#giant reptile

[arminreindl]

So a couple of days ago a new phytosaur was published by Datta and Ray from India's Tiki Formation. For those unaware, Phytosaurs are large, superficially croc-like reptiles that lived in freshwater throughout much of the Triassic. They can easily be separated from crocs by the fact that their nose is on top of the head. But I digress. So Datta and Ray described Colossosuchus based on over 300 remains from a bonebed, containing everything from young animals less than 5 meters long to absolute giants.

The paper included the composite skeletal you see above, which I scaled here compared to Steve Irwin, which already yields an impressive animal. HOWEVER this skeleton wasn't scaled to the biggest known material, a lower jaw 1.1 meters long. So I did that and....

that gives us THIS ABSOLUTE MONSTER. Over 8 meters long (the tail tip is missing in the image above) and easily one of the biggest phytosaurs we know off. Of course thats assuming that these are the correct propotions seeing as its a combination of multiple individuals of a single bonebed. I can't say much since phytosaurs aren't my speciality, but as far as the claims of the papers go thats what they suggest.

Whats also fun is that this is not the only phytosaur from the Tiki Formation. In 2019 the same authors described Volcanosuchus, a smaller phytosaur but no less interesting. Here you see a reconstruction of Volcanosuchus compared to a reconstruction of Colossosuchus.

Then obviously the next question I had was "How big would they be next to each other?" So I scaled the skull of Volcanosuchus (scalebar is 5 cm) to the largest individual Colossosuchus (with the reconstructed skull superimposed) and well its not even close.

I really gotta look more into phytosaurs at some point, since I know a lot less about them than I'd like to. So that could be an interesting research journey in the future. Also might make a proper size chart based on these for Wikipedia eventually if I find the motivation.

[moviesandmania]

REPTILICUS Campy monster move - reviews

‘Invincible… indestructible! Reptilicus is a 1961 giant monster film about a prehistoric reptile. It was a Danish-American co-production, produced by American International Pictures and Saga Studios, and is—upon closer examination—two distinctly different films helmed by two different directors. An English version was shot by Sidney W. Pink (who had more success developing colour 3D films,…

[babyanimalgifs]

Did you know giant tortoises love head scratches?

(Source)

[herpsandbirds]

New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus), family Diplodactylidae, endemic to New Caledonia

This is the longest and heaviest gecko species in the world, growing up to 17 inches total length, and weighing up to 300 g.

Photograph by Jairo Cuevas (@jviridis)

[charcoaldustonmyfingers]

Biblically accurate Michelangelo! Love this guy. What a round little fella. Box turtles are so circle shape.

Box turtles can do this cool thing where they can go all the way into their shell and close the door! Their plastron is hinged in two, so when they retract they can hide their extremities and completely block out predators from getting in at all. They’re also mostly terrestrial, although they do need water to keep themselves well hydrated and partake in the occasional swim. Male box turtles also have bright red eyes, which is pretty neat.

Mikey probably could retract more than the others, but I don’t know if his humanoid limbs would quite fit completely inside his shell post mutation. Even so, good luck landing a hit on this hard scaled and agile little guy!

I added a little color too for some painting practice! Ornate box shells have some really impressive patterns to help them blend into the grasses and leaf litter they call home.

[Raphael] [Leonardo] [Donatello] [Extended Family]

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

Results from the #paleostream!

Ichthyotitan, Vasuki, Dynamosuchus and Quasicaecilia.

[omg-snakes]

I was so, so lucky to meet a very special trio of snakes for a class I'm taking on methods in field ecology. One of my two professors is a specialist in garter snakes and was kind enough to bring three different species in for us to compare in person and observe up close. The first was the gorgeous common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, pictures above. She was so calm and well-mannered!

Next was this tiny (by comparison) T. elegans dude, a western garter snake, who was wary of the camera but very patient about being passed around by a group of excited college students. He matched my classmate's sweater perfectly!

Finally, an endangered and incredibly precious T. gigas, the giant garter snake. She's about half of her maximum adult size, so a giant indeed! She musked and peed a bit but for the most part this gojira-faced beauty was pretty chill. We got to observe a full work-up for her including documenting records and microchipping.

She's one of the last of her species. Despite Herculean efforts by her protectors and conservation experts (mostly just one man and his dedicated team), this is a very difficult species to observe in the wild and their habitats are disappearing faster than their need for prioritization of protection in a given area can be assessed. These snakes rely on riparian habitat near rivers, which is also unfortunately a favorite for human development. At this time we don't know how exactly many giant garter snakes are left or whether their current populations are stable.

Today we got to visit their marshland habitat and watch these three go back to the place where they were caught. It was a huge honor and something I'll carry with me forever.

[snototter]

A giant leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) in Nosy Mangabe, Madagascar

by Frank Vassen

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Do you hate getting water up your nose? The Aldabra giant tortoise doesn't! In fact, this species drinks through their nose; their flat snouts are specially designed to allow them to draw water from shallow pools, which is critical in an environment where water is scarce.

(Image: An Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) wearing a fashionable hat (Telfair's skink) by Nik Cole)

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a kofi!

[critter-creature-or-beast]

Photo by Yotcmdr - Own work, Public Domain

[shadefish]

A Transformers commission for a friend of mine of her Predacon Solana enjoying the shade on a hot day!

ooo check these out to support me

[legokingfisher]

In my mind palace a lot of dragons in the ninjagoverse (especially younger dragons) play bite/nip as a friendly/affectionate gesture… and this leaves Riyu and Wyldfyre in a tough spot, considering their teammates are squishy and fragile. They have manners, yes, but. Consider. Want to bite :(

[robojaw]

A short video of Vegetable, my pet Madagascar Giant Day Gecko, attempting to lick my camera, after hiding away in her log after I misted down her enclosure

April 17th, 2023

[herpsandbirds]

i cannot begin to express how much i love this blog!!! i LOVE creatures and animals SO MUCH and EVERY DAY i get to find out about new ones!!! they're all so PRETTY and COOL and...!!! AAAAARRGGGHHH!!!!!!! AMINALS!!!!!!!!!!

thank you very much for your service.

Youre so very welcome ma petite chouchou!

here is a very much aminal for you... one of the very most creatures...

New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus), family Diplodactylidae, endemic to New Caledonia

This is the longest and heaviest gecko species in the world, growing up to 17 inches total length, and weighing up to 300 g.

Photograph by @firststategeckos

[theriu]

All creatures were chosen at random (i.e. as they popped into my head). I used "Wyvern" because creatures that fall under the term "Dragon" can be Literally Anything, so wanted to narrow it down slightly. I will not be placing any other limits, please share any personal interpretations* regarding your choice's superiority in the replies/tags :D

*(But for my sake, please TRY to keep it PG, no graphic descriptions of guts and gore I beg you. Pretend it's WWE and they all go out for coffee later or something.)

[flawless-imperfections]

my sweet little dino soaking up that UVB🥰