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Monotreme radiation; the giant platypi of terror
Topic Started: Nov 30 2009, 02:57 AM (1,683 Views)
Vultur-10


Assume that the K-T event killed off all the marsupials and placental mammals. How would monotremes inherit the earth? What sort of forms would develop?

There need to be saber-toothed monotreme pseudo-cats (because the saber-toothed form evolved a truly ludicrous number of times among mammals). Pseudosmilodon perhaps?
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Vultur-10


The Dodo
Dec 2 2009, 06:22 AM
Vultur-10
Dec 2 2009, 02:08 AM
EDIT: Also, juvenile platypuses have canine teeth: This looks pretty reliable.
Juvenile platypus don't have canine, they have molars don't they.
According to that paper (and I've seen it elsewhere too) they have canines, premolars, and molars.

Of course, the fact that platypuses have shearing surfaces on their beaks might suggest a giant carnivorous platypus with a sharp, meat-tearing beak...
Edited by Vultur-10, Dec 2 2009, 12:55 PM.
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Carlos
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And how exactly? Monotremates lack keratin sheaths, and the wide, biforcated upper jaw of the platypus makes the formation of a hook impossible. A more conservative upper jaw like that of the earlier monotremates and the echidna could do it, if you managed to solve the keratin sheath problem
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

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ATEK Azul
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You could have hair like growths in the beak which eventually fuse into cutting surfaces maybe? They would start out more like baleen though most likely.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Margaret Pye
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Well, is it really that hard to evolve a keratin sheath de novo?
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Carlos
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Depends; defenitely NOT a rhamphoteca like in birds, but keratin covered lips could work
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Margaret Pye
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Hey, that's a beak. Looks the same until you dissect it.

After all, how many times did dinosaurs independently evolve beaks? Not to mention turtles, rhynchosaurs, and probably several Permian and Triassic things I don't know about. Admittedly, there are no extant or known fossilised beaked mammals, so mammals must be less prone to growing beaks (q: why? a: maybe heterodonty, or the facial muscle structure? ????) but it doesn't sound difficult.

Bit off-topic, but rodent teeth might be a good starting point for mammalian beaks (and they aren't even keratin... ah well, a dentine beak still looks the same until you dissect it.)
My speculative dinosaur project. With lots of fluff, parental care and mammalian-level intelligence, and the odd sophont.
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Carlos
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Quote:
 
(q: why? a: maybe heterodonty, or the facial muscle structure? ????) but it doesn't sound difficult.


Mostly the facial musculature; reptilian lips are muscle less, being just skin flaps, and they can easily be pushed away as they were on birds. Mammalian lips are muscular, and you can't push them out of the way without messing with lots of things that can only be messed with via GM.

But yes, theorically front teeth could become bigger and keratin covered, much like rhynchosaurs did. And, again, if you already have a snout similar to that of a monotremate, anteater or dolphin, you could cover it with keratin (though cetaceans themselves probably wouldn't do this due to the melon)
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Holben
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Why not cover the mouth in a folding sheath of keratin? And breathe through the nose? An armadillo would just have to extend its scales to cover its mouth.
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.

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