Mysterious, Large, Prehistoric Creatures. *Not for sensitive people* - General

[QUOTE=Aman V;22212175]Yeah it is kind of weird how we think their cute. Only reason is cause their "face" looks vaguely human just the way it is shaped. Just weird how the human mind determines cuteness[/QUOTE] [img]http://www.theawl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/blobfish.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=RearAdmiral;22212201][img]http://www.theawl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/blobfish.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Well, that isn't cute but you get what I mean lol

Thanks for the cephalopod pics, now I'm happy. :3: Also: The master predator of the Cambrian era... [URL=http://www.cubeupload.com][IMG]http://www.cubeupload.com/files/259400anomalocaris.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [I][B]Anomalocaris.[/B][/I]

[QUOTE=Herr Sven;22212330][I][B]Anomalocaris.[/B][/I][/QUOTE] That thing looks like Cthulhu takes it out for a walk every morning.

[QUOTE=ForTehWolf...2!;22204793]it doesn't look scary, but the Turritopsis nutricula [a.k.a. immortal jellyfish because it never biologically dies] is pretty badass [IMG]http://svichet.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/jelly.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] I remember that thing, saw a documentary on it, when it "dies" it just turns into polyps that age into those mother fuckers.

God fucking damn it today's animals suck.I want to time travel just to see these awesome creatures.

The pictures in this thread make my face itch.

How about this fellow. Here's a comparision with a white shark. They're extinct though. [img]http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/01316/Images/Megalodon.jpg[/img] [img]http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9559/megalodonscale1.png[/img]

[QUOTE=TheForeigner;22210532]Alligator gars? [img]http://www.mdwfp.com/ImageUploads%5CFW227%5Cgator%20gar%20web%202.JPG[/img] [img]http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/alligatorgar/gar3.JPG[/img][/QUOTE] Thats an Aligatorpike its the worlds biggest freshwater fish. i belive it can weigh about 200-300kg and can be up to 6 meters long. lives in southern america :) (freshwater predator that is) And now to my animal :dance: [img]http://www.sossen3peaks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Sloth.jpg[/img] The Sloth :eng101: Ecologi. Sloths are classified as folivores as the bulk of their diet consists mostly of buds, tender shoots, and leaves, mainly of Cecropia trees. Some two-toed sloths have been documented as eating insects, small reptiles and birds as a small supplement to their diet. Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth has recently been documented eating human faeces from open latrines. They have made extraordinary adaptations to an arboreal browsing lifestyle. Leaves, their main food source, provide very little energy or nutrition and do not digest easily. Sloths therefore have very large, specialized, slow-acting stomachs with multiple compartments in which symbiotic bacteria break down the tough leaves. As much as two-thirds of a well-fed sloth's body-weight consists of the contents of its stomach, and the digestive process can take a month or more to complete. Even so, leaves provide little energy, and sloths deal with this by a range of economy measures: they have very low metabolic rates (less than half of that expected for a mammal of their size), and maintain low body temperatures when active (30 °C (86 °F) to 34 °C (93 °F)), and still lower temperatures when resting. Although unable to survive outside the tropical rainforests of South and Central America, within that environment sloths are outstandingly successful creatures: they can account for as much as half the total energy consumption and two-thirds of the total terrestrial mammalian biomass in some areas. Of the six living species, only one, the Maned Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus torquatus), has a classification of "endangered" at present. The ongoing destruction of South America's forests, however, may soon prove a threat to other sloth species. Physiologi. Sloth furs exhibit specialized functions: the outer hairs grow in a direction opposite from that of other mammals. In most mammals, hairs grow toward the extremities, but because sloths spend so much time with their legs above their bodies, their hairs grow away from the extremities in order to provide protection from the elements while the sloth hangs upside down. In most conditions, the fur hosts two species of symbiotic cyanobacteria, which provide camouflage. Because of the cyanobacteria, sloth fur is a small ecosystem of its own, hosting many species of non-parasitic insects. Sloths have short, flat heads; big eyes; a short snout; long legs; and tiny ears. They also have stubby tails, usually 6–7 cm long. Altogether, sloths' bodies usually are anywhere between 50 and 60 cm long. Sloths' claws serve as their only natural defense. A cornered sloth may swipe at its attackers in an effort to scare them away or wound them. Despite sloths' apparent defenselessness, predators do not pose special problems: sloths blend in with the trees and, moving only slowly, do not attract attention. Only during their infrequent visits to ground level do they become vulnerable. The main predators of sloths are the jaguar, the harpy eagle, and humans. The majority of sloth deaths in Costa Rica are due to contact with electrical lines and poachers. Despite their adaptation to living in trees, sloths make competent swimmers. Their claws also provide a further unexpected deterrent to human hunters: when hanging upside-down in a tree they are held in place by the claws themselves and often do not fall down even if shot from below. Sloths move only when necessary and even then very slowly: they have about a quarter as much muscle tissue as other animals of similar weight. They can move at a marginally higher speed if they are in immediate danger from a predator (4 m or 13 feet per minute for the three-toed sloth), but they burn large amounts of energy doing so. Their specialized hands and feet have long, curved claws to allow them to hang upside-down from branches without effort. While they sometimes sit on top of branches, they usually eat, sleep, and even give birth hanging from limbs. They sometimes remain hanging from branches after death. On the ground the maximum speed of the three-toed sloth is 2 m or 6.5 feet per minute. Three-toed Sloth in the Dallas World AquariumIt had been thought that sloths were among the most somnolent animals, sleeping from 15 to 18 hours each day. Recently, however, Dr. Neil Rattenborg and his colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Starnberg, Germany, published a study testing sloth sleep-patterns in the wild; this is the first study of its kind. The study indicated that sloths sleep just under 10 hours a day. They go to the ground to urinate and defecate about once a week, digging a hole and covering it afterwards. They go to the same spot each time and are vulnerable to predation while doing so. The reason for this risky behavior is unknown, although some believe that this is to avoid making noise while defecating from up high that would attract predators. Consistent with this, they reportedly relieve themselves from their branches during storms in rainy season. Another possible explanation is that the middens provide the sloths with one of their few methods of finding one another for breeding purposes, since their sense of smell is far more acute than their eyesight or hearing. It has also been pointed out that individual sloths tend to spend the bulk of their time feeding on a single "modal" tree; by burying their excreta near the trunk of that tree, they may help nourish it. Infant sloths normally cling to their mother's fur, but occasionally fall off. Sloths are very sturdily built and rarely die from a fall. In some cases they die from a fall indirectly because the mothers prove unwilling to leave the safety of the trees to retrieve the young. Females normally bear one baby every year, but sometimes sloths' low level of movement actually keeps females from finding males for longer than one year. Almost all mammals have seven cervical vertebrae or "neck bones" (including those with very short necks, such as elephants or whales, and those with very long necks, such as giraffes). The few exceptions include manatees and two-toed sloths, which each have only six cervical vertebrae, and three-toed sloths with nine cervical vertebrae And for the cute part! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffNvnaXg47k&feature=related[/media] I want to be a Vetrinarian one day :) And i have allways loved Sloths. One day i wanna go help saving them. Thank You ladies and Gentlemen. Rate me informative

[img]http://i48.tinypic.com/34huzj9.jpg[/img] Spider Crab, Spider Crab, does whatever a Spider Crab does

[QUOTE=binkow;22204601]That thing is fucked up.[/QUOTE] It's 2 of them. 8 legs on the bottom and 8 legs on the top. You can make out 2 heads on it.

Incidentally there is no evidence that Megalodon is actually extinct, we found fossils but that doesn't mean it's extinct, when we actually start mapping the ocean floor better, we may actually find them again.

I laughed at the camel spider video

[QUOTE=bravehat;22212921]Incidentally there is no evidence that Megalodon is actually extinct, we found fossils but that doesn't mean it's extinct, when we actually start mapping the ocean floor better, we may actually find them again.[/QUOTE] By your logic reptilian dinosaurs arn't extinct either.

[img]http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2004/06/01/130554/Steve_in_BIGGEST_jaws_B___W.jpg[/img] [b]The Megaladon.[/b] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalodon[/url] Basically this shark was so massive, it is actually referred to as a "Megatoothed shark", because great white wasn't terrifying enough for the ocean.

[QUOTE=Herr Sven;22212330]Thanks for the cephalopod pics, now I'm happy. :3: Also: The master predator of the Cambrian era... [URL=http://www.cubeupload.com][IMG]http://www.cubeupload.com/files/259400anomalocaris.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [I][B]Anomalocaris.[/B][/I][/QUOTE] Oh hey that's what I was thinking off. That is one scary mother fucker.

[QUOTE=Faren;22210611]Motherfucking Dunkleosteus. [img]http://www.cubeupload.com/files/204e00dunkleosteus.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.cubeupload.com/files/dda600img0907dunkleosteu.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.cubeupload.com/files/808200800pxdunkleosteuss.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.cubeupload.com/files/915e00800pxdunkleosteusi.jpg[/img] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkleosteus[/url][/QUOTE] Reminded me instantly of an Ichthyosaur. [img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100129175444/half-life/en/images/2/27/Ichthyosaur.jpg[/img] [QUOTE=Happy Goblin;22212763]Thats an Aligatorpike its the worlds biggest freshwater fish. i belive it can weigh about 200-300kg and can be up to 6 meters long. lives in southern america :) (freshwater predator that is) And now to my animal :dance: [img]http://www.sossen3peaks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Sloth.jpg[/img] The Sloth :eng101: And for the cute part! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffNvnaXg47k&feature=related[/media] I want to be a Vetrinarian one day :) And i have allways loved Sloths. One day i wanna go help saving them. Thank You ladies and Gentlemen. Rate me informative[/QUOTE] If you thought sloths were cute before, you need to watch this: [url]http://vimeo.com/11712103[/url] And so, the cute to scary balance has been restored... for now.

Seriously the Anomalocaris just scares the bejesus outta me. [img]http://www.icteach.nl/Pagina's/Uitgestorven/Inhoud/Phanerozo%C3%AFcum/Paleozo%C3%AFcum/Cambrium/Fauna/anomalocaris03.jpg[/img]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Pulmonoscopius_BW.jpg[/img] The Pulmonoscorpius lived in the Carboniferous and could grow up to 1 metre in length. It is believed to have gotten to this size because of the O2 in the atmosphere in the Carboniferous, which was at 35% rather than the current 21%. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Meganeura_fossil.JPG/800px-Meganeura_fossil.JPG[/img] The Meganeura was another animal resembling the modern dragonfly which lived in the Carboniferous and grew up to 75cm (wingspan).

[highlight]Thank you guys for posting and quoting awful pics of bitten body parts![/highlight] :barf: Unlike most people I'm not afraid of spiders (I find them very interesting, spent 3 summers studying their behaviour), but I'm scared of stuff like Giant isopod in the OP and centipedes, eek.

Invertebrates were so much cooler between the Cambrian era and the Carboniferous/Permian shift. It also included my favourite arthropod through the history of this mote of cosmic dust we call Earth, the [I][B]Arthropleura[/B][/I]. [URL=http://www.cubeupload.com][IMG]http://www.cubeupload.com/files/431800arthropleura.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

A++ Thread, I shat.

[QUOTE=howling techie;22213450]Reminded me instantly of an Ichthyosaur. [img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100129175444/half-life/en/images/2/27/Ichthyosaur.jpg[/img] If you thought sloths were cute before, you need to watch this: [url]http://vimeo.com/11712103[/url] And so, the cute to scary balance has been restored... for now.[/QUOTE] Thanks man :D i allready have seen that video. but i couldent find it on Youtube so i could postit here. but its a lot better than the one i posted :dance: Fucking cute little bastards!

[QUOTE=bravehat;22212921]Incidentally there is no evidence that Megalodon is actually extinct, we found fossils but that doesn't mean it's extinct, when we actually start mapping the ocean floor better, we may actually find them again.[/QUOTE] No, no we won't. Like I said before once you get deeper the pressure gets higher so the animals have to get smaller and more flexible otherwise they would simply get crushed. A 40 foot shark wouldn't live.

Can't find a picture of the giant sea turtle, but I seen one at a aquarium once.

[QUOTE=Aman V;22214702]No, no we won't. Like I said before once you get deeper the pressure gets higher so the animals have to get smaller and more flexible otherwise they would simply get crushed. A 40 foot shark wouldn't live.[/QUOTE] Jesus I decided to check out how much pressure there's in the Mariana Trench ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Trench[/url]) [url=http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%281025*9.81*10916%29%2F101300]1083 atm[/url] :psyduck:

Those pictures of spider bites people keep posting...why do the bites look like that?

[QUOTE=nightlord;22214933]Those pictures of spider bites people keep posting...why do the bites look like that?[/QUOTE] Most toxins produce necrosis. Necrosis is basically that tissue dies but there isn't a signal being sent to the brain saying that tissue is dying so phagocites don't go there to "eat" the dead cells.

[QUOTE=Kendra;22214967]Most toxins produce necrosis. Necrosis is basically that tissue dies but there isn't a signal being sent to the brain saying that tissue is dying so phagocites don't go there to "eat" the dead cells.[/QUOTE] So why is there a massive peice of his arm missing?

[QUOTE=nightlord;22214982]So why is there a massive peice of his arm missing?[/QUOTE] Because the cells are dying faster than other cells can mitose and the toxin is so strong it eats up massive chunks like that.