“If MPC Ran the Zoo”… Macrauchenia looked like it could have inspired some of the creatures in a Dr. Seuss book, if its history of paleoart is anything to go by. First described in 1838, the “long-necked llama” hasn’t achieved the same level of fame as some of its mammalian contemporaries from the Miocene and Pleistocene; however, its lanky legs,...
The isolation of South America during much of the Cenozoic era resulted in the evolution of many odd and unique creatures, like the Liptotern Macrauchenia. This odd ungulate has fascinated many since it’s discovery by Charles Darwin, and has been the subject of many art peices and toys. Here, we look at the attempt by Geoworld. Is it a gem...
Review and photos by Indohyus, edited by Suspsy Island isolation can have some amazing results in terms of evolution. Insular dwarfism for some organisms, gigantism for others, or simply some of the oddest creatures that can be conceived. Today’s review subject is an example of the latter, Macrauchenia, a liptotern from South America, which was an island continent during most...
The peculiar looking ungulate Macrauchenia (“large neck”) inhabited South America for roughly 7 million years, from the Miocene to the Late Pleistocene, only becoming extinct around 20,000 years ago. This herbivorous animal resembled a camelid superficially, when in reality it was a member of an extinct order called Litopterna. One of the most intriguing characteristics of this mammal was...
Safari Ltd has released several new tubes in 2010, or Toobs, to be funky but grammatically incorrect, each of which contains a selection of prehistoric critters. But before we pour these new toobs out for review, let’s take a look at one of the existing toob sets. We previously rummaged through the Feathered Dinosaurs Toob here, so now we’ll cast our...
