History of Life by Splonkadumpocus

[Halichoeres]

Where would Paleozoic fans be without Safari Toobs?

[Crackington]

Too true Halichoeres!

@Splonkadumpocus - I love the imagination behind the dioramas - simple ideas but effective such as cutting up mountain shapes and using materials and bits and bobs that could otherwise just be thrown away. Very colourful displays.


I'm interpreting the green plastic under the pelycosaurs as moss rather than grass though, as it a fair way off evolving in the Permian!

[Splonkadumpocus]

I figured there had to be some kind of ground cover back then, possibly club mosses or ferns. Lack of grass wouldn't just leave bare ground unless it's a desert or something.

[Splonkadumpocus]

Late Permian, 260 million BC
LR:
Sarcoprion (Safari Prehistoric Sharks Toob)
Helicoprion (Safari Prehistoric Sharks Toob)
Estemmenosuchus (Safari)
Scutosaurus (Safari)
Inostrancevia (Safari)

I actually volunteer at the Arizona Museum of Natural History, and back in the 90s the museum helped the Paleontological Institute in Moscow set up a traveling exhibit of a bunch of casts of their specimens throughout the USA. We got several of them to keep afterward, including some of these creatures.

Estemmenosuchus (Arizona Museum of Natural History)

Scutosaurus (Arizona Museum of Natural History)

Inostrancevia (Arizona Museum of Natural History)


Helicoprion (Natural History Museum, Los Angeles)

[Splonkadumpocus]

Early Triassic, 245 million BC
L-R:
Shringasaurus (Safari)
Proterosuchus (Safari Prehistoric Crocodiles Toob)
Prestosuchus (Safari)
Euparkeria (Safari Prehistoric Crocodiles Toob)


Trilophosaurus, an allokotosaur related to Shringasaurus. (Smithsonian)


Eocyclotosaurus, a Triassic amphibian. (New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science)


Parts of an erythrosuchian. (New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science)


Prestosuchus (Tucson Gem and Mineral Show)

[Crackington]

I find the Permian and Triassic periods more fascinating than the Cretaceous tbh*, so really enjoying these photos.

It's great that you volunteer in the museum - thanks for sharing the snaps of the Russian fossil casts. They are very impressive.

The Tucson fossil show looks brilliant too, you must have maxed out your Google account that day with the photos! Is it an annual event?

*I'll keep visiting this thread when you get there though!

[Splonkadumpocus]

The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is an annual event, and I've been to it four times now. You really never know what the different exhibitors are going to bring, and I always get something great out of it.

[Splonkadumpocus]

Middle Triassic, 230 million BC
L-R:
Tanystropheus (Carnegie)
Nothosaurus (Safari Prehistoric Sea Life Toob)
Shastasaurus (Collecta)
Henodus (Safari Prehistoric Sea Life Toob)


Keichousaurus (Tucson Gem and Mineral Show 2023)


Shastasaurus sikanniensis (Royal Tyrrell Museum)

[Splonkadumpocus]

Late Triassic North America, 215 million BC
LR:
Postosuchus (Safari)
Machaeroprosopus (Safari Prehistoric Crocodiles Toob)
Coelophysis (Ja Ru, probably supposed to be Podokesaurus)
Desmatosuchus (Safari Prehistoric Crocodiles Toob)
Postosuchus (Safari Prehistoric Crocodiles Toob)


Rose-colored badlands of the Chinle Formation in the Painted Desert of eastern Arizona. (Petrified Forest National Park)


Petrified logs from the Chinle Formation. (Petrified Forest National Park)


Postosuchus and Desmatosuchus. (Petrified Forest National Park)


Smilosuchus (Smithsonian)

[Splonkadumpocus]

Late Triassic Europe, 210 million BC
LR:
Lisowicia (Collecta)
Liliensternus (Collecta)
Plateosaurus (Carnegie)

[Crackington]

Nice diorama - the Carnegie Plateosaurus looks good with those more up to date Collectas.

Thanks for sharing those exhibition photos too: the Smilosuchus is a new one on me. Impressive looking beast with mad jaws!