Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 5 (click to see context) from:
** Related to the above, true megaraptorids are completely absent. More recent fossils show that they were actually the southern hemisphere's top predators at the end of the Cretaceous, and therefore would almost certainly have been included if the project were being made today.
to:
** Related to the above, true megaraptorids are completely absent. More recent fossils show that they were actually the southern hemisphere's top predators at the end of the Cretaceous, and therefore would almost certainly have been included included, or at least mentioned, if the project were being made today.
** Several other groups have questionable or ambiguous classification because at the time the affiliations of certain species was unresolved, so the project either fails to come any real conclusion. This is the case with groups like the deinonychosaurs, enantiornithes, and titanosaurs, where all the modern groups suddenly sprung into existence in the Early Cenozoic with no specific Mesozoic ancestors.
Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
** Multituberculates are also depicted with a "primitive" reproductive strategy, laying small eggs (something that was always speculative since their reproduction was little known), but a study in 2022 suggests multituberculates gave birth to relatively large and well-developed young similar to placental mammals.
to:
** Multituberculates are also depicted with a "primitive" reproductive strategy, laying small eggs (something that was always speculative speculative, even at the time, since their reproduction was little known), but a study in 2022 suggests multituberculates gave birth to relatively large and well-developed young similar to placental mammals.mammals.
** The project generally uses the older and now largely defunct name of "segnosaurs" (which was more common in the late 20th century) over the now universally accepted name of therizinosaurs (once the group was swapped from Segnosauria to the clade-based Therizinosauria) for members of the group.
** The project generally uses the older and now largely defunct name of "segnosaurs" (which was more common in the late 20th century) over the now universally accepted name of therizinosaurs (once the group was swapped from Segnosauria to the clade-based Therizinosauria) for members of the group.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 4 (click to see context) from:
** The magnoraptor, a giant dromaeosaurid, was intended to be a descendant of what was once thought to be a real life giant dromaeosaurid, ''Megaraptor'', which is now known to have been either a non-dromaeosaurid coelurosaur (possibly a tyrannosaur) or a carnosaur.
to:
** The magnoraptor, a giant dromaeosaurid, was intended to be a descendant of what was once thought to be a real life giant dromaeosaurid, ''Megaraptor'', which is now known to have been either a non-dromaeosaurid coelurosaur (possibly a tyrannosaur) or a carnosaur. The magnoraptor is also portrayed as being almost entirely featherless, something that would be unthinkable for a dromaeosaur nowadays.
Changed line(s) 8 (click to see context) from:
** It turns out that Cretaceous mosasaurs already had tail flukes (and ventured into freshwater). In Spec's timeline, they don't evolve these features until the Eocene.
to:
** It turns out that Cretaceous mosasaurs already had tail flukes (and ventured into freshwater). In Spec's timeline, they don't evolve these features until the Eocene. Spec also portrays them as cold-blooded, and therefore barred from polar waters, but more recent studies have indicated they were true endotherms.
Added DiffLines:
** The noasaurid cain was originally depicted with huge sickle claws on its feet similar to a dromaeosaur, because ''Noasaurus'' was originally identified with a claw that was thought to have been on the foot, but was actually on its hand.
** Many of Spec's ornithopods belong to a made-up group known as "antarctornithopods" which originates from the numerous unsorted Gondwanan ornithopods of the Cretaceous, such as ''Gasparinisaura'' and ''Leaellynasaura''. Nowadays, that group would probably just be known as Elasmaria.
** Most of the carnivores are drawn with the teeth protruding, which was a very common style of the time, but chances are good that if the project were made nowadays, they would've been drawn with lips concealing the teeth.
** The introduction for the neohadrosaurs state that three claws re-emerged from the clawless forelimbs of their Cretaceous ancestors. A later fossil indicates that hadrosaurs actually had a single hoof-like claw on each forefoot, like a horse.
** The cedunasaurs are primitive coelurosaurs with mysterious origins suggested to have descended from the then-unclassified coelurosaur ''Nqwebasaurus''. By the 2010s, studies had placed ''Nqwebasaurus'' as being a basal ornithomimosaur, which are supposed to be extinct in Spec's timeline.
** All of the ammonoids are portrayed with operculum-like hoods similar to nautili, but we now know that they did not have them.
** Spec classifies gondwanatheres as being relatives of monotremes (and therefore laying eggs) due to having to pick ''some'' kind of classification for them, but most recent studies put them either as multituberculate relatives or possibly haramiyids (which would render them non-mammalian mammaliforms).
** Multituberculates are also depicted with a "primitive" reproductive strategy, laying small eggs (something that was always speculative since their reproduction was little known), but a study in 2022 suggests multituberculates gave birth to relatively large and well-developed young similar to placental mammals.
** Many of Spec's ornithopods belong to a made-up group known as "antarctornithopods" which originates from the numerous unsorted Gondwanan ornithopods of the Cretaceous, such as ''Gasparinisaura'' and ''Leaellynasaura''. Nowadays, that group would probably just be known as Elasmaria.
** Most of the carnivores are drawn with the teeth protruding, which was a very common style of the time, but chances are good that if the project were made nowadays, they would've been drawn with lips concealing the teeth.
** The introduction for the neohadrosaurs state that three claws re-emerged from the clawless forelimbs of their Cretaceous ancestors. A later fossil indicates that hadrosaurs actually had a single hoof-like claw on each forefoot, like a horse.
** The cedunasaurs are primitive coelurosaurs with mysterious origins suggested to have descended from the then-unclassified coelurosaur ''Nqwebasaurus''. By the 2010s, studies had placed ''Nqwebasaurus'' as being a basal ornithomimosaur, which are supposed to be extinct in Spec's timeline.
** All of the ammonoids are portrayed with operculum-like hoods similar to nautili, but we now know that they did not have them.
** Spec classifies gondwanatheres as being relatives of monotremes (and therefore laying eggs) due to having to pick ''some'' kind of classification for them, but most recent studies put them either as multituberculate relatives or possibly haramiyids (which would render them non-mammalian mammaliforms).
** Multituberculates are also depicted with a "primitive" reproductive strategy, laying small eggs (something that was always speculative since their reproduction was little known), but a study in 2022 suggests multituberculates gave birth to relatively large and well-developed young similar to placental mammals.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Redundant with the above entry
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Despite the continuous attempts to update it, the original site is still more or less based on paleontology of the the time it was made, with all its inherent dated aspects (pterosaurs declining at the end of the Cretaceous, sparsely-feathered dromaeosaurs, mosasaurs without tail fins, etc). Most glaringly, the Magnoraptor (a dromaeosaur) is stated to be a descendant of ''Megaraptor'', pinning the site's development squarely in the early 2000s, before ''Megaraptor'' and its relatives were better understood.
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 5 (click to see context) from:
** Related to the above, true megaraptorids are completely absent. More recent fossils show that they were actually the southern hemisphere's top predators at the end of the Cretaceous.
to:
** Related to the above, true megaraptorids are completely absent. More recent fossils show that they were actually the southern hemisphere's top predators at the end of the Cretaceous.Cretaceous, and therefore would almost certainly have been included if the project were being made today.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Related to the above, true megaraptorids are completely absent. More recent fossils show that they were actually the southern hemisphere's top predators at the end of the Cretaceous.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 13 (click to see context) from:
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Despite the continuous attempts to update it, the original site is still more or less based on paleontology of the early 2000s, with all its inherent dated aspects (pterosaurs declining at the end of the Cretaceous, sparsely-feathered dromaeosaurs, mosasaurs without tail fins, etc.)
to:
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Despite the continuous attempts to update it, the original site is still more or less based on paleontology of the early 2000s, the time it was made, with all its inherent dated aspects (pterosaurs declining at the end of the Cretaceous, sparsely-feathered dromaeosaurs, mosasaurs without tail fins, etc.)etc). Most glaringly, the Magnoraptor (a dromaeosaur) is stated to be a descendant of ''Megaraptor'', pinning the site's development squarely in the early 2000s, before ''Megaraptor'' and its relatives were better understood.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 12 (click to see context) from:
** A major one happened with azhdarchid pterosaurs. In the original iteration, they were portrayed as albatross-like soarers that died out in the Palaeocene due to changing marine climates. Flashforward to 2008, and the mainstream publication that they were terrestrial and extremely diverse has pretty much ensured their stay, culminating in concepts for flightless predators.
to:
** A major one happened with azhdarchid pterosaurs. In the original iteration, they were portrayed as albatross-like soarers that died out in the Palaeocene due to changing marine climates. Flashforward to 2008, and the mainstream publication that they were terrestrial and extremely diverse has pretty much ensured their stay, culminating in concepts for flightless predators.predators.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Despite the continuous attempts to update it, the original site is still more or less based on paleontology of the early 2000s, with all its inherent dated aspects (pterosaurs declining at the end of the Cretaceous, sparsely-feathered dromaeosaurs, mosasaurs without tail fins, etc.)
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Despite the continuous attempts to update it, the original site is still more or less based on paleontology of the early 2000s, with all its inherent dated aspects (pterosaurs declining at the end of the Cretaceous, sparsely-feathered dromaeosaurs, mosasaurs without tail fins, etc.)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of Spec's platypuses eat? That said, there ''is'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon_tharalkooschild a prehistoric platypus]] that is thought to have preyed upon turtles, so the idea of a hyper-carnivorous platypus isn't ''too'' implausible. Also, several monotreme relatives turned out to not have beaks, so "glue a platypus beak to a badger/rat/whatever" is probably not the best idea to come up with speculative monotremes.
to:
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of Spec's platypuses eat? That [[note]]That said, there ''is'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon_tharalkooschild a prehistoric platypus]] that is thought to have preyed upon turtles, so the idea of a hyper-carnivorous platypus isn't ''too'' implausible. [[/note]] Also, several monotreme relatives turned out to not have beaks, so "glue a platypus beak to a badger/rat/whatever" is probably not the best idea to come up with speculative monotremes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of Spec's platypuses eat? That said, there ''is'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon_tharalkooschild a prehistoric platypus]] that is thought to have preyed upon turtles, so the idea of a hyper-carnivorous platypus isn't ''too'' implausible.
to:
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of Spec's platypuses eat? That said, there ''is'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon_tharalkooschild a prehistoric platypus]] that is thought to have preyed upon turtles, so the idea of a hyper-carnivorous platypus isn't ''too'' implausible. Also, several monotreme relatives turned out to not have beaks, so "glue a platypus beak to a badger/rat/whatever" is probably not the best idea to come up with speculative monotremes.
Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
** The hoeks and baskervilles are stagodonts based on old reconstructions of ''Didelphodon'' before more complete remains showed that it was an aquatic animal more similar to otters than Tasmanian devils.
to:
** The hoeks and baskervilles are stagodonts based on old reconstructions of ''Didelphodon'' before more complete remains showed that it was an aquatic animal more similar to otters than Tasmanian devils. In fact at least one post in the Yahoo group notes that deltatheroidean selkies and stagodontids should probably be switched around, since stagodontids would more likely become marine mammals while deltatheroideans were pretty diverse and ranged from small insectivores (''Gurbanodelta'') to saberteeth (''Lotheridium'').
** A major one happened with azhdarchid pterosaurs. In the original iteration, they were portrayed as albatross-like soarers that died out in the Palaeocene due to changing marine climates. Flashforward to 2008, and the mainstream publication that they were terrestrial and extremely diverse has pretty much ensured their stay, culminating in concepts for flightless predators.
** A major one happened with azhdarchid pterosaurs. In the original iteration, they were portrayed as albatross-like soarers that died out in the Palaeocene due to changing marine climates. Flashforward to 2008, and the mainstream publication that they were terrestrial and extremely diverse has pretty much ensured their stay, culminating in concepts for flightless predators.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 1 (click to see context) from:
* ScienceMarchesOn: Due to the main site not being updated since late 2008. That said, the authors are well-versed in life in the late Cretaceous, so nearly all of the concepts are still quite plausible and accurate.
to:
* ScienceMarchesOn: Due to In general, this was what "killed" the main site not being updated since late 2008. That said, project-- after 2008 or so, despite the authors are well-versed in life in writers' best efforts to stay up to date, the late Cretaceous, so nearly all sheer number of new discoveries about dinosaurs meant that much of the concepts are still quite plausible and accurate.project had become outdated since it began.
Changed line(s) 6,7 (click to see context) from:
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of all Spec's platypuses eat? That said, there ''is'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon_tharalkooschild a prehistoric platypus]] that is thought to have preyed upon turtles, so the idea of a hyper-carnivorous platypus isn't ''too'' implausible.
** It turns out that Cretaceous mosasaurs already had tail flukes (and ventured into freshwater).
** It turns out that Cretaceous mosasaurs already had tail flukes (and ventured into freshwater).
to:
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of all Spec's platypuses eat? That said, there ''is'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon_tharalkooschild a prehistoric platypus]] that is thought to have preyed upon turtles, so the idea of a hyper-carnivorous platypus isn't ''too'' implausible.
** It turns out that Cretaceous mosasaurs already had tail flukes (and ventured into freshwater). In Spec's timeline, they don't evolve these features until the Eocene.
** It turns out that Cretaceous mosasaurs already had tail flukes (and ventured into freshwater). In Spec's timeline, they don't evolve these features until the Eocene.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 1 (click to see context) from:
* ScienceMarchesOn: Due to the main site not being updated since late 2008. That said, the authors are well-verse in life in the late Cretaceous, so nearly all of the concepts are still quite plausible and accurate.
to:
* ScienceMarchesOn: Due to the main site not being updated since late 2008. That said, the authors are well-verse well-versed in life in the late Cretaceous, so nearly all of the concepts are still quite plausible and accurate.
Changed line(s) 4 (click to see context) from:
** The magnoraptor, a giant dromaeosaurid, was intended to be a descendant of what was once thought to be a real life giant dromaeosaurid, ''Megaraptor'', which is now known to have been a [[strike:carnosaur]] tentative coelurosaur, possibly a tyrannosaur, or it might be a carnosaur.
to:
** The magnoraptor, a giant dromaeosaurid, was intended to be a descendant of what was once thought to be a real life giant dromaeosaurid, ''Megaraptor'', which is now known to have been either a [[strike:carnosaur]] tentative coelurosaur, possibly non-dromaeosaurid coelurosaur (possibly a tyrannosaur, tyrannosaur) or it might be a carnosaur.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 4 (click to see context) from:
** The magnoraptor, a giant dromaeosaurid, was intended to be a descendant of what was once thought to be a real life giant dromaeosaurid, ''Megaraptor'', which is now known to have been a [[strike:carnosaur]] tentative coelurosaur, possibly a tyrannosaur.
to:
** The magnoraptor, a giant dromaeosaurid, was intended to be a descendant of what was once thought to be a real life giant dromaeosaurid, ''Megaraptor'', which is now known to have been a [[strike:carnosaur]] tentative coelurosaur, possibly a tyrannosaur.tyrannosaur, or it might be a carnosaur.
Changed line(s) 10 (click to see context) from:
** Along with the discovery crocodilians may have been out-competing theropods at least regionally in the Maastrichtian. At any rate, large, carnivorous crocodyllians were very common in the Cretaceous, and Spec originally had too few of those (though ultimately averted in the Yahoo group, where several terrestrial crocodyllian concepts do exist).
to:
** Along with the discovery crocodilians may have been out-competing theropods at least regionally in the Maastrichtian. At any rate, large, carnivorous crocodyllians crocodilians were very common in the Cretaceous, and Spec originally had too few of those (though ultimately averted in the Yahoo group, where several terrestrial crocodyllian crocodilian concepts do exist).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of all Spec's platypuses eat?
to:
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of all Spec's platypuses eat? That said, there ''is'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon_tharalkooschild a prehistoric platypus]] that is thought to have preyed upon turtles, so the idea of a hyper-carnivorous platypus isn't ''too'' implausible.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Moving from main page.
Added DiffLines:
* ScienceMarchesOn: Due to the main site not being updated since late 2008. That said, the authors are well-verse in life in the late Cretaceous, so nearly all of the concepts are still quite plausible and accurate.
** The site refers to a branch of the Therizinosauria as the Ceratonychidae. However, the name ''Ceratonykus'' is now used for a RealLife member of the Alvarezsauridae.[[note]]Luckily, this is barely even a borderline case, as the spelling difference means that there's no name conflict even if they're pronounced the same way.[[/note]]
*** More HilariousInHindsight are the hesperonychid dromaeosaurids. There's now a real dromaeosaurid named ''Hesperonychus'', though fortunately it appears that none of the Spec hesperonychids actually use that as a genus name. Ironically, ''Hesperonychus'' was a small relative of ''Microraptor'', while the hesperonychids (with one exception, the small and slender djanada) are some of the largest and most robust of the Spec dromaeosaurids.
** The magnoraptor, a giant dromaeosaurid, was intended to be a descendant of what was once thought to be a real life giant dromaeosaurid, ''Megaraptor'', which is now known to have been a [[strike:carnosaur]] tentative coelurosaur, possibly a tyrannosaur.
** ''Rahonavis'' was thought to have been a relative of ''Archeaopteryx'' and as thus the descendant group the rahonavids were classed as such. Turns out ''Rahonavis'' is a type of unenlagiinae dromaeosaurid. Oops. Though considering new finds (namely, a recent paper that placed ''Rahonavis'' closer to true birds than to other deinonychosaurs), this may not be far off.
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of all Spec's platypuses eat?
** It turns out that Cretaceous mosasaurs already had tail flukes (and ventured into freshwater).
** Very few of Spec's maniraptorans have the fully formed wings that real maniraptorans would have had.
** The most crushing one to this project is probably the discovery that ornithischians could have plumage. Hehehehe... OhCrap.
** Along with the discovery crocodilians may have been out-competing theropods at least regionally in the Maastrichtian. At any rate, large, carnivorous crocodyllians were very common in the Cretaceous, and Spec originally had too few of those (though ultimately averted in the Yahoo group, where several terrestrial crocodyllian concepts do exist).
** The hoeks and baskervilles are stagodonts based on old reconstructions of ''Didelphodon'' before more complete remains showed that it was an aquatic animal more similar to otters than Tasmanian devils.
** The site refers to a branch of the Therizinosauria as the Ceratonychidae. However, the name ''Ceratonykus'' is now used for a RealLife member of the Alvarezsauridae.[[note]]Luckily, this is barely even a borderline case, as the spelling difference means that there's no name conflict even if they're pronounced the same way.[[/note]]
*** More HilariousInHindsight are the hesperonychid dromaeosaurids. There's now a real dromaeosaurid named ''Hesperonychus'', though fortunately it appears that none of the Spec hesperonychids actually use that as a genus name. Ironically, ''Hesperonychus'' was a small relative of ''Microraptor'', while the hesperonychids (with one exception, the small and slender djanada) are some of the largest and most robust of the Spec dromaeosaurids.
** The magnoraptor, a giant dromaeosaurid, was intended to be a descendant of what was once thought to be a real life giant dromaeosaurid, ''Megaraptor'', which is now known to have been a [[strike:carnosaur]] tentative coelurosaur, possibly a tyrannosaur.
** ''Rahonavis'' was thought to have been a relative of ''Archeaopteryx'' and as thus the descendant group the rahonavids were classed as such. Turns out ''Rahonavis'' is a type of unenlagiinae dromaeosaurid. Oops. Though considering new finds (namely, a recent paper that placed ''Rahonavis'' closer to true birds than to other deinonychosaurs), this may not be far off.
** It turns out the digestive systems of monotremes are too simple to digest meat (or plants) without major changes. Guess what most of all Spec's platypuses eat?
** It turns out that Cretaceous mosasaurs already had tail flukes (and ventured into freshwater).
** Very few of Spec's maniraptorans have the fully formed wings that real maniraptorans would have had.
** The most crushing one to this project is probably the discovery that ornithischians could have plumage. Hehehehe... OhCrap.
** Along with the discovery crocodilians may have been out-competing theropods at least regionally in the Maastrichtian. At any rate, large, carnivorous crocodyllians were very common in the Cretaceous, and Spec originally had too few of those (though ultimately averted in the Yahoo group, where several terrestrial crocodyllian concepts do exist).
** The hoeks and baskervilles are stagodonts based on old reconstructions of ''Didelphodon'' before more complete remains showed that it was an aquatic animal more similar to otters than Tasmanian devils.
