#CC!avians

[ant1quarian]

CC!Avian Cross

Cross' and Epic's Anon, it's the Cyborg version of one of your guys :D

Cross is labelled an Ambush Hunter and almost Fully Solitary, taking on challenges by himself. His wings, though not seen in the drawing, are dotted with stars.

[azuritethehermit]

Do people want to read fanfictions abt Grumbo getting freaky?? Or do yall prefer the cute little fluffy ones? I specialize in the first because well I've been writing it a long time but I don't know what the people want.

[kaiiquz]

People on another platform really liked when I drew Watcher!Grian with eyes and blue colours so I just. Did that three times <3

[mumblesplash]

what would grian's redstone exposure be? additionally, is he part bird to you?

grian’s in the ‘minimal exposure’ category bc he’s primarily a builder. he’s done some redstoning here and there, but it takes quite a bit of exposure to get to the stage where it alters your eye color

also no, i don’t actually imagine him as part bird? i hadn’t given it much thought before, but i sorta prefer his elytra use as an acquired skill rather than an innate one, and i don’t really see any of his other traits as particularly birdlike

i might change my mind later though, who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[harkthorn]

Colour your own pigeon!

Used one of my own photos of Coopuccino for this one. I release this under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license specifically, but in short:

-Give credit

-No commercial use

-2484

[victoriacoffee]

Me rn tryna focus on writing/drawing characters and not doomscrolling online rn

[nucleartv]

furby

[m0par-sweetheart]

If y'all see me skittering through the lmanbur tag it's because I'm stealing him from the CC as well. I'm gonna have two (2) avian babygirls...

maybe i am a self insert Mary Sue slut after all. 50 bajillion boyfriends /ref

[alphynix]

Crystal Palace Field Trip Part 2: Walking With Victorian Dinosaurs

[Previously: the Permian and the Triassic]

The next part of the Crystal Palace Dinosaur trail depicts the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Most of the featured animals here are actually marine reptiles, but a few dinosaur species do make an appearance towards the end of this section.

Although there are supposed to be three Jurassic ichthyosaur statues here, only the big Temnodontosaurus platyodon could really be seen at the time of my visit. The two smaller Ichthyosaurus communis and Leptonectes tenuirostris were almost entirely hidden by the dense plant growth on the island.

Ichthyosaurs when fully visible vs currently obscured Left side image by Nick Richards (CC BY SA 2.0)

Head, flipper, and tail details of the Temnodontosaurus. A second ichthyosaur is just barely visible in the background.

Ichthyosaurs were already known from some very complete and well-preserved fossils in the 1850s, so a lot of the anatomy here still holds up fairly well even 170 years later. They even have an attempt at a tail fin despite no impressions of such a structure having been discovered yet! Some details are still noticeably wrong compared to modern knowledge, though, such as the unusual amount of shrinkwrapping on the sclerotic rings of the eyes and the bones of the flippers.

———

Arranged around the ichthyosaur, three different Jurassic plesiosaurs are also represented – “Plesiosaurus” macrocephalus with the especially sinuous neck on the left, Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus in the middle, and Thalassiodracon hawkinsi on the right.

They're all depicted here as amphibious and rather seal-like, hauling out onto the shore in the same manner as the ichthyosaurs. While good efforts for the time, we now know these animals were actually fully aquatic, that they had a lot more soft tissue bulking out their bodies, and that their necks were much less flexible.

———

The recently-installed new pivot bridge is also visible here behind some of the marine reptiles.

———

Positioned to the left of the other marine reptiles, this partly-obscured pair of croc-like animals are teleosaurs (Teleosaurus cadomensis), a group of Jurassic semi-aquatic marine crocodylomorphs.

A better view of the two teleosaurs by MrsEllacott (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Crystal Palace statues have the general proportions right, with long thin gharial-like snouts and fairly small limbs. But some things like the shape of the back of the head and the pattern of armored scutes are wrong, which is odd considering that those details were already well-known in the 1850s.

———

Finally we reach the first actual dinosaur, and one of the most iconic statues in the park: the Jurassic Megalosaurus!

Megalosaurus bucklandi was the very first non-avian dinosaur known to science, discovered in the 1820s almost twenty years before the term "dinosaur" was even coined.

At a time when only fragments of the full skeleton were known, and before any evidence of bipedalism had been found, the Crystal Palace rendition of Megalosaurus is a bulky quadrupedal reptile with a humped back and upright bear-like limbs. It's a surprisingly progressive interpretation for the period, giving the impression of an active mammal-like predator.

This statue suffered extensive damage to its snout in 2020, which was repaired a year later with a fiberglass "prosthesis".

———

Reaching the Cretaceous period now, we find Hylaeosaurus (and one of the upcoming Iguanodon peeking in from the side).

Hylaeosaurus armatus was the first known ankylosaur, although much like the other dinosaurs here its life appearance was very poorly understood in the early days of paleontology. Considering how weird ankylosaurs would later turn out to be, the Crystal Palace depiction is a pretty good guess, showing a large heavy iguana-like quadruped with hoof-like claws and armored spiky scaly skin.

It's positioned facing away from viewers, so its face isn't very visible – but due to the head needing to be replaced with a fiberglass replica some years ago, the original can now be seen (and touched!) up close near the start of the trail.

———

Two pterosaurs (or "pterodactyles" according to the park signs) were also supposed to be just beyond the Hylaeosaurus, but plant growth had completely blocked any view of them.

Although these two statues are supposed to represent a Cretaceous species now known as Cimoliopterus cuvieri, they were probably actually modeled based on the much better known Jurassic-aged Pterodactylus antiquus.

A second set of pterosaur sculptures once stood near the teleosaurs, also based on Pterodactylus but supposed to represent a Jurassic species now known as Dolicorhamphus bucklandii. These statues went missing in the 1930s, and were eventually replaced with new fiberglass replicas in the early 2000s… only to be destroyed by vandalism just a few years later.

(The surviving pair near the Hylaeosaurus are apparently in a bit of disrepair these days, too, with the right one currently missing most of its jaws.)

Image by Ben Sutherland (CC BY 2.0)

The Crystal Palace pterosaurs weren't especially accurate even for the time, with heads much too small, swan-like necks, and bird-like wings that don't attach the membranes to the hindlimbs. Hair-like fuzz had been observed in pterosaur fossils in the 1830s, but these depictions are covered in large overlapping diamond-shaped scales due to Richard Owen's opinion that they should be scaly because they were reptiles.

But some details still hold up – the individual with folded wings is in a quadrupedal pose quite similar to modern interpretations, and the bird-like features give an overall impression of something more active and alert than the later barely-able-to-fly sluggish reptilian pterosaur depictions that would become common by the mid-20th century.

(Much like the statues themselves, the "modern" reconstruction above is based on Pterodactylus rather than Cimoliopterus)

———

The last actual dinosaurs on this dinosaur trail are the two Cretaceous Iguanodon sculptures. At the time of my visit they weren't easy to make out behind the overgrown trees, and only the back end of the standing individual was clearly visible.

Named only a year after Megalosaurus, Iguanodon was the second dinosaur ever discovered, and early reconstructions depicted it as a giant iguana-like lizard.

The Crystal Palace statues depict large bulky animals, one in an upright mammal-like stance and another reclining with one hand raised up. (This hand is usually resting on a cycad trunk, but that element appeared to be either missing or fallen over when I was there.)

Famously a New Year's dinner party was held in the body of the standing Iguanodon during its construction, although the accounts of how many people could actually fit inside it at once are probably slightly exaggerated.

A clearer view by Jim Linwood (CC BY 2.0)

Considering that the skull of Iguanodon wasn't actually known at the time of these sculpture's creation, the head shape with a beak at the front of the jaws is actually an excellent guess. The only major issue was the nose horn, which was an understandable mistake when something as strange as a giant thumb spike had never been seen in any known animal before.

(The fossils the Crystal Palace statues are based on are actually now classified as Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, but the "modern" reconstruction above depicts the chunkier Iguanodon bernissartensis.)

———

Image by Doyle of London (CC BY-SA 4.0)

I also wasn't able to spot the Cretaceous mosasaur on the other side of the island due to heavy foliage obscuring the view.

Depicting Mosasaurus hoffmannii, this model consists of only the front half of the animal lurking at the water's edge. It's unclear whether this partial reconstruction is due to uncertainty about the full appearance, or just a result of money and time running out during its creation.

The head is boxier than modern depictions, and the scales are too large, but the monitor-lizard like features and paddle-shaped flippers are still pretty close to our current understanding of these marine reptiles. It even apparently has the correct palatal teeth!

Next time: the final Cenozoic section!

[murfeelee]

Birds Steal Their Look Pt2: Australia-New Zealand Birds

I was inspired by this thread started by tenderanarchist here to turn my TS3 sims into avian fashionistas.

Trans-Tasman birds: Budgerigar, Cassowary, Galah, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, Moorhen, Pūteketeke/Australian Crested Grebe, Red-Tailed Cockatoo, Rose-Crowned Fruit Dove

MY THOUGHTS & CC CREDITS

MY THOUGHTS

I 100% blame John Oliver for this one, LOL.

Next up: Chinese birds!

CC CREDITS

- (GENERAL): Avatar eyes & dots @csitaly, Indogene skin @niobecremisi, Mermaid & Sea Skins @niobecremisi, Nose masks (X X X X X X), Eyelashes ACCs (X X), Feather patterns by me | Kangaroo & Koala in beta by me

- Budgerigar: Hair @elitisim, Goggles, Jumpsuit, Jacket ACC, Biker Boots | Face markings in beta by me

- Cassowary: Face Blush at MTS, TSM Hat ACC @silsharkie84, Top by EA, Pants at the Store (X) | Fur coat ACC in gamma by me, Scarf ACC in beta by me

- Galah: Hair @joojconverts, Dress, Boots (SFS backup) | Fur ACC & Sheer Sleeves ACC in beta by me

- Major Mitchell's Cockatoo: Hair by Astrea (retex in gamma by me), Outfit by @rollo-rolls

- Moorhen: Hair, Shades at MTS, Jacket ACC, Top at TSR, Boots | Skirt in gamma by me

- Pūteketeke/Australian Crested Grebe: Hair from ITF EP, Hat (SFS backup), Top (SFS backup), Skirt at TSR, Shoes by EA

- Red-Tailed Cockatoo: Hair from ITF EP, Fascinator by ArtSims, Jacket + Pattern in beta by me, Epaulettes ACC by me, Skirt @anzuchansims, Boots (SFS backup)

- Rose-Crowned Fruit Dove: Hat @venusprincess-ts3 , Hair @faerielandsims, Coat @rollo-rolls, Pants at the Store (X) + Fur Pattern @simlicious, Boots from SN EP (IIRC)

[jeanjacklet]

which minecraft trio is it?

featuring person #1

drawn with a red shirt and wavy fluffy blonde hair

extremely extroverted

a bit of a prankster

good at bringing other cc’s together

commonly headcannoned as an “avian”

the main character of SO MUCH fanfiction

#2

black suit with white shirt and red tie

freakishly tall irl

a little sheepish

joined a big server when they were 17

had a very fun but unsuccessful election campaign

associated with fast japanese music (is this just me?)

very distinct speech patterns (again this might just be me)

and #3

drawn with green shirt and straight fluffy brown hair

often drawn with yellow flowers

says lots of accidental innuendos (dyslexic)

likes first person shooters

used to be surprisingly good at a sport

really likes a particular minecraft animal

can infodump so much about their favorite media

[ant1quarian]

It is concerning how bad I wanna kiss CC!cross man..

-cross' and epic's anon

More smooches shall be given.

[azuritethehermit]

JUST FOUND OUT THE WAFFLE IS BACK. WELCOME BACK GRUMBO FANDOM 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[kaiiquz]

Edgy blue watcher grian, my beloved

[angelbunny-arts]

Behold,,,,. Every hermit design I’ve created over the past year and a bit: with heights and chibi versions of wings included>:D

Species, fun Details and height sorted version under the cut !!

- Grian

A parrot avian in some universes, a shapeshifted watcher in others, it’s a 50/50 which one I decided to go with

Avians in my mind take on the wing patterns of a bird they connect with, which usually happens at around 18-23. Instead of facial hair they grow feathers around their cheeks and in their hair.

His earring is a present from mumbo ^^

The gold detailing on his wings have the watcher symbol and suns on it, and his shoes have suns too! (why suns you may ask? “Grian” is the Irish word for sun, and according to my myth/history nerd friend there was an Irish sun goddess named Grian)

-Mumbo jumbo

An albino enderman

He dyes his hair because it looks cool, you can see a bit of his natural roots

A feather keychain on his belt from Grian

- GtwScar

A half-allay

He’s got heterochromia with the HOTGUY colours>:)

His ears and canine teeth are rounded! In contrast to half-vexes who’s features are sharper

Him and cub have matching vex magic earrings

His design is probably the one that keeps to the original skin the least, but it also happens to be one of my favourites to draw so

- Cubfan

A half-vex

I don’t have much to say here, he’s just kinda silly? I suppose there’s the fact that I decided that convex gets a diamond as their shape, so he’s got some of that detailing

He was originally supposed to have glasses however I am terrible at remembering glasses even though I wear them so they just kinda vanished

His hair is probably one of the most fun to colour too:D

- Geminitay

An elf (the antlers are accessories)

She’s got a whole bunch of little leaves everywhere:DD and some cute gold detailing too, otherwise a pretty simple design with not much to say on it

-impulse

Just a regular dude tbh he’s just a guy/pos

He’s got five visible places where I’ve snuck an “i” on him (but there’s one more on the bottom of his shoes)

The yellow In his hair also matches with my skizz, who has blue in his hair

- Pearl

Either a human or an avian, it’s another 50/50 and depends on what I went for with Grian as well if I have him included

If I go the avian route, her wings are small and usually kept under her jacket.

The moon detailing changes with the moon phase! Her hair also gets more floaty depending on how full the moon is

The knot on her shirt is in the shape of a moth

- Tango

A soot fairy, they’re known for working with and manipulating fire and creating machinery.

He’s got heels and he’s absolutely slaying. That’s really it I can’t pick my favourite detail it’s all fantastic. Look at it

I looked at fire/firemen vests for his jacket? That’s a fun fact

- Docm77

A creeper/goat hybrid

There’s like.. so many butterfly motifs on this man it’s fantastic. I also love the horizontal pupil

He looks like a mix between a tired dad and a mad scientist, which was initially not what I was going for but I’m keeping it

————

And, as promised, the height check (for people that are the same height I put whoever looked taller first)

(also disclaimer I made most of these heights up and are not accurate to the ccs)

[harkthorn]

Colour your own pigeon!

Used one of my own photos of Coopuccino for this one

-2308