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DrPolaris — Lost at Sea

#speculativeevolution #speculativebiology #speculativezoology
Published: 2018-10-15 13:34:14 +0000 UTC; Views: 9170; Favourites: 173; Downloads: 30
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Description The ancient Tethys Sea, 35 million years ago. The carcass of a juvenile Hadrosaur which once lived in the lush forests of Eocene Egypt has been swept out to sea. In a state of partial decomposition, the body has begun to attract scavengers of all kinds. The first to arrive on the scene were a flock of gull-like Hamorhynchus; these toothed Icthyornithines were widespread in the region and their fossils have been recovered from across Northern Africa. Pterosaurs soon followed, pushing past their much smaller Archosaurian cousins to stake their claim to this unexpected prize. The Pteranodontian Senmurvia approaches in the distance, soaring above the waves on its 7m wingspan. The smaller Nyctosaurid Hapipteryx floats warily on the surface, biding its time until the larger marine predators have had their fill. Speaking of which, a whole troupe of aquatic beasts have discovered the carcass and are proceeding to tear it apart. The large Dyrosaurid Dyrosaurus ra snaps at a loose piece of stringy flesh, while the derived Plotosauroid Mosasaur Lamnisaurus waits its turn. This Mosasaur and its kin have become rather Icthyosaur-like in terms of body proportions and lifestyle; traits which will serve them well during the Neogene. During the Late Eocene however, Plotosauroids were quite rare, minor components of their ecosystems when compared to their much larger, more snake-like basal relatives. The semi-aquatic Choristoderan Khenthekhai antiquus attempts to sneak away after eating its fill of leftovers. This animal was a descendant of basal Choristoderans that took to the sea during the Middle Eocene. Modern representatives of this group are fully aquatic, while earlier forms could still maneuver about on dry land. Most of the animals present in this image have been recovered from the famous Wadi al hitan site in the deserts of Alter Earth Egypt.

All credit for this wonderful image goes to Sheather888.
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Comments: 15

Cerberus-Chaos [2023-12-03 21:37:09 +0000 UTC]

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Tigon1Monster [2022-07-05 02:08:58 +0000 UTC]

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MatteoBijlsma [2020-03-22 22:40:54 +0000 UTC]

Is the Dyrosaurus the same genus as the real world one or is it some sort of homonymy?

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DrPolaris In reply to MatteoBijlsma [2020-03-22 22:55:50 +0000 UTC]

It's the same genus.

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MatteoBijlsma In reply to DrPolaris [2020-03-23 13:42:58 +0000 UTC]

I'm curious, how could it evolve on both timelines? (wow, talking of timelines made me think about good old Primeval  )

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DrPolaris In reply to MatteoBijlsma [2020-03-23 22:22:01 +0000 UTC]

It was named due to the extreme similarity of both genera and suggests that Dyrosaurus is significantly older than fossils from our world suggest.

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MatteoBijlsma In reply to DrPolaris [2020-03-24 12:43:05 +0000 UTC]

Good answer, thank you very much

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TheSirenLord [2020-03-21 15:21:03 +0000 UTC]

happy to see that the often forgotten Choristoderans are still around.

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DrPolaris In reply to TheSirenLord [2020-03-21 15:43:44 +0000 UTC]

And they have an important part to play in Alter Earth’s history as well!

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TheSirenLord In reply to DrPolaris [2020-03-21 17:32:32 +0000 UTC]

ah cool

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Haxorus54 [2019-10-13 03:25:42 +0000 UTC]

So what type of hadrosaur is featured in this photo? Is it Kemetosaurus and Misrhadros?

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DrPolaris In reply to Haxorus54 [2019-10-15 19:57:26 +0000 UTC]

It is a juvenile Kemetosaurus.

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TyrannosaurusLives00 [2018-10-23 22:45:29 +0000 UTC]

35 mya?

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DrPolaris In reply to TyrannosaurusLives00 [2018-10-24 01:08:18 +0000 UTC]

Yep this takes place in an alternate timeline without the Chixulub impact.

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TyrannosaurusLives00 In reply to DrPolaris [2018-10-24 19:21:05 +0000 UTC]

Oh

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