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The Palaeontology thread
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Keyser_Soze1
03-06-2014
Another nice Tylosaurus reconstruction, simple but effective.

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/20...00-d4nrnp1.jpg

And a really stunning painting of Mosasaurus hoffmani.

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...ar-d682t88.jpg

Finally the skeletal reconstruction of Platecarpus tympaniticus which was important in our of re-visualisation of these animals.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...latecarpus.png

And the nice wikipedia article on this streamlined killer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platecarpus

As far as the mass of the largest Mosasaurs goes - depending on their build (there was an enormous variety of these animals) - anything between 10 - 20 tons seems plausible to me.
TelevisionUser
04-06-2014
And now for a news update about Ancient Wing:

Archaeopteryx: X-rays shine new light on mystery 'bird'
The feathered limbs of Archaeopteryx have fascinated palaeontologists ever since Charles Darwin's day. Only 12 of these curious creatures have ever been found. Now these precious fossils are going under the glare of a giant X-ray machine - to find out what lies buried beneath the surface.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27502354

In other news, a ne'er-do-well gets his comeuppance:

Dinosaur Fossil Smuggler Gets 3-Month Sentence
A Florida fossil hunter who illegally dug up dinosaur skeletons from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia was sentenced on Tuesday to three months in prison on charges that he smuggled the bones into the United States, then used them to reassemble a Tyrannosaurus bataar, above, that he sold for $1 million through a New York auction house. The man, Eric Prokopi of Gainesville, Fla., pleaded guilty in 2012 and surrendered the bones along with several other sets of 70-million-year-old dinosaur fossils. As part of his sentence he will also serve 15 months of probation.
http://news.gnom.es/news/dinosaur-fo...month-sentence

I very much welcome this news although l think the sentence could have been longer (more like 3 years!). Nevertheless, this conviction sends a message that fossil plundering is unacceptable.

Selfish acts of greed like this one deny scientists the opportunity to study and understand newly discovered extinct species and this despoilation robs humanity of a great communal heritage that belongs to all of us.
Keyser_Soze1
04-06-2014
Deinocheirus mirificus has long been a mystery to palaeontologists.

But not any more and it is a far stranger animal than anyone had ever imagined.

For many years all that was known of this huge theropod was a pair of gigantic arms 2.4 metres long and although it was known to be a vast 12 metre long Ornithomimid ('ostrich dinosaur') what it really looked like remained an intriguing puzzle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...irus_hands.jpg

But this year new discoveries have finally given this mighty beast it's body and head back.

And what an oddity it was!

With a large duckbill and an enormous hump on it's back!

http://www.infomongolia.com/ct/ci/7787

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....are-going-home.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...l#.U4-eFfldXuI

http://luisvrey.wordpress.com/2014/0...aga-continues/

Here are some reconstructions of the animal. one of the most bizarre of all the dinosaurs.

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/20...an-d7jjob4.jpg

https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/...40739715_o.jpg

http://37.media.tumblr.com/b0a1ded24...0xno1_1280.jpg

http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/...is-d7kl0uz.jpg

http://luisvrey.files.wordpress.com/...us-finalb1.jpg
jzee
05-06-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“Here are some reconstructions of the animal. one of the most bizarre of all the dinosaurs.

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/20...an-d7jjob4.jpg

https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/...40739715_o.jpg”

Ooooh.. I love that , a duck dinosaur .
Keyser_Soze1
05-06-2014
Originally Posted by jzee:
“Ooooh.. I love that , a duck dinosaur .”

It resembles a giant waterfowl more than anything else.

Of course there is a whole group of dinosaurs the Hadrosaurs that are commonly known as duckbill dinosaurs.

It is a rather wonderful example of convergent evolution.
performingmonk
05-06-2014
I bet you are looking forward to Jurassic World coming out next year?
Keyser_Soze1
05-06-2014
Originally Posted by performingmonk:
“I bet you are looking forward to Jurassic World coming out next year? ”

No I bloody am not!

The first film was great and reflected was was known at the time (apart from cobblers about a T.rex not being able to see you if you stood still and the spitting mini - Dilophosaurus) the second was rather dull and the third utterly appalling (mainly due to the man advising the film - Jack Horner's irrational hatred of T. rex so the Spinosaurus won - bollocks)!

I have seen the plot of the film and it sounds absolute cobblers.

And the raptors and T. rex still will not have any feathers either.
performingmonk
05-06-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“No I bloody am not!

The first film was great and reflected was was known at the time (apart from cobblers about a T.rex not being able to see you if you stood still and the spitting mini - Dilophosaurus) the second was rather dull and the third utterly appalling (mainly due to the man advising the film - Jack Horner's irrational hatred of T. rex so the Spinosaurus won - bollocks)!

I have seen the plot of the film and it sounds absolute cobblers.

And the raptors and T. rex still will not have any feathers either. ”

Hey, you never know, I can see them doing some alterations to the raptors, at least. They had already updated their looks in JP3, afaik. There seems to be plenty of good feeling going into this new film and it's got to be better than JP3!
charlie1
05-06-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“No I bloody am not!

The first film was great and reflected was was known at the time (apart from cobblers about a T.rex not being able to see you if you stood still and the spitting mini - Dilophosaurus) the second was rather dull and the third utterly appalling (mainly due to the man advising the film - Jack Horner's irrational hatred of T. rex so the Spinosaurus won - bollocks)!

I have seen the plot of the film and it sounds absolute cobblers.

And the raptors and T. rex still will not have any feathers either. ”

Are you saying that raptors and T. Rex had feathers!
If so, I never knew this, I always imagined them as they have been depicted on the Jurassic Park films, etc.
They obviously couldn't fly anyway, as their body mass would have been too great to sustain flight.
Apologies btw, if you've already mentioned this.
Keyser_Soze1
05-06-2014
Originally Posted by charlie1:
“Are you saying that raptors and T. Rex had feathers!
If so, I never knew this, I always imagined them as they have been depicted on the Jurassic Park films, etc.
They obviously couldn't fly anyway, as their body mass would have been too great to sustain flight.
Apologies btw, if you've already mentioned this.”



If you read through the thread you will notice many images of them.

Proto-feathers originally developed as insulation and sexual display in dinosaurs, nothing to do with flight whatsoever.

Take a look on the internet images and just type in feathered dinosaurs.

Some palaeontologists have suggested that all groups of dinosaurs may have had insulation - including the massive sauropods - we just have not found fossils with the superb preservation required to see evidence of them (like we do in China).

http://svpow.com/2014/03/27/frederik...y-brachiosaur/

Here is a slightly outdated 'gracile' reconstruction of Utahraptor (recently it has been found to be far more robustly built and thus far more powerful than we ever thought possible).

But I like the artwork.

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/20...on-d5eilq9.jpg

Do not stop the car!

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/20...x2-d6rd05g.jpg
The Martian
05-06-2014
My friend and I want to buy this together for our camping trip this year: http://www.ukge.com/en-GB/Bronze-Fos...it__p-103.aspx

£39.50 for 1 but only £55.95 for two.

One of my other freinds brings his metal detector every year but never finds anything.

We want to go here: http://www.ukfossils.co.uk/South%20Scotland.html
Keyser_Soze1
05-06-2014
Originally Posted by The Martian:
“My friend and I want to buy this together for our camping trip this year: http://www.ukge.com/en-GB/Bronze-Fos...it__p-103.aspx

£39.50 for 1 but only £55.95 for two.

One of my other freinds brings his metal detector every year but never finds anything.

We want to go here: http://www.ukfossils.co.uk/South%20Scotland.html”

Good luck!

You never know what you might find.
Keyser_Soze1
06-06-2014
Another nice little article (with gallery) on the new book of artwork by the wonderful Palaeo-illustrator Julius T. Csotonyi.

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....lius-csotonyi/
Keyser_Soze1
08-06-2014
A beautiful new Pterosaur find (complete with eggs) from the fossil hotbed that is China.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/l...rus?CMP=twt_gu

http://english.ivpp.cas.cn/rh/rp/201...06_122232.html
AOTB
08-06-2014
Apologies if this has already been posted and I missed it and hope it's kinda on topic but this story has been doing the rounds in recent days--

Mystery sea monster’ eats 9-foot great white shark-

http://nypost.com/2014/06/08/mystery...t-white-shark/

What could have eaten it? A rogue Medalogon lurking in the depths?

(I suspect it will just be a bigger Great White but seemed a good place to post this anyway),
Keyser_Soze1
08-06-2014
Originally Posted by AOTB:
“Apologies if this has already been posted and I missed it and hope it's kinda on topic but this story has been doing the rounds in recent days--

Mystery sea monster’ eats 9-foot great white shark-

http://nypost.com/2014/06/08/mystery...t-white-shark/

What could have eaten it? A rogue Medalogon lurking in the depths?

(I suspect it will just be a bigger Great White but seemed a good place to post it)>”

It is worth posting.

Probably a case of a young shark pissing of a much larger one I agree with you there.
AOTB
08-06-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“It is worth posting.

Probably a case of a young shark pissing of a much larger one I agree with you there.”

I was going to start a new thread on it but this is one of my favourites to read and we chat about mega sharks in here so I thought why not eh?
Keyser_Soze1
08-06-2014
Originally Posted by AOTB:
“I was going to start a new thread on it but this is one of my favourites to read and we chat about mega sharks in here so I thought why not eh? ”

Why not indeed!

I will have to post some more on the Mega-toothed sharks when I have the time.

Megalodon just defied belief.
Keyser_Soze1
09-06-2014
Originally Posted by AOTB:
“I was going to start a new thread on it but this is one of my favourites to read and we chat about mega sharks in here so I thought why not eh? ”

Mystery solved - we were right.

http://www.gizmodo.in/WTF/Mystery-so...w/36182751.cms
Keyser_Soze1
09-06-2014
Ever wondered why some blokes like Russell Brand have such punchable faces?

Here is new scientific theory on why human males faces differ from females. It's all to do with our violent ancestors and an adaptation to physical conflict - not really surprising given Mankind's track record.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27720617

http://popular-archaeology.com/issue...ay-researchers
Janey Joyce
09-06-2014
Russell is extremely sexy and hot. Women are drawn to bad boys.
AOTB
09-06-2014
Originally Posted by Janey Joyce:
“Women are drawn to bad boys.”

Mike? You've changed.
Janey Joyce
09-06-2014
Originally Posted by AOTB:
“Mike? You've changed. ”

I am called Janey. Who is Mike?
ThatGuy11200
09-06-2014
Originally Posted by AOTB:
“Apologies if this has already been posted and I missed it and hope it's kinda on topic but this story has been doing the rounds in recent days--

Mystery sea monster’ eats 9-foot great white shark-

http://nypost.com/2014/06/08/mystery...t-white-shark/

What could have eaten it? A rogue Medalogon lurking in the depths?

(I suspect it will just be a bigger Great White but seemed a good place to post this anyway),”

Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“Mystery solved - we were right.

http://www.gizmodo.in/WTF/Mystery-so...w/36182751.cms”

Killer Whales have been known to eat Great Whites. Thay aren't that much bigger, they just use appropriate tactics.

First they ram the shark in the gills, to stun it, then they turn it upside down until it drowns.
AOTB
09-06-2014
Originally Posted by ThatGuy11200:
“Killer Whales have been known to eat Great Whites. Thay aren't that much bigger, they just use appropriate tactics.

First they ram the shark in the gills, to stun it, then they turn it upside down until it drowns.”

Killer Whales have to be up there for most fascinating animal for me. I've seen this and the way they have learned to induce tonic immobility, in the shark having by butting it, at speed stunning it and then flipping it is upside down is amazing.

It's also amazing how different pods have their own unique language and hunting techniques/ specialist prey, so not all killer whales would be able to do it (or rather have been taught how to do it). Each pod specialises in different things of course which is astonishing.

The other reason I suspected it would't be an orca is that the modus operandi just didn't seem to add up here.

How can people not love killer whales? Awesome animals.
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