Tag: marsupial

Spectember 2021 – Marsupial Predators

It’s September, the Cambrian series has been delayed until later this year, so instead let’s get speculative – it’s time for the return of #Spectember! I can’t manage daily content this time around, but I still have plenty of submitted concepts left over from last time.

So let’s get started with some marsupials suggested by someone crediting themselves only as Bruno Drundridge:

Continue reading “Spectember 2021 – Marsupial Predators”

Eons Roundup 7

It’s another PBS Eons commission roundup day!

  • An illustration of an extinct mammal related to marsupials, climbing on a tree branch. It's an opposum-like animal with protruding fangs and a long furred tail.
    Pucadelphys andinus
  • An illustration of an extinct mammal related to marsupials. It's a mouse-like animal with large ears and a long naked tail.
    Khasia cordillerensis
  • A lineart illustration of an extinct mammal related to marsupials. It's a bear-like animal with a short deep blunt snout, four stocky plantigrade limbs, and a long tail.
    Paraborhyaena boliviana

The metatherian mammals Pucadelphysand Khasia, and lineart of the sparassodont Paraborhyaena, from “How South America Made the Marsupials”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5doyrUWFbE

  • An illustration of an extinct relative of modern crocodiles. It has a long gharial-like snout, a slightly hunchbacked body, four paddle-like legs, and a long vertically flattened tail.
    Acherontisuchus guajiraensis
  • An illustration of an extinct swimming turtle. It has a very wide and flat carapace, almost circular in shape.
    Puentemys mushaisaensis

The dyrosaurid crocodyliform Acherontisuchus and the bothremydid turtle Puentemys, from “How a Hot Planet Created the World’s Biggest Snake”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-hDNbM-WLk

  • An illustration of an extinct early penguin, in both sitting and swimming poses. It has a long pointed beak and loon-like wings.
    Waimanu manneringi
  • An illustration of an extinct giant penguin. It has a long pointed beak.
    Anthropornis sp.

The early penguin Waimanu and the giant penguin Anthropornis, from “When Penguins Went From The Sky To The Sea”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMArjGQwLvY

Balbaroo fangaroo

An early relative of kangaroos, Balbaroo fangaroo. Known from a couple of partial skulls discovered at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland, Australia, it lived during the Early Miocene (~23-16 mya) and was probably about the size of a cat, around 45-60cm long (18-24″) not including the tail.

It had unusually enlarged canine teeth forming prominent “fangs” – hence its species name – which may have been used for display and fighting in a similar manner to some ungulates such as water deer and camelids.

Based on the skeletons of other closely related species, it probably wasn’t able to hop. Instead it would have moved around quadrupedally, and the shape of its feet suggest it was also capable of climbing like a modern tree kangaroo.