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Avalonian Fauna
Topic Started: Oct 6 2009, 11:32 AM (5,268 Views)
VulcanTrekkie45
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Hey everyone. I was hoping you guys could give me a hand. I'm in the middle of a project on another forum called Avalonia Alone, in which Avalonia didn't break up into New England and Western Europe as it did in our world. I've got a general idea for climate, which you'll find in the thread. But I was hoping that you could give me a hand with some of the animals native to the island. My guess is it'd be dominated by multituberculates, with some creatures that are descendants of the last common ancestor of placentals and marsupials. But I'd live some more specifics. If you'd like to help me out, that'd be awesome.

Also, if any of you are good artists, I'd love drawings as well.
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VulcanTrekkie45
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Hey, I know it's been a long time since there's been any activity in this thread, but I thought I'd let you guys know I'm still working on this project, and that I've decided that because of the existence of terror birds on Avalonia, that they could be used as cavalry. I'm going to try to make up a picture of such an animal and rider. Any of you with any artistic talent, I'd love to see some pictures of the animals and plants we've discussed here.
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Ook
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terror bird can be surviving species of Gastornithiformes and could be top predator here

some ideas

porsupine like multituberculate
hare like multituberculate,some species are big as small gazelles and occupy their niche
in fact that multituberculates were all herbivores,small carnivore niche could occupy here metatherians,maybe opossums relatives
there could all lizard oviviparistic
niches,that is in eurasia occupied by deers and antelopes could by here occupied by flightless birds

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The Dodo
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I think the terror were going to be descendants of Eocene Cariamae that lived in Europe.
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VulcanTrekkie45
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Right. Well, here's the size and model I was working with. You guys tell me if this is a good match.

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The Dodo
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That depends, are they living on the mainland or are they still going to be on off-shore islands?
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VulcanTrekkie45
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Well, going by the Ice Age map, the outlying islands thing is most likely a no-go. But I had another idea: that Avalonia was two different landmasses until fairly recently (roundabout 300,000 years ago). Before that, Tirategig was submerged by a shallow sea. Glaciation after glaciation built it up, until one of the more recent Ice Ages turned it into a plain just above the current sea level (if that's possible. Over time, glaciers just deposit enough sediment from the mountains and such to raise it, coupled with a higher sea level?). Just an idea.

Anyway, if that's the case, terrors evolved on the eastern landmass and mammals on the western. That way they still are interacting when humans arrive.
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VulcanTrekkie45
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Hey, sorry for the double post. But I found something that I really needed to post. The size of the continent is greatly overestimated, because I'm not good with numbers. So, here's a more accurate area breakdown.

Total Area: 562,562.9 sq. km (approx. the size of Tamanrasset Province, Algeria)
Tiriberanaigh: 117,873.4 sq. km (approx. the size of Malawi)
Tiruillin: 108,030.1 sq. km (approx. the size of Guatemala)
Alinikilot Peninsula: 99,435.4 sq. km (approx. the size of South Korea)
Tirnachrosbhóthar: 52,493.2 sq. km (approx. the size of San Martín, Peru)
Dóiteáin: 50,554.5 sq. km (approx. the size of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Tirategig: 45,597.5 sq. km (approx. the size of Estonia)
Egipe Peninsula: 27,276.7 sq. km (approx. the size of Massachusetts)
Tiraist: 22,591.5 sq. km (approx. the size of New Jersey)
Meguaig Peninsula: 19,323.7 sq. km (approx. the size of North Gyeongsang, South Korea)
Úll Peninsula: 6,232.5 sq. km (approx. the size of Alba County, Romania)
I-Únamakika: 3,898.4 sq. km (approx. the size of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands)
Tigesin Peninsula: 3,800.3 sq. km (approx. the size of Suffolk, England)
I-Epeguitig: 3,072.4 sq. km (approx. the size of Cambridgeshire, England)
I-Mon: 714 sq. km (approx. the size of Tehran, Iran)
I-Geata: 638.7 sq. km (approx. the size of Zagreb, Croatia, or Toronto, Ontario)
I-Creig: 482.3 sq. km (approx. the size of Andorra)
I-Bán: 455.1 sq. km (approx. the size of Winnipeg, Manitoba)
I-Menigu: 92.5 sq. km (approx. the size of Skopelos, Greece)
Edited by VulcanTrekkie45, Apr 29 2010, 03:48 PM.
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VulcanTrekkie45
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And finally, here's a calculation I did (this time sound, and tested extensively) of the carrying capacities of each region, superegion, and the continent as a whole.

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Ook
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there should be langomorphs as dominant herd animals
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The Dodo
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Looking at the map, where was central Avalonia when they were seperate and masses? Was some of it even above sea level?
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VulcanTrekkie45
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Here's what I'm talking about. I've recoloured it according to west/central/east Avalonia, and circled the region I'm thinking about submerging (possibly) in order for terror birds and mammals to coexist. Basically the northern region bounded by the Scamaill Mountains and the Bascaisport Hills.

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Ook
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for what must be isolated for coexistion?in south america lives terror birds with big mammals
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VulcanTrekkie45
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Good point. However, mammals outcompeted terror birds across the globe. Unless a two-topped food chain develops, I don't see terrors and apex mammals coexisting.
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Ook
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but terror birds in south america coexisted with big mammal carnivores,and they was top predators
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VulcanTrekkie45
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Yes, but for how long is the question. Could they coexist until the present day?
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