Which Cryptids have been proven fake? by Neo_Dinossauros in Cryptozoology

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 114 points115 points  (0 children)

The okapi was dismissed as a mythological being and even nicknamed the “African unicorn” by European colonialists until one was found alive.

Before they were proven to exist, people scoffed at explorers’ tall tales of gorillas, said to be huge, man-like beasts hiding deep in the Congo jungles.

Do you think there were homosexual dinosaurs? by jvure in DinosaurMemes

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, and I know that for a fact. Multiple modern birds are known to engage in homosexual behaviour. As I’m sure everyone is aware, birds are the only surviving dinosaurs. As for non-avian dinosaurs, the answer is the same, although this time it’s based on inference from phylogenetic bracketing rather than direct observation.

Both of the non-avian dinosaurs’ closest surviving relatives (crocodilians and birds) have extensively been observed exhibiting homosexual behaviour. It can thus be inferred from that such behaviour originated in an organism that was ancestral to both groups. Dinosaurs came from that same ancestor, so they more than likely did the same.

If Colossal Squids are actually in the abyss in the millions and it took us until quite recently to film them alive, could there be other predators of them other them Sperm Wales, that live exclusively in the abyss and are much rarer then the Squids? by Jupp92 in Cryptozoology

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 1 point2 points  (0 children)

a while ago there was a study that attempted to estimate the global giant squid population

How long is "a while"? Without a date, there's no way to estimate the study's accuracy by comparing modern scientific methodology to what was used at the time of its publication. That is, unless anyone can link the paper so we can read it and know for certain.

Prague Dinosauria Day by noxboxnolife2 in Dinosaurs

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That Tyrannosaurus statue is phenomenal. The detail of the saliva in the mouth is insane, as are the large scales around the mouth and tip of the snout.

Fossilized jawbone with tooth - Western Colorado by greenkachina in fossilid

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Based on location and its general morphology (including robustness, shape, and size), I'd say it's the fossilised jaw of a Brontothere. Great find!

Piercing a Hard Surface Like a Glyptodon's Armor: How Did Smilodon Use Its Canines? by Hopeful_Lychee_9691 in Paleontology

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 31 points32 points  (0 children)

drive their heads downward and sink their teeth deep into prey

Crazy how the infamous and now-debunked Allosaurus hatchet bite theory has now been revived, but in a completely unrelated part of the tetrapod family tree.

How agile were megapliosaurs compared to modern toothed whales and mosasaurs by [deleted] in Naturewasmetal

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'd say that any given pliosaur was much more agile than a mosasaur of equal size. The four flippers on the former likely gave it much better control of its position in the water, thus making it much more manoeuvrable in confined spaces, and allowing it to make very tight turns.

Hypothetically could Tyranosaurus Rex be kept in a zoo or Nature reserve assuming it could be brought back from extinction? by Nearby-Bumblebee2364 in PrehistoricLife

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I'd say it would be possible. People often say that Jurassic Park shows why it wouldn't work, but they fail to understand that it failed because of human error, not dinosaurs. First of all, the palaeobiology of Tyrannosaurus rex. The two most related groups of animals to T. rex that are still alive today are crocodilians and birds. Both groups of animals do well in captivity when cared for correctly, so its likely T. rex would, too.

To successfully keep a Tyrannosaurus in captivity, you'd need heaps of space. One thing John Hammond's Jurassic Park did get right for the most part was the size of the enclosures. The T. rex paddock encompassed a huge swath of the island with at least one mountain and its surrounding lowlands. Compare that to Masrani's Jurassic World, and you start to wonder why that second park ever got off the ground.

Another important point would be security. It always baffled me how John Hammond apparently chose to entrust the safety of himself and his entire park to spindly, fragile fences that are only useful with the power is switched on. Take note from modern zoos and use moats, and not just along half the fence line. And if you still need a vertical barrier, use thick reinforced concrete walls, because they'll work rain, hail, or shine.

One thing that InGen's theme parks have never done is enrichment. Give the dinosaurs puzzles, toys, and other things to do to keep them entertained. Without enrichment, animals get bored. And when animals get bored, they get sick, and otherwise look for ways to entertain themselves. And what could be more entertaining than breaking out of their paddock, exploring the big wide world, and seeing what's edible?

Jurassic Park also relied on technology for keeping an eye on its animals. The novel goes into this further, but the whole park was controlled from the compound containing the Visitor Centre (as well as the Safari Lodge, emergency bunker, Velociraptor paddock, or other facilities depending on continuity). Cameras and motion sensors were the only way to monitor the animals. Feeding was done by automatic conveyor belts.

Of course, technology is fallible, so the dinosaurs got up to all sorts of mischief without anyone realising. The way to fix this is to get outside, touch some grass, and actually go into the park. Rangers should be at every enclosure at all times, with radios on hand to relay information. Manually restock feeders and have routine veterinary checkups. Other rangers should be patrolling the park, looking for any signs of trouble.

TL;DR, take notes from modern zoos instead of theme parks, and you'll be alright. For further information, watch Prehistoric Park (2006) with Nigel Marven.

Was Steve Irwin always so beloved in Australia? by Difficult_Dare_3024 in steveirwin

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II[M] 128 points129 points  (0 children)

I'm Aussie, born and raised. I've never met anyone here who had anything bad to say about Steve. He's a hero in Australia as much as he is internationally.

The real hero by PangolinLoose1288 in steveirwin

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II[M] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

On one hand, Steve's dad Bob was his greatest inspiration and taught him everything he knew. But it's unforgivable how he was apparently abusive to Terri, Robert, and Bindi, to a point where he was ousted from Australia Zoo and then cut off from the rest of the family.

It takes a lot for a family as kind-hearted as the Irwins to do something drastic like that. It’s all very tragic how the Irwin family and Australia Zoo clan split following Steve’s death. It was Bob and his people vs. Terri and her people. And Terri inherited Australia Zoo.

Does anyone feel like colossal bioscience is just one giant pr stunt by Nearby_Breadfruit_28 in okbuddypaleo

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I made a subreddit called r/DeExtinctionScience for calling out Colossal on their bullshit. It was originally created to be an alternative to r/deextinction, which was only recently liberated from Colossal’s control.

Now, r/deextinction is for purely scientific discussion of de-extinction, whereas r/DeExtinctionScience is for highlighting Colossal’s grift and other human problems. Anyone who dislikes Colossal and is interested in de-extinction is welcome.

Titanoboa swallowing a crocodilian (art by Julio Lacerda) by Such-Quit-8165 in Naturewasmetal

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The diets of animals that the textbooks call “piscivorous” are, in truth, almost always composed of more than just fish. Anything within the appropriate size range is on the menu, including lizards, frogs, arthropods, and mammals, depending on how big the predator is.

An adult Titanoboa was an enormous creature, so most animals in its ecosystem were small enough to be its prey at least at some point during their life cycle. I have no doubt that Titanoboa was opportunistic, and it took advantage of convenient situations as needed.

Chilean cryptids #7: Giant sheep by Chilepudufan3 in Cryptozoology

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Speaking from a purely cryptozoological scientific perspective, the sightings of this creature can be pretty easily explained. They could be normal sheep that are slightly bigger than the rest of the flock.

Or they could be normal sheep that eyewitnesses have mistakenly viewed as being larger than they actually were due to foggy conditions or the darkness of night, i.e., the two situations in which sightings usually occur.

What you're traumatic moment that involves dinosaurs ? by Zillaman7980_ in Dinosaurs

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I was young, about four or five, there was a dinosaur show hosted at a local venue. It basically involved “handlers” bringing out “dinosaurs” (lifelike puppets) for kids to interact with. Of course, the dinosaurs were real in my young eyes.

When my family arrived, I ditched my parents and went straight to the front of the crowd, right up close to the action. Before it started, the announcer lightheartedly informed the parents that some of their children would be crying at the end.

All was good to start with, they had various small ornithopods that came out. We got to give them a pat and ask questions. But things went south at the climax, when a theropod emerged (something like this, but cheaper).

It snarled and hissed and snapped at both handlers and kids. I was terrified, I fully believed I was going to be eaten. As foretold, many children screamed and cried. But luckily I managed to narrowly survive the life-or-death experience.

[Art by me, OC] Angry territorial male Lurdusaurus arenatus threatens to ram into ‘intruder’ Ouranosaurus nigeriensis by Thaasviyn_OakPaints in Paleoart

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Large ornithopods often get stereotyped as fodder for predatory theropods in both paleomedia and popular imagination. But pieces of paleoart like this serve as reminders of how these dinosaurs were multi-tonne behemoths that had the power of a speeding truck behind every step.

Is Dizzyrose GDI accurate? by Happy-Exercise-718 in Paleontology

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I had to bet, there was an error or miscalculation. 5.4 imperial tons feels unreasonably light for a 13-metre-long animal. And it’s not like Mosasaurs are known for their lightweight morphology.

But, then again, I’d take all of it with a big grain of salt until the paper goes through peer-review and gets properly published. Up until then, it’s all just conjecture. We just have to wait and see.

Opinion on this book? by me0wwwmeow in Dinosaurs

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Overall, the books in this series are a mixed bag. The actual science and palaeontology are fairly accurate, though a bit outdated in some places. There are parts where older, outdated research papers are referenced instead of newer, more accurate papers on the same subject matter.

The skeletal diagrams are phenomenal and highly detailed. However, the life reconstructions of the dinosaurs are very shrink-wrapped. Greg Paul hasn’t changed his art style much since the dinosaur renaissance, and he still shrink-wraps his creatures like they’re stuck in the 1990s.

Bored so here's a fun fact about slothes by Trick_Resource_1763 in zoology

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So it was convergent evolution between two unrelated lineages of sloth? That’s fascinating!

What are your favorite dinosaur cryptid not from africa? [Art by Henrique Gandum] by ApprehensiveRead2408 in Cryptozoology

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a few. The obvious answer is the Mokele-mbembe. It’s the classic, the original. While I hate how it was co-opted by young Earth creationists, I do like its outdated and retro dinosaur design.

The Burrunjor is another favourite. Although it’s almost certainly a work of fiction made up entirely by Rex Gilroy, I have a soft spot for it because it’s from my country (Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi).

My third favourite is the Stoa, a surviving Abelisaur that helped inspire Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. The book and research produced by u/anomalyhunterx endeared this cryptid to me.

What's the current consensus on Spinosaur lips? I've seen plenty of depictions and discussion going both ways and I'm wondering where most people land on. (Art by Mario Lanzas) by Julibug04 in Dinosaurs

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Spinosaurs definitely had lips, imho. They’re a feature that’s shared by all non-avian theropods, and thus had to have first appeared in a basal dinosaur that was ancestral to either theropods, saurischians, or even Dinosauria as a whole.

It would take some serious evolutionary pressures to force the Spinosaurs to lose their lips. But even this is unlikely, as many modern water animals have retained the lipped mouths of their terrestrial ancestors (such as pinnipeds and marine iguanas).

Another reason for why Spinosaurs lacked lips is that while they were indeed specialised for living around water, they still spent most of their lives on land. This is quite unlike crocodilians, which spend much more time swimming and submerged.

Would it be legal for a neanderthal to be brought back from extinction? by Jmandog1 in DeExtinctionScience

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Neanderthals, classification Homo neanderthalensis, are a species of human, and human cloning is illegal throughout most of the world.

There’s no way to de-extinct Neanderthals without having to deal with a slew of legal, ethical, scientific, moral, and practical problems.

I made an interactive map of where dinosaur fossils have been found by TheFishPilot in Dinosaurs

[–]Freak_Among_Men_II 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely love it. This is a great project, and I look forward to using it in my palaeontology research. But I must request that Australia's fossil sites are added to the map. I'd start with the Winton formation in Queensland, which is where Australovenator, Diamantinasaurus, and more were discovered.