mauricio antón ortuzar, a spanish paleoartist and illustrator, has been specializing in the scientific reconstruction of extinct life since his teenage years. born in 1961 in bilbao, spain, he is well known for his influential paintings of hominids, extinct carnivores, and other vertebrate fossil groups. early life and career as a teenager in caracas (venezuela) in the 1970s, mauricio antón ortuzar became fascinated with the skeleton of the saber-tooth cat smilodon fatalis on exhibition at the local museum. this sparked his interest in bringing fossils to life through his art. he has been wor…