Scientific Illustration

thagomizers:

Glyptodon reticulatus (“grooved tooth”)
Chordata/Mammalia/Xenartha/Cingulata/Glyptodontidae

• Pleistocene (2 Ma - 10,000 years)
• 10.8 ft in length and 2 tons

Described in 1839
Location : South America
Diet : Herbivore

astronomy-to-zoology:

Genus Prionosuchus

was a genus of large Temnspondyl amphibians from Permian Brazil. Prinosuchus is the largest described species of amphibian ever found, with individuals growing up to 30 ft long! Prinosuchus while an amphibian looks and acts very similar to extant crocodiles like the gharial, as it had a long snout and body and short legs. They presumably had a similar lifestyle as well as they probably were ambush hunters and fed primarily on fish and aquatic animals.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Tetrapoda-Amphibia-Temnspondylia-Archegosauridae-Prionosuchus

Source,Source

rhamphotheca:

Lithograph by John Gould of Chlorostilbon poortmani (Short-tailed Emerald)

from Plate 358 of A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Humming Birds with 360 plates (volume 5), 1861

josiejester:

Sketch of Mr. Stinky a Hoatzin bird I made using colored pencils. They’re so strange looking.

The Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), also known as the Hoactzin, Stinkbird, or Canje Pheasant, is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riverine forest and mangrove of the Amazon and the Orinoco delta in South America. It is notable for having chicks that possess claws on two of their wing digits.

It is the only member of the genus Opisthocomus (Ancient Greek: “wearing long hair behind”, referring to its large crest which in turn is the only extant genus in the family Opisthocomidae. The taxonomic position of this family has been greatly debated, and is still far from clear.

It is a roughly pheasant-sized bird some 65 centimetres (26 in) long, with a long neck and small head. It is brown in colour, with paler underparts and has an unfeathered blue face with maroon eyes, and its head is topped by a spiky, rufous crest. The Hoatzin is herbivorous, it eats leaves and fruit, and has an unusual digestive system with an enlarged crop used for fermentation of vegetable matter, in a manner broadly analogous to the digestive system of mammalian ruminants. The name Stinkbird is related to a strong smell produced by this bird, perhaps due to the consumption and fermentation of leaves.

rhamphotheca:

Jaguar slaying a Tapir

from Brehm’s Life of animals : Volume 1, Marquis, 1895. 

(via: biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9885525)

rhamphotheca:

Carnotaurus was a large predatory dinosaur. Only one species, Carnotaurus sastrei has been described so far. Carnotaurus lived in Patagonia, Argentina (La Colonia Formation) during the Campanian or Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Carnotaurus was a large theropod, about 8 m (26 ft) in length, weighing between 1488 kg and 2626 kg (1.6–2.9 short tons)…

(read more: Wikipedia)          (images: T - DiBgd; B - Gabriel Solo)

rhamphotheca:

Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi)

by Jessica Rick

Compared to other small neotropical felids, jaguarundis have a more elongated body, smaller, more rounded ears, and shorter limbs relative to body size. Jaguarundis are slightly larger than domesticated house cats. The head and body length may range from 505 to 770 mm. The tail is long, ranging from 330 to 600 mm. The weight ranges from 4.5 to 9.0 kg. Males are slightly larger and heavier than females of the same population. Two color morphs are present in H. yaguarondi. One is dark grayish-black, and the other is reddish in color.

Jaguarundis are known as very secretive animals. It was once believed that they were solitary except during the breeding season. Recent reports of pairs suggest that they may be more social than once thought. Pairs are often sighted in Paraguay, but individuals in Mexico are believed to be solitary. They are mostly diurnal, with their peak in activity occurring around 11 in the morning. Some activity does occur at night, and they are often reported as being nocturnal and diurnal. Jaguarundis are terrestrial but are also good climbers and swimmers…

(read more: Animal Diversity Web)

(images: T - Tanya Dewey; BL - not credited; BR - not credited)

rhamphotheca:

eximago: Exotic Rodents

(large neotropical rodents - central and south america)

rhamphotheca:

I CAN’T STOP POSTING ABOUT THIS!!!…

Livyatan melvillei (originally Leviathan) • The giant bite of a new raptorial sperm whale from the Miocene epoch of Peru

[Paleontology • 2010]

The modern giant sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus, one of the largest known predators, preys upon cephalopods at great depths. Lacking a functional upper dentition, it relies on suction for catching its prey; in contrast, several smaller Miocene sperm whales (Physeteroidea) have been interpreted as raptorial (versus suction) feeders, analogous to the modern killer whale Orcinus orca.

Whereas very large physeteroid teeth have been discovered in various Miocene localities, associated diagnostic cranial remains have not been found so far. Here we report the discovery of a new giant sperm whale from the Middle Miocene of Peru (approximately 12–13 million years ago), Leviathan melvillei, described on the basis of a skull with teeth and mandible. With a 3-m-long head, very large upper and lower teeth (maximum diameter and length of 12 cm and greater than 36 cm, respectively), robust jaws and a temporal fossa considerably larger than in Physeter, this stem physeteroid represents one of the largest raptorial predators and, to our knowledge, the biggest tetrapod bite ever found.

The appearance of gigantic raptorial sperm whales in the fossil record coincides with a phase of diversification and size-range increase of the baleen-bearing mysticetes in the Miocene. We propose that Leviathan fed mostly on high-energy content medium-size baleen whales. As a top predator, together with the contemporaneous giant shark Carcharocles megalodon, it probably had a profound impact on the structuring of Miocene marine communities. The development of a vast supracranial basin in Leviathan, extending on the rostrum as in Physeter, might indicate the presence of an enlarged spermaceti organ in the former that is not associated with deep diving or obligatory suction feeding…

(read more: NovaTaxa)

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reference:  Lambert, Olivier; Giovanni Bianucci, Klaas Post, Christian de Muizon, Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi, Mario Urbina, and Jelle Reumer. 2010. The giant bite of a new raptorial sperm whale from the Miocene epoch of Peru. Nature. 466 (7302): 105–108. DOI:10.1038/nature09067

jomobimo:

Hummingbird: clytolaema matthewsi, 1874