Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

10 Best Extinct Animals

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,097 ✭✭✭kiffer


    Galvasean wrote: »
    About a year ago Wired Science did an article on the ten coolest extict animals that aren't dinosaurs*.

    http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/16-02/st_best

    Can you spot your favourite?

    Number 9 would be closest... the Glyptodon would be my favourite out of that lot... but I don't like the shape of the shell of the Doedicurus clavicaudatus in the picture, still a cool animal though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭The Gnome


    No Terror Birds (Phorusrhacidae)? Pfff...

    phorus.gif


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,901 ✭✭✭happyoutscan


    Easy, the Carcharodon megalodon. Have cage dived with great whites and it was awesome, to see the megalodon from a cage would be indescribable (I'd imagine, seeing as no one can describe it eh?).

    megalodon.jpg


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    No room for Indricotherium?

    elephant.indricotherium.human.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,901 ✭✭✭happyoutscan


    marco_polo wrote: »
    No room for Indricotherium?

    elephant.indricotherium.human.jpg

    There's always room for Indricotherium!


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,538 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    moschops
    trilobites
    dunkelosteus
    and loads of critters from the cambrian
    cambrian_grid.gif


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    There's always room for Indricotherium!

    Apparently not, it's proper name is Paraceratherium.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indricotherium#Taxonomy_and_species_of_Paraceratherium


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    Thought I'd bump this thread when I stumbled across an article on National Geographic about 7 jumbo-sized prehistoric creatures:
    http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/02/biggest-animals-of-all-time.html


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    Cool I never knew there was such a thing as a giant penguin.

    That picture of Jaekelopterus really sends a chill down the spine, I was considering it for the feature slot in few weeks time only for there is not a whole lot known about him apart from his size.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 842 ✭✭✭Weidii


    moschops
    trilobites
    dunkelosteus
    and loads of critters from the cambrian
    cambrian_grid.gif

    Does opebinia look like an annelid to anyone else?


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    Weidii wrote: »
    Does opebinia look like an annelid to anyone else?

    Its clearly a species of elephant ;)

    Opabinia.JPG

    Some have classified it as representative of the ancestral stock from which arthrapods and annelids arose. Other have grouped it with Anomalocaris, in a stem group to the arthrapods. It is still a hot topic by all accounts, either way it was a pretty distinctive looking fellow.

    http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?tid=3&did=26096


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,538 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/09/080911-ancient-amphibian.html
    An ancient, giant, salamander-like amphibian with a particularly nasty bite has been identified from a 240-million-year-old fossil, scientists report.

    Dubbed Kryostega collinsoni, the Antarctic creature was about 15 feet (4.57 meters) long and chomped down on prey using sharp teeth that protruded from the roof of its mouth.
    ...


    "You could think of Kryostega as a giant salamander," said study team member Christian Sidor, a paleontologist at the University of Washington.

    Make that an unusually toothy giant salamander: Its teeth were enormous compared to with other amphibians, according to Sidor.

    Toothy Terror

    Kryostega belonged to an ancient lineage of amphibians called temnospondyls, which had tiny teeth attached to their palates.

    However the newly named amphibian's fossil had unusual palate teeth: Some of them were larger than the normal teeth on the edge of its mouth.


  • Registered Users Posts: 687 ✭✭✭Zadkiel


    I kind of liked Andrewsarchus since seeing Walking with Beasts
    and Smilodons too.

    evi_andrewsarchus_large.jpg

    + 1 million for Megalodon though!


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    *Bump*. No need for a new thread for this item, can't find it posted elsewhere either. Found it on Livescience from last October. Nice gallery entitled 25 Amazing beasts:


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    marco_polo wrote: »
    *Bump*. No need for a new thread for this item, can't find it posted elsewhere either. Found it on Livescience from last October. Nice gallery entitled 25 Amazing beasts:

    They got Camarasaurus mixed up with Paralititan :(


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 47,749 Mod ✭✭✭✭cyberwolf77


    You folks may find this little list rather intriguing.
    http://listverse.com/2010/03/30/15-terrifying-and-little-known-prehistoric-monsters/

    Enjoy.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    Very nice a few creatures in there I'd not come across before.


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    Good old Estemmenosuchus. I still have that toy from when I was a kid.

    dinoadventure.jpg

    And to think, my mother at the time questioned my decision to buy it. "Would you not rather get real dinosaurs??"* :rolleyes: Parents, whaddoo they know?


    *Yes yes, I know Estemmenosuchus wasn't a dinosaur, but she was implying that they were made up monsters. Although to be fair on her with a name and appearance like that who could blame her?


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    I love these list things (great website BTW). Alas, so much is the variety on display here that I have ran out of tags...

    Is that Phil Lynott? :eek:

    cscrpion-tm.jpg?w=378&h=450


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 842 ✭✭✭Weidii


    I honestly had never heard of Gigantopithecus. Shame!

    What's that, Galvasean? Some sort of giant Arthropod...


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    It's a type of prehistoric sea scorpion, probably Pterygotus, which appears in an episode of Walking With Monsters.


    Check it out at 1:40


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    Another top ten extinct animals list (funny how they can all be so drastically different):
    http://oddee.com/item_88742.aspx


Advertisement