African Mud Turtle

it had to happen some time

real

A digital drawing of an underwater hydrothermal vent with an octopus riding a giant scaly foot gastropod with some sick-ass turbines in the distance

Was not actively participating in #invertober this year but I do have this old drawing of a scaly-food gastropod that I simply must share

The final illustration of a pink silkmoth with beige and brown upper wings and vibrant pink lower wings. Oh, and an incredibly fluffy body.

A close up showing the detail of the furry wings.

I FUCKEN FINISHED!!! As always, it took me 2 months, but I got there in the end.

*chanting*
ALL HAIL THE GREAT INVERTEBRATE
NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH BACK PAIN
OH GREAT INVERTEBRATE GRANT ME THE SAME

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston shut its doors, one of many presidential libraries forced to close as the government shutdown continues.

meme of two muscular people locking arms, duplicated 8 times. arms are labeled 'spider' and 'octopus'

Paging @aptshadow.bsky.social

These colors are really nice!

Plesiosiro, an obscure arachnid from the carboniferous period. Designed by me in 2011. Structure based on a 48 by 48 unit grid. This little critter caught my attention because of the segments split in half.

Goniotarbus, an obscure arachnid from the carboniferous period. Designed by me in 2011. Structure based on a 48 by 48 unit grid. This model is no longer accurate, The interpretative reference image I had used to produce this model is now out of date.

Pleophrynus, a Trigonotarbid from the carboniferous period. Designed by me in 2020. The structure is based on a 64 by 64 unit diagonal grid. I've had a Trigonotarbid in my sights for a long time as a subject but I was eyeing Palaeocharinus originally. The complex segmentation of the abdomen was simultaneously what piqued my interest in the first place but a daunting task all the same, which hampered any progress. Many years have passed and that dream model has yet to materialize. Then one day a friend approached with an inquiry for a commission to recreate a different Trigonotarbid altogether and I jumped at the opportunity. This is the result. I'm still seeing opportunities for improvement but it really was the best I could do three years ago.

An origami model of a hooded tick spider. Designed by me in 2011, based on a 48 by 48 unit grid. These really are funky little oddballs. I still have the struggle it was to try and find usable reference images in vivid memory. Thankfully, if and when I deem this one is due for a redo, I'm going to have much better references to compare against. :)

More ancient chelicerates for #InverteFest!
These are:
Plesiosiro (Haptopoda), Goniotarbus (Phalangiotarbida), Pleophrynus (Trigonotarbida) and the still surviving hooded tick spider (Ricinulei), which were discovered in the fossil record first and only then also found in the wild.

oh I forgot I made this too...Rare venture to invertebrates. but who doesnt like nice Trigonotarbid

Can you identify this animal? 🔍️👀

Did you get a kick out of shouting “acorn worm” at your phone? If so, you might enjoy playing @fathomverse.bsky.social. This month, you can find acorn worms by playing FathomVerse and earn a special badge!

Learn more about acorn worms: www.mbari.org/animal/acorn...

Continuing along, we jumped back into the Ordovician.
Fezouata, oh you beautiful bastard! So many gooby, shelly armored critters!

imagine one of these for fezouata

my sponge is here

you STOLE someone’s INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (made these drawings to give an example of stylization to someone)

A WIP diagram of Megistaspis limbatus, an asaphid trilobite that is the type species of Megistaspis. Made with Inkscape.

Doing something a little different

i know what you did

MePhone4, a black iPhone-reminiscent phone from the object show Inanimate Insanity, is doing push-ups outside on the grass. The Floor, a fellow character from Inanimate Insanity, is underneath MePhone and looking up at his screen, saying "Ooh~...❤️"

Some #floorphone for my friend @floorphone.bsky.social

MePhone is doing pushups while Floory is watching something (I headcanon YouTube Shorts) on MePhone's screen

Bryomedusa graptolithoides Habitat: Coral Reefs Clade: Bryozoa (relative of Cyclocladus) Size: 20-30 cm long Ecology: Pelagic Filter Feeder Additional Info: Bryomedusa is a genus of filter-feeding bryozoan related to Cyclocladus that has evolved to become pelagic. Its mesh-like structure reduces the weight of the bryozoan’s skeleton. Its zooids act like cilia, both sifting through water to find food and keeping the bryozoan afloat, while the vibraculan zooids at the base allow it to swim forwards. Tabulospongus auraeum Habitat: Snail Reefs Clade: Porifera (Demospongiae, Acarnidae) Size: Up to 10 meters across, 1 meter tall Ecology: Sessile Filter Feeder Additional Info: Tabulospongus is a crucial part of Lemuria’s snail reef ecosystems: it provides additional substrate for vermetid snails as well as providing hiding places for small fish. The vermetid snails encrusting on the sponge provide it with protection from organisms that would like to eat it through the simple expedient of providing a physical barrier. However, if the encrusting snails grow over the small pores through which Tabulospongus intakes water, they could eventually starve the sponge. To prevent this, Tabulospongus turns spicules surrounding the pores into upwards-pointing spines that can grow up to a centimeter long.

Harpagonemertes gigas Habitat: Snail Reefs Clade: Nemertea (Monostilifera) Size: Up to 10 meters long Ecology: Benthic Ambush Predator Additional Info: Harpagonemertes is a truly enormous nemertean (though still between 3 and 5 times smaller than the longest species of modern nemertean, Lineus longissimus) that acts as the apex predator of the snail reefs. It uses its proboscis, armed with a single highly venomous stylet, to capture pelagic prey like small fish and pelagic annelids. Like some other nemerteans, Harpagonemertes has incredible regenerative powers, being able to regenerate a new tail or head after amputation. Tittilatios spp. Habitat: Snail Reefs Clade: Annelida (Sabellida) Size: 10 cm tall Ecology: Sessile Filter-Feeder Additional Info: Tittilatios is the most common genus of sabellid worm present in the snail reefs and has a lifestyle rather similar to other sabellids. It uses its crown of tentacles to filter plankton from the water, which it then eats. If threatened by a predator, Tittilatios can retreat into its tube. Dracoderes rapax Habitat: Coastlines Clade: Kinorhyncha (Cyclorhagida) Size: 4 cm long Ecology: Opportunistic Detritivore and Scavenger Additional Info: Dracoderes is a large genus of kinorhynch found on the coastlines of Lemuria, burrowing in the sediments of the wrack line and surf. Like its much smaller cousins, Dracoderes primarily feeds on diatoms and detritus found in the sediment; however, it is also usually one of the first scavengers to arrive at a washed-up corpse or frond of algae. To allow for efficient diffusion despite its size, Dracoderes has a ridged cuticle that increases surface area.

Cardiodiscus commensalis Habitat: Coral Reefs Clade: Acoela (Convolutidae) Size: 1 cm long Ecology: Coral Epibiont Additional Info: Cardiodiscus, named for its resemblance to the geometric shape of a cardioid, is an epibiont of large corals like Megamedusa. It feeds on the coral’s mucus and transfers zooxanthellae from the host’s body to its own to allow it to secondarily photosynthesize. However, it does little harm to its host, hence the specific name. Phyllodoce peregrinus Habitat: All Oceans Clade: Annelida (Phyllodocidae) Size: 10 cm long Ecology: Pelagic Scavenger and Predator Additional Info: Phyllodoce peregrinus is a pelagic member of the common benthic genus Phyllodoce. P. peregrinus has a number of adaptations for pelagic life, including enlarged parapodia similar to the related nektonic genus Tomopteris and a translucent body. It uses its eversible proboscis to capture small prey like copepods.

My submissions for the #LemuriaChallenge

(Descriptions in alt text)

I HATE THEROPOD PALEONTOLOGYY

also the eurypterids definitely would have been carnivorous (even slimonia), they just may have been more like scavengers than active predators

oh you did pycnomphalus for me

i was going to post a fixed version but

(btw the reason it was so big was because I mixed up 20 mm and cm)

And here the result of the Patrick Burn Formation #paleostream!
This has been our first adventure into the Silurian, a short but important period for eurypterids and our own ancestors. The PB Formation from Scotland preserves a brackish fauna with such elements.

the humble Canadia:

lmaooo

average interaction between you two fr

Ah the beauty of nature

“Ah.. the dick is getting bonered…” -my brother 2025

do cheloniellon then :3

I wanna seee

Or Cheloniellon, a large, flattened Devonian vicissicaudatan (relatives of trilobites) from the Hünsruck Slate with a specialized pair of second cephalic limbs used for sensory purposes

Aegirocassis, a large, filter-feeding Early Ordovician radiodont from the Fezouata Shale of Morocco (reconstruction by prehistorica.art)