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Latios: a pokemon made real; Wait, whaa- ?
Topic Started: Apr 23 2016, 03:40 PM (353 Views)
Victorbrine
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Do you know Latios (if you don't, first of all take a look at my avatar and then you can check bulbapedia: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Latios_%28Pok%C3%A9mon%29 )? Yes, it's a pokemon so why am I writing this? Latios is one of my favorite. In fact, imagine if such creature could exist in an alternate timeline (THIS IS NOT A PROJECT). That's what we are going to do now...




A rainy day in California is yet, another scientific discovery by a small group of amateur archeologist (amateur but they still have a good knowledge in paleobiology and so on).

This one is a big find. Still it raised many mysteries. Rain eroded some parts of a wall exposing something distinctive, a bone. The team excavates and exposes more of it: it seems to be the coracoid of a plesiosaur. However, more digging and mining gives it a weirder appearance, even weirder is that this creature was perfectly preserved, and so is part of one of the most preserved fossils ever found in paleontology history. Its body was barrel like, much like sauropods, theropods. It had a medium sized neck, probably like Macroplata or Rhomaleosaurus, a very unique shape of skeleton, "flippers" and 2 strange dorsal fin like structures on its side of the body.

Much like some fossils like Hallucigenia and others, this one threw scientists (the amateurs did take it to experts) into the "I give up" hole. But finally, 1 year later, the mystery is almost unsolved.

Classification

The scientific name is known as Latisaurus magna penna (Hidden Lizard, Great Wings). Or mostly known as Latios. Scientist, upon analyzing the remains, classified it as part of the Pliosauroidea. This is his classification in total:

Chordata, Reptilia, Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria, Pliosauroidea, Latisaurinae, Latisaurus magna penna.

Stumbling upon this, you should probably think that this should be a hoax, due tot he name meaning Hidden Lizard with Great Wing/Great Flight (A/N: I used google translate for the Latin, if I am wrong for translation, you can correct me). Does that mean a pliosaur that can fly? No. Coincidentally, it resembles the pokemon Latios however unlike it, it didn't seem to fly.

Life style

It lived in California during the Cretaceous. It may have been piscivore like plesiosaurs because of its teeth. But recently, a fossil of Aphrosaurus showed markings of this creature. This would mean that Latios also preyed on large marine reptiles, especially plesiosaurs. Given the fact that it was 2.3 meters tall, it should have mostly preyed on juvenile plesiosaurs.

It was probably a late surviving pliosaur. However its unusual form is still unexplained. The 2 hind flippers have turned into a vestigial, useless part. It probably lived on the coast and might have switched diet during seasons: when mating season for plesiosaurs arrive, they migrate to the shores and were more vulnerable to a lurking latios, however the rest of the time, Latios could have eaten fish.

Other fossils

Another fossil was discovered in California of an Aphrosaurus who was pregnant. The rib cage of the Aphrosaurus were severed and showed teeth marks of Latiosaurus. The preserved Aphrosaurus fetus was damaged too. The plesiosaur was probably ambushed by the pliosaur and was probably fatally wounded on the belly and could have bled to death. Yet another fossil of another pregnant plesiosaur was discovered and it too had the same wounds, but more fatal, with a big part of the rib cage missing and a few bones of the fetus left.

Scientists were boggled. Did Latios' have a sort of sense to know if a plesiosaur was pregnant or not. Did it prefered fetus? Did it attacked weaker preys? The "I give up" hole wasn't still abandoned.

End of it

Latiosaurus magna penna became extinct 66.5 million years ago during the K-Pg extinction. This pliosaur still holds many mysteries as to why did it have the shape he has now or those pregnant plesiosaurs being attacked. Other studies shows that Latios was a very intelligent pliosaur.

Still, this is one of the most mind boggling mysteries left of this marine reptile.




NOTE: This page can be edited at any time. Images aren't present but they will be in the near future!
“There's a tree," Starflight said, jumping to his feet. "In the forest."
"No way," Glory said. "A tree in the forest?”


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"One of those capsules hit a wing." Victor said. "Had to do an emergency landing." He pointed to a crumpled plane a couple dozen meters behind him and shrugged. "Not my most elegant landing."
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Corecin
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Have you ever been bitch slapped for lack of listening? lack of doing what your told? cuz i'm not far from slapping you
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Interesting, good choice to make it not fly.
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Scrublord
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Not seeing much of Latios at all in this. It just feels like a regular pliosaur that happens to share its name with a Pokemon.
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Victorbrine
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Scrublord
May 11 2016, 07:54 PM
Not seeing much of Latios at all in this. It just feels like a regular pliosaur that happens to share its name with a Pokemon.
That's what I kinda wanted to do...
“There's a tree," Starflight said, jumping to his feet. "In the forest."
"No way," Glory said. "A tree in the forest?”


"Ce corps qui s'appelait et qui s'appelle encore le saint empire romain n'était en aucune manière ni saint, ni romain, ni empire." -Voltaire

"So if you wake up in the morning and it's a particularly beautiful day you'll know we made it."
-Capa

"One of those capsules hit a wing." Victor said. "Had to do an emergency landing." He pointed to a crumpled plane a couple dozen meters behind him and shrugged. "Not my most elegant landing."
-me in Flisch's story "Spec Evo: Void Entry" (Act 3)

"but by rule 34 of the multiverse, if it exists, there’s a world full of it." -Tet

"I must ask you to leave now." -Everyone (not realy though) in Flisch's story "Spec Evo: Void Entry"

Projects Status

My Blog (SE Blog)

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyBzYPIsLp0uHoPtT6ZEyww
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
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