I just read through this whole thread. I like it best when you do recent species (from the latter part of the Pleistocene, and the Holocene) because I like to imagine what should still be here. Even though that is sad because I will never see them.
Hipporex's Guide to Interesting and Unique Prehistoric Fauna
- Thread starter Hipporex
- Start date
I second this, although I do enjoy learning more about lesser-known dinosaur species and quirks of the prehistoric world
NUMBER ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN: Small but mighty
Picture and Information Resources:
- Animal: Mammuthus exilis
- Name Pronunciation: Mam-mu-fus ex-i-lis
- Name Meaning: "Slender mammoth"
- Named By: Stock and Furlong - 1928
- Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Synapsida, Therapsida, Mammalia, Placentilia, Afrotheria, Paenungulata, Proboscidea, Elephantoidea, Elephantidae, Elephantinae, Elephantini
- When: ~ 80,000 to 13,000 years ago (Late Pleistocene to early Holocene)
- Where: Channel Islands of Southern California
- Size: *see below*
- Diet: Herbivore
Picture and Information Resources:
- My brain
- Pygmy mammoth - Wikipedia
- Mammuthus exilis
- The Pygmy Mammoth - Channel Islands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- The Pygmy Mammoth - Channel Islands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- Mammuthus exilis (Pygmy mammoth)
- LibGuides: Extinct Columbian (Mammuthus columbi) and Channel Island (M. exilis) Mammoths Fact Sheet: Summary
It's a shame our ancestors didn't leave any mammoths for us...
~Thylo
~Thylo
NUMBER ONE HUNDRED FOURTEEN: Happy National Dinosaur Day!
Below: Austroraptor and several of its contemporaries.
Picture and Information Resources:
- Animal: Austroraptor cabazai
- Name Pronunciation: Aw-strow-rap-tor caw-bawz-ah-e
- Name Meaning: "Cabaza's southern thief"
- Named By: Fernando Novas et al. - 2008
- Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Archosauriformes, Archosauria, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Paraves, Dromaeosauridae, Unenlagiinae
- When: ~ 78,000,000 B.C.E. to 66,000,000 B.C.E. (Late Cretaceous epoch)
- Where: Allen Formation (Río Negro, Argentina)
- Size: *see below*
- Diet: Carnivore
Below: Austroraptor and several of its contemporaries.
Picture and Information Resources:
NUMBER ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN: @UngulateNerd92 should like this one
Picture and Information Resources:
- Animal: Uintatherium
- Name Pronunciation: Win-tah-thee-ree-um
- Name Meaning: "Uinta beast"
- Named By: Joseph Leidy - 1872
- Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Synapsida, Therapsida, Mammalia, Placentilia, Dinocerata, Uintatheriidae, Uintatheriinae
- When: ~ 45,000,000 B.C.E. to 37,000,000 B.C.E. (Eocene epoch)
- Where: China and United States
- Size: 13 feet (4 m) long; 6.5 feet (2 m) tall; 2 short tons (2,000 kg )
- Diet: Herbivore
Picture and Information Resources:
Somehow, while reading this bit, my "Kopfkino" envisioned two sophisticated Uinthatherium reacting to it: "Mortimer, old sport?" "Yes, Winston?" "This young fellow here is depicting us as brutish, thick-headed simpletons. Most uncivilised, isn't it? " "I concur. Bad form, I'd say." "Bad form, indeed. I decree that we shall challenge that cheeky lout to a duel, to remind him of his manners. Let us hope his three horns are up to the task!" "Splendid idea, old sport!"
"Uintatherium is coming" was right there to be used!! You should hand in your pun badge.
Gordon Brown
New Member
NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR: It may be a cetacean but it would of looked more like a hairy crocodile
Along with other ambulocetids, A. natans was a transitional species that shows us that whales evolved from land-living ungulates. However, despite what its name translates to, the most recent research suggests this species was entirely aquatic. This animal swam by undulating its back vertically. Chemical analysis of its teeth shows that it could move between salt and fresh water. It also lacked external ears. Its skull had a long snout and eyes facing sideways, located high on the skull like in modern hippos. Ambulocetus had a feeding morphology similar to that of crocodiles: a long snout, pointed teeth, and strong jaw adductor muscles. Like crocodilians, Ambulocetus probably killed its prey by holding it in its jaw and either drowning it or thrashing it with violent motions. Similar to larger crocodilians, adult Ambulocetus probably were ambush predators that fed on larger fish, aquatic tetrapods and possibly terrestrial animals near the water. In contrast to crocodilians, it may have chewed its prey but probably did minimal food processing with its teeth.
- Animal: Ambulocetus natans
- Name Pronunciation: Am-bu-loh-cee-tuss nay-tans
- Name Meaning: "Whale that walks and swims"
- Named By: Hans Thewissen et al. - 1994
- Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, hordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Synapsida, Therapsida, Mammalia, Placentilia, Boreoeutheria, Ungulata, Artiodactyla, Whippomorpha, Cetacea, Archaeoceti, Ambulocetidae
- When: ~ 47,800,000 B.C.E. to 41,300,000 B.C.E. (Eocene epoch)
- Where: Asia (Pakistan)
- Size: 9.84 feet (3 meters)
- Diet: Carnivore
(Below: A. natans is third down)
Picture and Information Sources:
- My brain
- Ambulocetus
- Ambulocetus - Wikipedia
- Ambulocetus natans
- Ambulocetus - Facts and Pictures
- Prehistoric Monsters, what's your favorites?
- Ambulocetus
- Ambulocetus natans, the Eocene “walking whale” – who might not actually have been able to walk at all! A study published in 2016… | Prehistoric animals | Pinterest | Prehistoric animals, Prehistoric creatures and Extinct animals
I have read the study that claims Ambulocetus could not walk. And I must say I am unconvinced. Largely due to the limitations of the study. Namely the omission of the 'false ribs' and the lack of info regarding the mass and center of gravity. Plus there are animals alive today that have similar body designs to Ambulocetus but are not fully aquatic, like otters and seals and sea lions. Now if there were to be the discovery of an Ambulocetus fetus that showed the manner in which it was born then I would be convinced. But the thoracic strength argument does not seem to be enough. Plus there is the question of how it would defend itself against a larger predator in its usual environment if it was a poor swimmer like scientists think.
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I've decided it's time to take this thread off of the extinct species list. However I want to know, as readers of this thread, what would you like to see? I'm not just talking about genera/species you've like to see highlighted but instead I'm looking for ways I can make this thread the best it can be. New format? Shorter profiles? More well known species analyzed? What do you think? Or are you happy the way things are? (which is fine if that's the case) Regardless I hope you all are doing well and expect to see new profiles soon!
Personally I love it as it is. Some of these prehistoric creatures are fascinating and I'd like to see more. I would definitely like to see more animals from before the Mesozoic era as well.
I'd like to see an Antarctic species post-Mesozoic.
~Thylo
~Thylo
There were a few astrapotheres in Antarctica.
@Hipporex if we could request species or genera for you to write about in this thread which seems like some others here are wanting to do, I would like to join in on that. My first request would be a Pumilovis richwhitei, a Blancan (Early-mid Pliocene Epoch to early Pleistocene) caprine. I actually know the person this taxon was named after.
I second that, I would love to see these if you don’t mind.
NUMBER ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN: It's showtime
Picture and Information Resources:
- Animal: Conflicto antarcticus
- Name Pronunciation: Con-flick-toe ant-are-tuh-kus
- Name Meaning: "Controdiction from Antarctica"
- Named By: Claudia Tambussi et al. - 2019
- Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Diapsida, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Archosauriformes, Archosauria, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Paraves, Avialae, Aves, Neognathae, Anseriformes
- When: ~ 65,000,000 B.C.E. to 64,000,000 B.C.E. (Danian stage of the Paleocene epoch)
- Where: Lopez de Bertodano Formation (James Ross Island, Antarctica)
- Size: 4.4 pounds (2 kg), 14.2 inches (36 cm) long, and 19.6 inches (50 cm) tall
- Diet: Omnivore
Picture and Information Resources:
- My brain (as always)
- Conflicto – Nix Illustration
- Conflicto
- Conflicto antarcticus - Wikipedia
- Species New to Science: [PaleoOrnithology • 2019] Conflicto antarcticus • A Stem Anseriform from the early Palaeocene of Antarctica provides New Key Evidence in the Early Evolution of Waterfowl
- stem anseriform from the early Palaeocene of Antarctica provides new key evidence in the early evolution of waterfowl
- Conflicto antarcticus. By Mark Witton. Conflicto, an Antarctic Palaeocene waterfowl, tells us a lot a… | Prehistoric animals, Prehistoric creatures, Extinct animals
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NUMBER ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN: It's showtime
Conflicto antarcticus had a slender body, long legs, a long neck, and a narrow goose-like beak. It also had an unusual pair of bony bumps on its skull which may have supported some sort of small crest superficially similar to the knob on the head of the modern magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata). The forelimb and pectoral girdle bones suggest that it was a flying bird. Temperatures in Antarctica at the time were much warmer than today, and the area where its fossils were found would have been a temperate estuary or river delta. It was probably an omnivorous wading bird, feeding on vegetation, small fishes, and invertebrates in shallow freshwater. Conflicto was a likely a stem anseriform, equally related to the current extant clades. But the phylogenetic classification remains uncertain and the generic name is in reference to the controversial systematic placement of this genus. According to the study that described this bird, "Conflicto antarcticus represents one (and possibly the most) substantial record of a non-marine Palaeocene bird from the Southern Hemisphere and supports the hypothesis that Neognathae had already diversified in the earliest Palaeocene." Conflicto’s closest known relative might be the similarly-aged Anatalavis from North America and Europe, suggesting that its lineage was quite widespread and already taking advantage of vacant niches in the immediate wake of the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction.
- Animal: Conflicto antarcticus
- Name Pronunciation: Con-flick-toe ant-are-tuh-kus
- Name Meaning: "Controdiction from Antarctica"
- Named By: Claudia Tambussi et al. - 2019
- Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Diapsida, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Archosauriformes, Archosauria, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Paraves, Avialae, Aves, Neognathae, Anseriformes
- When: ~ 65,000,000 B.C.E. to 64,000,000 B.C.E. (Danian stage of the Paleocene epoch)
- Where: Lopez de Bertodano Formation (James Ross Island, Antarctica)
- Size: 4.4 pounds (2 kg), 14.2 inches (36 cm) long, and 19.6 inches (50 cm) tall
- Diet: Omnivore
Picture and Information Resources:
- My brain (as always)
- Conflicto – Nix Illustration
- Conflicto
- Conflicto antarcticus - Wikipedia
- Species New to Science: [PaleoOrnithology • 2019] Conflicto antarcticus • A Stem Anseriform from the early Palaeocene of Antarctica provides New Key Evidence in the Early Evolution of Waterfowl
- stem anseriform from the early Palaeocene of Antarctica provides new key evidence in the early evolution of waterfowl
- Conflicto antarcticus. By Mark Witton. Conflicto, an Antarctic Palaeocene waterfowl, tells us a lot a… | Prehistoric animals, Prehistoric creatures, Extinct animals
The knob really does look like one on a magpie goose!
NUMBER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN: The woolly rhino, but cooler...
Who said unicorns weren't real? The Siberian unicorn (no seriously, that's its actual name, look it up) was a large species of rhinoceros. Rhinocerotidae can be divided into two subfamilies, the extant Rhinocerotinae and the extinct Elasmotheriinae, which split perhaps 47.3 million years ago, 35 million years ago at the latest. The Siberian unicorn was the last member of Elasmotheriinae. It ranged from southwestern Russia to western Siberia and southward into Ukraine and Moldova and went extinct about 39,000 years ago during the Late Pleistocene. The Siberian unicorn was the actually one of the smaller members of the genus Elasmotherium. The biggest, E. caucasicum, grew slightly bigger, up to 16.4 feet (5 m) long. Because no horn core is known to of been discovered despite multiple cranial remains, scientists aren't 100% is this beast had a horn, however it is considered likely by most that it did. If Elasmotherium did have a horn then this horn would have been made out of keratin, the same material that your fingernails are made of. Unfortunately keratin does not preserve like bone, and in time decomposes like flesh, which means that even with a best guess by comparison to other similar animals, we still do not know what shape or size this horn could have been. There was likely a large hump of muscle on the back, which is generally thought to have supported a large, heavy horn. Elasmotherium is generally reconstructed as a woolly creature, typically based on the woolliness exemplified in contemporary megafauna such as mammoths (Mammuthus) and the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis). However, it is sometimes depicted as bare-skinned like modern rhinos. Russian palaeontologist Valentin Teryaev suggested in 1948 that it was semi-aquatic with a dome-like horn, and resembled a hippopotamus (Hippopotamus) because the animal had 4 toes like a wetland tapir rather than the 3 toes in other rhinos, but Elasmotherium has since been shown to have had only 3 functional toes, and Teryaev's reconstruction has not garnered much scientific attention. Siberian unicorn dental wearing is similar to that of the grazing white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium), and both of their heads have a downward orientation, indicating a similar lifestyle and an ability to only reach low-lying plants. One last sidenote for any Star Wars fans out there, it is thought that the Siberian unicorn inspired the appearance of the Mudhorn in The Mandalorian (Season 1 Episode 2).
Below: Mudhorn
Picture and Information Resources:
- Animal: Siberian unicorn (Elasmotherium sibiricum)
- Named By: Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim - 1808
- Classification: Life, Eukaryota, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Gnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Synapsida, Therapsida, Mammalia, Placentilia, Boreoeutheria, Ungulata, Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae, Elasmotheriinae
- When: Went extinct about 39,000 years ago (Late Pleistocene)
- Where: *see blue dots on distribution map*
- Size: 14.8 feet (4.5 m) in length, with shoulder heights of over 6.6 feet (2 m)
- Diet: Herbivore
Who said unicorns weren't real? The Siberian unicorn (no seriously, that's its actual name, look it up) was a large species of rhinoceros. Rhinocerotidae can be divided into two subfamilies, the extant Rhinocerotinae and the extinct Elasmotheriinae, which split perhaps 47.3 million years ago, 35 million years ago at the latest. The Siberian unicorn was the last member of Elasmotheriinae. It ranged from southwestern Russia to western Siberia and southward into Ukraine and Moldova and went extinct about 39,000 years ago during the Late Pleistocene. The Siberian unicorn was the actually one of the smaller members of the genus Elasmotherium. The biggest, E. caucasicum, grew slightly bigger, up to 16.4 feet (5 m) long. Because no horn core is known to of been discovered despite multiple cranial remains, scientists aren't 100% is this beast had a horn, however it is considered likely by most that it did. If Elasmotherium did have a horn then this horn would have been made out of keratin, the same material that your fingernails are made of. Unfortunately keratin does not preserve like bone, and in time decomposes like flesh, which means that even with a best guess by comparison to other similar animals, we still do not know what shape or size this horn could have been. There was likely a large hump of muscle on the back, which is generally thought to have supported a large, heavy horn. Elasmotherium is generally reconstructed as a woolly creature, typically based on the woolliness exemplified in contemporary megafauna such as mammoths (Mammuthus) and the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis). However, it is sometimes depicted as bare-skinned like modern rhinos. Russian palaeontologist Valentin Teryaev suggested in 1948 that it was semi-aquatic with a dome-like horn, and resembled a hippopotamus (Hippopotamus) because the animal had 4 toes like a wetland tapir rather than the 3 toes in other rhinos, but Elasmotherium has since been shown to have had only 3 functional toes, and Teryaev's reconstruction has not garnered much scientific attention. Siberian unicorn dental wearing is similar to that of the grazing white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium), and both of their heads have a downward orientation, indicating a similar lifestyle and an ability to only reach low-lying plants. One last sidenote for any Star Wars fans out there, it is thought that the Siberian unicorn inspired the appearance of the Mudhorn in The Mandalorian (Season 1 Episode 2).
Below: Mudhorn
Picture and Information Resources:
No Prehistoric Park reference? For shame 
~Thylo
~Thylo