Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro) header
Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro) profile picture

Naturalist, paleontology enthusiast, animal keeper. This is my science-related account. Cover by Mette Aumala

Joined February 2019
Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)Photo by Axel Tallone (@AxelSauro)
I'm planning to switch over to bsky. If everything goes well, I'll keep checking here from time to time, but for other interactions see you over there
1
247
Ha! Darren on the Italian TV
2
1
23
1,338
A real shame, hopefully they'll be able to solve this
An important update to our Paleo Pines Community 🦖 💙 😞
1
3
162
I cringed at the atmospheric oxygen mention (Arthropleura itself is exactly one of the strongest counterarguments to that), but this is actually very fascinating.
1
3
173
I'm screwed...
Haolonggood announced an Argentinosaurus figure and it's enormous. The largest figure they've made so far, even bigger than the Alamosaurus. (photos from Haolonggood and Paleofiguras on Facebook)
1
64
EXCUUSE ME PRINCESS? This is gorgeous
It’s Ankylosaurus magniventris! Eofauna | Scientific figures eofauna.com/figures #eofauna
1
8
174
I'm well aware that extrapolating sizes from fragmentary remains highly subjected to allometry is misleading but excuse me holy shit
T. rex would think twice about attacking this one... Giant Triceratops nasal horn
1
7
171
How are we passing from being hypercritical towards Prehistoric Planet to Jurassic Fight Club revisionism exactly? Like, no. Just no.
3
79
Yet another such case...
Replying to @ARuebenstahl
5/n What did we find? While sizes over 50cm evolved over 10 separate times, the evolution of large body sizes was found to be unrelated to all factors investigated. Higher oxygen levels or new habitats are not making these guys bigger!
1
66
Interesting perspective. We do know crocs can suffer stress and trauma (even lethally so), it'd be fascinating to try to understand if they can also feel anxiety.
Do crocs get anxiety? Listen to @doc_tellez as she talks about our new croc ambassador Jack.
2
62
Even as a rough reference, this is what I mean when I say that fossils and especially skeletals don't really convey the size of living animals. And this is just a drawing on top of a hand photo! Imagine it in the flesh.
Watched the recent GojiCenter video on the Indominus which also featured Saurophaganax, and WHAT THE ACTUAL F*UCK?? 🤯
5
46
942
This means that Komodo dragons are officially as cool as shrews (which are VERY cool)
It turns out...Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth! nature.com/articles/s41559-0… Their serrations and tips pop into the mouth with an orange hue. Using different techniques, we show that these iconic lizards have special iron-rich coatings on each tooth, keeping them razor sharp!
1
9
232
Now that I think about it... Kinda funny how both Komodo dragons and shrews have both iron on their teeth and a venomous bite, exceedingly rare combination.
1
55
Hopefully this will be taken as "size range in extinct taxa very likely exceeded what's observable within our sample" and not "OMG T. rex was 15m??".
Replying to @Dave_Hone
And since we do have all that info, we can have a go. This is obviously laced with caveats, but we come out with an an upper estimate of 15 m and 15 t for about the largest possible adult T. rex.
8
227
Deer ass pigs
Babirusas box. I’m not kidding. Their tusks are too fragile for combat, so the males rear up and use their forelimbs to fight instead. Females bite their foe’s front limbs.
1
46
Sorry for like spamming some of you, but I'm catching up on social media after some time off
2
57
Building a minipond for wildlife will always be one of the best decisions of my life (metamorphosing Lissotriton vulgaris)
1
1
5
128
Bonus froglet and froggo (Pelophylax esculentus)
1
1
38
The fact that this simple but truthful post has been swarmed by arrogant naysayers is so disheartening. Literally my easiest bird watching sessions are on the highway, and these dudes are all "you can't spot birds because speed blablah".
This is what the English 'countryside', as seen from a train, looks like. Because it's green, I guess things look good. But look how empty of wildlife it is. Not a single bird visible. Not one. Massive swathes of our 'countryside' are just devoid of animals.
2
21
76
1,569
This lizard has been chilling in my minipond for the last half an hour, at midnight. It came *in* to drink, now strolling around the water surface, flicking its tongue. I wonder if it's thermoregulating, hunting or just taking a bath, but it's extremely weird this late at night.
8
179
I'd be cautious with examples from captivity 'cause, even if it definitely happens in the wild occasionally, it's *a lot* more frequent/extreme in captivity, or in antropic contexts in general.
I think there are good arguments on both sides as far as azhdarchids being able to take on a Tyrannosaurus but temperament can make a big difference imho. See below 👇🏻
3
165