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Alberta Claw

@albertonykus.bsky.social

Researcher studying extant and fossil birds. Alternatively, North American alvarezsaurid described in 2009. They/them. Links: https://linktr.ee/albertonykus

5,500 Followers  |  1,913 Following  |  937 Posts  |  Joined: 25.08.2023  |  2.1745

Latest posts by albertonykus.bsky.social on Bluesky

Photograph of a very small honeyeater perched vertically on the side of a Banksia flower. The entire scene is backlit. The flower is yellow/green, ovoid, and covered in anthers so it looks furry. It is larger than the bird. The bird is dull in colour compared to adults of its species, in shades of desaturated brown and fawn, with black eyes and a pink/black beak that hasn't reached its full length yet.

Photograph of a very small honeyeater perched vertically on the side of a Banksia flower. The entire scene is backlit. The flower is yellow/green, ovoid, and covered in anthers so it looks furry. It is larger than the bird. The bird is dull in colour compared to adults of its species, in shades of desaturated brown and fawn, with black eyes and a pink/black beak that hasn't reached its full length yet.

I was taking the bins out today when I noticed a juvenile Eastern Spinebill in the garden. I rushed back inside to grab my camera and was happy to find the bird still there when I returned.
#birds

10.12.2025 16:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 85    ๐Ÿ” 21    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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The Dodo in Life โ€” Tetrapod Zoology dodo, Dodos, Raphus, Raphus cucullatus, Raphidae, extinct birds, birds, ornithology, pigeons, dodobird, extinct bird, bird extinction, flightless birds, flightless pigeons, Erroll Fuller, Julian Hume,...

Yes, there were early plans to feature the Dodo (and the Solitaire) in Prehistoric Planet Ice Age.... What do we know about the life appearance of this remarkable bird? Actually a surprising amount, check this out... tetzoo.com/blog/2020/7/... #dodo #birds #ornithology

10.12.2025 12:57 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 121    ๐Ÿ” 38    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5    ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
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๐Ÿฅณ New paper in Emu - Austral Ornithology!
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

In this study, I review the available evidence for hybridization in ratites. Most cases are linked to human activities, suggesting that natural hybridization among ratites is exceptionally rare.

#ornithology

10.12.2025 09:08 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 16    ๐Ÿ” 5    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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WORLD-RENOWNED AFRICAN ELEPHANT EXPERT, DR IAIN DOUGLAS-HAMILTON, DIES AGED 83 Nairobi, Kenya โ€“ Tuesday, 9 December 2025: It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, renowned Scottish zoologist and founder & president of Save the Elephants.

Famed elephant expert Iain Douglas-Hamilton has died, aged 83. Founder of Save the Elephants and accomplished author, researcher and mentor... savetheelephants.org/news/world-r...

09.12.2025 21:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 61    ๐Ÿ” 9    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

What evolution means for youโžก๏ธ

1. Weโ€™re all one big familyโ โ€”share theโค๏ธ:
โ€ƒ๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿฆ‘๐Ÿฆ—๐Ÿข๐Ÿ˜

2. A continuous๐ŸŒˆof variation is natural in a species:
โ€ƒ๐Ÿง‘๐Ÿผโ€”๐Ÿง‘๐Ÿฟ
โ€ƒโ™‚๏ธโ€”โ™€๏ธ
โ€ƒ๐Ÿ‘ฌโ€”๐Ÿ‘ซ
โ€ƒโ€ฆ& everything in betweenโ€ฆ

3. You werenโ€™t created to fill a role, but๐Ÿ†“to be anything:
โ€ƒ๐Ÿ‘ท๐Ÿฝโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ‘จโ€โš•๏ธ๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐ŸŽค๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผโ€๐ŸŽ“๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿพโ€๐Ÿš€๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฟโ€๐Ÿญ

08.12.2025 21:12 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

What are๐Ÿ‡บ?

Dust of a๐ŸŒŸ

Mostly๐Ÿ’ง

A๐Ÿงฌlonger than any๐Ÿ“˜, in more copies than all the๐Ÿ“šon๐ŸŒŽ

Cousin to๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฆข๐Ÿฆ‹๐ŸŒณ

More๐Ÿง cells than # of๐Ÿ‘ฅalive

A๐Ÿงฐthat can make๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ๐Ÿš€๐ŸŒ‰๐Ÿฅ˜๐Ÿ—ฝor๐Ÿ’ฃ

A๐Ÿฆ after billions of version updates

A๐Ÿงณmade of๐Ÿฅฉfilled with๐Ÿ’ฉ

Among the fewโš›๏ธโš›๏ธโš›๏ธin๐ŸŒŒthat can๐Ÿค”๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ˜ข๐Ÿ˜†โ€ฆ

08.12.2025 21:20 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿจ๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฆ‡๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆ˜fur
๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฆ‡๐ŸฆŠplacenta
๐Ÿฆ‡wings!

๐Ÿ๐ŸŠ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ๐Ÿฆ–๐ŸฆŽwaterproof eggs
๐ŸŠ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ๐Ÿฆ–four-part heart
๐Ÿ•Š๏ธwings!

๐Ÿ•ท๏ธ๐Ÿฆ€๐Ÿ๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿฆ‚exoskeleton
๐Ÿฆ€๐Ÿ๐Ÿฆmandibles
๐Ÿwings!

๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒด๐Ÿ๐ŸŒต๐ŸŽ„seeds
๐ŸŒด๐Ÿ๐ŸŒตflowers
๐Ÿwings!

08.12.2025 21:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Common but unhelpful wording:
"Are๐Ÿณrelated to๐Ÿฆญ?" (yes, but also to๐Ÿž๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿ„๐Ÿฆ โ€ฆ)
"Are๐Ÿณclosely related to๐Ÿฆญ?" (yes, but also to๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿท๐Ÿฆ‡๐Ÿฆจโ€ฆ)
"Are๐Ÿณin๐Ÿฆญfamily?" (no, but even๐Ÿฌ&๐Ÿณin different families)

Better framing:
"What are๐Ÿณmore closely related to than to๐Ÿฆญ?" (๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฆ›๐Ÿ„๐Ÿฆ’โ€ฆ)

08.12.2025 21:43 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

# penguin species by latitude (ยฐS)
0ยฐ๐Ÿง
5ยฐ๐Ÿง
10ยฐ๐Ÿง
15ยฐ๐Ÿง
20ยฐ๐Ÿง
25ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
30ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
35ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
40ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
45ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
50ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
55ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
60ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
65ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
70ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
75ยฐ๐Ÿง๐Ÿง
80ยฐ๐Ÿง
85ยฐ๐Ÿšซ
90ยฐ๐Ÿšซ

08.12.2025 21:46 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 30    ๐Ÿ” 7    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Mostly made from grass:
๐Ÿฆ˜๐Ÿฆฃ๐Ÿด๐Ÿฆ“๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿ๐Ÿฆ™๐Ÿ„๐Ÿฆฌ๐Ÿฆ›๐Ÿ‡๐Ÿน๐Ÿผ๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿ“๐Ÿคท

Mostly made from trees/shrubs:
๐Ÿจ๐Ÿฆฅ๐Ÿฆ’๐Ÿ๐Ÿช๐ŸฆŒ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿฆง๐Ÿฆซ๐Ÿฟ๏ธ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฆœ

Mostly made from phytoplankton:
๐Ÿปโ€โ„๏ธ๐Ÿฆญ๐Ÿฆฆ๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฆž๐Ÿฆ€๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿฆช๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฆ‘๐Ÿ ๐ŸŸ๐Ÿก๐Ÿฆˆ๐Ÿฆ…๐Ÿฆฉ๐Ÿง

08.12.2025 21:47 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Ichthyosaur relationships are very poorly understood. Recent large-scale studies generally lean towards them being part of an "extinct marine reptile" group (along with plesiosaurs, nothosaurs, etc.) that is more closely related to archosaurs than to turtles, but the evidence is not conclusive.

09.12.2025 19:49 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Volunteers โ€” DinoCon

Applications to volunteer at DinoCon 2026 are now OPEN! If you would like to help us make DinoCon the best it can be, apply now! www.dinocon.co.uk/volunteer

09.12.2025 16:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
An oil painting of a Carolina Wren. The wren's feathers are fluffed up into a round shape, and it is sitting on a rock, with strong sunlight illuminating it. The artist watermark reads: copyright 2025 Jennifer Miller "Nambroth" featherdust dot com

An oil painting of a Carolina Wren. The wren's feathers are fluffed up into a round shape, and it is sitting on a rock, with strong sunlight illuminating it. The artist watermark reads: copyright 2025 Jennifer Miller "Nambroth" featherdust dot com

"Morning Light on a Carolina Wren" 5" x 7" Oil on panel

I just think they're neat

09.12.2025 15:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1228    ๐Ÿ” 296    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 25    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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From the movies community on Reddit: Hi r/movies! We're the team responsible for bringing Apple TVโ€™s Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age to life. We are Russell Dodgson (Production VFX Supervisor), Dorothy Ba... Explore this post and more from the movies community

I just bet you have questions about #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, right? Reddit is doing an AMA on the series tomorrow, in which I'm joined by my excellent colleagues Dorothy Ballarini and Russell Dodgson from @Framestore See you there! www.reddit.com/r/movies/com...

08.12.2025 17:46 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 38    ๐Ÿ” 17    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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A Winter Wren bopping along the edge of a fallen log. I find these birds to be the cutest of the wrens we have here in Michigan due to their spherical shape.

06.12.2025 22:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 328    ๐Ÿ” 37    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 3

The people in charge of beating you down will say art is frivolous, cut budgets for the arts, replace artists with AI, but art keeps people GOING. You never know when a piece will touch someoneโ€™s heart at just the right time.

06.12.2025 22:11 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 145    ๐Ÿ” 32    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
Fossilized skeleton of a bird-like dinosaur with feather remains preserved around its body.

Fossilized skeleton of a bird-like dinosaur with feather remains preserved around its body.

New enantiornithean ("opposite bird") Chromeornis funkyi: palaeo-electronica.org/content/2025... Seems to be a close relative of Longipteryx, preserved with an unusual cluster of stones near its neck. ๐Ÿชถ๐Ÿงช (๐Ÿ“ทO'Connor et al.)

06.12.2025 14:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 29    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Check out our cover article by @timjanicke.bsky.social and colleagues about the role of sexual selection in animal speciation. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic.... The beautiful illustration is by Katharina Bรณth.

04.12.2025 16:04 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 268    ๐Ÿ” 85    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 7    ๐Ÿ“Œ 13
Fan art of the character Shizuka from Doraemon wearing the outfit of Frieren from the series of the same name. She is situated in the lower right of the drawing, looking up against a light blue background.

Fan art of the character Shizuka from Doraemon wearing the outfit of Frieren from the series of the same name. She is situated in the lower right of the drawing, looking up against a light blue background.

I've already drawn Shizuka cosplaying Frieren, so why not... #doraemon #frieren #ใƒ‰ใƒฉใˆใ‚‚ใ‚“ #่‘ฌ้€ใฎใƒ•ใƒชใƒผใƒฌใƒณ

05.12.2025 21:37 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Fossilized foot bone of an extinct flightless seabird.

Fossilized foot bone of an extinct flightless seabird.

Plotopterid (extinct flightless relative of boobies and cormorants) tarsometatarsus (foot bone) from the Yamaga Formation (Oligocene of Japan): www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/prps... ๐Ÿชถ๐Ÿงช (๐Ÿ“ทMori)

05.12.2025 14:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 30    ๐Ÿ” 11    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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A systematic review of interspecific breeding in woodpeckers Hybridization is a common phenomenon in birds. Woodpeckers (Picidae) are no exception, as approximately 20% of species are known to hybridize and, for many others, interspecific mating is suspected. ...

A systematic review of interspecific breeding in woodpeckers | Ibis
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

"Hybridization plays a substantial role in woodpecker evolution and ecology; therefore, this phenomenon deserves further study using genomics and citizen science."

#ornithology

04.12.2025 08:58 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A fluffy precious little white tern chick laying on a branch

A fluffy precious little white tern chick laying on a branch

PSA!!!!!! ๐Ÿšจ

White tern chick!!!!!! ๐Ÿชถ

04.12.2025 06:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 304    ๐Ÿ” 63    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 6    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

A great summary on the dire situation for Geology/Palaeontology at @uniofleicester.bsky.social by Jan Zalasiewicz. Please sign and share the petition: www.change.org/p/save-geolo...

04.12.2025 07:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 20    ๐Ÿ” 18    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Mammal
YouTube video by They Might Be Giants - Topic Mammal

#Geol104playlist Mammals
youtu.be/14jjo7MtSzE?...

03.12.2025 13:40 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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UMD paleontology professor turns childhood fascination into professional endeavor By Rory Cahill Thomas Holtz was just a toddler when he received two toy dinosaurs from his mother. One, a long-necked plant-eating Brontosaurus. The other, a carnivorous, two-legged Tyrannosaurus. โ€ฆ

That guy looks familiar...

umdsbs.wordpress.com/2025/12/02/u...

03.12.2025 18:14 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 63    ๐Ÿ” 7    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Renge Miyauchi
#NonNonBiyori โ€ข #ใฎใ‚“ใฎใ‚“ใณใ‚ˆใ‚Š โ€ข #ๅฎฎๅ†…ใ‚Œใ‚“ใ’็”Ÿ่ช•็ฅญ2025

03.12.2025 20:20 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 9    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Post by @joanjournal ยท 5 images ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0ย ย ๐Ÿ” 0ย ย โค๏ธ 0ย ยทย Can Modern Cave Art Tell Us About Prehistoric Cave Art?ย ยทย Depiction of Woolly Rhinos at Chauvet Cave, Ardรจche, France (Patilpv24, SS BY-SA) One of the most familiar and well-regarโ€ฆ

Next on Joan's Journal: what is the nature of prehistoric cave art in Europe? Can the rock art of modern peoples give us any insights? ๐Ÿชจ๐ŸŽจ
www.tumblr.com/joanjournal/...

03.12.2025 02:43 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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โ€˜Short-eared Owl over Saltmarshโ€™

gouache, 32 x 20 cms

Unlike most other species of Owl in the UK, Short-eared Owls may hunt during the day. In winter, birds arrive in variable numbers from the Continent and may be seen over saltmarshes, as well as inland over rough grassland.
#owls #birdart

20.11.2025 18:29 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 19    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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โ€˜Great Grey Shrikeโ€™
acrylic, 18 x 26 cms
This species is a regular winter visitor to the U.K. from the Continent in small numbers. Birds seem to return to favoured haunts on heaths and moors. In recent years even lower numbers may indicate milder winters on the Continent. #greatgreyshrike #birdart

02.12.2025 17:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Illustrations of a flamingo and a caiman alongside visualizations of their internal bone structure.

Illustrations of a flamingo and a caiman alongside visualizations of their internal bone structure.

Loss of air-filled bones in diving birds and other aquatic archosaurs: academic.oup.com/iob/advance-... ๐Ÿชถ๐Ÿงช (๐Ÿ“ทByrne et al.)

03.12.2025 16:22 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 10    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

@albertonykus is following 20 prominent accounts