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Fig. 1: The famous illustration of Kulindadromeus. |
Before the illustration came into existence, Andrey Atuchin knew about Kulindadromeus – he collaborated with the paleontologists who uncovered the specimens. He has been commissioned by a variety of paleontologists over the years. Some from Utah, some from Russia. Recently, he made Lokiceratops that appeared in news outlets just like Kulindadromeus. His works appear outside of the newsfeed. His illustration of Lythronax stands at the National History Museum of Utah and some works got published in Russian National Geographic. Like most paleoartists, he will work with paleontologists if commissioned – not too shocking –yet Atuchin performed work with them in the field. He prepped fossils and went to the digsites like the Berezovsk Quarry, where the theropod Kileskus had been discovered. Atuchin might not had visited the Kulindad bonebeds, but he has worked and followed the research in this field, and the illustration demonstrates.
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| Fig. 2: Saw Lythronax on my trip to Utah, love the NHMU! |
The eyes draw towards the Kulindadromeus standing on the edge of a riverbed. Small ornithischians in paleoart solely exist to be overshadowed either by their larger cousins and the sauropods, or to fulfill the desire of the hunt and stomachs of theorpod dinosaurs and azhdarchids. They are boringosaurs after all. Yet, Atuchin's Kulindadromeus takes the spotlight with their breathtaking appearance. A tannish coat of 'dinofuzz' covers the body with a black cap and a white beard. The lower legs and face lack feathers, while the former's scales resemble the lower legs of an emu and other dinosaurs including fellow ornithischians like the hadrosaur Brachylophosaurus. Kulindadromeus is more of a proto-bird than a dinosaur. The stance is just like a bird, the colors of the feathers are just like a bird, even the one in the back sits on their knees like a bird.
Yet, it gets stranger from here. A row of rounded scales runs across the top of the tail. On the shoulders and calves, one-of-a-kind ribbon-like filaments strike out in reddish orange hue. The purposes of these scales and feathers remind unknown but Atuchin demonstrates some speculation for the purposes of these feathers. The individual standing has brighter colors than the individual in the back. It could be a sign of sexual dimorphism, a brighter male and a duller female, yet it might reflect the ages of these animals. The Kulindad bonebeds varied in specimens, ranging from young and juvenile to adults. Either way, the combination of feathers and scales makes Kulindadromeus stick out from the many dinosaurs, the ornithischians and the saurischians alike. Even the two other ornithischians with known filaments, the ceratopsian Psittacosaurus and the heterodontosaur Tianyulong, pale to Kulindadromeus. If anything, Kulindadromeus is not boring.
Their uniqueness only strengths when you examine the environment around Kulindadromeus. A morning fog lingers beyond the small dinosaurs and it’s deliberate. The study of Ukureyskaya Formation pales to more well-known formations like Morrison or Dinosaur Park Formation, as the first digs started in 2010 by Russian geologist Sofia M. Sinitsa. The formation itself formed during the Middle Jurassic, roughly 168 million years ago, which could give us a better look at an underappreciated time of the dinosaurs. A transition between the weird, lanky dinosaurs to the age of giants. Interestingly, there are no other dinosaurs in the painting besides the Kulindadromeus themselves. The Kulindad bonebeds were monospecific. But sadly, fossil expeditions into this formation ceased since 2014, yet interest might come back in the following decades. We know there are dinosaurs in the mist. A single tooth of some theropod had been found, but we must wait and see the lift first. Despite no other dinosaurs in the Kulindad bonebeds, the illustration showcases the other pieces and overlooked aspects of paleontology. Trace fossils of insects and crustacean tracks preserved in the mud and ashes.
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| Fig. 2: From the comment section of "Kulindadromeus" |
Looming in the background, a volcano breaks dawn. Volcanism has a complex history in paleoart. Volcanoes are savage, ancient, powerful – just like the dinosaurs. Outside of the aesthetics and art, volcanoes themselves are invaluable for paleontologists and geologists. Layers of ashes can give credible timelines for geochronology and volcanic fallout can preserve small and sensitive things in finite details like insects, trackways, and feathers. Often, we see volcanoes as purely destructive, yet horsetails grow in the ashes and the Kulindadromeus seem to not be in danger of the volcano. Interestingly, the conditions of the Ukureyskaya Formation strike similarly to the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in China. Many feathered dinosaurs were discovered in the Yixian Formation such as the mentioned Psittacosaurus, therizinosaur Beipiaosaurus, and the tiny theropod Sinosauropteryx –first known feathered dinosaur. Coincidentally, we know the colors of these dinosaurs too. Perhaps in a few more years, the colors of Kulindadromeus might be revealed. I would not be surprised if Atuchin makes an illustration for the occasion.
Drenched in detail, one could say Atuchin not only succeed artistically but scientifically closely. I argue something differently. In a 2013 interview on the blog Archosaur Musings, Atuchin talked about how many dinosaur books when he was growing up and even today were secondhand, vintage, and inferior copies. He didn’t even see the dated yet wonderful works of Burian as a child. These poor reconstructions of dinosaurs might have influenced the Russian public’s view on dinosaurs and the outreach wasn’t any better. One of the first public paleo magazines, "PaleoMir", was solely written by historian and paleo enthusiast Dmitry Nuzhnenko due to many paleontologists having no interest in writing to a public audience – Atuchin discussed this on his personal blog. This frustration with outdated reconstructions and lack of scicomm at home influenced Atuchin’s illustration of Kulindadromeus and upon reexamination, it shows.
Andrey Atuchin’s Kulindadromeus stands with pieces by Knight, Burian, and others as just like theirs, his work carries beyond the looks and ‘accuracy’ of the dinosaurs themselves. The environment tells a story, both within the illustration and the scientific literature behind it, rather than simply being a background. And one can feel the personal goals of Atuchin in the illustration. He is not merely drawing an alien prehistoric planet; he is drawing something from home.
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Before wrapping up, I want to showcase something rather unique. If you’re a regular player of Jurassic World Evolution 2 and interested in mods, I would recommend getting a wonderfully crafted Kulindadromeus by the modder MrTroodon. He asked Atuchin’s permission to ‘port’ the illustrated Kulindadromeus into the 3D realm, and it’s quite stunning! Outside of Carnivores with Burian’s art, you rarely see someone making paleoart as a living creature in a video game.
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| Fig. 4: Kulindadromeus walking around in Jurassic World. |
References:
Pascal Godefroit et al., "A Jurassic ornithischian dinosaur from Siberia with both feathers and scales." Science. 345, 451-455 (2014).
Pascal Godefroit et al.,"Integumentary Structures in Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus, a Basal Neornithischian Dinosaur from the Jurassic of Siberia." The Evolution of Feathers. 47-65 (2020).
Online Sources:
Andrey Atuchin’s Blog (inactive)
National History Museum of Utah
Image Sources:
Fig. 1: “Kulindadromeus” by Andrey Atuchin/Olorotitan on DeviantArt
Fig. 2: From yours truly, NHMU.
Fig. 3: “Kulindadromeus” by Andrey Atuchin/Olorotitan on DeviantArt
Fig. 4: MrTroodon on Nexus Mods
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