than quill anchors.

The discoverers theorize that the elongated vertebral crests may have supported a hump whose function was in thermoregulation. While I neither support nor deny that hypothesis, I chose to illustrate the animal beginning to rustle from rest at dawn, as it absorbs some of the sunlight needed to start its day.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/The-Smell-of-Rain-175931623 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/The-Smell-of-Rain-175931623 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:30:25 PDT The Smell of Rain nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2010-2013 *EWilloughby Deinonychus. ]]> Deinonychus.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Balaur-bondoc-177632239 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Balaur-bondoc-177632239 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:11:23 PDT Balaur bondoc nonadult digitalart/drawings/animals EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2010-2013 *EWilloughby [link]

The weirdest thing about Balaur bondoc is that it had double sickle claws on each foot, with the additional claw being the hallux that evolution had modified into a retractable enlarged claw. It also had a reduced and nonfunctional third manual digit, unlike all other known dromaeosaurs.

Awesome critter!

Here's the Wikipedia article for anyone interested: [link]

[Edit] It now appears to be common belief that the first digit was not as hyperextensible as my original drawing so I edited it to reflect that. ]]> [link]

The weirdest thing about Balaur bondoc is that it had double sickle claws on each foot, with the additional claw being the hallux that evolution had modified into a retractable enlarged claw. It also had a reduced and nonfunctional third manual digit, unlike all other known dromaeosaurs.

Awesome critter!

Here's the Wikipedia article for anyone interested: [link]

[Edit] It now appears to be common belief that the first digit was not as hyperextensible as my original drawing so I edited it to reflect that.

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Shaken-Not-Stirred-169033107 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Shaken-Not-Stirred-169033107 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:57:04 PDT Shaken, Not Stirred nonadult digitalart/drawings/other EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2010-2013 *EWilloughby
Raptor Bond: like Raptor Jesus, but sexier.

Character is (c)
James Bond is (c) Ian Fleming ]]>
Raptor Bond: like Raptor Jesus, but sexier.

Character is (c)
James Bond is (c) Ian Fleming

]]> http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Animorphs-The-Ellimist-166879103 http://ewilloughby.deviantart.com/art/Animorphs-The-Ellimist-166879103 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:39:39 PDT Animorphs: The Ellimist nonadult fanart/digital/painting/books EWilloughby http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/w/ewilloughby.jpg?5 Copyright 2010-2013 *EWilloughby Ellimist lineart. Yes, I didn't spend a huge amount of time on it, and I know that the style is pretty cartoony. But that's okay, I think it works for the image.

This is my interpretation of the Ketrans, a species whose appearance is described very vaguely and only in one book, The Ellimist Chronicles. I always had a very strong visual impression of how they looked, though, and this is about as close to it as I could manage.

For those who have read the book, this is a specific scene in which Toomin, aboard his ship in orbit around the primitive Andalite homeworld, "grows" an Andalite body in order to inhabit it to mingle with the locals. I know his ship would have looked far more crystalline than this, but I wanted to go for that cartoony "alien spaceship" look. ]]> Ellimist lineart. Yes, I didn't spend a huge amount of time on it, and I know that the style is pretty cartoony. But that's okay, I think it works for the image.

This is my interpretation of the Ketrans, a species whose appearance is described very vaguely and only in one book, The Ellimist Chronicles. I always had a very strong visual impression of how they looked, though, and this is about as close to it as I could manage.

For those who have read the book, this is a specific scene in which Toomin, aboard his ship in orbit around the primitive Andalite homeworld, "grows" an Andalite body in order to inhabit it to mingle with the locals. I know his ship would have looked far more crystalline than this, but I wanted to go for that cartoony "alien spaceship" look.

]]>