WitmerLab at Ohio University

@witmerlab

21st-century approaches to fleshing out the past! Mission: to use the structure of past & present animals to interpret evolutionary history...and to share it!

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WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· 3d

Two months ago I set up this little exhibit at the local Athens Public Library for their summer "Unearth a Story" series. We did a big public event there with tons more skulls a week later. But...summer's over & time for them to come back to the lab. I'm a little sad actually. 🦖

The exhibit of dinosaur skull casts that I set up at the local Athens Public Library for their summer program...just before I broke it down and returned it to WitmerLab.

The empty display cabinet at the Athens Public Library after I removed and packed all the skull casts for return to WitmerLab.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· 8d

It's #InternationalCatDay and #caturday so we'll dip into the #PinkysDinosaurAdventure archives for an image of 8-week-old Pinky the Kitten with a somewhat larger friend.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· 16d

The 2nd day of the NHK TV documentary shoot took place in WitmerLab at @ohiouniversity.bsky.social. They shot tons of B-roll since we have sooo many skulls! We also shot interviews with me perched in front of a workstation with data & 3D prints of brain endocasts of SUE the T. rex & Triceratops. 2/2

Witmer studying a replica (3D print) of a T. rex braincase (AMNH 5117) through the jaws of T. rex (AMNH 5027) in WitmerLab at Ohio University. They filmed a panning B-roll sequence of this basic shot. Photo by NHK director Yusuke Matsufune, with permission.

NHK cameraman Taka films a B-roll panning sequence of a number (but not all!) of the tyrannosaur skulls we have in WitmerLab.

A behind-the-scenes photo of the interview in WitmerLab, in this case talking about the brain and behavioral capabilities of T. rex. On the screen is the brain endocast of SUE the T. rex (FMNH PR 2081) which we published in 2009 (https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.20983). On the table in front of me are new 3D prints of the brain endocast of SUE and a large Triceratops (MOR 1194). Photo by NHK director Yusuke Matsufune, with permission.

Another behind-the-scenes photo of the interview in WitmerLab, in this case talking about the brain and behavioral capabilities of Triceratops. On the screen is the brain endocast of a large Triceratops (MOR 1194), and on the table is a 3D print of the same brain endocast. Photo by NHK director Yusuke Matsufune, with permission.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· 16d

Last week I hosted the Japanese TV network NHK to film another fun documentary. The focus was T. rex & Triceratops. We CT scanned a replica T. rex braincase at @ohiohealth.bsky.social O'Bleness Hospital, recreating what we did with the real fossil >20 yrs ago (see captions). More below ⬇️ 1/2

Replica (3D print) of a T. rex braincase (AMNH 5117) on the CT scanner at OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital in Athens, Ohio. Witmer and CT tech Angie McDonald are visible in the control room in the background. Photo by NHK director Yusuke Matsufune, with permission.

NHK cameraman Taka and director Yusuke Matsufune plan the shot of the camera riding on the CT table as the T. rex braincase goes through the scanner. OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital CT Tech Angie McDonald operates the scanner.

The replica T. rex braincase on the CT scanner table at OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital. The replica was 3D printed using the scan data of AMNH 5117 that we collected at O'Bleness in 2006 and published in 2009: https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.20983.

Witmer (left) with NHK coordinator/translator Reina Endo (center) and documentary director Yusuke Matsufune (right) along with the replica braincase of T. rex (AMNH 5117).

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· 29d

#FossilFriday Not my normal adult beverage, but when a hard seltzer is called "Dinosaurs on TV" & I'm hosting a documentary film crew this weekend to make, yes, dinosaurs on TV, I'm buyin'! Plus, the brewer is Jackie O's, our favorite local brewery here in Athens, Ohio. 🦖🍺

Two empty cans of Jackie O's "Dinosaurs on TV" hard seltzer sit in a stool with a T. rex brain endocast. A Triceratops endocast and various tyrannosaur parts are in the background.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Jul 4

Happy July 4th! We'll celebrate the USA's 250th birthday with the iconic American dinosaur Brachiosaurus, discovered on July 4, 1900 in Colorado! A cast used to be mounted outside the Field Museum in Chicago but Elmer Riggs' holotype is still in the collection & a cast is at O'Hare airport. 🦕

The cast of the full skeleton of Brachiosaurus mounted outside the northwest terrace of the Field Museum in Chicago, silhouetted by the sun. I took this photo in 2011. In 2022, the cast was dismantled and recycled due to weathering damage, which is sad.

Witmer in 2017 with the holotype femur (FMNH P 25107) of Brachiosaurus altithorax in the collections of Field Museum of Natural History.

A page from the 1903 article in which Elmer Riggs names and figures the holotype skeleton of Brachiosaurus altithorax.

Witmer in 2023 with the mounted Brachiosaurus skeleton at the United Airlines Terminal at O'Hare International Airport (Terminal 1, Concourse B). On that day in May 2023, the skeleton thankfully wasn't dressed up in a sports jersey or corporate garb which I think diminishes and cheapens the impact of the amazing skeleton.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Jul 1

Excited to see this #OA article ably led by Federico "Dino" Degrange come out today in @royalsocietypublishing.org Open Science on the brain endocast & feeding strategies of the Early Paleocene stem-anseriform Conflicto: doi.org/10.1098/rsos.... Proud to be on this team & work with Dino again!

Figure 1 from Degrange et al. 2026 (https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.252544) showing the brain endocast of the stem-anseriform Conflicto as well as the endocast within the transparent fossil skull and a life restoration by H.S. Druetta.

Figure 2 from Degrange et al. 2026 (https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.252544) showing the brain endocast of the stem-anseriform Conflicto in phylogenetic context with other Galloanseres.

Larry Witmer (left) and Dino Degrange (right) in 2015 during one of Dino's visits to WitmerLab at Ohio University.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Jun 18

Our "Unearthing a Story" dinosaur event at the Athens Public Library a couple days ago was a great success! Lotsa kids & parents—& it can be hard to tell who's more eager! I gave a little talk but the big thing is the hands-on opportunity to explore! Thanks to our team & APL!🦖🦕

The WitmerLab team that worked the "Unearthing a Story" event at the Athens Public Library. In front is Ohio University undergrad Casey Funk and standing (from left) former master's grad student Daniel Dunfee, former PhD student Ruger Porter, and Larry Witmer.

Two boys explore the cast skull of Dromaeosaurus. We encourage the public to (gently) touch the specimens, and we're on hand to not just engage and explain but also to monitor the activity but frankly the parents generally are more concerned than we are. We want them to explore...I have glue. Photo by Casey Funk.

Undergrad Casey Funk speaks with a young library patron about Allosaurus. Casey is a senior in the Ohio University College of Arts & Sciences pre-health track studying biology and psychology.

This is the first time we've taken our T. rex foot along and it was a big hit. Kids (and adults) liked to line their foot up next to T. rex's to get a visceral sense of the scale! Photo by Casey Funk.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Jun 12

WitmerLab members will be putting on another public event at our local Athens Public Library next Tuesday, June 16th—https://bit.ly/4xrOiSM. Today, I put together a little exhibit at the library, too. It's all part of the library's June theme of "Unearth a Story." #FossilFriday 🦖🦕

Witmer stands next to a tall display cabinet filled with dinosaur skull casts at the Athens Public Library, which he just set up in advance of his upcoming public dinosaur event at the library next Tuesday, June 16th: https://bit.ly/4xrOiSM.

The display cabinet at the Athens Public Library filled with dinosaurs skull casts from the WitmerLab.

Witmer stands next to a poster at the Athens Public Library declaring June's them of "Unearth a Story", which is the context for his dinosaur exhibit and his presentation of a public dinosaur event at the library next Tuesday, June 16th: https://bit.ly/4xrOiSM.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Jun 8

The workshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, for the Deep Time Cognition grant team was amazing! Stimulating, inspiring, and so much fun! We worked hard by day & almost as hard at the pub in the evenings, plus a fossil-collecting excursion! See ALT for comments. More photos coming! 🧠

Members of the Deep Time Cognition grant team outside the Royal Society of Edinburgh. From left: Ryan Ridgely, Milly Mead, Mathias Osvath, Helena Osvath, Fraser Weston, George Poon, Kristina Kverková, Simon Grendeus, Thibault Boehly, Lona Lalić, Adam Manning, Larry Witmer, Thomas Rejsenhus Jensen, Steve Brusatte, Pavel Němec.

The Deep Time Cognition grant team met in the lovely Kelvin Room at the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Group photo of the Deep Time Cognition team at the shore of Wardie Bay at low tide to collect 335-million-year-old fossils (lots of fish and plants are known but we mostly found shark spiral coprolites). Here Steve Brusatte is giving us a run-down of the history and geology of the locality. The fact that the 300th anniversary of the birth of James Hutton, "the Father of Modern Geology," was the day we were there—and Hutton (and Darwin!) collected there—made it extra special!

The four principal investigators (PIs) of the Deep Time Cognition grant paused at Wardie Shore for a photo. From left: Larry Witmer (Ohio University, USA), Mathias Osvath (project director, Lund University, Sweden), Steve Brusatte (University of Edinburgh, Scotland), and Pavel Němec (Charles University, Czechia).

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Jun 1

After a stimulating 1st day of our meeting of our Deep Time Cognition grant team, bringing together scholars from Lund Univ (Sweden), Charles Univ (Czech Republic), Univ. of Edinburgh (Scotland) & Ohio Univ (USA). Thanks to @stevebrusatte.bsky.social & his team for hosting us in Edinburgh!

Smiling members of the Deep Time Cognition project at a pub in Edinburgh, Scotland).

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 26

Rising @ohiouniversity.bsky.social senior Casey Funk places a Laysan albatross skull on the #OUµCT scanner. 2/2

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 26

Casey Funk is a rising @ohiouniversity.bsky.social senior joining our lab this summer. She's in the Coll. of Arts & Sci pre-health track studying bio & psych. Casey is interested in brain & cognitive evolution which we kinda do—starting with #OUµCT of an albatross to generate a brain endocast! 1/2

OHIO rising senior Casey Funk scanning a Laysan albatross skull on the OU microCT scanner.

OHIO rising senior Casey Funk carefully places a Laysan albatross skull on the OU microCT scanner.

OHIO rising senior Casey Funk watches the scan of the albatross skull being set up in the scanning software.

he results of the microCT scan of the Laysan albatross skull, showing volume renders of the skull in four different views.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 22

Finally got my copy of @stevebrusatte.bsky.social’s The Story of Birds, the latest in his “New History” series. I got to read an early draft, so I know I’ll enjoy it as much as his dinosaur & mammal books. it’s reading material for my trip to Edinburgh next week to work with Steve & our grant team!

Three books written by Steve Brusatte sit on a table, each adorned with a relevant skull: an ostrich for the bird book, a Velociraptor for the dinosaur book, and an opossum skull for the mammal book.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 17

Had a wonderful & productive visit w/ Justyna Słowiak—so many tyrannosaurs! 🦖 She's building an exciting career at @ipaleopan.bsky.social by leading modern studies of the dinosaurs of the classic Polish-Mongolian Expeditions with a network of collaborators. I'm lucky to be among her collaborators!

Justyna Słowiak of the Institute of Paleobiology at the Polish Academy of Sciences poses with the disarticulated skull bones of the Mongolian tyrannosaur Tarbosaurus, while surrounded by other tyrannosaur skulls.

A final selfie with Justyna Słowiak and Larry Witmer before she returned to Warsaw and the Institute of Paleobiology at the Polish Academy of Sciences.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 15

Surprised this week to find that a new dinosaur species bears my name—sorta. Paul Penkalski named a species of Pinacosaurus after a 2003 paper. P. hilwitnorum combines the authors Rob Hill, me (Witmer), & Mark Norell. Cool to see that our article—https://bit.ly/4nC5PTU—is still relevant!

A specimen of Pinacosaurus that was described in 2003 by Rob Hill, me (Witmer), and the late great Mark Norell was made the holotype of a new species—Pinacosaurus hilwitnorum—in an article this week by Paul Penkalski. By combining the first three letters of each author's name, he honored our 2003 collaboration (https://bit.ly/4nC5PTU).

Paul Penkalski studying ankylosaurian dinosaur skulls in WitmerLab in 2015. Here's a link to his 2026 Historical Biology article reviewing the systematics of Pinacosaurus and naming P. hilwitnorum: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2026.2633178

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 13

Here's Justyna Słowiak with the full skeleton of the same adult Tarbosaurus specimen (ZPAL MgD-I/4) in the museum space at @ipaleopan.bsky.social. It's exciting how Justyna and her colleagues in Warsaw are using new techniques like CT scanning to restudy these Gobi specimens discovered in the 1960s.

Justyna Słowiak with the full skeleton of the same adult Tarbosaurus specimen (ZPAL MgD-I/4) in the museum space at the Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 13

Tarbosaurus! 🦖 Having a great visit with Justyna Słowiak of @ipaleopan.bsky.social. She's been honing her segmentation skills on a Tarbo braincase, with some guidance from our resident CT guru Ryan Ridgely. We're already collaborating on brain endocast ontogeny but lots of new projects are brewing!

Justyna Słowiak of the Institute of Paleobiology at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, seated at a workstation working on CT scan data of a braincase of the Mongolian tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 6

Excited to welcome Justyna Słowiak of the Institute of Paleobiology at the Polish Academy of Sciences for a couple weeks. We're collaborating on aspects of skull evolution of the Mongolian tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus. Stay tuned for more from Dr. Słowiak—& from our collaboration!🦖

Justyna Słowiak of the Institute of Paleobiology at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, seated at a bench in WitmerLab surrounded by casts of skull bones of the Mongolian tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· May 1

Had a great time this week at the RoyalTyrrell Museum, culminating in the CurrieFest symposium yesterday, honoring Phil Currie's 50 years in Alberta! It was a special day—and a total surprise for Phil! Otherwise, I was in the collections & had a full day on my own in the exhibits!

Phil Currie and me (Witmer) at the CurrieFest event, celebrating Phil's 50 years in Alberta and honoring his contributions to paleontology and his profound influence on so many people, myself included!

An amazing complete skeleton of the tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus (TMP 1999.33.1 ) in the collections of the Tyrrell Museum.

An amazing complete skeleton of the tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus (TMP 1999.33.1 ) in the collections of the Tyrrell Museum. This specimen is notable for a number of reasons, especially for having a complete gastral basket (that is, belly ribs called gastralia).

I had a full day in the exhibits on Monday when the Tyrrell Museum is closed to the public. I was able to climb into several exhibits to study original fossil specimens, but also take some great photos of the wonderful exhibits without museum patrons in the way.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Apr 29

Great to meet up with Jared Voris today at the Royal Tyrrell Museum & study some beautiful juvenile specimens of the tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus (this one is TMP 2016.014.0001). Happy to have played a role in two awesome articles led by Jared: doi.org/10.1080/0272... & doi.org/10.1002/cne..... 🦖

Larry Witmer and Jared Voris stand behind a wonderful skull of a juvenile Gorgosaurus.

Skull of a juvenile Gorgosaurus (TMP 2016.014.0001) in right lateral view.

Skull of a juvenile Gorgosaurus (TMP 2016.014.0001) in left lateral view.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Apr 25

Congratulations to graduating senior Grace Vance who defended her honors thesis on cranial vascular adaptations for diving in seals this week & submitted it today! We'll send it off for publication soon. Grace is a truly impressive person with a bright future! Off to Purdue for her PhD!

Graduating Ohio University senior Grace Vance holds her complete and submitted senior honors thesis on cranial vascular adaptations for deep diving in seals. In front of her on a table is the skull of an adult male hooded seal.

Graduating Ohio University senior Grace Vance presents her senior honors thesis research on cranial vascular adaptations for deep diving in seals.

Grace Vance presents her seal research poster to Dr. Kenneth C. and Gayle A. Reed at today's Research Fair for our Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies (OCEES). Dr. Reed is a generous donor to our OCEES student programs, funding multiple fellowships.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Apr 10

#FossilFriday From the depths of the pandemic to a wonderful #OA article out this week in @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social—https://bit.ly/48oGPZG—congratulation to Marissa Livius, Jordan Mallon, & the whole team! A blast to dig back into ankylosaurs to sort out the Panoplosaurus-Edmontonia mess.

First page of the Livius et al. (2026) article in JVP: https://bit.ly/48oGPZG. Superimposed on the page is a Zoom screen capture of Marissa Livius' master's proposal defense from May 2021 with Jordan Mallon, Witmer, Hillary Maddin, Michael Ryan, and Marissa.

Photograph of a cast of the holotype skull of Panoplosaurus mirus (CMN 2759) in the foreground, with some other ankylosaurs lurking in the background (Gastonia, Ankylosaurus, Pawpawsaurus).

CT-scan-based volume renders of the Panoplosaurus mirus holotype skull (CMN 2759) (top), a referred specimen of P. mirus ROM 1215 (middle), and a referred skull of Edmontonia rugosidens AMNH 5381 along with a slice through the snout (bottom).

Photos from a May 2025 post (while finalizing details for the Livius et al. manuscript) focusing on the Edmontonia rugosidens holotype (USNM 11868). At top right is Witmer studying the old-fashioned x-ray film-based versions of the 1998 CT scan we made of the skull. The middle photo shows lateral views of the skull, and the bottom photo shows stereoscopic photos of the ventral surface of the skull.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Apr 9

Excited to report that Scripps School of Journalism student @eric-boll.bsky.social published his master's thesis research (which I helped supervise) on aspects of news coverage of paleo in the 1990s in @historicalbiology.bsky.social: bit.ly/41VMS4e. It also elicited an editorial: bit.ly/4spzQH9! 🦖

Eric Boll peers through the jaws of Tyrannosaurus rex, along with a copy of the Michael Crighton novel Jurassic Park, which according to his research was, along with the movie, a major influence on news coverage of paleontology and dinosaurs in the 1990s.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Apr 7

Today is the Ohio University Student Research & Creativity Expo! For the third year in a row OHIO Honors student Grace Vance took first place for her poster on her senior thesis research on vascular adaptations for deep diving in seals! Well done, Grace! 🦭🏆 @ouhcom.bsky.social

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Apr 5

#HappyEaster🐰 from your friends at WitmerLab! A crunchy take on that traditional favorite this #Easter — now with added calcium! @ohiouniversity.bsky.social @ouhcom.bsky.social #rabbit #easterbunny #oryctolaguscuniculus #OUµCT #microCT #chocolatebunny

A traditional chocolate Easter bunny with a microCT-scan-based rendering of a rabbit skull (OUVC 9527) in place.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Apr 3

A quiet #FossilFriday in the lab, just me & the gang. Here's the Camarasaurus "station" that @ohiouniversity.bsky.social freshman Klazina McKeigan set up to learn dinosaur skulls: huge skull of the Gunma Camarasaurus (GMNH-PV 101)—both articulated & disarticulated—along with "baby Cam" (CM 11338). 🦕

The articulated skull of a huge specimen of the sauropod Camarasaurus—the Gunma Museum specimen (GMNH-PV 101)—sits on a table surrounded by the disarticulated cast bones of the same specimen, arranged roughly in position for comparison. Also, nearby at left is the skull of the Carnegie Museum specimen of a juvenile Camarasaurus (CM 11338). OHIO freshman Klazina McKeigan set this up to help her learn dinosaur skulls. A bunch of theropods skulls also share the table space.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Mar 27

Some sabertooth fun for #FossilFriday! A colleague recently asked me what parts of a Smilodon skull that we published on (bit.ly/4dfOInK) were real. CT is the easiest way to detect restoration. Here, the right canine (saber), a carnassial crown, & all lower incisors needed to be restored. ⚔️🦷🐱

A volume rendering of CT scan data of a sabertooth cat collected from the Las Brea Tar Pits (FMNH P12418) in right oblique view.

A photograph of the original fossil skull of a sabertooth cat collected from the Las Brea Tar Pits (FMNH P12418) in right oblique view.

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Mar 19

Bobcat to Boilermaker! Grace Vance, who is doing her @ohiouniversity.bsky.social senior thesis on seals in our lab, will be joining Dylan Wainwright's lab at Purdue as a PhD student! Grace also will be a summer intern at Friday Harbor Labs this summer! Congratulations on all your success, Grace! 🎉

Bobcat to Boilermaker! We're thrilled to announce that Grace Vance, Ohio University senior in the OHIO Honors program who is completing her senior thesis in our lab on vascular diving adaptation in seals, will be joining Dylan Wainwright's lab at Purdue University as a PhD student this fall! Grace also was accepted into the internship program at Friday Harbor Laboratories near Seattle and Vancouver for this summer! Congratulations on all your success, Grace!

WitmerLab at Ohio University@witmerlab· Mar 16

@ohiouniversity.bsky.social undergrad researcher in our lab Klazina McKeigan spent her Spring Break in Chicago & visited the Field Museum. She snapped photos with such luminaries as @suethetrex.bsky.social, the Chicago Archaeopteryx, & a mount Majungasaurus—same one she's been learning in our lab!