Tylosaurus diorama project

[Lady medusa]

I am working on a large tylosaur diorama and i want to add a florishing environment around it including many species of cephalopods,fish,corals, and rudists. My biggest problem is finding a good amount of coral or rudist species. Ive been searching for info for hours! Ive already been all over the oceans of kansas site along with many other sites. Can anyone help me please? Ive already started to sculpt some clams, brain corals, and ammonites.

[Tylosaurus]

hmm if you have a fish aquarium this might come in great handy you could hang the Tylo in the aquarium with thin fishing line, so it looks as if it is swimming in the water.

Thanks for doing a Tylosaurus Diorama hah, this is cool   

[Lady medusa]

I am using a 20 gal hex aquarium so you have a 360 view of the environment. As for how im going to place the tylosaur i havent decided i thought about clear arcylic rods cause it is pretty heavy, but i had not thought about fishing line. Ive used fishing line before with other projects and that could very well work!

[Tylosaurus]

just try it out, you can tie the fishing line around his belly, behind the fore and aft flippers to stabilize him, in a similar way I did with my StarWars collection on my flat ceiling:


here a side angle:


Just an example of what I mean, the advantage in water is that you won't see the fishing line to which the Tylo is hanging from, so in theory this might just do it
you can hang the tylo with the Fishing line from the ceiling of the aquarium or via some wooden planks Anything strong enough to tie the fishing line to so you can hang up the Tylo in the water filled Aquarium

[Lady medusa]

Ha this wont be waterfilled! Not after all the hardwork ive put in it! I will however be lighting it with blue and green LED lights. If i can find some twinkling LEDs or fading LEDs withoud having to get christmas lights id be golden! That would give the illusion of water

[SBell]

Depending on the Tylosaurus model you are using, some thin (but stiff) metal or acrylic rods will work--disguise them using foreground rocks, plants, other models, and even bubbles (glass beads with wire threaded through them).

[Lady medusa]

Depending on the Tylosaurus model you are using, some thin (but stiff) metal or acrylic rods will work--disguise them using foreground rocks, plants, other models, and even bubbles (glass beads with wire threaded through them).

A metal rod would had been my first choice but it doesnt have a drilled in spot for a rod. Im scared id ruin My model. The tylosaur model im using it the 1:20 scale by bob morales.
Believe me i will be getting some of the other tylosaur sculpts in time

[SBell]

Depending on the Tylosaurus model you are using, some thin (but stiff) metal or acrylic rods will work--disguise them using foreground rocks, plants, other models, and even bubbles (glass beads with wire threaded through them).

A metal rod would had been my first choice but it doesnt have a drilled in spot for a rod. Im scared id ruin My model. The tylosaur model im using it the 1:20 scale by bob morales.
Believe me i will be getting some of the other tylosaur sculpts in time

You could always create a hard-to-see wire brace for the model.  You will need one either way for any type of rod.

[Lady medusa]

If i went with a rod i would forsure use the clear acrylic but would i seriously need one since im going to suspend the model?

Ive started to sculpt some of my own fish for the diorama. I will have some sharks,rays, protostega and archelon, enchodus, gillicus, and swordfish( i will slaughter the species name if i tried to spell it from scratch!) ive been sculpting rudists, jellyfish, and ammonites as well.

[SBell]

If i went with a rod i would forsure use the clear acrylic but would i seriously need one since im going to suspend the model?

Ive started to sculpt some of my own fish for the diorama. I will have some sharks,rays, protostega and archelon, enchodus, gillicus, and swordfish( i will slaughter the species name if i tried to spell it from scratch!) ive been sculpting rudists, jellyfish, and ammonites as well.

I personally would use rods instead of suspension string--less obvious.  Although with a wire you could incorporate bubbles.

And the swordfish--do you mean protosphyraena?  Or Ischyrhiza?

[Yutyrannus]

Ive started to sculpt some of my own fish for the diorama. I will have some sharks,rays, protostega and archelon, enchodus, gillicus, and swordfish( i will slaughter the species name if i tried to spell it from scratch!) ive been sculpting rudists, jellyfish, and ammonites as well.
[/quote]
If you're going to be sculpting may I suggest fixing the tail so it is more lizard-like and giving it a fluke to.make it more accurate and up to date? Just a suggestion .

[Lady medusa]

Well since its a professional sculpt im not too keen on the idea of changinging the tail. Has it actually been proven in fossil evidence that tylosaurus actually had flukes? Cause i always thought that was speculative and from all the preserved fossils ive seen i myself havent seen that evidence. Ive done alot of research on seaofkansas website to get agood clear view of the habitat of tylosaurus and even here in norman at the same noble museum they have a marine reptile display of platycarpus, protostega, xiphicanthus(if i spelled that right), and hesperstornis. Ive definately taken i lot of looks at that too since im trying to draw a mosasaurid scene.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Spent a few hours during April talking to Michael Everhart, the author of "Oceans of Kansas" and the guy who was one of the main consultants for Carnegie for the newest Tylosaurus model they released. He was annoyed at the entire tail fluke thing and  says there is zero evidence, nothing whatsoever to support it and yet people insist on adding it. He shot the fluke controvery down rather hard

[attachment msg=12052][/attachment]

[Lady medusa]

[/quote]
If you're going to be sculpting may I suggest fixing the tail so it is more lizard-like and giving it a fluke to.make it more accurate and up to date? Just a suggestion .
[/quote]


Dont you mean less lizard- like? IMO the flat paddle tail mosasaurs have been depicted with for so long is very lizard/reptillian because modern day crocodilians, monitors(whom are mosasaur reletives), and other water loving saurians have similar flat tails. While the bizarre fluke look is very mammalian though im fully aware some crocodilians and all icthyosaurs had this fluke look.

Spent a few hours during April talking to Michael Everhart, the author of "Oceans of Kansas" and the guy who was one of the main consultants for Carnegie for the newest Tylosaurus model they released. He was annoyed at the entire tail fluke thing and  says there is zero evidence, nothing whatsoever to support it and yet people insist on adding it. He shot the fluke controvery down rather hard

That is very good to know!! Thank you!  I hadnt seen a lot of art with these guys having flukes but i have seen alot with the extra keels but either one just doesnt look right to me.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I was at the show to provide displays and information about dinosaurs and Mr. Everhart was there to do similar for marine reptiles. I was setting up a display for the kids to enjoy and heard a voice behind me .."There is that stupid ugly old mosasaurus " The piece I was displaying was the classic Carnegie mountain with attached dinosaurs. I turned around and asked...and you are? And he introduced himself to me as Michael Everhart. I spoke to him for awhile that day, had him sign a copy of his book to me, and went home that night to ponder his remarks. I checked his web site and made note that he was of course the constultant that helped design the latest and most up to date Carnegie Tylosaurus. That was why he had made the remarks about the old model attached to the Carnegie display piece!!!
The following day I asked him to autograph the Tylosaurus as well. He said it was a limited edition , one of only two he has signed to date. I was alright with that.
  He loves discussing Tylosaurus, and it appears his favorite topic. I think if you pondered your questions and emailed him, you could draw him out to give his input freely. He is very knowledgable and once you get him started, he loves talking about those massive sea reptiles.
[email protected]   is what he listed on his business card .  I believe the email address is also listed on his web site and freely offered to all for use.

[Yutyrannus]

If you're going to be sculpting may I suggest fixing the tail so it is more lizard-like and giving it a fluke to.make it more accurate and up to date? Just a suggestion .
[/quote]


Dont you mean less lizard- like? IMO the flat paddle tail mosasaurs have been depicted with for so long is very lizard/reptillian because modern day crocodilians, monitors(whom are mosasaur reletives), and other water loving saurians have similar flat tails. While the bizarre fluke look is very mammalian though im fully aware some crocodilians and all icthyosaurs had this fluke look.
[\quote]
Yes by lizard-like I meant moniter lizard-like .

Spent a few hours during April talking to Michael Everhart, the author of "Oceans of Kansas" and the guy who was one of the main consultants for Carnegie for the newest Tylosaurus model they released. He was annoyed at the entire tail fluke thing and  says there is zero evidence, nothing whatsoever to support it and yet people insist on adding it. He shot the fluke controvery down rather hard

That is very good to know!! Thank you!  I hadnt seen a lot of art with these guys having flukes but i have seen
alot with the extra keels but either one just doesnt look right to me.
[/quote]
There isn't any evedence in tylosaurus itself but there is in platecarpus.
Here is the speciman, it has it's tail downturned just like an icthyosaur. In opinion it wouldn't have a sharply downturned tail if it lacked a tail fluke.

[attachment msg=12069][/attachment]

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I admit this isnt an area I know just a terrible lot about but....Couldnt the downturned tail simply be a relic of either its death, and rigor process or of the fossilization process? I still see no evidence whatsoever to suggest a fluke, only speculation and inference, from the angle of a dead and fossilized animals tail. Are there any specimens at all that show any form of bone structure, or muscle attachment to give reason for such a fluke?
  I guess that is what Mr. Everhart was stating, there is no strong evidence to suggest it.

[Lady medusa]

I have to agree Because contenintal drift causes alot of poses the animal wouldnt had been in life. But also with the hanging tail theory have you ever truely looked at the positions of the tail of swimming crocodilians, iguanids, and monitors? When they first go to the surface the tail does hang, and same when resting at the surface. Reptiles are extremely flexible and i would think mosasaurids would be the same if not more. I think until a fluke impression is preserved this idea isnt likey to be accepted. 
I myself find it hard to accept because there has been so many specimens found but not one impression. Lots of icthyosaurus and sharks have been found with these impressions so if mosasaurs did have them why havent we found impressions with them.

[Yutyrannus]

I didn't mean to create a whole argument it was just a suggestion. Also, about not wanting to change the model, I completely understand, I don't want to change the tail on my carnegie tylo even though it is now outdated. When do we get to see the diorama? I've been wanting to see it for a long time now .

[Lady medusa]

oh i know its been a long time and because we had just reciently moved its been put into a hault phase. im still debating on the different ways to mount the tylosaurus but on another note i had also decided that the aquarium idea may make the scene look too crowded with all the different species i wanted to add. so im actually goin to be using less fish species and i need to suck it up and start sculpting more inverts like i was. now that my art studio is in working order i hope to have this scene done very soon.