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| Megatherium v Therizinosaurus | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 17 2012, 11:19 PM (13,460 Views) | |
| Taipan | Jan 17 2012, 11:19 PM Post #1 |
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Megatherium americanum Megatherium ("Great Beast") was a genus of elephant-sized ground sloths endemic to Central America and South America that lived from the Pliocene through Pleistocene existing approximately 5.3 million years. Its size was exceeded by only a few other land mammals, including mammoths and the even larger Paraceratherium. Megatherium was one of the largest mammals known, weighing up to eight tons, about as much as an African bull elephant. Although it was primarily a quadruped, its footprints show that it was capable of assuming a bipedal stance. When it stood on its hind legs it was about twenty feet (6 m) tall, twice the height of an elephant. This sloth, like a modern anteater, walked on the sides of its feet because its claws prevented it from putting them flat on the ground. Megatherium species were members of the abundant Pleistocene megafauna, large mammals that lived during the Pleistocene epoch. Megatherium had a robust skeleton with a large pelvic girdle and a broad muscular tail. Its large size enabled it to feed at heights unreachable by other contemporary herbivores. Rising on its powerful hind legs and using its tail to form a tripod, Megatherium could support its massive body weight while using the curved claws on its long forelegs to pull down branches with the choicest leaves. Its jaw is believed to have housed a long tongue, which it would then use to pull leaves into its mouth, similar to the modern tree sloth. ![]() Therizinosaurus cheloniformis Therizinosaurus (play /θɛˌrɪzɨnɵˈsɔrəs/; 'scythe lizard', from the Greek therizo meaning 'to reap' or 'to cut off' and sauros meaning 'lizard') is a genus of very large theropod dinosaur. Therizinosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous Period (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian stages, around 70 million years ago), and was one of the last and largest representatives of its unique group, the Therizinosauria. Its fossils were first discovered in Mongolia and they were originally thought to belong to a turtle-like reptile (hence the species name, T. cheloniformis — "turtle-formed"). It is known only from a few bones, including gigantic hand claws, from which it gets its name. Though the fossil remains of Therizinosaurus are incomplete, inferences can be made about its physical characteristics based on related therizinosaurids. Like other members of its family, Therizinosaurus probably had a small skull atop a long neck, and had a bipedal gait and a heavy, deep, broad body (as evidenced by the wide pelvis of other therizinosaurids). Its forelimbs may have reached a length of 2.5 metres (8 feet) or even 3.5 metres for the largest known specimen. Its hindlimbs ended in four weight-bearing toes, unlike other theropod groups, in which the first toe was reduced to a dewclaw. Gregory S. Paul in 2010 estimated the length of Therizinosaurus at ten metres, the weight at five tonnes. It is the largest therizinosaur known and the largest known member of the Maniraptora. The most distinctive feature of Therizinosaurus was the presence of three gigantic claws on each digit of its frontlimbs. These were common among therizinosaurs but especially large in Therizinosaurus, and while the largest claw specimens are incomplete, they probably reached just under 1 metre (3.28 ft) in length. The claws are the longest known from any animal. The claws were relatively straight, only gradually tapering into a point, and extremely narrow, transversely flattened. ![]() _____________________________________________________________________
Edited by Taipan, Jan 17 2012, 11:20 PM.
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| Carcharadon | Dec 27 2012, 09:37 PM Post #31 |
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Shark Toothed Reptile
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i will now switch my vote over to megatherium, with reasons stated above.
Edited by Carcharadon, Dec 27 2012, 09:37 PM.
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| Vivyx | Dec 28 2012, 04:14 AM Post #32 |
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Felines, sharks, birds, arthropods
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OK. |
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| SpinoInWonderland | Jan 13 2013, 05:26 PM Post #33 |
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The madness has come back...
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Megatherium was actually only 4 tonnes in mass |
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| SpinoInWonderland | Jan 13 2013, 06:06 PM Post #34 |
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The madness has come back...
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http://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app46/app46-173.pdf |
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| Vivyx | Jan 13 2013, 06:20 PM Post #35 |
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Felines, sharks, birds, arthropods
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Nope, read the freaking OP. It was 5 tonnes. And can get up to 8 tonnes. Not only this, but also, unusually for a mammal v reptile, the mammal is more durable. The sloth has armour, the dinosaur doesn't. And it's longer claws won't help. Bigger or longer (claws) does not always mean better. A leopard would totally destroy a sun bear, the sun bear has longer claws. And polar bears are more adapted for being carnivorous than the kodiak bear, but the kodiak has longer claws. |
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| SpinoInWonderland | Jan 13 2013, 06:39 PM Post #36 |
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The madness has come back...
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Did you not read the link I posted? |
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| Vivyx | Mar 5 2013, 04:12 AM Post #37 |
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Felines, sharks, birds, arthropods
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I still vote for megatherium. It's more durable and more bulky, with deadlier claws. And don't bias with me! Edited by Vivyx, Mar 5 2013, 04:13 AM.
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| dinosaur | Mar 26 2013, 01:33 PM Post #38 |
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Heterotrophic Organism
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Therizinosaurus has better weapons. |
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| Ursus panthera | Mar 26 2013, 08:29 PM Post #39 |
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Artiodactyla
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without being bias I believe sloth wins it was around later and therefore more advanced |
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| theropod | Mar 26 2013, 08:37 PM Post #40 |
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palaeontology, open source and survival enthusiast
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You just favoured another animal "because it was around earlier". Ridiculous logic! Dog: The OP vs a peer reviewed paper, hmm, difficult decision... I too favour the megatherium, but not "because mammals are usually more durable", rather because it probably has the stronger swipe and a more stable, powerful built, and broly was definitely not biased in pointing out that the OP was wrong. |
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| DarkGricer | Mar 26 2013, 09:49 PM Post #41 |
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Omnivore
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Realy? That makes no sense. 1: Evolution isn't about becoming better and better. It's about becoming better suited to the eviroment you're in. If it where, why do we still have Lampreys? Or why do we still have Coelacanths? Both of those have changed very little over time. 2: If you use that logic, Therizhinosaurus wins this. Mammal evolution had been supressed for 160 milion years. If the Sloth could become as advanced as the Therizhinosaurus in 100 million years less time than the Dinosaur, my computer screen is Jack Sparrow. Anyway, I do agree that Megatherium wins, though. But not because it came later, but rather because it has deadlier claws and is more durable. |
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| Jinfengopteryx | Mar 26 2013, 09:50 PM Post #42 |
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Aspiring paleontologist, science enthusiast and armchair speculative fiction/evolution writer
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He doesn't believe in evolution. |
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| DarkGricer | Mar 26 2013, 11:43 PM Post #43 |
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Omnivore
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In that case his statement makes even less sense. |
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| Vivyx | Apr 6 2013, 06:28 PM Post #44 |
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Felines, sharks, birds, arthropods
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Ok. I said "don't bias with me" because I don't want him to say "The sloth stands no chance whatsoever and the therizinosaurus will easily kill the sloth" and stuff like that. |
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| SpinoInWonderland | Apr 7 2013, 01:11 PM Post #45 |
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The madness has come back...
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I would never say that. 100% win rates are near impossible if not downright impossible unless the size difference between the two animals is vast... |
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