| Speculative biology is simultaneously a science and form of art in which one speculates on the possibilities of life and evolution. What could the world look like if dinosaurs had never gone extinct? What could alien lifeforms look like? What kinds of plants and animals might exist in the far future? These questions and more are tackled by speculative biologists, and the Speculative Evolution welcomes all relevant ideas, inquiries, and world-building projects alike. With a member base comprising users from across the world, our community is the largest and longest-running place of gathering for speculative biologists on the web. While unregistered users are able to browse the forum on a basic level, registering an account provides additional forum access not visible to guests as well as the ability to join in discussions and contribute yourself! Registration is free and instantaneous. Join our community today! |
| Jawless Land Vertebrates; An alternative to vertabrate jaws. | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Jan 24 2009, 07:08 PM (3,828 Views) | |
| Toad of Spades | Jan 24 2009, 07:08 PM Post #1 |
![]()
Clorothod
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
What if some jawless fish adapted to land life and evolved an alternative to jaws? What practical alternatives to jaws can you think of, and if they radiated into niches comparable to our land vertebrates what would be some of the major differences be? |
|
Sorry Link, I don't give credit. Come back when you're a little...MMMMMM...Richer. Bread is an animal and humans are %90 aluminum. | |
![]() |
|
| Replies: | |
|---|---|
| ATEK Azul | Jun 6 2009, 11:12 AM Post #31 |
|
Transhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Yeah although I had forgotten that creature when posting. |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
![]() |
|
| Deleted User | Sep 13 2009, 05:14 PM Post #32 |
|
Deleted User
|
Sorry for bumping this, but I find the idea really interesting. I can imagine a creature with a long, very muscular neck and a mouth similar to that of a lamprey. It feeds by latching onto the animal with it's mouth, digging it's teeth in really deep and then jerking it's neck and wrenching off a piece of flesh (how lovely :D) Since it's mouth probably wouldn't be that useful for actually killing anything, it's would either be a scavenger or have some other kind of weapon. I believe Humboldt Squid hunt this way, but I'm not entirely sure... |
|
|
| colddigger | Sep 13 2009, 05:17 PM Post #33 |
|
Joke's over! Love, Parasky
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
i think humboldt squids just have a mess of sharp objects in their arsenal so, its like that but times a million. that sounds likely, they would probably develop their limbs into weapons for killing, but i'm curious how they would consume plants, unless they relied on insects to convert plant matter into animal matter and just ate that... |
|
Oh Fine. Oh hi you! Why don't you go check out the finery that is SGP?? v Don't click v Spoiler: click to toggle | |
![]() |
|
| Iowanic | Sep 13 2009, 05:30 PM Post #34 |
|
Adult
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
One variation on theme I'm working on for my story: A creature that uses other creatures systems to produce food. I.E; it uses other creatures bodys like 'farm-land'; it creeps up at night; and injects(A needle-like nose/jaw feature) a bacterial mix into another animal. Within the injected critter, the bacteria uses the chow it eats to form a 'soup'-like mix; that builds in the critter/farm blood. The critter that did the injecting in the first place then later returns and draws off a bit of blood/soup chow, at night, of course. I call the critter a blood-weazel. Such a critter might have very little of what we'd consider a digestive tract, since it's basically using other critter's tracts to do the job. |
![]() |
|
| Deleted User | Sep 13 2009, 10:10 PM Post #35 |
|
Deleted User
|
Interesting. I think the real challenge for these jawless vertabrates will be herbivores though. I can imagine them having a mouth which is sort of tube-like with muscles that contract. On the inside, the surface is rough, so when the muscles contract, it breaks down the food, along with some strong enzymes. Dunno how plausible that is, but I can sort of see it... |
|
|
| Iowanic | Sep 13 2009, 11:20 PM Post #36 |
|
Adult
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I must admit: I hadn't given thought to that. Here's a mild twist; Plants on earth have adaptions that allow them to use insects and other animals to their benefit, such as spreading their seed. How might a plant use these jaw-less critters? Would it benefit a plant, to assist in having it's seed easily degestable? Perhaps a shell about the seed the critter only has to swallow(Not chew)? Once in it's tummy it might break down easily enough, providing chow for the critter and when it passes the non-digested seed; the plant benefits. Possible? |
![]() |
|
| colddigger | Sep 13 2009, 11:21 PM Post #37 |
|
Joke's over! Love, Parasky
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
they could develop a radula-like organ what you described is essentially a fruit. Edited by colddigger, Sep 13 2009, 11:22 PM.
|
|
Oh Fine. Oh hi you! Why don't you go check out the finery that is SGP?? v Don't click v Spoiler: click to toggle | |
![]() |
|
| sam999 | Sep 17 2009, 06:14 PM Post #38 |
|
Adult
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Something with a sac of methean from its digestive tract and some kind of way of makeing a spark to light it. The head is shaped like a anteaters with huge nostrels. The methane is lit and exhaled in a jet at the food cooking it. Haveing killed and rosted its meal makeing it easyer to digest it uses a lampray like mouth to eat. |
I am not suffering from insanaty. I truely enjoy being mad.![]() ![]() ![]() Comeon, thy dragons need YOU! Visit them here please... | |
![]() |
|
| Iowanic | Sep 17 2009, 08:27 PM Post #39 |
|
Adult
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
That's a facinating concept. Presumablly; this creature wouldn't live where there's dry brush(Can you say 'grass-fire?) It could be used as a defensive weapon as well. Though overtime, perhaps predators would adapt to using water to counter it. That or fire-resistant armor. |
![]() |
|
| sam999 | Sep 19 2009, 08:18 AM Post #40 |
|
Adult
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
"Grass-fire" |
I am not suffering from insanaty. I truely enjoy being mad.![]() ![]() ![]() Comeon, thy dragons need YOU! Visit them here please... | |
![]() |
|
| Holben | Sep 19 2009, 10:14 AM Post #41 |
![]()
Rumbo a la Victoria
![]()
|
It might be wet grass |
|
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
![]() |
|
| agatharights | Sep 19 2009, 12:26 PM Post #42 |
|
Prime Specimen
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Heh, reminds me of the alien species I currently play in an RP. Designed to have come from a planet where true jaws are very rare, and jawless creatures reign. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/yellowdrakex/sesshounfashun.jpg The idea basically came down to "What if an anteater and a raptor had a baby?" XD But it is a very interesting thing to try and make an entire ecosystem wtih this. Predators with large, rasping tongues and protruding cartilaginous 'grinding plates' with teeth, but no true jaws, herbivores that need cactus-like plant life so they can jam their tongue in there to eat... Just a side note, really. Still, imagine if the rise of the jaw never happened... |
![]() Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts. | |
![]() |
|
| ATEK Azul | Sep 19 2009, 05:35 PM Post #43 |
|
Transhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A world with out jaws entirerly would be quite interesting as the Invertebrates would have none of their jaws. Maybe some thing simular to Spider fangs would evolve acting as dual straws to slurp up animals and inject microbes or venom. |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
![]() |
|
| agatharights | Sep 19 2009, 07:57 PM Post #44 |
|
Prime Specimen
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
It also makes me think of Wayne Barlowe's Expedition, which is a utterly fantastic veiw of alien life. But almost all the carnivores are jawless or liquivorous, so imagine the process needed to take meat and digest it without chewing. It could be shaved off by grinding plates or a razor-edged tongue.... |
![]() Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts. | |
![]() |
|
| lamna | Sep 20 2009, 04:32 AM Post #45 |
![]() ![]()
|
That creature of yours looks pretty interesting. But the whole drinking from cactuses thing raises the question of why plants have not evolved ways to be impossible to drink. Perhaps without a jaw an animal could evolve a trunk like appendage, possibly with "teeth" on it to help slice up food. |
|
Living Fossils Fósseis Vibos: Reserva Natural 34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur. [flash=500,450] Video Magic! [/flash] | |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Alternative Evolution · Next Topic » |
















7:20 PM Jul 10