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[Insert Generic Alternative Evolution Project Name Here]; Any name suggestions for my island?
Topic Started: Dec 10 2009, 08:58 PM (8,222 Views)
TheCoon
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I'm making a fictional island with animals from mid-late cretaceous period north america that survived in there as the island moved to the ecuator in the middle of the pacific ocean.

Here's a map:
http://lilcthulhu.deviantart.com/art/Lost-Island-Map-146327517

My main problem right now is: Is it plausible for pterosaurs to survive in this island?

Edited by TheCoon, Dec 22 2009, 08:08 PM.
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ATEK Azul
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That map looks good.

The only problem with Pterosaurs is that they would spread if left alive across the world effecting more than a single Island.
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TheCoon
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Yeah, that's what I thought at first, but I also noticed that pterosaurs were adaptable enought to survive in the island, and then spread across the world, changing the evolutionary history of most animals.

So, should I include pterosaurs and let them change the evo history of the rest of the animals in the globe, or should I kill them an include the rest of the prehistoric animals in my island only?
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ATEK Azul
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I think adding Pterosaurs would be nice.

But it would be more work in the long run as you change ecosystems to include Pterosaurs.

I would also have you talk to JohnFaa our Pterosaur expert.
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TheCoon
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Ok. I guess I'll wait for JohnFaa's opinion.

I'll post the overview of the biomes later.
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Venatosaurus
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Or they could become flightless, something seen in our world's birds on islands such as the Hawaiian, Madagascar and New Zealand. Plus pterosaurs would find it an easy leap considering they are quadrapeds, and can greatly diversify ;) JohnFaa is good, but he's not God (figuratively speaking of course), you can have your own opinion too ^_^



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TheCoon
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I just reminded the azhdarchid giraffe that appeared in the tetrapod zoology blog. Those "pterogiraffes" might evolve in the island, since azhdarchids existed in North America during the cretaceous period. So, yeah, they might be existing in the flooded grasslands as giraffe analogues, or as okapi ones in the rainforests. Thanks Venatosaurus!
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Venatosaurus
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Cool, and while your at predators and omnivores would also easily arise, basically a mammal could do, a pterosaur could as well ;)



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TheCoon
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Other thing I worked alot was the mammals. There was multituberculates and all those kind of mammals, but at the end, one ruled over the rest. The descendants of the purgatorius was, in fact, the ruler of the mammals of the island. It left many forms, like primate-like gliding creatures, as well as carnivores, omnivores, bird cathcers, bug eaters.... it just simply flourished into a variety of life forms.
But at the end most of the became extinct because the first man introduced dogs, cats, cattle, and other domestic animals that, when the humans left the island due to the dangers that it had, they became feral and outcompeted the native mammals.
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ATEK Azul
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Okay this is sounding good.

And you know some members just seem to override others here. So instead of argueing I point people to the overriders for more realistic options.

And I give my own opinion too.
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TheCoon
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Other thing I don't know is about tyrannosaurids. I know they'll survive, but will they stay as the top predators? I mean, were they even predators? Or probably they were just carrion feeders. Or probably both.
I don't know where to put them, since I allready have the concepts for most animals like deinonichosaurs, therizinosaurs, ornithopods, ceratopsians, birds, etc., but I simply don't know what to think of them.
Any ideas?
Edited by TheCoon, Dec 10 2009, 10:37 PM.
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ATEK Azul
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I would make Tyrranosaurs being a scavenger and predator that looses it's arms and becomes smaller as it looses dominance.

Also those Mammals sound interesting but what are the features of that group you are using?
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TheCoon
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What group. Do you mean the purgatorius. It was kindda like a rodent, but it was actually the grandfather of all primates. It had the head and body of a rodent, but it's tail, some of the teeth and the limbs were starting to look primate. This ones developed in North America, and a large popullation of them got trapped in the island, and due to it's great number they rapidly outcompited the rest of the mammals. This creatures were arboreal, but when the rest of the mammals dissapeared, they started to occupy terrestrial niches, mostly of omnivores and scavenger carnivores, similar to a racoon and a cat. This terrestrial forms finnally got extinct when the humans introduced domestic dogs and cats, which later became feral and easily outcompeted the rest of the mammals.
Most of the arboreal mammals were also seriously affected because of the introduction of rats.
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ATEK Azul
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Yes that was the one I meant thanks for the info.

Also While I agree with them being outcompeted, I Doubt humans would be there very long or leave many animals there if this Island is so dangerous.
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TheCoon
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Actually, humans were able to mantain there for a couple of hundred years, but an uknown crisis was the cause for them to leave (I think they dissapeared because of the same reason the mayans did, but I haven't decided yet)
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