What sort of qualities might a tortoise-like animal the size of an argentinosaurus need to support its own body?
I am wondering what kind of physical qualities (E.g. Short, thick pillar-like legs) a creature such as this would need to support such an incredible size. The world that it evolves on in almost identical to earth in all respects save for the surface, which is covered in mostly thick, giant, interlocking trees. The shell must be as it is in the image as it is an important plot device.
A reference to the creature in question, or at least a poor representation of it, is shown below.
This image is poorly edited and does not represent proper anatomical proportions. Namely, the legs, which should be much thicker and stockier. As well as the head and neck vertebrae.
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/146129. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1 answer
There are two good ways to have animals become larger.
The first, is cooler temperatures. Animals tend to become bulkier with shorter limbs in order to conserve body heat, see: Bergmann & Allen's Rules. Bear in mind that cold-blooded organisms like tortoises may not be able to survive in colder conditions.
The second option, is higher concentrations of oxygen in the atmosphere. This is believed to have contributed to the evolution of very large arthropods early in the phanerozoic, as well as the appearance of larger mammals in the Cenozoic.
0 comment threads
0 comment threads