Darren Naish

Tetrapod Zoology ver 4’s 7th Birthday Today is July 31st 2025… do you know what this means?

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By: Darren Naish on Thursday, July 31, 2025

TetZoo badges, t-shirts and more.

dinosaur-themed stickers by TetZoo.

Just some of the #TetZoo merch we'll be selling from our stall at @dinoconuk.bsky.social on Aug 16th-17th... available while stocks last! #DinoConUK #dinosaurs

DinoCon

Let me remind you that #DinoConUK - Aug 16th-17th, University of Exeter - is going to be huge. Tickets are selling fast. Art exhibitions, talks, palaeoart workshops, panel discussions, the biggest number of dinosaur-themed vendors ever in the UK... info and more at www.dinocon.co.uk #dinosaurs

James is sharing and showing tons of great 3D art at #DinoconUK!

Critics of de-extinction research hit by mystery smear campaign Several researchers who have been critical of Colossal Biosciences’ plans to revive extinct animals say they have been targeted by online articles trying to discredit them

The field of de-extinction seems to be overly sensitive to valid critique. No evidence for where these hit pieces originate, or if they were sponsored - but regardless, it makes the whole endeavour look bad.

www.newscientist.com/article/2490...

"de-extinction feels like a distraction from the unfinished business of protecting life in the present"
💯

Incredibly disappointing that two extremely wealthy creatives, George Martin and Peter Jackson, have chosen to invest in this rather than fund immediately impactful conservation efforts

Good to see criticism of Colossal and their fraudulent "de-extinction" process getting mainstream coverage. New Zealand has some amazing conservation successes but the fight to save its species is not over. Think what that $15 million might have done there, rather than making this Frankenstein bird.

I have bad news for you

YouTube video by Things Visible & Invisible Hunting Down the Cryptozoologists | Darren Naish

Featuring @tetzoo.bsky.social, Darren talks about cryptid topics including the difference between zoology and modern cryptozoology, hoaxing, and being critical of claims of unknown animals. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Luo...

DinoCon

Places for the advanced-level #palaeoart workshop at #DinoConUK are just about to run out! If you're interested, better hurry :) cc @joschuaknuppe.bsky.social @dinoconuk.bsky.social www.dinocon.co.uk

Well done USA. Reduced job market, declining life expectancy, less help for low-income people and for overseas aid, a rollback on science and environmental legislation, but at least you got a hateful, authoritarian fascist government.

Do you want to know something funny? John Hammond funded InGen through a grift in the Jurassic Park novel. Colossal's "dire wolves" are the real life pachyderm portfolio.

Ichthyosaurs from the Early Jurassic of Britain Published in Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology (Ahead of Print, 2025)

My Historical Biology review of Ichthyosaurs from the Early Jurassic of Britain is now published and online at .... www.tandfonline.com/eprint/7IVFE... #ichthyosaurs #marinereptiles #books

Dr Matt Wedel and book The Sauropod Dinosaurs.

Hallett and Wedel's book with sauropod models and ornaments.

DinoCon promo image showing Mathew Wedel next to a giant sauropod bone.

We've procured a signed copy of Mark Hallett and Mathew Wedel's excellent book The Sauropod Dinosaurs for the @dinoconuk.bsky.social charity auction. Dr Wedel is also giving a talk: THE SAUROPOD HERESIES. #DinoConUK happens Aug 16th-17th in Exeter, still time to get tickets :) Go to dinocon.co.uk

Gallagher image showing sauropod with detailed positional info on skin anatomy.

John Conway art showing Diplodocus with elaborate skin anatomy.

DinoCon promo image showing Tess Gallagher in the field... with puppet friend.

In recent years, palaeobiologist Tess Gallagher has presented results that challenge ideas about sauropod dinosaur skin, and which have major implications for biology and appearance. Tess is covering this in her talk at #DinoConUK, Aug 16th-17th, Exeter! Go to dinocon.co.uk for tickets and info.

DinoCon promo image showing palaeoartists Higgs, Kiely, Nicholls and Seguillon.

What's it like to work as a palaeoartist in the modern world, and is AI the total world-ender that some fear? Join me and four palaeoartists as we cover these issues in our #DinoConUK palaeoart panel event. Aug 16th-17th, Exeter, tickets at dinocon.co.uk, see you there!

I have to assume that they wouldn't stoop this low.

Analysis: The US government has declared war on the very idea of climate change | CNN Politics Americans are used to whiplash in their climate policy. The US has been in and out and in and out again of the key Paris climate agreement over the past four presidencies.

“In his second administration, President Donald Trump is not just approaching climate science with skepticism. Instead, his administration is moving to destroy the methods by which his or any future administration can respond to climate change.“

So pleased you're coming along, and very curious about those Japanese goodies :)

What a great line up!

I'll be bringing some dino goodies from Japan, so say hi if you see me! 😁

DinoCon

It's August -- the month #DINOCONUK 2025 is happening! This is guaranteed - I'm dead serious - to be the biggest ever dinosaur-themed event the UK, quite probably Europe as a whole, has ever seen. Only 15 days to go!! www.dinocon.co.uk

DinoCon promo image showing palaeoartists Higgs, Kiely, Nicholls and Seguillon.

What's it like to work as a palaeoartist in the modern world, and is AI the total world-ender that some fear? Join me and four palaeoartists as we cover these issues in our #DinoConUK palaeoart panel event. Aug 16th-17th, Exeter, tickets at dinocon.co.uk, see you there!

Gallagher image showing sauropod with detailed positional info on skin anatomy.

John Conway art showing Diplodocus with elaborate skin anatomy.

DinoCon promo image showing Tess Gallagher in the field... with puppet friend.

In recent years, palaeobiologist Tess Gallagher has presented results that challenge ideas about sauropod dinosaur skin, and which have major implications for biology and appearance. Tess is covering this in her talk at #DinoConUK, Aug 16th-17th, Exeter! Go to dinocon.co.uk for tickets and info.

Dr Matt Wedel and book The Sauropod Dinosaurs.

Hallett and Wedel's book with sauropod models and ornaments.

DinoCon promo image showing Mathew Wedel next to a giant sauropod bone.

We've procured a signed copy of Mark Hallett and Mathew Wedel's excellent book The Sauropod Dinosaurs for the @dinoconuk.bsky.social charity auction. Dr Wedel is also giving a talk: THE SAUROPOD HERESIES. #DinoConUK happens Aug 16th-17th in Exeter, still time to get tickets :) Go to dinocon.co.uk

Cover showing Chirinos art of pliosaurid vs long-necked plesiosaur.

Cover boards under dust jacket. Same look but grey.

Book interior. Pictures and Japanese text. Art shows phytosaurs, birds, pterosaurs.

Spines of three copies.

The Japanese edition of my #AncientSeaReptiles has arrived, and it's great. It's a new version for 2025, so contains changes and images not yet featured in English editions. It has great design features (like the art on the cover boards). I'll be bringing a copy to #DinoConUk :)

Dougal Dixon and Ross MacFarlane at The New Dinosaurs signing event.

Dougal Dixon holding model Cutlasstooth.

Cutlasstooth model on table in bookshop.

Title page of The New Dinosaurs, signed by Dougal Dixon.

Back from this evening's signing event for the new edition of Dougal Dixon's The New Dinosaurs, hosted at Gower Street's Waterstone. Very nice to see the brilliant new EXEtinct Cutlasstooth model :)

Pretty crazy to realise all those "de-extiction" projects and claims come from the same dodgy company, from Mammoth to Dodo, even Neanderthal (don't think too long about this one it's morally repugnant) and 90% is bluff and marketing (and 10% of real gene editing that make a dog slightly less dog).

Yes, in my headcannon it's abelisaurian too. The new position provided for it in the book is very surprising though...

I have a hard time listening to that series as I do not enjoy what sounds like strong competition to speak from the presenters.... but I will definitely give this one a listen, thanks