Sunday, January 25, 2015

Cenozoic Cheat Sheet

Meaghan likes to give homemade Christmas gifts. Last year she made nerdy science-themed chocolates, and the year before that she designed dorky mugs. This year, she decided to go a big more useful and create the only calendar that really matters... the Cenozoic calendar. Really, Meaghan was just kind of tired of looking up the NALMA (North American Land Mammal Ages) divisions and decided to make a cheat sheet for herself illustrated with her lab's favorite Cenozoic animals!  




Hadrianus, a big ol' tortoise



Orohippus, the side-eye throwing ancient horse.

Protoreodon, one of the most interesting animals anyone could ever study
Rooneyia, a tarsier ancestor

Paleotaricha, a newt

Ceratogaulus, the horned (not horny) gopher

Chriacus: looks like a raccoon, related to things with hooves. Seen here having just been caught sniffing its own ass.

Dromomeryx, a fantastic substitute for any Your Mom joke

Gomphotherium, the shovel-tusked elephant

Patriofelis, the cat-like not-a-cat creodont

Phenacodus, a tiny-headed condylarth


Stenomylus, a wee camel

Tephrocyon, a dog

Uintatherium, a cheerful rhino-giraffe hybrid
Archaeotherium, a pig thing on steroids

Icaronycteris, a hug-attack bat with some extra claws


Plesiadapsis, one of a group of early monkey-esque things. 
Meaghan drew Plesiadapsis showing its butthole specifically because she knew Amy would find it funny.
Illingoceros, a twirly-whirly pronghorn ancestor
Megalonyx, one of the sexiest rap stars of all time

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And finally, here they are all together with the Zachos curve and some mildly inaccurate botany!
Animals super duper not to scale.

In summary, Meaghan seems to be incapable of drawing animals that don't look like they've just been caught committing a crime or social faux pas.

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