Dinosaurs of the Deep

If you know me, you know that I love dinosaurs.  I love them.  They’re endlessly fascinating.  And while the earth-roaming giants are highlights of museums everywhere, the sea-lurking variety is often missing.  No longer!  For a limited time, Adventure Aquarium has a whole display of Dinosaurs of the Deep, with 20 life-sized replicas, ancient fossils, hands-on activities, a 4-D film… and did I mention 20 life-sized replicas?!

The Elasmosaurus is pretty much what we think of when we think of aquatic dinosaurs, like an Apatosaurus of the sea.  It was 46 feet in length and weighed in at over 2.2 tons, making it among the largest plesiosaurs. The weight of its long neck placed the center of gravity behind the front flippers, thus Elasmosaurus could only have raised its head and neck above the water if in shallow water, where it could rest its body on the bottom.  (This makes it an unlikely candidate for the Loch Ness Monster, since the loch is over 400 feet deep.)

The Clear Cut has a long, slender heel (that’s 5.5 inches, people), just like the neck of the Elasmosaurus.  And the shape of the faux suede straps is a little reminiscent of the shape of it as it swims through the water, isn’t it?  Also available in black and a very nice taupe; your choice for $23 from Forever 21.

The Liopleurodon isn’t messing around.  Liopleurodon was the apex predator of the Jurassic seas. Rigid fins, along with large heart and lungs, allowed it to produce sudden bursts of speed when hunting. An ambush hunter, it would use its powerful jaw muscles to drive four-inch teeth into its prey.  Ouch.

The Allison by Sam Edelman is spikes all over, like the teeth of the Liopleurodon.  I also kind of love how the cutouts on the leather upper mimic the stripes and shadows on the Liopleurodon.  You gotta admit, it’s one dangerous looking shoe.  The heel is five inches (just one inch more than a Liopleurodon tooth), and a zipper up the back lets you in.  Also available in nude and a metallic/nude combo; your choice for $250 from Zappos.

What?  What.  Go home, evolution; you’re drunk.  The Dunkleosteus (or what I’ll call the Dunkle, cuz it’s hilarious) is a genus of prehistoric fish that existed during the Late Devonian period, about 380–360 million years ago. Because of its heavy armor, the Dunkle was likely a relatively slow, yet powerful swimmer roughly 33 feet long. One of the earliest jawed fishes, ol’ Dunkie here had two long, bony blades instead of teeth.

Blocky, yet streamlined.  A gaping maw in front .  The Ovid by Tsubo looks more than a little like Dunks, doesn’t it?  It has a leather lining and upper, a latex foam footbed for comfiness, and a 2.5-inch wedge with one-inch platform under the peep-toe.  Also available in beige; your choice for $115 from 6pm.

So head over to Adventure Aquarium and see them before they swim away!