Prehistoric fauna

[Serjeant Grumbles]

The Permian period, as well as the entire Paleozoic era, ended with the worst mass extinction event in Earth's history, paving the way for the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs ruled the world. It did not wipe out all non-mammalian synapsids, but this is fortunate, since true mammals emerged in the late Triassic. In fact, they seemed to be on the rebound, but the new archosaur reptiles, including early dinosaurs, presented stiff competition. The division Archosauria includes crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs, among others. Dinosaurs are divided between two orders, Ornithischia (bird-hips) and Saurischia (lizard-hips), although, confusingly, birds evolved from the latter group. Saurischia is split between the bipedal theropods, such as tyrannosauroids and raptors, and sauropodomorpha, the long-necked herbivores, including the largest land animals ever to live. Ornithischia consisted of numerous beaked, herbivorous dinosaurs. Here are some of the early dinosaurs:

Eoraptor, a small saurischian, though we're not sure whether it was a theropod or a sauropodomorph, of the middle Triassic (~231 mya)

Eocursor, an ornithischian of the late Triassic (~210 mya)

Coelophysis, another saurischian, but this one was clearly a theropod, of the late Triassic (217-204 mya). This one was bigger at 3 meters long.




Some early sauropodomorphs:

Plateosaurus, up to 20 feet long.

Riojasaurus, which could grow over 30 feet long.

Most early theropods were still small, but one exception was Gojirasaurus:

which was up to 15 feet long.

 

[monoxide_child]

The discovery channel did a really cool thing on this a while back. It's all "what if" but I thought it was really interesting.

i saw this

the first scene was the human race becoming extint
and the rest was showing how the rest of the animal kindom evolves in response to the absence of humans
it was awesome

EDIT
i especially loved the part where the domesticated cats evolve into flying squirels
and the part where the domesticated dogs de-volve back into wolves

 

[Der Morgenstern]

Going to need a bigger gun.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Ornithischians, in their myriad forms:

Stegosauria:

Kentrosaurus, late Jurassic (156-151 mya), 4.5-5.5 meters long.

Tuojiangosaurus, late Jurassic, 7 meters (23 feet) long.

Dacentrurus, late Jurassic, 8 meters (26 feet) long.

Wuerhosaurus, about 7 meters long, one of the few Stegosaurians of the early Cretaceous (~135 mya)
rather than the Jurassic, and one of the last of its kind. Stegosaurians did not live to see the mass extinction event
at the end of the Cretaceous.





Ankylosauria:

Polacanthus, 4-5 meters long, early Cretaceous (130-125 mya).

Euoplocephalus, the most abundant Ankylosaur in fossil record, 6 meters long, 2.2 tonnes,
of the late Cretaceous (77-67 mya).

Sauropelta, 5 meters long, early Cretaceous

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Ornithischians, continued:

Ceratopsia:

Psittacosaurus, specifically, Psittacosaurus sibiricus, of one of the most primitive ceratopsian genera,
which were gazelle-sized and bipedal. Of this genus, which lived in the early Cretaceous (130-100 mya),
there have been nine to eleven species found.

Centrosaurus, 18-20 feet long, late Cretaceous (77-76 mya)

Torosaurus, 9m (30ft) long, late Cretaceous (70-65 mya)

Pentaceratops, 8m (27ft) long, late Cretaceous (76-73 mya)





Ornithopoda:

Charonosaurus, late Cretaceous

Iguanodon, early Cretaceous (126-125 mya)

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Sauropoda:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Longest_dinosaurs1.png

Supersaurus, 33-34 meters (108-112 feet) long, 35-40 tons, of the late Jurassic (153 mya), one of the largest dinosaurs for which we have good remains.

Giraffatitan, 26 meters (85 feet) long, estimated to weigh from 23-37 tonnes (25-41 short tons), late Jurassic. (150-145 mya)

Mamenchisaurus, known for its really long neck, late Jurassic (160-145 mya)

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Sauropoda, continued:

Sauroposeidon, up to 34 meters (112 ft) long, 50-60 tonnes (55-66 short tons), from the early Cretaceous (112 mya). Known from four neck vertebrae.

Argentinosaurus, 30 meters (98 ft) long, about 73 tonnes (80 short tons), late Cretaceous (95 mya).

Paralititan, estimated at 26 meters (85 ft) long and weighing 59 tonnes (65 short tons), late Cretaceous (98 mya).

Amphicoelias, 40-60 meters (130-200 ft) long, up to 122 tonnes (135 short tons), Late Jurassic (150 mya). Likely the largest dinosaur ever, however, the only fossil remains were lost in the 1870s

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Theropods:

Cryolophosaurus, about 6.5 meters (21 feet) long, early Jurassic (188 mya), a dilophosaurid.

Eotyrannus, about 4 meters long, early Cretaceous (130 mya), an early tyrannosauroid.

Suchomimus, up to 12 meters (40 feet) long, early Cretaceous (112 mya), a spinosaurid.

Acrocanthosaurus, about 12 meters long, early Cretaceous (116-110 mya), a carcharodontosaurid allosauroid.

Carcharodontosaurus, 12-13 meters (39-43.5 feet) long, early-late Cretaceous (100-93 mya), an allosauroid. (more specifically, a carcharodontosaurid, which is rather self-evident from the name)

Spinosaurus, 12.6-18 meters (41-59 feet) long, the largest known theropod, early-late Cretaceous (112-97 mya), a spinosaurid.

Giganotosaurus, 12.2-13 meters (40-43 feet) long, slightly larger than a T. rex, late Cretaceous (97 mya), a carcharodontosaurid allosauroid.

Albertosaurus, up to 9 meters (30 feet) long, late Cretaceous (73-70 mya), a tyrannosaurid.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

The bird-like Theropods:

Utahraptor, up to 7 meters (23 feet) long, early Cretaceous (124 mya), a dromaeosaurid.

Deinocheirus, 12 feet tall at the hip, late Cretaceous (70 mya), an ornithomimosaurian. (and by far the largest)

Therizinosaurus, late Cretaceous (70 mya), in its own unique family, therizinosauridae.

Gigantoraptor, 8 meters (26 feet) long, late Cretaceous (70 mya), the largest oviraptorid.

Deinonychus, 3.4 meters (11 feet) or more in length, early Cretaceous (115-108 mya), a dromaeosaurid. The Velociraptor in popular culture is more like Deinonychus in terms of size. The reason for this is that, when writing Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton was working on the assumption of one paleontologist at the time who believed that Deinonychus antirrhopus was actually another species of Velociraptor. However, this assumption is now no longer believed, and the type species Velociraptor mongoliensis is smaller than that. And that's not even mentioning that we now know for a fact that they had feathers.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Now, for the flying dinosaurs. Here are some Mesozoic birds:

http://data:image/jpeg;base64,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

Confuciusornis, early Cretaceous (125-120 mya), lacked teeth, like modern birds, but Icthyornis and Hesperornis, which had teeth, were more closely related to modern birds, which means convergent evolution.

Ichthyornis, late Cretaceous (95-85 mya)

Hesperornis, late Cretaceous (84-78 mya), a flightless aquatic bird.

Enantiornis, one meter long, late Cretaceous (70 mya)

Only birds of the subclass Neornithes, which includes none of these specimens, survived the mass extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous.



What? Were you expecting pterosaurs? They aren't dinosaurs.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Pterosaurs, although they are not dinosaurs, are still archosaurs and therefore closely related to them. The order Pterosauria is generally divided into two suborders: the more basal Rhamphorhynchoidea and the more "advanced" Pterodactyloidea.

Eudimorphodon, a piscivore with a 3.3 ft wingspan, late Triassic (210-203 mya), a rhamphorhynchoid of the campylognathoidid family.

Rhamphorhynchus, with a wingspan of 5.9 feet, late Jurassic (150-148 mya).

Ornithocheirus, with a wingspan of 2.5m (8 ft), a pterodactyloid of the early-late Cretaceous (112-108 mya).

Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest fliers ever, with a wingspan of 10-11 meters (33-36 ft), late Cretaceous (65 mya), a pterodactyloid of the azhdarchid family, the last surviving pterosaur family.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Crocodilians are archosaurs, and therefore more closely related to dinosaurs than to lizards and snakes. The prehistoric world includes not only the order Crocodilia but also other related creatures that fall under the superorder Crocodylomorpha. The most basal group of crocodylomorphs were of the suborder Sphenosuchia, which were small, gracile creatures. A little closer to modern crocodilians was this guy:

Protosuchus, of the suborder Protosuchia, a small land crocodylomorph at about 1m long, early Jurassic.

More closely related to crocodilians was the suborder Thalattosuchia, the sea crocodiles, such as:

Metriorhynchus, 3m (9.8 ft) long on average, mid-late Jurassic. (167-155 mya)

Closer still to true crocodilians was the clade Neosuchia, which includes the order Crocodilia as well as some close relatives such as:

Sarcosuchus, a giant freshwater carnivore at 11.2-12.2 meters (37-40 ft) long, early Cretaceous. (112 mya)

Now, for a true crocodilian:

Deinosuchus, an alligator relative, about 12m (40 ft) long, late Cretaceous (80-73 mya)

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Now, for a survey of Mesozoic marine reptiles. None of these various creatures were dinosaurs, or particularly closely related to them. One of the earliest groups was the order Ichthyosauria, which emerged in the mid Triassic, flourished during the Jurassic, and was eclipsed by other marine reptiles in the Cretaceous, when the order went wholly extinct about 90 mya. Some of the largest members of this order were also the earliest.

Cymbospondylus, 6-10 meters (20-33 feet) long, an early basal ichthyosaur of the mid-late Triassic (240-210 mya).

Shastasaurus, up to 21 meters (69 feet) long, mid-late Triassic. Believed to be a suction feeder that ate fish and unshelled cephalopods.

Temnodontosaurus, 12 meters (40 feet) in length, early Jurassic (198-185 mya).

Ophthalmosaurus, 6 meters long, mid-late Jurassic (165-145 mya).

 

[~Neurotica]

http://prehistoricanimal.blogspot.fr/2010/03/helicoprion.html

[youtube]Bonrwnqpw1I#![/youtube]

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

The semicircular ring of teeth seems a more likely reconstruction than the whole intricate spiral.

Another group of marine reptiles was the order Plesiosauria, which belonged to the infraclass Lepidosauromorpha, shared with lizards and their relatives. There were two sub-orders of plesiosaurians: Plesiosauroidea, and Pliosauroidea.

Plesiosaurs (in the narrow sense):

Cryptoclidus, up to 8 meters (26 feet) long, middle Jurassic.

Elasmosaurus, 14 meters (46 feet) long, late Cretaceous (80.5 mya).

Dolichorhynchops, 3 meters (10 feet) long, late Cretaceous, of the polycotylid family, which were short-necked like pliosaurs, but don't let that fool you.

Styxosaurus, 11-12 meters (36-40 feet) long, late Cretaceous (83.5-80.5 mya).






Pliosaurs:

Macroplata, up to 4.5 meters (15ft) long, early Jurassic.

Liopleurodon, 21 feet long, mid-late Jurassic (162-150 mya). In the background is Leedsichthys.

Simolestes, mid-late Jurassic (171-145 mya).

Kronosaurus, 9-10 meters (30-33 ft) long, early Cretaceous (125-99 mya).

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Mosasaurs were a family within the order Squamata and therefore, can be considered true lizards (they are most closely related to monitor lizards and snakes). They were a short-lived group, restricted to the late Cretaceous, since they were wiped out by the K-T extinction event along with the non-avian dinosaurs.

Tylosaurus, 15 meters of more (49+ feet) in length, one of the largest of the mosasaurs (88-80.5 mya).

Plotosaurus, up to 13 meters (43 ft) long, depending on the species.

Platecarpus, up to 4.3 meters (14 ft) long (~75 mya).

Globidens, about 6 meters (20 feet) long.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Archelon, the largest turtle ever at over 4 meters (13 feet) long and over 2,200 kg (4,900 lbs), late Cretaceous (75-65 mya), of the extinct family Protostegidae.

 

[BlackMetalWhiteGuy]

Anomalocaris were totally awesome, but they may not have actually been the top predators that everyone assumes they were.

http://www.globalanimal.org/2010/11...ator-not-so-great-a-predator-after-all/21900/

But using 3-D digital modelling of the animal’s teeth and mouth structure, a Colorado researcher who examined 400 anomalocaris specimens around the world has concluded that the metre-long monster’s bite wasn’t strong enough to crack through the exoskeletons of its purported prey.
...
Hagadorn’s probe also turned up no evidence of scratches or other signs of wear and tear on the fossilized specimens’ teeth — something that would be expected for a predator that feeds by pulverizing the hard parts of its prey’s anatomy.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Holy shit this page takes me forever to load.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Unfortunate I have forgotten about this thread, but now is as good a time as any to revive it.

I mentioned ray-finned fish earlier in this thread, so now I present some of the notable examples that lived during the Mesozoic:

Enchodus, a predatory species about 1.5 meters (5 ft) long, living in the late Cretaceous, however, they survived into the Cenozoic era, at least into the Eocene epoch.

Leedsichthys, up to 16 meters (53 ft) long, was the largest bony fish ever. Feeding on plankton like the modern day whale shark, it lived in the middle Jurassic.

Xiphactinus, 4.5-6 meters (15-20 ft) long, late Cretaceous.