Vancleavea campi, a Late Triassic archosauriform preserved with some of the most incredible osteoderms I’ve ever seen. Cast on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. #FossilFriday
December 6, 2024 at 4:43 PM
Vancleavea campi, a Late Triassic archosauriform preserved with some of the most incredible osteoderms I’ve ever seen. Cast on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. #FossilFriday
happy #fossilfriday! this is vancleavea, a bizarre archosauriform from late triassic north america. it was a small, semiaquatic predator covered in imbricating osteoderms, and its relationship to other archosauriforms is unclear
(art by @literallymiguel.bsky.social)
(art by @literallymiguel.bsky.social)
September 5, 2025 at 2:29 PM
happy #fossilfriday! this is vancleavea, a bizarre archosauriform from late triassic north america. it was a small, semiaquatic predator covered in imbricating osteoderms, and its relationship to other archosauriforms is unclear
(art by @literallymiguel.bsky.social)
(art by @literallymiguel.bsky.social)
May 16, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Two years ago I returned the loan of this amazing Vancleavea skull to Ghost Ranch. It had been in Austin for CT scanning, and needed a courier to bring it home.
#paleontology
#paleontology
November 25, 2024 at 10:04 PM
Two years ago I returned the loan of this amazing Vancleavea skull to Ghost Ranch. It had been in Austin for CT scanning, and needed a courier to bring it home.
#paleontology
#paleontology
Vancleavea lingering above decaying trees.
September 28, 2024 at 12:00 AM
Vancleavea lingering above decaying trees.
here's a Diplocaulus and a Vancleavea
✏🦎
✏🦎
November 12, 2023 at 9:13 AM
here's a Diplocaulus and a Vancleavea
✏🦎
✏🦎
while traditionally considered a proterochampsian, this placement for vancleavea was called into question with the naming of litorosuchus in 2016, which is thought to have been vancleavea's closest relative
(art by gabriel ugueto)
(art by gabriel ugueto)
September 5, 2025 at 2:33 PM
while traditionally considered a proterochampsian, this placement for vancleavea was called into question with the naming of litorosuchus in 2016, which is thought to have been vancleavea's closest relative
(art by gabriel ugueto)
(art by gabriel ugueto)
possessing webbed feet and an overall more gracile appearance, litorosuchus is a less aberrant - though even more taxonomically unstable - archosauriform than vancleavea, complicating the latter's classification considerably
September 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
possessing webbed feet and an overall more gracile appearance, litorosuchus is a less aberrant - though even more taxonomically unstable - archosauriform than vancleavea, complicating the latter's classification considerably
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out some weird fish bones from a microvertebrate site that turned out to be Vancleavea osteoderms. A weird and wonderful animal!
Vancleavea campi, a Late Triassic archosauriform preserved with some of the most incredible osteoderms I’ve ever seen. Cast on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. #FossilFriday
December 6, 2024 at 4:53 PM
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out some weird fish bones from a microvertebrate site that turned out to be Vancleavea osteoderms. A weird and wonderful animal!
Rigged Vancleavea
I think this is the hardest creature I've ever made.
It's really hard to fix the weight of the jaws and the teeth when the jaws closed.
#blender #b3d #paleoart #Vancleavea #Triassic
I think this is the hardest creature I've ever made.
It's really hard to fix the weight of the jaws and the teeth when the jaws closed.
#blender #b3d #paleoart #Vancleavea #Triassic
January 25, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Rigged Vancleavea
I think this is the hardest creature I've ever made.
It's really hard to fix the weight of the jaws and the teeth when the jaws closed.
#blender #b3d #paleoart #Vancleavea #Triassic
I think this is the hardest creature I've ever made.
It's really hard to fix the weight of the jaws and the teeth when the jaws closed.
#blender #b3d #paleoart #Vancleavea #Triassic
Calling all dino experts, we have an excellent question alert 🚨
While Vancleavea is not a dinosaur, it’s a top-notch predecessor of the group that includes dinosaurs, birds, and crocodilians. I’m less knowledgeable about excellent dino preservation.
While Vancleavea is not a dinosaur, it’s a top-notch predecessor of the group that includes dinosaurs, birds, and crocodilians. I’m less knowledgeable about excellent dino preservation.
December 6, 2024 at 5:18 PM
Calling all dino experts, we have an excellent question alert 🚨
While Vancleavea is not a dinosaur, it’s a top-notch predecessor of the group that includes dinosaurs, birds, and crocodilians. I’m less knowledgeable about excellent dino preservation.
While Vancleavea is not a dinosaur, it’s a top-notch predecessor of the group that includes dinosaurs, birds, and crocodilians. I’m less knowledgeable about excellent dino preservation.
-Barlagual is placed within Doswelliidae due to its similatiries with Vancleavea(though i am aware its taxonomy is iffy at the moment)
-Kuarusepusu/Quarzeps is close to what the ancestor of Dah'ren Mohran was like
-Kuarusepusu/Quarzeps is close to what the ancestor of Dah'ren Mohran was like
February 4, 2026 at 12:22 PM
-Barlagual is placed within Doswelliidae due to its similatiries with Vancleavea(though i am aware its taxonomy is iffy at the moment)
-Kuarusepusu/Quarzeps is close to what the ancestor of Dah'ren Mohran was like
-Kuarusepusu/Quarzeps is close to what the ancestor of Dah'ren Mohran was like
GR-138 Vancleavea campi from the Coelophysis quarry at Ghost Ranch NM. howardlandman.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/v... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanclea...
Vancleavea campi GR-138
As far as I know, there were no really good photos online of GR-138, the most complete fossil of Vancleavea campi in existence, so as long as I was at Ghost Ranch with multiple cameras, I decided t…
howardlandman.wordpress.com
April 9, 2026 at 12:18 PM
GR-138 Vancleavea campi from the Coelophysis quarry at Ghost Ranch NM. howardlandman.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/v... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanclea...
I wanted to say, the short necked one could maybe pass off as a stylized Vancleavea. Sure enough, there was an SVP abstract from years ago mentioning alleged larger specimens.
Ofc that couldn’t have been the artist’s og intent.
Ofc that couldn’t have been the artist’s og intent.
November 18, 2024 at 12:59 PM
I wanted to say, the short necked one could maybe pass off as a stylized Vancleavea. Sure enough, there was an SVP abstract from years ago mentioning alleged larger specimens.
Ofc that couldn’t have been the artist’s og intent.
Ofc that couldn’t have been the artist’s og intent.
Drepanosaurus: Tek pençeli, bukalemun benzeri bir sürüngen.
Vancleavea: Zırhlı, suda yaşayan küçük bir canavar.
Lagerpetidler: Pterozorların (uçan sürüngenler) iki ayaklı ataları.
Vancleavea: Zırhlı, suda yaşayan küçük bir canavar.
Lagerpetidler: Pterozorların (uçan sürüngenler) iki ayaklı ataları.
May 26, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Drepanosaurus: Tek pençeli, bukalemun benzeri bir sürüngen.
Vancleavea: Zırhlı, suda yaşayan küçük bir canavar.
Lagerpetidler: Pterozorların (uçan sürüngenler) iki ayaklı ataları.
Vancleavea: Zırhlı, suda yaşayan küçük bir canavar.
Lagerpetidler: Pterozorların (uçan sürüngenler) iki ayaklı ataları.
Litorosuchus might also be a proterochampsian if i remember correctly 🤔
though i did find some of Nesbitt's features linking vancleavea to proterochampsia kinda... vague lol
though i did find some of Nesbitt's features linking vancleavea to proterochampsia kinda... vague lol
September 5, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Litorosuchus might also be a proterochampsian if i remember correctly 🤔
though i did find some of Nesbitt's features linking vancleavea to proterochampsia kinda... vague lol
though i did find some of Nesbitt's features linking vancleavea to proterochampsia kinda... vague lol
Vancleavea is cool af, not only is it well preserved but it coexisted with Coelophysis in Ghost Ranch and potentially got much larger than this specimen.
December 7, 2024 at 2:52 PM
Vancleavea is cool af, not only is it well preserved but it coexisted with Coelophysis in Ghost Ranch and potentially got much larger than this specimen.
Finishing up 2020 and moving into 2021's #paleoart October List stuff. That year I also did some extant #animalart as well!
October 27, 2024 at 10:37 PM
Finishing up 2020 and moving into 2021's #paleoart October List stuff. That year I also did some extant #animalart as well!
That Vancleavea skull is...simply gorgeous.
Yet another prehistoric creature I learned about thanks to a Ray Troll-illustrated book. 😀
Yet another prehistoric creature I learned about thanks to a Ray Troll-illustrated book. 😀
November 27, 2024 at 6:48 PM
That Vancleavea skull is...simply gorgeous.
Yet another prehistoric creature I learned about thanks to a Ray Troll-illustrated book. 😀
Yet another prehistoric creature I learned about thanks to a Ray Troll-illustrated book. 😀
December 8, 2025 at 5:32 PM
There are now more of them out there although Vancleavea remains as the most autapomorphic member of Proterochampsia.
November 27, 2024 at 10:14 PM
There are now more of them out there although Vancleavea remains as the most autapomorphic member of Proterochampsia.