Pete's Paleo Petshop: a picture-book project

[Mamasaurus]

Hi there!  Let me know if this is not the correct place to post this, but it's about a book, so... 

There's a long, complicated way to go about this, and there's a short way, so I'll save you some trouble and go the short way. 

Pete's Paleo Petshop (tentative title) is a series of children's picture books I am currently working on, which will first cover various periods in Earth's geologic history (i.e. Triassic or Ordovician).  Children go to the petshop, see various critters from a particular period in history and imagine how having such critters as pets would be like, and end up choosing one of them in the end.  The series is easily expandable, and I plan on having books that focus on prehistoric animals per country, per state, by group (i.e. ceratopsians), or divided into other such categories.  Since the Mesozoic is the most readily known by the general public, I am starting with the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.

Where your help would be most appreciated is in determining a short list of species per book that is a good representation of the fauna during that period.  So dinosaurs, marine life, pterosaurs, and other critters are all welcome.  Try to keep your list to no more than 6 species per book.

So here are the bullet points, just to make things clear... 

* A list of NO MORE than 6 species each for Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods

* the list must have a variety of animals, not just dinosaurs

* keep in mind sale-ability: unique or easily recognizable species, and classic favorites

* If you had a kid in the third grade (or younger), what species do you think would be important for your kid to know about to have an understanding of that period in earth's history?  Or what would YOU like to see in a picture book claiming to represent the period? 

* Pictures are highly appreciated!  I'm an amateur dinosaur enthusiast, and only know enough to really embarrass myself among far more knowledgeable folks like yourselves.   

Thank you very much for your help, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone's lists.   

[DinoLord]

Sounds like a very cool idea with lots of potential! Before I go about posting a list, I should ask - do you have a particular size range in mind? Also is geographic consistency a factor for this first round?

[Mamasaurus]

Sounds like a very cool idea with lots of potential! Before I go about posting a list, I should ask - do you have a particular size range in mind? Also is geographic consistency a factor for this first round?

By size range, do you mean the size of the animal?  Anything from tiny Bambiraptor to giant Leedsychthis, and no, for the first three they don't have to be confined to a particular location.  I will have info for the extra curious in a special section in the back of the book, which will include species name and location.  Maybe other basic info.  Other books in the series can specialize on particular locations, but the first ones will cover the period as a whole.

Here is my tentative list for the Jurassic...

- Allosaurus
- Stegosaurus
- Apatosaurus and/or brachiosaurus
- Liopleurodon and/or ichthyosaur
- Archeopteryx
- Early true mammal, perhaps castorocauda

There are so many other important species that I would love to include, and perhaps they can have cameos  in the background.  Since no critter will be mentioned by name in the text of the book (easier to read), I could possibly have two iconic Jurassic sauropods when the child dreams of how useful a "long-necked giant" would be as a pet.  I have also toyed with the idea of sneaking in one or two extra species by having the child compare them.  For example, the "four-flippered giant with the toothy grin would be too big to fit in the pool", but the smaller ichthyosaur would do just fine.  Having everyone provide a super short list helps makes sure my own list remains concise.   

[DinoLord]

Ah I see. I like the idea of comparing two similar animals; that way you get to focus on and include more general groups of animals rather than being limited to a few genera. Also, maybe you can have examples from general groups (like sauropods, pterosaurs, etc.) in each of the books to show how different lineages of animals evolved over time. I'll post my lists up shortly.

[Paleogene Pals]

Sounds like a great idea. Let me know when you get to the Carboniferous.

[DinoLord]

Here we go! These are more of a general list of what groups of creatures should be mentioned.

Triassic: This would set the scene & introduce a lot of the animal lineages prominent in the later Mesozoic and beyond.

1. A cynodont or dicynodont like Thrinaxodon or Lystrosaurus would present a good educational opportunity as to mammalian evolutionary history.


2. Pterosaurs like Eudimorphodon first evolved during this period and were limited to small forms.


3. Dinosaurs also first appeared; a very basal genus like Eoraptor would be excellent as it is at the base of saurischia and is close to the ancestry of both theropods and sauropods. You could incorporate a lesson about how generalist forms like these later radiated into all types of diverse morphs seen in later saurischians. If you want to incorporate ornithischians you could include Eocursor.


4. A crocodylomorph would educate as to the presence of lineages that no longer have extant descendants. Examples could include rauisuchian like Postosuchus or a phytosaur like Smilosuchus, and you could mention convergent evolution.


5. Sauroptygerians are another long-lasting group that appeared in the Triassic. If you're after something smaller Nothosaurus could be a good one, or if you're going for the truly massive Shonisaurus could be a good inclusion.


6. Ammonites experienced a resurgence following near-extinction in the Permian and would continue to be a mainstay for the rest of the Mesozoic. Monophyllites was one Triassic genus.



Jurassic: I assume most of these are familiar enough to not necessitate pictures.

1. An early true mammal like Caustorocauda.

2. Sauropods were at their most diverse during the Jurassic. You could have a comparison of two different forms. For example you could show the differences between a macronarian like Giraffatitan and a diplodocid like Apatosaurus.

3. A big theropod like Allosaurus would be another example of how saurischians evolved since the Triassic.

4. Something like Stegosaurus or Gargoyleosaurus could show that ornithischians also diversified rapidly during this period.

5. A pliosaur like Liopleurodon could show just how different and big some sauroptygerians evolved to be compared to their Triassic ancestors.

6. Archaeopteryx would be a great example of the first avialans (true birds) that appeared during the late Jurassic.



Cretaceous: The fact that flowering plants first appeared during this time is also worth mentioning if you can fit it in somewhere. Also not sure if you'd want to use up one of your species slots for them, but a lot of extant animal groups like lepidoptera (butterflies & moths), ants, and snakes first appeared during this time.

1. A larger mammal like Repenomamus would show that mammals were evolving to become larger and more diverse. No longer were they just dinosaur chow - in fact this one was found with the remains of a juvenile Psittacosaurus in its skeleton. Alternatively you could have one of the first placental mammals like Purgatorius.


2. A big azdarchid pterosaur like Quetzalcoatlus would show just how much pterosaurs changed from their diminutive long-tailed Triassic ancestors.


3. Though sauroptygerians still survived into the Cretaceous, mosasaurs like Tylosaurus became very widespread. Also cool is the fact that they are related to extant varanids (monitor lizards).


4. Troodontids like Mei were the dinosaurs closest related to true birds, and fossil evidence shows they had some similar behaviors and also had feathers.


5. Tyrannosaurs like T. rex became the dominant large theropods for most of the northern hemisphere, and were just plain cool to boot.

6. This last spot is a tough one to choose, as there are all types of interesting ornithischians from the Cretaceous. Personally I'd go for a huge hadrosaur like Magnapaulia or Shantungosaurus. They may seem defenseless at first, but they have size and sound going for them (and the crested ones are a great example of sexual selection at work). Something like Triceratops or Ankylosaurus might be repetitive if you already mentioned something like Stegosaurus in the Jurassic book.

[DinoToyForum]

Nice suggestions, Dinolord

[Mamasaurus]

Great list DinoLord, thank you!  I like the idea of allowing different ornischian groups to star in different books.  I'll certainly have to let each group have their own book at some point, since there are so many! 

Most detail and information will be in the illustrations, since the text will be very simple and easy to read for young readers.  So details like flowering plants, other species such as insects, and species that are important but don't get to be a star will all be easter eggs in the background.  Little ones seem to learn best just by observing, rather than being told, and as a parent it's fun to read the picture books with new details you notice every time you open it.   

As I get a little further along I'll post a link to the website, for those who are curious to see how it's coming together.   

[DinoLord]

You're welcome! Good luck with your project and keep us updated. I think it's fair to say that most lifelong dinosaur enthusiasts are formed in childhood, so it's a great thing you're doing. Hopefully you'll get to eventually expand your series to encompass other time periods; there's lots of cool extinct fauna that most people don't know about.