Ask Pangaea

[Pangaea]

I'm very glad to receive more questions, Saft. Thank you!

Do you have shortened variants of your username? Like nicknames?

I used to think that it wasn't possible to come up with a decent “nicknamey” abbreviation of “Pangaea”…until babidikrakenguard started calling me “Pangy” (She tells me it's pronounced “Pan-jee”).

How is the Sasquatch?

He's doing okay at the moment. (Did you hear about the recent incident when he went missing for a few days?) He got out of the house earlier this evening; I dropped what I was doing and went outside with a bag of kitty treats to bring him back in. It was dark out, and when Sasquatch ran onto a section of the road that was in the shadow of some trees and not illuminated by any streetlights, all I could see of him was an occasional dim glimpse of the light brownish patch of fur under his chin and throat; I practically had to find him by touch. It didn't help that he kept alternately approaching me to get the treats and darting farther away (I think he may have been following another animal like a deer or rabbit, because I heard something else moving around on the side of the road). Eventually, I dropped some treats on the ground for him, he stood still long enough for me to discern where he was, and I made a successful lunge for him, just barely grabbing ahold of his belly with one hand. He didn't have time to eat any of the kitty treats, and I couldn't find them on the ground in the dark (especially while holding Sasquatch), so after I brought him in I gave him three replacement treats, which he eagerly devoured.

Starting next Friday, my family and I are going to be leaving town for a week; we'll be leaving Sasquatch in a kennel where we're promised he'll be given plenty of attention and playtime (we got a tour of it last night); he'll have a lot less freedom, though. We'll be leaving his Grinch and maybe a couple of his other toys with him, in the hopes of making him more comfortable. This is the first time we've left Sasquatch alone for this long, and we're hoping that he'll be okay. :unsure:

Does he ever puff himself up when he sees the vaccum cleaner?

I don't know…the only time I remember seeing Sasquatch react to a vacuum cleaner was this summer, when my dad turned it on in front of him. His reaction was to scramble, leap, and run into the next room as fast as possible. Unfortunately, I was holding him at the time, and was left with a number of scratches on my chest, collar, and shoulder (Evidently a turtleneck shirt doesn't make for adequate kitty-proof armor ). He may have arched his back a little, but I can't remember if he puffed up. He's such a fluffy cat already that it might be hard to tell.

[Caustizer]

Do you ever get sick of being asked so many questions?

[Pangaea]

No, nah, uh-uh, negative, nope nope nope, and soitenly not!

I love questions. I don't know why. I guess I just enjoy telling people stuff. I seriously doubt I'll ever get tired of answering them.

[Redtooth101]

Which of the three to you like best?
1. Tyrannosaurus Rex
2. Giganotosaurus
3. Spinosaurus Eqgypticus

Forgive any spelling mistakes.

[Pangaea]

It's really hard to say. I like all three of them, in different ways. I suppose I have a sort of emotional attachment to Tyrannosaurus rex; when I first became interested in dinosaurs, it was definitely my favorite (in no small part due to Sharptooth).

When I first heard about Giganotosaurus carolinii, I was enthralled by the idea of a predatory dinosaur bigger than T. rex, and for a long time I liked it much better. (For some reason I always found Giganotosaurus more interesting than Carcharodontosaurus saharicus. )

I don't exactly remember when or why I became crazy about Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, but it might have been when I bought a bookóA Field Guide to Dinosaurs: The Essential Handbook for Travelers in the Mesozoicóillustrated by one of my favorite paleo-artists, Luis V. Rey, who depicted it as looking something like a brightly colored cross between a sail-backed dragon and a giant pelican. It just looked so cool to me that it outstripped both Giganotosaurus and T. rex in personal favoritism.

I suppose I would say that I like Spinosaurus the most by a tiny margin, only because it’s more unusual than the other two. And I have a nostalgic fondness for T. rex that places it slightly above Giganotosaurus (helped by the fact that the latter is no longer so special, due to several related dinosaurs of similar size and appearance being discovered). But it’s extremely close. All three are rather fascinating dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus’s bite force and sense of smell were among the highest of any dinosaur; there is evidence that Giganotosaurus hunted in packs to take down sauropods; Spinosaurus had sensory pits in its snout that it could have used to detect movement of prey while submerged up to its nostrils (which were located almost midway between the tip of its nose and its eyes) in water.

[Redtooth101]

Ah yes someone else who likes Spinosaurus  
It's my favorite of the 3 for just about the same reasons. I like all it's traits, the long snout, the sail on its back and the idea of a therapod that hunted on land like any other and in water maybe like a crocodilian.
Just for the sake of saying my 2nd and 3rd favorite dinosaurs or Carcharodontosaurus and Baryonyx respectively.

[Saft]

-Are you planning on getting Sasquatch a Christmas present?
-If so, then what are you planning on getting him?


(Oh, by the way, don't worry too much about leaving or having left Sasquatch at the Kennel.  They are always generally looked after and whilst it may be very strange for them (and you of course ), they do generally adapt and begin to enjoy it, then they don't want to go home afterwards.)

[Pangaea]

Sorry for the delayed response.

Sasquatch will definitely be getting something for Christmas, but I'm not sure what it'll be. Being a cat, he's paradoxcially easy to please and hard to buy for; chances are we'll buy him a special toy, and he'll be more interested in playing with the crumpled wrapping paper. Last year his favorite present was the stuffed toy Grinch, which wasn't even meant for him (Fortunately the gift's intended recipient was more than happy to let Sasquatch have it ). It's hard to go wrong with catnip; maybe a flexible stick with a big feather on the end (Our old cat, Softkitty, had one of those, and loved it). Or perhaps we should just buy him a bag of kitty treats, give him a few, and let him play with the wrapping.

Thanks, Saft, not just for the question but for trying to allay my concerns about leaving Sasquatch in the kennel. Here's hoping you're right about him enjoying it.

[Saft]

Well, I really hope that Sasquatch is okay in the kennel.  It's always hard to leave them when you have to go away.

You know, I didn't realise that you drew until I read that you had made your own avatar and the birthday gifts that you've made people.  So my question is, and I apologise if it's been mentioned before, you've got too many pages on your thread now , but what age did you learn to draw?  Did it come naturally to you or did you learn through art classes at school?  Do you have a favourite media that you like to use? (1)  

(1) Just in case, I mean media as art tools like Traditional pencil art and Digital art like a pen thing..which I can't remember the name for it....

[Cancerian Tiger]

Where can those colored pencils mentioned in your post in my fanart thread be found?  I use Crayola brand colored pencils, and as much as I try to avoid the lines colored pencils leave, they still manage to do that .

[Pangaea]

Gack! I'm so sorry for not responding! Somehow I didn't notice that I had new questions!

Well, I really hope that Sasquatch is okay in the kennel. It's always hard to leave them when you have to go away.

You know, I didn't realise that you drew until I read that you had made your own avatar and the birthday gifts that you've made people. So my question is, and I apologise if it's been mentioned before, you've got too many pages on your thread now , but what age did you learn to draw? Did it come naturally to you or did you learn through art classes at school? Do you have a favourite media that you like to use? (1)

(1) Just in case, I mean media as art tools like Traditional pencil art and Digital art like a pen thing..which I can't remember the name for it....

First, in case you didn't see me mention it elsewhere, Sasquatch apparently did quite well in the kennel while we were gone, and didn't seem any worse for wear when we brought him home. With the exception of not being able to go outside due to it being winter, he has returned to his familiar lifestyle at the house without a hitch, and is apparently the same as ever.

I don't know the exact age I was, but I know I was drawing when I was in preschool, and possibly even before then. We still have a picture of an an alligator and a crocodile that I drew back then (I saw it several months to a few years ago, but don't know where it is now). Even at that age, I was keen on scientific accuracy; I drew the crocodile with the distinctive lower tooth that remains visible when it shuts its mouth (in alligators, only the upper teeth protrude when the jaws are closed).

My first medium, as I recall, was crayons; I later moved on to markers, and then pencils (I like them because, if you make a mistake while drawing or coloring, it can be erased ). For several years I also made pictures on the computer on a program called ClarisWorks, which has been discontinued now (hence I no longer use it). Today I do almost all of my drawing with pencil and colored pencil, and recently I've started scanning my pictures to the computer and cleaning them up using Photoshop. I'd also like to learn to use a drawing tablet, though I don't see the chances of that happening anytime soon to be very good.

Where can those colored pencils mentioned in your post in my fanart thread be found? I use Crayola brand colored pencils, and as much as I try to avoid the lines colored pencils leave, they still manage to do that .

I bought all of the Prismacolor Premier colored pencils I currently own at Michael's (an arts and crafts store, in case you're not familiar with it). I have a set of 36 pencils, and about 30 additional ones that I purchased individually. However, the set cost something like $45, and the other pencils were about $2 apiece (though I did make use of coupons). I'm still interested in getting more colors (though I've been procrastinating in doing so), and the next time I buy them, it will probably be from one of the two Websites below, both of which sell them for much less:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/prismaco...olored-pencils/

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discount-art...red-Pencils.htm

I've also seen the sets (containing 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 120, and 132 different pencils, respectively) for sale on Amazon.com.

P.S. I use Crayola pencils to some extent, too (mainly to provide additional colors to my palette); before I discovered Prismacolor, they were the kind I most often used. I also have some RoseArt pencils, but personally I find them to be poorer for coloring than either of the other two brands. I'd definitely say that Prismacolor Premier is superior to both.

[Nick22]

are you planning to see any movies this holiday season?

[Pangaea]

I'll probably go to see Tangled a second time (saw it on Friday), and maybe The Chronicles of Narnia.

[Caustizer]

Do you think Star survives until the end of Far Away Home?

[Pangaea]

Well, if Cloud is Sky and Star's son, I'd think that she'd have to (unless she lays the egg before the end of the story, which I'm doubtful she has had or will have time for). However, the fact that you are asking this is making me suspicious…

(For the record, I hope she does survive.)

[Caustizer]

Remember that Star forgets to tell Sky about 'the egg', implying that it may have already been laid.

[Pangaea]

^ My suspicions that she will die have sadly increased.

[Cancerian Tiger]

I'm not sure if I've asked this before.  How does Sasquatch react to snow ?

[Pangaea]

First off, thank you, thank you, thank you for the question! I could really use some questions right now; they both make me feel cheerier and oil the gears of my brain by forcing me to think.

I haven't spent a lot of time watching Sasquatch when he's outside in the snow (we try to keep him inside usually), but he doesn't seem to take much interest in it. I do know that he walks through it sometimes, because there have been occasions when we let him out the front door and he shows up at the back door, not to mention the footprints he leaves. Despite his insulating fluffiness, he rarely spends more than a few minutes outside at a time; I think he doesn't like the cold.

There was one occasion earlier this winter when I saw Sasquatch in the middle of the front yard, standing in deep snow that probably reached at least up to his belly. It was hard for him to walk normally in it, so he made these hilarious-looking leaps through the snow up to the front porch, leaving a series of bizarre asymmetrical imprints in the snow where all of his legs (and probably his body as well) impacted it at once. I think I may have seen him make one or two of these; then I looked away for a moment, and when I turned back, he was already on the porch, having left a perfectly straight trail of those funny-looking imprints over a distance of several feet. Even in the snow he's pretty fast. :!

[Dima02]

In the globe on the upper-left, what is the name of the modern-day North American continent. The globe is from the early Cretaceous period. Thanks.