Carboniferous

Because there’s a lot of stuff going on in this drawing, here’s a key so you can identify the different species.

1. Spondylerpeton spinatum - a four foot long “reptile-like” amphibian known as an Embolomere. It was one of the largest animals in the Mazon Creek.

2. Dragonympha srokai - a griffinfly. I was originally going to add Meganeura, but it isn’t known from the formation. This species is known only from nymph remains, and its adult form is unknown, so I think my depiction as being similar to Meganeura is reasonable.

3. Cephalerpeton ventriarmatum - a very primitive reptile.

4. Arthropleura cristata - a giant herbivorous millipede. This was probably the hardest species to draw.

5. Megalichthys hibberti - a five foot long carnivorous lobe-finned fish. I’m not sure how realistic the idea of it leaping out of the water is. I’d imagine early tetrapodomorphs like this would’ve had the ability to breathe air, since lungfish can breathe air.

6. Amphibamus grandiceps - a mid sized Temnospondyl.

7. Mazothairos enormis - an enormous herbivorous insect. These types of insects rivaled griffinflies in size and aren’t related to any living group of insects.

8. Mesotarbus extraneus - an extinct arachnid possibly related to mites.

9. Calamites - a huge plant related to horsetails.

10. Lepidodendron - a large tree-like clubmoss.

11. Pecopteris - a generic fern

12. Cordaites - a tree related to confides (or possibly a true conifer). All the trees in this drawing are juveniles, since adults could grow up to 100 feet tall.

This drawing actually took 10 months to finish, but mostly because I forgot about it for most of then. Anyway, I had a lot of fun making it. It’s interesting how all the plants in the drawing are extinct, making an extra challenge. It was also pretty hard to research these species since all of these species (except Arthropleura) either have stubs for Wikipedia pages, or don’t have Wikipedia pages at all. This was kind of intended to be a modern interpretation of Walking With monsters, and originally I was going to feature more species from the show. Anyway, hope you guys like it!

Here is the progress of drawing.

I needed to draw it 3 times 😵‍💫

First try:

Totally wrong anatomy and I pressed the pencil too hard so I couldn't erase it...

Second try:

I don't like it the colorations look like tumors

Third try:

Success ✋😃🤚

Btw the colorations on the third one are inspired by tiger salamander.

@TheGeckoGamer

How do you like it ?

I really like this style not too much detail but still has it.

But the rating will be your job. 🙃

I've put my thumb for comparison how small it is.

1) At the end of the Furongian (late Cambrian) and beginning of the Ordovician, the temperature of surface waters in the equatorial zone reached 43.9°C (111.02°F), which is significantly higher than today. By the end of the Ordovician, as a result of global cooling and the onset of glaciation, these temperatures dropped to 24.2°C (75.56°F), which is lower than today.

2) Both the shortest (Induan) and longest (Norian) non-Quaternary ages are included in the Triassic period. Induan was almost four times shorter than the Quaternary period, while Norian lasted almost as long as the Neogene period.

3) There are indications that fires occurred as early as the Silurian due to the spread of terrestrial plants.

4) The Karoo Ice Age ended about 260 million years ago. The next, Late Cenozoic glaciation, began ~34 million years ago with the freezing of Antarctica. During the ~226 million years separating them, the Earth maintained a greenhouse climate. Pterosaurs and non-avian dinosaurs appeared and went extinct during this interval.

5) Scorpions became the first fully terrestrial apex predators and remained so until the Carboniferous period.

6) Latimeria is a living coelacanthiform fish. The youngest fossilized coelacanthiforms were found in Maastrichtian sediments, indicating a gap in fossil record of 66 million years.

7) The last geomagnetic reversal occurred before Homo sapiens evolved.

8) Formed as a result of powerful eruptions in central Pangea about 201.4 million years ago, the Central Atlantic magmatic province originally occupied an area larger than modern Australia.

9) People began using glue and brewing beer before the Holocene epoch.

10) We still don't know when the first insects appeared. One molecular analysis suggests they may have appeared in the Early Ordovician or even Cambrian. A gap of about 100 million years is in the history of insects in that case.

And here is Rutiodon, a phytosaur from the Norian age.

I really like the Paleozoic. Many important events in evolution occurred during this era, and the spread of land vertebrates is by far the most important of them. Now I want to share some thoughts about what was happening in the late Paleozoic. As you all know, from the Cambrian to the beginning of the Middle Devonian, mollusks and arthropods were the dominant animals in ecosystems (mollusks most likely until the end of the Ludlow epoch of the Silurian). But then noticeable changes occur: vertebrates become the dominant group, first in the seas, and then on land.

The number of trilobites steadily decreased from the Silurian to the Permian, chasmataspidids became extinct in the Devonian, eurypterids moved from the ocean to rivers and lakes from the mid-Devonian, large myriapods and insects became extinct by the middle of the Permian period, and large arachnids even earlier. Why did this happen? I haven't seen any reputable research on this topic, but it seems to me that the whole point is that vertebrates beat the competition with arthropods thanks to their jaws. The jaws of vertebrates turned out to be the best weapon in the fight for survival, since they made it possible to effectively hunt arthropods that were vulnerable, especially during molting.

If we consider this issue in more detail, then... In the Silurian and Early Devonian, many eurypterids lived in the seas. But after the number of jawed fishes increased and large fishes appeared, the giant eurypterids disappeared, and their relatives began to seek salvation in fresh waters. Scorpions, their relatives, have long occupied the safe land and have been apex predators there for at least 30 million years. But after the first amphibians began to walk on land, large scorpions also began to decrease in number. The last giant scorpions are known from Mississippian (Early Carboniferous) deposits. It can be assumed that some of them also lived in the Pennsylvanian period ("late Carboniferous), hiding in deserts from vertebrates that could not yet move far from water. As far as I know, there were no longer any large species among the Mississippian marine arthropods, since cartilaginous shark-like fishes became widespread during that time, and in the Pennsylvanian eugeneodontiforms appeared with teeth ideally suited for chewing shells and carapaces. Large myriapods and insects lived in swampy forests, but there were no aquatic forms among them. The only possible exception is griffinflies. They probably spent the first part of their lives in water, where they risked becoming prey to numerous amphibians. The end of the Carboniferous and beginning of the Permian is characterized not only by the drying of the climate, but also by the appearance of large terrestrial vertebrates, each of which had muscular jaws. And soon after that, large land arthropods also disappeared. In my opinion, the conclusion suggests itself that large arthropods appeared not because of the high concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere, but due to the absence of terrestrial predators. When these predators appeared, large arthropods disappeared. And mostly small species remained, unable to compete with large vertebrates. My conclusion is that our Paleozoic ancestors, beginning in the Devonian period, became dangerous animals. More dangerous than arthropods. And they became like that thanks to their jaws. What do you think about this?

I guess that counts as palaeoart?

A sketch of a Carboniferous swamp. The original idea was just to draw the plant (to test my flora skills) but there was space for more, so I added animals.

Minus color, if you're interested how it looked before

Alright guys, we're here. Here was the signup and how we're doing the adventure. If you don't know, this is like the Dinopedia Hunger Games but for a Prehistoric Dominion rescue mission.

There are 8 Acts, and because I didn't want this post to be so long, I saved 4 for later.

It took me a while to do this (335 million years to be exact), so enjoy, please!

ACT 1

Nigel + Crew Members: *dash out of portal and immediately slip on wet dead conifers.*

Nigel Marven: Crikey! How's that for a start?

Pholidogaster (@Fire Campaign) : *sunning itself on bank dashes away immediately* What was that strange creature?

Nigel: *talking to camera/audience* We're here in the swampy forests of Carboniferous Scotland, about 335 million years ago. There's plenty of strange creatures here, and hopefully we'll catch a few. Whatever happens though, this is sure to be a cracking adventure!

Nigel: *spots a tail sticking out from under a piece of wood* Look here, mates! *grabs a different Pholidogaster by the tail*.

Nigel: This here is a beauty! It's some sort of primitive tetrapod. Looks like a lizard. I'm gonna leave it for now. *sets the creature on the ground*

Pholidogaster (@Fire Campaign): *watches from safety* Primitive? The nerve…

Crew #1: It looks scary!

Nigel: Let's head inland, guys!

Nigel + Crew #3: *head inland into forest*

ACT 2

Nigel: Our main objective for this trip is a type of amphibian called Proterogyrinus. It's a really croc-like amphibian, so it's probably around the river. However, we're coming inland to search for more some other creatures.

Crew #3: AHHHH!!

Nigel: *whips around* I don't believe it!

Pulmonoscorpius (@EpicThoradolosaur7782): *stalks toward Crew #3* What's this?

Crew #3: KILL IT!! 😭

Nigel: Step aside, mate! *jumps between Crew #3 and Pulmonoscorpius (EpicThoradolosaur7782)* This must be a Pulmonoscorpius.

Pulmonoscorpius (@EpicThoradolosaur7782): *dashes forward*

Nigel: It's eyesight isn't too good, so it uses its excellent smell to hunt. Plus, it can sense tiny vibration using sensors in its legs. *dodges scorpion* Our chances could be worse.

Crew #3: That bug is way to big! How could it get worse?!

Arthropleura (Gecko): *rears up from beneath the mosses and ferns* Shut up, guys!

Pulmonoscorpius (@EpicThoradolosaur7782): Yikes! *scuttles away*

Crew #3: *faints*

Nigel: Crikey! I don't believe it! *backs away from giant millipede (Gecko)*

Different Arthropleura: *crawls out of foliage* Who are these losers? Doesn’t matter. Bye, Nizaliddin! *runs away*

ACT 3

Arthropleura (Gecko): *approaches Nigel* Hey there!

Nigel: The trick for dealing with this monster is to stay quick on your feet. Don't make any sudden movement, and don't run. I don't fancy my chances of outrunning this thing in this forest…

Arthropleura (Gecko): *hisses* “Monster”? *lunges*

Nigel: *dodges* Like the scorpion, their eyesight isn't too good, but their antennae are great for feeling things. They probably just eat fungi and plants, but that doesn't stop them from defending their territory.

Arthropleura (Gecko): This guy is smart I must say.

Nigel: Modern millipedes can secrete acid from their bodies, so I don't want to be any closer.

Arthropleura (Gecko): What does he mean by “modern”? Eh, I'm hungry. *goes away*

Nigel: Crikey! A prehistoric encounter with a giant Arthropleura! I don't believe it.

ACT 4

Different Arthropleura: *nears river* Eh, I'm thirsty, I think.

Crassigyrinus (@Ankysareawesome): *creeps close to Arthropleura*

Different Arthropleura: What was that?! *backs up*

Crassigyrinus (@Ankysareawesome): *moves closer*

Different Arthropleura: Ahhhhh!

Crassigyrinus (@Ankysareawesome): *dashes away suddenly* Let's go attack some 2-legged animals.

River Monster (@Nizaluddin): *bursts up and kills Different Arthropleura*

Pings: @Concaventor Wrangler @BaryonyxLover9870 @PrinceVermilionOfTheSkywings @Just shi over here... @GamingToast2023 if you so desire one let me know

“Pixar Movie poster for the film “Carboniferous” featuring a massive millipede in a jungle” by Freepik.

The millipede is Arthropleura, btw. And yes, I am aware of the misspelling.

Would you watch that movie?

"we entered onto our universe, in the devonian period about 375 million years ago where we saw a tiktaalik reaching to land then go 365 mya where we saw a hynerpeton, we then skipped to the carboniferous period, 312 where we saw the first reptile which is hylonomus and the first ever synapsid called archaeothyris, then to the cisuralian part of the permian about 280 million years ago where a dimetrodon is basking in the sun, skipped to the lopingian epoch of the permian period, 251.9 mya into the great dying where the last individual of the inostrancevia alexabdri species literally died (yep, thats ino's real counterpart, don't get confused.) fast forward into the jurassic period, the golden age of the dinosaurs and also the time period where the first mammals ever appeared, a young morganucodon was chased by a large predator, fast forward to 66 million years to the end of the cretaceous. the K-T extinction happend, hitting mexico causing sudden shaking and smoke comming out blocking sunlight so plants can't even perform photosynthesis. a few months later, a few mammals, birds and other animals survived and thrived again which is the same for few surviving plants, fast forward to the miocene (ok yes, this is an epoch but i always see cenozoic epochs as....time periods yeah yeah, time periods, moving on) and ok theres a quinkana encountered a obdurodon(yeah, heard of durodon? but obdurodon is not a cetacean, it's literally a monotreme! a giant platypus to be exact) and we finally entered onto the holocene, the eopch that still continuing today, a group of crocodile are attacking a migrating herd of zebras and yeah... idk anymore and we finally entered onto the paleo isles universe, let's see what's ino doing now"

Inostrancevia:i'm getting tired of swimming i need to rest- wait.... this must be the place...*reaches ashore*

"inostrancevia then wondered again if this is really the most "peaceful" place on this planet. it's full of ice & snow with a bunch of dead trees and a few discovered footsteps that could be from a large theropod, a few bone fragments and the feeling of deep loneliness giving extreme anxiety..."

Inostrancevia:this place is freezing cold, how will creatures survive here......???

"suddenly, a tarbosaurus came"

Tarbosaurus: *growls* i just wanna sleep and h- what the heck.....???? is that a synapsid? who are you anyways?

Inostrancevia:i'm ino and i would like to use this a refuge from the "stuff" yeah, the "stuff"

Tarbosaurus:what stuff are you talking about?

Inostrancevia:you'll will not expect this "stuff" going on, you'll be suprised...

"and yep, there are some creatures who don't even know about the archosaur vs synapsid chaos, tarbosaurus is one example and that js good! because if they know, more chaos will happen..."

To Be Continued...

@Cooner21

@SpinozillaAegypticussucks

@Ankysareawesome

@Mediterranean Mapper

@DinoDude112

Here in the carboniferous period the longest period of the paleozoic, about 358.9-298 million years ago are vast swamps covering the landscape

The oxygen here is much higher about 35% of the atmosphere compared to 21% today. thanks to the growth of trees removing amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

But...this could also mean that insects and other arthropods got bigger.......

about 350-320 million years ago is when delitzschala bitterfeldensis appeared as the first flying species to ever lived...

This is where the evolution of flight begins. woth a wingspan of just 2½ cm in a irregular pattern of coloured spots on his wings. it is that delitzschala is a camoflauged insect. as it clearly matches it's surrounding dull greenery in the swamps. as evolution goes on, other insect species later evolved flight. then 215 mya. in the mesozoic this ability was later achived by pterosaurus, then birds are next to gain the ability to fly, then in the cenozoic which is the era we still live in today, bats also evolved flight since 50 million years ago as a result of convergent evolution.

But this series mainly focuses on the paleozoic. lets just move on!

(shi's reconstruction of meganeura)

Now, arthropods are the dominant species of this time period, they are abundant.

The carboniferous also saw the emergence of the first amniotes like synapsids and reptiles.

(hylonomus on left,archeothyris on the right, tully monster on bottom, meganeura holding a dead petrolacosaurus. art by: shi468/shi again/ shi reincarnated)

In the depths bellow are tullimonstrum, colloquially known as tully monsters. these creatures that look like something straight out of a sci-fi series are actually soft-bodied bilaterian animals & also discovered in the mazon creek fossil beds of central illinois,usa by francis tully in 1955

(artist's reconstruction of tullimonstrum as a lamprey-like animal)

it's claw or jaw for snatching onto prey as might be a carnivore. it can reach length up to 15 inches long which isn't that big if you think about it.

(hypothetical reconstruction of edestus based on ther eugeneodonts)

This fish had more curved but not round blades or tooth whorls unlike helicoprion who lived later at the permian. and is about 6.7 meters in length and weighted 2 tons. he's a tough predatory fish with serrated teeth that have a long v-shape that stacked up on eachother akin to roof tiling.

(illustration of megarachne)

This is megarachne, now if you haved watched the original bbc documentary: WWM episode 2 reptiles beginnings, you might think it's a giant spider but it's actually a eurypterid A.K.A sea scoripon.

Thats because megarachne was "misidenified" and it's thought to be a large spider untill further studies...

she's a 54 cm long eurypterid, discovered in argentina. but unlike most sea scorpions who live in the ocean,megarachne perferred to live in freshwater enviorments.

She has blade-like structures on her appendages to engage in feeding method known as sweep-feeding, ranking though the solf-bodied sediments of aquatic enviorment with her frontal appendages to capture and feed on small invertabtates, so she's a carnivore. but when comes face-to-face with another carnivore

(reconstruction of C.concinnus)

Ctenacanthus major is a large shark from the 2 americas/americanos continents.

But theres not much about him so he isn't a well-known species.

Early Reptiles & synapsids thrived in the vast swampy coal forest.

A petrolacosaurus was crawling entering the territory of a territory of a ophiacodon.

(illustration of ophiacodon during the events of carboniferous rainforest collapse by shi468/shi again/shi reincarnated)

Ophiacodon weight 230 kg and reach lengths to about 3 meters.

This one isn't happy that a creature stumpled onto it's territory, it's name means:"snake teeth". petrolacosaurus makes a run for it managed to run away from this carnivorous synapsid.

In whats now usa, some proterogyrinus are thriving. they are embolemeri tetrapods from the mid-carboniferous.

The Arthropleura came into the lake without knowing. he's related to modern millipedes, about as long as a car. his jaws could deliver a strong & nasty bite don't worry. arthropleura is a herbivore meaning that he eats plants

The minor extinction event is slowly approaching. concentration of carbon dioxide crashed in the atmosphere in one of all time global lows. the remaining swamps & forest are unable to survive this great danger and finally wiped out. fire is naturally ignited causing a "natural" forest fire. the climate becomes cooler & drier. dwarfism is caused, shortly after, animals and plants that adapted to these forest are unable to keep up with the rapid changes and then gone extinct.while others survived

So now. we entered the permian period...

@Nizaluddin

@Friendly Kelbeam of the Hood

@Rexyisdebest