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Maniraptora radiation; speculative forms of maniraptora; are they plausible?
Topic Started: Jun 26 2010, 09:18 AM (1,293 Views)
Cephylus
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Maniraptora are bird-like dinosaurs, as all of you know. They have a lot of chance at surviving and a lot of potential. I'm thinking they'd probably survive the Eocene-Oligocene cooloff and maybe fill niches emptied by extinction?
My dinosaur project(on my wikidot site) has a lot of different maniraptora dinosaurs, although they are yet to be written down. I have large quadruped browsers, some tree-climbing ones with a monkey lifestyle, fish eaters and some large carnivorous tyrannosaur-like ones.
Well how would maniraptora really evolve with no K-T? I'm open to suggestions
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Cephylus
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And about Bexi's remark about therizinosaurs, on second thought I think oviraptorosaurs will take omnivore niches, like pigs. Or hyena like ones. But I still think some small browsers are possible
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Ook
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bone crushing ovirators with massive beaks,cool :)
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Cephylus
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Thanks :D this is that tyrannosaur-like oviraptorosaur
Grim Land Vulture
The grim land vulture is a large hypercarnivorous dinosaur found in Alaska and Siberia. Grim land vultures are robust, muscular predators with a rather tyrannosaur-like lifestlye. They have wickedly hooked beaks perfect for tearing off flesh or gorging into the necks of large herbivores. They are one of the largest predators in their habitats, measuring 6 to 7 meters and weighing 450 to 600 kilograms. Their favourite prey are shaggy hardrolopes and hornclaws. They are covered with thick yellowish white plumage with pinkish beaks.


I'm open to suggestions
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Cephylus
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What about fish-eating dromaeosaurs? There could be ones with elongated jaws with large heads and small forearms. I'm thinking descendents of dromaeosaurs like Austroraptor would take that niche.
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Pando
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Seriously, it was only 3 minutes. Only double post if it's been several days.

Since some spinosaurids, it's possible.
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Ook
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maybe flamingo like flightless pterosaurs could be here :)
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Black_Panther
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Well, regarding your idea... oviraptors can cover several niches, from scavengers like hyenas, or omnivores akin to predatorial pigs or bears.
While deinonychosaurs and other dromaeosaurs can surely become analogues to big cats, canines or even extinct tyrannosaurs (think of utahraptors or some other large species); and troodon-like creatures can become nocturnal creatures.

As for arboreal species... have you ever seen the arbronychidae from spec? They're asrboreal maniraptorans adapted to arboreal life in the Caribbean... so, maybe that could be a starting point for your arboreal creatures.
http://spidervenom022.deviantart.com

Go in there for some odd stuff that could make you puke, and ask for some free sketches. :)
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Holben
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In the carribean? Where did they come from before that?
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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Black_Panther
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Holbenilord
Jun 28 2010, 12:36 PM
In the carribean? Where did they come from before that?
Well, according to spec:

"The island arbro (Insulonychus antilliensis) is the only arbro that can be found in the Caribbean. It is impossible to say how these creatures got to their present home – perhaps they rafted or swam from the forests of mainland South America, but they now range across the Greater Antilles, with large populations in Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica, where they eat birds, mammals, insects and (occasionally) fruit. Island arbros show a great deal of variation across their range, but genetic tests show that all these variants belong to one species."
http://spidervenom022.deviantart.com

Go in there for some odd stuff that could make you puke, and ask for some free sketches. :)
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Carlos
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Quote:
 
About tyrannosaur-like ones, I have a gigantic oviraptorosaur with a tyrannosaur-like lifestlye. Plus I added the oviraptorosaur page on my site, although it's not finished. Are browsing oviraptorosaurs plausible?


Thats interesting, for I designed a similar oviraptor once.

As for Spec arboreal maniraptors, they are mainly represented by three linages of "arbros" (arboreal dromeosaurs) and carpos, primitive birds. The first still have the same body plan as early dromeosaurs, but their "thumb" rotated so it is now opposed to the other fingers, while the feet developed an anisodactyl/heteredactyl/zygodactyl configuration, much like those of climbing birds. In carpos, they are essencially parrots with arbro like hands
Edited by Carlos, Jun 29 2010, 04:47 AM.
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

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Cephylus
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Great, now JohnFaa's posting in this thread too!! :lol:
i didn't know somebody already did tyrannosaur-like oviraptorosaur. I just figured that with many bigger predators extinct in the early oligocene, eventually oviraptorosaurs with a bit of a carnivorous appetite like bears should evolve

First, sorry for the double post. I guess it was a mistake, I intended to edit the earlier post.
As for Bexi's remark on flamingo-like maniraptorans, I think I could use that, but I was thinking maybe flamingo-like filter feeding pterosaurs would cover that niche. There were filter feeding ones in the Mesozoic. But I'm considering the idea.
And for Blackpanther's suggestions, thanks for all the great suggestions :D
Yeah, I think large dromaeosaurs should become apex predators in many environments. So I'm planning gigantic tyrannosaur-like dromaeosaurs, with larger heads and smaller forearms, like the Austroratpor example I used earlier. They had large heads and smal arms, so why not other dromaeosaurs? I also have utahraptor-like large dromaeosaurs already, although there isn't any description. I'm thinking maybe a tiger analogue, with a traditional dromaeosaur body plan but maybe stouter.
I also love the carnivorous pig/bear analogue oviraptorosaur idea. :D I think I'm going to have a North American bear analogue maybe name it Thunderbird or something.

About arbros and carpos from spec, I'm going to have dromaeosaurs similar to arbros... maybe baboon analogues or even hypercarnivorous animals like tree-climbing big cats such as leopards... About carpos, I am considering a kind of carpo-like animal with toothless beaks but a longer tail..like woodpeckers or parrots(like carpos)?
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Carlos
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Maybe an arboreal oviraptor. Descendent of something like Avimimus, which was already quite small
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Cephylus
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Avimimus? sounds good... Avimimus were small and adapted to tree life, so I'd say they have a lot of potential to evolve into something like that..
Are arboreal troodontids possible?
what do you think about filter-feeding ones, pterosaurs or maniraptorans?
Edited by Cephylus, Jun 29 2010, 08:12 AM.
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Carlos
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Probably, though late Cretaceous troodontids were too specialised, though maybe smaller, more basal forms could had survived and not had been recorded in the fossil record
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Cephylus
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Yeah, it may be the same case with troodontids as with those anurognathid pterosaurs. Their bones were fragile and their fossils
not fossilized well because of the rocks or something (I don't know the last reason too well)

and Another oviraptorosaur, an arboreal one
Climbing Sarpi
The climbing sarpi is an omnivorous oviraptor found in Indonesia. They are perfectlly adapted to tree life, with opposable digits on their hind feet for grasping branches. They are small, agile creatures weighing about 2 kilograms. These creatures have muscular legs so that they can hop from one tree to another with ease. Their entire body is covered with olive-color fluff. the climbing sarpi subsist mostly on a diet of small reptiles and birds, with an occasional raid on bird nests for eggs. They live in loose groups of up to 5 individuals. Climbing sarpis make strange noises, similar to a dog barking. In mating season, when the male makes high-pitched whistling noises to attract the attention of females.
Edited by Cephylus, Jun 29 2010, 08:33 AM.
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