Scientific Illustration

cj-w:

Deinonychus 

magnetocurious:

Bnghhh blast from the past, I did these sketches for a macropalaeontology class when I studied abroad in New Zealand and promptly lost them upon returning home.  Gotta find the originals and scan them properly one of these days.

(I used to be able to draw, really.)

dino-files:

Placodonts:
                The placodonts were a strange group of marine reptiles that appeared during the mid-Triassic period but became extinct at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. They were heavy-bodied swimmers that mostly fed on shellfish; their teeth were specialised for picking shells from rocks and crushing them between their jaws. It is believed that placodonts were not confined to water, and would have been able to travel on land.

• Top Picture:

Name: Cyamodus
Pronounced: Sigh-Ah-Mode-Uss
Classification: Placodontia
Sub-family: Cyamodontid
Temporal Range: Middle Triassic (245-228 Mya)
Length: 1.3 metres

Information:
- Discovery:Cyamodus  was discovered in Germany, and was officially named in 1863 by palaeontologist Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer. Cyamodus is a member of the placodont family, and more specifically belongs to the placodont sub-family; cyamodontid.

- Description: Cyamodus measured around 1.3 metres in length and its most characteristic feature is the two-part shell or carapace found on the upper surface of the body. The main part of the shell covers the body to the hips and spreads out sideways, almost covering the animals forelimb span. The second part of the shell is smaller in size and covers the animals hips and the base of the tail. Both shell parts are covered in hexagonal and circular plates of armour. The skull is heart-shaped, and is particularly strong at the rear.

• Bottom Picture:

Name: Henodus
Pronounced: Hen-Oh-Duss
Classification: Placodontia
Sub-family: Cyamodontid
Temporal Range: Late Triassic (228-220 Mya)
Length: 1 metre

Information:
- Discovery:Henodus  was also discovered in Germany, although it was found later than the fossils of Cyamodus, and was officially named in 1936. Like Cyamodus, Henodus is a member cyamodontid family of placodonts.

- Description: Henodus is the placodont which most closely resembles a turtle. There is a carapace covering the whole body which stretches out well beyond the span of the limbs. It is believed Henodus would have acted as some kind of reptilian ray; paddling its broad, flat body along the bed of shallow lagoons, foraging in the sand with its broad mouth. The weak limbs of Henodus suggest that this placodont would not have spent much time on land, and the fact that it is the only placodont not to be found in marine sediment suggests that it lived in brackish or freshwater lagoons. 



Picture Source: Kahless28 (deviant art)

lindentea:

Short-faced Bear and Saber-Toothed Cat by *deskridge

crownedrose:

What would life be like if pterosaurs were alive today?

io9.com discusses the theoretical life of pterosaurs if they were alive with us today. No dinosaurs here, though. Pterosaurs are flying reptiles; they are not dinosaurs.

Could you ride Quetzalcoatlus to work? How would they act in today’s world? What were they really like if we found them exactly as they were during the Mesozoic (aka we didn’t screw with their genetic makeup)? What would they taste like? 

Find out for yourself and read the article on io9.com.

(via geologise)

dino-files:

Name: Dromaeosaurus
Pronounced: Dro-May-Oh-Saw-Russ
Classification: Theropod
Sub-family: Dromaeosaurid
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous (76.5-74.8 Mya)
Length: 1.8 metres
Height: 0.8 metres
Weight: 15kg
Movement: Bipedal
Feeding Type: Carnivore

Information:
- Discovery: As its name suggests, Dromaeosaurus was one of the first dromaeosaurid dinosaurs to ever be discovered. It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, and the first specimen was recovered by palaeontologist Barnum Brown, during 1914 from Alberta, Canada. This specimen consisted of a partial skull, two neck bones, one metacarpal and some foot bones. In addition to this original specimen, several other skull fragments, and about thirty isolated teeth are known from subsequent discoveries in Alberta and Montana, Canada.

- Statistics: The lack of a complete specimen has made creating length and weight estimates for Dromaeosaurus very difficult. Based on the length of the skulls found, and comparison with other, better known dromaeosaurids, it is belived Dromaeosaurus would have grown to lengths of around 1.8 metres and weighed only 15kg.

- Description: Despite being the first dromaeosaurid dinosaur to be discovered, very little is known about Dromaeosaurus. Full skeletal reconstructions have only been made possible thanks to knowledge gained from other, more recently discovered, dromaeosaurids. Although Dromaeosaurus still had the sickle-shaped claws on its feet, its skull was larger and much more powerful than those of other dromaeosaurids. In addition, the teeth of Dromaeosaurus appear to be more heavily worn than those of its relatives, suggesting that its jaw was used for crushing  and tearing rather than just for slicing through flesh. Recent research has suggested that Dromaeosaurus had a bite nearly three times as powerful as that of Velociraptor, suggesting that it relied more on its jaws for killing its prey, rather than its sickle-claw. 

(via dendroica)

A diagram of the difference in forelimbs between Carnotaurus sastrei and Aucasaurus garridoi from NHM.

geologise:

The Dinosaur Heresies Cover Art

Cover art for the 1987 book The Dinosaur Heresies by Robert Bakker.

dailyfossil:

Gastornis 

Mounted specimen located at the  North American Museum of Ancient Life, Utah, USA. 

When: Paleocene and Eocene (56-40 million years ago)

Where: Europe and North America

What: Gastornis is a giant flightless bird, one of many which roamed the forests of the early Cenozoic.  Gastornis is named after the discoverer of the first specimen. These fossils were found in France by Gaston Planté, who would later go on to become a noted physicist, inventing the lead-acid battery. Gastornis was a very large bird, growing up to 6.5 (~2 meters) tall, slightly shorter than the living ostrich, but much more massive. This robust nature is most evident in the skull; the beak of Gastornis was immense and powerful. These predatory birds are thought to have hunted early mammals, preying on the small horses of the time is one popular reconstruction. Above it is hunting a leptictid, an extinct stem placental mammal. While we do not have transitional avian fossils leading up to Gastornis and its kin, it is known that the group falls within modern birds. They have no close relationship with living terrestrial flightless birds, instead they are allied with the clade Galloanserae, the fowls. 

(via lindentea)

geologise:

New evidence suggests Archaeopteryx dressed in black.

Scientists have found a way to uncover feathered dinosaurs’ true colors, and one of the first creatures to come under inspection is none other than Archaeopteryx — an iconic but mysterious theropod believed by many to be the “missing link” between dinosaurs and birds.

Now, by examining a single, exceptionally well-preserved feather, one group of paleontologists believes it has the evidence it needs to weigh in on the color of Archaeopteryx’s prehistoric plumage. This bird, say the researchers, wore black.

By comparing the patterns of melanosomes contained within the Archaeopteryx feather (seen above) with the those found in the plumage of 87 similar, modern bird species, the researchers were able to determine that the feather was almost certainly black. What’s more, the researchers say Archaeopteryx’s melanosomes would have provided its wings a structural advantage, as well.

“If Archaeopteryx was flapping or gliding, the presence of melanosomes would have given the feathers additional structural support,” said Ryan Carney, an evolutionary biologist at Brown and the paper’s lead author. “This would have been advantageous during this early evolutionary stage of dinosaur flight.”

Read the full article at io9.