Citipati in Quarks & Co. television spot

A few readers are perhaps already familiar with this Citipati illustration which I did about two years ago. It has even been featured on this blog once before.

Back in January this year, I was contacted by a writer from the German television broadcaster, WDR, requesting permission to use this illustration for their science documentary strand, Quarks & Co. The programme in question, I was informed, concerns a certain Jack Horner's proposal to create a 'chicken dinosaur', to which I think no LITC reader requires any explanation.

I wasn't sure whether or not the use was going ahead and soon forgot about it altogether. It transpired that it did indeed take place and that the programme itself had actually aired in late February and early March. The short animated sequence in which the illustration appeared can be seen here.

Thankfully the image still reads well even though it has been flipped for the purpose. They also referred to it as an Oviraptor, rather than Citipati -- but oh, well. The pleasantest surprise is that they even constructed a skeleton to match.

As a side note, I would of course have given it feathered fingers and a much thicker tail base were I drawing this now, and would also have resolutely avoided the running posture.

This was a post of not inconsiderable substance for me. Oh, my! Unfortunately, my next one will be a return to my usual vacuous form. I am so sorry.

N