Useful links for COWies

[Fozzybar]

No matter if summer break, lack of inspiration, distraction or amusement, here are some useful links for COWies:

bRØk3n_sPiRiT posted this in the ideas-thread, it's a site about cryptozoology (The scientific study of hidden animals)
http://www.cryptozoology.com/

The creatures-thread of CA. This is the place where members post their creature sketches, images, drawings etc...there are posted images nearly every day:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2215&goto=lastpost

IDM - Industrial Design of the Month is also an activity at ca and it needs more attention:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=74

[Fozzybar]

Feel free to post your own links, which could be interesting for COWies...no cow-porn! :^^:

[brokk]

Wikipedia is a great source for information. Here are some wiki links:

Cthulhu mythos and list of beings (Great Old Ones, Outer Gods,
Non-human species, etc):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_mythos

Chtulhu mythos species and alien species list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cthulhu_mythos_species
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cthulhu_mythos_alien_species

Cryptozoology & cryptids list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptozoologist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cryptids

List of legendary creatures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legendary_creatures

List of species in fantasy fiction:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_species_in_fantasy_fiction

List of fictional species:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_species

http://species.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
**Wikispecies, a sister site of wikipedia. For some entries you get more info from wikipedia than from wikispecies, maybe it has to do with wikispecies being fairly new. But its a really cool data base. The taxonomical search system is pretty cool, you start off at kingdomes (actually superregnum) and then specify the search more and more. Or you can just type in the name of the organism and they show you the taxonomical classification chart. Although wikipedia already does that.

The Dinosauricon, dino-archive:
http://dinosauricon.com/

Dinosaur categories:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category: Dinosaurs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Dinosaurs)

There is a book by Stephen Jay Gould called "Wonderful Life". Its a thought-provoking book on evolution based on the analysis of fossils from Cambrian organisms. In one part of the book, it suggests the possibility that today's known phylums exist basically by accident, since the entire chordate phylum (of which we are members of) could have been easily wiped out in the early Cambrian, since the forefather of all chordates could be a tiny animal called Pikaia gracilens. If this animal had not survived, and if it truly is the ancestor to the chordate phylum, it would mean no vertebrates would have ever evolved*. No dinosaurs, no humans, no cats, no birds, nothing. Instead, what if other cambrian organisms survived and spawned a lineage of species much like chordates did. If that happened, some really weird things would be walking around today. For example this, now these are some weird critters. One of them has five eyes. And you know what the best part is? They existed:
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/shale/popabin.htm
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/shale/pwiwax.htm

http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/shale/pfoslidx.htm
Here is the list of Cambrian organisms. Note that a lot of them have absolutely no descendancy whatsoever in any organism today. A lot of them are unique arthropods, while many are absolutely new phylums (a phylum is the second most importat classification after Kingdom). The list is however incomplete, there are a few Cambrian organisms not listed there (like Sanctacaris, for example. Can't remember any more right now... ugh) Here are some Pikaia gracilens info links:
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/ridley/image_gallery/Pikaia_gracilens.asp
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/shale/ppikaia.htm

*Of course, it cannot be claimed for sure that pikaia is the ancestor to all vertebrates. As mentioned, it is a chordate, the oldest one known to have existed, and chordates do include the sub-group vertebrates. I don't mean to turn this into a discussion, just try to present the issue in case you get Gould's book. Its an entertaining read.

**EDIT: Hmm... wikispecies doesnt show info for any species you enter... just the taxonomical classification. Maybe thats all its supposed to do, or maybe I'm doing something wrong. Either way its still pretty useful, if you need classifications. For info on the species the only one with content is wikipedia, although maybe I'm missing something.

[Fozzybar]

thank you very much br0ken! :^^:

[brokk]

:yayca:
; P
I hope they are entertaining or useful in some way, at least for taking a nap.

[Qitsune]

For the french speakers(readers) more cryptozoo:

http://www.cryptozoo.org/

[brokk]

http://www.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/geo102/cambrian.htm
Here is some stuff regarding enviormental conditions, and how that relates to the design of some life forms, Scroll down to where it says "Cambrian Fossil Record".

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/4/l_034_02.html
Here you can watch a video, its a 3-d recreation of a Cambrian scene.

[guggemmaneuver]

Something from today, 1 december 2005's bbc.
Prehistoric aquatic scorpion fossil found in scotland:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4486830.stm

[JoshuaJames]

We just set up walkthroughs again as an art related wiki. It's doing well so far, need more people to add content too it :]

Walkthroughs (http://www.walkthroughs.nu)

[romance]

Thanks Joshua James. Great tutorial.

[prcrash]

Here's a big list of monsters and whatnot, taken from the d20 system resource document (OGL, basically the Open source of version of D&D)

http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/monsters.htm

It has description as well as common dwellings, etc.

[DRAM]

http://www.hcn.zaq.ne.jp/shishizaru/gallery-shishizaru/gallery/S-design/Sdesign-kamado.html

i wasn't sure where to post this, but the similarities are un-nerving....

anyone remember dougbot's lava-eating creature? find the image for that, and then look at this.

interesting.

[Egets]

tehe http://www.oddworld.com/downloads/wall_assets/OSW04_1024.jpg

"we dont want any trouble heerreeee" ( the local people)

[Fozzybar]

just a note to all COWers:

Here is a HUGE poster of all 1271 entries within the 50 rounds of COW and some interesting facts :)
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=72475

[Sofia Alexandra]

Unexplained Mysteries (http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com) has galleries with cryptids and random weird creatures, as well as an encyclopedia of various interesting stuff.

[twigbag]

http://www.gapingmaws.com/GapingMaws.htm

[Michael Jaecks]

www.venombyte.com is also pretty good. Most of the pics are pretty high quality. Lots of info on vemomous animals who live near you. ;)

[ikuru]

just marking this for further viewing

[peter_john]

this website is a great resource for bird skeletons and anatomy:
http://www.skullsite.com/

If you have flash 5 support you can view turnarounds of most of the skeletons on there. Birds are almost dinosaurs too, so all you dinosaur fans out there should take a look too. Thanks for running this show, Fozzybar. I'm looking forward to taking part in COW 77. Peace!

[longshao]

Here is a good site, though it hasn't been updated for 2 years.
http://www.bowdoin.edu/~dbensen/Spec/Index.html

[Keenir]

Here is a good site, though it hasn't been updated for 2 years.
http://www.bowdoin.edu/~dbensen/Spec/Index.html

if it helps any, we're in the process of updating it. (again)

[jread]

I wasnt sure where to post this so thought here might be best...

I havnt participated in a CoW yet but am sure I will soon as im bored with EoW! but i entered the playstation3 'folklore: design-a-folk' comp that was recently held, and won! :) my entry is being made as downloadable content for the game now. Seeing as its that sorta thing I thought some CoWers may like to see...

http://community.eu.playstation.com/showthread.php?t=167770

[chriskot]

I read about your winning entry on kotaku.com and as soon as I saw it, I though to myself, "that looks like a CoW entry". Congratulations!

Here's one that I like:
http://www.bogleech.com/bio.html
It's a collection of the strangest animals (and some plants) on the planet. They don't all have pictures, but most descriptions are often enough to strike up some good inspiration. Plus, it's really interesting.

[Verithin]

http://www.the930.org/2008/01/09/unusual-animals/

Juried Art exhibit ($10 entry fee per image, $200 first prize) focused on UNUSUAL ANIMALS.

Thought some of you might be interested.

[ikuru]

if u don't like this stuff (http://2photo.ru/2008/05/20/krupnym_planom_fotograf_igor_siwanowicz.html) there's something wrong with u... :P

[Fozzybar]

awesome shit, man, thank you very much!

[zimfin]

if u don't like this stuff (http://2photo.ru/2008/05/20/krupnym_planom_fotograf_igor_siwanowicz.html) there's something wrong with u... :P

Wow, those pics are awesome! Great inspiration. Thanks for the link.

[Aeron]

I have a site that could prove inspiring to any makers of monsters..

www.monsterbrains.blogspot.com

[gheekay]

thank you for sharing your links, i find it so entertaining i browse them before i go to sleep :lounge:

[Pierce9]

http://www.sivatherium.h12.ru/library/Dixon/main_en.htm

After Man theoretical zoology by Dougal Dixon.

http://www.sivatherium.h12.ru/library/Dixon_2/00_en.htm#fore

The New Dinosaurs more theoretical zoology/evolution by Dougal Dixon.

[AestheticMachine]

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html database of domestic birds
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/ Insects
http://butdoesitfloat.com/109832/Morphologically-disturbed Deformed Insects
http://www.weichtiere.at/english/index.html Molluscs
http://www.freewebs.com/worldofsnails/index.htm Snails
http://www.dinosaur-world.com/index.html Dinosaauuuur
http://www.boneclones.com/ Tons of replicas of all kinds of bones and species
http://www.coml.org/ Census of Marine Life

http://www.obakemono.com/ Illustrated database of Japanese mythological beasts

[Pochifux]

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/inside-the-croc-4307/Photos#tab-Overview

Crocodile dissection!