#because. fossil rock turtle

[kingofanemptyworld]

you don’t know what it’s costing me not to give Togame alllllllll the turtle pokemon purely for the comedy factor

[bestanimal]

Round 2 - Arthropoda - Thecostraca

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Thecostraca is is a class of crustaceans, many of which have planktonic larvae which become sessile or parasitic as adults. The most well-known group are the Barnacles (subclass Cirripedia), but Thecostraca also includes the parasitic Ascothoracida, and the mysterious Facetotecta.

Facetotecta, comprising only the genus Hansenocaris, are known only from their larvae (image 3) and adults have yet to be recognized, though some scientists believe they may actually be larval tantulocaridans.

Ascothoracidans are parasites of echinoderms and cnidarians. Most genera are meso and endoparasitic (living inside the host) while some are ectoparasitic (living on the outside of the host). They are similar in anatomy to copepods, with six pairs of legs, an abdomen with four segments, a telson, and a bivalved carapace. They feed on their host via piercing and sucking mouthparts, and some more advanced species also absorb nutrients through the carapace. They are sexually dimorphic, in many cases so much so that the smaller males will live inside the larger female’s mantle cavity.

Barnacles (subclass Cirripedia) are more well-known than other Thecostracans. Adult barnacles are sessile filter feeders, except for the infraclass Rhizocephala, which are parasites of other crustaceans. Barnacles attach themselves to a surface as adults, be that a rock, the shell of a mollusc, a ship, or a large animal such as a whale. They come in two common forms: acorn barnacles which grow their shells directly on a surface (image 4) and goose barnacles which attach themselves via a stalk (image 1). Barnacles have a carapace made of six calcareous plates, with a lid made of four more plates. They attach themselves to the substrate by means of a cement gland at the base of their antennae. Eight pairs of thoracic limbs, called cirri, extend from the carapace to filter plankton from the water and bring it towards the mouth. The hairs on these limbs are very sensitive to touch, and help the barnacle sense the world around them. They also have three simple eyes (ocelli) which can sense changes in light, allowing them to close their plates quickly if a shadow is detected.

Thecostracans have nauplius larvae, characterised by a head with antennules, antennae, mandables, and a single eye, three pairs of limbs, a carapace, and a telson. Barnacle larvae are brooded by the parent until their first moult, after which they are released to swim freely using setae.

The oldest known thecostracan fossil is dated from the Middle Cambrian. Traces of the parasitic forms have been dated from the Cretaceous.

Propaganda under the cut:

Barnacles have the longest penis (relative to body size) of any living animal. You can see it in action in the above gif and in this video.

Most barnacles are not parasitic (other than hitching a ride) and usually do no harm to the large animals they attach to. An overload of barnacles tends to be a symptom of an underlying issue, such as the animal being unable to shed its skin. Non-professionals scraping or pulling barnacles off of whales and turtles often does more harm than good for the affected animal!

12th-18th Century Europeans thought that Brants and Barnacle Geese emerged, fully formed, from Goose Barnacles. Gerald of Wales claimed to have seen the birds hanging down from pieces of timber, William Turner accepted the theory, and John Gerard claimed to have seen the birds emerging from their shells. In County Kerry, until relatively recently, Catholics abstaining from meat during Lent could still eat this bird because it was considered a fish.

As filter-feeders, barnacles play an important role in the ecosystem: not only for transferring nutrients up the food chain, but also for keeping the water clean.

When a barnacle chooses its home, it produces a biological glue made of six different proteins. While the glue hardens, it accumulates limestone salts, turning into a concrete-like shell. Barnacle glue is six times stronger than any manmade glue. Scientists are trying to replicate this glue for use in the fields of engineering, construction and medicine, where it can be used as a biological sealant during or post-surgery.

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Fossil Friday: Eremotherium

Eremotherium, the Wandering Ground Sloth or Pan-American Ground Sloth, lived in southern North America, Central America and northern South America from the Pliocene Epoch about 5 Ma to possibly the early Holocene Epoch (the current epoch we are in).

It was discovered in Skidway, Georgia in 1823 by fossil collectors J.P. Scriven ad Joseph C. Habersham, described by Joseph Leidy in 1855, and mistaken for Megatherium until 1948 when Franz Spillmann recognized it for a new genus and named it Eremotherium.

Because the rocks it is found in are so young, it was very difficult to find any information on formations. A lot are just unconsolidated sediments that haven't been buried long enough to be properly turned into rock yet. Wild to think about. Old enough to fossilize bone but not old enough to make a rock. One of the biggest localities for finding Eremotherium is in Florida in a karst site (limestone that has undergone dissolution producing a rugged landscape of sinkholes, ridges, and fissures) filled with unconsolidated clay where an old Pleistocene lake used to be.

Eremotherium lived alongside very familiar animals like Trachemy platymarginata, a pond turtle,

Holmesina floridanus, a giant armadillo,

Tapirus lundeliusi, a tapir,

Chelydra, a snapping turtle,

Erethizon poyeri, a porcupine,

and Amplibuteo concordus, an eagle,

as well as many other animals including an alligator species in Florida. In Brazil, it was living with more unfamiliar animals such as Toxodon platensis,

Glytotherium,

Panochthus,

as well as a few armadillos.

Eremotherium is part of the class Mammalia, the clade Eutheria, the superorder Xenarthra, the order Pliosa, the clade Megatheria, the family Megatheriidae and the subfamily Megatheriinae. There are two species of Eremotherium, E. eomigrans and E. laurillardi.

It's closest living relative is the Three-toed Sloth.

Eremotherium was 20 ft (6m) long, about 6.6 ft (2m) tall on all fours and 13 ft (4m) tall when rearing. The most recent estimates have it weighing in at 6, 931 lbs. (3,144 kg).

It's skull measured 25.6 in (65cm) in length and was close to 13 in (33cm) wide at the zygomatic arches (bones that go from the temples, around the eye socket toward the upper jaw bone). It had a shortened nasal bone (nose) giving it a sort of truncated cone appearance and it had small, shallow eye sockets that sat slightly lower than its relatives. The teeth of Eremotherium are large, rectangular when viewed occlusally, and have a unique v-shaped valley in lateral view. Both species had 5 upper and 4 lower teeth in each side of the jaw, with upper and lower crowns interlocking along the V-shaped valleys into what was likely a shearing surface for processing leaves and small branches 

The vertebrae were massively built but also compressed anterior-posteriorly giving it a shortened look overall especially in the tail.

They have very robust limb bones to carry their immense weight. look at these beefy bones!

The two species had a different number of digits on their hands with E. eomigrans having five digits and E. laurillardi having only three.

Eremotherium primarily moved on all fours with its feet turned inward, its weight resting on the outer phalanges. This all suggests it was pretty slow. Shocker, a slow sloth? Who would have guessed? It's hands were not properly shaped for digging as once thought due to its large claws but the fingers had limited mobility that would have made this endeavor impossible. However, it was able to rear on its hind legs and pull branches down with its hands. This, along with its teeth and the animals it lived alongside suggests it lived in mixed woodland forests and ate a wide variety of foliage.

There have been a number of sites with multiple individuals that have led to debates about whether they lived in family groups or not. Modern sloths are solitary but that doesn't necessarily rule out group living. Some scientists think that the bone beds were filled with individuals who died at different times in the same place, others think they died at the same time and lived in herds. It's hard to say.

Thanks for tuning this week! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and make sure to tune in Monday to learn more about large igneous provinces. Fossilize you later!

[left-hand-of-dorkness]

things about hawaii in no particular order

human things get stuck in lava and sort of fossilized? they may be from far away and got carried to where they are. yeah thats a bunch of loose hardware in that tide pool rock

turtles are like not rare or hard to see. those fools are all over the place chillin and munching algae and dooting around in the shallows

the big island has a crazy rain shadow because mauna loa and mauna kea are so tall the rain can’t climb all the way up the east side of the island most times

there’s hardly any streetlights on the belt road. you gotta send it. locals will pass you with two feet to spare going twice as fast as you

there are these invasive mongooses everywhere. they are like little lizard cats and they make a scary screeching sound

no seagulls in hawaii. but the nene, the hawiian goose, is descended from the canada goose. it has less webbing on its feet for better walking on lava

kilauea has a baby crater called kilauea iki. “little kilauea.” and you can hike down and walk across it! the steam vents kind of smell like grain or maybe wet bread?

if you accidentally slap a sea urchin with your open hand the ends of its spines break off in your fingers and you can’t dig them out because they’re essentially tiny pieces of brittle calcite. soak in white vinegar until the swelling goes down

[blueiscoool]

Three Boys Discover Rare T.Rex Fossil in North Dakota

Three boys - ages 7, 9 and 10 at the time - discovered a T. rex bone poking out of the ground while wandering through a fossil-rich stretch of North Dakota badlands, and an upcoming film this summer is going to feature their find.

The trio announced their discovery publicly on Monday during a Zoom news conference as workers at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science prepare to begin chipping the fossil out of its rock cast at a special exhibit called "Discovering Teen Rex." Two young brothers and their cousin said they were "completely speechless" when they made the rare find in July 2022.

The exhibit will open on June 21 and will coincide with the debut of the film "T.REX," which captures the young boys' paleontological journey.

It all started when Kaiden Madsen joined his cousins, Liam and Jessin Fisher, on a hike through a stretch of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management around Marmarth, North Dakota.

Jessin, a fan of Jurassic Park movies and an aspiring scientists advises other kids to "[j]ust put down their electronics and go out hiking," according to the Associated Press.

Liam Fisher recalled that he and his dad, who accompanied the trio, first spotted the bone of the young carnivore. He said he thought the bone sticking out of the rock was something he described as "chunk-osaurus" — a made-up name for fragments of fossil too small to be identifiable.

The Tyrannosaurus rex is believed to have died around 67 million years ago. It was discovered in an area near Canada that at the time was similar to present-day Florida, with wildlife that included prehistoric turtles, fish, crocodiles and other cold-blooded species, according to the New York Post.

Sam Fisher took a photo of the discovery and showed it to a family friend, Tyler Lyson, who happened to be the associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Lyson first believed the find was a relatively common duckbill dinosaur. But he organized an excavation that began last summer, adding the boys and a sister, Emalynn Fisher, now 14, to the team.

It was when they unearthed a jaw bone that had multiple teeth along with it.

They soon realized that their discovery was something more special. Lyson recalled that he started digging with Jessin where he thought he might find a neck bone.

"And it doesn’t get any more diagnostic than that, seeing these giant tyrannosaurus teeth starring back at you," Lyson said.

A Giant Screen Films documentary crew was on hand recording it.

"It was electric. You got goosebumps," Dave Clark, a member of the crew filming the documentary that later was narrated by Jurassic Park actor Sir Sam Neill, told the AP.

Based on the size of the tibia, experts estimate the dino was 13 to 15 years old when it died and likely weighed around 3,500 pounds — about two-thirds of the size of a full-grown adult.

It is unclear yet how complete this fossil is. So far, a leg, a hip, a pelvis, a couple of tailbones and a good chunk of the skull have been found, Lyson said.

"We wanted to share the preparation of this fossil with the public because it is a remarkable feeling," Lyson said. People will have about a year to watch crews chip away at the rock.

By Pilar Arias.

[darkwingphoenix]

@loominggaia Memes Right Outta the Oven! CAUTION: HOT

When literally anyone asks Saraia about paleontology:

Saraia admitting her crush on Skylie (Using Trip as the she's not)

Clarity after being taught how to write by Amber (She showed Cobalt, aka her dad)

Skylie, Saraia, Darshaan, and Trip after some time separated

Saraia, Cobalt, Alani, Skylie, Cyana, Citrine, Saraia and then Skylie again (Evangeline Kingdom 6022)

Baby King vs Adult King

Amber when Halloween

Skylie and Saraia to their gay allegations

Darshaan, Trip, Skylie and Saraia being immortal fools with the inhibitions of frat boys

Lumine, Maia, Skylie and Amber doin a lil dance

Another Version

Skylie Murking Evangeline Royal Guards Solo

Skylie calling Saraia with her nieces and nephews in the room (Amber asked WTF Aunt)

Skylie asking Lumine, Maia, Citrine, Alani, Amber, and Clarity who broke her portable coffee machine

Skylie, Saraia, Darshaan, Karenza, and Trip as a friend group

Part of Saphirra's husbands play made by Skylie

Clarity or Trip randomly

Skylie, Cyana, Cobalt, Lumine, Maia, and Saphirra rocking out as Danus, Rodrig and Marine burn at the stake for high treason behind them (It'll be the last time anyone's burned at the stake in Evangeline, and it went out with a BANGER)(Indiga died before a war, Cerulea died during, and Teal died at the homefront)

Skylie teaching Trip using Saraia's trilobite collection (She has what is known as A Lot of Trilobites)

Darshaan Right Before Attacking Evangeline Capital

Angeline, Jet, Saraia, Sai, Justinia, Metzwell and Asterion for 0 reason

Saraia Tryna Sing Karaoke(Skylie's tryna plan a siege against Greenhearst)

Skylie after figuring out how big Saraia is

A Vicious Koholasaur Attack against an ogress, circa 6023

Amber after trying wack for the first time

High King Gultopp Be Like

Amber 0.00000000001 seconds after Loopy the Hoopsnake becomes public domain

Maia with her first (And hardest) girlcrush, Nathalia (Supposed to be femChilde from Genshin Impact, one of Sacarmouche's bigger pairings) flirt with her toxic ASF BF (We're talking some Dorito Dust type shit here)

Also Maia 30 nanoseconds after Cobalt, realizing Nathalia is in serious trouble from her BF (And she's admitted to Maia she wants out), puts a Dead or Alive mark onto Nathalia's BF

More Saphirra Husband Play Material

Skylie, Amber, Clarity, Lumine, Maia, Citrine, Nathalia, Justinia, and Angeline over Nathalia's BF's corpse

Amber when Drunk

Siege Dragons teaching their hatchlings to fly

Skylie, a tall girl at 6'1", at a Royal Gala wearing 11 inch heels

Skylie randomly

Maia distracting Royal Guards as Skylie with a dozen slaves in tow runs past

MOAR Eight (Saphirra's husbandos play) material

Maia after learning a fictional girlcrush of hers has a name she was mispronouncing (Amber rants at her to Can Can)

Lumine, Maia, Amber, Nathalia, Tyria, and Furina doing this dance in a line formation (It's like they're in a single file line)

Angeline when she has her period

Maia sometimes

Lumine, Furina, Nathalia, Maia, and Amber

The Great Kingdoms having grand, triumphant, motivating music for the GGW... Meanwhile Ascendance (They'd rather resolve the GGW with a dance battle)

Saraia, Skylie, and Darshaan having to be dragged away from their vices (Saraia's is fossil-bearing amber, small shell, ammonite or trilobite shells, Skylie's is cosplay and cosplay items, and Darshaan's is fighting the Order of Love and Light and random minervae because of how many Crescent Cultists they killed, even those with no masks)

The Raider Shogun, Karama Sara (Her tengu general), Ayaka Kamisato (A fatui advisor of hers), Kokomi Watatsumi (Her mermaid assistant), and Yoimiya Elenas (Her elfenne artillerist) on off days

Swamp Thing, Boulderback, Cockatrice, Coatl, Cryonix, World Turtle, Hell Drakon, and Brownie using magic (Cryonix, Hell Drakon, and Brownie are new Saraians)

Saraia when Skylie steals her Paleontologist hat

Saraia when high off crazy beans

Angeline's favorite food: Cyana's

What people think Etios is like (Not that off tbh)

Acacia, Salahi, Mako, and Clarity when Big Sis Amber forgets to read them a bedtime story

Maia during the GGW

Skylie after she realized Cerulea and Rodrig told her sibs she died

Skylie to Cyana, randomly

Jeimos when they fight be like

Some Freemasons when Skylie gives them sneak peeks of their Visions

Saraia when she loses a non-paleology arguement

Literally centaurs

Vampires after drinking drugged people's blood

Rodrig and Cerulea seeing Skylie for the first time in like 10 years

Jeimos when they're losing an argument

Skylie's preferred form of positivity

Nighttime in Seelie Court

Skylie after a siege dragon blasts her right before she fights Gultopp

Saraia half the time

Basically Evangelites

Skylie when she and Saraia are unarmed and surrounded by enemy soldiers

Darshaan Doesn't Know Universa Spelling

When the Nymphs fight the Modernists

Maia, Lumine, Furina, Nathalia, Amber, and Tyria doing this dance

Acacia, Amber and Clarity fighting over snacks

Lumine, Maia, and Amber when a toaster's broken

Literally Saraians to Evangelites

Ascendii Spies in Folkvar be like

Skylie, Darshaan, and Saraia's Dynamic (No matter how you arrange them lmao)

Literally Elves in Looming Gaia (Audio, pretend the frog and snake are a human and an elf)

[bethanythebogwitch]

England is a notoriously wet place so it’s only fitting that Galar went hard on aquatic Pokémon. Welcome back to my series where I cover the real-life inspirations for all non-fish aquatic Pokémon. Today I’m going over generation VIII. For previous generations, see gen I part 1, gen I part 2, gen II, gen III, gen IV, gen V, gen VI, and gen VII. For my previous series where I covered the origins of all fish Pokémon see here. Starters and legendary/mythical Pokémon will be covered in their own series.

We start with Chewtle and I have to ask; what the hell were they thinking when they approved its design? I get it’s probably supposed to be a bit ugly, but it’s so bad it almost ruins the whole line even though Drednaw is awesome. The line are based on snapping turtles. Snapping turtles are members of the family Chelydra and are native to the Americas (though fossils show they were once more widespread) and are predators who use their extremely powerful jaws to bite prey in half. They are also extremely aggressive and can hurt humans with their power bites, especially since they can all get very large by turtle standards. There are two genera of snapping turtles and Chewtle is based on the smaller common snapping turtles.

(image: a grumpy old man common snapping turtle)

Drednaw is based on the larger and much scarier alligator snapping turtle. If you’ve never seen one you can’t really understand how huge and powerful they are.

(image: an alligator snapping turtle being held by a person. This isn't even as big as they get)

Like actual snapping turtles, Drednaw has a long and flexible neck that is usually retracted in its shell. Its jaws can bend metal, which is true of some real life (mostly sea) turtles. You may be wondering why an American species of turtle is in England, but that’s because it also drawn inspiration from England’s naval history. Its name and some elements of its gigantamax design come from the dreadnought, a class of warships first invented in England that majorly influenced naval warfare from then on. Its horn looks like a bowsprit and the underside of its shell (called a plastron) has a boat keel on it. Gigantamax Drednaw being a massive, bipedal turtle probably draws from Gamera, a kaiju created as a competitor to the Godzilla movies.

(image: Gamera as depicted in the Heisei-era movies)

I just can’t get over how well designed Drednaw is when Chewtle and gigantamax Drednaw look like absolute dogshit. How the hell did that happen?

More seabirds is a welcome addition to Pokémon and Cramorant is… well they tried. As the name suggests, it’s a cormorant. Cramorant’s pose looks a lot like the pose cormorants take when they dry themselves on rocks. Cormorants feed on fish and swallow their prey whole, much like how Cramorant hunts Arrokuda. Cramorant is likely based on the two species found in the British Isles: the black cormorant and the common shag (why do we let British people name things?). Cormorants are occasionally trained to catch prey and bring it back to their trainers instead of eating it, which likely inspired Croamorant bringing fish with it thanks to its ability. It spitting caught prey at enemies as a form of defense likely comes from defensive vomiting, a strategy employed by entirely too many seabirds where they projectile vomit at potential predators. To their credit, if my sandwich spewed half-digested fish and stomach acid at me, I probably wouldn’t eat it.

(image: a cormorant sunning itself)

I have wanted another take on octopi Pokémon since gen II and Clobbopus and Grapploct are not what I wanted. Cool idea, I just don’t like the design. They’re just octopi combined with martial artists. Clobbopus is a boxer and may have been inspired by videos of octopi smacking fish. Glapploct is, as its category name states, a practitioner of jiu-jitsu, but also with some lucha libre inspirations. There’s really nothing more to them than that. Well there is the sport (read: recreational animal abuse) of octopus wrestling where divers would grab octopi and drag them to the surface, which was popular in the 1960s. I have no idea why they aren’t part water type other than maybe the devs didn’t want another water/fighting type in the same gen as water Urshifu.

(gif: an octopus punching a fish)

Joining Clobbopus in the “why isn’t this water?” gang, we have Pincurchin. I did my undergrad thesis on sea urchins so I have a soft spot for them. Pincurchin seems to be a generic sea urchin rather than any specific species. Its 5 hard teeth are a reference to the mouthparts of urchins, where each of their 5 radial body segments has a single “tooth”. They are arranged in a circular mouth that scrapes algae off of rocks.

(image: a sea urchin's mouth)

Many species of urchins have venomous spines that can break off inside of another animal and continue to inject venom. Pincurchin’s spines do the same thin, but instead of venom, they release electricity.

Eiscue is just a penguin. With an ice cube on its head. I don’t know what more you want from me.

The Arcto- fossils are a bit hard to pin down since we only have the rear half of the animal. The Galar fossils in general are based on inaccurate fossil reconstructions found often in early paleontology. During the bone wars, where paleontologists were in a race to discover new species, many unscrupulous scientists would stick together fossils from unrelated animals and call them new species. The Arctos seem to be based on some kind of marine reptile like a plesiosaur or ichthyosaur. We now know that a lot of these marine species were blubbery (which is likely why the Arcto half is so thick and even seems to have fur) and had small tail flukes just like the Pokémon. The Galar fossils in general are pretty up to date on their paleontology despite being based on outdated reconstructions.

(image: a modern reconstruction of a plesiosaur showing its fatty body and tail fluke. Source)

Next time I'll finish this series with the Paldea region. After that I'll go over the starters and the mythicals/legendaries.

[rubynautilus]

Fighting + Rock "mythical creature"

Gang, can we turn this into a fossil pokémon somehow? Maybe with Procoptodon? What kind of mythical being could fit the boxing kangaroo trope?

Oh wait, what about an Ankylosaurus or Doedicurus but based on the turtle gods of East Asian (Shinto I believe?) culture? Or maybe even based on the Tarrasque?

I'll sleep on it because this sounds like a really neat idea!

pokèmonize yourself!!!!

spin this wheel to see your pokemon type

spin this one to see how you'll look like

[fossilageminerals]

Megalodon Tooth: Some Interesting Facts To Know

A huge fish was the Megalodon, wrongly associated with dinosaurs because of its gigantic size and look; it existed in waters for about 2.3-3.6 million years ago. Although not a dinosaur, the meg’s contemporaries in the Cenozoic era include some amazing creatures such as ancient whales and huge sea turtles. It is one of those apex predators whose teeth can provide astonishing information about lifestyle and positioning within this ancient world. This post will teach you some interesting facts about the megalodon tooth.

1. Size and shape

The teeth of megalodon are huge. They can measure up to 7 inches long, which is very large compared to other sharks today. A single tooth can be as large as a human hand, but some fossilized examples can even go beyond it. This tooth size reflects on megalodon’s huge body since it is believed to have reached an estimated length of 60 feet or more. In contrast, its nearest living relatives, the largest great white sharks, have teeth that are fairly small in comparison.

2. Structure of the tooth

The megalodon teeth were amazingly effective and strong. Their serrations were ideal for such a predator to cut through flesh and bone. In comparison to the smooth-edged teeth of other sharks, the megalodon teeth bear large, jagged cusps that allow them to effectively grip and tear into their prey with tremendous force.

3. Significance of the evolution

The study of megalodon teeth sheds significant light on the evolution of sharks. Their anatomy also helped the paleontologists to know how the megalodon was adapted to its surroundings and what it was feeding upon. Relics, no doubt, of some ancient age, these teeth are vital in reconstructive studies concerning the evolution of predatory sharks.

4. Discovery of fossils

In return, megalodon teeth are rather commonly found as compared to other remains of the shark in fossil form. Their hard enamel indeed helps them withstand the rigors of time better than softer body parts. These are often found in sedimentary rock layers, the beds of various rivers, and coasts where layers of ancient marine deposits have been unearthed. Each of those discoveries brings them closer to piecing together the life story of this formidable predator.

5. Human experience comparison

While comparing megalodon teeth to human anatomy, their wide scale compares to the whole body of a human, underlining the huge size and massive strength of megalodons. Try picturing a tooth larger than your hand; such is the reality for those who deal with these ancient monsters. The difference thus proposes the difference in evolutionary adaptations that allowed the megalodon to be a dominant predator in its time. The teeth of a megalodon compared to human hand is like comparing gold with a piece of stone.

Final Words

Finally, megalodon teeth are not merely fossils; they are gates to the past and reveal both the grandeur and fright of one of the ocean’s most formidable predators. Although it was not a dinosaur, the megalodon’s enormous teeth still fascinate us and tell us about the ancient marine life and its giants. To buy the collection of megalodon teeth visit the portal Fossil Age Minerals.

[the-cinnamon-snail]

Hey. Sounds like you're having a rough go of it lately. That sucks. I can emphasize, even if I can't really understand what you're going through, on account of different bodies an all that.

I'm not going to ask if you're okay, because it sounds like you're not, so what I'm going to do is instead try to distract you. How I was raised, so it goes.

I'd like to ask you for something. Answer or don't, it's hardly any skin off of my nose, but, still, all the same, I want to ask you something, if you're up for it.

I want to ask you to just infodump here. Yeah, right here, in your reply, or in a notebook, or in your mind, somewhere.

Just drop whatever pile of words has been fermenting up in the old brain jar on me. Even if I don't see them, I think it might help a little.

Turtles, tanks, obscure microbial, knowledge never meant to be known by man, whatever it is, this ask is a blank canvas. Paint upon it, if you wish.

I've been thinking about how ancient and older than ancient fossils are dated/aged and placed in the fossil record lately.

I mean there's always the law of biostratigraphy (that stuff in the ground is older the further down you go) but that doesn't always work since many things can dig up and mess around the layers, not even just ancient humans and hominins and hominids.

But mostly I like Uranium Series (U-dash-whatever the element it decayed into be it calcium or lead) Dating and Radiocarbon (C-14) Dating.

U-Dating is used by measuring the radioactivity of uranium isotopes, a natural element that we know and can measure the half life of. I'm not too into this kind as it's for rocks and stuff not fossils, but essentially. Uranium is radioactive. Meaning it breaks down and turns into other elements overtime because it is unstable (gross oversimplification and I may be wrong but stay with me here). So it can date rocks by finding any uranium isotopes, and then measure how long it would take a parent sample of uranium to break down that much. It's pretty accurate and can date back to almost the beginning of the earth 4.6 Billion years ago, although most of those rocks that old don't exist anymore. This method of aging is how we know about the Precambrian!

Meanwhile, Radiocarbon Dating, my favorite method, uses the decay of a radioactive (meaning unstable) chain of carbon-bearing material, and carbon is found in living things, this is used to find how old fossils are. It's accurate for anything formed in the past 55 thousand years, so not as far back as Uranium Series Dating, but this is often used for ancient humans! And I find that fact really neat. It detects 14C (the radioactive carbon isotope [isotope is word for same elements but with different number of neutrons] with 6 protons and 8 neutrons iirc.

Anyways. Uhm.

Archeological dating methods always seem to amaze me. The fact you can look for and find a tiny little atomic isotope and just. Know how old something organic was in the last 55k years? That's wild, and I . Just can't get over it.

Praise to U-Dating too it's how many fossils (imprints in rock not the organic fossils those are kinda rarer) have been placed when biostratigraphy doesn't work and we can. Literally see that rocks are billions of years old with it when we find some that exist. It's amazing.

Probably a weird interest haha.

[kingofanemptyworld]

Togame’s Team:

Carracosta (Partner Pokemon)

Lairon

Lycanroc (Dusk)

Carkol

Cranidos

Alright, here’s my reasoning for Togame being a rock-type trainer: stamina. During the Noroshi arc, that’s the comment he gets from his opponent — he’s terrifying precisely because he just doesn’t stop. And you see it in his fight with Sakura, too; Togame could’ve kept going if he hadn’t had his epiphany mid-fight. Point being, it was a toss up between rock, ground, and steel for me, and rock won purely because it meant I could give him a turtle pokemon as a partner. Again, I had Rampardos in mind originally (the way it charges reminds me of Togame, lowered head and everything lmao), but Carracosta has it all. Rock type, revitalized fossil, and turtle. Truly a triple threat.

To elaborate a little more on the rest of his team… Lycanroc is there because anyone who’s guard dog-coded in the series (Endo, Togame, Nirei - that makes sense I promise - Hiiragi, etc.) gets a dog-like pokemon. And it’s the dusk form because I liked the mixture of light/dark imagery considering Togame’s character arc. Carkol is his one concession to the fact that the eighth gym is meant to be fire-themed (when Choji’s actually there and not wandering around like the free spirit he is), plus it’s like. Togame being the inexhaustible fuel to Choji’s fire, y’know?

Lairon’s there because I like that evolutionary line. And it fits well with the whole steadfast second in command vibe Togame’s got going on. Plus I’m pretty sure its speed is abysmal in-game.

Were Togame not a gym leader (stand in) and just a normal trainer Sakura encounters, he’d probably have this team instead: Carracosta, Torterra, Torkoal, Blastoise, Shuckle. Because turtle.

[cagemasterfantasy]

Tirtouga the Prototurtle pokemon a water and rock tpye

2ft 4inc

36.4lbs

Ability: Solid Rock or Sturdy Hidden Ability: Swift Swim

Egg Group: Water 1 and Water 3

Highest Base Stat: Defense:103

Lowest Base Stat: Speed:22

Base Stat Total: 355

This Pokemon inhabited ancient seas. Although it can only crawl, it still comes up onto land in search of prey. Tirtouga is considered to be the ancestor of many turtle Pokemon. It was restored to life from a fossil.

At level 37 it evolves into Carracosta the Prototurtle pokemon a water and rock type

3ft 11inc

178.3lbs

Ability: Solid Rock or Sturdy Hidden Ability: Swift Swim

Egg Group: Water 1 and Water 3

Highest Base Stat: Defense:133

Lowest Base Stat: Speed:32

Base Stat Total: 495

Carracosta completely devours its prey—bones, shells, and all. Because of this, Carracosta's own shell grows thick and sturdy. This Pokemon emerges from the water in search of prey despite the fact that it moves more slowly on land.

[trenchgardens-ooc-ooc-ooc-ooc]

elaborating

Perpep:

Exploud looks like tube worms And Loud

Malamar is an aquatic mon who is associated with great psychic evil and malevolence? its extremely intelligent? inscrutable perhaps? horrorterror much?

Living in a conservationists personal wildlife preserve means a lot of wierd fellas who might be extinct in the wild. Caracosta is a turtle made of rocks and is a fossilmon thats exactly the kind of mon id expect in a preserve.

Golisopod is based off deep sea isopods, and its got a motif of fear and overwhelming power Tharts perpep.

Garchomp, Sharpedo, and potential therapod mon (tyrantrum and rampardios) all work with her motif of . powerful. scary. Garchomp and Sharpedo being aquatically themed as land and sea sharks fits right fast. the therapod mon fit with carracostas logic while also being themed around beserk rage. perpep :-)

tangrowth looks like tube worms to me. that and a horrorterror.

H goodra is a powerful mon, its also Cinimon.

Oftcas

Oftcas has a party of powerful mons. Annihilape is an Angry Motherfucker, its big, and its graywhite. Oftcas uses lusus fur cloaks to blend in. Same logic for HZork, even harder on the blending in. Not to mention how much she appreciates the crazy resistances of the two.

Abomasnow is huge, white, and scary, in Sinnoh anyway.

Galarian Linoon represents Mink Mom. MommaMink. a dark type long animal, Perpep fights dirty, its how shes survived.

Ursaluna just fits. She kind of has momma bear energy on one hand, on the other, like. big tanky wild animal.

Luxray can see through walls, has solid stats and resistances, its a formidible mon. Oftcas.

Somati

Somatis mon kind of fall into a few catagories. Narratively fitting, he would like this mon, and he would almost certainly have this mon for proximity. Garganacl. His planet is made of salt. Sneasler is a pokemon who would fit his vibe. theyd see eye to eye, even if he is a lot more of a pacifist, out of necessity. Gothitelle forsees the future, and mourns their trainers in advance. This on top of the just. like look at this pokemon. If this mon met him theyd be going to a mall in no time. food court beware. Musharna is a dream mon! cmon look at them . this tapir is going to nebulize all up over the place how could this mon not be on his team. Absol forsees doom, Xatu recieves visions of the future. bam.

Sanguine

all of these pokemon are bloodthirsty, cannibalistic, or have knives for hands. usually all three. one thing is i did forget to add one of them. i think it was a steel type but i genuinely dont remember which. skarmory?

Ferics is super self explanatory imo.

Half Iron is too

Detheo has a ton of cats. Speedy cats. Little guys with knives for hands. lil dudes who fuck you up

Gardener Detheo has pretty fish, Gallade, a noble swordsman, and Bisharp, a cutthroat bladeyboy. He hss wishiwashi, luminion and primarina because i mean. if those arent perpep at the beginning of her timeline i dont know what they are. He has vaporeon becau

Plexus has almost exclusively pokemon who have not yet reached their potential. Some are obvious like korvisquire and karrablast. She also has healing and kind pokemon like audino and eventually togekiss. Reunucleus is just a pokemon i associate with healing to be honest. I think its the cell division bit. Galarian Slobro is also cute and i needed to give her a pokemon who pew pew ok?

Azokie is kind of a malewife. Until he's a femalewife. All of her pokemon can be explained with this lens. shes just a really kind and affectionate person. And then theres her dad.

Dlicti has dead things. Dead things and Grottle, a humble pokemon made of gardens. Dead things she brings life to. Her planet is made of fossils, and her life is full of death.

HungJur's can be explained similarly. Beforan Dlicti was safe to explore her interests, finding out things about how those in the past lived their lives is his passion. their skarmory, however, represents how... Lawful Neutral they are. Lawful Neutral in a draconian society.

Calixtus has Spoink, a pink lil mon who needs to bounce to stay alive. Every second is a balancing act to make sure a bounce isnt too high or too low. And they know they cant keep this up forever. Espeon snd Medicham are pink, one heavily psychic, seeing the minds of others, the other literally balancing constantly. Hydreigon is a horrifying pokemon. Three heads. One mind. Only one mind. There used to be two. Only one mind. Three heads. A three headed serpent forged from erasure, one mind in predominion. Two heads who bicker and brawl.

Altaria is soft. Fluffy.

Rayqaza is a gigantic green snake who descends from the heavens to break up fights between two sibling gods.

Arf Arf, hello :3! Here to ask what Pokémon you think some of your ocs might have! - The Woofer, Canis

auuuuuu perpep has a um a uhhh a uhh a um a uhhh uhhhh milotic, lilleep, all of the fish pokemon especially tropicaland deep sea mons and she legally has to have a hisuian goodra- i had teams for them rmghh

i think Perpep: Milotic, Sharpedo, Exploud, Carracosta, Malamar, and her ace, Hisuian Goodra Carracosta could be switched with her Garchomp when needed, i feel like she would also have a tangrowth and one of the angry therapod dinomon like tyrantrum or rampardos, she also has a Golisopod Oftcas: Ursaluna, Annihilape, Galarian Linoon, Hisuian Zoroark, Abomasnow Luxray

Somati: Musharna, Gothitelle, Absol, Garganacl, Xatu, Sneasler i have no idea which would be his ace, i could say it for any of them, except absol, i just kind of dont like absol though. if legendaries are allowed swap absol for spectrier, just because it looks like him. i also feel like he would have a galarian linoon, a drifblim, mismagius, either zoruark, a morgrem, a spiritomb a... ok a lot of pokemon. oh also a galarian rapidash. actually swap the absol for galarian rapidash if you also dont like absol- absol is just here because of the lore its never been an interesting pokemon for me. design, mechanic, etc wise. also a mime jr. Also a Drednaw because thats his dad The Sanguine Garchomp (mega?), Kabutops, Kleavor, Lurantis, Galarian Sneasler also Ferics Porygon 2, Sandy Shocks, Stackatacka, Alolan Golem, Agron (mega?)

also a level 100 Mudsbray with perfect EV and IVs and holding an evolite. Their stall game is insane. They probably also have a billion charjabug running around

Halfiron Vikivolt, Metagross, Decidueye, Duraludon, Kingambit, and Inteleon (pew) Detheo (Niptur) Pawniard, Karvana, Fraxure, Meowstic (blue), Sinoanan Sneasel, Ninjask Detheo the Gardener Luminion, Gallade, Bisharp, Vaporeon, Wishiwashi, Primarina Plexus Axilla Karrablast (eventually Escavalier), Korvisquire (eventually Korviknight), Galarian Slowbro (pew), Audino, Togepi (eventually Togekiss), Duosion (eventually Reuniclus) Fasnak "Azokie" Axilla Sylveon, Minccino, Swoobat, Audino, Klefkey, Crabominable Dlicti Grottle (eventually Torterra), Cursola, Tyrantrum, Aurorus, Bastiodon, Archeops

Hung Jury Skarmory, Claydol, Probopass, Relicanth, Torterra, Crustle Calixtus Spoink, Espeon, Medicham, Hydraigon, Altaria ... and Rayquaza

[blorbologist]

*raises hand* i have no idea what Hell Creak is. tell me more

Hell Creek is a fossil-heavy rock formation located in Montana and North Dakota! It's one of the most complete fossil sites we have of the Mezosoic (along with other standouts like the Morrison and Kem-Kem). Hell Creek gets a few extra cool points for a handful of reasons:

It has a whole host of big name dinosaurs: T.rex, Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Edmontosaurus, and even a large raptor that's a real-life Jurassic Park 'Raptors' (the book and film used oversized Deinonychus, but Dakotaraptor is actually of comparable size. Potentially. I love the species and what it'd mean for the ecosystem, but I don't trust DePalma as far as I can throw him. He accidentally included turtle remains in the holotype, which... come on, man). Another cool big name potentially associated with the formation, but not a dinosaur, is a large Mosasaur species (think a giant marine monitor lizard) that was recently found to exist off the coast, as well as the (potentially) largest creature to ever fly, Quetzalcoatlus (I have no way to describe this, search it up, it's terrifying and weird).

Actually? No. You deserve to see what a Quetz would look like.

(Photo and model credit @bluerhinostudio. Seriously, they're so lifelike.)

Hell Creek's fossils were deposited at the very tail end of the reign of dinosaurs, so you get a look at their last glory days + a good handful of million years prior. Actually, the boundary layer - the actual moment the apocalypse became real and quartz was shocked by the Chixclub impact - is present! There's another site that seems to contain the actual aftermath, with molten glass raining into the mud and debris of animals caught in tsunamis thrown together (though some elements of the site are debated, because DePalma is sketchy as hell and reported different findings to the media vs his publications).

(Credit conveniently included in the image, nice.)

We have SO much information about it! Remains of everything from megafauna and their interactions - herbivores that have healed bitemarks from T.rex, facial bitemarks between T.rexes - to the minute. Pollen and seeds from a host of plants; insects trapped in amber; tiny amphibians, and sharks. The list of species on the Wikipedia articles are absolutely insane - it's so complex and detailed.

There's also a video game in slow, slow development depicting this formation, Saurian - last I heard it's grinded to almost a standstill, and IIRC there is ~tea~ in the paleo community about it, but it was fun following the development for a few years. The concept art is also gorgeous, and you really get a feel for just how much material they have to work with to make this as accurate as possible!

TLDR, Hell Creek is fascinating - though there are plenty of other cool formations worth poking at, too! The Kem Kem Group, Dinosaur Park, Candeleros, Morrison, Jiufotang and Nemegt Formations are all favorites <3

[dantran]

BEACH DAY HEADCANNONS!

but like a lake beach because..... freshwater turtles (not that they HATE the ocean or anything the lake is just way better)

based mostly on the Rise! boys :D

Leo

BIG fan of the sun tannin'

floating in the water soaking in the sun is his absolute favorite

probably convinces raph to borrow someones lake boat

a menace if you get him to go tubing, an absolute fiend

challenges everyone to meaningless contests all day

hey raph!!! i bet i can hold my breath underwater WAAAAAAYY longer than you

hey mikey!!! betchya cant skip this rock as far as me

criticizes mikeys rock-skipping form, probably

HEY DONNIE....WANNA RACE??

eats all the extra food :)

Raph

really wants to make sure his brothers dont kill each other

(its a tough gig)

when Leo convinces him to borrow a strangers boat he's hesitant at first but then realizes its an incredible opportunity to fuck with his brothers

absolute crazy person driving

mostly bc this is his first time driving a boat

BUT ANYWHOOOO,

throwin the old pig skin around <3

probably has a really fun time swimming around looking at native wildlife

wins Mikeys best cannonball contest every time

Mikey

WATER!!! SPORTS!!

tubing, water skiing, knee boarding

he doin the flips and tricks

also beach volleyball, catch with raph, and convincing his brothers they should try and see who can do the best cannonball

also probably convinces Leo to do more idiotic things, like belly flopping off a building

makes it known that he NEEDS to have ice cream at some point because you just can have fun in the sun without ice cream!!!!

he also makes special snacks the day before but forgets them at home <3

"hello, birds!"

"hello, fish!"

"hello......OH GOD THATS A GATOR-"

Donnie

overpacks but refuses to share

snacks, towels, extra clothes, band-aids, brushes up on his CPR,

all for HIM AND IF YOU DIDNT BRING ANY FOR YOURSELF THATS TOO BAD!

loves rocks

he'll tell you about every shell, fossil, and rock on the beach (cause he knows about all of them in length and how they got there)

he DOES participate in tubing/wake boarding when roped into it by Mikey, but prefers to hang in the shade

when he IS roped into it though.....competitive

the lengths he will go to to stay on a tube longer than mikey are definitely not legal (as far as the rules of tubing go)

[wtf-a-psychoanalysis]

Calm, Cool and Collected 4…

Is what the young Leo is feeling 2 weeks after he started his secret relationship with Yuichi. On his way to his date he hears the older turtle talking. In an over dramatic tone Leonardo-sensei practices his confession, “Oh Miyamoto, you're such a handsome rabbit man, but alas I have probably caused everything bad in your life… no don’t cry those pretty tears my…” the older turtle drones on to a rock with googly eyes and a bundle of hay pasted on to resemble the samurai rabbit, Miyamoto Usagi. It took a few minutes of making kissy faces at the rock for the older turtle to notice the younger turtle pretending to throw up by his doorway.

“Stop doing that ‘Son’ before you actually mess up my newly installed carpet.” Leonardo sensei laughed. “Besides I’m you, so if you call me gross then you’re calling yourself gross.”

“Well I don’t know ‘Dad’, fawning over old rabbit men is kinda gross. How old is he, forty? Pssh Practically a fossil” said Leo-kun. He still couldn’t have imagined seeing himself fawning over another rabbit. “Didn’t older me saw Yuichi once before the Kraang" the young Leo thought to himself.

“Usagi’s thirty-seven actually, I’m the one turning forty. I’ll be taking my fossil ass over to hang out with this nice rock here outside.” said Leonardo -sensei, taking his “Usagi yoRocko” with him. The younger, moving out of the doorway, throwing in a “Yeah, yeah, yeah “ as the older walked out, before his eyes widening in horror. “Mr. Usagi never mentioned his age at Huesos!” Leo-kun gasped to himself.

Both Leos know in order to deliver bad news you have to do it in style. Leo-kun wore a dark blue western style kimono over a graphic tee with a stylised kappa on the front and blue parachute pants with a wave pattern at the bottom of the legs. He was rocking back and forth on his heels at the alleyway entrance of the Hidden City community garden. Worried if Yuichi got caught by his dad sneaking out or cutting samurai lessons. 

“Hey, why did you want me to come early to our community garden date.” said the young rabbit who wore sporty blue cargo shorts, a dark navy sleeveless turtleneck and a blue scrunchie tying back his ears. “Your lucky Jiji was out today,” he said. Yuichi saw the concern in Leo’s eyes. He said nothing and grabbed the turtle's hand so he could be led to a calmer area.

“Your dad actually took up his offer!” groaned Yuichi now burying his face in the picnic blanket set up. Letting his fur cover the blue gingham before shooting back up to his feet, “Wait why didn’t you tell me he was making out with a rock version of my ‘dad’. That would have raised red flags.” Then again Yuich practiced his pick up lines that he didn’t get to use on a broom at Hueso’s.

“Well I’m sorry we’re practically the same person. What seems weird to others is normal to me” Leo said, opening the daifuku package he bought from the nearby convenience store, “Here, Eat this, it’ll calm you down.” Handing the mochi to the anxious rabbit, who munched on it with panic. Leo thought about the fairy tales Splinter told them as kids. There was one about a rabbit who made mochi for a sad princess who was separated from everyone she loved because she drank some potion. He remembered Raphs favorite was…

“The tale of princess Kaguya. He would always ask for it every night, though would cry at the end of it.” said a voice behind the bamboo trees.

“Did you say something Leo?” asked Yuichi. Leo shushed him, flailing his arms in a silent panic attack before pushing him to the ground, that's when Yuichi heard the deep chuckle of his ancestor. “Holy Shit” the young rabbit whispered. 

“That's really endearing, Leonardo, I wish I had more moments like that but…” said Miyamoto

“It will never be the same.”

“Exactly.”

“Hey there's this place, really close by actually, where I’ve always wanted to have a picnic date.” said the turtle nearing the secluded grove their younger counterparts were crouched down in. 

“Ok, Yui, time for some ninja portal time.” the younger Leo whispered, transporting himself and Yuichi to a nearby tree leaving their picnic set up behind. From that height he saw what the older Leo was wearing, it was a light blue kimono, like the ones Draxum likes to wear, with a sleeve pinned to the shoulder where he was missing an arm.

“Ew, Jiji is still wearing that old kimono.” Yuichi whispered. “Wha, wait what are they doing.” He leans in to get a better look at the scene, almost slipping out of the tree’s grasp. Thankfully Leo-kun was able to catch him.

Now with a better view, that was when Leo felt like had an out of body experience. He saw a version of himself laying down on the gingham that they had left out, staring lovingly at Miyamoto whose face hovered above him. With Leonardo-san lifting his head up and Miyamoto lowering his face down, their faces collide, creating a soft and sensual kiss. The scene was right out of an anime with petals framing the scene. It was like seeing through a crystal ball, catching a glimpse into the future. “Me and Yuichi could have something like that…” Leo-kun pondered.

Then the scene started to escalate with the older couple's hands starting to slide to other places. That's when the young couple decided to take their leave. Leo and Yuchi teleport to the east entrance of the garden. That's where they sat dumbfounded for a few moments.

“I must have dodged a nuclear bomb defeating the Kraang, what kind of apocalypse makes a turtle that horny.” The young Leo thought to himself, then he turned to Yuichi and asked, “What about you, Usagi? Wasn’t that your picnic stuff, should we go back for it”

“Ew, No! I definitely don't want that picnic blanket back.” Commented Yuichi, gagging at the thought. Then flashed another thought into his mind, “Oh what about my daifuku...” the rabbit complained. 

“I don’t know, your dad might like mochi as much as you" said Leo-kun

Silence followed.

Then, abruptly, the two exclaim unanimously saying “Your dad made out with my ‘dad’!” then following up with “He’s not actually my dad” then leading up to shock widening their eyes, they both yell “Wait, WHAT?!”

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