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On Monday, September 25, 2023 at 9:26:21 AM UTC-6, erik simpson wrote:
> On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 8:12:23 AM UTC-7, Sight Reader wrote:
> > On Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 10:50:48 PM UTC-6, erik simpson wrote:
> > > On Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 9:04:14 AM UTC-7, erik simpson wrote:
> > > > On Friday, September 22, 2023 at 6:43:12 PM UTC-7, Peter Nyikos wrote:
> > > > > I`ve long been familiar with some strange critters of
the Triassic, but I was
> > > > > really amazed at the variety that was displayed for us
by Gary Meany, in Quora, of all places:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-most-interesting-period-in-the-ancient-history
-of-Earth-Is-it-the-Triassic-the-Jurassic-the-Cambrian-the-Devonian-or-other/ans
wer/Gary-Meaney?ch=10&oid=274867839&share=f557083a&srid=pChjI&target type=answer
> > > > >
> > > > > He starts out:
> > > > > "It`s like choosing a favourite child, honestly, but I
think I`ll go with the Triassic for today. This period started about 251
million years ago, immediately preceded by the infamous End-Permian Extinction
- the most devastating extinction event in Earth`s history.
> > > > >
> > > > > "The cause of this mass extinction, also known as the
Great Dying, is debated, but we do know it was immensely lethal. It`s
thought that nearly 60% of all biological families were wiped out, including
70% of the world`s land vertebrate species. What this means is that,
entering the Triassic, evolution practically had a clean slate to experiment
with."
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Then the fun begins: one unusual animal after another,
each one with a well-executed color picture. Some I was familiar with:
> > > > >
> > > > > *Tanystropheus,* with a giraffe-like neck with a few
long bones, attached to a simple lizard-like body;
> > > > >
> > > > > *Longisquama,* sporting a double row of long
feather-like objects along its back;
> > > > >
> > > > > *Sharovipteryx,* with legs much longer than its arms,
but with a glidiing membrane
> > > > > attached to its legs and the proximal part of its
tail; and no gliding membrane elsewhere;
> > > > >
> > > > > *Desmatosuchus*, "a herbivore built like a tank. It
bore a striking resemblance to the ankylosaurs, dinosaurs which only
evolved long after this reptile went extinct."
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > But the list stretches on and on, with many another
weird creature that I`ve never heard of before. A few of them:
> > > > >
> > > > > The archosaur *Erythrosuchus*, "which had a gigantic,
bone-crushing head; proportionally, the largest of any known land vertebrate,
extinct or otherwise."
> > > > >
> > > > > "*Scleromochlus*, a cross between a lizard and a
kangaroo. Its back legs were long and springy, enabling it to move around by
hopping."
> > > > >
> > > > > Marine reptiles included:
> > > > > "*Atopodentatus, a hilariously odd creature which had a
flat, hammer-shaped head. It used this to sieve through the sediment, like
an underwater vacuum cleaner."
> > > > >
> > > > > " The as of yet unnamed Lilstock Ichthyosaur.
Discovered in 2018, this species may have been the largest reptile of all
time, measuring a staggering 26 metres in length. Some argue it could
even be comparable in size to the modern blue whale, but the evidence
of this is shaky."
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > As the saying goes, though, a picture is worth a
thousand words, and I think it best to stop here
> > > > > and to let readers have the pleasure of going through
the seemingly never-ending pictures for themselves.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Peter Nyikos
> > > > > Professor, Dept. of Mathematics -- standard disclaimer--
> > > > > University of South Carolina
> > > > >
http://people.math.sc.edu/nyikos
> > > > Amazing bestiary. I`ll be tracking down references for a
while. I`ve known of some of them, but there are
> > > > several new to me.
> > > I`ve found that the reason I recalled some of these beasts
is that they almost all appear in Prothero`s "Vertebrate Evolution",
> > > which I`ve mostly read. (Having a capricious memory, I can`t
begin to claim to have all, or even most of the information
> > > presented in that text in hand.). Prothero`s text isn`t to
be compared to Romer`s magisterial (but sadly now out of date)
> > > compendium, but it`s more approachable, particular for amateurs.
> > Good Lord! Are you saying that this Prothero book is actually
able to list everything that has ever been a vertebrate in 455 pages?
Is he able to go into much detail beyond simply listing names?
> >
> > What little I know I got from the Sues/Fraser book "Triassic
Life on Land". At maybe 20 years old, it`s already aging rapidly thanks
to today`s ridiculous pace of discoveries.
> The Paleocene resembles the Triassic with respect to the
appearance of weird beasts that don`t last
> long in the evolutionary sense. For that matter, the same can be
said for any rapid expansion into
> new or recently vacated ecospace. The first arrivals in new
territory got out of the blocks fast, but
> may not be particularly well-adapted to conditions. For a glimpse
of the strangness, have a look at
>
http://palaeos.com/cenozoic/paleocene/paleocene.html
Wow, I might have to get that book!
Certainly a lot of these guys fall under the "fast-but-inefficient"
category; however, we also have that end-Triassic extinction that may have
wiped out a lotta guys that were doing perfectly well. From what I
recall, our Triassic information is so sparse that it would be hard to
tell exactly how long some of these weird experiments persisted.
--- G2/1.0
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