What is your favorite extinct creature and why?

[Cam28]

Good topic. Naturally probably Dimetrodon (would be my 1st choice if I could study any extinct organism in the flesh) but over the years it's come to be Hemipristis serra (very distinctive diverse dentition, preyed on dugongs which are also one of my favs, has living relatives including the modern smaller snaggletooth, have a nice collection of their teeth to be in awe at, etc.) Megalodon is very close behind though

[EMP]

Mine's always changing every few months, but generally for invertebrates it's trigonotarbids. Before hand it was trilobites, but my attempts to find one never really panned out. One day after another fruitless adventure into trilobite bearing rocks I made a stop at a Carboniferous terrestrial deposit and scoured about. One of my finds that day was a trigonotabid, and after reading up on them I got hooked. On subsequent trips I've managed to find a mostly intact specimen, so my luck with these critters has been far better!

 

I don't really know about vertebrates. I never really had an interest in dinosaurs or sharks teeth because I've always liked the really old stuff. Maybe tetrapods, though I do have a soft spot for conodonts and scoleodonts from the local limestones (pretty much the only things you can find in them).

[Nothos]

I'd say the Sarcosuchus imperator and the Titanoboa. 

 

But from my own collection, the Triassic ammonoïd Dimorphotoceras subclarissae from Timor. 

[Ropterus]

On 2/19/2017 at 1:55 AM, Paleoworld-101 said:

Ever since i was 3 my favourites have always been the large carnivorous theropods. I have more of an interest in predators, and the large predatory dinosaurs were i think the pinnacle of terrestrial carnivory. When i am standing at the base of a large skeleton in a museum and try to imagine that thing actually moving around and hunting, it never ceases to amaze me. I still can't believe animals like that actually existed. Within the Theropoda i love the Allosauroids the most: basically giant land sharks running around and tearing into other huge dinosaurs with their knife-like teeth and claws. I'm still waiting for the day that a huge Carcharodontosaurid like Mapusaurus or Carcharodontosaurus itself turns up in Australia! 

 

I'm in agreement with Paleo. Although my current obsession are sharks, I have always had a fascination with the large carnivores like T.Rex. Someday I hope to have (be able to afford), something relating to these incredible beasts. Maybe even find something from them on my own. But for now, I am more than happy with shark teeth! ☺

[JohnBrian]

Still stuck in my head from my childhood are T. rex and Triceratops. I have no T rex bits due to the cost. I have some Lance Formation matrix & there are a couple of Trike teeth in it I am slowly extracting. The matrix is very hard so I have to take it apart grain-by-grain to remove any fossils. (Some other bits in it as well--- small bones or plant stems, Chunkosaurs.) If I really luck out maybe I'll find a T rex or raptor tooth encased it one of the thicker hunks of matrix/rocks.

 

Almost forgot another favorite, GODZILLA!

 

 

[ynot]

Smilodon.