Andrewsarchus Addenda
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 13th, 2009
In doing online research on the species Andrewsarchus mongoliensis, I came across the above John Sibbick’s painting ~ referenced and embedded by Wikipedia. According to the Wikipedia caption, the illustration shows the creodont Sarkastodon in the background, waiting for Andrewsarchus to finish feeding on the carcass of a recently deceased Embolotherium. The dead brontothere shown would have been about the size of a modern rhinoceros. A primate can be seen on a tree branch, and an early member of Carnivora, which eventually became the dominant land predators, is seen in the foreground.
The top image is extracted from a larger painting which can be found at Sibbick’s online gallery.
I direct your attention to the depiction of Sibbick’s Sarkastodon, said to be in the background, which has a strange look to it, as if his Sarkastodon is more like a character out of Alice In Wonderland.
Do you see the Cheshire Cat in Sibbick’s imagery?
The “hidden” nature of the Cheshire Cat (here below seen “fading away”) is rather cryptic.
Other illustrative drawings of Sarkastodon, as in these two following examples, show a slightly different creature. I wonder if the animal in the foreground of Siddick’s larger picture is a Sarkastodon?
As to Andrewsarchus, there are different replica representations, of course.
The Bullyland Andrewsarchus (above) is rare.
The Safara, Ltd. Andrewsarchus (above) is the easiest to obtain.
The striped Starlux replica (left) and the Kaiydo Dino Tales Andrewsarchus (right) are often difficult to find.
BTW, Sibbick’s excellent work has been celebrated with a nice honor. The pterosaur Ludodactylus sibbicki (found in the Cato formation of Ceará, Brazil) was named after paleoartist John Sibbick.
Some replica images are from Dinosaur Collector’s Paleocene-Eocene diorama pages.
Thank you!!
- Similar Phenomena:
Loren, perhaps the Cheshire Cat could be labeled as Sarcastodon, in punnish reference to the non fictional beastie? Oh, and I have one of the Safara, ltd. Andrewsarchus models.
So the Sarkastodon was basically a bear with a long tail?
I wonder if there are any still around?
That first Andrewsarchus model looks a bit like the Wiley Coyote of Roadrunner fame…
I am struck by the similarities between Andrewsarchus and the Fenris wolf of Norse myth. Both are huge predators with bonecrushing jaws, Fenris credited with biting off Tyr’s hand. Even the artwork on the Wikipedia entry for Fenrir bears semblance to the Andrewsarchus depictions.
Hmmm… myth or ancient cryptid encounter?
You know, if there were creatures like Andrewsarchus still in existence, I would not want to run into one of those things – Andrewsarchus had very powerful jaws, capable of tearing through the shell of a sea turtle, and it was also a good runner, thanks in part to its hooves.