Takamas Question Thread

[LophoLeeVT]

i think that smaller sauropods like amargasaurus could care for their young.

[Takama]

Ok here is a more simpler qustion

What type of Fungi was found in the Cedar mountain formation?

[DinoLord]

The only information I could find specific to the Cedar Mountain is this paper. The authors note the presence of mycorrhizal fungi along with some other unidentified fungal spores. Large fungal body (like mushroom) fossils tend to be rather rare. The earliest known mushroom-forming fungi are known from the mid-Cretaceous (a bit younger than the Cedar Mountain formation), though it's certainly possible they were around earlier and haven't been discovered yet.

For such specific inquiries concerning the prevalence of certain organisms in certain areas/formations, Google Scholar is a very helpful resource.

[Takama]

I got the idea from Dinotasia whith the Shunosaurus who ate the mushrooms.


I might just have my artist make a hypothetical new species of mushroom that has not been discoverd.

[Takama]

I think I found a mushroom i like to incorporate into the Model

Gyromitra esculenta

Just because i dont want to use the classic type of shrooms you see in movies.

[Halichoeres]

It's virtually certain that mushrooms resembling modern ones in most respects would have been around throughout the Mesozoic. There is evidence for emergent fungal hyphae as far back as the Carboniferous. As DinoLord pointed out, they don't often fossilize because chitin breaks down readily under the same conditions that fungi tend to thrive in (insect exoskeletons, also made of chitin, contain proteins that make the chitin much more durable).

[Takama]

Ok i decided not to go with my original mushroom idea.

I want the dinosaur to be posed with its head lowerd to examine some mushrooms and i just dont know what type i should have them be.

It must be a species that can be formed in little patches, and grow from the ground.

Any ideas on what type of mushroom i should use?

[Lanthanotus]

Mushromms come in a very great variety of forms, some resembling bulbs or balls, little stars, corals and a lot of other things. To be recognizable as mushromms within a usual scale model, I'd recommend goin' with a "classic" mushroom, similar to an umbrella or a funnel.

[Takama]

Ok   my next question has to deal with the Yixian formation.   Now i often see paintings of Yutyrannus in Snowy weather, and i know that it lived in an unusually cold region. But is there any way to say how much snow would pile up on the ground if any at all?   I was thinking of having a Large Theropod walking through a thick layer of snow, with only the top of the feet visible. but is this possible for this formations weather??

[Dinoguy2]

Ok   my next question has to deal with the Yixian formation.   Now i often see paintings of Yutyrannus in Snowy weather, and i know that it lived in an unusually cold region. But is there any way to say how much snow would pile up on the ground if any at all?   I was thinking of having a Large Theropod walking through a thick layer of snow, with only the top of the feet visible. but is this possible for this formations weather??

From what I've read, northern latitudes in the Cretaceous might have seen occasional dusting a of snow but probably never more than an inch or two. Reconstructions showing polar bear colored Yutyrannus tromping through a winter wonderland are nonsense based on people misreading news articles.

This pic is probably closest to reality. It came out with the initial press release, too bad so few people copied it!

[Takama]

Ok this one is a little controversial

Like every line. i want a spinosaurus.   I been toying with just having the animal depicted on land.   Like a Pangolin

Since the short limbs proposed by Ibriham were assigned to  Sigilmassasaurus (correct me if im mistaken) is it possible that Spinnys legs were like this?



Credit Zubin Erik Dutta

The artist says that this is based on an im between of Ibrihams original proposal and Scot Hartman's revisions.   

[stargatedalek]

Despite what many people want you to think the legs are actually from Spinosaurus, even if the other disputed material isn't. So no those legs are not plausible. And even enlarging the legs doesn't change the strange muscle patterns,, which make bipedal movement in general unlikely.

[Dinoguy2]

Ok this one is a little controversial

Like every line. i want a spinosaurus.   I been toying with just having the animal depicted on land.   Like a Pangolin

Since the short limbs proposed by Ibriham were assigned to  Sigilmassasaurus (correct me if im mistaken) is it possible that Spinnys legs were like this?



Credit Zubin Erik Dutta

The artist says that this is based on an im between of Ibrihams original proposal and Scot Hartman's revisions.

The only Sigilmassaurus material in the Ibrahim skeletal was the neck, iirc.

The stubby legged specimen is now the neotype of Spinosaurus, so even if the original Spinosaurus did have more normal proportions, it will need a new name (same thing happened with Iguanodon/Mantellodon and Coelophysis / Eucoelophysis).

[Dinoguy2]

i think that smaller sauropods like amargasaurus could care for their young.

The size difference is still so extreme that there's no way a baby could forage on the same things as an adult. There's no evidence of extended parental care out of the best in any sauropod and plenty of evidence for age segregated herds. One thing WWD got right.

Oops sorry for double post! Thought this was a different thread

[Takama]

So IF it had shorter legs like proposed back in 2014 it absolutely cant develop a bipedal gait?

Not evean like this?

[Simon]

Of course it could. Of course it DID. We just need to wait for a complete specimen to be found intact and I am quite certain I will be proved correct. Take a look at a darned duck, for example.  Doesn't seem possible if all you have are disjointed bones, but in real life, yes, it CAN waddle on land quite well.  Not like a Roadrunner, of course, but it can waddle!

[stargatedalek]

Of course it could. Of course it DID. We just need to wait for a complete specimen to be found intact and I am quite certain I will be proved correct. Take a look at a darned duck, for example.  Doesn't seem possible if all you have are disjointed bones, but in real life, yes, it CAN waddle on land quite well.  Not like a Roadrunner, of course, but it can waddle!

Untrue in full. Looking at the muscle attachment points in ducks they are actually rather standard as birds go, same for the leg proportions. They only "waddle" because that's actually a more stable method of movement in terms of slipping off of rocks, the same goes for penguins. It may look ungainly but it helps to keep them from sliding horizontally.

Spinosaurus legs are simply unfit for sustained bipedal movement, completely irregardless of their size. You can scale the new legs up to JP/// levels and all that will do is make it fall further to the ground. The weight bearing muscles on the legs are diminished to the point they wouldn't have been able to support the animals bulk while moving. This was not a "jack of all trades" semi-aquatic animal like an otter, waterfowl, or crocodile, this creature was simply not designed to move efficiently on land by any method.

The muscle attachments in the legs are very specifically adapted for walking underwater, with a powerful back-kick but atrophied weight supporting attachments. This was a creature that moved (in the water) something like a hippopotamus or pond turtle does, along the bottom. The leg proportions don't match what is expected of a paddling or even diving animal.

It's possible it may have been able to stand on its legs, but it simply would not have been able to reach the speed needed to ever support itself on one leg during a stride and therefore could not have walked bipedally.

So IF it had shorter legs like proposed back in 2014 it absolutely cant develop a bipedal gait?

Not evean like this?

Definitely not. In addition to my points above this reconstruction is very shrinkwrapped. Beware the chest (it shouldn't look like it has abs/pecks) and the sail (which shouldn't have individual columns visible). The feet are also too short and thick.

[Takama]

so this would be more likely

[Kovu]

These might help

http://antediluviansalad.blogspot.com/2014/09/last-man-standing-el-ultimo-hombre-as.html
http://antediluviansalad.blogspot.com/2015/10/spinosaurus-unauthorized-i-hippos-are.html
http://antediluviansalad.blogspot.com/2015/11/spinosaurus-unauthorized-ii-spino.html
http://antediluviansalad.blogspot.com/2016/03/spinosaurus-unauthorized-iii-run-spino.html

[Simon]

Stargatedalek - Well, that is all very interesting.  Do you have a link to any articles discussing these points you made above in more depth?  I confess that I no longer have time to follow the latest developments as closely as I once did.

Did the paper put out by Ibrahim, et al discuss all of this in detail?