Anurognathus ammoni

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
http://sounder1995.deviantart.com/art/Anurognathus-ammoni-555849082

Anurognathus ammoni (Döderlein, 1923)
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Avemetatarsalia
Pterosauria (Pterodactyls)
Monofenestrata
Caelidracones
Anurognathidae

Late Jurassic
Germany

Wingspan: 35 cm

Long before drones and radio waves filled the air, Anurognathus soared amidst the trees of Germany, snatching up airborne insects with her small, sharp teeth.

Wednesday, December 16th, 2015

Ceratogaulus hatcheri (Horned Gopher)

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
http://sounder1995.deviantart.com/art/Ceratogaulus-hatcheri-Horned-Gopher-555848854

Ceratogaulus hatcheri (Matthew, 1902) (Horned Gopher)
Synapsida
Therapsida
Theriodontia
Cynodontia
Mammalia
Theria
Eutheria
Placentalia
Boreoeutheria
Euarchontoglires
Glires
Rodentia
Sciuromorpha?
Mylagaulidae

Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene
North America

Length (Quadrupedal): About 30 cm

The smallest horned mammal known to modern science, she has evolved bony (not just keratinous!) horns as a defensive measure. They are no larger nor more elaborate in her male counterparts.

The horned gopher. An animal so self-explanatory, she makes rocket launcher instructions seem like graduate school level calculus!

Sunday, December 6th, 2015

Opabinia regalis

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
http://sounder1995.deviantart.com/art/Opabinia-regalis-555848586

Opabinia regalis (Walcott, 1912)
Ecdysozoa
Panarthropoda
Stem-Arthropoda
Dinocaridida?
Radiodonta
Opabiniidae

Middle Cambrian
Burgess Shale
British Columbia, Canada

Length: 7 cm (9.4 cm with proboscis)

Long before plastic and radioactive garbage filled the oceans, Opabinia patrolled the seafloor, snatching up soft prey with her trunk and then shoving them into her backward pointing mouth on the underside of her head.

Saturday, December 5th, 2015

“Ain’t I seen you before? I think I remember those eyes, eyes, eyes!”
-    Usher

Yi qi

Note: A digitally coloured version of the original, available here:
http://sounder1995.deviantart.com/art/Yi-qi-555848292

Yi qi (Xu et al., 2015)
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria
Maniraptora
Paraves
Scansoriopterygidae

Middle to Late Jurassic
Hebei, China

Estimated Mass: 380 g

Unlike her sister paravians, Yi qi was too cool for pennaceous feathers, sporting absolutely none (unless they somehow failed to be preserved with her remains). Instead, she evolved a “styliform element,” made of bone or at least calcified cartilage, extending from her wrist to help support her membranous wings as she glided, if not soared, through the forests of Middle and Late Jurassic China.

Note: Colouration based on authors' analysis of melanosomes (pigmentation organelles) preserved in the fossil.

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

Note: A digitally colored version of the original, available here:
http://sounder1995.deviantart.com/art/Spinosaurus-aegyptiacus-555847940

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus (Stromer, 1915)
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Megalosauroidea
Spinosauridae
Spinosaurinae

Early to Late Cretaceous
North Africa

Length: 15+ m

The largest carnivore to ever walk on terra firma, she preferred fish to dinosaurian flesh and the water to life as a land lubber. On a sadder note, her holotype specimen was destroyed during the night of April 24th, 1944 by a Royal Air Force bombing run on Munich, a solemn reminder that we humans would perhaps much rather prefer to destroy this planet than learn a darn thing about it.

Monday, November 30th, 2015

Deinocheirus mirificus

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

Deinocheirus mirificus (Osmólska & Roniewicz, 1970)
Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria
Maniraptoriformes
Ornithomimosauria
Deinocheiridae

Late Cretaceous
Mongolia

Length: 11 m

Though Deinocheirus was originally known only from her enormous arms (exceeded in size only by Therizinosaurus), two new skeletal remains (this time more complete) described in 2014 (after being successfully recovered from Mongolian thieves) helped shed some light on this previously enigmatic animal, such as her now-confirmed (at least partial) piscivory, though she remains quite an enigma. Unfortunately, in attaining huge size, she has lost the speed and intelligence of her smaller relatives.

Sunday, November 29th, 2015

Megatherium americanum (Giant Ground Sloth)

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

I… AM… GROOT!!!!!

Megatherium americanum (Cuvier, 1796) (Giant Ground Sloth)
Mammalia
Theria
Eutheria
Placentalia
Xenarthra
Pilosa
Folivora (Sloths)
Megatheriidae

Late Pliocene to Early Holocene
South America

Length (Quadrupedal): 6 m

As big as an elephant, this ground sloth was one of the largest land mammals of all time, exceeded in only size by Paraceratherium and some proboscideans. Sadly, she still proved no match for the most dangerous mammal of all: humans.

Sunday, November 15th, 2015

Inspiration for Groot pose here: comicbook.com/blog/2014/07/18/…