Extinct Creature Sketches #2 (Patreon)

Well there isn't a JSPH this week, and probably won't be a The Last Halloween either, but here are some extinct creature sketches! This week, we have two crested Triassic theropods-- Zupayasaurus of what is now Argentina, and Liliensternus of what is now Germany.

Theropods are a group of (mostly) bipedal dinosaurs, and contain the only carnivorous dinosaurs. These guys are a couple of the earliest theropods, from the very end of the Triassic. Dinosaurs were getting to be kind of a big deal by that time, but they still had a lot of competition from various other archosaurs (which we'll be seeing in future posts!)

My choice to include protofeathers (the fibers that will eventually give rise to feathers) on dinosaurs from this early in the timeline may still be controversial to some (probably incorrect) people, but there is strong evidence that protofeathers are a trait handed down from the ancestor of all dinosaurs, and it would just be silly if the theropods went through a "bald period" after having protofeathers to begin with and winding up with highly evolved feathers and protofeathers later on! More on all that in future posts~~

The little notes on coloration are purely speculative and for-funsies! Also, I'm not sure if Liliensternus had two crests or just one.

And if you are wondering what I am doing if not my comics, I am working on my summer project! I have deadlines to meet for that one, so I've had to put some other things aside. I'll also be at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC this weekend! Please come and say hello