Spawnicorn
@spawnicorn.bsky.social
Alexandra Viertler
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Evolutionary biologist & artist
Loving all species-rich groups (whether sketching them, studying them, or both)
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My art:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Spawnicorn
https://www.redbubble.com/de/people/atropaia/shop
.
Evolutionary biologist & artist
Loving all species-rich groups (whether sketching them, studying them, or both)
.
My art:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Spawnicorn
https://www.redbubble.com/de/people/atropaia/shop
Reposted by Spawnicorn
🐝What an insightful talk from Alexandra Viertler at #BioSyst2026: "When models meet megadiversity." Using a dataset of 203 extant & 86 fossil Darwin wasps she tested Fossilized Birth-Death models for estimating the K-Pg mass extinction's impact - revealing key limits for hyperdiverse insect groups.
August 19, 2026 at 1:14 PM
🐝What an insightful talk from Alexandra Viertler at #BioSyst2026: "When models meet megadiversity." Using a dataset of 203 extant & 86 fossil Darwin wasps she tested Fossilized Birth-Death models for estimating the K-Pg mass extinction's impact - revealing key limits for hyperdiverse insect groups.
Huginn and Muninn
Watercolour ravens I did for a commission. When I asked "What makes those ravens recognisable as the two ravens of Odin?", I got the reply: "Nothing, it's just two ravens." So voilà, here, have two ravens ;)
#raven #watercolour #birdart #birds #Corvus #birdillustration #corvids
Watercolour ravens I did for a commission. When I asked "What makes those ravens recognisable as the two ravens of Odin?", I got the reply: "Nothing, it's just two ravens." So voilà, here, have two ravens ;)
#raven #watercolour #birdart #birds #Corvus #birdillustration #corvids
June 7, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Huginn and Muninn
Watercolour ravens I did for a commission. When I asked "What makes those ravens recognisable as the two ravens of Odin?", I got the reply: "Nothing, it's just two ravens." So voilà, here, have two ravens ;)
#raven #watercolour #birdart #birds #Corvus #birdillustration #corvids
Watercolour ravens I did for a commission. When I asked "What makes those ravens recognisable as the two ravens of Odin?", I got the reply: "Nothing, it's just two ravens." So voilà, here, have two ravens ;)
#raven #watercolour #birdart #birds #Corvus #birdillustration #corvids
Reposted by Spawnicorn
Check out the world revision of #Piogaster - parasitoid wasps that hunt jumping spiders 🕷️.
It includes a new species from Alberta, new records across Europe & North America, and the first confirmed male-female match in a species: doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
#Entomology #Taxonomy #Parasitoids
It includes a new species from Alberta, new records across Europe & North America, and the first confirmed male-female match in a species: doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
#Entomology #Taxonomy #Parasitoids
May 13, 2026 at 7:40 AM
Check out the world revision of #Piogaster - parasitoid wasps that hunt jumping spiders 🕷️.
It includes a new species from Alberta, new records across Europe & North America, and the first confirmed male-female match in a species: doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
#Entomology #Taxonomy #Parasitoids
It includes a new species from Alberta, new records across Europe & North America, and the first confirmed male-female match in a species: doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
#Entomology #Taxonomy #Parasitoids
Pigeon ✨ I love feral pigeons with their various colour patterns and shimmery bits. So I decided to paint one :)
#Columbalivia #pidgeon #watercolour #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #taube #birdillustration #animalartist #Columbidae #Stadttaube #ornithology
#Columbalivia #pidgeon #watercolour #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #taube #birdillustration #animalartist #Columbidae #Stadttaube #ornithology
April 15, 2026 at 6:04 AM
Pigeon ✨ I love feral pigeons with their various colour patterns and shimmery bits. So I decided to paint one :)
#Columbalivia #pidgeon #watercolour #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #taube #birdillustration #animalartist #Columbidae #Stadttaube #ornithology
#Columbalivia #pidgeon #watercolour #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #taube #birdillustration #animalartist #Columbidae #Stadttaube #ornithology
Congrats!!
Happy to see my illustrations in a phylogeny <3
Happy to see my illustrations in a phylogeny <3
Finally is the paper where we present the unique genomic architectures of the Arctic codfishes out!! Nice work by @gadus-sivus.bsky.social and co-authors …
@biovitenskap.bsky.social
@unioslo-cees.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@biovitenskap.bsky.social
@unioslo-cees.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Rapid genome modifications including chromosomal fusions and large-scale inversions are key features in Arctic codfish species - Genome Biology
Background Genome evolvability involves activation of transposable elements (TEs) that result in novel genomic rearrangements, including translocations, deletions, duplications, as well as larger stru...
link.springer.com
March 25, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Congrats!!
Happy to see my illustrations in a phylogeny <3
Happy to see my illustrations in a phylogeny <3
The ugly phase of paintings✨💚
March 15, 2026 at 12:15 PM
The ugly phase of paintings✨💚
Reposted by Spawnicorn
Guess who’s turning 217 today? It’s Charles Darwin! 🥳
Born in 1809, he transformed the way we understand the natural world. He developed the theory of evolution by natural selection in his 1859 best-seller, ‘On the Origins of Species’.
Send him your birthday wishes in the comments! 👇
Born in 1809, he transformed the way we understand the natural world. He developed the theory of evolution by natural selection in his 1859 best-seller, ‘On the Origins of Species’.
Send him your birthday wishes in the comments! 👇
February 12, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Guess who’s turning 217 today? It’s Charles Darwin! 🥳
Born in 1809, he transformed the way we understand the natural world. He developed the theory of evolution by natural selection in his 1859 best-seller, ‘On the Origins of Species’.
Send him your birthday wishes in the comments! 👇
Born in 1809, he transformed the way we understand the natural world. He developed the theory of evolution by natural selection in his 1859 best-seller, ‘On the Origins of Species’.
Send him your birthday wishes in the comments! 👇
Today I stepped into a frozen fairy forest❄️
January 21, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Today I stepped into a frozen fairy forest❄️
My talented friends wrote another Dungeons and Dragons adventure💚✨
You can buy it here digitally:
www.dmsguild.com/de/product/5...
You can buy it here digitally:
www.dmsguild.com/de/product/5...
DriveThruRPG
www.dmsguild.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:05 PM
My talented friends wrote another Dungeons and Dragons adventure💚✨
You can buy it here digitally:
www.dmsguild.com/de/product/5...
You can buy it here digitally:
www.dmsguild.com/de/product/5...
Northern nutcracker on a cat skull - Nucifraga caryocatactes
I have some prints of this on my etsy shop ;)
#ballpointpen #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #nutcracker #birdillustration #animalartist #corvidae #corvids #ornithology #Nucifraga
I have some prints of this on my etsy shop ;)
#ballpointpen #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #nutcracker #birdillustration #animalartist #corvidae #corvids #ornithology #Nucifraga
December 28, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Northern nutcracker on a cat skull - Nucifraga caryocatactes
I have some prints of this on my etsy shop ;)
#ballpointpen #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #nutcracker #birdillustration #animalartist #corvidae #corvids #ornithology #Nucifraga
I have some prints of this on my etsy shop ;)
#ballpointpen #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #nutcracker #birdillustration #animalartist #corvidae #corvids #ornithology #Nucifraga
My etsy shop is reopened✨ also i uploaded some wasp art on my redbubble (check my bio) ✨💚
December 22, 2025 at 6:56 PM
My etsy shop is reopened✨ also i uploaded some wasp art on my redbubble (check my bio) ✨💚
Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) with watercolours. I did this commission for a friend, who knows this owl in particular (a "pet"), so I had many many reference photos :)
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#bubo #snowyowl #watercolourart #birdart #birds #owl #birdillustration #animalartist #buboscandiacus #strigidae #ornithology
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#bubo #snowyowl #watercolourart #birdart #birds #owl #birdillustration #animalartist #buboscandiacus #strigidae #ornithology
October 19, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) with watercolours. I did this commission for a friend, who knows this owl in particular (a "pet"), so I had many many reference photos :)
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#bubo #snowyowl #watercolourart #birdart #birds #owl #birdillustration #animalartist #buboscandiacus #strigidae #ornithology
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#bubo #snowyowl #watercolourart #birdart #birds #owl #birdillustration #animalartist #buboscandiacus #strigidae #ornithology
Some of my fish illustrations in another paper again 🥳✨
New paper out where we demonstrate how pop gen parameters and scoring of structural variants (inversions) could be affected by the choice of reference genome (both in terms of both quality and relatedness).
@unioslo-cees.bsky.social
@biovitenskap.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@unioslo-cees.bsky.social
@biovitenskap.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reference genome bias in light of species-specific chromosomal reorganization and translocations - Genome Biology
Background Whole-genome sequencing efforts, have during the past decade, unveiled the central role of genomic rearrangements—such as chromosomal inversions—in evolutionary processes, including local a...
link.springer.com
October 15, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Some of my fish illustrations in another paper again 🥳✨
Reposted by Spawnicorn
Thank you Jane Goodall, for your care and your mission to share empathy🌿
October 3, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Thank you Jane Goodall, for your care and your mission to share empathy🌿
I thought it is time for a good old dose of Levi <3
#Leviathan
#Leviathan
September 12, 2025 at 9:21 AM
I thought it is time for a good old dose of Levi <3
#Leviathan
#Leviathan
Reposted by Spawnicorn
Our Curator of Hemiptera, Diana, wants to show you her favourite bugs - and you’d better have some lovely things to say about them… 👁️🦗🐜
#Hemiptera #Bugs #NaturalHistory #BeNice #WeAreAlwaysWatching
#Hemiptera #Bugs #NaturalHistory #BeNice #WeAreAlwaysWatching
July 10, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Our Curator of Hemiptera, Diana, wants to show you her favourite bugs - and you’d better have some lovely things to say about them… 👁️🦗🐜
#Hemiptera #Bugs #NaturalHistory #BeNice #WeAreAlwaysWatching
#Hemiptera #Bugs #NaturalHistory #BeNice #WeAreAlwaysWatching
Levi the Leviathan says: it is too damn hot to do anything but swimming and sleeping🫠🔥
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#goodestboy #Leviathan #bestestboy #doggos #dogsofbluesky
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#goodestboy #Leviathan #bestestboy #doggos #dogsofbluesky
June 26, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Levi the Leviathan says: it is too damn hot to do anything but swimming and sleeping🫠🔥
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#goodestboy #Leviathan #bestestboy #doggos #dogsofbluesky
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#goodestboy #Leviathan #bestestboy #doggos #dogsofbluesky
Just saying - they started watching me first (the disadvantage of having a roof window). Now they’re sabotaging my camera ;)
#Larusmichahellis #gull #yellowleggedgull #birder #birds #birdphotography #bird #gulls #laridae #larus #ornithology #birdbuddy
#Larusmichahellis #gull #yellowleggedgull #birder #birds #birdphotography #bird #gulls #laridae #larus #ornithology #birdbuddy
June 18, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Just saying - they started watching me first (the disadvantage of having a roof window). Now they’re sabotaging my camera ;)
#Larusmichahellis #gull #yellowleggedgull #birder #birds #birdphotography #bird #gulls #laridae #larus #ornithology #birdbuddy
#Larusmichahellis #gull #yellowleggedgull #birder #birds #birdphotography #bird #gulls #laridae #larus #ornithology #birdbuddy
Juvenile yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) on my roof. Put my birdbuddy there (without food) to check what is really going on there ;)
#Larusmichahellis #gull #yellowleggedgull #birder #birds #birdphotography #bird #gulls #laridae #larus #ornithology
#Larusmichahellis #gull #yellowleggedgull #birder #birds #birdphotography #bird #gulls #laridae #larus #ornithology
June 18, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Juvenile yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) on my roof. Put my birdbuddy there (without food) to check what is really going on there ;)
#Larusmichahellis #gull #yellowleggedgull #birder #birds #birdphotography #bird #gulls #laridae #larus #ornithology
#Larusmichahellis #gull #yellowleggedgull #birder #birds #birdphotography #bird #gulls #laridae #larus #ornithology
#FantasyBasel2025 is over! @tinybomfrit.bsky.social and me had a great time sharing our booth and look forward to participate again next year! 💚
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#artconvention #birds #birdart #ornithology #goblins #watercolourart #fantasybasel #faba #natureart #dndart #comiccon
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#artconvention #birds #birdart #ornithology #goblins #watercolourart #fantasybasel #faba #natureart #dndart #comiccon
June 3, 2025 at 6:55 AM
#FantasyBasel2025 is over! @tinybomfrit.bsky.social and me had a great time sharing our booth and look forward to participate again next year! 💚
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#artconvention #birds #birdart #ornithology #goblins #watercolourart #fantasybasel #faba #natureart #dndart #comiccon
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#artconvention #birds #birdart #ornithology #goblins #watercolourart #fantasybasel #faba #natureart #dndart #comiccon
Reposted by Spawnicorn
Heyyyy folks, I’ll be at fantasy basel this year!
@spawnicorn.bsky.social and I will be at booth 605!! ✨✨✨
@spawnicorn.bsky.social and I will be at booth 605!! ✨✨✨
May 27, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Heyyyy folks, I’ll be at fantasy basel this year!
@spawnicorn.bsky.social and I will be at booth 605!! ✨✨✨
@spawnicorn.bsky.social and I will be at booth 605!! ✨✨✨
Some of my top four pictures of our fieldwork in Zambia. Some wasps and spiders <3
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#hymenoptera #wasp #fieldwork #insects #braconidae #insectphotography #Pompilidae #entomology #spiders #Salticidae #jumpingspider #biologist
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#hymenoptera #wasp #fieldwork #insects #braconidae #insectphotography #Pompilidae #entomology #spiders #Salticidae #jumpingspider #biologist
May 23, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Some of my top four pictures of our fieldwork in Zambia. Some wasps and spiders <3
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#hymenoptera #wasp #fieldwork #insects #braconidae #insectphotography #Pompilidae #entomology #spiders #Salticidae #jumpingspider #biologist
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#hymenoptera #wasp #fieldwork #insects #braconidae #insectphotography #Pompilidae #entomology #spiders #Salticidae #jumpingspider #biologist
Painted an Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) with watercolours - not only the bird with the best Latin name, but also one of the most beautiful corvids <3
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#picapica #magpie #watercolour #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #magpie #birdillustration #animalartist #corvidae #corvids #ornithology
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#picapica #magpie #watercolour #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #magpie #birdillustration #animalartist #corvidae #corvids #ornithology
May 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Painted an Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) with watercolours - not only the bird with the best Latin name, but also one of the most beautiful corvids <3
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#picapica #magpie #watercolour #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #magpie #birdillustration #animalartist #corvidae #corvids #ornithology
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#picapica #magpie #watercolour #watercolourart #birdart #birds #animalart #magpie #birdillustration #animalartist #corvidae #corvids #ornithology
Post-fieldwork blues hitting.
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We had an amazing time in Zambia and can't wait to work on the collected material together!
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#Hymenoptera #Fieldwork #entomologists #Ichneumonidae
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We had an amazing time in Zambia and can't wait to work on the collected material together!
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#Hymenoptera #Fieldwork #entomologists #Ichneumonidae
May 10, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Post-fieldwork blues hitting.
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We had an amazing time in Zambia and can't wait to work on the collected material together!
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#Hymenoptera #Fieldwork #entomologists #Ichneumonidae
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We had an amazing time in Zambia and can't wait to work on the collected material together!
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#Hymenoptera #Fieldwork #entomologists #Ichneumonidae
Illustration I did of the life cycle of a stag beetle:
From egg to larva to pupa to adult female
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#stagbeetle #lifecycle #insects #insectillustration #holometabolous #Lucanidae #beetles #coleoptera
From egg to larva to pupa to adult female
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#stagbeetle #lifecycle #insects #insectillustration #holometabolous #Lucanidae #beetles #coleoptera
May 9, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Illustration I did of the life cycle of a stag beetle:
From egg to larva to pupa to adult female
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#stagbeetle #lifecycle #insects #insectillustration #holometabolous #Lucanidae #beetles #coleoptera
From egg to larva to pupa to adult female
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#stagbeetle #lifecycle #insects #insectillustration #holometabolous #Lucanidae #beetles #coleoptera