Jennifer Campbell-Smith, PhD 𓄿𓃥

I would so live in that hole.

I FINALLY saw a wild ringtail with my own eyes. I was unreasonably excited and it was amazing and it was so cute!

Big agree

I’ve been there so many times.

They are probably the closest morphologically. They are really old as a genus.

I’m reminded of this @adamtots.bsky.social comic. So freaking true.

My field assistants helping investigate the stomach contents, and therefore the diet, of the modern pygmy Allosaurus. These small theropods seem to have a pretty varied diet!

@windfalcon.bsky.social

My friend Todd’s paper on cassowary casques was published in @amornith.bsky.social’s journal Ornithology, “Species-specific casque shapes in the genus Casuarius and implications for visual display.” He had me do the scientific illustrations for the paper 😊

academic.oup.com/auk/advance-...

Thinking about it and doing posters

Every organism on this planet shares a common ancestor 😊

1. Eukaryotic Cell 2. Multicellular Eukaryote 3. First bilateral organism - represented by Ikaria 4. First chordate 5. First bones - represented by Astraspis 6. First jaws - represented by Quinodus 7. First lobed fins - represented by Eusthenopteron 8. First tetrapods - represented by Tiktaalik 9. First land vertebrates - represented by Ichthyostega 10. First amniotes - represented by Archaeothyris 11. First synapsids - represented by Dimetrodon 12. First cynodonts - represented by Cynognathus 13. First mammals - represented by Megazostrodon 14. First placental mammals - represented by Juramaia 15. First carnivorans - represented by a Miacid 16. First canids - represented by Prohesperocyon 17. First canines - represented by Leptocyon 18. First canis - represented by Eucyon The skulls in the ground represent carnivorous mammal and mammal-like animals of the past whose lineages went extinct, having no descendents alive today. 19. Gorgonopsid skull - the gorgonopsids went extinct about 252 million years ago. 20. Saber-toothed cat skull - the saber-toothed cats went extinct about 10,000 years ago. 21. Hyaenodon skull - the hyaenodonts went extinct about 17 million years ago. 22. Borophagus skull - a Borophagine canid, a group whose extinction about 1.8 million years ago left ecological niches open for the rise of the canines we see today. 23. Coyote - Canis latrans evolved during the Pleistocene epoch around 2 million years ago. Thought to have evolved from Canis lepophagus (“rabbit-eating dogs”) which also gave rise to the golden jackal, these canids roamed North America 1.7 million years before our species, Homo sapiens, even evolved in Africa. Coyotes persist today, despite our species’ altering of the environment and pointed attempts to eliminate them.

See the alt text for each number's name and some short descriptions.

This digitally painted piece honors the survivor spirit of the coyote by tracing its lineage from the first cells of life to the animal trotting our landscapes today. Below the horizon, carefully chosen ancestors mark pivotal moments in adaptation, each contributing to the form and survivor we see today. Above the horizon, Coyote stands alert at the center, framed by both Denver’s skyline and a mountain backdrop, symbols of their ability to thrive in cities as well as wilderness. Embedded in the ground are the skulls and bones of carnivores whose lineages ended long ago, emphasizing Coyote’s persistence in contrast.

"I Contain Multitudes"

This digitally painted piece honors coyote by tracing its lineage from the first cells of life to the animal trotting our cities and the wilderness today.

The thread gives descriptions of all the extinct organisms shown in this piece (not to scale)

I wonder, if fungi could ever see all the photos we take and admire of them, would they wonder why we are so obsessed with dick picks of them 🤔

“My mycelia are down here 🙄”

When they were reconstructed as just “theropods with sorta sail” I was like “eh”. But newt-shaped alligator guy? Love it!

I wasn’t interested in them that much until the evidence showed them to be this guy. Now I love them ❤️

My 40th birthday present to myself, because I’m an adult and I can buy myself cool dinosaur figures.

My birthday happens to be on #WorldCassowaryDay, something that my friend Todd, who researches them, will never let me forget 😂❤️

An image of a coyote family. The mom trying to fish while one child yells “MOM MOM MOM” while holding a stick. The other child is crying/screaming while clinging to the mom’s legs.

My oldest…collecting sticks to building things, throw, poke, and be a general menace with. I was to watch all of this according to him.

My youngest, who desperately wanted to be IN the very cold, deep lake and who LET ME KNOW he was mad that I wouldn’t let him.

Last weekend I went fishing with some friends. I took both of the boys and…some fishing DID occur. My friend did a sketch of how it went.

One son was flinging sticks and one was VERY mad I wouldn’t let him get in the deep, cold lake, clothed.

Thank you so much @spainimation.bsky.social 😂😂

I actually guffawed 😂😂

A four-panel comic. In panel 1, two people are standing outside, facing each other; one is wearing an orange tshirt and one is wearing a green tshirt and a pair of binoculars. The first person says "I heard there's going to be a Red-breasted Nuthatch eruption. Should I be worried?" In panel 2, the second person says "No, it's an irruption - an unusual movement of birds into areas where they aren't usually found. It's great for birders." The first person says "No, I think they said-" In panel 3, both people look alarmed as the ground beneath them begins to rumble. in panel 4, the ground erupts and hundreds of Red-breasted Nuthatches shoot into the sky, lifting the two people into the air.

Irruption.

I love everything about this. The shapes, the pose, and the clearly carefully chosen designs. Wonderful work!

@sailorrooscout.bsky.social ?

I have an independent study student working on phagocytosis in white blood cells. We need a microbiologist who can help us with details of her methodology (whole blood). Anyone here work with or know anyone who works with culturing white blood cells to monitor their phagocytic activity?

Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart

We couldn’t make it ONE summer without my dog getting skunked. It had to happen the LAST day before the autumnal equinox 😂😂

They still exist????

Thank you!

Thank you!

Whelp, time for me to draw a really big deer.