Something light to refresh the palate:
A new animated film, The Croods (Dreamworks 2013) includes a number of chimaera creatures to add to the fun. It’s been out for awhile. On a rainy Saturday I saw it at the dollar show.
Figure 1. Click to enlarge. The Croods from Dreamworks Entertainment.
The have a Girelephant (elephant with giraffe markings).
A Jackrobat (back half rabbit, front half vampire bat with short webbed fingers).
A Liyote (half lizard, half coyote).
Turkeyfish, from The Croods by Dreamworks Entertainment.
A Turkeyfish (more like an ornithocheird mixed with an elephant bird (which was a real bird!) Maybe this is some sort of pike/turkey mix.
A mousephant (mouse for a father, elephant for a mother).
A Macawnivore (big cat in parrot colors).
A Fishcat (self-explanatory like a catfish).
Bearowl from The Croods by Dreamworks Entertainment.
A Bearowl (see above, more of a catowl, if you ask me. )
A Ramu (half ram (that tends an egg), of an emu body.
Crocdog from the Croods by Dreamworsk Entertainment.
A Crocopup (see above, croc head, dog body and tongue).
A piranha bird (self explanatory).
And they have a quad-wing bird (see above) that flies like a plesiosaur is thought to swim, with languid alternating front and back strokes.
Summary
A sweet, but not a great movie, with an odd assortment of creatures from the Croodaceaous era. Kids in the audience laughed at only a few off to the side silly/cute moments. I have to admit, a napped a little during the show, but I had a big lunch. Star Trek, on the other hand, was non-stop fantastic!
The Critters
None of these chimaera hold a candle to the real wonders of the Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic and Permian. Check out Greg Paul’s “The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs” for the real wonders among dinosaurs and www.ReptileEvolution.com for the real wonders among non-dinosaurs.
Blue links will take you around the ‘net to check out more images, including the official Croods website.
The Pterosaur Heresies 