In this long-awaited episode, we cross a big one from our wishlist as Natee, Niels and Marc tackle Verdwenen Werelden, the monumentally ambitious and even more monumentally strange masterpiece of the indomitable Maria Hubrecht. Natee gets a chance to put their art historian hat on once more. The journey off the beaten path continues as Niels interviews Scottish filmmaker and animator David Armsby about his upcoming Dinosauria series, an anthology of short animated films about dinosaurs. Is there a little tribute to our blog hidden in one of Dinosauria‘s features? We also talk about Natee’s Redbubble shop (which is here).
In the News
- Two new sauropods from China have made their entrance. They are Silutitan and Hamititan, from the Early Cretaceous Hami region of Northwestern China. The paper by Xiaolin Wang et al is open access and can be read here.
- News from the Cenozoic: A middle Eocene proto-whale (which is a paraphyletic clade) from Egypt had been described, awesomely named Phiomicetus anubis. It represents a transitional form between the landgoing hoofed quadrupeds from which whales evolved and full-blown filppered swimmers like Basilosaurus. An abstract of the paper by Abdullah Gohar et al can be found here. Thanks to co-author Hesham Sallam for the scoop!
The authors of Phiomicetus anubis, with the relevant fossil. Left to right: Mohamed Sameh, Abdullah Gohar and Hesham Sallam. (c) Abdullah Gohar, used with permission.
Reconstruction of Phiomicetus, (c) Robert W. Boessenecker, used with permission.
- Our friend and erstwhile podcast guest Natalia Jagielska (together with Steven Brusatte, for it is he) has released their first scientific paper, a primer on the fascinating and diverse pterosaurs (the “p” is not silent). It can be read at open acces here, and will be extremely readable to specialists and laypeople alike.
Vintage Dinosaur Art
Written and illustrated by an eccentric old aristocratic Dutch lady, a relative outsider to both art and science, Verdwenen Werelden stands as perhaps the most stylized and unique example of European palaeoart of the early 20th century. The Chasmosaurs team marvels at Great Aunt Marie’s naïve but worldly style, her busy compositions and her unexpected influences. Might a second life for this forgotten masterpiece be in the cards?
- Here are part one, part two and part three of Niels’ weighty initial review of Verdwenen Werelden from 2020.
- We mention in passing the Dinosaurs of Artis, sculpted by Boudewijn Bollee. Watch this space.
Sauropods, stegosaurs and allosaurs in the Jurassic.
Trachodon, Iguanodon and Tyrannosaurus in the Cretaceous
Corythosaurus, Scolosaurus and Triceratops in the Cretaceous
A full ocean of invertebrates and fish in the Silurian
Many mammals and birds in the Eocene
Mammoths, woolly rinos and human skeletons in the Pleistocene
Tyrannosaurus by Hubrecht, and “Tiranosaurus” by Bollee. Has one influenced the other?
Interview
It was almost impossible this month to miss the gorgeous trailer for Dinosauria, the upcoming animated anthology series on YouTube created by David James Armsby. In conversation with Niels, David tells what we can expect from the series. He talks about his love for Ray Harryhausen and Stan Winston, how it was the behind-the-scenes features of Walking With Dinosaurs and The Lord of the Rings, rather than the films themselves, shaped him as a filmmaker, and how he’s begrudgingly made peace with the art of animation. You can find David on YouTube, Facebook and Patreon. Subscribe to his YouTube channel to see the series, and to his Patreon to see his new films early!
Trailer for the Dinosauria series.
Teaser for the first part of the Dinosauria series: “Old Buck”
Sharp Teeth
Thank you for listening to the podcast! Our music was generously provided by Rohan Long. You can purchase his music at Bandcamp, and follow him at Twitter.
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1 Comment
Paleona
September 7, 2021 at 9:33 amAnother great episode- Hubrecht’s art is so unique! It definitely does look like it would lend itself well to puzzles, though I’m sure I would get frustrated working on it with how well some of the wildlife blends into the foliage, haha
I’m very excited to watch Dinosauria! It looks so stunning. His enthusiasm for the project really shows in just how beautiful it all looks. I got a little teary when I watched the trailer, as well, Natee :’) David’s idea for an extra episode showing Spinosaurus through the years sounds amazing, as well, especially with the art shifts he mentioned, like adding a CRT filter for the 80’s/90’s section!
Anyway, I hope you’re all doing well, thanks again for the great content.