General Discussion

number one anomalocaris lover [img]https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/2/9-anomalocaris-sebastian-kaulitzkiscience-photo-library.jpg[/img] also my username comes from a misspelling of dakosaurus, while not my fav, still a cool crocodile relative

I don't know if this counts, but BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs/Beasts/Monsters was a big part of my childhood. I rewatched them a while back and I know I'm biased, but I think story wise they held up. Obviously they're probably outdated or outright wrong based on new findings, but it's still a fun nostalgia trip in my opinion

ooh im a big paleoanthropology guy!! Neanderthals are probably my favorite species to research but i also love the weirder members of **** like floriesensis, or the rare species like Gigantopithecus blacki, Sahelanthropus tchadensis, etc. H. sapiens prehistory is also super fun- my gateway to prehistory/paleoanthropology/archaeology was early art history. theres so much super fascinating stuff to think about, like- what can we even study as art? my first art history course began with the makapansgat pebble, literally a rock with chips that look like a face which was possibly a manuport for australopiths, some of our ancestors millions of years ago. those hypothetical australopiths didn't chip the face into that pebble, but they may have recognized the face and subsequently taken the rock with them. to recognize a face on a rock, you need some level of symbolic or abstract thought - what level of cognitive ability does a species need to be able to create art? what about the neanderthals' creations - the patterns they etched onto cave floors, or the necklaces they made from shells and fangs, or the reindeer bones they laid on their loved ones' graves? i think the things they left behind are proof of their humanity, regardless of their species.