Stegodolphins

Terrestrial dolphin-derived Atlantean GMO stegosaur analogs. The "plates" are either dorsal fins or nonfunctional flippers/ailerons depending on species, as are the lateral shoulder display flanges on C and D. The "Thagomizer" is composed of reduced and duplicated tail flukes, regarding which I had an intriguing discussion with Ben Poulsen:

Ben:  I like how the tail flukes droop, like an orca's out of water!

Tapir:  Thanks! Yeah, I struggled with how to make them look sufficiently "spike-like."

Ben:  Hence the line bifurcates into spike-fins and floppy-fins! Behold, the two legs of the trousers of causality!

Tapir:  QUANTUM DINO DEFENSES ACTIVATE!! Wouldn't that be cool if the same appendage or organ could be both defensive and propulsive, for example, due to a biological state of quantum indeterminacy? The anatomical wave function doesn't collapse one way or the other until the animal actually needs to use it for something. Schrodinger's Thagomizer! Very Parallel Botany. : p

Ben:  Maybe an adrenal response stiffens the flippers! I dunno, I guess ... biology & reasons & stuff!

Tapir:  ADRENAL RESPONSES ALWAYS STIFFEN MY FLIPPERS, BROTHARIO

My favorite, "E," is a kentrosortof/miraguy--it's duplicated tail flukes from the hips back with that one.

I picture these guys suffering a rocky metabolic transition to a fully vegetarian diet, considering their hypercarnivorous base stock. I'm thinking they supplement their browsing with a lot of high-protein seeds and nuts, and that they wade into tide pools on a regular basis to feed on shellfish.

Possible relative, ancestor, or "early model" of

pristichampsus.deviantart.com/…
and/or
thomastapir.deviantart.com/art…

Will Scrap soon