~ Round 3 is currently underway, with Carnivora in the lead!

See poll schedule here ~

On a quest to find Tumblr’s favorite animal!

(Pictured is my personal favorite animal: the bearded vulture! Photo was taken by me… if you want to see more I post my photography on my instagram: SaritaWolf ;P)

Ever wondered how your favorite animal stacks up against other people’s favorites? Well you’ve come to the right place!

Here’s how this will work…

Round 3 - Reptilia - Struthioniformes

(Sources - 1, 2)

Our first of many orders of birds and our first paleognath, the Struthioniformes, commonly called “ostriches” are only composed of one living family, Struthionidae, one living genus, Struthio, with two living species: the Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) (image 1) and the Somali Ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes) (image 2).

Ostriches are the heaviest and largest living birds, and thus the largest living dinosaurs, with adult Common Ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 156.8 kilograms (140-346 lbs), with the larger males standing 2.1 - 2.75 m (6 ft 11 in - 9 ft) tall. They are flightless, instead relying on their strong legs to swiftly flee from danger. They are didactyl, having just two toes on each foot (most birds have four), with the nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof. The outer toe has no nail. This adaptation appears to aid in running. Their wings are mainly used for display, and also contain two vestigial claws. Ostriches have primitive feathers, lacking the hooks that lock flight feathers together, which serve as insulation and give them a soft and fluffy appearance. They are omnivores, with a diet consisting mainly of plant matter, though they will also eat invertebrates and small reptiles. They are diurnal, but may be active on moonlit nights.

Ostriches are sexually dimorphic, with males having mostly black feathers, with white primaries and a white or buff tail (images 1 and 2). Females and young males are grayish-brown and white (see gif below). Ostriches normally spend the winter months in pairs or alone, but during breeding season and sometimes during extreme droughts they will form nomadic groups of 5 to 100 birds (led by a dominant female) that often travel together with other grazing animals, such as zebras or antelopes. With their acute eyesight and hearing, ostriches assist these mixed herds by keeping watch for predators. Their mating process differs in different geographical regions, and between species. Territorial males typically boom (by inflating their neck) in defense of their territory and harem of two to seven females. Males perform an elaborate mating dance with their wings, synchronizing behavior with the female, until the two dance together. A successful male may then mate with several females in the area, but will only form a pair bond with a dominant female. A communal nest is scraped in the ground by the male. The dominant female lays her eggs first; when it is time to cover them for incubation, she discards many of the extra eggs from the other females, leaving about 20 in most cases. The eggs are incubated by the females by day and by the males by night. The drab female blends in with the sand, while the black male is nearly undetectable in the night. The incubation period is 35 to 45 days. New chicks are fawn in color, with dark brown spots. They will be cared for by both their mother and father, with the father protecting the hatchlings and teaching them to feed. After three months the hatchlings start to gain their juvenile plumage, which is steadily replaced by adult-like plumage during their second year. They become sexually mature when they are 2 to 4 years old.

Struthioniformes was once a more diverse group, arriving in the Eocene around 40 million years ago, and were widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. Modern ostriches, of the genus Struthio, would not appear in Africa until the early Miocene, around 21 million years ago.

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Round 3 - Reptilia - Crocodylia

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Crocodylia, commonly known as “crocodilians”, is our first order of archosaurs. Only three families remain: Alligatoridae (“alligators” and “caimans”), Gavialidae (the “Gharial” and “False Gharial”), and Crocodylidae (“crocodiles”).

Living crocodilians have flat heads with long snouts and flattened tails, with their eyes, ears, and nostrils at the top of the head. Alligatorids tend to have broader U-shaped jaws that, when closed, show only the upper teeth, whereas Crocodylids usually have narrower V-shaped jaws with both rows of teeth visible when closed. Gavialids have extremely slender, elongated jaws. Crocodilian teeth are conical and peg-like, and they have a powerful bite. All crocodilians are semi-aquatic, moving on land either by crawling in a sprawling position or walking in a "high walk" position, traveling with their legs erect. They have thick skin covered in non-overlapping scales and an armored back consisting of scutes. Like birds, their closest living relatives, crocodilians have a four-chambered heart and lungs with unidirectional airflow. Unlike birds, they are ectothermic (“cold-blooded”). They have a largely carnivorous diet, with some species being more specialized while others are more generalized. Crocodilians are found mainly in warm and tropical areas of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, usually occupying freshwater habitats, though some can live in saltwater environments and even swim out to sea.

Crocodilians are generally solitary and territorial, though they sometimes hunt in groups, and can be occasionally social during droughts when water is scarce. Breeding habits usually involve a dominant male patrolling a territory containing multiple females, monopolizing the breeding scene during mating season. Monogamous pairings of American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) (image 1) have been recorded. Depending on the species, female crocodilians may construct either holes or mounds as nests. Different females may nest close together for protection, as one female is usually on guard. Clutches may contain between ten and fifty hard-shelled eggs. The sex of the developing young is temperature dependant; constant nest temperatures above 32 °C (90 °F) produce more males, while those below 31 °C (88 °F) produce more females. All of the hatchlings in a clutch usually leave the nest on the same night, and will call out to their mother for assistance. Their mother helps excavate the hatchlings from the nest and, in some species, carries them to water in her mouth. Young crocodilians gather together and follow their mother. Depending on species, juveniles may become independent between a few months to two years.

Just as birds are the last surviving members of the Dinosauria clade, crocodilians are the last surviving members of the Pseudosuchia clade, which split from other archosaurs in the Early Triassic. However, the order Crocodylia did not evolve until the Late Cretaceous.

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Round 3 - Reptilia - Testudines

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Testudines, commonly known as “turtles”, are a unique order of reptiles. They are divided into two major clades: Pleurodira (“side-necked turtles”) and Cryptodira (“hidden-neck turtles”), which differ in the way their head retracts. The are composed of the living families Chelidae (Austro-South American side-neck turtles), Pelomedusidae (African side-necked turtles), Podocnemididae (“big-headed turtles” and South American side-necked river turtles), Chelydridae (“snapping turtles”), Dermatemydidae (“Hickatee”), Kinosternidae (“mud turtles” and “musk turtles”), Cheloniidae (“sea turtles”), Dermochelyidae (“Leatherback Sea Turtle”), Platysternidae (“Big-headed Turtle”), Emydidae (“terrapins”), Geoemydidae (Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles), Testudinidae (“tortoises”), Carettochelyidae (“Pig-nosed Turtle”), and Trionychidae (“softshell turtles”).

Turtles are most known for their modified, fused ribs that form an armored carapace. They also have a flattened belly-plate called a plastron. Their shell is mostly bone, covered by keratin scales called scutes. They shed their scutes as they grow, with older scutes peeling off of the newer, larger scutes beneath. As defense, Pleurodirans draw their necks sideways, hiding their head under the overhang of their carapace. Meanwhile, most Cryptodirans can fold their entire neck inside their shell. Box Turtles (genera Cuora and Terrapene) also possess a hinged plastron which allows them to seal themselves tightly within their own skeleton. Due to their streamlined bodies, sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea) cannot retract their head and limbs into their shells for protection. Turtles are found in many environments, on most continents, some islands, and most of the ocean. Some are terrestrial, some are freshwater, and some are marine. Some are herbivores, most are omnivores, and some are pure carnivores.

All turtles lay eggs. They do not form pair-bonds or social groups, and have a wide range of mating behaviors. In terrestrial species, males are often larger than females, and will fight with each other for the right to mate. For most semi-aquatic species, combat happens less often, and males will pursue females. In fully aquatic species, males are often smaller than females and rely on courtship displays to gain mating access. All turtles lay their eggs on land, although some lay eggs near water that rises and falls in level, submerging the eggs and signaling them to hatch. Most turtles create a nest for their eggs, digging a chamber into the ground. Depending on the species, the number of eggs laid varies from one to over 100. Eggs can be hard or soft-shelled. Most mother turtles do not perform parental care other than covering their eggs and immediately leaving, though some species guard their nests for days or weeks. Most species have their sex determined by temperature. In other species, sex is determined genetically. Hatching young turtles break out of the shell using an egg tooth, a sharp projection that exists temporarily on their upper beak. Hatchlings dig themselves out of the nest and find safety in vegetation or water. Most species grow quickly during their early years and slow down when they mature.

Testudines are not closely related to the two major living clades of Reptilia, Lepidosauria and Archosauria, so their exact place on the reptile tree has historically been disputed. The most recent evidence points to them being closer related to archosaurs than to lepidosaurs, but their ancestors are estimated to have split 255 million years ago during the Permian. The oldest known members of the Pleurodira lineage are the Platychelyidae, from the Late Jurassic. The oldest known unambiguous Cryptodire is Sinaspideretes, a close relative of softshell turtles, from the Late Jurassic of China. Turtles began to diversify during the Cretaceous.

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