It is always tragic when humans in avertedly cause an animal to become extinct, whether because we didn’t know how limited the population was, destroying habitats or releasing animals that the ecosystem isn’t prepared for. What is intolerable, however, is when a species is rare and humans actively wipe the majority out.
Brand: Yowie
Review: Paradise Parrot (Forgotten Friends Series A by Yowie)
4 (6 votes)
Australia is home to numerous species of parrot, from the Gallah to the sulpur-crested Cockatoo. Many are now quite rare as a result of humanity, but most are now protected and hopefully will recover. Sadly, this isn’t the case for all of them, as one species no longer exists among them, the Paradise Parrot.
Review: Choiseul Crested Pigeon (Forgotten Friends Series A by Yowie)
4 (7 votes)
The age of Imperialism truly wrecked the ecosystems of the world. Of all of these, island ecosystems were the most at risk, as the animals there were often unique and unable to deal with humanity and the creatures that often accompanied them. The island of Choiseul in the Solomon islands is one such example, as it was once home to the spectacular Choiseul Crested Pigeon, a relative of doves that was endemic only to Choiseul.
Review: Flexiraptor/Pengana (Lost Kingdoms Series A by Yowie)
4.3 (6 votes)
The Riversliegh formation in Queensland is a heritage site for good reason, it gives us a fascinating glimpse into the ancient past of Australia, full of magnificent marsupials and brilliant birds, plus a bunch of bats! The fossils show how Australia once was, full of rainforests and the animals inhabiting the area are amazing.
Review: Giant Moa (Lost Kingdoms Series A by Yowie)
3.7 (6 votes)
The largest bird today is the Ostrich, and this is owing to it’s flightlessness. The recent past, however, provided greater flightless giants. One such came from New Zealand, in the form of the South island Giant Moa, Diornis robustus, with females able to reach up to 11ft 10″ if they stretched up, being 6ft 6″ on a horizontal plane.
Review: Steller’s Sea Cow (Forgotten Friends Series A by Yowie)
3.4 (5 votes)
The order sirenia has long been fascinating to me, the main herbivorous marine mammals that have survived throughout the Cenozoic. The one that interests me the most (even inspiring my ATB name Sirenia) is, unfortunately, no longer living, the Steller’s Sea Cow. These giant sirenians lived around Commander Island in the Bering sea, being hunted by locals.
Review: Caribbean Monk Seal (Forgotten friends Series A by Yowie)
3.6 (5 votes)
Human greed is a catastrophic thing for the world. It results in pollution and destruction of the environment, and the loss of many, many amazing creatures. One such example is the Caribbean Monk Seal, a docile creature that lived around the Caribbean islands.
Review: Stegosaur (Lost Kingdoms Series B by Yowie)
3 (7 votes)
Yowie has a very interesting and vast collection of prehistoric critters in their lines, though some have been a pain to write up owing to the lack of material to discuss accuracy with. However, at least most of these had something to go off.
Review: Atlascopcosaurus (Lost Kingdoms Series B by Yowie)
3.7 (6 votes)
Once more, we take a look at another Yowie model of an ancient creature based on a slim evidence. In this case though, it does have better basis than others. Here, we see Atlascopcosaurus, an animal based on dentary found from early Cretaceous strata of Dinosaur cove, Australia.
Review: Long-Necked Plesiosaur/Woolungasaurus (Lost Kingdoms Series A by Yowie)
3.1 (7 votes)
While I do admire the Yowie line for it’s variety, several have given me headaches for being based off species known off bits and pieces, a leg bone or a finger. Fortunately, this isn’t the case for all, and here we have one such case, Woolungasaurus, an elasmosaurid plesiosaur from the early Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia.
Review: Steropodon (Lost Kingdoms Series A by Yowie)
3.8 (5 votes)
The Mesozoic saw the rise of the dinosaurs to dominance, as they were the largest and most successful animals around. But naturally, they weren’t the only creatures around, as this era saw the rise of birds and mammals. They were often small, especially during the Jurassic period, but they set the stage for their eventual take over once the dinosaurs bit the dust.
Review: Rapator (Lost Kingdoms Series B by Yowie)
4.4 (5 votes)
Australia has a wide array of species throughout the different periods and epochs. This has resulted in many different genus’ being constructed from the many pieces that had been found. Some have been erected from only a few pieces. Here, we see one such example, Rapator, a Mid-Cretaceous theropod known from a single metacarpal.