by MartinKJHB
This is a model of Tullimonstrum gregarium from the Carboniferous. It is not a rare fossil, but nevertheless its phylogenetic affinities are still controversial, as are aspects of the anatomy. Here I have reconstructed it as a vertebrate, largely following McCoy et al. 2016. Most reconstructions I've seen show the creature with its proboscis extended, but the articulations reminded me of a dragonfly larva mandible, so I also made a version with the proboscis folded up ventrally. I'm not aware of any evidence that supports this though.
I printed the model in one go with supports and coated it with epoxy before sanding. After the base coat I applied a layer of silver metal leaf, followed by a coat of transparent white. The top is layers of light and dark blue.
