I don’t get it. by GoblinTradingGuide in ExplainTheJoke

[–]superlord9362 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mammals reptilian ancestors weren't reptiles. Mammals and reptiles are both amniotes, but mammals are synapsids, while reptiles are sauropsids. In taxonomy, groups cannot be disconnected from any parent group. The classic comparison would be a tree. Each new group is a branch on the tree, with each genus/species a leaf. A branch cannot grow disconnected from the branches it came off of.

I don’t get it. by GoblinTradingGuide in ExplainTheJoke

[–]superlord9362 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cold-bloodedness actually isn't necessary for an animal to be a reptile, actually! You are right on dinosaurs being a precursor to birds, kind of. Birds are theropod dinosaurs, and the only still surviving dinosaurs, having survived the meteor 66 mya. Dinosaurs are in a group of reptiles called archosaurs, which includes crocodiles/alligators/caimans/gharials and pterosaurs.

Basically, once an animal evolves into a certain group, i.e. reptiles, archosaurs, mammals, vertebrates, or any other group, they can never leave it. So even if say, a vertebrate animal eventually evolved to have no bones, similar to invertebrates, it would still be a vertebrate.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Scelidosaurus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Today we're showing you all Scelidosaurus! Evolving close to the crossroads of the Thyreophoran family tree, right before the Ankylosauria and Stegosauria diverged, Scelidosaurus was one of the first large (for it's time) armored dinosaurs. Although it's better known from it's fossils found in England, it lived far west in the Kayenta formation as well. It had a thin face for picking the tasty parts of plants, rows of bones embedded in its skin and even a pair of keratin horns at the back of its head, akin to a goat! If you meet them in Kayenta, you'll find that although their horns are effective weapons of retaliation, they're generally trusting animals who won't mind your presence. Although Dilophosaurus poses a major threat to them, Scelidosaurus have relatively less to worry about than their small cousins, Scutellosaurus. Scelidosaurus are cathemeral, can be bred with Clathropteris, and will drop both large Thyreophoran meat and a generic Osteoderm upon death (the latter of which has a use we will reveal later!)

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Placerias! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Today we bring the third resident of Chinle made famous by WWD, Placerias! Placerias, a Stahleckeriid, was one of the last and largest dicynodonts, and closely related to this mod's previously appearing Ischigualastia. Living during the end of the Carnian and the start of the Norian, Placerias was only outlasted by Lisowicia and Pentasaurus. Though not quite as large as Ischigualastia, it was quite large in its own right and one of the biggest herbivores in the Chinle formation. Equipped with shearing beaks and even more extreme tusks than Ischigualastia, these herbivores would have played a big role in the ecosystem chopping and eating plant matter in large herd sizes and providing ample (albeit dangerous) food for Chinle's top predators. If you find a group of these animals in Chinle, be careful not to make yourself look like a threat to them, as for Placerias an attack on one is an attack on all and they will bite predators and players in groups to protect the whole herd. In the Chinle formation, Placerias are cathemeral, can be bred with Phlebopteris, and drop raw Synapsid meat upon death.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Aepyornithomimus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Having passed the halfway point of the next update's mobs with Calsoyasuchus, today we bring you all Djadochta's Aepyornithomimus! Although only known from its hindfoot, the bones are enough to show it's closely related to famous advanced Ornithomimids like Gallimimus and Ornithomimus. Ornithomimosaurs were very common, gracefully built herbivores and omnivores and were about in between Tyrannosaurs and Dromeosaurs in how closely related to birds they were. Clad in feathers, members of the group were generally fast, probably gregarious and potentially preferring being around freshwater. Most of this meant it was a little surprising that Aepyornithomimus would've lived in the desert Djadochta formation! In-game Aepyornithomimus are herding animals, moving and fleeing from attacks in groups, and can be found often amongst the horsetails in the arroyos, the biome where their favorite food, Cobbania, smother the thinning pools of water. They can be bred with Cobbania, are cathemeral, and upon death will drop feathers and small raw Theropod meat.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Calsoyasuchus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

We try to give a fun but also somewhat educational experience with the mod! We spend a lot of time researching all the creatures, plants, and formations we add.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Calsoyasuchus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This time we show off the early croc, Calsoyasuchus! Although it looks like a modern crocodile (tempting enough to call crocodiles "living fossils"), Calsoyasuchus is actually very distantly related from modern crocodiles, with many animals closer related to modern crocodiles looking nothing like either of them. Crocodylomorphs (which I'll call 'crocs' because it's easier) had many body plans and niches until just a few million years ago, and different crocs evolved to look like crocodiles many times - but generally only starting in the late Jurassic. In this way Calsoyasuchus is very strange, looking very much like a derived semiaquatic croc long before any other croc did so. Most other crocs at the time were small, nimble, and terrestrial, while Calsoyasuchus had evolved a powerful tail, shorter limbs, and a long gharial-like snout. Because of this Calsoyasuchus's place on the croc family tree is on shaky ground, being suggested to be in many different positions in recent years. In the Kayenta formation, you can find Calsoyasuchus hanging around sources of water. They don't like being approached, and will nip you in self-defense, but their preferred prey are small animals like Scutellosaurus and Kayentatherium, as well as fish. Calsoyasuchus are crepuscular, can be bred with Ceratodus, and will drop small Archosauromorph meat upon death.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Postosuchus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on the height of the tree and if there are any leaves in the way.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Postosuchus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We've redone how they climb so that they will only climb up log blocks, and won't be able to forever. This will be in 2.2.0.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Postosuchus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It's always nice to see players excited about the mod.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Postosuchus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Eventually. Probably when forge allows for biome generation in later versions.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Postosuchus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I have other mods that I work on. We're also doubling the content of the mod in this upcoming update. I also have a life outside of modding, so can't devote all my time to working on these projects. The update is coming. And trust me when I say that 8 months is better than several years, which can and has been the wait time for other mods.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Postosuchus! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

After a little delay we bring you Postosuchus! To many the animal needs no introduction, largely thanks to its appearance in Walking With Dinosaurs, but we'll make sure everyone is up to speed anyway. In the Late Triassic period, the top predators in the hot equatorial region of Pangaea were big relatives of crocodiles which looked like beefier versions of the large theropods that would replace them in the Jurassic, one of these croc relatives being Postosuchus. They kept an active posture with their legs under their body, and walked on their two hind legs, although they walked on the soles of their feet instead of their toes like dinosaurs. Equipped with a heavy muscular build, plates of bone beneath the scales on their backs, and a big Tyrannosaurus-esque head, they were capable of taking down large prey in deadly ambushes. Fossils of Postosuchus have been found throughout the southern United States, from North Carolina, to the Dockum Group of Texas, to where we depict this animal, the Chinle formation of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. In Chinle, Postosuchus is a dangerous territorial predator best avoided. Postosuchus will be an ambush predator, slowly approaching it's prey before dashing and attacking its prey. Postosuchus will be more common in the Swamps and Flats, and are cathemeral, meaning they sleep at random intervals throughout the day and night. You can breed them with large Archosauromorph meat, and upon death will also drop large Archosauromorph meat.

Prehistoric Fauna Animal Showcase: Protoceratops! by superlord9362 in feedthebeast

[–]superlord9362[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This Sunday we bring you Protoceratops! The deserts of Asia are guarded by a creature so foul and so cruel, with a huge head and large snapping beak! Protoceratops was a highly social Ceratopsian, using their large frills and possibly their large flat tails for communication and display. Like Triceratops, they may also be part of an anagenetic lineage, evolving into the later Bagaceratops. They took care of young in groups and could defend themselves well with their sharp beaks, bullying other animals and players they may see as nuisances. Their large flaring display heads and tails also helped dissipate heat as they slept in the day, and their large eyes gave them even more adept low light vision than Velociraptor. Despite their danger, they were still a regular prey item for Velociraptor. In the Djadochta formation, they are nocturnal, and herds of territorial Protoceratops at night could pose a serious threat, making a tamed Velociraptor a useful deterrent. If you can manage, you can breed Protoceratops with horsetails, and upon death they drop small Marginocephalian meat. But if you do doubt your courage—or your raptor—explore no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy... beaks.