Prehistoric Animals

[BOZ]

When you think of prehistoric mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, etc (non-dinosaur!), what creatures do you think of?

 

[Desdichado]

Oh, dude, I'm the wrong guy for that question. I start thinking of "which faunal assemblage is he wondering about?"

I've downloaded a bunch of images to use as handouts of Kazanian faunal assemblages and Karoo Permian Zones, mixed with a few Rio Limay (D'oh! Of course, I meant the Ischigualasto Formation, not the Rio Limay! Sorry!) and Arizona Triassic horizons for a pre-dinosaurian mix of really alien-looking animals for some of my campaigns.

I've also made campaigns set around Miocene Remixed faunas, and Interglacial North American faunas with saber-tooths, scimitar-tooths, dire wolves, mammoths, giant camels and the like.

What's the question really about here?

 

[DMH]

Of the top of my head for the species, and with the help of GURPS Dinosaurs for spelling:

Andrewsarchus
Basilosaurus (whale)
Hyaenodon
Megalania
Megalodon (fish)
Arsinotherium
Brontothere
Chalicotherium (wierd)
Glyptodont
Gigantopithecus
Megatherium
Indricotherium
Phorusrhcaus (bird)
Cave Lion
Cave Bear
Smilodon
Mammoth
Mastodon
Woolly Rhino

 

[BOZ]

*brane explodiates*

 

[BOZ]

all i'm really looking for is to come up with a short list (less than 20?) of animals, such as the sabretooth tiger, wooly mammoth, etc.

Edit: such as what DMH posted before i could notice.

i'll make a big compiled list, then cull from that.

 

[Desdichado]

Oh, well that's easy. In fact, between the official WotC monster books and Tome of Horrors, I'd bet you easily have more than that already in print. DMH got most of the well-known ones, although there are a few typos and they might be hard to find unless you spell them exactly.

 

[tarchon]

Oh, I'll post my ammonite gobhocker when I get home.

 

[tarchon]

all i'm really looking for is to come up with a short list (less than 20?) of animals, such as the sabretooth tiger, wooly mammoth, etc.

Edit: such as what DMH posted before i could notice.

i'll make a big compiled list, then cull from that.

There have been far more prehistoric animals than historic ones, so it could be quite a long list if you wanted it to be.
If you're trying to do a creature resource, I think what really is missing from most previous extinct animal treatments is broad coverage of different general types of creatures. Like who needs 23 different kinds of theropod? Just a couple examples each of less familiar forms, ammonites, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, trilobites, Tully monsters, plus some particularly unusual species of more familiar forms might be more useful (e.g. predatory kangaroos). I don't think many people need another really big shark or really big wolf.

 

[DMH]

DMH got most of the well-known ones, although there are a few typos and they might be hard to find unless you spell them exactly.

You can thank the editor of GURPS Dinosaurs for any mispellings- which ones are incorrect so I can fix them?

 

[Desdichado]

Phorusrhaus (bird) - Phorusrhacus longissimus
Simlodon - Smilodon fatalis, or Smilodon populator

In other words, missing a [c] and got the letter order wrong on those two. You don't really need the species name, although Smilodon fatalis vs. Smilodon populator is pretty significant -- jaguar-sized vs. lion-sized.