The Speculative Dinosaur Project

[Yutyrannus]

The speculative dino project has a new website: [specworld-project.com]. But this page is in dire need of updates and new creatures. If anyone has created a new creature for spec please describe it or, if you drew it, post a picture. Some clades still need to be started, for instance: Champsosauria, coelocanths, lungfish, elasmosaurs, and pterosaurs, just to name a few . To start of, I have created the South-African Molok: an 8 m long priscataur with grotesque-looking, spiny skull decorations made of keratin in males, used for headbutting competitions over mates and territory, they also have tiny, flipper-like front limbs formed of only a flattened, paddle-like humerus and tipped with one laterally flattened claw, it is the top predator in it's environment and hunts mokeles, it is a slow runner, it's scientific name is Afromolok Dracodon. Soon I should be able to post the picture. I will post it both here and in my art thread .

[Yutyrannus]

Here it is, the South African Molok. Soon there will be a type of deep sea cephalopod up too .


[attachment msg=12548][/attachment]

[ZoPteryx]

I loved the Spec Project!!!   I was so sad when the website, if you'll excuse the pun, died out.

Could you post a direct link to the site Yutyrannus, when I type that address in it just takes me to a wierd Youtube page.

And one more question: Is this an actual revival of the old Spec Project, same artists, authors, etc; or is it a seperate work under the same name?

[Yutyrannus]

I loved the Spec Project!!!   I was so sad when the website, if you'll excuse the pun, died out.

Me too. I'm glad someone else besides me still likes it .

Could you post a direct link to the site Yutyrannus, when I type that address in it just takes me to a wierd Youtube page.
[/quote]
I already tried. Try typing it into Yahoo.

And one more question: Is this an actual revival of the old Spec Project, same artists, authors, etc; or is it a seperate work under the same name?
[/quote]
Actually, it is pretty much all the exact same stuff moved to a different website. Most of the pages aren't even started yet, for instance none of the dinosaur clades are, like I said, in DIRE need of update . That is why I started this thread, so that new creatures can finally be added. Which brings me to one question: Have you come up with any? If you have PLEASE post descriptions, paintings, drawings, scetches or whatever you have made. Also, I have decided to reveal the identity of the deep sea cephalopod I mentioned: the Smooth Angler Ammonite, smooth referring to the shell lacking ridges. One of it's tentacles has elongated and become tipped with a oval-shaped hollow lure, filled with bioluminescent liquid that creates a blue light dangling infront of it's razor-sharp beak. (I watched the deep sea episode of Blue Planet: Seas of Life before I came up with it, it suddenly dawned on me that Spec only has abut four or five deep sea creatures ).

[Yutyrannus]

Smooth Angler Ammonite, Hoplitidus Piscatorocephalus Smilorostrus


[attachment msg=12650][/attachment]

[Libraraptor]

I do still like the Speculative Dinosaur Project, too! Isometimes could contribute with strange ideas, but don´t expect me to draw or paint ;-)  Some people who still remember the old forum probably know the legendary "Why Libraraptor can´t contribute to this section" - thread ;-)

[DinoToyForum]

I do still like the Speculative Dinosaur Project, too! Isometimes could contribute with strange ideas, but don´t expect me to draw or paint ;-)  Some people who still remember the old forum probably know the legendary "Why Libraraptor can´t contribute to this section" - thread ;-)

I remember

And I agree, there's something fascinating about speculative dinosaurs. 

[ZoPteryx]

Actually, it is pretty much all the exact same stuff moved to a different website. Most of the pages aren't even started yet, for instance none of the dinosaur clades are, like I said, in DIRE need of update . That is why I started this thread, so that new creatures can finally be added. Which brings me to one question: Have you come up with any? If you have PLEASE post descriptions, paintings, drawings, scetches or whatever you have made.

I have whole notebooks full of speculative creatures that evolved in a world where the K/T impact event never occurred!   There is a catch though; you see, after the original website died and I noted how slow progress was on the yahoo group page, I decided to create my own parallel world with the same concept.  It's nearly complete within my notebooks, and I plan to reveal the world and its inhabitants some time soon.  Most are not compatible with spec anyhow, especially if you're sticking with the original concepts.

With that said, however, I suppose I could come up with some critters that wouldn't work on my planet, but would fit nicely into spec.   I did have an idea for a new type a balleen-squid, a smallish, predatory, almost tuna-shaped, variety that preys on small schooling fish.  How does that sound?   If you could provide more info on what types of creatures will be in the new spec (are we sticking with the old concepts, families, species, etc.? Or are we giving them all a makeover?) I could really get down to business creating more stuff!

[Yutyrannus]

Actually, it is pretty much all the exact same stuff moved to a different website. Most of the pages aren't even started yet, for instance none of the dinosaur clades are, like I said, in DIRE need of update . That is why I started this thread, so that new creatures can finally be added. Which brings me to one question: Have you come up with any? If you have PLEASE post descriptions, paintings, drawings, scetches or whatever you have made.

I have whole notebooks full of speculative creatures that evolved in a world where the K/T impact event never occurred!   There is a catch though; you see, after the original website died and I noted how slow progress was on the yahoo group page, I decided to create my own parallel world with the same concept.  It's nearly complete within my notebooks, and I plan to reveal the world and its inhabitants some time soon.  Most are not compatible with spec anyhow, especially if you're sticking with the original concepts.

With that said, however, I suppose I could come up with some critters that wouldn't work on my planet, but would fit nicely into spec.   I did have an idea for a new type a balleen-squid, a smallish, predatory, almost tuna-shaped, variety that preys on small schooling fish.  How does that sound?   If you could provide more info on what types of creatures will be in the new spec (are we sticking with the old concepts, families, species, etc.? Or are we giving them a
ll a makeover?) I could really get down to business creating more stuff!

I have a species of ammonite that convergently evolved into a filter feeder in the deep sea. It is REALLY weird though . I am sticking with the original concepts, also adding elasmosaurs which I felt Spec needed, just coming up with new types and species. Also I want to see this other speculative world of yours, you should start an art thread for it. I also want to see this new baleen squid, but I do hope it isn't too vertabrate-like, my own looks even weirder than a normal cephalopod.

[Yutyrannus]

Soon I should be able to post the Spider-trap Ammonite (this is the filter-feeder) and the Bullwhip Ammonite, both are a type of deep sea ammonite I call Whip-squids. This time I will post descriptions with the pictures.

[Yutyrannus]

Bull-whip Ammonite, Hoplitidus Flagellumocephalus Giganteus

By being red this whip squid is perfectly camoflauged in the twilight zone. It's whip tentacles are tapered to the tip and have no extentions. They are used to grasp prey and pull it towards it's beak which will slice out chunks of flesh. It feeds primarily on small fish, squid, and occasionally jellyfish, this feeding behavior is unlike the angler ammonites who eat basicly anything they can catch. The Bull-whip Ammonite is 10 feet long with it's whip tentacles.

[attachment msg=13125][/attachment]

[Yutyrannus]

Spider-trap Ammonite, Hoplitidus Flagellumocephalus Casses

This weirdest of the whip squids can reach lengths of 30 feet. It's incredably long whip tentacles support strands of material similar to a far stronger version of spider silk, found in no other creature. These strands are used to trap any small invertabrates floating through the water including amphipods, copepods, and ostricods. Then the tentacles are brought to the beak which pulls these off the tentacles, but it also takes in water, this mixture is filtered through bristles in the throat and water is filtered out through two holes on either side of the beak. As they are no longer used, the remaining 8 tentacles are short useless stumps. The beak is also no longer hooked and is instead straight and blunt.

The pictures are not colored in yet but will be soon.

[attachment msg=13127][/attachment]

[Yutyrannus]

Here is the unfinished picture of the Imperial Lizardwhale, Balaenosaurus Robustus.

This filter-feeding saurocete can grow to 130 feet long and 193 tons in weight. They feed almost exclusively on herring and mackerel, competing for food with (Zopteryx, what is the name of your baleen-squid?), harvester fish, and other pachycormids, pugpikes, small mosasaurs, and sharks. They hunt by lunging into schools of prey, or even chasing them to the surface and engulfing them. They are very sleek, and similar to Fin-back Whales in ecology.

[attachment msg=13375][/attachment]

[Yutyrannus]

Ok. Pretty soon I should be able to post some elasmosaurs. If I can come up with any .

[Yutyrannus]

The Speculative Dinosaur Project's new page is finally being updated . It can only.be updated by users, so I tried to sign up, but the link to the page that lets me sign up won't work !

[Yutyrannus]

Pacific Harvester Fish, Messorichthys ensis

I did not create this species, but simply illustrated a species that is already on the Speculative Dinosaur Project. By the way, the new website can be found by searching The Speculative Dinosaur Project, it is the one that says "Specworld".

[attachment msg=16098][/attachment]

[Yutyrannus]

Click here to go to the new website for the Speculative Dinosaur Project.

[ZoPteryx]

Click here to go to the new website for the Speculative Dinosaur Project.

Yeah!!!   Will all the pages be updated eventually?

[Yutyrannus]

Click here to go to the new website for the Speculative Dinosaur Project.

Yeah!!!   Will all the pages be updated eventually?

I hope so. Also a new drawing is coming. A 49 foot long Tyrannosaurine Tyrannosaurid from China, called Tyrannosauroides Zhuchengensis, found with impressions of display feathers on it's neck and tail-tip as well as a pygostyle that lived 57 million years ago.

[TheAllosaur]

I'll post some just for fun. I have GREAT ideas for animals related to Bahariasaurus and Deltadromeus. Will be cool!