#Leptictidium

[gabipaleo]

Leptictidium - a small mammal from 50 million years ago, just after the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs. It lived in the subtropical forests of what is now Europe, resembling modern Elephant Shrews and Bandicoots. Leptictidium showed significant size variation. Leptictidium auderiense (type species, featured in my artworks) was about 60 cm long, while Leptictidium nasutum reached up to 90 cm, showing diversity in sizes within the genus.

The debate continues on whether Leptictidium hopped or ran bipedally. Its long feet and tail, which could act as a counterweight, suggest hopping. (If it didn't hop, it could be one of the few bipedal, non-jumping mammals, having theropod-like posture.) However, its non-fused tibia and fibula (fused in most hopping mammals) imply it might have run instead. Despite this, the bones are close enough to suggest hopping as a form of locomotion, at least occasionally. Kangaroo Rat is animal with very similiar locomotion.

Leptictidium had the second-longest tail among mammals, with 42-43 vertebraes, surpassed only by the Long-tailed Pangolin with 46-47. Some scientists speculate that Leptictidium could be arboreal, using its tail for balance while climbing or even jumping between branches.

[thylacines-toybox]

Blueberry located……

Just messing with my leptictidium plush on the coffee table earlier, seeing how well it can balance! Surprisingly well? Also can balance things on its snoot. Very talented!

[makairodonx]

Unleash the Beasts: Part One

A collection of animals from the Paleocene to Eocene, lasting from 56-33 million years ago, from bottom to top: Arctocyon primaevus, Barylambda feberi, Gastornis geiselensis, Propaleotherium hassiacum, Uintatherium anceps, Ambulocetus natans, Godinotia neglecta, Leptictidium auderiense, Andrewsarchus mongoliensis, Moeritherium andrewsi, Arsinoitherium zitteli, Basilosaurus isis, Dorudon atrox, Embolotherium andrewsi, Megacerops coloradensis, and Apidium phiomense

[shiningcindyz]

[vickysaurus]

Leptictidium, the star of the Walking With Beasts episode set in the Messel formation.

[w-stote]

they look like Leptictidium! You cannot tell me they dont look alike even more when I only see them drawn with the same fur as a baby deer.

Chevrotains are Leptictidiums that walk on 4 legs.

[chimeride]

[sebastianshaw]

*hops around like a jerboa bc I made three posts here today* And! Speaking of jerboas! Check out the leptictidium! It’s basically an ur-jerboa!

my dad describes it as a "velocihamster" and he's basically right, it's a prehistoric rodentlike mammal that is likely an ancestor to modern elephant shrews and small marsupials like bilbies and bandicoots----so by extension, probably to potoroos!

[swords0827]

Watch "Leptictidium: A Strange Dawn for the Age of Mammals" on YouTube

[chrideedee]

Small.

(from Leptictidium, Wikimedia Commons)

Trying to do research for writing is so dumb I’m literally on the Wikipedia page for rabbit

[arclundarchivist]

Spectember: Not A Trace

Hidenburgis (Leptictidium crepitis) are a strange form of mammal that have been discovered following activation of the SONORK Transportation System.

Their existence was formally entirely unknown as their bones have gone missing from the fossil record.

Observation quickly surmised the reason for this.

A form of Leptictidium, they had trade their forest floor homes for the canopy, with both back limbs articulated for climbing and clinging to tree branches as they fed on leaves and fruit, but their main difference was their form of locomotion.

With their flat tails as both a rudder and an anchor they used to push and pull themselves about, they maneuvered around the canopy using a large inflatable organ along their back that they filled with methane, allowing them to ascend quickly if startled or in search of more food, and also quickly descend if a predatory avian was spotted.

If they got the chance they could have likely evolved into more openly Ariel species with much less haphazard flight but they proved ill equipped for dry plains that proceeded the end of the Eocene as did most Leptictidium.

This combined with an increase in larger predatory avians lead to the demise of the Hidenburgis.

As for why they have vanished from the fossil record.

They exploded

The dry heat combined with any sudden impact causes the Hindenburgis to erupt into tiny fire balls that rapidly and aggressively consumed their bodies, leaving the bones tinder dry and easily destroyed.

This mini firebombs are now believed to actually have been partially responsible for the rapid change in flora biomes in a number of locales.

This also explains numerous avian bones discovered with signs of high heat exposure around their talons and other animals with similar scaring around their jaws, likely targeting individuals that had been grounded for one reason or another.

Some of the SONORK team have voiced an opinion for retrieval of the animals and a number of other curious species, but as of this moment such actions are not being considered by the team leads.

I will say the occasional ridiculous things nature spawns will never fail to to amaze me.

[thedudeabides1994]

this is the prologue of my story called Primal Empire so if you guys would be so kind as to give me some tip of what I could do to change this.

Grantis moved through the forest of tall conifer and deciduous trees, being careful not to get distracted or let his guard down, as you can never be too careful in these woods; after there was a reason it is referred to as the untamed woods. All around him were the sounds of the Enantiornithes birds and small animals such as Leptictidium scurrying through the underbrush. He ignored them as best he could as he tried to listen for the sound of a prowling predator or a potential prey. Walking alongside him was Bhoot, his pet Dire Wolf how was sniffing the ground to pick up the scent of prey.

Suddenly, Bhoot stopped and pointed his nose in a certain direction. This means he's picked up the trail of an animal. Quietly, Grantis made his way in the direction Bhoot had pointed. The big canine followed the scent trail, moving just as carefully as his master over the leaves, shrubs and twigs trying not to make as much noise as possible. Grantis eventually came to a stop and gently moved a foliage branch out of his way. Then he spotted their target three Hoplitomeryx, a strange ungulate that resembles a deer. 

They were casually grazing on shrubs and leaves; they hadn't raised their head or perked up their ears yet, meaning they did not suspect Grantis’ or Bhoots' presence, which was perfect for them. Grantis then slowly reached for an arrow that was stored on the quiver on his back while being careful not to make any noise. He then raised his bow and pulled the string back, taking aim at the one closest to him; pointing the arrow tip at the creature's side where the heart was to ensure a quick death. However, right as he was about to let the arrow fly, a high pitched scream echoed through the forest, scaring the Hopitomeryx and they bolt off.

"Shit!" Grantis cursed as his arrow flew past its target.

Then his mind quickly changed from frustration over his loss to the realization that the scream meant that someone was in distress, but who could be all the way out here? Regardless, he knew he had to investigate it, so he quickly ran in the direction he heard the scream, clawing through the branches and plants in his way with Bhoot tagged along with him. He stopped when he saw three men standing over something. He assumed they were bandits because of their attire. The three men turned around as soon as Grantis burst out of the foliage, giving him a view of what they were standing over; it was a little girl. On the girl’s face was an expression of pure terror, and after looking around, Grantis saw two men lying dead on the ground. They must have been Hanakuni soldiers due to their Tatami armor.

“Hey, you lost, old man?” one of the bandits asked him.

“Well, mind telling me what is the meaning of this?” Grantis replied, not really asking a question, as he could already tell what was going on by the surroundings.

“You know, attacking a child is frowned upon,” he told them.

“We don't care as long as we get what we want, now beat it!" Another bandit yelled.

"I'm afraid I can't do that,” Grantis informed them before drawing out his knife.

“Now stand aside,” he warned them. Bhoot growled, bearing his teeth, but the bandits just laughed, then drew their swords.

“You’re way over your head here, old timer,” another one mocked. 

“Three against two? I like these odds” Grantis then let out a whistle, and as if waiting for it, Bhoot jumped at one of the bandits, knocking him to the ground. The other two bandits watched in horror as the large dog tore him apart and his screams of terror and pain were fading. Eventually, one of them lifted his sword in a desperate attempt to save him. However, his attack was countered by Grantis, who managed to block the sword blow with his knife. The bandits were shocked by this, and even more so when Grantis managed to push him back. He started to swing wildly at him, but he managed to dodge each and every one of his attacks. As that was happening, the last bandit figured he should do something, so he managed to get behind Grantis and then swung his sword right for his neck. But Grantis could tell it was coming due to the man yelling, so he managed to avoid that attack as well, which resulted in the bandit accidentally decapitating his friend. The last bandit takes a minute to comprehend what he had just done; his eyes were full of shock, but that shock burns into anger as he turns his attention to Grantis. He then begins swinging wildly at him with his sword, while Grantis does his best to avoid the attacks as they become quicker and more erratic.

Grantis managed to block one blow, but the force of the impact was so strong that it knocked Grantis on his back and caused him to drop his knife. The bandit smiled as he stood over his victim, raising his sword up over his head, ready to strike. However he never got the chance; Bhoot jumped on him, trying to get at his throat while the man tried to push him off. After a few moments, the bandit threw the Dire Wolf off of him. He was ready to kill Bhoot, but at that point Grantis had already gotten back on his feet, and using one of his arrows, he jabbed it right into the man's jugular. The last bandit fell to the ground, clutching his neck and blood poured out of it, until he eventually stopped moving afterwards, succumbing to his fatal wound.

Grantis then fell to his knees in exhaustion; he hadn't fought like that in years. However, a soft cry made him remember the girl. He turned to find her curled up in a ball, and she was shaking like a leaf. Grantis then approached the child and placed his hand on her shoulder, but in response, she screamed and backed away from him. Grantis then held up his hands to assure her that he meant no harm. This also allowed him to get a better look at her. She appeared to be around ten years of age, and given her skin color and narrow eyes, she must have been from the kingdom of Hanakuni. She wore a purple kimono-like robe with a light blue flower pattern on it. She had black hair that was tied in a bun. She was also clutching something in her arms. Upon closer examination, it turned out to be a juvenile Archaeopteryx. He could tell it was a youngster not just because of its size, but also its gray, downy feathers.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you,” Grantis told her in a soft gentle voice. He then set down his bow and arrows so he appeared less intimidating, "I just wanted to help you.”

He then held out his hand for her to take. The girl just looked at him for a few seconds with tear-filled eyes, not sure what to do. After all, she didn't know this man or even understand what he was saying as his language was different then hers. but at the same time, he did save her life, and she was not capable of taking care of herself. So, she took his hand.

[carrotdetective]

i’ve been talking about DD’s lore to a friend, so i thought i could share a portion of it here:

The Scarlet Bandits and Cerulean Theives, under the orders of Giulia, divided the Primus Empire into two regions: Rache and Venari. The SBs lurk in the Rache region, and CTs in the Venari region. Prior to Giulia’s uprising, the empire did not have separate regions, rather the kingdoms are connected to one political body known as the Primus Council. But when Giulia kidnapped and mind-controlled both them and Brace Investigations, she made them the ruling forces of each kingdom. Specifically, she tasked the BI to derail law enforcement agencies from investigating the crime surge and stealing from Giulia’s rivals and their connections, while the Primus Councilors drained the empire’s economy to fund their boss’ master scheme for an international monopoly.

The following are the kingdoms and bosses (PC [castle bosses] and BI [fortress bosses]) associated with their respective regions:

Rache (west)

Henge: ruled by PC Hutten (Ichthyostega) and guarded by BI Justice (Yoshi), this kingdom is the birthplace of the empire’s laws and home to the Sharplock family. Henge is also the home to a prestigious university the Cutello siblings and Sharplock brothers attended.

Olympia: ruled by PC Alketas (Styracosaurus) and guarded by BI Cleisthenes (Stygimoloch), this kingdom hosts the annual Primus Olympics and the location of ancient cities that are now ruins to visit or research on.

Oma: ruled by PC Beaudean (Sarcosuchus) and guarded by BI Amelia (Obdurodon), it is a sewage kingdom whose citizens manage an underground city, and serve as shelter from the SBs and CTs. Most of the buildings are made from empty shipping containers, especially houses.

Loch: ruled by PC Lochlan (Titanoboa) and guarded by BI Niniane (Dinopithecus), this forested kingdom is haunted by paranormal activity and famous for alleged sightings of a lake monster that resembles a giant Birdo that spits water from its mouth...or nose, whatever this creature really is.

Gaufre: ruled by PC Els (Protemnodon) and guarded by BI Romhilda (Mongolarachne), this kingdom is a hotspot for confectionaries and supposedly contains ingredients needed to bake a recreation of Princess Peach’s cake.

Kazot: ruled by PC Marisha (Rhinorex) and guarded by BI Damien (Notobatrachus), this musical kingdom is home to the wealthiest family in the Primus Empire: the Harmonis. It used to welcome fast-paced music, but the death of a Harmoni member banned the genre and settled for slow-paced music.

Loco: ruled by PC Corrado (Quetzalcoatlus) and guarded by BI Erhardt (Vilevolodon), this kingdom serves as a base to the Primus Military and the heart of the empire’s industries. It is also Thunder’s home kingdom, where she lives with her uncle and PC after her parents were killed in a car accident that triggered Thunder’s amaxophobia. Loco also contains a plethora of jobs for STEM individuals.

Folla: ruled by PC Jolanda (Spinosaurus) and guarded by BI Razor, this kingdom serves as the base of the Scarlet Bandits and one of the two kingdoms that has intense crime activity. Folla is the home of the Cutello family.

Venari (east)

Alpi: ruled by PC Weiss (Libanorhinus) and guarded by BI Noah (Prolagus), it is a mountainous kingdom and popular tourist destination due to its magnificent garden displays filled with colorful and exotic flowers; many are replicas of those native to faraway kingdoms, such as the Flower Kingdom.

Baza: ruled by PC Duman (Leptictidium) and guarded by BI Buqat (Citipati), it is a kingdom filled with a lot of shopping districts, which Baza earned this nickname: “The Primus Mall.”

Viz: ruled by PC Jensey (Archelon) and guarded by BI Kati (Juncitarsus), it is the cleanest kingdom in the empire and is popular for its hot springs. Viz’s main form of transportation are boats.

Pevnost: ruled by PC Vojtech (Megalania) and guarded by BI Sashmir (Vulpes qiuzhudingi), it is also a hotspot of paranormal activity but ghosts are mostly reported as opposed to Loch’s cryptid sightings. Pevnost has a lot of abandoned castles for avid ghost hunters to explore, and the kingdom is being debated on whether it truly introduced laws to the Primus Empire first before the Henge Kingdom. But some scholars argue that Pevnost serves as the building blocks for Henge.

Lumi: ruled by PC Soila (Dire Wolf) and guarded by BI Jean (Yijenplatycnemis), it is a festive kingdom popular for its amusement park named Lightland. Lumi is also the source for Primus’ entertainment, such as theater shows and animation studios.

Joyas: ruled by PC Fabriana (Megaloceros) and guarded by BI Merald (Therizinosaurus), it is the wealthiest kingdom in the empire due to its caves containing large amounts of gold, silver, and gemstones. However, expeditions to extract these priceless minerals resulted in accidents and deaths.

Molen: ruled by PC Rein (Haast’s Eagle) and guarded by BI Lisann (Eurotrochilus), it is a stupidly windy kingdom with a predictable weather forecast. Molen also serves as a secondary base for the Primus Military and a training area for their pilots.

Drac: ruled by PC Eligio (Baryonyx) and guarded by BI Ruby, this is one of the two kingdoms with intense crime activity. It is also the base of the Cerulean Thieves.

[makairodonx]

“In the course of twenty million years, mammals got more and more successful until they were the biggest, fiercest, and most spectacular animals on the planet. Whatever the climate, whatever the habitat, mammals made it their own. Their great strength was their ability to adapt. They grew to gigantic sizes, they evolved into powerful killers like the famous sabre-tooth cats, and they even laid claim to the oceans.”

- Kenneth Branagh, prologue to “Walking with Beasts”

Sketches of some of the incredible wildlife of the Cenozoic Era. None of the animals are exactly shown to scale. From left to right, bottom to top:

Arctocyon, Barylambda, Coryphodon, Titanoboa

Uintatherium, Notharctus, Mesonyx, Eobasileus

Leptictidium, Gastornis, Propaleotherium, Titanomyra, Godinotia, Pakicetus, Ambulocetus

Apidium, Arsinotitherium, Andrewsarchus, Embolotherium, Moeritherium, Dorudon, Basilosaurus, Perucetus

Megacerops, Cainotherium, Merycoidodon

Cynodictis, Paraceratherium, Hyaenodon gigas, Chalicotherium, Paraentelodon

Gentilicamelus, Amphicyon, Daeodon, Moropus, Dinocrocuta, Platybelodon, Gomphotherium, Pelagornis, Purussasaurus, Odobenoceratops, Otodus megalodon

Phoruschracos, Astrapotherium, Teleoceras, Synthetoceras, Samotherium, Livyatan

Australopithecus afarensis, Deinotherium, Ancylotherium, Dinofelis

Mammuthus columbi, Smilodon fatalis, Bison latifrons, Aenocyon dirus, Arctodus simus, Panthera atrox, Titanotylopus, Equus hersternus, Sivatherium, Gigantopithecus, Paleoloxodon

Smilodon populator, Macrauchenia, Doedicurus, Megatherium, Glyptodon, Toxodon

Mammuthus primigenius, Megaloceros giganteus, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Bos primigenius, Homo neanderthalensis, Elasmotherium, Bison bonasus

[thylacines-toybox]

Leptictidium plush sewn by me in June 2014 (but had some major revisions in May 2020)

[vickysaurus]

Leptictidium! I loved these little ones in Walking With Beasts.