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Artwork (Digital) / Animal related (non-anthro)
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Had a conversation with Thumbclawz recently on the general wretchedness and scarcity of reconstructions of this terrific animal, so although lord knows I'm no Jay Matternes, John Sibbick or Mark Hallet I thought I'd take a crack at it. Not easy! There aren't many good photos of skeletons online - if you look at the one on Wikipedia you might think it's tailless! - so take the accuracy of this with a large grain of salt until I get more info.
I love reconstructions like this because Thylacoleo isn't very closely related to anything alive today, and it's near relatives are mostly arboreal vegetarians wheras it was a terrestrial (although still able to climb) definate carnivore. A lot of artistic license is overlaid on the actual bone photos. For example, from looking at the bones alone you'd never know tigers were brilliant orange and stripey while lions were plain and maned.
Top left: Front and side views of the face. Note the weird teeth! Thylacoleo's incisors, not the canines, were the main killing teeth. It had a broad skull and massive cheekbones, indications of ginormous jaw-closing muscles. Its bite was more powerful than a modern lion's, which is twice its size. I intentionally gave it a bit of a pit bull look.
Top: A view from behind, crouching in preparation to spring, a close-up of the eye, and a lethal pudgepaw showing the velociraptor-like thumb claw.
Center: Inspired by a Mark Hallet drawing of a sabertoothed cat. The thing it's attacking is supposed to be a baby diprotodon (giant wombat) but looks like a spazzy guinea pig - I need to do more research into them.
Bottom: Simple outline over a skeleton. I think I need to bulk up the forelimbs a bit.
These are fairly boring since they're just fur and flesh, no attempt to add markings or distinctive fur texture. I'll probably give it cryptic coloration / disruptive patterns since it was an ambush predator.
Color sketches: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2212329/
I love reconstructions like this because Thylacoleo isn't very closely related to anything alive today, and it's near relatives are mostly arboreal vegetarians wheras it was a terrestrial (although still able to climb) definate carnivore. A lot of artistic license is overlaid on the actual bone photos. For example, from looking at the bones alone you'd never know tigers were brilliant orange and stripey while lions were plain and maned.
Top left: Front and side views of the face. Note the weird teeth! Thylacoleo's incisors, not the canines, were the main killing teeth. It had a broad skull and massive cheekbones, indications of ginormous jaw-closing muscles. Its bite was more powerful than a modern lion's, which is twice its size. I intentionally gave it a bit of a pit bull look.
Top: A view from behind, crouching in preparation to spring, a close-up of the eye, and a lethal pudgepaw showing the velociraptor-like thumb claw.
Center: Inspired by a Mark Hallet drawing of a sabertoothed cat. The thing it's attacking is supposed to be a baby diprotodon (giant wombat) but looks like a spazzy guinea pig - I need to do more research into them.
Bottom: Simple outline over a skeleton. I think I need to bulk up the forelimbs a bit.
These are fairly boring since they're just fur and flesh, no attempt to add markings or distinctive fur texture. I'll probably give it cryptic coloration / disruptive patterns since it was an ambush predator.
Color sketches: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2212329/
Category Artwork (Digital) / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Mammal (Other)
Size 798 x 800px
File Size 288.2 kB
Gah, no! If both Thumbclawz AND you start drawing these guys, I'm going to have to take a shot at them too! Ever since I saw Thumbclawz's character I've been thinking of making one, but oh man, your anatomy makes the science-geek inside of me happy! These guys are just so cool, and truly unlike any predator that exists today! :D
Pretty neat. I'm not really well-read on the subject, but I kinda wonder why predators developed canines as their primary kill-you-dead teeth as opposed to incisors. You'd think incisors would do more damage. But I guess they don't actually lock as well as canine teeth, which are adjacent as opposed to right on top of each other.
I think it may be a case of the incisors being pre-adapted. Thylacoleos evolved from herbivores that already had huge rodentlike front teeth, so it was probably easier to appropriate them for stabbing rather than enlarging the canines. They would have functioned very differently than Carnivoria, like you pointed out. I can easily imagine the damage these suckers can do, I've been bitten by enough little rats and their nasty front teeth.
It would be an interesting speculative evo idea to see what could be done if they happened to be the main carnivores in different niches!
It would be an interesting speculative evo idea to see what could be done if they happened to be the main carnivores in different niches!
Not sure if this is accurate but I read somewhere when I was reading about them that they do not have a claw on their inner/big toe like a possum because they are related and arboreal? Other than that everything looks accurate. Also I have draw one before! haha it was about a year or 2 ago, but I have! XD (that's when I read that info.) I gave it bare paws instead of pawpads like an Australian possum or a tree kangaroo or something too.. I dunno if that's accurate though. XD
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