Speculative Evolution
The Fossils on Mars
Bats of the Post-Human Era
Natural History
Paleontological Illustration
Animal Illustration
Other Work
Sculptures
Fantasy and Narrative Illustration
The Fossils on Mars
Bats of the Post-Human Era
Paleontological Illustration
Animal Illustration
Sculptures
Fantasy and Narrative Illustration
Paleoart
Nanuqsaurus hoglundi
Watercolour, colour pencil. 2023.This is a highly speculative reconstruction of the animal, and as such many details are fabricated.
This tyrannosaur lived in a cold climate and is often depicted with a shaggy coat. Here, this coat extends over much of its face - I had wondered about the extent of facial covering in dinosaurs and how much it varied. Generally, it is thought that fuzz around the mouth would be unlikely - it degrades quickly and is hard to groom. This Nanuqsaurus, however, sports an encompassing coat leaving only lips bare inspired by many birds who have feathers which almost cover the beak like the snowy owl (which also inspired the fuzzy feet) - could such an adaptation be worth it to cope with the cold? Like its namesake, the polar bear (nanuq), its coat is pure white to blend in with the snow - though perhaps, like the ptarmigan, it is only for winter!