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Rhoetosaurus.
Though the first few fragments of a skeleton were discovered in 1925, the rest of the skeleton was left unearthed until the 1970s. Despite the fact that it skull, hindlimbs and most of its tail are unknown, it remains one of the best known Jurassic sauropods in Australia. -
Genus Leedsichthys
was a genus of gigantic pachycormid fish that lived in the oceans of the Mesozoic. Largely considered to be one of the largest bony fish to ever live, this behemoth could grow up to 32 feet long (some estimates put it at 53 feet). This giant fish although it had alot of teeth was probably a gentle filter feeder like extant basking sharks. leedsichthys had no recorded predator with specimens known to escape the Liopleurodon which was the top predator of the time, their large and powerful tail probably helped them out run and out maneuver the giant reptile.
Phylogeny
Animalia-Chordata-Actinopterygii-Pachycorminformes-Pachycormidae-Leedsichthys
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Carcharodontosauridae size chart by Vitor Silva. From the largest to the smallest: Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, Acrocanthosaurus, Eocarcharia and Concavenator.
See also the Spinosauridae chart
For more see his blog:
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Spinosauridae size chart by Vitor Silva. From the largest to the smallest: Spinosaurus, Oxalaia, Suchomimus, Baryonyx, Ichthyovenator and Irritator.
See also the Carcharodontosauridae chart and the one by Hyrotrioskjan
For more see his blog:
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Spinosauridae 2 by Hyrotrioskjan:
“What you see here, is a compilation of every spinosaur which is, in my eyes, different enough to be not a nomen dubium. In the case of the juvenile spinosaur from australia it’s different to say but the isolation from the rest of the world make it pretty plausible that this species was different from Baryonyx and Co.”
Spinosaurus: [link]
Irritator: [link]
Suchomimus: [link]
Baryonyx: [link]
Oxalaia: [link]
Ostafrikasaurus: [link]
Australian spinosaur juvenile: [link]
Cristatusaurus: [link]
Siamosaurus: [link]
Ichthyoventor: [link](via paleoillustration)
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Rhamphorhynchus by Gonzalo Jara
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Welwitschia mirabilis
One of the rarest and strangest plants in the world, Welwitschia mirabilis is often referred to as an “underground tree” and can live up to 2,000 years in the arid Namib desert. It’s comprised of two leaves, a stem base and a tap root. The leaves become frayed but never stop growing and never shed, giving the plant it’s Medusa-like appearance. It uses them to collect moisture from sea fog. The long tap root can extend 6ft underground to collect water.
The only member of the Welwitschia genus, it’s thought to be a relic from the Jurassic Period, when the Earth was covered with ferns and gymnosperms, and thus a “living fossil”.
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Dilophosaurus.
This was a fairly primitive Jurassic theropod, being far more lithe and delicate than many of its counterparts at the time. It would have fed on much smaller prey as a result. The discovery of three Dilophosaurus skeletons together suggests that they may have been pack or group animals, working together to find food. The weak nature of its upper jaw means that it was likely a scavenger more than a hunter, as it wouldn’t have been able to easily tackle large prey.
Its most obvious feature is the pair of nearly semi-circular bony crests on its head. These would almost certainly been used for display.
“One Dilophosaurus wetherilli specimen shows potential damage “due to injury or crushing” to a vertebra, and a potential abscess on a humerus. A Dilophosaurus wetherilli is also known with an unusually small left humerus compared to a very robust right arm, a possible example of “fluctuating asymmetry”. Fluctuating asymmetry results from developmental disturbances and is more common in populations under stress and can therefore be informative about the quality of conditions a dinosaur lived under.” -Wikipedia. -
Miscellaneous Pterosaur heads by Tuomas Koivurinne.
Pteranodon sternbergi, Pteranodon longiceps, Azhdarcho lancicollis and Tropeognathus robustus, Tupandactylus imperator, Tapejara wellnhoferi, Dsungaripterus weii, Rhamphorhynchus intermedius, Rhamphorhynchus longiceps.
(via lostbeasts)
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Stegosaurus stenops.
This is the most well known of the four species within the genus Stegosaurus, and had larger, broader plates than any of the others. It was a large Late Jurassic dinosaur, with a short neck and bowed posture that suggests that it ate low-lying shrubs and bushes.The plates of Stegosaurus could have been used for thermoregulation or display- two uses that can be proven by the presence of intricate pathways over the plate surfaces, where veins would have been during life. Being so close to the skin’s surface means that heat can pass to and from the blood with relative ease, a process that the Stegosaurus could have controlled by changing the amount of blood flow to the plates, depending on the temperature of its surroundings. This could have given Stegosaurus an advantage over other large animals- by being able to warm up early with the sun, it would have fed whilst other dinosaurs and similar creatures were still too cold to move around enough. And when faced with a rival, Stegosaurus could have flushed its plates with blood, reddening the skin and warning the other animal. If that didn’t work, then it might have charged, or used its formidable tail spikes in defense of an attack.
