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Qilong
βοΈ
[1457500]
[2005-02-27 09:35:51 +0000 UTC]
"Jaime A. Headden"
(United States)
# Statistics
Favourites: 905; Deviations: 339; Watchers: 1446
Watching: 203; Pageviews: 186989; Comments Made: 2128; Friends: 203
# Interests
Favorite visual artist: Michael Whelan | Michaelangelo | Leonardo da Vinco | H.R. Gieger | Kev Walker kicks ass, tooFavorite movies: Willow
Favorite bands / musical artists: U2 (but also Alanis Morrisette, REM, Sarah Maclaughlan, and Enya)
Favorite writers: Edgar Allen Poe | Robert Frost | Mercedes Lackey
Favorite games: Chess
Favorite gaming platform: the chessboard
Tools of the Trade: Pencils, Pens, Imagination, the Edifying Experience of Youth
Other Interests: paleontology | cats | languages | science | philosophy | existentialism | empiricism | learning
# About me
Jaime A. Headden, born these many years ago, is a "paleo-enthusiast/armchair paleontologist" seeking to become a student of this subject. He takes care of a three-legged cat who is his loving and doting master, a younger disabled sibling, and fancies one of these days he'll eventually find "the one." He also has a blog! Visit: qilong.wordpress.comCurrent Residence: Somewhere in the US Northwest
Favourite genre of music: Rock | Classical
Favourite style of art: Graphite, but also use ink and digital manipulation.
Operating System: Windows SUCKS ... don't know why I use it
MP3 player of choice: WinAmp
Wallpaper of choice: A huge fox
Skin of choice: Mine
Favourite cartoon character: Timon
Personal Quote: "Possibilities Abound, Too Numerous to Count." -- Me
# Comments
Comments: 400
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I am willing to pay for commissions. Now talk to me.
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The new Scleromochlus paper is interesting, but I see people neglecting that pterosaurs are NOT crown-group archosaurs in one of the analyses there!
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We need to talk. Is that alright with you?
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Did Dimorphodon really get as huge as it is in your skeletal? I've quickly crudely measured it in your skeletal and it seems like it is at least 3m in wingspan. Most sources list Dimorphodon macronyx as under 2m in wingspan.
I measured it to have a length of 3,5m in the skeletal.
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I saw your blog post on the "Dave" specimen of Sinornithosaurus, and you mentioned that it preserves scales on its feet. Do you have more info on these scales?
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If someone wants to use your skeletals for reference, do they have to ask first or can they go right ahead (as long as they give credit)?
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You may use them without permission; the only restriction I impose is you must reference me. The skeletal as it is is CC-BY, it's a license that allows you to use, modify, manipulate, etc., so long as you attribute the original work to me.
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Ok, thanks, for answering!
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Hey, so I read your blog post about lips on Dunkleosteus, and I'm not sure I completely agree with it. Here's why.
See, the reason lips on theropods and Smilodon were proposed is because those animals have enamel on their teeth, and thus their teeth needed protection from the elements.
But Dunkleosteus didn't have true teeth. Just armored plates that formed a beaklike structure. So, did it really need lips covering that beak?
Just want to hear further thoughts, thanks.
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Hello, and welcome to this discussion.
Unfortunately, you are confusing two different, although convergent, arguments.
The reason I argued Dunkleosteus possess extensive oral tissues that covered its face is because almost every other aquatic craniate in existence has them; not because they somehow have teeth that need protecting. That is, it's the true condition from the first jawless fish to the sharks and tunas and amphibians and reptiles and mammals that derive from them. This has nothing to do with Smilodon, the argument for protecting enamel, or whatever. Plenty of fish maintain exposed teeth, especially very deep water ones, without concern for this issue, and that may relate tho their respective tooth composition and exposure to UV. As these issues haven't been investigated yet, I will leave that to those who care to do so.
The issue of whether Smilodon maintained an oral tissue covering the entire sabre is another question of meritous debate, but it is not necessarily a true argument; it merely comports well to the facts as we know them. There may be other data that influence whether the teeth were exposed to the light, and thus covered, which requires us to consider if there are other ways to protect enamel, as may be the case in enameled-but-exposed-fanged muntjacs.
This is the first time people have developed working arguments with data on this question. Where this goes requires patience and study.
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I see. I just didn't notice people giving Dunkleosteus lips until theropods and Smilodon were given lips, and I just assumed giving animals lips when they weren't previously depicted with such was just a new paleoart trend.
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+watch you beautiful person you. Don't you dare out me 
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You've mentioned that you have a handicapped brother/sister. I have muscular dystrophy, and have been wheelchair-bound for the past 8 years, since I was 11, so I know what that's like. It's gotten to the point where I struggle to lift a sandwich to my mouth (in fact, I'm typing this with the on-screen keyboard), so if I could donate money directly towards his/her care, I'd be more than willing to do so.
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I hope your birthday is everything you would like for it to be.Β All the best to you.
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