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Description
So, this is my new work, and this is something new. It is a large ichthyodectid Xiphactinus audax from the Late Cretaceous of the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Venezuela, and Argentina. The reason for the drawing was the #FossilFishWeek event on Twitter. The essence of the week is all about ancient fish, and I decided to join in. In addition, I can finally justify my nickname here.

Xiphactinus was first found in Kansas (USA), but later its remains were found in other states, as well as countries outside of North America. Apparently, it was a widespread fish. It was described by the famous paleontologist Joseph Leidy in 1870. Judging by the fossils from Manitoba (Canada), some specimens grew up to 6 meters. A characteristic feature of Xiphactinus, like its ichthyodectid relatives, was the upturned "bulldog-like" lower jaw with sharp teeth, originally taken for the teeth of marine reptiles. It was a voracious predator: a four-meter-long individual is known to have swallowed the human-sized related Gillicus arcuatus. However, in the seas of that time, it did not feel safe: the contents of the stomach of the shark Cretoxyrhina with its bones inside are known, in addition, it was actively hunted by mosasaurs.

In the process of drawing, I encountered certain difficulties due to my inexperience in the "fish" theme. In particular, I had to work hard to draw the scales (I used to draw the scales of reptiles, not fish). I would like to thank the artist under the nickname Halichoeres_bivittatus, who perfectly draws fish, for his help in drawing. Despite the problems, I liked the result, so maybe the fish will swim to my gallery more often.

Black ballpoint pen, colored pencils, watercolors and whitewash, 2021.

Description
So, this is my new work, and this is something new. It is a large ichthyodectid Xiphactinus audax from the Late Cretaceous of the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Venezuela, and Argentina. The reason for the drawing was the #FossilFishWeek event on Twitter. The essence of the week is all about ancient fish, and I decided to join in. In addition, I can finally justify my nickname here.

Xiphactinus was first found in Kansas (USA), but later its remains were found in other states, as well as countries outside of North America. Apparently, it was a widespread fish. It was described by the famous paleontologist Joseph Leidy in 1870. Judging by the fossils from Manitoba (Canada), some specimens grew up to 6 meters. A characteristic feature of Xiphactinus, like its ichthyodectid relatives, was the upturned "bulldog-like" lower jaw with sharp teeth, originally taken for the teeth of marine reptiles. It was a voracious predator: a four-meter-long individual is known to have swallowed the human-sized related Gillicus arcuatus. However, in the seas of that time, it did not feel safe: the contents of the stomach of the shark Cretoxyrhina with its bones inside are known, in addition, it was actively hunted by mosasaurs.

In the process of drawing, I encountered certain difficulties due to my inexperience in the "fish" theme. In particular, I had to work hard to draw the scales (I used to draw the scales of reptiles, not fish). I would like to thank the artist under the nickname Halichoeres_bivittatus, who perfectly draws fish, for his help in drawing. Despite the problems, I liked the result, so maybe the fish will swim to my gallery more often.

Black ballpoint pen, colored pencils, watercolors and whitewash, 2021.