Hipporex's Guide to Interesting and Unique Prehistoric Fauna

Are you Yi qi the dinosaur or Yi Qi the Zoochat member?

 

The latter.

 

NUMBER FOUR: Have you ever wondered what the lovechild of an armadillo and a crocodile would look like? Of course you have! Well here is your answer

• Species: Armadillosuchus arrudai
• Pronunciation: Ar-mah-dil-loe-soo-kus
• Name Meaning: "Arruda's little armored one crocodile;" armadillo means "little armoured one" in Spanish; suchus is Greek for "crocodile;" and arrudai honors João Tadeu Arruda, who made many important fossil discoveries in São Paulo State, Brazil
• Species Authority: Thiago Marinho and Ismar Carvalho, 2009
• Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Archosauriformes, Archosauria, Pseudosuchia, Paracrocodylomorpha, Loricata, Crocodylomorpha, Crocodyliformes, Mesoeucrocodylia, Metasuchia, Notosuchia, Sphagesauridae
  
• When: ~ 87,000,000 B.C.E. (Late Cretaceous epoch)
• Where: South America (Brazil)
• Size: around 6.6 feet (2 meters)
• Diet: *See below*

When it lived, its environment was similar to modern-day Southwestern United States: very hot, dry and arid, however there was seasonal rainfall with occasional flash flooding. This, in combination with its relatively long legs, has led to the idea that this crocodylomorph was mostly or entirely terrestrial, quite unlike modern crocdilians. It is also commonly believed this animals lived a fossorial lifestyle, using its strong, sturdy forelimbs to dig to get out of the beating sun. Another interesting feature is the lower jaw which could of slid forwards and backwards,‭ ‬a degree of motion virtually unheard of in other crocodile forms which are usually only capable of opening and closing.‭ Although its diet is unknown it was perhaps omnivorous, feeding on anything from insects to mollusks to carrion to roots to pines to tubers. ‭All these unique adaptations and we haven't even talked about its namesake armor. It had heavy body armor characterized by flexible bands and rigid shields that covered its back, less like the traditional osteoderms that line the backs of most crocodylomorphs and more like that of a modern armadillo. This would of help to protect it from some of the larger predators of the time.








Picture and Information Sources:

• My brain
• http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.564.2010&rep=rep1&type=pdf
  
• Armadillosuchus
  
• Armadillosuchus - Wikipedia
  
• Armadillosuchus - Armadillosuchus arrudai | Animalia Enthusiasts

 

NUMBER FIVE: Someone tell the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) to step aside, it's time for the largest flying bird ever to shine

• Species: Pelagornis sandersi
• Pronunciation: Pel-uh-gorn-is sand-er-cee
• Name Meaning: "Sander's pelagic bird;" sandersi honors Bernie Sanders. Just kidding, it actually honors *see below*
• Species Authority: Dan Ksepka, 2014
• Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Archosauriformes, Archosauria, Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ Paraves, Avialae, Aves, Neognathae, Odontopterygiformes, Pelagornithidae
  
• When: ~ 25,000,000 B.C.E. (Chattian age of the Oligocene epoch)
• Where: *See below*
• Size: *See below*
• Diet: Fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans (basically the same stuff modern sea birds eat)

The only known specimen of P. sandersi was first uncovered in 1983 at Charleston International Airport (in Charleston, South Carolina), when construction workers were building a new terminal there. However, the specimen got thrown on a shelf in a storeroom of the Charleston Museum and was quickly forgotten. However, in 2010 Dan Ksepka was poking around that very same store room when he stumbled upon some massive bird bones. Realizing he has a new species he published a paper on it in 2014, naming the new species Pelagornis sandersi. The species name, sandersi, honors Albert Sanders, a former curator of natural history at the Charleston Museum. The skeletal wingspan (which means excluding feathers) of P. sandersi is estimated at 17 feet (5.2 meters), but with feathers, this bird would of had a wingspan of 20 to 24 feet (6.1 to 7.3 meters). Some scientists expressed surprise at the idea that this bird could fly at all, given that, at between 22 and 40 kg (48 and 88 lb), it would be considered too heavy by the predominant theory of the mechanism by which most birds fly. However, Mr. Ksepka thinks it was able to fly in part because of its relatively small body and long wings, and because it, like the albatross, spent much of its time over the ocean. This animal had short, stumpy legs, and was probably able to fly only by hopping off cliff edges. It has been estimated it was able to fly up to 37 miles per hour (59.5 km/h). Another intersting feature shared by all pelagornithids is the tooth-like or knob-like extensions of the bill's margin, called "pseudo-teeth," which would have enabled a living animal to better grip and grasp slippery prey. It is worth noting that despite its enormous size, this bird would of still been dwarfed by many species of pterosaur (which were NOT dinosaurs fyi).






Picture and Information Sources:

• My brain
• Biggest ever flying bird and the beast that dwarfed it
  
• Meet the Real ‘Big Bird’
  
• Pelagornis sandersi - Wikipedia
  
• Pelagornis Sandersi, history’s largest flying bird, with an estimated wingspan between 20 and 24 feet. The largest flying bird today, the wandering albatross, has a wingspan of only 11 feet. : Naturewasmetal
• Biggest ever flying bird and the beast that dwarfed it

Also, here is a video from the Smithsonian about this unique avian:

 

NUMBER SIX: Picture if you will an arapaima. Now imagine that arapaima is at least twice as long as the normal arapaima. And finally give that arapaima massive sharp teeth and a killer instinct and you'll essentially have our next creature

• Species: Rhizodus hibberti
• Pronunciation: Rie-zo-dus
• Name Meaning: Rhizodus means "root tooth"
• Species Authority:
• Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha,‭ ‬Rhizodontida,‭ ‬Rhizodontidae
  
• When: ~ 340,000,000 to 300,000,000 B.C.E. (Carboniferous period)
• Where: Europe (Ireland and Scotland)
• Size: Possibly up 20 to 23 feet (6.10 to 7.01 meters)
• Diet: *See below*

The most notable characteristics of Rhizodus, were the two 8.7 inch (22.01 centimeter) fangs located near the front of its jaws, followed by other pointy teeth scaling downwards in size. This fish was a giant apex predator that resided in freshwater lakes, river systems and large swamps. This animal fed on other bony fishes, freshwater sharks, and amphibians.It has been proposed that Rhizodus may have lunged at terrestrial, shore-bound prey, just like a modern day crocodile, and then would of used its strong fins to pull itself back into the water. Fossilized skin imprints show that Rhizodus had large, plate-like scales, like to those found on present-day arapaima.









Picture and Information Sources:

• My brain
• Rhizodus
  
• Rhizodus - Wikipedia
  
• Rhizodus
  
• Rhizodus

In 2015, in honor of the release of Jurassic World Animal Planet's River Monsters did an episode on prehistoric fishes and, at the end of the episode Jeremy Wade named Rhizodus "the most monstrous river monster of all time."

 

NUMBER SEVEN: Naming a massive, predatory amphibian after a mastodon? Sure, why not

• Genus: Mastodonsaurus
• Species: A large amount of species have been attributed to the genus over the years. However in a 2007 reexamination of the genus by Markus Moser and Rainer Schoch found only three of the species to be valid: M.‭ ‬giganteus,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬jaegeri (type species),‭ ‬M.‭ ‬torvus
• Pronunciation: Mas-toe-don-sore-us
• Name Meaning: "Mastodon lizard" or "Breast tooth lizard"
• Species Authority: G.‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Jaegar‭,‭ ‬1828
• Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Amphibia,‭ ‬Temnospondyli,‭ ‬Stereospondyli,‭ ‬Capitosauria,‭ ‬Mastodonsauridae‭ ‬
  
• When: ~ 247,200,000 B.C.E. to 201,300,000 B.C.E. (Anisian to the Rhaetian of the Triassic period)
• Where: M.‭ ‬giganteus lived in what is now Germany; M.‭ ‬jaegeri lived in what is now England; M.‭ ‬torvus lived in what is now Russia
• Size: 13 to 20 feet (3.96 to 6.10 meters)
• Diet: *see below*

Mastodonsaurus's most interesting feature were the two teeth in the front of the lower jaw that were enlarged to the point of becoming tusks.‭ ‬These were so large that there are two openings in the upper jaw which these tusks fit through when the mouth is closed.‭ ‬Without these openings the mouth simply would not have been able to close fully due to the size of the tusks.‭ ‬These tusks may have been for prey capture,‭ ‬allowing Mastodonsaurus to get a better grip onto struggling prey.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬other temnospondyls seem to have managed just fine without these specializations,‭ ‬so they may have also served a display purpose that allowed Mastodonsaurus to differentiate between themselves and similar species of temnospondyl. The extremely tiny limbs show that Mastodonsaurus was an aquatic animal that rarely left water. It may have even been completely unable to leave the water, as large quantities of bones have been found that suggest individuals died en mass when pools dried up during a drought. It inhabited swampy pools and lived mainly on fish, whose remains have been found in its coprolites (fyi coprolites is fossilized poop). It probably also ate land-living animals, such as small sauropsids (maybe even small dinosaurs). The fossils of some smaller temnospondyl amphibians bear tooth marks made by Mastodonsaurus.







Picture and Information Sources:

• My brain
• Mastodonsaurus - Wikipedia
  
• Mastodonsaurus
  
• Mastodonsaurus

Also the species authority for Rhizodus, the last animal profile, is Owen, 1840 as I appreantly forgot to add that.

 

I'll be killing two avian dinosaurs with one stone with this next one

NUMBER EIGHT: When you hear the word "tyrannosaur" you likely picture a 40-foot-long scaly behemoth whose past times include running through rain forests and eating wimpy lawyers off toilets. Well reality is usually stranger the fiction. Meet the polar dwarf tyrant of the north

• Species: Nanuqsaurus hoglundi
• Pronunciation: Na-new-cue-sore-us hog-loon-dee
• Name Meaning: "Hoglund's polar bear lizard;" nanuq comes from the Iñupiat language and means "polar bear," saurus is Greek for "lizard," and hoglundi honors Forrest Hoglund, for his work on philanthropy and cultural institutions
• Species Authority: Anthony Fiorillo and Ronald Tykoski, 2014
• Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Archosauriformes, Archosauria,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ Tyrannosauroidea, Tyrannosauridae, Tyrannosaurinae
• When: ~ 69,100,000 B.C.E. (Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch)
• Where: North America (Alaska, U.S.)
• Size: 20 to 25 feet (6.10 to 7.62 meters) long
• Diet: Carnivore

69.1 million years ago Alaska was a part of an ancient subcontinent Laramidia and experienced cold weather and long periods of darkness and light, in addition to seasons in which food was not readily available. Prey availability likely would have increased suddenly during the summer, but then declined in the dark winter, leaving predators, like Nanuqsaurus, with little to eat. This lack of food might explain Nanuqsaurus's unusually small size. It is also worth noting that if you've seen the movies Walking with Dinosaurs or March of the Dinosaurs you'll likely be under the impression Cretaceous Alaska was a winter wonderland. However, while it still was very cold, and likely did occasionally have snow, for most of the year Cretaceous Alaska was more similar to the woody outskirts of modern-day Seattle, Washington. Although the skull of Nanuqsaurus is incomplete,‭ ‬it does show that Nanuqsaurus would have had a‭ ‬heightened sense of smell,‭ ‬perhaps proportionately even greater than that of T. rex. It is believed tyrannosaurids were active predators that stalked there prey. Considering this species wasn't as bulky as others, it likely could chase down its prey, think less monster truck and more speed racer. Several tyrannosaur species have been found in groups. Weather or not this means they hunted cooperatively or the mobbed their prey like modern Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) in unknown. Nanuqsaurus probably had scales covering much of its body, but based on other tyrannosauroid discoveries, and considering its colder climate, it likely had some or many feathers.











Picture and Information Sources:

• My brain
• Nanuqsaurus - Wikipedia
• Nanuqsaurus
• Nanuqsaurus: This pygmy tyrannosaur prowled the ancient Arctic
  
• Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D | BBC Earth | Movies | BBC Earth

 

Tomorrow on Hipporex's Guide to Interesting and Unique Prehistoric Fauna...
"Beautiful one from Chulsa" as requested by @ZooBinh

 

So Argentavis magnificens (wingspan of 6,5 to 8 meters) don't "shine"?

By the way, absolutely wonderful thread. These are the kind of fossil species that I like more.
If you take suggestions, I would like to see the wonderful Longisquama insignis treated here. Oh, and Nyctosaurus too.

 

Original estimates gave wingspan of 7.5 to 8 meters but most modern authorities believe it maxed out at 6.5 meters making Pelagornis slightly bigger. And thanks for the compliment

 

I'm interested with odd extinct mammals. My next suggestion would be one of the glyptodonts, preferably Doedicurus.

 

NUMBER NINE: "This is one of the largest armored dinosaurs, known by paleontologists as a 'living tank.'" (quote from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)

• Species: Saichania chulsanensis
• Pronunciation: Sign-chan-ee-ah kell-san-en-sis
• Name Meaning: "Beautiful one from Chulsa;" Saichania is Mongolian for "beautiful one" and refers to the pristine state of preservation of the type specimen; chulsanensis refers to where in Mongolia the type specimen was found
• Species Authority: Teresa Maryańska‭ ‬-‭ ‬1977
• Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Archosauriformes, Archosauria,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Ornithischia, Thyreophora, Ankylosauria, Ankylosauridae, Ankylosaurinae
• When: ~ 75,000,000 B.C.E. (Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch)
• Where: Asia (Mongolia)
• Size: Up to 22 feet (6.71 meters) long
• Diet: Herbivore

Living tank indeed. Saichania took armament to the next level. It had armor on its back, neck, tail, legs, head...heck, even the eyelids were armored. This animal's only weak point was its belly. To counter this, when it encountered a predator, it probably would of squatted down. And we haven't even talked about horns on this bull: the tail club. The tail club could of witch slapped any predator from a tiny raptor to a giant tyrannosaur. Ankylosaurs could swing their tail in a 100 degree lateral arc. The largest clubs could generate between 364 and 718 megapascals of impact stress and could crush bone. Speaking of predators, a 1998 study by Wiliam Gallagher showed by means of a CT-scan that specimen PIN 3142/250 had a healed puncture hole of a tyrannosaurid tooth above the right eye socket. Ankylosaurs had very poor eyesight but an incredible sense of smell. Saichania had a highly convoluted nasal passageway that twisted round and round like a loopy strand of spaghetti. It probably helped it smell, breathe, regulate body temperature better but also make a variety of low-frequency sounds. It's even possible some ankylosaurids had inflatable sacs connected to their nasal cavities like the modern day hooded seal (Cystophora cristata). Saichania's environment was a desert with sand dunes. It lived alongside the ankylosaurs Tarchia and Zaraapelta. To coexist the different genera likely had distinct niches.








(This last one isn't Saichania, as you can tell by the lack of leg armor, but I added it so you could see what the inflatable sacs may have looked like).

Picture and Information Sources:

• My brain
• Saichania
  
• Behance
  
• Dinosaur Footprint Art (Page #2 of 2) | Fine Art America
  
• Saichania - Wikipedia

Tomorrow on Hipporex's Guide to Interesting and Unique Prehistoric Fauna...
"Attenborough's mother fish"

 

I know I said this profile would be tomorrow but I had more free this evening then I thought I would, so here we go...

NUMBER TEN: When you were born, you were presumably born viviparously. Well that is one thing you have in common with this next fish

• Species: Materpiscis attenboroughi
• Pronunciation: Matter-pi-cis at-en-burro-ee
• Name Meaning: "Attenborough's mother fish;" Materpiscis means "mother fish" (find out below why they named it that below); attenboroughi honors the amazing British naturalist David Attenborough
• Species Authority: Long, Trinajstic, Young, and Senden, 2008
• Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Placodermi, Ptyctodontida, Ptyctodontidae
  
• When: ~ 380,000,000 B.C.E. (Devonian period)
• Where: Oceania (Gogo Formation of Western Australia)
• Size: About 11 inches (27.94 centimeters) long
• Diet: Carnivore

Before we get to the real interesting part I should tell you what a placoderm is. There are currently three main groups of fishes: the jawless fishes, the cartilaginous fishes, and the bony fishes. However there was once two more: the acanthodians and the placoderms. The acanthodians were covered with tiny rhomboid platelets like the scales of modern gars. They went extinct about 250 million years ago. The placoderms on the other hand came in many different forms. However they all had one thing in common: armor. Placoderm literally means "plate-skinned." The heads and thoraxes of these guys covered by articulated armored plates. Materpiscis was a placoderm. Okay now the interesting part, remember way back when when I made that comment about viviparity? Well that comes into play now. Australia's Gogo Formation is easily one of the most‭ ‬important areas in the world concerning the study of Devonian fishes,‭ ‬and of these, the genus Materpiscis is easily one of the most significant.‭ ‬The reason for this is that the holotype specimen of Materpiscis was a pregnant female with a single embryo inside.‭ ‬This is conclusive proof that Materpiscis did not lay eggs that were then externally fertilized by males,‭ ‬but instead hatched out and developed young inside of its body.‭ ‬The holotype even preserves the umbilical cord which would have allowed oxygenated blood and nutrients to flow into the body of the developing embryo.‭ ‬The embryo was already twenty-five percent of its expected adult size,‭ ‬perhaps meaning that it was near to being born when the mother fish died,‭ ‬but also that it would have been very well developed,‭ ‬giving the young fish a much better chance of survival against predators.‭ This makes Materpiscis the oldest known animal to show viviparity, and also the oldest known animal that reproduced by...you know..."getting busy." Okay enough with sex ed, Materpiscis seems to have been a slow-moving marine fish and had powerful crushing tooth plates to grind up its prey, possibly hard shelled invertebrates like clams or corals. Two small protrusions rose up from the tip of the snout,‭ ‬but their purpose and possible function is still unknown.











Picture and Information Sources:

• My brain
• Materpiscis
  
• Materpiscis - Wikipedia
  
• Species New to Science: [PaleoIchthyology • 2008] Materpiscis attenboroughi • Live Birth in the Devonian Period: Placoderm Fish from the Gogo Area of north-west Western Australia
  
• Redirect Notice
  
• Prehistoric World - Materpiscis
  
• Materpiscis Vivipary

Also here is an intrersting video by Mr. Attenborough himself on the matter


Next time on Hipporex's Guide to Interesting and Unique Prehistoric Fauna...
(taking @TheGerenuk 's request for an "odd extinct mammal" in to consideration)
"Large-horned face"

 

Don't presume things about me.

~Thylo

 

Wasn't that supposed to be an Ankylosaurus?

How about early Elasmobranchii? It get that this may be the first one with conclusive evidence, but I always thought ancient Elasmobranchii had claspers too.

 

That quote was indeed originally referring to an Ankylosaurus that was being auctioned off, however I used it here because what is stated within said quote can also be applied to Saichania.
As for your second remark, you're right I should of worded the sentence differently and put in "conclusive evidence" somewhere.

 

NUMBER ELEVEN: Remember Carl and Frank from Ice Age (2002)? This is them now:



Feel old yet?

• Genus: Megacerops
• Species: M.‭ ‬coloradensis‭ (‬type species)‬, M.‭ ‬curtus, ‬M.‭ ‬hatcheri, ‬M.‭ ‬kuwagatarhinus, ‬M.‭ ‬osborni,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬platyceras, and‭ ‬M.‭ ‬riggsi
• Pronunciation: Meg-ah-seh-rops
• Name Meaning: "Large-horned face" (from the Greek words mega, meaning "large" + keras, meaning "horn" + ops, meaning "face"
• Species Authority: Joseph Leidy‭ ‬-‭ ‬1870
• Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Synapsida, Therapsida, Mammalia, Placentilia, Boreoeutheria, Ungulata, Perissodactyla, Hippomorpha, Brontotheriidae
• When: 38,000,000 to 33,900,000 B.C.E. (Eocene epoch)
• Where: North America (Canada (‬Saskatchewan) and ‬U.S.A.‭ (‬Colorado,‭ ‬Montana,‭ ‬South Dakota,‭ ‬Wyoming))
• Size: *see below*
• Diet: Herbivore

Most people know this animal by the name Brontotherium (meaning "thunder beast"). However, it received that name from Edward Drinker Cope in 1873, 3 years after Joseph Leidy named it Megacerops. Thus, according to the rules of taxonomy, Megacerops is considered the scientifically correct name. Brontotheres had four toes on their front feet and three toes on their hind feet. Their teeth were adapted to shearing relatively nonabrasive vegetation. Although they may have looked like rhinos, Brontotheres were more closely related to horses. Unlike rhinos, the horns on these guys was made of bone and not keratin. This species displayed sexual dimorphism: both sexes had the characteristic Y-shaped horns, but individuals thought to be males had bigger horns. One specimen of an adult male was found with partially healed rib fractures, which supports the theory that males used their horns to fight each other, rather then just for show. No creature living in Megacerops' time and area except another Megacerops could have inflicted such an injury. The breathing movements prevented the fractures from completely healing. In addition to intraspecific combat, the horns were also likely used in defense against potential predators. It is believed this was a gregarious species, although we have no direct evidence of such. Despite resembling a rhino, it was certainly larger than any living rhino: the living animal easily approached the size of the African forest elephant, the third-largest extant land animal. It stood about 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall at the shoulders and could of measure 16 feet (4.88 meters) in length. One individual is estimated to have weighed 3.6 short tons (2.36 metric tons) by Gregory S. Paul.












Picture and Infromation Sources:

• My brain
• Megacerops
  
• Megacerops - Wikipedia
  
• Megacerops by Sergey Krasovskiy | Animaux disparu | Pinterest | Prehistoric animals, Prehistoric and Extinct animals
  
• Megacerops

 

Link?

 

Oh trust me, you do not want a link to that source. It's just a moshpit of animal facts, anxiety, bad jokes, and cynical thoughts.