Award Winning Paleoartist Franco Tempesta

We have loved Franco's art longer than we knew the term "paleoart". He joins to explain his process of illustrating for books–including ours. Plus a new sauropodomorph with a big head named Lishulong wangi.

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Chilantaisaurus, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Chilantaisaurus-Episode-539/

Dinosaur of the day Chilantaisaurus, an very large theropod with impressive claws.

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a new sauropodomorph dinosaur, Lishulong wangi, and it had a large skull

Over two decades, Franco has illustrated more than 50 books on dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals for major publishers worldwide. His piece “T. rex couple vs. Dakotaraptor pack” won the 2016 John J. Lanzendorf-National Geographic PaleoArt Prize. He compares the scene to lions defending a kill from hyenas, highlighting the possible social dynamics between top predators and opportunistic rivals. Check out his illustrations and the text of the interview here: iknowdino.com/franco-tempesta-on-bringing-dinosaurs-to-life-through-art/

Our new book I Know Dino!: Amazing Breakthroughs, Mega Mistakes, and Unsolved Mysteries in Dinosaur Science is available now! Get the most up-to-date facts and paleoart of many of the most striking dinosaurs at bit.ly/iknowdinobook or sign up at the Tyrannosaurus level or above by May 31, 2025 at patreon.com/iknowdino to get an autographed copy from us!

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