Mammuthus columbi (Columbian Mammoth)

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
sounder1995.deviantart.com/art…

Mammuthus columbi (Falconer, 1857) (Columbian Mammoth)
-    Formerly = Mammuthus imperator? (Leidy, 1858)
- Formerly = Mammuthus jeffersonii? (Osborn, 1922)
Synapsida
Mammalia
Theria
Eutheria
Placentalia
Afrotheria
Paenungulata
Proboscidea
Elephantidae

Pleistocene to Early Holocene
North America

Height: 4 m at the shoulder

A (more) southern relative of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), the Columbian mammoth sadly is also no longer a resident of our home planet. Whether he’s a victim of climate change and/or overhunting by North American “native” humans (Both the mammoths and humans migrated to North America from Asia by crossing the Bering land bridge) remains contested.

Monday, October 19th, 2015

Lythronax argestes

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
sounder1995.deviantart.com/art…

Lythronax argestes (Loewen et al., 2013)
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Avemetatarsalia
Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria
Tyrannosauroidea
Tyrannosauridae
Tyrannosaurinae

Campanian, Late Cretaceous
Utah, United States

Length: 8 m

Despite being the oldest known tyrannosaurid, Lythronax already hunted her prey with full color binocular vision like her younger and larger sister, T. rex.

Monday, October 19th, 2015

Lythronax argestes

Lythronax argestes (Loewen et al., 2013)
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Avemetatarsalia
Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria
Tyrannosauroidea
Tyrannosauridae
Tyrannosaurinae

Campanian, Late Cretaceous
Utah, United States

Length: 8 m

Despite being the oldest known tyrannosaurid, Lythronax already hunted her prey with full color binocular vision like her younger and larger sister, T. rex.

Monday, October 19th, 2015

Arthropleura armata

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
sounder1995.deviantart.com/art…

Arthropleura armata (Meyer, 1853)
Arthropoda
Myriapoda
Diplopoda (Millipedes)
Arthropleuridea

Early Carboniferous to Early Permian
Northeastern North America and Scotland

Length: 2.6 m

One of the largest arthropods of all time, she grazed the jungles that once covered North America and Scotland.

Monday, October 19th, 2015

Kelenken guillermoi

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
sounder1995.deviantart.com/art…

Kelenken guillermoi (Bertelli et al., 2007)
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Coelurosauria
Avialae
Aves (Birds)
Neognathae
Cariamiformes
Phorusrhacidae (“Terror Birds”)

Middle Miocene
South America

Height: Up to 3 m

Armed with sharp talons and the most massive skull of any known bird, this titanic predator towered over all other competition. She dispatched her prey with swift downward blows from her beak.

Sunday, October 18th, 2015

Qianzhousaurus sinensis

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
sounder1995.deviantart.com/art…

Qianzhousaurus sinensis (Lü et al., 2014)
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria
Tyrannosauroidea
Tyrannosauridae
Tyrannosaurinae
Alioramini

Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous
Southern China

Length: 8 m

This strange Chinese relative of T. rex (no wait, that’s me!) helped shed some light on the evolution and phylogenetic relationships of Mongolian sister Alioramus.

Saturday, October 17th, 2015

Qianzhousaurus sinensis

Qianzhousaurus sinensis (Lü et al., 2014)
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria
Tyrannosauroidea
Tyrannosauridae
Tyrannosaurinae
Alioramini

Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous
Southern China

Length: 8 m

This strange Chinese relative of T. rex (no wait, that’s me!) helped shed some light on the evolution and phylogenetic relationships of Mongolian sister Alioramus.

Saturday, October 17th, 2015