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| Biology of a Fantasy Earth; Mammals and dinosaurs together? | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 22 2009, 07:17 PM (6,099 Views) | |
| Black_Panther | Jul 22 2009, 07:17 PM Post #1 |
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Adolescent
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Hi, people. As some of you may know (specially the ones who have seen my DA) i'm working in a fantasy world. So, in a way similar to that of 'The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island' or whatever that's called; i would like to bring some 'realism' into the project, while still keeping some of the fantasy aspects. As a brief thing, i shall describe a few aspects of this world, that i want to focus on, to add a few realism to this thing: -The K-T event didn't happened. So, as you may take account; dinosaurs are still around...but, during the last million years of the cretaceous, a disease swept through all the globe, killing dinosaurs except in the Americas. -Surviving dinosaurs include dromaeosaurs, oviraptors, abelisaurs and only a surviving tyrannosaur species, the Nanotyrannus (i know it's probably a real dinosaur species; but, again, i'm sticking into the fantasy stuff), while herbivores include pachycephalosaurs, the Magyarosaurus, smaller hadrosaurs, small ceratopsians and a few ankylosaurs. -Yes, Pterosaurs and mosasaurs are still around. Now, the fantasy, inaccurate stuff that i hope some of you might find interesting: -Marsupials manage to evolve, due to full extinction of dinosaurs in Australia. -Mammals DO evolve; although, creatures like elephants, primates (with the exception of carnivore, baboon-like forms adapted to trees and a small species of lemurians that eventually evolve into humanoid creatures), horses, bears, elk, goats, cows, whales, rhinos and hippopotami never evolve. -Creodonts are present, although, they're restricted to a small, wolverine-like species inhabiting islands in the sub-artic North America. -Pigs are diverse, from analogues to warthogs and razorback pigs, to beasts similar to hippopotami and rhinoceros. Also, a family of carnivore pigs inhabit eastern Europe and the Balkans: the Gorgonidae. -Deer are present in a variety of forms, most of them inhabiting the northern hemisphere; while stocky, jungle dwelling species live in the depths of african rainforests. Gazelle-like forms inhabit the savannah. -Felines are present in Eastern Asia and the Americas, filling the niches of extinct, larger predators. Felines range from arboreal species, to panther-like creatures as big as a Smilodon. -Monitor lizards in africa gave rise to a family of lion-like reptilians: Manticores. -Mustelids are way more diverse than Real world. From analogues of ferrets and martens, to bear-like species. -South America is home to gigantic teratorns. -Tropical coasts are inhabited by fully marine birds and penguin-like descendants of Hesperornis. -Flightless, moa-sized birds are common in the Southern hemisphere; along with predatorial, flightless herons. -Pinnipeds are present with a large variety of species; from seals similar to those in Real earth, to big, fully marine creatures filling the niches of antartic whales and dolphins. And finally, civilization manages to appear due to some magical mumbo jumbo that i won't discuss, because it's totally fantastic and doesn't have anything to do with evolution. So, what do you think? Should i fully describe this bizarre and impossible world? |
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http://spidervenom022.deviantart.com Go in there for some odd stuff that could make you puke, and ask for some free sketches.
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| Black_Panther | Jun 2 2010, 11:34 AM Post #61 |
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Adolescent
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Actually, i'm trying to create an omnivorous species, feeding on both fish and insects, and also on fruits and acorns...though i don't know how. xD And, the largest of the species (the Great Amphisbena) grows to a size between 6 to 7 feet tall; while most of the species are smaller, adapted to live in the rainforests of New Guinea. Wyverns... Well, smaller species occur in Africa and forests all over Europe, and they don't have powered flight, all of them are gliders that live in forests or mountain ranges, filling niches from small insectivores and bat-like species, to the largest, hypercarnivorous ones that live in European mountains and feed on pretty much whatever they can kill by swooping down and impaling prey on their claws (nice take on the dromaeosaurian "hook" claw). And, while the largest Wyvern sacrifices feathers for a thicker, protective skin, most of the species still retain feathers, some of them looking like a bizarre mix between bats, lizards and birds. |
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http://spidervenom022.deviantart.com Go in there for some odd stuff that could make you puke, and ask for some free sketches.
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| spartan | Jun 2 2010, 06:33 PM Post #62 |
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DoomSlayer Wanderer
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Hey Panther! One day we need to talk about the relation between fauna of Dracoverse and Tartarus. Remember the origins of pachys-dragons. |
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Noah Files in Mu Remember this kidos!: Computers have feelings and feel pain whenever you are using one. The moon doesn't exist. It's a two-dimensional disk hiding alien donut. Western society a sham propped up by an elite cabal of the super rich. And buy Salami! | |
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| Black_Panther | Jun 9 2010, 10:12 PM Post #63 |
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Adolescent
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Hey, pal. Yeah, we need to talk about that. Anyway, i'm currently working on the description for the largest mammalian group: Ruminantia. While Muntjacs and smaller deer actually do exist in the Dracoverse, most of the Pecora infraorder doesn't. The Dracoverse doesn't have giraffes, cattle, goats, antelopes or sheep; instead, it is home to a large group called 'Xenocervidae'. Xenocervids consist of: -Suicervinae (Pigdeer): Small, muntjac-like nocturnal herbivores that live in Southeastern Asia and Papua New Guinea. Due to competition with more specialized marsupials (Pigdeer arrived from mainland Asia at the end of the Ice Age via vegetation rafts), Pigdeer had remained small, becoming nocturnal creatures to avoid competition with diurnal marsupials such as kangaroos, and the large, flightless birds that inhabit the island. -Hippomorpha (Horselopes): Larger, non-horned and horse-like inhabitants of the Indian Subcontinent. -Taurocephalians (Bull Antelopes): an almost extinct group of heavyset herbivores that live throughout Eurasia, resembling mixes of auroch, wildebeests and buffaloes. Taurocephalians live in colder areas, places where most of the dinosaurian fauna of Europe and Asia (Rodeleros, Pachycephalosaurs) is simply absent due to the regions being colder and snowy (Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, Russia, Siberia). -Shadhavarinae (Shadhavars, Indian Unicorns): Antelope-like inhabitants of the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East. Most forms are similar in build to pronghorns, while the Ackbar's Shadhavar is a large creature that resemble a giant Eland, albeit with a single horn, giving it a bizarre appearance. -Unicorninae (European Unicorns): This world's equivalent of Impalas and Gazelles. Present all over Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Unicorns have remained small, largest species being the size of a donkey (the Great British Unicorn). -Uralocaprinae (Rock Climbers): Goat-like inhabitants of the Urals. Commonly killed by large predators such as Wyverns and dire wolves. --- Regarding pterosaurs... Pterosaurs are relics that only live in the darkest rainforests and islands from the southern hemisphere. The largest species (known as Ropens) live all over the Southeastern Island, becoming top predators that fill niches similar to those of teratorns or the Haast's Eagle. Ropens are large animals reminiscent of Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopteryx, flying through the islands and hunting anything in their path, from fish and marine animals, to marsupials and deer-sized mammals. Over the islands, flightless forms such as the Great Amphisbaena have evolved, becoming analogues of storks and herons; and running through the open grasslands, beaches and shores all over New Guinea. A supposed creature known as the Duah is sometimes reported, though no specimen has been caught. The Duah is supposed to be small, probably 4-feet tall; omnivorous and the only flightless pterosaur that lives in the thick rainforests of the island. Indonesia has a small, nocturnal variety known as the Ahool. The Ahools are small by pterosaur standards, a bizarre case of dwarfing in the Indonesian islands. This species are oportunistic predators, feeding on rodents, insects, lizards, small mammalians and birds; so they can be called "pterosaurian owls". Africa has a few species, mostly liiving in Madagascar and the deep rainforests of the Congo. Most notable species include the Popobawa (a hypercarnivorous, condor-sized, nocturnal predator living in Madagascar, known for being extremely aggresive and developing a serrated beak) and the Kongamato, a piscivore creature that lives all over swamps and rivers in the heavy forested regions of Africa. Edited by Black_Panther, Jun 14 2010, 11:32 AM.
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http://spidervenom022.deviantart.com Go in there for some odd stuff that could make you puke, and ask for some free sketches.
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| Black_Panther | Jul 19 2010, 05:16 PM Post #64 |
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Adolescent
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Currently finished the first article in my wiki: http://dracopedia.wiki-site.com/index.php/Black_Tyrant I'll be working on descriptions for all those dinosaurs i posted in a list a few months ago, as well as those both flying and flightless pterosaurs. |
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http://spidervenom022.deviantart.com Go in there for some odd stuff that could make you puke, and ask for some free sketches.
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| Cephylus | Jul 19 2010, 09:19 PM Post #65 |
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Torando of Terror
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Yay fantastic to see this project is going again!! Now you've got a webiste Panther!! |
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Spoiler: click to toggle
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| dialforthedevil | Jul 20 2010, 02:50 AM Post #66 |
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Frumentarii Administrator
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i have only just noticed how similar our projects are.... Oh well great minds think alike
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Please come visit A Scientfic Fantasy http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3433014/1/ ALSO!!! JOIN THE NEW RPG SITE!!! FOR ALL MEMBERS!!! IM GOING TO RUN MA GLOBAL SIMULATORS THERE!!! http://s4.zetaboards.com/jasonguppy/index/ Join the Campaign to save minotaurs from extinction!!! (include this in your signature to show your support!) | |
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| Cephylus | Jul 20 2010, 05:08 AM Post #67 |
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Torando of Terror
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Well I think both projects take place on a fantasy-made-real universe Anyway I like both projects very much
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Spoiler: click to toggle
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| Black_Panther | Jul 20 2010, 03:25 PM Post #68 |
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Adolescent
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Thanks, although the speculative aspect of my project is secondary, i'm giving more importance to characters, plots and all that stuff. But yeah, i like the other project too. EDIT: Got me some Drop Bears! http://dracopedia.wiki-site.com/index.php/Drop_Bear Edited by Black_Panther, Jul 20 2010, 03:52 PM.
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http://spidervenom022.deviantart.com Go in there for some odd stuff that could make you puke, and ask for some free sketches.
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