@christijanibarker.bsky.social
Palaeontologist | PhD | Dinosaur consultant and author | Visiting researcher at University of Southampton | Spinosaurs, theropods, crocodylomorphs & Wealden Supergroup faunas π«π· πΉπ³ π¬π§
A hooked upper jaw top from a spinosaurid.
Fossil in a box, blacked out to maintain secrecy.
Render showing branching internal structures within a fossil.
This has been a week of mostly #crocodyliforms and #spinosaurids. A lot of great stuff in the works with @christijanibarker.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social and others.... stay tuned.
19.07.2025 10:53 β π 25 π 8 π¬ 1 π 0
Great day in the Palaeo lab at Dinosaur Isle with @christijanibarker.bsky.social and @jamesmacdonell.bsky.social looking at Isle of Wight dinosaurs. Keep an eye out for some exciting developments...
@sotonbiosciences.bsky.social @unisouthampton.bsky.social
In 2022, I and colleagues published our study of a new gigantic spinosaurid theropod from the Isle of Wight's Vectis Formation. The remains were fragmentary, and we've always hoped that new material might come to light. And that's where I'll end things and press 'Post'.... tetzoo.com/blog/2022/6/...
21.05.2025 15:14 β π 86 π 21 π¬ 2 π 1
Our open access article on early spinosaur brains and senses, coauthored by myself, @neilgostling.bsky.social, @tetzoo.bsky.social, @witmerlab.bsky.social and others, is apparently a #TopViewedArticle in the Journal of Anatomy. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
16.04.2025 09:04 β π 41 π 17 π¬ 0 π 0
Hidden in Stone at God's House Tower features work from Archaeology and @sotonbiosciences.bsky.social of @unisouthampton.bsky.social. Here are some pieces inspired by the research in my lab, by @christijanibarker.bsky.social during his PhD... The Spinosaur Ceratosuchops... Work by Karen Fawcett
12.04.2025 07:58 β π 44 π 11 π¬ 1 π 0
God's House Tower at night.
Upstairs in the museum, showing people in exhibition space with display items like pliosaur skull and wooden dinosaur.
Replica pliosaur skull.
Replicas of fossils including Anning Plesiosaurus.
Had a fantastic evening at God's House Tower (Southampton) for Hidden in Stone, a new exhibition arranged by @neilgostling.bsky.social, bringing attention to south coast fossils including Wealden spinosaurids, the Isle of Wight Paleogene and Pleistocene, and more. Aaand...
05.04.2025 12:07 β π 124 π 19 π¬ 3 π 2
Naish soyjacking to a sign. Again, jesus.
Ceratosuchopin skull replicas.
Letter from the NHM to Bill Walker and his own geological hammer.
Base-mounted replica, with plaque, of the original Baryonyx find.
Hidden in Stone includes appropriate coverage of Wealden spinosaurids (the work of @christijanibarker.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social myself and others), with replica fossils of #Ceratosuchops and items relevant to Bill Walker's discovery of #Baryonyx in the 1980s...
05.04.2025 12:12 β π 47 π 6 π¬ 1 π 0
First visit to the Oxford Clay Fm. (Callovian, Jurassic) around Tidmoor Point - covered in mud but highly productive, with lots of ammonite and belemnite fragments as well as a shark tooth (?Sphenodus).
17.03.2025 11:08 β π 3 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
We have a rich fossil heritage on the south coast, marine reptiles, dinosaurs, the first humans on these islands... And everything in between. Come and find out about it at our new exhibition, running from April 4th to June 1st.
godshousetower.org.uk/eventer/exhi...
@unisouthampton.bsky.social
Saw a whole bunch of kids books I've written/consulted on out in the wild: these are all DK tomes, including the recent 2024 addition to the Find My Favourite series aimed at younger readers π¦π¦
28.12.2024 15:26 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
The fossilized tyrannosaur teeth are thought to date to around 135 million years ago and represent a first of its kind discovery.
06.12.2024 17:21 β π 35 π 7 π¬ 1 π 0
Thanks for the kind words! I've had luck at Bexhill/Hastings way (Cretaceous dinosaur bits, tree fern, fish; left pic) and at Bracklesham (Eocene sharks, rays; right pic). Bognor Regis is also a shout but beach conditions need to be just right. Feel free to get in touch if you want any details.
06.12.2024 11:18 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0Thank you for your interest! Unfortunately your specimen is a piece of flint, but I'd happy to send over some places where you can easily find fossils if you're thinking of fossil hunting again
05.12.2024 22:34 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
Artist's reconstruction of the fauna of the Hastings Group, Lower Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup of southern England. A darkly clouded sky is filled with flying pterosaurs and in the foreground large and small predatory theropods feed and splash across a muddy landscape with coniferous trees in the background, feeding from a felled theropod. Illustration by Anthony Hutchings.
Spinosaurs, dromaeosaurs & tyrannosaurs in the lower English Wealden: analysis of a tooth-based fauna from the Wadhurst Clay Formation onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @neilgostling.bsky.social @christijanibarker.bsky.social @tetzoo.bsky.social
05.12.2024 15:46 β π 60 π 10 π¬ 0 π 0Great to be involved in this research along with @christijanibarker.bsky.social, @tetzoo.bsky.social @simonwills.bsky.social, Lucy Handford, Christope Hendricks, Phil Hadland, Dave Brockhurst and @neilgostling.bsky.social.
The #MachineLearning we used will continue to improve with more data!
We used multiple methods to help identify theropod teeth from the Wadhurst Clay Formation of SE England, whose predatory dinosaur fauna has long remained enigmatic. Our results confirm an assemblage containing spinosaurs and dromaeosaurs, and we IDed tyrannosaurs for the first time in this unit.
05.12.2024 11:50 β π 25 π 9 π¬ 0 π 0
New at Tetrapod Zoology... A New Theropod Dinosaur Assemblage from the Older Part of the English Wealden. Tantalizing remains demonstrate new, earliest Cretaceous spinosaurids, tyrannosauroids and more... tetzoo.com/blog/2024/12... #dinosaurs #fossils
05.12.2024 08:12 β π 228 π 59 π¬ 4 π 2
Published today ... our study of predatory dinosaur diversity in the Lower Cretaceous Hastings Group of the Wealden. New data on one of the oldest Cretaceous dinosaur assemblages, revealing new spinosaurid, tyrannosauroid and dromaeosaurid lineages ... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #dinosaurs
05.12.2024 07:45 β π 261 π 62 π¬ 9 π 4
Spinosaurs, dromaeosaurs... and tyrannosaurs? Our new #OA paper with @tetzoo.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social
@simonwills.bsky.social and colleagues examines the theropod assemblage from a poorly known part of the British Cretaceous is out: doi.org/10.1002/spp2.... Art by Anthony Hutchings.
The highest academic accolade has to be when your work gets turned into a childβs toy making a roaring noise. Ceratosuchops inferodios (hellβs heron) 2021. Xmas presents for young nieces and nephews sorted! @christijanibarker.bsky.social @neilgostling.bsky.social @tetzoo.bsky.social #FossilFriday
29.11.2024 09:07 β π 76 π 19 π¬ 3 π 1
An avid #fossil hunter in my spare time, I have been unable to shake off the compulsive need to look for prehistoric life that has gripped me since childhood. Expect to see bits and pieces from the south coast of England and abroad π¦ππ¦π₯
17.11.2024 14:50 β π 2 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
I am also a palaeontological consultant and content writer for various non-fiction projects, including books on #dinosaurs and other #prehistoric life.
17.11.2024 14:50 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
Hi Bluesky! I'm Chris, a palaeontologist whose research focuses on the taxonomy, systematics, diversity and neuroanatomy of British theropod dinosaurs, with a keen interest in #spinosaurs. All my technical papers are OA and can be found at scholar.google.com/citations?us.... (Art: Anthony Hutchings)
17.11.2024 14:50 β π 31 π 4 π¬ 1 π 1
