Skye McDavid

@skyemcdavid.com

3210 Followers 378 Following

scientific illustrator dabbling in paleontological research: pterosaurs, dinosaurs, other fossil reptiles, zoological nomenclature. French New Yorker. she/her https://www.skyemcdavid.com/links

Blurry photo of a DC-6 against a cloudy sky

"1776 250 years" themed cheddar cheese in a star shaped wax pack

A sign on a napkin dispenser with the text "please remember to that your napkins/utensils and conserve to protect the earth" with a picture of Al Gore, captioned "Al Gore, who would totally agree"

Windows 11 taskbar with missing icons even those apps are pinned

Google search for "meteor sightings" shows a few meteors flying across the screen

Email from SVP 86th Annual Meeting

Dear Skye,

Thank you for submitting your abstract for the SVP 2026 Annual Meeting. Please save a copy of this message. Notification of your abstract status will be sent to you at this address.

Your abstract, "Reappraisal of the genus Quetzalcoatlus Lawson 1975 (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchidae) and the status of 'Quetzalcoatlus' lawsoni ", has been assigned ID # 134.

Please reference this ID number in any communications to the organizers.

SAMPLE ABSTRACT:

Title
Life history inferred from stable isotopes in Taxonotherium inexpectus teeth during the Wasatchian and Bridgerian of North America

Abstract Body
Taxonotherium inexpectus lived during the Wasatchian and Bridgerian and ranged across western North America. Fossil remains of T. inexpectus were historically known from the early Eocene and shockingly have recently from Upper Cretaceous sediments of Canada.
Taxonotherium was known to have consumed water (H2O). Measurements of δ18O and δ13C from various upper and lower teeth (i1, c1, p1–2, dp2, I1, C1, P1, and dP2) indicate that Taxonotherium also ate food.

Mistukurina owstoni swimming above the ocean floor

Photogrammetry renderings and line drawings of the holotype of Rexarthuria cliftii NHMUK PV OR 2535/2353a

A bucket of iced coffee from the fast food coffee and breakfast chain Dunkin

Friday, April 18, 1930
The BBC Radio news bulletin from London stated: "Good evening. Today is Good Friday. There is no news." Piano music followed for roughly 15 minutes

Everything croissant

Spinosaur Tales by David Hone and Mark Witton

Skeletal diagram of Laueropterus vitriolis

Holotype of Laueropterus vitriolis

very smol tiny orange kitten sitting on a blanket looking angrily at the camera with the text 'angy' superimposed

To improve accessibility, all images we publish now require descriptive text. AI-generated image descriptions have been created for all Figures. Please review for accuracy and relevance, making corrections as necessary.

pop tart packaging

Skull reconstruction of Ptychotherates bucculentus

Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa

Flyer for North East Regional Vertebrate Evolution Symposium

excerpt from the NERVES conference schedule:
3:45 SKYE MCDAVID | LFPSE
Lonchodectidae (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea:) What exactly are they and do they exist?
Skye N. McDavid, Emily M. R. Thomas

closeup of where the human and zebra skeletons are spliced together

"Centaur skeleton" - actually a composite of zebra (Equus sp.) and human (Homo sapiens) bones assembled to resemble a centaur. If you look carefully you can see the point where the human lumbar spine is connected to the cervical spine of a zebra. Photo actually from a temporary exhibit on hoaxes photographed at the Bruce Museum (Greenwich, CT) in 2023.

"Did you know" section of the English Wikipedia Main page from April 1, 2026.

Did you know...
...that Governor Joe was "not afraid of longhairs"
...that men ceased to exist in 2009?
...that the Los Angeles Metro wants you to ride their D?
...that African Nigeria played in the NFL?
...that Karl Marx made an arrangement of a Christmas carol?
...that Ben Franklin was inspired by an internet meme?
...that a moth flew into a podiatrist's office because the light was on?
...that the Armed Forces of the Philippines have a cobra that they use for combat?
...that horses suffered a ban in November 2025?
...that Romeo and Juliet are a same-sex couple?
... that E.T. wants Osama bin Laden to fuck off?

Old West style Wanted poster:
WANTED
Dead ('or alive' is crossed out)
photos of the holotype of Ornithocheirus huxleyi
Ornithocheirus huxleyi
Last seen 1870
Have you seen this pterosaur?
Notify nearest pterosaur researcher or museum curator immediately!
$0 cash reward

Paleontologist breaks down

Discord message from Diana:
"As a foram specialist... that is the dumbest sentence I've ever heard"

Apple crumb pie

Stangerochampsa skeleton mount at the Burpee Museum

Merlin the tabby cat lying down on the graphics tablet on skye's desk

Michael Raath skeletal diagram of "Syntarsus" rhodesiensis dragging its tail.

Fortune from a cookie:

You will be successful in your work.
Lucky #16, 39, 13, 31, 27, 01

Rhamphorhynchus specimen under a microscope

Deep dish pizza

Henry Thomas presenting about azhdarchids

Taxidermy moose from up close near the snoot, in the Burpee Museum gift shop

Skye holding the holotype of Infernodrakon hastacollis. Skye has severe resting bitch face but she is actually excited and happy

Promotional poster for PaleoFest 2026 at the Burpee Museum featuring JH Infernodrakon art

Cast of the Nanotyrannus lancensis holotype skull

Homophobic dog meme but it's a cat with a lesbian flag

Selfie of Skye in front of the mounted skeleton of Jane, the holotype of Nanotyrannus lethaeus

Mounted skeleton of Jane, Nanotyrannus lethaeus and a reconstructed skeleton of an Azhdarchid intended to represent Infernodrakon

Baby Ctenochasmatid pterosaur

Homer the Triceratops

Empty part of Westchester airport as seen from inside a plane

E170LR wing as seen from inside the rear fuselage, with Westchester airport ramp and terminal visible in the background

American Airlines opby Envoy Air Embraer E170LR with ramp equipment

Pterosaur plushie in a suitcase

The fossils from Coulonges-sur-Sarthe were destroyed in the British air raid on Caen in July 1944 [6], and since neither a detailed description nor illustrations were published, the affinities of this purported dinosaur must remain uncertain. There is an obvious discrepancy between Morière’s mention of a femur and Bigot’s identification of dermal spines, but it
seems that several skeletal elements were present, and they may have included both a
femur and dermal scutes, although the fact that Bigot made no mention of the femur is puzzling. If Bigot’s interpretation of some of the fossils as dermal spines was correct, they may have belonged to an ankylosaur. Ankylosaur remains are known from the Cenomanian Chalk of England [14–16]. from Buffetaut, E (2026) The Cretaceous Dinosaur Record from Normandy (NW France): A Review. Fossil Studies 4(1): art5 doi.org/10.3390/fossils4010005

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE NEXT SVP TOWN HALL MEETING
An Explanation of SVP’s Ethics Policies and Practices

Dear Skye,

All members of the Society are invited to join SVP President Stuart Sumida, other members of the SVP Executive Committee, and members of the SVP Ethics Committee for the latest in the series of town hall meetings designed to let members discuss opportunities, questions, concerns, and planning that impact our Society. The topic of this town hall meeting will be: An Explanation of SVP’s Ethics Policies and Practices. It is anticipated that the town hall will last approximately one hour.

Blurry photo of a Northern Cardinal in the snow

The same cat, now much calmer, looking inquisitively at the camera