We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Fahim Akbar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Fahim, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful and memorable project in 2025 was my end-of-year paleo-recap video, which featured 13 unique dinosaur species had published throughout the year. Although I initially planned the project at the beginning of the year, I didn’t fully commit to producing it until mid-November. What made this video especially significant was that I was able to collaborate with seven other YouTube creators, each of whom narrated different segments. This gave me a lot more time to focus on the animation work of each dinosaur species, and I even had enough time to add an exciting new species at the end of the video: Manipulonyx reshetovi! Up until then, I had created almost all of my animated content completely on my own, so bringing in other voices—especially creators I had looked up to for years—was a huge shift for me. That experience not only made the final video feel bigger and more dynamic, but it also made it personally meaningful. It’s one of those projects I’ll always remember because it marked a turning point from flying solo to building something with the community. Now we’re barely 3 months into 2026, but so many exciting new discoveries had been published so far: from Haolong dongi to Spinosaurus mirabilis. I’ve already started work on the 2026 recap, and all I can say at the moment is that this video will be even bigger and better than the last, with quite a few surprising guests!

Fahim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m the creator of the growing YouTube channel Nature’s Compendium, where I make 2D animated videos about extinct animals. My goal is to bring the prehistoric world to life in a way that’s both engaging and educational, helping people better understand animals they might only know from movies or textbooks.

I’ve been fascinated by prehistoric life for as long as I can remember, and over time that interest naturally merged with my passion for art and animation. My channel really began to take shape around the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, when I created a large-scale animation comparing the film’s Mosasaurus to the real animal. From there, I expanded into more extinct marine life before gradually shifting toward dinosaurs and other Mesozoic animals. Today, I aim to highlight both well-known and less known species: from the mighty T. rex, to our four eyed ‘ancestor’ Haikouichthys.

A core part of my work is bridging the gap between entertainment and accurate science. Many people are introduced to dinosaurs through movies like Jurassic World, but those portrayals aren’t always accurate. I focus on presenting what we actually know from modern paleontology while keeping the content fun, engaging, and accessible. More than anything, I want to spark curiosity and encourage people to look deeper.

What sets my work apart is that I create everything myself—from research to animation to storytelling. That hands-on approach allows me to stay intentional about both quality and accuracy. In a space increasingly filled with AI-generated content and misinformation, I take pride in producing work that is carefully researched and genuinely personal, which I think has helped me build a supportive and engaged audience.

I’m most proud of growing that audience while staying true to the kind of content I want to make. It hasn’t always been easy balancing everything, but it’s been incredibly rewarding. At its core, my channel is a passion project—I care deeply about both the science and the creativity behind every video.

Looking ahead, I’m continuing to grow the channel with the goal of reaching 100,000 subscribers, while also improving my animation, expanding collaborations, and finding new ways to make prehistoric life feel exciting and relevant to a modern audience.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My current mission for the channel is to make prehistoric life feel real, accessible, and worth caring about. With my Jurassic World comparison series, I try to bridge the gap between entertainment and accurate science by taking the excitement people get from movies and grounding it in what we actually understand through modern paleontology. I also hope to highlight new and exciting discoveries made throughout the year to help show people that paleontology is an ever evolving field that just gets bigger and better with every new discovery!

More than anything, I aim to create videos that are memorable, drawing people in with engaging visuals and storytelling, then leaving them with a deeper appreciation for these animals as living organisms, not just myths or movie monsters. Ultimately, my work is about respect for the science, the animals, and the audience, and if it encourages even a few people to look closer and learn more, then I’ve achieved what I set out to do.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is seeing an idea fully come to life. Given the nature of my content, a single video can take hundreds of hours—from research and storyboarding to artwork, animation, and final edits—so reaching that finished product is incredibly satisfying. There’s something special about watching a scene go from a rough concept to a fully realized moment, whether it’s a dinosaur taking its first steps across a landscape or an extinct shark swimming through the ocean. Beyond that, it’s also rewarding knowing that something I created can spark curiosity or inspire others to learn more. Not to sound too much like a typical YouTuber, but I do love reading through everyone’s comments on each video. It’s always a treat to see people learn more about their favorite extinct animals through my artwork and animations. The combination of bringing ideas to life and sharing them with an audience is what makes the whole process worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.patreon.com/Natures_Compendium
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturescompendium/
• Twitter: https://x.com/NaturalistGamer
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NaturesCompendium
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@naturescompendiumyoutube

Image Credits

All artwork provided was created by me, Fahim Akbar.