David Soriano| Dilo

@shamublackfish.bsky.social

418 Followers 233 Following

(He/Him) Intern from the Alf Museum of Paleontology, Amateur Paleoartist, undergrad in Geology, and whale watching Naturalist. Also knows a thing or two about mosasaurs. |views my own https://linktr.ee/davidsaur_76

Taniwhasaurus WIP
This is not only my first digital illustration of a dromaeosaur and iguanodont, this was also a piece where I personally pushed myself to work on plants. Yeah, I prefer to avoid drawing plants but I'll probably push myself to draw plants again in the near future.
The illustration depicts a mother Dolichorhynchops and her offspring swimming within the Nursery of what will one day become the farmlands of Kansas. Dolichorhynchops was a plesiosaur, a type of marine reptile whose remains were found in marine rock deposits dated to around 85 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs. Along with the marine reptiles in the background, there's a huge school of extinct fish, Apsopelix, as well as two ammonites in the top-left corner, named Clioscaphites. A complete specimen of a very close relative of Dolichorhynchops, named Polycotylus, which is currently on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, includes the remains of a preserved baby inside. This supports the idea that, despite being called reptiles, plesiosaurs gave live birth, and the fact that there's only one baby within the Polycotylus specimen indicates that plesiosaurs would've engaged in dedicated parental care. For the Dolichorhynchops pair, real families stick together, even in a dangerous sea that divided America.
Tylosaurus rex, one of the largest known mosasaurs, in full body with a red background.
Therizinosaurus charcoal sketch
Dolichorhynchops, clioscaphites, and Apsopelix lineart for Mother’s Day.
Mosasaurus lemonnieri was a close relative to the more famous Mosasaurus hoffmanni, as both obviously belong to the same genus. Though at one point, it was brought up that M. lemonnieri represented a juvenile growth stage for M. hoffmanni (Mulder et al, 2004). Current evidence that supports the distinction between the two include the teeth of M.hoffmanni being more robust, as well as the lower jaw or dentary of M. lemonnieri having 16 teeth, whereas those M. hoffmanni contain 14. Consequently, because of how poorly understood M. lemonnieri is in comparison to its more famous relatives, it is uncertain on whether the supposed different traits are conclusive as such or if they represent different ontongentic growth stages, and that is despite M. lemonnieri consisting of multiple individuals with different growth stages. As of now, M. lemonnieri is a valid species and I'm hopeful there will be more papers to come out of this well preserved, yet illusive beast.
Mosasaur and some ammonite friends. :) WIP
My first illustration of 2026 is finished and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out so far. Now if you excuse me, I'm probably gonna go back to working on mosasaurs.
Albertosaurus WIP
As I am writing this, this will be my last art post of 2025 and I'd figure we end it just like how we started, which is in the oceans. I hope all of you have a Happy New Year and let's do everything we can to survive and thrive through 2026, just like we have been before.
The mosasaur, Globidens, has its jaws on a placenticeras who bares resemblance to a peppermint candy.
Centrosaurus apertus sketch. Went for a unique pose here and I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, especially for a relatively quick sketch.
Once thought to be a species of Prognathodon, Gnathomortis was described as it's own distinct genus in 2020 due to differences in the ear canal, as well as other cranial elements such as the skull roof, braincase, and jaw. Another interesting case about Gnathomortis is that their facial appearance would have looked distinct from other mosasaurs seen in life, as instead of being komodo dragon like, Gnathomortis would have had jowls, similarly seen in modern collard lizards and evidence to support this appearance is the presence of a large depression within the jaw, indicating the placement of those jaw muscles. This in term would have indicated that mosasaurs like Gnathomortis would have had a formidable bite force and it would have made short work of it's prey, which includes turtles, fish, mosasaurs, and this recently unfortunate plesiosaur that was in the way of the jaws of death. Such a scene took place in what is now, Western Colorado, 80 million years ago, where a mountainous state was once at the bottom of a soon to be receding inland sea.
Gnathomortis mosasaur sneak peek
Habrosaurus and an algae covered edmontosaurus skull up close.
Habro Hadro Home Habrosaurus, an ancient salamander, seeking refuge in the skull of an Edmontosaurus, at the bottom of the swamp of Hell Creek. The Death of one provided Life for another.
Pencil sketch of Tyrannosaurus rex (T.rex) breaking through a wall.
Zavacephale, an early Cretaceous pachycephalosaur, walking nearby a body of water, while on the lookout for danger. Nearby are some horsetail plants.
Common dolphins nearby
Unktaheela specta, a polycotylid plesiosaur described back in December of 2023. Some proportions may be subjected to change since I will be submitting this reconstruction for Wikipedia.
Basilosaurus isis with the beheaded head of a Moeritherium, with a couple of curious sharks feasting on its carcass from the surface.
Mosasaurus hoffmanni
Quick birthday sketch featuring a spitter dilophosaurus and a modern dilophosaurus
Plotosaurus bennisoni sketch I made for a final art assignment from a few months ago.
Platecarpus tympaniticus chasing a small school of Pentanogmius through the waves of Western North America, 82 million years ago. Accompanying the chase is a group of ammonites, Baculites, with one individual being unable to go with the flow, thus being swept by the waves. Where people of modern day surf the waves of Southern California, it could be possible for shallow water mosasaurs like platecarpus to surf the waves in an area of what will one day become the dry plains of Kansas.
Brygmophyseter, an extinct relative of the modern sperm whale. Made in procreate.
Besides it being one of the best preserved dinosaurs among its family, Brachylophosaurus is probably one of my favorite hadrosaurs for asthetic reasons.
Prior to the carnage, the three Spinosaurus, Hunter, Striper, and Rune, were pursuing a individual humpback whale, waiting for the big moment to come. And thanks to the help of the spinosaurus, the mosasaurus gets to track down where prey is. What follows is the mosasaur delivering the killing blow and shaking it to pieces. It may seem like stealing for the spinosaurus trio but this was the moment they waited for, as the large mosasaur has done the hard work for them. With their collaboration, both parties get their fair share of a whale feast. Finally took the time to do Jurassic World fanart, just in time for Rebirth too. This did take a while for me to work on but I did like how this turned out. Expect more Jurassic stuff to come in the near future.
Spinosaurus from Jurassic World Rebirth