Metazoa info

[IATIA]

Oh they are awesome!


Look Luckie! Bunnies!!!

Apparently you do not know bunnies very well.

[Duke Guilmon]

Sunflower seastar



Pycnopodia helianthoides

Size: This animal has a one meter armspan

Weight: No data

When it first appeared: No data

Location: It is found from northeast Alaska to southern California. They are found in low sub-tidal areas with seaweed and kelp.  

Taxonomy:
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Forcipulatida
Family: Asteriidae
Genus: Pycnopodia
Species: Pycnopodia helianthoides

Diet: The pycnopodia helianthoides eats clams, sea urchins, snails, and small vertabrates.

Anatomy: This seastar is one of the largest of its class. It has up to 16-24 limbs. These feet have tubes which help it move quickly. It can also shed its arms

Behavior: This animal spends most of its time hunting. It can move fast, meaning that they can catch prey quickly. This speed also helps it escape predators.

Reproduction: These animals reproduce sexually and asexually. They breed during late spring to early summer. They sexually reproduce by raising their bodies up exposing a fleshy central mass, in which it releases eggs or sperm. The larvae float and develop for 2-10 weeks.



Such a pretty flower

Other sources:

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/anima...lower-star

http://pioneerunion.ca.schoolwebpages.co...ailid=2909

http://www.seastarsofthepacificnorthwest..._star.html

[Duke Guilmon]

Great White Shark



Size: Males 3.5-4.0m, Females 4.5-5.0m

Weight: 680-1,100kg

Life expectancy: 70 years

When it first appeared: These sharks appeared in the Miocene 16 Mya

Location: Great whites live in all most every ocean from north west Alaska to Argentina. The waters are from the temperature of 12-24°C 



Taxonomy:
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Lamnidae
Genus: Carcharodon 
Species: Carcharodon carcharias 

Anatomy: Great whites are incredibly powerful. They have a bite force of 4,000 psi. Their serrated teeth can easily cut through flesh with ease. Their muscles are incredibly powerful, in fact, great white sharks in south africa can jump incredibly high in the air. 

Behavior: This animal is solitary for the most part. They spend most of their days swimming and observing the world. Great whites are curious biting and bumping everything to see what it is.

Reproduction: Little is known about great white shark mating. They reach sexual maturity around 26 in males and 33 years in females. Great whites are ovoviviparous and have a 11-month gestation period. The sharks that hatch while in the mom engage in oophagy, meaning they feed on the ova. Females give birth around spring and summer.

Relationships with other animals: Great whites do have some animals that cause problems. Orcas have been known to attack and eat great white sharks and scaring them away. Humans have also had a hand in attacking the great white shark, both by fishing and capturing them. 



This picture makes me feel like I forgot something

Other sources:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates...shark.html

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=38

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/shark-...ite-shark/

[Duke Guilmon]

†Caspian tiger



Size: males reached 200cm, females reached 160-180cm

Weight: Max weight recorded was 240kg

Life expectancy: Not data

Location: When extant these animals lived in China, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and the Russian Turkestan



Taxonomy:
Class: Mammalia
Clade: Holothria
Superlegion: Trechnotheria
Legion: Cladotheria
Sublegion: Zatheria
Infralegion: Tribosphendia
Subclass: Theira
Clade: Eutheria
Infracalss: Placentalia
Subcohort: Exfroplacentalia
Magnorder: Boreoeutheria
Superorder: Laurasiatheria
Clade: Scrotifera
Clade: Ferungulata
(unranked): Pegasoferae
(unranked): Zooamata
(unranked): Ferae
Clade: Carnivoramorpha
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Species: Panthera tigris
Subspecies: †Pantheria tigris virgata

Diet: There is not much data on what the animal ate at the moment. Like extant tigers it ate large ungulates. 

Anatomy: Due to the time it went extinct, not much is known about its anatomy

Behavior: Like most tigers it was solitary. Not much is not known about the Caspian tigers behavior. It is said however that they were nomadic, and that they followed their prey were they went.

Reproduction: No data. 

Relationships with other animals: The caspian tiger has been extinct for over 40 years. They were hunted, lost their habitat, and were being out classed hunting its prey. On top of that, it had a spotty habitat range. Humans were to powerful for these animals. 


R.I.P

http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/caspian.html

http://www.tigers.ca/Foundation%20overview/caspian2.htm

http://www.wildtiger.org/caspiantiger.html

[Duke Guilmon]

†Meganeura



Size: 76.2cm

Weight: No data

Life expectancy: No data

When it first appeared: It first evolved during the late carboniferous 305-299 MYA

Location: Fossils of this insect have been found in North america, France, and Great Britian

Taxonomy:
Class: Insecta 
(unranked): Dicondylia
Subclass: Pterygota
Division: Palaeoptera
Superorder: Odonatoptera
Order: †Meganisoptera
Family: †Meganeuridae
Genus: †Meganeura

Diet: Being a large dragonfly, it would have eaten other insects and small reptiles.

Anatomy: This dragonfly was huge. The size of this animal has caused some controversy on why it is so large. Insects can  breath through diffusion, due to the expanding pores that open and close depending on its environment. Some say due to the 20% higher oxygen rate. This is called into question due to another meganisoptera member, meganeuropsis. It lived during the early Permian and the Permian had less oxygen vs the carboniferous. Meganeura was also not that long body length wise, but was large via its wing span.

Behavior: No data

Reproduction: No data

Relationship with other animals: No data



Yanmega fainted

Other sources: 

http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/spec...neura.html

http://www.lifebeforethedinosaurs.com/20...neura.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...s-science/

[Duke Guilmon]

Giant Gippsland Earthworm



Size: 1m in diameter, 3 meters in length

Weight: 200 grams

Life expectancy: 10 years

Location: This giant animal lives in Victoria, Australia. They live in red, grey, and blue clay soils along streams and hills



Taxonomy:
Class: Oligochaeta
Order: Haplotaxida
Suborder: Lumbricina
Family: Megascolecidae
Genus: Megascolides
Species: Megascolides australis

Diet: Like all worms, it is a decomposer, meaning all dead organism are on the menu

Anatomy: These animals are known for the sucking noise made while digging. DUe to the large size and rapid movements underground, moving through large amounts of soil will cause this sound.

Behavior: Gippsland earth spends most of its time digging tunnels, some that reach 52 meters in depth

Reproduction: These animals are hermaphrodites. They breed during warmer months. They will lay egg capsules reaching 4-7 centimeters in length. The eggs take 12 months to hatch. They young worms reach sexual maturity at 5 years. 

Relationship with other animals: Humans have a major part in this worms population, as when Europeans arrived the numbers begin to drop. They are now protected.



You can choke someone with this thing

Other sources:

http://twentytwowords.com/massive-austra...-pictures/

http://www.wired.com/2014/03/absurd-crea...rm-backup/

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/13008/0

[Duke Guilmon]

Golden poison frog



Phyllobates terribills

Size: 5cm, females tend to be larger than males. 

Weight: It weighs less than an 1oz

Life expectancy: They have been able to live up to 10 years

When it first appeared: No data

Location: They live in rain forest of colombia at altitudes of 100-200m 



Taxonomy:
Class: Amphibia
Clade: Lissamphibia
Superorder: Batrachia
Clade: Salientia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Neobatrachia
Superfamily: Dendrobatoidea
Family: Dendrobatidae
Subfamily: Dendrobatinae
Genus: Phyllobates
Species: Phyllobates terribilis

Diet: This frog primarily eats ants of the genera brachymyrmex and paraterchina, but also eat termites and beetles

Anatomy: Due to the diet of this frog, the skin of the frog is poisonous. This defends the frog from predators. In captivity this frogs do not get the chance to have poisonous skin due to the change of diet.

Behavior: These animals are highly intelligent. In captivity they can recognize the human caretakers. They also have great accuracy and eat can catch things quickly with its tongue.  Phyllobates terribilis is social. In the wild they form groups of 4-7, while in captivity they can reach groups from 10-15. They also get along very well, having very little fights. 

Reproduction: Golden poison frogs, though it is only males, can get aggressive with others when it comes to territory. Males will make high pitch calls. Before mating they will stroke each others head, back, flanks, and cloaca areas.  They take care of their offspring. Golden frogs will lay their eggs on the ground. When the tadpoles are born, they will stick themselves to their parents backs. Then the parents take them to the canopy and put them in water pools. Once adults the parents take them to existing groups. 

Relationship with other animals: Humans native to the area use the poison from the frogs to help them hunt. 



Made it in the cameo

Other sources:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/an...dart-frog/

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phyl...erribilis/

http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?...terribilis

[Duke Guilmon]

Emperor Scorpion



Pandinus imperator

Size: 20cm

Weight: 30g

Life expectancy: 5-8 years is how long they live in captivity.

Location: Emperor scorpions primarily live in African rain forest, but they also live in savannas. They live in regions like Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Senegal. 



Taxonomy:
Class: Arachnida
Subclass: Dromopoda
Order: Scorpiones
Parvorder: Iurida
Superfamily: Scorpionidea
Family: Scorpionidae
Genus: Pandinus
Species: Pandinus imperator

Diet: These animals eat termites for the most part. 

Anatomy: This scorpion has huge claws, but its venom is not that strong. It can use its claws to dig.

Behavior: These animals are solitary. When hunting they will burrow into termite mounds. They are incredibly timid, as they would rather not attack at all. When there is an attack it is most likely a female with young. 

Reproduction: Not much is known about how these animals mate and their mating courtship. They have a gestation period that last from 7-9 months. The female will give live birth to 12-30 young. 

Relationship with other animals: No data. 



A shiny emperor scorpion, CATCH IT!!!

Other sources:

http://www.scorpionworlds.com/emperor-scorpion/

http://www.scorpionpictureguide.com/scor...pion-care/

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pandinus_imperator/

[Duke Guilmon]

Atlantic goliath grouper



Epinephelus itajara

Size: males only go up to 1,150mm, females can go from 1,151mm-1.225mm

Weight: 180kg on average

Life expectancy: 37 years

Location: It lives in warm waters from Florida, to the west indes, Brazil, and the Congo to Senegal.



Taxonomy:
Class: Actinopterygii
(unranked): Actinopteri
Subclass: Neopterygii
Infraclass: Neopterygii
Unranked superordo: Acanthomorpha
Superorder: Acanthopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Superfamily: Percoidea
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Epinedphelinae
Genus: Epinephelus
Species: Epinephelus itajara

Diet: This large powerful fish eats crustaceans, fish, octopus, young sea turtles, sharks, and barracudas. 

Anatomy: This fish has a large and powerful mouth. The mouth can suck up and swallow prey whole. It does this by exerting pressure onto the water. 

Behavior: These animals are ambush predators. Once prey swims by, they pounce. These animals are solitary, only meeting up during the mating season. 

Reproduction: Goliath groupers are protogynous hermaphrodites. Males are sexually mature before females. They will meet in groups and release eggs and sperm. All young are born females. Some females will grow up to be males.

Relationship with other animals: Itajara are important to the coral ecosystem, as it keep the area healthy. This means life is easier to thrive with this fish extant and living in the area. 



The final boss and her minions

Other sources:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/195409/0

http://oceana.org/marine-life/ocean-fish...th-grouper

http://eol.org/pages/212570/details

[Duke Guilmon]

†Spinosaurus aegyptiacus



Size: 12.6-18m 

Weight: 7-20.9 tonnes

Life expectancy: No data

When it first appeared: Spinosaurus made its evolutionary debut in the early cretaceous 112 MYA

Location: Spinosaurus lived in bodies of water. Fossils where found in africa, with this species being found in Egypt



Taxonomy:
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Sauropsida
Clade: Eureptilia
Clade: Romeriida
Clade: Diapsida
Clade: Neodiapsida
Clade: Sauria
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archasauriformes
Clade: Crurotarsi
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Avemetatarsalia
Clade: Dinosauromorpha
Clade: Dinosauriformes
Clade: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Clade: Eusaurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
Clade: Neotheropoda
Clade: Averostra
Clade: Tetanurae
Clade: Orionides
Superfamily: †Megalosauroidea
Family: †Spinosauridae
Subfamily: †SPinosaurinae
Genus: †Spinosaurus
Species: †Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

Diet: It is conflicting on whether it only ate fish or other dinosaurs, but recent evidence shows it may have eaten only aquatic animals. 

Anatomy: Spinosaurus has been very popular due to its large sail. The sail differs from other sails dinosaurs have. Some point that the sail is more like a hump. The use is not well known. Some speculate it was for temperature regulation. 

Behavior: Not much is known about its behavior. It is recently shown that it was aquatic, so it would spend most of its life swimming and hunting.

Relationship with other animals: Crocodilians in the area would share a strong rivalry with the dinosaur of the deep savers, as the food would have been similar. 



The new and improved, water type spinosaurus

Other sources:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-na...180952679/

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/...inosaurus/

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29143096