#its is scutes right?

[coconut-oil-smells]

It's my opinion that splinter should have been wearing flip flops or smthn, two boys dropping scutes all over the place and ur telling me he didn't step on a single sharp one ????

[love-killed-the-superstar]

leosagi sketch i did at work when my boss left the room :3c

[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!

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: spiny softshell turtle

It may be neither Flat Fuck Friday nor Turtle Tuesday, but because this is my series and I can do what I want, I'm talking about a very flat turtle. The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) is the most widely distributed and possibly the most common softshell turtle in North America. Its range covers most of the Eastern half of the USA and stretched into Canada and Mexico. There are 6 subspecies separated by geography and hybridization can happen in places where their ranges cross. Hybridization has also been known to happen with the Florida softshell (Apalone ferox). The subspecies are the northern (A. s. spinifera), gulf coast (A. s. aspera), Texas (A. s. emoryi), pallid (A. s. pallida), Guadalupe (A. s. guadalupensis), and black (A. s. atra) spiny softshells.

(Image: a spiny softshell turtle seen from above and to the side. It is a turtle with a wide, flat shell. Its head and one foot are visible. The head is skinny and has an elongated nose. The foot is wide and flat, with webbed toes. The turtle is an olive green with black dots on the skin, yellow stripes on the face, and dark spots on the shell. End ID)

The thing that makes a softshell a softshell is the lack of keratinized scutes on their shells. This makes the shells smooth and leathery. The center of the shell has a layer of solid bone user it, but this does not extend to the edges of the shell, making it less rigid. Softshells are the fragile speedsters of the turtle world. Their shells are a lot lighter and often more streamlined, allowing for faster movement both on land and in water, but they provide less defense. Spiny softshells have spiny projections along the front edge of the carapace (upper shell), with males having more than females. They are some of the largest North American freshwater turtles. Females can reach a carapace length of 54 cm (21 in) and 11 kg (25 lbs) while the smaller males max out at about 25 cm (10 in).

(Image: a spiny softshell being held by a person, seen from the front. The leading edge of the carapace is visible, showing off the small spines. End ID)

Spiny softshells have wide, flat, paddle-like feet with three claws and an elongated nose that acts like a snorkel. The turtles are born a bright olive color with striped faces and dark spots on the shell. Males keep their juvenile coloration for their entire lives while females grow darker ad lose many of their markings. It can be very difficult to tell females of different subspecies apart, while males and juveniles can be distinguished by their markings. Smooth skin and highly vascularized membranes in the cloaca, mouth, and throat allow the turtles to breathe by diffusing dissolved oxygen from the water into their blood.

(Image: a male and female spiny softshell facing each other. The male is less than half the size of the female and has an olive colored shell and skin, with dark spots on the shell. The female is a uniform muddy brown color. End ID)

Spiny softshells are generalists able to live in a wide range of habitats. They prefer streams, rivers, and ponds with muddy or sandy bottoms and high visibility, but can live in most freshwater habitats. Softshells are diurnal, spending their days basking and feeding. Being turtles, they are ectothermic, meaning their body temperature matches the surrounding temperature. To warm themselves up, the turtles bask in the sunlight. They can often be found resting on exposed rocks, logs, sandbars, or shorelines. While not particularly social animals, the turtles will bask in groups. When threatened, softshells will attempt to swim away and/or bury themselves. In the right sediment, a softshell can bury itself in under a second. Because their shells are less rigid, softshells have to actively defend themselves when cornered and will bite and scratch. People have to be careful when handling them. They brumate (that's hibernation for reptiles) during winter. While brumating, they bury themselves underwater and slow their metabolism and oxygen requirements. In this state they can fully sustain themselves on oxygen absorbed through their skin or special membranes.

(Image: a spiny softshell turtle buried in its hunting strategy. Only the head is visible above the sand. End ID)

They are primarily carnivores and will eat anything that can fit in their mouths. Aquatic insects, crayfish, worms, amphibians, mussels, snails, fish, and more are on their plate. While capable of fast swimming, they are not pursuit predators. They employ two primary hunting strategies. The first is to bury themselves in the sediment and wait for prey to come by. The second is digging in the sediment to find worms and other animals. Fish have been known to follow digging turtles around to feed on animals unearthed by them.

(Image: a spiny softshell in captivity. It is swimming at the surface of the water in a tank, amongst artificial leaves. End ID)

Spiny softshells mate in spring. Males attempt to woo females by swimming over to them and bumping heads together. The male then sits on top of the female to mate. Unlike most species of turtles, the males do not grab onto the female's shells during mating. Eggs are laid between summer and early fall and will hatch next spring. The female will dig a nest in sandy or gravelly banks and bury the eggs once they have been laid. She provides no further care. Females will typically mate multiple times each year, with each mating having a different nest. The juveniles take 8 to 10 years to reach sexual maturity and they can live up to 50 years in the wild. Many turtles determine sex by the temperature the eggs are incubated in. This is not the case with spiny softshells, who have genetics based sex determination.

(Image: a group of 5 juveniles. The photo focuses on two who are sitting next to each other. One has its front right leg on the shell of the other. They have similar coloration to an adult male. End ID)

(Image: a newborn emerging from its egg. The egg is round and white, looking like a ping-pong ball. Only the head of the turtle has emerged. End ID)

Most subspecies of spiny softshell are classified as least concern or near threatened by the IUCN, meaning they are not in danger of extinction. The exception is the black spiny softshell, also known as the Cuatro Ciénegas softshell, which is critically endangered. The primary threats to the turtles is habitat loss due to human activity. Adults have no natural predators outside of the Florida and adjacent state populations, which are prey to alligators. Juveniles are eaten by a variety of animals including fish, snakes, raccoons, and herons. People will also eat the adults. Because it can take a whole decade for juveniles to become reproductive, losses in population take a long time to replace. They have been introduced to areas outside of their native range, most notably the western USA. Most of these introductions are due to people releasing pet turtles into the wild.

(Image: someone holding a juvenile. The shell is 2-3 times the size of the human's thumb. End ID)

[niphredil-14]

pls write some fluff for raph <3333

its 2 am rn so i just want something comforting to read lmao. maybe some headcannond about trying to get a peaceful nights sleep while ur crime fighting boyf sneaks back into ur room after patrolling/a mission?🥷🥷🥷

ty bby

METRONOME OF AFFECTION (2012 Raphael Hamato/Reader) Warnings: some pining, some light insecurity, lots of fluff, friends to lovers word count:1794 notes: tumblr wouldnt let me post this all at once so i was forced to break it up.

Protecting a city as massive and crime filled as New York was far from an easy task, no matter how many people were on the team, and in some cases, the team could add more to his plate than they took anything off of it. From small annoyances, and petty arguments to full on battles, it didn't take long to wear Raphael down, he could feel his patience falling away from him like loose scutes. Every little inconvenience and setback sticking to him like algae on his shell. By the time that the bright moon, clouded by the fog and smoke rising from the city, had begun to set over the skyline, Raph's feet were dragging with every step, his very bones ached, and what risked becoming a permanent scowl had carved itself onto his face, his mouth curving downward, pulling awkward lines down his jaw from his beak. The group had all been heading towards their go-to sewer cap, located in a small, cramped alley in the Italian district, right next to a small Mom-and-Pop pizzeria that they had April and Casey frequenting on their behalf. The closer they got to their equivalent of a doorstep, the more Raph's appetite lessened and a strong sense of dread set into his chest. He did not want to end his less-than-ideal night with going back to the lair, with people who has spent the past six hours doing nothing but getting on his nerves, only to brood and stew in his misery, holed up in his room or the dojo until the stars rose yet again as the next evening dawned, where they would all rinse and repeat their ass-kicking and name-taking routine, he needed an escape, and he knew exactly where to go. He had stopped walking, letting his brothers and friends build a gap between them as he slowly melded with the shadows, turning and heading east. After five minutes or so, he would send them a text, just before he arrived at his destination, letting his family know that he was okay, and that it was just a bit early for him to crawl back to the sewers to hide from the world again. Pausing after sending the text, letting the dim blue-light from the screen minimally illuminate his face, he hesitated on their fire escape. The window led into their living room, and he could tell that there was not a single light on in their apartment, save for a small night light kept plugged into the hallway outlet, so that they didn't trip if they had to get up in the middle of the night, as they so often did. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb their sleep, he knew that with everything they had going on in their life, that they weren't getting nearly enough, and yet he couldn't stop himself from at least slipping in to use the first aid kit they kept underneath their bathroom sink, and making sure that they were okay. He placed his fingers underneath the window, and let out an exasperated sigh when it lifted open without resistance. The number of times he had warned them to keep all their windows locked was as impossible to count as the stars with the naked eye. He faced the evil of the city every night, he knew what hid in the shadows, he knew the monsters that would give anything to hide in their closet or under their bed, he could be counted among them, though for contrasting reasons to the other freaks and low lives. Silently crawling through their window, with some struggle due to his sheer size, he made his way to the kitchen first, grabbing a glass of water, and some of the snacks they had begun buying once Raphael's visits became more frequent. He smiled to himself in the dark of the kitchen, his heart touched at seeing that they had restocked his favorite snacks. After having a quick bite, he snuck into the bathroom, taking out the first aid kit an patching himself up where needed, which fortunately for him, was not much, he hadn't gotten more than a few cuts, and only had to remove two bullets. He slid the kit back into the cupboard and shut the door behind him, walking as quickly as he quietly could towards the end of the hall, where their bedroom was.

The door was closed, but he could hear their soft breathing behind the door. Their breaths were slow and even, and he was sure that they were in a deep sleep. He felt as though he shouldn’t intrude, but they had always told him that he was always welcome, no matter the time or the day, and maybe, he thought, he should just do a quick check to make sure a necklace they forgot to take off wasn’t choking them and that there weren’t any intruders or creepy-crawlies hiding in the room, waiting for the perfect moment. And so, he slowly opened their bedroom door, cringing at the low squeak that resulted. He froze, waiting for any sign that he had disturbed them, but their breathing did not change, and they only slightly shifted. It wasn’t the first time that he had shown up in the middle of the night, and though he always felt so guilty about it, he knew how it usually ended, with them tucked close to his plastron, as the two cuddled close underneath the comforter, drifting off to sleep, with only a small stream of light creeping in through a small crack in the blinds. And yet, though this was far from his first time entering without prior notice, he was afraid. Afraid that it would be the last straw, that they would turn him away, tired of his company, tired of his existence. Despite his fear, the turtle took a step into their room, and then another. He walked around the perimeter of the room, checking the closet, the blinds, and any other potential hiding spots, before making his way over to the side of the bed. He did not lift the covers, just stood there, blocking the small bit of window light, and casting a shadow over their form. They looked so peaceful that he couldn’t help but just stop and stare, unable to fathom how someone as gruff and rough around the edges as him, someone with a shell even harder than their head, could end up with someone who made them feel so soft. Looking down at his friend, the one he had loved for what felt like several lifetimes before his own, he felt a sense of hopelessness. He loved being close to them, and yet he was so sure that they could never feel anything more than platonic, if even that, for him. Sometimes his brain turned its rudeness towards him, yelling at him that they only ever kept him around out of the kindness of their heart, out of pity, that he was a charity case, that they would never willingly want to be with a mutant such as him. In a moment where he wanted to be close enough to crawl inside their skin, but was to fearful of the rejection, he could only grant himself any sort of reprieve from the tightening of his heart, by lightly brushing his finger along their face, tracing swirls on their cheek. Being with them was as torturous as it was heavenly, they gave him a safe haven when he needed an escape, but with their gift of hospitality, their bright smile and caring eyes had planted a seed of sickly sweetness deep within him. He didn’t know how they had managed to reach through his plastron to tug directly at his heart strings, puppeteering him like a string marionette, but they had and there was no one else he would rather have such control over him. And just as he was about to let his hopelessness consume him and leave, their eyes slowly blinked open, their head lolling to face him as their gaze followed his arm up to his shoulder, jaw, then face. A sleepy, almost drunk-like smile graced their features, and his heart swelled. In a moment of vulnerability, they had smiled at him, so genuinely he was convinced that it couldn’t have been an act of pity.

“Hey, Big Guy.” The exhaustion seeped into their words, slurring them. His voice caught in his throat, and he coughed, clearing his throat.

“Hey.” He replied, trying to pull his hand away from their face, unsuccessfully, as they grabbed his wrist and tugged them towards them, lifting up the covers for him to crawl under. He sat down on the side of the bed, undoing the wraps on his feet and hands, and taking of his belt an harnesses, finally taking off the bandana as well, before finally climbing into bed with them. It was a small bed, twin size at best, which did not leave much personal space between them. He hovered his hands on his side, until they shifted forward, hugging him as they buried their face in his shoulder. “Sorry for waking ya,’ Doll.” They shook their head, nuzzling into him some more in the process.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, Raph. You know I’m always happy to have you. It’s been too long.” He gave a light chuckle, caving to the cuddles they both craved, and pulling them even closer to him.

“It’s been three days.”

“Exactly, that’s far too long to be without my love.” Raphael sputtered, and he was sure that if reptiles could blush, that he would be red as the first roses, dyed with the blood of Aphrodite herself.

“You love me? Like, love me, as in, a more-than-friends kinda way?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“’Course I love you, Raphael, you think I’d let anyone else break into my apartment at five in the morning to wake me up for a cuddle sesh? You’re my everything.” As embarrassing as it was, he could feel his tail thump against the mattress behind him.

“You’re my everything too.” Raphael replied. He wanted to tell them that he loved them too, but the words were too heavy in his throat, and too scary for him to let escape just yet, so he settled for mimicking their last sentence, and lowering his beak to gently press against their forehead, to mimic a kiss as closely as he was capable of with his beak. Giving them a tight squeeze, he shuffled even closer to them, nuzzling the top of their head, and drifting off to sleep, with their hearts synching to beat together as a metronome of their affection.

[evolutionsvoid]

The Ammit is a species of reptile that is found upon the arid continent, their range spanning deserts and savannas, with a preference for areas that have water sources nearby. Their main love is rivers, either dwelling in or around them. Though some may find their bodies awkward in appearance, they are actually good both on land and in water. While they do spend a chunk of time hiding in water, they aren't really swimmers. Instead, they actually walk along the bottom of the lake or river, using their legs to push them along or shoot themselves up to the surface for air or prey. On land, their strong legs allow them to move in explosive bursts, suddenly rushing prey and taking them down before they can properly react. Even when not hunting, they can trot along at a decent pace, conserving their energy for when they need to lunge at an opportunity. Their lives both in and out of the water is said to be fitting for a species of their appearance, looking to be a fusion of three different creatures.

They are said to have the pride and speed of a lion, the cunning and patience of a crocodile, and the strength and anger of a hippopotamus. While this description makes them two parts mammal and one part reptile, they are just pure reptile. Their body is covered in a variety of scales and colors, which can give the impression of fur sometimes at a distance. The mane they have is not hair, but long tendril-like scales that are more soft and floppy compared to the reptile scales most people are used to. Even the "spots" on them are nothing more than scutes. Their odd appearance have made people ask why they have such distinct sections to their body, looking like three animals stitched together. Currently, no solid answer has been given. Some believe that these different colors break up their silhouette when hiding and hunting. Others think it is meant to confuse prey, making them think they are a species they are not, and thus making them unprepared for the attack. Not the most flawless arguments, but that is what we got so far. 

When it comes to diet, meat is what's on their menu. Ammit are carnivores, typically targeting large prey, like ungulates. Their hunting strategy varies when on land or water, but the basics are the same. They prefer to lie in wait and then burst forth with jaws wide open to seize prey in a crushing bite. On land, they hide within tall grass or brush, then charge in at high speed. Theses hunts last only a few seconds, as the Ammit are not meant for long distance sprinting. The point is to get prey down before they can pick up enough speed and distance to leave the hunter in the dust. They strike with tooth and claw, looking to wound the animal enough that they can't run. In some cases, Ammit have been seen simply ramming right into the fleeing prey, using their stocky bodies like battering rams. Anything to keep them from running away! When hunting in water, they take a page from the crocodile's book. They hide in the water, keeping perfectly still as prey approaches for a drink. When food gets close enough, they kick off with their muscular back legs and launch themselves forth. Jaws latch on and bite down hard, usually enough to end the hunt right there. In cases where prey rears back in time, they still aren't safe, as the Ammit may simply run out of the water to catch its meal. When prey is downed, they use their jaws and claws to tear chunks of flesh off to swallow whole. Their potent stomach acid lets them eat pretty much everything off of prey, thus little is left after they finish dining. 

While they are powerful carnivores, they do appear to be quite social from time to time. An individual Ammit may spend a good chunk of time alone, focused on hunting for prey, but eventually they will meet up with more of their kind. Typically these hangouts will be around or in water, sticking close as a group. They will vocalize, groom and occasionally do some sparring, using this time to relax and develop relationships. It seems that it is during these meet ups where males and females will begin eyeing one another, getting an idea of who they want to hook up with when mating season comes. When the seasons get rough and food gets scarce, these gatherings may result in team ups where the Ammit will work together to bring down hardier prey. They will use a variety of tactics to go after species they don't normally hunt, all in the hopes of scoring a meal in these trying times. Teamwork also occurs when pairs raise their young, as both the father and mother work to keep their offspring fed and safe. For a species with wicked speed and jaws, they can be surprisingly friendly and sociable. For some folk though, I am stating quite the obvious fact!

What I described certainly sounds like a dangerous beast, and I imagine there be quite a few people scared of a sprinting pair of reptilian jaws! However, if you were to talk to the locals, they would have a completely different view! For the people here, the Ammit is a beloved and sacred species, to the point where they have domesticated a breed of them. These Ammit can be pets, guards and hunting aids, working alongside the humans. Within the vast empire of this region, the Ammit is seen as a both a guardian and a judge, as they are believed to be able to sniff out wicked hearts. Those with foul intentions or tainted souls are said to enrage the Ammit who protect sacred temples and holy sites. Some Ammit are used to judge offenders, with criminals standing before one of these beasts and seeing if it chooses to kill them or spare them. What decides their fate is known only to this reptilian judge, with some claiming that it is body language and the stench of fear that can determine if it attacks, while others say it is pure luck. I wouldn't know, as I don't exactly plan on being put before that kind of court! Under the care of loving owners, Ammit can live much longer then their wild counterparts, and thus reach incredibly sizes. Ancient Ammit can live up to a century, and typically these larger specimens are the ones who are used in these judging ceremonies or are given offerings. In their religion, one of these beasts is used to judge the souls of the dead, devouring the hearts of those who are rife with sin. 

It is an incredible thing to see, I must say, witnessing these great beasts working alongside the humans here. Those that have been domesticated are quite friendly, and can definitely show you some affection! I loved meeting them and getting a chance to see this relationship up close! However, I came off quite crazy to people back home when I talked about how incredible it would be to have one as a pet! I guess outsiders don't get it! Though, I must put in a warning, as these domesticated breeds of Ammit can give the wrong impression at times. Their friendly ways and ease around people is wonderful, but it can make one start attributing these characteristics to wild Ammit. People get it into their heads that all these reptiles are happy little buddies, and then get too close to one in the wild and get chomped. Don't make this mistake. No matter how cute or wonderful some creatures look in the wild, do remember that you are in the wild.     

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

---------------------------------------------

"Ammit"

Yeah she's still around, I am sure my slew of FOI stuff made some folk worry. Chlora entries do exist, and in the future I will probably do some back and forth more frequently between her stuff and FOI. Here is a personal favorite mythical monster!

[palaeonecromancy]

Happy Fossil Friday!

Who: Beelzebufo "The Devil Toad"

name meaning: Beelzebub (Lord of the Flies), toad

pronunciation: Bee-ell-ze-boof-oh

What: A horned toad

When: Late Cretaceous

Where: Madagascar

Fun fact!: Is the largest known frog species to have ever existed

Why are they cool?: The head was likely covered in scutes (bits of bony scale-like bone like the plates on the back of a crocodile) giving it a horned, protected cap of bone across its head.

Image Credits: (Right: Prehistoric Planet [TV], Left: New Material of Beelzebufo, a Hyperossified Frog (Amphibia: Anura) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar)

[moonchildstyles]

I’ve been thinking about this and it’s been driving me insane :(!!!!!

H realizing he doesn’t have anymore condoms and angel is all worked up and ready for him her hands on his chest drawing little things as he’s hovering over her looking through the bedside table </3 the other day he used the last one but he thought they still had a backup one :( only to realize they’ve been using the backup!!! and he has to let her down gently :(((( hand’s cradling her right cheek “angel…” she’s nuzzling her head further into his hand finally feeling his touch :( she hums softly he kisses her head her eyes close shut he nuzzles his nose into hers kissing her closed eyelids “I don’t think we can do this tonight, lovie” her eyes shoot open landing on his :( hands softly feel his cheek “it’s okay :( are you okay?” Fingers wrapping around pieces of his curls that are framing his face :((((( he’s looking at her red lips that he was just biting and kissing into :( her fingertips trace his features taking a breath before she speaks “did I do anything wrong?” wanting to know exactly what she did so she can apologize properly and ughhhhh his heart is just </333333 he shifts his body quickly lowering himself feeling her body on him “no no, baby angel” kissing all over her cheeks “we just don’t have anymore…condoms” her features change face relaxing “oh” smiling and he’s amused “what? Find it funny?” The first chuckle leaves her lips hiding her face in his neck whispering “I-I thought you got two boxes last time” kissing his neck softly h laughs loudly “look at me when you sex shame me” she can’t keep it in her anymore a laugh finally erupts! Harry feels her head shaking against his neck and when they both calm down he feels her lips go back on his neck placing gentle kisses “what are you doing, little angel” she whines “nothing!! I’m just kissing you” and he just can’t say no to her ever! And he isn’t giving her exactly what they both want so the least he can do is lay with, kiss her and let her down gently :(((((🧸

BESTIE WAIT STOP:(((((( like this being before shes n birth control and comfortable going bare w him so it really is like a no go if they don't have condoms:( and like the picture of him leaning over her and her tracing his chest while hes trying to dig around and find the extra he thought they had:(((( and like :( ofc she thinks its hr fault like she did something that made him not want to keep going with her:( but then just ending up giggling and cuddling when they’re laughing about how quickly they go through their boxes like shfushfushf I just :( idek bestie this is just so scute fr :(((((( I love it so much:(

[shrubsparrow]

Hey! I saw your tutorial on birds and first off I wanna say... love it! Very useful

Second, I wanted to ask about bird legs because I have no clue what to search up....

For this, I'm talking more about the big birds with the bigger legs, like... secretary birds, cranes, herons...

I struggle with one main aspect with drawing the bird legs

And its the texture of the legs. I don't know what its called, or what to look up to figure it out on my own... is it like, scutes? Is that what birds have? Or is it scales? Any tips on how to interpret the pattern of the scales/scutes to depict them into art? Any tips on how the scale/scute covered flesh wrinkles and folds on itself?

You don't have to answer any of these but it would be really really appreciated... I struggle SO much with this 🥲

Even a point in the right direction on what to look up would be really useful... thank you, and i hope you have a nice day!

Hi! Sorry, I think I missed this question earlier, I only now saw it in my inbox. I'm glad you liked the tutorial! I honestly hadn't looked too deeply into the small details in bird feet before, so I'm not an expert, but I did some digging just now and maybe it will help you in the right direction.

It seems that scute is the correct term to use for the "scales" in bird feet (English isn't my first language so I didn't know about it either). The function very similarly to scales!

It seems like generally, bird feet have a row of large scutes on top of each toe. From below, the toes have these soft "foot pads" instead. In those areas, the skin may form tiny scutes, but those are usually hard to see so I wouldn't necessarily draw them in detail.

I also found this video which, starting from around 15 minute mark, goes over a lot of fine detail about bird feet from different angles, with some info about the scutes as well. Most of it definitely wasn't covered in my tutorial, so I recommend checking it out!

[kaijuthespacemaniraptorian]

so i decided to remake some of the animals of the TV show Primeval into completly different genus!

i decided to turn the Balaur from season 5 episode 2 into a megalosaurid!

The Thalassosaurus is a relatively small megalosaur only slightly larger than deinonychus about 1.9 meters tall and 5 meters long and weighs 100 kg and lived in the late jurassic period in costal islands

They have a paddle like tail which helps them to swim from island to island in search of food as they are opportunistic scavengers eating anything that is washed ashore or even finding corpses of other dinosaurs far from the waters, but they would occasionally hunt other animals they can find on the islands!

Kaprosuchus from season 4 episode 2

Saurotaurus is a Notosuchian from the late cretaceous capable of chasing down prey during ambush with a powerful crushing bite as it possesses molars, these animals are also capable of swimming as good as their aquatic relatives for traveling to other places in search of mate, food or territories! They have four horns on their skulls used as sexual display aswell as for combat against males as they swing their heads left to right to hit their rivals with their horns which would sometimes leave them with scars and missing scutes!

Labyrinthodont from season 4 episode 6

Serpanodon an enormous serpentine temnospondyl that swims around the cold rivers and lakes, its an ambush predator that would coil its victims once it got them, it is clumsy on land but it can survive on land for a long time without needing to be wet as it roams to find new waters to find food or mates!

Mosasaur from season 1 episode 3

Poseidosuchus are thalattosuchians from the late cretaceous period and they are mesopredators of the ocean hunting small fish and sharks!

Pristichampsus season 3 episode 1

Ammitosuchus are large planocraniids that live in egypt in the eocene period, they are powerful runners capable of charging at max speeds to catch their prey before they can be spotted during ambush, they are also capable swimmers swimming through rivers through long distances to travel to other locations pretty quickly without fatigue, they can also rear up on their hind legs standing up vertically to intimidate any opponents!

thats all i have, hope you all like them and especially to primeval fans

[da-janela-lateral]

My guardian designs!

+ design-based hcs and info below (lots of text):

Dedan

I've seen somewhere that Dedan is made of metal, so I made his skin be made of coppery scutes.

Has a huge range of vision due to his eye position. For the same reason, can't see what is right in front of and behind his head.

Just noticed he has lots of herbivore traits (blunt teeth, lateral eyes). However, these don't matter much in pratice, as the OFF world is very artificial and illogical.

At the same time, its fun to think him to be like a hippo: deadly megafauna with no natural predators.

Japhet

Japhet's beak is a fusion of generalist and raptorial bird beaks. It makes sense for him to be carnivorous (or just opportunistic) when meat is the most common food in the OFF world.

His small form is just a odd songbird, though.

The tip of his tail is naturally curled.

His hooves are soft and flexible, similar to a mountain goat's. That's how he can perch and move them well.

Neck can probably stretch.

Enoch

Some kind of mutated human. That explains the strange anatomy and abilities.

Or he has a smaller and weaker everyday form, like Japhet.

The cheek marks might be a common trait in humans. Sugar has them too, and Zacharie could have as well.

Has a larger than normal mouth, with a perpetual grin. Maybe he just doesn't have lips.

[treesurface]

choglaem

this week's bestiary art post! i was hoping it wouldn't be last-minute this week too, but alas. i'm not sure if this is helping me improve much, but i hope so!

cw for snakes with this one

the crest was kinda hard to represent in a way that felt right, but i visualize it as large raised scutes like those on a crocodile, sort of. i kinda wanted to make it resemble a dinosaur, since it's supposed to be a really big snake and i liked the idea of a water-dwelling sauropod being mistaken for a large snake, but it's mentioned to instead live in caves, so that didn't feel super fitting. it's hard to notice since the picture is blurry and small, but the idea with the mouth was that the "blow-holes" were small gaps between the two sections of its mouth, allowing it to stick its tongue out without fully opening its mouth. i don't think that really came across though :/

i kinda like the pose at least, it feels like something you'd see a snake doing in the marginalia of a book or something

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Might we know what kind of turtle this is? Sorry about the crappy picture, its shell was covered by mud and this is the closest I could get where it was still comfortable with peeking out of its shell at me (as I didn’t want to stress it into possibly going back into the road and getting hit). It did have some lovely yellow markings on the side of its face, so I can only assume it’s in the slider family?

Man, I wish I could help, but turtle IDs are just not my area of expertise, I'm afraid.

I don't think our mystery friend here is a slider, because his shell just doesn't look right for it (as far as I can tell, this is a very muddy friend we've got here).

My absolute best guess is a map turtle, based mostly on the shape of the scutes near the back of the shell.

If anyone knows turtles better than me and would like to chime in your guess, I'd love to hear it!

[thenixart]

[ID: A drawing of a crouching dragon facing right in a 3/4ths view. The dragon has six limbs that end in clawed paws, five of those limbs can be seen by the viewer. The dragon has a short lion-like face with two short horns on the top of its head and two large fangs visible past its lips. It’s back is covered in large flat scutes with blunt spikes in the middle of each scute. It’s tail is sticking up in the air and covered in large overlapping scales that form a club at the end of its tail.

The drawing is black line art with a pink sketch faintly visible. /End ID]

Tarasque A French dragon

@kariachi

[v0idspeak]

BIRB!

@wind-rider's character Soldan! Giant Birb is an amazing design with an even better characterization, and probably my favorite of the @usherfoundationdc RP gang! (Yes, it's an antagonist. Yes, it's also awful. However, shush.)

[ID: Three renders of a 3D model. The creature is a wyvern-like bird creature, and its two legs are splayed wide below it. Each foot has three toes and a thumb, each digit ending in a sharp talon. Its head is low to the ground, its sharp-toothed maw open wide in a screech.

Its right wing is half-open and pointed upwards, while its left wing is supporting some of its weight. Each wing has two clawed fingers.

Its entire body is covered in sharp feathers, with the largest being the wings (obviously), around the head, and near the base and tip of the tail. The tail wraps around the creature's right side and finishes in front of its left wing. The end of the tail has a large paddle of sharp feathers. The rest of the tail, as well as most of the face and upper legs, is covered in fur-like down and semiplume feathers, while the lower legs is covered in large scutes (like an emu).

It is wearing a twisted half-open crown, and the right side of its face is heavily scarred, with much of the tissue near its eye and on some of its beak devoid of any feathers.

The background is covered in stylized eyes, the pupils aimed towards the closest of the three renders. At the bottom, there is a black bar on which there is the logo for the UsherRP (Soldan from the back with open wings, over a purple open eye), Soldan's name, the artist's name (VoidSpeak), and VoidSpeak's logo. End ID]

Model is going to be 3D printed, so I'll update this soon with More Pics(tm)

[mystery-wings]

Meet Alexan "Love" Sanders

Other than Love, he is also known as Protectiveness, Loyalty, Security, and Dedication.

His signature colors are pink, white, black, gray, and beige.

The way he pronounces his name, is A-le-xan— Which is the Greek pronunciation. Alexan has its origins in the Old Greek language, it is of Greek derivation, and the meaning of Alexan is "man's defender, warrior".

He not only has one, but two animals, the white dove and the Arabian wolf.

Scales cover the right side of Alexan’s face, the back of his hands, most of his arms and legs, and each foot, instead of only feet and legs; which are also called scutes and may not be considered real scales by everyone, leading them to possibly be called highly modified scale-like feathers.— He by using clothes and shoes. The color of his scales are a purple that is said to be the darkest shade of purple — It’s called deep purple, or kokimurasaki. There are reasons for Alexan's dove scales and dove eye being on a specific side that is opposite of Janus’s, there is symbolism behind those reasons. Other half, which refers to the husband, wife, or partner of someone. But it can also refer to a very good friend. The scales on the right side of Alexan's own face cover like how Janus’s does on his left side. Left eye is human and dark brown, but his other eye is a dove’s eye—the right eye—has a larger circular pupil with a small dark reddish-orange irise. Though has he has the ability to cause his eyes to have no pupils and irises, and the scleras to appear entirely white His hair has a white and dark gray streak beside each other on both sides of his hair. The canine teeth he has are sharper than humans.

Alexan leads with passion, kindness, and understanding and seeks to make others feel accepted by offering an unmatched level of sympathy, as well as providing warmth and comfort, and inspires others to cling to hope. When it comes to others, the side can be observant. He cares about how others feel, which is why he will go to great lengths to promote positivity.   Unfortunately, he can be too thoughtful and can forget about his own needs and also ignore them. He doesn’t commonly enjoy being in the spotlight, and can be unconfident and timid, which is why he may prefer to blend in; these emotions typically give rise to self-doubt and heighten his sensitivity levels. But he is strong and can be in more ways than one. He can also be intimidating and exude authority that may make one feel secure and protected.  He is humble, well-meaning, and dynamic, making the ideal authority figure in the eyes of others. Deceit and half-truths are two things that he abhors (but that doesn’t mean he never speaks in lies) and honors honesty, transparency, and integrity. While Alexan appreciates humor and lightheartedness, there’s a time and place for such silly matters. 

Like the sides, he has abilities that they also have, but has abilities the others do not have. All of which are, influencing Thomas, teleportation, shapeshifting, summoning, stretching out into the territory of the other sides, resilience and regeneration, love detection, claw retraction (climbing/wall crawling, cutting, nail cutting, enhanced clawmanship, enhanced mauling, impale), fang retraction (power bite, unbreakable teeth), tail manifestation (constriction, crushing, binding, tail extension, tail expansion, multiple tails, prehensile tail, strong tail), wing manifestation (flight, ai blast, high-speed flight, wing barriers, wing blades, multiple wings, wing combat), fire manipulation (burning, fire generation, fire attacks, fire detection, fire immunity, fire augmentation, fire boundary, fire infusion, fire mimicry, glowing eyes, pyrokinetic combat, fire resistance, thermal resistance, fire breath, heat resistance, heat immunity, fire blast, hand blasts), plant manipulation, zoolingualism, child caretaking mastery, darkness adaptation (night vision), pyrokinetic wing manifestation, tranquil fury, light generation, enhanced reflexes, protection mode, sonic scream, multiple arms and hands, multiple eyes, multiple ears, expressive ears, voice projection (think about the Canterlot voice Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, and Celestia have been shown speaking with — Only if you are familiar with My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic"), vocal duplication (similar but different to Virgil's tempest tongue ability)

Like Roman and Remus, he also uses weapons. Which are a sword that can becoming a flaming one, bow and arrows, double daggers, a knife, and a Japanese war fan.

Now to talk about his stimming. His stims are hand and wing flapping, twirling, bouncing, jumping, staring at lights, biting, using fingertips like drumsticks, humming, fidgeting, making vocal noises, rubbing cloth material, and swaying.

He can blush his animal anthro, wolf, and dove. And it shows on his fur and feathers,

Alexan is a massive fruit lover and will eat it at any chance he can get. Sweet, savory, tart, sour, and more—raw, cooked, frozen, as a smooth or smoothie bowl, and many other ways, he'll consume it.

You are welcome to send asks and more!