Sunday, January 21, 2018

Ouranosaurus, Cronopio, & Mythunga


Ouranosarus was an unusual dinosaur from what is now Africa...from the Early Cretaceous.   It was an unusual animal because it had traits of other dinosaurs.  Although it was a herbiverous Iguanodon...a  bipedal and quadrupedal animal with a defensive thumb spike...it also had the mouth of a duckbill dinosaur.  Plus it had a sail like the Spinosaurs & the mammal-like reptile Dimetrodon had.

Having evolved traits that are similar to other unrelated animals is called convergent evolution.  
Since Spinosaurus lived  in Africa it is safe to say that it was a good thing to have a sail on your back, probably for temperature control.


Ouranosaurus, Cronopio, and Mythunga

If you have seen the Ice Age movies you know about Scrat, the saber toothed squirrel.  They have not found a saber tooth squirrel, but they have recently found a saber toothed marsupial from the Creatceous Period.  This is way before the ice ages started.  By the way, there were over 20 ice ages, not just one.

So Cronopio was a saber toothed ancestor of the modern day marsupials.  It was found in Australia so I admit that my drawing breaks some rules.  I don't usually make scientific mistakes in my drawings and since Ouranoasurus live in what is now North Africa and Cronpio is from what is now Australia...them being together in a drawing is scientifically inaccurate.  ...but it looks cool, right?

Another error is adding Mythunga with Ouranosaurus.  Mythunga is a Pterosaur from the early Cretaceous, so right time to be with Ourannosaurus, but Mythunga is a Pterosaur from Australia.  So if I deleted Ouranosaurus this would be a scientifically accurate drawing. . . because both Mythunga and Cronopio lived in Australia.  .   .  in the Early Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era. 


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