The Cool Animals/Plants Thread (Dead or Alive)

[cybrxkhan]

I thought I'd start a thread where we can share info, (wikipedia) internet links, and pictures on really cool (and real) animals and plants that most people don't know about. Basically because I'm terrible at conbiology so I just rip off existing world species, particularly extinct ones (ecologically plausible or not).

Here's a couple I can think off the top of my head:

Capybaras - I love these huge-ass rodents



Terror birds - huge birds eating horses are cool

[Click]

I love capybaras too!

[Lambuzhao]

To all fellow shiny-happy capybara-herders:

I give you the Maxi-bara, Phoberomys pattersoni






What's not to like?

In my conworld, folks herd these (actually giant giant guinea pigs, but whose splitting hairs?)

They also ride these


Anyone for a ride on the cony express?
My kingdom for a hare!

[Creyeditor]

Dinocerata

Pen-tailed treeshrew

I've got a whole list of these, I think I'm gonna be dropping them in two by two

[cybrxkhan]

Keep it coming, guys, I love these. Mother nature/God/Allah/the universe/Physics/whatever has to be one of the greatest conworlders who ever lived, coming up with some of these things.

To all fellow shiny-happy capybara-herders:


What's not to like?

In my conworld, folks herd these (actually giant giant guinea pigs, but whose splitting hairs?)

In my conworld they also herd capybaras and use them for food/milk/pets and even in some isolated regions as pack animals and cavalry mounts. Huge rodent cavalry, woohoo!

[kiwikami]

The Juvenile Smooth Trunkfish is, in my opinion, the most adorable fish to ever exist:



This is highly magnified - the actual fish is about the size of a pea, and ten times cuter. The adult ones... not so much. But the juveniles...

[Prinsessa]

What? The adults look awesome.

[kiwikami]

Awesome, yes. Cute... eh, that's a matter of opinion. With those lips, though, all I can think is that Smooth Trunkfish are the Frank N. Furters of the sea.

[CrazyEttin]

This thread requires more awesome notosuchians and thalattosuchians and other insanely weird and incredible crocodilians.

Edit: Speaking about crocodilians, this picture from Tetrapod Zoology is awesome (Yes i know i'm overusing that word):

[Lambuzhao]

I'll gladly wait for dinosaurs to be "resurrected" (a la chickenosaurus, which, to me, looks like a punk cockatrice anyway).

Bring back those crazy-ginormic crocodilians!
Let's tweak croc genes and get a geosaurus or a deinsuchus, or that nutty
hog-croc Paul Sereno (i think) discovered in the deserts of North Africa.

[Edit: I iz eediot]
http://www.deviantart.com/download/1891 ... 34m0la.jpg

Also, I think ligers (yes, I'm mentioning them already) ought to be bred if only to be the apex predator of Pleistocene Park.


They are some big, big cats!

Ligers inhabit my conworld as well, along with fertile mules.
But nuthin beats a Texas jackrabbit....

My steed of choice.

Except, yon Walpertinger!

[Lambuzhao]

The Juvenile Smooth Trunkfish is, in my opinion, the most adorable fish to ever exist:



This is highly magnified - the actual fish is about the size of a pea, and ten times cuter. The adult ones... not so much. But the juveniles...

reminds me of the rare 法克鱿 Fa Ke You (French-Croatian Squid)




Cutie-patootie!
(and makes a damn-fine cebiche!)

[Creyeditor]

This is how animals should fly: Colugo

and this is how noses should look like: Star-nosed Mole

[DanH34]

...Fa Ke You...

<South Park>
Well, Fa Ke You too, buddy!
</South Park>

Fnarr, fnarr.

Seriously, though, my vote is for the pika.

I want one. Hell, I want ALL of them!

Also, two words. Honey. Badger. Less of a potential pet than the pika, but pretty much the ideal replacement for a guard dog (which, presumably, needs replacing because the honey badger ate it).

Allow the cutesy name to lull your enemies into a false sense of security, then BAM!

Dan

[Dormouse559]

Meet the Tibetan Fox, only the coolest-looking animal ever. They eat your pikas for breakfast.

[DanH34]

Look at his little face!

You are absolutely right. That thing looks like some sort of cartoon character made flesh.

Also, that reminds me of the domesticated silver fox. Apparently, they're sort of a mashup of the best features of dogs (loyal, intelligent) and cats (relaxed, independent) in a single furry package.

Also, they're the result of a crazy Soviet experiment, so what's not to love?

Dan

[Lambuzhao]

Let's hear it for crazy Soviet experiments:
1) Domesticated foxes
2) Resurrecting mammoths/Pleistocene Park
3) Ivanov's experiments to create a humanzee/amlas army {erm....}

Any others i missed?


@DanH34 -

A nice food chain for somewhere on your conworld:

(predator) honey badger
(herbivore) pika
(flora) moss, lichens, grass, smurf-berries


@ Creyeditor -
My son's desire for a chinchilla was easily snimhendisly replaced when he discovered the star-nosed mole. Veeeery cute & cute!

[Batailleur]

That is all.

[Creyeditor]

Expleuracanthus, Unicorn-fish

Hoatzin, Monkey-bird

[Lambuzhao]

That is all.

IN-DEEED


Hmm...Plus these...
http://www.plantdelights.com/images/Equ ... abacal.jpg

Equisetum giganteum

For about 26 years, awaiting Torassic Park.

[Torco]

Dude... more than a plant in particular... I remember when I learned that grass and flowers aer relatively new to the planet and that, before the cretacean i think, there were neither... I was like WHOA!

i still have trouble imagining a world without grass... I've seen forests with no grass but... there were no grasslands? whoa, dude.