George Lafaye

A large sloth rests in the sunshine while three brown and cream colored birds roost on its side.

Another angle of the sloth with dimmer lighting.

Bird's eye view of the resting sloth and caracaras.

Photo of the ground sloth resting with claws on display in a lightbox with a white floor and black background.

The giant ground sloth Glossotherium rests as a flock of Yellow-headed Caracara keep him tick free.

A small brown crocodile with a flat head wanders on upright legs on a dark forest floor. A flashlight illuminates the head and front arms. Thikarisuchus xenodentes (Elton) is looking with beady yellow eyes for their next meal.

The Thikarisuchus model inside with a neutral black background. The detail is more noticeable, showing an armored tail lacking the ridges of aquatic crocs we know today.

A closes view of Thikarisuchus, showing off it's variable dentition. The front of the mouth has conical spikes, while the back has more compressed lanceolate teeth and then shearing rectangular teeth. The back teeth occlude with a ridge on the dentary.

The diminutive Thikarisuchus xenodentes (1/2 scale) wanders the forest floor at night. I'm glad the Blackleaf has another taxa and I'm so grateful to have helped in the process. There's more research from yours truly on this guy down the pipeline, so stay tuned! #sciart #crocodile #paleoart #clayart

Split image showing an artistic reconstruction of an ancient crocodile-like reptile with green eyes and textured scales on the left, and a photo of a small fossil skull fragment resting in a person’s hand on the right.

Happy #FossilFriday! Meet #Thikarisuchus xenodentes (#MOR11969)! The skull of this small #Cretaceous #crocodyliform fits in the palm of your hand. Thikarisuchus was named this week in a Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology paper by #MontanaStateUniversity alumnus Harrison Allen and colleagues.

A small brown crocodile with a flat head wanders on upright legs on a dark forest floor. A flashlight illuminates the head and front arms. Thikarisuchus xenodentes (Elton) is looking with beady yellow eyes for their next meal.

The Thikarisuchus model inside with a neutral black background. The detail is more noticeable, showing an armored tail lacking the ridges of aquatic crocs we know today.

A closes view of Thikarisuchus, showing off it's variable dentition. The front of the mouth has conical spikes, while the back has more compressed lanceolate teeth and then shearing rectangular teeth. The back teeth occlude with a ridge on the dentary.

The diminutive Thikarisuchus xenodentes (1/2 scale) wanders the forest floor at night. I'm glad the Blackleaf has another taxa and I'm so grateful to have helped in the process. There's more research from yours truly on this guy down the pipeline, so stay tuned! #sciart #crocodile #paleoart #clayart

Vector illustration of various animals from this year's March of the Mammals calender, lined up scaled to one another, with a silhouette of a person in the middle

Our #marchofthemammals2025 wrap up post! Probably the smallest average size so far, which makes Palaeoloxodon look especially impressive!

As always thanks to @shunosaurus.bsky.social for organizing this! I've got one more little follow-up for this years formation theme, so stay tuned!

A collection of fossil mammals lumped together in a crowd shot. Also included are some extinct birds, crocodiles, and a Velociraptor.

Another shot with different focus.

Only the mammals

March of the Mammals 2025 Giveaway Winners

And that marks an end to #marchofthemammals2025 ! Thank you to everyone who participated, and I hope to see you in 2026! Attached are the giveaway winners as well, including a Bluesky Rep!

Vector illustration of Palaeoloxodon recki, a very large elephant from Pliocene Africa. It looks broadly like an African Elephant, with very long legs, a tall skull and straight tusks, with dark wrinkly skin

Our last animal for #marchofthemammals2025, the very tall Palaeoloxodon recki!

#sciart #paleoart

A sepia toned page of portrait sketches of extinct/prehistoric mammals.

A sepia toned page of portrait sketches of extinct/prehistoric mammals.

Last set of quick sketches for #marchofthemammals 2025 #paleoart #sciart

A savanna diorama

A large elephant carries a log

Another angle

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 31: Palaeoloxodon recki
Palaeoloxodon has some fun carrying around a stick.
And that wraps up March of the Mammals 2025! Stay tuned tomorrow for my wrap up posts and giveaway winner announcement!

Vector illustration of Dinopithecus ingens, a large cercopithecid monkey from the Late Pliocene and Pleistocene of east Africa. The large baboon is a female, with a young child clinging to her back. They are both a dark tan color on thier fur, with the mother having a light ruff on its cheeks

#marchofthemammals2025 day 26, a mother Dinopithecus ingens and her baby, going for a ride

#sciart #paleoart

A savanna diorama with many large mammals

A giant baboon with red fangs eats red fruit.

Another angle

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals Day 30: Dinopithecus ingens
Dinopithecus chows down on a handful of sourplums. Figured it would be fun to give the giant baboon red fangs without falling into the macropredatory trope.

Vector illustration of Beatragus antiquus, a species of Hirola antelope from late Pliocene/early Pleistocene Ethiopia. It is very similar to the living hirola, with longer, straighter horns, and a darker face and back.

Beatragus antiquus for day 24 of #marchofthemammals2025, an ancient species of hirola antelope

#sciart #paleoart

A collection of mammals on a savanna diorama

A large antelope with a bird on its side

Another view

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 29: Beatragus antiquus
Beatragus antiquus stands with his oxpecker friend.

Vector illustration of Kolpochoerus limnetes, a close relative of the modern Giant Forest Hog. It is a large pig with short tusks and large swollend cheeks and knobs on its head. It is dark brown in color, with bright spots along its beard and ears

#marchofthemammals2025 day 24: Kolpochoerus limnetes! A big pig 🐖

#sciart #paleoart #fossilfriday

A pig wallows in mud with mammals in the background

Another view

Another view

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 28: Kolpochoerus limnetes
Kolpochoerus gets up from a good wallow.

Vector Illustration of Ancylotherium hennigi, a large schizotherine chalicothere from late Pliocene Ethiopia. It is rearing up with its claws beared, ready to stomp an attacker. It is similar to a large horse, with a long neck, claws, a stocky body and a dome on its forehead. It is sandy brown in color, with dark on its face, shoulders and feet

A very angry Ancylotherium hennigi for day 23 of #marchofthemammals2025

#sciart #paleoart

A savanna diorama with a horse-like mammal and a saber-toothed cat

Another view

Another view

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 27: Ancylotherium henningi
Ancylotherium keeps her distance from Dinofelis. They probably wouldn't attack something so large, but better safe than sorry.

Vector illustration of Dinofelis petteri, a bobcat sized sabertoothed cat from the Pliocene of Ethiopia. It is relaxing on a large tree branch, looking out at the horizon. It resembles a small leopard with a notably shorter tail and a broad snout. It is orangeish in color with dark spots that stretch into long rosettes towards its back

On to our last week of #marchofthemammals2025, the savannas of Early Pleistocene Ethiopia! Here's Dinofelis petteri chilling on a tree branch

#sciart #paleoart

A far shot of a short saber-toothed cat rubbing its flank against a tree.

Another view of Dinofelis

Another view, showing off the fangs of Dinofelis.

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 26: Dinofelis petteri
Dinofelis scratches up against a dead tree. Welcome to the Shungura Formation! Over the final week of March we'll reconstruct some of the extinct megafauna our ancestors once met.

A small crocodilian rests in a rainforest as many marsupials move about behind it.

A prehistoric Lyrebird shows off his plumage

Another view of the diorama

Another view of the diorama

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 25: Rest Day
Trilophosuchus rests as Menura tyawanoides shows off his plumage high up. And with that we are done with the Riversleigh formation! Join us as we travel to the Shungura Formation of Ethiopia tomorrow!

Vector illustration of Neohelos stirtoni, a mid sized diprotodontid from the middle Miocene of Queensland, Australia. It looks roughly like a long legged wombat with a long narrow snout. It is seen from above jogging past the viewer. It is dark reddish brown in color with a darker underside and legs, and is covered in irregular white spots

Rounding out the Riversleigh crew is the tapir sized diprotodontid Neohelos stirtoni for day 21 of #marchofthemammals2025!

#sciart #paleoart

A large marsupial in a rainforest

Another view

Another view

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 24: Neohelos stirtoni
Neohelos takes a walk

A page of sepia toned sketches of extinct mammals of Australian origin as part of the march of the mammals project.

Jumping around with #marchofthemammals sketches when I have time to do one so here’s a smattering from the last formation #sciart #paleoart

Vector illustration of Ganguroo bilamina, a small early kangaroo from the rainforests of the middle Miocene Riversleigh Fossil Site of Queensland, Australia. It is dark grey and brown in color, and broadly resembles a rat kangaroo or a bettong

Ganguroo bilamina for day 20 of #marchofthemammals2025!

#sciart #paleoart

A small bettong-like mammal hops away from a thylacine in a jungle.

Another view

Another view

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 23: Ganguroo bilamina
Ganguroo flees Muribacinus while their friend rests on a low branch.

Vector illustration of Muriabacinus gadiyuli, a small thylacinid from the middle Miocene Riversleigh Fossil Site of Australia. It looks roughly like quoll, staring at the viewer. It is dark brown with light grey on its feet and tail, with dark stripes

#marchofthemammals2025 day 19, Muriabacinus gadiyuli, a tiny thylacinid!

#paleoart #sciart

A tasmanian tiger relative sneaks up on a bandicoot.

Another view

Another view

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 22: Muribacinus gadiyuli
Look out Crash!

Vector illustration of Crash bandicoot, an early bandicoot from the middle Miocene Riversleigh Fossil Site of Australia. It is curled up facing away from the camera. It is a gradient of orange to grey, with a light belly and cheeks and dark spots on its hands and brow

The powerfully named Crash bandicoot for day 18 of #Marchofthemammals2025

#paleoart #sciart

A small bandicoot cleans its face

Another view of the rainforest diorama

Another view

March of the Mammals prompt list

#marchofthemammals2025 Day 21: Crash bandicoot. Millions of years before its primary adversary had evolved, Crash was the undisputed ruler of the Miocene rainforests.

Vector illustration of Nimbadon lavarackorum, a sheep sized arboreal diprotodontid from the middle Miocene Riversleigh Fossil Site. The animal looks like a large wombat or koala, with long arms and large claws. It is climbing up the trunk of a tree, reaching out for an adjacent branch. It is colored grey with a gradient of orange and dark brown, with irregular grey and white spots along its back

The arboreal diprotodontid Nimbadon lavarackorum for day 17 of #marchofthemammals2025. A real wierdo!

#paleoart #sciart