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Mermaysozoic Day 19: Thililua

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Thililua was a member of the order plesiosauria, basically a bunch of marine reptiles that looked exactly like the most common depictions of the Loch Ness monster. The ecological niche they filled was similar to that presently occupied by pinnipeds (seals)- they hunted smaller fish using their streamlined bodies and powerful flippers to move quickly and deftly through the water.

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4 days ago | [YT] | 2,049

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Mermaysozoic Day 18: Kronosaurus

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When I was a kid, I had a plastic Kronosaurus that I played with in the tub. I always thought of it as the “cooler liopleurodon”, and liked feeling superior when kids at school referenced Charlie The Unicorn and I posited that they only liked the prehistoric marine reptile because they didn’t know about my beloved Kronosaurus.

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5 days ago | [YT] | 2,625

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Mermaysozoic Day 17: Spinosaurus

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This is probably the only animal on this prompt list that most people have actually heard of. What you may not know about Spinosaurus is that many scientists agree that it was a semi-aquatic animal, spending as much time fishing and swimming as many modern-day crocodilians. Of course, we don’t have a complete fossil of a Spinosaurus to confirm this theory, so depending on who you ask, Spinosaurus is either a semi-aquatic crocodile-like dinosaur, a mostly-terrestrial dinosaur that only scavenged by bodies of water, or an entirely-aquatic reptilian seal with a prehensile trunk like that of a tapir. Well, most people don’t actually think that but technically it is possible.

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6 days ago | [YT] | 2,501

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Mermaysozoic Day 16: Aquilolamna

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Not quite a shark, not quite a ray, but Aquilolamna had features similar to both. Kinda just a big guy that swam around and ate little guys with their big mouths. What are they? Who knows, they’re quite big!

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1 week ago | [YT] | 2,565

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Mermaysozoic Day 15: Protosphyraena

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Often times, when people imagine a prehistoric earth, they conjure up images of animals similar to those we see today with extraneous, ferocious features like horns, fangs, and spines. In the case of Protosphyraena, it’s not entirely untrue. Though they weren’t part of the same family, these Cretaceous fish were similar to modern swordfish, but with a mouthful of blade like teeth and extra fins. Scary or cool depending on who you ask.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 2,072

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Mermaysozoic Day 14: Eurhinosaurus

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The scientific name “eurhinosaurus longirostris” can be roughly translated into “good-nosed lizard with a long nose”. I would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall when the scientist who described this species announced the name he came up with. “Well, it’s got a long nose. Like a big - like a as far as noses go, even for prehistoric reptiles - this was a big nose.” It also had pretty big eyes too, but I guess not big enough to warrant the name “big-eyed lizard with big eyes”.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 2,222

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Mermaysozoic Day 13: Acipenseriformes

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I put “acipenseriformes” on this prompt list even though the term doesn’t refer to a singular species, nor were the animals in this group exclusively found during the Jurassic period. In fact, fish from the Acipenseriforme group still exist today in the form of sturgeons and paddlefish. To me, the concept of these animals existing for so long without changing all that much is so fascinating. More fascinating still is that they are single-handedly being wiped off the face of the earth by humans due to overfishing, habitat loss, and unsustainable caviar harvesting. Imagine existing for over a hundred million years just to be driven to extinction in a few centuries because someone wants to sell your eggs for $450 an ounce.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 2,387

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Mermaysozoic Day 12: Leedsichthys

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Thought to be the largest fish to have ever lived, Leedsichthys Problematicus was so named because of the frustration it caused paleontologists trying to identify its fossilized remains. It was so large, scientists mistook fragments of its fins as stegosaurus sails. Like modern giants of the sea, Leedsichthys was likely a filter feeder, inhaling hundreds of tons of water and ingesting tiny organisms by the millions.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 2,130

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Mermaysozoic Day 11: Dollocaris

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Dollocaris belonged to a family of aquatic arthropods that looked like bizarre, alien crabs. Some scientists believe there’s some relationship with modern crustaceans, while others argue they stood on their own branch of the evolutionary tree. As you can see, they’re best known for their massive eyes set deep in their helmet-like shells. They most likely propelled themselves through the water, grabbing up microscopic morsels with their many specialized arms.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 2,536

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Mermaysozoic Day 10: Anguanax

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The name “Anguanax” is derived from the mythological Italian cryptid “Anguana”. Essentially, this pliosaur’s name can be interpreted as “the tribal lord of all Northern Italian sea monsters”. It tickles me every time I find out a prehistoric animal is given a name that seems befitting of a fantasy monster. I wouldn’t make a great paleontologist but I bet I could come up with a few good names.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 2,504