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Maija Karala

@maijakarala.bsky.social

585 Following3.9k Followers

Illustrator, science writer and a bit of a crazy rat lady. Paleontology, biodiversity, animal behaviour. 🚫No AI
Portfolio: https://cara.app/maijakarala

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@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 12, 2026, 10:39 AM

Since I have very little time for drawing at the moment, it would make sense to work on something quick and simple, right? Yeah, nope. This is what my sleep deprived brain decided on. Can you id the species or recognize where in the world these species live?

A half-done black and white ink-style drawing featuring lots of small flowers of several types and a small mammal seen from above. The upper part of the canvas is still empty.
@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 11, 2026, 1:22 PM

On a Jurassic island in what is now Germany, Europasaurus has accidentally wandered right on top of a Pterodactylus nesting ground, earning a mobbing display from the angry pterosaurs.

Another illustration from Science center @heureka.fi ’s new exhibition: The Evolution of Dinosaurs. #SciArt

Illustration of a Europasaurus, a small island-dwelling sauropod dinosaur, walking on a beach with a blue background. There are two pterosaurs circling around him and a third yelling at him on top of a piece of driftwood. In the sand, some pterosaur eggs are just peeking out.
@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 10, 2026, 8:35 AM

12. Katariina Laine: Ei kenenkään koirat (2023). Suomalaisen rescuekoiratoiminnan puolustuspuhe, joka avaa yksityiskohtaisesti ulkomailta koiria tuovien järjestöjen työtä ja koirien todellisuutta lähtömaissaan. Selkeästä tavoitteesta huolimatta uskaltaa tuoda esiin myös ongelmia ja epäonnistumisia.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 7, 2026, 5:08 PM

11. Juhani Karila: Terapeuttini on ihmissusi (2026). No tämä oli hämmentävä kokemus. Outoja olentoja Helsingin kaduilla, parisuhdekriisi, terapiaistuntoja ihmissuden kanssa ja... pöytätennistä? Enkä edes halua paljastaa lopun äkkikäännettä. Jättää jälkeensä paljon ajatuksia.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 6, 2026, 4:04 PM

Thank you! ❤️ I started with easy and familiar stuff like Pratchett, and am now adding a bit more challenging and novel stuff as my brain is starting to work again with (slightly) improved sleep.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 6, 2026, 3:49 PM

Thank you, and congratulations! ❤️ I hope you're all doing well.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 6, 2026, 3:47 PM

Thanks! I'm certainly proud of the achievement, even if she's quite different from my usual style.

@jackstack.bsky.socialOct 6, 2026, 1:02 PMReposted by @maijakarala.bsky.social

Hot off the presses! I reviewed the history of early ray-finned fishes, with a focus on their morphology, fossil record, and taxonomy. My principal goal is a guide for other workers to make the rich record of early actinopterygian evolution more broadly available.

dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmor...

@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 5, 2026, 6:07 AM

10. Gerald Durrell: The Whispering Land (1961). An autobiographical novel of Durrell's trip to collect zoo animals from Argentina in the 1950s. So full of colourful descriptions of animals, people and places, it almost feels like being there.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 4, 2026, 10:35 AM

Science center @heureka.fi ’s new exhibition The Evolution of Dinosaurs is open!

I had the pleasure of being involved in several roles with the exhibition, including illustrating the info screens. Here’s the undisputed star of any dino media: T. rex. #SciArt

An illustration of Tyrannosaurus rex walking towards the viewer with its mouth open, looking threatening. It is coloured brown, pale blue and cream, wading through orange wildflowers. There are silhouettes of palm trees against the dusky blue background.
@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 3, 2026, 6:12 AM

Jep, minähän se! Tätä näyttelyä oli tekemässä useitakin suomalaisia taiteilijoita, ja jälki näyttää kyllä hienolta. Evoluutiokin toivottavasti tulee tutuksi!

@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 1, 2026, 10:50 AM

15 C in southern Finland today. Would be lovely if not for the knowledge of what causes it.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialOct 1, 2026, 8:56 AM

9. Marcus Rosenlund: Pieni suuri elämä (ruotsinkielinen alkuteos Det stora lilla livet, 2022). Tietokirja, jossa ihmetellään pienten elämänmuotojen kokoaan suurempaa merkitystä - sinileviä, hiivoja, nurmikoita, banaanikärpäsiä - kuivan huumorin ja perhetarinoiden höystämänä.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialSep 29, 2026, 7:46 AM

8. Marisha Rasi-Koskinen: Mykkien lintujen museo (2026) "Mitään pelättävää ei ole, kun kaikki paha on jo tapahtunut." Maagisrealistinen kauhutarina kadonneen kylän raunioissa. Ei kannata antaa nuortenkirjan leiman hämätä - tässä on pureskeltavaa aikuisellekin.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialSep 28, 2026, 9:22 AM

7. Juha Kauppinen: Monimuotoisuus Suomen luonnon elonkirjoa ja sen hupenemista käsittelevä teos, jonka jokaisen soisi lukevan. Kauppinen on tehnyt huikean taustatyön: kirjassa käydään hienoissa paikoissa, tavataan kiinnostavia ihmisiä ja mennään aiheessa niin syvälle, että ekologikin oppi uutta.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialSep 27, 2026, 6:42 AM

6. Becky Chambers: Veisu luonnonkoneille (English original: A Psalm for the Wild-Built, 2021). A scifi story featuring industrial robots that, one day, put down their tools and walked into the wilderness, never to be seen again. A sweet story, if not very subtle in its themes and message.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialSep 25, 2026, 2:51 PM

5. Konrad Lorenz: Eläimet kertovat: Eläinten käyttäytyminen tiedemiehen tulkitsemana. (German original: Er redete mit dem Vieh, den Vögeln und den Fischen). A giant in ethology, sadly involved with the Nazi party. This book on his animal companions is a mixed bag of well and badly aged parts.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialSep 24, 2026, 11:55 AM

4. Terry Pratchett: Herraskaista väkeä (English original: Lords and Ladies) A Discworld novel featuring the unforgettable witches of Lancre and some unpleasant elves. I got this book on my 19th birthday a shockingly long time ago, and still pick it up for a reread once in a while.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialSep 23, 2026, 6:33 AM

3. Heather Fawcett: Emily Wilden kätkettyjen maiden atlas (English original: Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands) Part 2 of a romantic adventure set in an alternative history where scientists study delightfully creepy faeries. Fun and imaginative, though I'm not overly fond of the main character.

@maijakarala.bsky.socialSep 21, 2026, 8:28 AM

2. Alien Clay by @aptshadow.bsky.social

A bleak description of life under a totalitarian state and a fascinating story of scientists trying to understand a complex alien biosphere, in one weirdly fun package. Well worth reading!

Also my first ever audiobook listened from start to finish.

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