Collection: Past and Present Conquerors [SOLD]

PAST AND PRESENT CONQUERORS [SOLD]

Dinosaurs and sharks have captivated our imaginations when we are children, and they were made popular in feature films such as Jaws and Jurassic World. These unique animals were some of the most successful animals of their times. However, sharks are older than dinosaurs and have survived several mass extinction events, including the one the dinosaurs did not survive: the end-Cretaceous extinction event.

Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus for Kids, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Stegosaurus (“roofed lizard”) is a plated, plant-eating dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period. The individual in the painting is said to be a juvenile because of its body proportions and its size compared to the two-legged dinosaurs, Nanosaurus, nearby. These dinosaurs gather near a pond where small fish are seen.

Velociraptor

Juvenile Velociraptor, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Velociraptor (“fast thief”) lived in Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period. The landscape it lived in primarily consisted of vast deserts, where life was scarce as there was no water. However, some animals have adapted to desert life at the time. The Velociraptor in the painting is said to have been a juvenile for its body proportions. The mammal next to it is Zalambdalestes, an early mammal which shared its habitat with Velociraptor. A dinosaur nest with eggs is located nearby.

Triceratops

Triceratops at volcano, acrylic on canvas, 2020.

Triceratops (“three-horned face”) is a three-horned herbivorous dinosaur which was one of the last dinosaurs to have ever lived. It shared its Late Cretaceous home with predatory dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex, pterosaurs such as Quetzalcoatlus and small mammals. Additionally, flowering plants have been abundant during the Cretaceous period. Volcanic activity is said to have been very intense during the Late Cretaceous, and this phenomenon was thought to have been one of the major causes which contributed to the dinosaurs’ eventual extinction. 

Giganotosaurus

Giganotosaurus, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Giganotosaurus (“giant southern lizard”) is a predatory dinosaur which was larger than Tyrannosaurus rex and lived in the Early Cretaceous of South America. This predatory dinosaur lived alongside giant long-necked sauropods. The pterosaurs flying overhead were Aerotitan, one of the largest South American pterosaurs.

Pteranodon

Pteranodon, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Pteranodon is a pterosaur, which is a group of winged reptiles which are not dinosaurs. In the painting, a Pteranodon flies overhead over an ocean landscape where an Elasmosaurus, a long-necked marine reptile, pokes its head out of the water to breathe. Nearby, a Cretoxyrhina shark swims past, fin visible above water. Reptiles that swam in the sea and soared in the skies alongside the dinosaurs are not dinosaurs but are somehow related to them.

Diplodocus

Diplodocus and baby, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Diplodocus (“double beam”) is a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur that lived in the Late Jurassic Period. The painting depicts an adult and a baby Diplodocus walking together. In the background, the small theropod dinosaur Ornitholestes (“bird robber”) and a pterosaur Dimorphodon can be seen. 

Spinosaurus

Pre-2014 Spinosaurus, acrylic on canvas, 2020

This reconstruction of Spinosaurus makes this dinosaur a dangerous and deadly predator. In the painting, it waits on a riverbank to hunt for fish, while an Onchopristis (a prehistoric sawfish) swims past in the river. The Spinosaurus shared its environment with small pterosaurs and a smaller meat-eating theropod named Rugops.

Suchomimus

Suchomimus in wetland, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Suchomimus (“crocodile mimic”) is a smaller cousin of the Spinosaurus which lived in the same area. These dinosaurs lived in wetlands where there is an abundance of food. And with this abundance of food there were also predators, including the giant crocodile Sarcosuchus and the pterosaur Alanqa, which share the wetlands with Suchomimus.

Troodon

Troodon, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Troodon (“wounding tooth”) is a small theropod dinosaur which lived in the Late Cretaceous period. This agile predator hunted small animals like lizards, mammals and smaller dinosaurs. In the painting, a pair of dragonflies fly above the Troodon. Insects are said to have been the favorite food of small theropod dinosaurs. The Troodon in the painting had a coat of feathers, which is a characteristic of most small theropod dinosaurs of its time. Troodon is in the closest non-avian dinosaur family lineage to modern birds.

Mako Shark

Mako Shark, acrylic on canvas, 2020

There are two types of mako shark (Isurus), longfin (I. paucus) and shortfin (I. oxyrhynchos). The shortfin mako is one of the fastest sharks to have swam the oceans, due to its streamlined, hydrodynamic body shape. In the painting, the mako is paired with a swordfish (Xiphias gladius), another fish thought to be the fastest.

Thresher Shark

Thresher Shark, acrylic on canvas, 2020

The common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) is easily recognized from its elongated tail fin, which is about as long as the rest of its body and might have been used to strike and stun its prey. The painting shows a thresher shark swimming past various species of colorful jellyfish.

Hammerhead Shark

Great Hammerhead, acrylic on canvas, 2020 The great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokkaran) is the largest of the various species of hammerhead shark. This shark is a solitary hunter. The painting pictures it with several unique sea creatures including the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), the leafy sea dragon (Phycodurus equipes) and the stubby squid (Rossia pacifica).

Extra complimentary artwork

Dinosaur Dynasty: Happy Gathering, acrylic on canvas pad, 2020

Dinosaurs come in various shapes and sizes. Altogether, there are five major families of dinosaurs, which are grouped into two major groups: the Saurischia (“lizard-hipped”) and the Ornithischia (“bird-hipped”). The Saurischia includes the Theropods, which consist of the meat-eating dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor and the lineage which leads to modern birds, and the Sauropods, which are long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs including Brachiosaurus. The Ornithischia is a group of plant-eating dinosaurs that consists of three families: the Ornithopods, the Marginocephalians and the Thyreophora. Ornithopods include the two-legged plant-eating dinosaurs. Marginocephalians are known for their unique heads, and the family includes Pachycephalosaurus and Triceratops. The Thyreophora are armored plant-eating dinosaurs and the family contains Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus.