For today's #MakeAPlanet quiz, rank these fossil sizes from smallest to largest:
1) Wingspan of Meganeura, a Carboniferous dragonfly
2) Shoulder height of Hyracotherium, the first horse
3) Beak-to-tail length of Archaeopteryx
4) Length of a ("Giant Claw") Therizinosaurus claw
This question comes from the ideas we have about the past -- and the scale of ancient organisms, which may loom large (or small!) in our minds. I'm much more interested in what you think (or feel) the answer to be, based on your imagination. I don't expect most people to know!
This one was less popular for some reason -- not relatable enough? Too nerdy? Too left-field? Too late in the day? Too Monday?
Before I go through these one by one, the usual disclaimer that these are fossil organisms, which almost certainly varied in size, yadda yadda. Also, archaeopteryx didn't have a beak (as was assumed until about the early 90's), it had toothy snout.
Our smallest unit would be the snoot-to-tail length of archaeopteryx, a raven-sized dinosaur-bird of around 20". Its weight probably clocked in at just around 2 lbs!
Next-smallest is Hyracotherium, the "dawn horse." (Note: horse evolution is tricky and fossil taxonomy is a mess, but AMNH still lists this as the first horse, so that's what we're going with). They were dog-sized; only about 1-2 feet high at the shoulder (depending on species).
Clocking in with a wingspan of up to 30", the early dragonfly Meganeura is our third-largest span in the list! This Carboniferous predator was the largest known insect in the fossil record.
But none of these prehistoric beasts' lengths could top that of a single Therizinosaurus claw, which were a whopping one meter (3.3 feet) long! They didn't name it "great claw" for nothing. Inspiration for Freddy Krueger, maybe?
Wish you could daydream about incredible creatures from vanished worlds during that Monday Zoom that could have been an email? Support @MakeAPlanetPod! We'll always have your back*.
*If we get funded.
kickstarter.com/projects/makea…
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.