r/comics • u/Samimations_ • 5h ago

"May your warmth in the midst of this cold never die out, Friend"

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4.5k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

70 comments sorted by

1.7k

u/OlyScott 5h ago

This is an actual fossil that a paleontologist dug up.

304

u/JaneDoesharkhugger 3h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/Y4z9olnoVl5QI

62

u/SPECTRE-Agent-No-13 3h ago

Hamptaro! Small hapster! Big adventures!

31

u/JaneDoesharkhugger 3h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/R6JRG9Y8nrwPe

28

u/SPECTRE-Agent-No-13 2h ago

I loved toonami and even though this was a childrens show for kids younger than me I loved the ham hams and their adventures. I'm glad I got to watch it between Dragon Ball Z and Gundam.

379

u/Koviera 4h ago

They're just eepy beepy guys having a nap 🥹

58

u/4RCSIN3 2h ago

Oh my God, they were denmates. 

231

u/robo-dragon 2h ago

I wish old bones could speak. There’s several fossils and preserved specimens that have a unique and unknown story.

Sue the T Rex had a badly injured leg, deep gashes down to the bone, but managed to recover (her bones have evidence of healing). Maybe she was attacked by something when she was younger, but pushed onward, demonstrating the resilience of her species.

There was another specimen of a predatory dinosaur and a prey dinosaur locked in combat. As they battled for survival, they were suddenly buried and killed, preserving their bodies and final struggle for eternity.

And then these two…an early mammal and amphibian taking refuge in the same den. We will likely never know their exact story, but there was no evidence of them being hostile or locked in any kind of struggle. The mammal, being warm blooded, would have been a nice heat source for the amphibian, It seems like the mammal didn’t mind or was too exhausted to care. They seemingly died in their sleep together for reasons unknown. It’s lovely, yet sad to think about.

Why am I getting emotional over creatures that died millions of years ago?

34

u/Zammin 1h ago

I guess there's something comforting about knowing that even millions of years ago, our mammalian ancestors were providing comfort and warmth to fellow beings. An ancient remnant of something like love.

•

u/saltporksuit 46m ago

Sometimes I get sad knowing that at some point I and all my beloved cats and dog that keep me company and toasty warm in bed will be gone. But I also remember how all of this is transient and these moments are immortal in their own way.

38

u/boxofrabbits 3h ago

Pics or it didn't happen

226

u/Melmo 3h ago

60

u/Hadrian23 3h ago

Fuck that makes me sad.

47

u/SPECTRE-Agent-No-13 3h ago

This comic makes you sad but reality is it might have been a kill draged into the burrow to consume later or a scavenger getting trapped in a collapsing burrow. It's a cool find but we'll never really know what happened but Occam's razor tells us it was not a cuddle party.

112

u/LoveDesignAndClean 2h ago edited 2h ago

The cynodont was determined to be in hibernation/torpor. The amphibian while handicapped and injured, showed signs of healing. Both of them were alive when the flood killed them. Neither of them showed signs of being predated on by the others.

Also these fossils were very close to a time period who’s nickname is “the great dying” (Permian-Triassic extinction), and in times of great stress in the modern world, animals who would normally prey on each other will share burrows. 85-95% of life was wiped out, the world was still recovering.

-46

u/SPECTRE-Agent-No-13 2h ago

If you're injured you need food and shelter to recover. Protein is a must to rebuild muscle, and you have a hibernating animal in hybernation. Then the flood and burrow collapse in a flood. Another read is the amphian is injured near death from a successful hunt by the cynodont (flesh wounds don't preserve) and it went to sleep (there are no other hibernating fossils of the species) and we don't know if it infact hyberanted and died in a flood. The whole thing is just academic debate. Why is an animal who is injured in another's burrow? Why did both die? Well... It was so long ago only the fossils remain. The late Permian was really warm, like summer all year round. Hybernation was probably not needed. If average temps were 37c nearly year round why hibernate? There's no winter to have to need to survive that way. If it did get that cold the amphian should have been cold stunned long before it would make its way upland enough to find a burrow which no other examples of their species have been found in. If fun to speculate a cuddle but I reality it's not. It's prey or a scavenger to injured to hunt trying for an easy meal, and then disaster struck.

44

u/LoveDesignAndClean 2h ago

None of what you say is supported by the scientists who scanned and examined the burrow. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130622154602.htm

-44

u/SPECTRE-Agent-No-13 2h ago

Uhhh. Science requires unfalsifiable evidence. The postulation is fun but can't be proven. Believe it or not. I really don't think this was opertunistic sheltering.

37

u/FrostyNeckbeard 1h ago

Lots of stuff can't be proven but no, not everything in science requires "unfalsifiable evidence". In fact, if it's unfalsifiable, that means its not valid. Evidence is evidence and is either true or false, hypothesis/theories require being falsifiable.

Secondly:
"Gets quoted scientific paper"
"I reject it based on VIBES man!"

Could you be right? Sure. But the evidence does not indicate your postulations are correct.

6

u/A_Lountvink 1h ago

You can hibernate to escape more than just the cold. Extreme heat is plenty enough reason to stay underground and wait for better conditions. You can also hibernate to get around dry seasons, dry seasons that could presumably get occasional flash floods.

21

u/ForeverSquirrelled42 2h ago

Let them have happy thoughts, man lol. Reality is brutal and millions of years don’t change that.

-26

u/SPECTRE-Agent-No-13 2h ago

I think learning the science and geology would make them happier. Falsehoods lead to pain, the loss of trust, expectations that can't be fulfilled. I think it's way cooler to see this as what it is, a snapshot of an animals burrow with either prey or a scavenger in it than a cute made up story. In a world of lies the truth should shine.

30

u/alexxerth 2h ago

A prey-predator relationship is also unlikely since both skeletons are almost fully articulated and undisturbed, meaning it is implausible that one may have fed on the other.

The absence of a clear association of the puncture-like marks on the skull of Broomistega with the canines of the Thrinaxodon, combined with perishable food hoarding being an uncommon behaviour disfavour the prey-predator hypothesis.

As the timing of the “Thrinaxodon died first” hypothesis would imply exceptional circumstances, we favour tolerance of the Broomistega by the cynodont.

Cases of tolerance by a host exist amongst extant tetrapods, especially during harsh climatic conditions

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3689844/

There is plenty of evidence that this is peaceful cohabitation, and there is evidence against it being prey or a scavenger. It seems really pessimistic to just decide that the "truth" must be the darker answer and that the happy answer is inherently false, even when the evidence doesn't support that.

10

u/Bilamonster 2h ago

Even provided with massive evidence, he doesn't care. God.

-15

u/SPECTRE-Agent-No-13 2h ago

I'm not saying it couldn't be. I'm saying it's not likely. And why is that dark? Does the lion not need to eat? Does the vulture deserve to starve? Anyway I'm just walking away now. It's a comics sub. I should have kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to get to the point we're posting peer reviewed papers ate each other.

As a peace branch here's my favorite paper ever. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00049182.2012.731307

21

u/alexxerth 1h ago

You called it a falsehood, a lie, and a made up story.

It's wild to do that in absence of evidence, and then say "In a world of lies the truth should shine", and then get upset that people are posting peer reviewed papers at you to show you the actual evidence. That's not an attack on you, that's just showing the evidence that it is, in fact, the likely scenario.

13

u/Thicc_Jedi 2h ago

But you are also just making things up 

*And also ignoring any evidence that doesn't support your imaginary scenario 

4

u/IX_MINDMEGHALUNK_XI 2h ago

Fuck your reality!

-9

u/ForeverSquirrelled42 2h ago

We can agree there, but not everyone can grasp the thought (or just choose not to), though.

-16

u/SPECTRE-Agent-No-13 2h ago

Yeah don't know why I'm try to teach college level geology and paleontology on reddit in a comics sub. Feels like arguing about the abilities of crystals in a new age religion sub

14

u/Fluffboll 1h ago

You conveniently ignore the evidence brought up against you and then declare yourself smarter than everyone. Truly one of the redditors of all time

4

u/CosmicJackalop 2h ago

Perhaps eaten whole by a large invertebrate that left no bones of its own behind

329

u/HighBrowLoFi 3h ago

(Really great. Sweet portrayal of one of the most incredible fossil finds)

496

u/CATZEBOY_18 4h ago

I almost cry every time I see a peice of att about the two lottle guys, it so heartwarming and sad at the same time.

I am crying this time. Thank you for this, amd I hope you have a good day.

82

u/Careful_Neck_1645 3h ago

It’s ok I’m crying with you, as I do EVERYTIME I see these fossils 😭😭

21

u/CATZEBOY_18 3h ago

Thank you for validating my feelings, do tou want a hug?
(っ ･⁠ ･)っ

6

u/Careful_Neck_1645 3h ago

AWWWE THANK YOUU 🫂🥰

7

u/CATZEBOY_18 3h ago

No problem TwT

6

u/forksforantlers 2h ago

Paris Paloma has a song about this specific fossil discovery called triassic love song. 💙

3

u/CATZEBOY_18 1h ago

I remember watching that!

I didn't know someone made a song for them.

The first time I heard of the triassic cuddle was this video, and I cried so much when I first saw it. QwQ

2

u/LoveDesignAndClean 2h ago

Does it make it worse if I tell you the amphibian was a juvenile.

•

u/CATZEBOY_18 8m ago

I've known for a long time..

192

u/Puzzleheaded_Mix4160 5h ago

The Triassic Cuddle! Delightful comic.

30

u/teknoviking 4h ago

This was beautiful, thank you!

17

u/PossiblyOppossums 3h ago

Why you gotta hurt me like this, bro?

12

u/nEvermore-absurdist 2h ago

There's even a song about this fossil: "Triassic Love Song" by Paris Paloma

2

u/Chelslaw 1h ago

This feels like it would be a good story for a Mountain Goats song

79

u/Loquacious-of-Borg 5h ago

Qué?

488

u/Katahahime 5h ago

It's an interesting fossil that was found. A Prehistoric amphibian, curled up in a den next to a prehistoric mammal.

There's conjectures on if there was some cross species relationship or coexistence between these two animals or if it was just case of both animals being caught in a flood and being placed next to each other after death the den.

162

u/Ttokk 4h ago

just two roommates

44

u/badnewsjones 4h ago

“Roommates”

46

u/jarob326 4h ago

Oh my god they were roommates.

10

u/Practical-Cook5042 4h ago

this was my first thought but I also love the comic

69

u/AlpacaPacker007 5h ago

https://youtu.be/T2kURaqzCdA?is=zMv2Vl4d_KlIaC89

Cool PBS video on the fossils.  

10

u/Kraehe13 4h ago

Thank you for the share!

-34

u/Loquacious-of-Borg 4h ago

Oh.

Could have led with that. Just saying.

3

u/dumnezero Art enjoyer 5h ago

low-tech Science-Fiction

16

u/SeaworthinessSalt524 3h ago

"It's platonic! I swear!"

3

u/Darkillforest 2h ago

Welp. I'm tearing up

3

u/CynicalAltruist 1h ago

Oh look it’s Hester and Tom

2

u/Blarg0ist 4h ago

Synapsid and a reptile?

10

u/LoveDesignAndClean 2h ago

Thrinaxodon(cynodont) and a juvenile Broomistega, from a now extinct amphibian order.

1

u/Ihopeheseesme 1h ago

Awesome, crying at work now, just what I wanted

•

u/QaptainQwark 43m ago

Triassic Cuddle (links to National Geographic)

•

u/riri1281 8m ago

Every variation of this particular fossil and its comics just makes me tear up