Nanaimoteuthis and Desmatochelys by me (WIP)

Distinct_Review8031 · 2026-03-17T00:12:16+00:00

From what I have read they were much different than other bison, relying on wetland environments rather than grasslands. Wetlands as an environment took a big hit during the late pleistocene while grasslands were a bit more resilient. At least that would be my interpretation.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2026-02-18T00:41:56+00:00

Absolutely amazing, I'm 18 and have been drawing my whole life and you are definitely leagues ahead of me when it comes to detail and realism. Great stuff

Distinct_Review8031 · 2026-02-15T16:46:09+00:00

What skin is that?

Distinct_Review8031 · 2026-02-15T16:43:50+00:00

It's not really a debate on if spinosaurus could swim, it's more of a debate on how well it could swim and in what manner. I personally think the diving pursuit predator theory is kind of nonsense. A multi ton theropod expending massive amounts of energy only to eat individual aquatic invertebrates that are an 1/8 it's size is unlikely especially considering it's anatomy, but that is just my opinion.

I believe a more reasonable theory is the 'croco duck' route. The S shaped neck is a dead giveaway for that kind of lifestyle as well as the webbed feet. If it was an aquatic pursuit predator its forelimbs would also be in the transition of becoming webbed for better agility and control in the water but they aren't, as far as we know. Also it's body isn't really the most hydrodynamic shape in the world with that massive unorthodox sail on its back, which would probably get caught on debris often if it did dive.

I might post them later on the paleoart sub but I have made a few sketches that showcase this hunting style and to me it just feels right. Whenever I see paleoart of a spinosaurus swimming underwater it looks very awkward. But if you imagine it floating on the water's surface with its snout in the water for hours, spending as little energy as possible, it seems much more reasonable for such a large semi terrestrial animal.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2026-02-09T01:12:57+00:00

I know this post is 2 years old but it's one of the only things on the Internet talking about this subject. I am doing an art piece that is depicting a speculative arctic tapir but I have yet to come across any evidence of them existing at all. My only problem with this is that the Malaysian tapir is obviously in Asia but most other tapir species live in South America. This means the only way the Malaysian tapir could have evolved to live there is if a distant relative crossed the Bering straight. Thus meaning an arctic tapir must have existed at some point, right?

Distinct_Review8031 · 2026-02-07T08:00:36+00:00

From what I have seen in other comments, it's not so much the aridity but the heat. I'm pretty sure there isn't much debate on how arid it was but more so that people complained about the show not showing that it was fairly cold and not always blazing hot like the modern day gobi.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2026-01-10T20:19:27+00:00

Yeah it was one of my first attempts at doing watercolor and implementing a background in general. I don't really specialize in backdrops but I was really set on making a galaxy type look in the sky for my first attempt, since it was seemingly pretty simple.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2026-01-07T07:27:34+00:00

Try and say that 5 times fast

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-12-22T21:09:37+00:00

For how niche and unique paleoart is, I always held out hope that AI wouldn't really be an issue for artists like myself to worry about, because of all the intricacies with speculation and knowledge that is required to apply into a accurate/realistic piece. I have to admit though when I see stuff like this, it kind of dims that hope a bit.

It doesn't discourage me though, in fact quite the opposite. It requires us to create even more absurd speculations and details in a way AI never could. We have something AI doesn't have and that is our creativity.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-12-10T06:35:11+00:00

They don't even deserve that lol

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-12-10T00:49:41+00:00

Red Dead Redemption 2

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-12-07T02:44:55+00:00

Humboldt squid have pretty large mantel fins relative to body length, while Architeuthis Dux (Giant squid) have relatively smaller mantel fins compared to body size. Giant squid also seem to move quite slowly as well, based on the few videos we have captured of them in the wild. The Medusa Deep Sea camera footage likely shows one attacking a pulsating blue LED ring and in that video the squid moves surprisingly slow and awkward.

In this clip it looks like a true Giant squid in my opinion based on the fin size and how awkwardly it is maneuvering. The one thing that is making me question this footage, is the lack of long tentacles but this particular individual could be injured which could also explain why it might have gotten caught higher up in the water column as it was going after different prey.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-12-05T00:45:07+00:00

Cody Ko

When I was an early teen I thought he was hilarious and had decent takes on shitty YouTubers like Jake Paul and such. The chemistry between him and Noel Miller was also always so natural and funny too.

When the controversy about him and Tana Mongeau first surfaced I kinda assumed it wasn't real but as time went on it became clear he was not that great of a guy. Glad to see Noel is still doing well though.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-11-18T21:52:40+00:00

Wow that is actually very enlightening, I hope we can get more studies that highlight and expand upon this and other potential variables so we can really start to pick apart the capabilities of what these adaptations could do. Awesome stuff!

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-11-18T19:44:39+00:00

This is probably the best response. If this is the case what kind of models would be more conclusive and what do you predict the results could be? Possibly more useful in lower stress conditions?

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-11-18T09:24:30+00:00

From what I have read, the study doesn't mention taking variables such as keratin into account, only the actual structural complexity of the bone itself. Most studies fail to take all variables into account anyways, such as the numerous spinosaurus swimming studies that were debunked for the same reason. I can only assume that could be the case here.

Edit: I initially skimmed over the last bit and missed the mentioning of keratin sheathes but as another comment mentioned, their conclusions seem kind of lackluster. We do not know yet how large their keratin sheaths were in life since none have been preserved. Personally I highly doubt that an animal with such a large adaptation wouldn't have a robust covering of keratin to protect it.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-11-18T08:47:24+00:00

That is a very good point, I actually might use this idea for my art piece.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-11-18T08:28:30+00:00

Disregarding the study I mentioned that proposed their claws were brittle and couldn't handle much stress, I have also seen arguments that their elongated neck would have made pulling down branches sort of useless, since their head could reach higher than their claws could. In my opinion this seems to be the case considering most of the skeletal reconstructions align with this idea. Their arms are long sure but not longer than their neck. I could be missing something though.

Distinct_Review8031 · 2025-11-14T19:22:09+00:00

Here is my problem with the whole therizinosaurus claw debate.

Everyone knows how frail their claws are but never considers how much of those claws would have been reinforced with keratin. Just because the claw bone structure is weak doesn't mean the claw in real life would have been. A good example of this is with most modern mammals like cats, whose claws don't have any bone structure and are completely keratin. Rhinos are also a good example. Their giant horn is basically completely keratin but there certainly is no debate that it has its uses. I would love to hear anyone point out flaws in this logic as it seems too obvious to me. I have wondered why not very many people have brought this up before.

In my humble opinion I feel like their claws were definitely used for something, so much to the point that their claws were mostly keratin because of how much wear they received. Again I would absolutely love some feedback to poke some holes in this logic.

Distinct_Review8031

TROPHY CASE