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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 (8,227 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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Oh okay so the island is inhabitable for Humans though their civilisation collapsed that makes sense.

If The civillisation is old enough it could mean that the ecosystem has stablised and whats left might actually stand a chance when Humans rediscover it.

It might also mean that the introduced animals might have different behaviors compared to others of their species since they have been living with surviving natives and introduced species with (possibly)ancestors from different regions which are not used to coexisting in the wild.

Also the feral versions will become their own breed with out Humans to control their devlopement.


The types of introduced animals would also depend on from where and when this civilisation got to the Island?
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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TheCoon
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It's uknown, but by judging their structures, they might had been some sort of descendants from the Southeastern Asia.
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The Dodo
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I think rodents like rats and mice would be among them, either introduced on purpose or by accident.
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TheCoon
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Yes they are, and terminated most native species of mammals on the island.
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Vultur-10


ATEK Azul
Dec 10 2009, 10:58 PM
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.
Well... it's hard for me to imagine an Earth ecosystem too fierce for humans to survive in. Ice Age North America was possibly the nastiest ever, as far as predators go (I'd imagine Panthera atrox, some of the sabertooths, the various giant bears, possibly the dire wolves and the cursorial hyenas, etc. would probably be a bigger threat to humans than any theropod dinosaur - being much faster, and probably smarter.) And humans survived there -- some think human hunting was even a factor in wiping them out.
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TheCoon
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Yes I know, but the main cause for humans dissapearing from the island was, in fact, due to the excecive population of the mayor cities, and the dissapearance of their food sources. It's similar to what historians and anthropologists belive that caused the dissapearance of the Maya culture.
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Vultur-10


Lil'Cthulhu
Dec 11 2009, 01:15 PM
Yes I know, but the main cause for humans dissapearing from the island was, in fact, due to the excecive population of the mayor cities, and the dissapearance of their food sources. It's similar to what historians and anthropologists belive that caused the dissapearance of the Maya culture.
Oh, OK, sorry ... I thought you were saying that the fauna was too hostile.
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TheCoon
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I need to know which animals lived during the campanian stage in North America. In this stage the island was fully separated from the rest of the continent and I need to know the animals of that stage so that I can polish the project.
Edited by TheCoon, Dec 11 2009, 03:47 PM.
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Rick Raptor
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Here´s a list of Campanian animals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanian#Paleontology

But be aware that not all of them lived in North America.
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TheCoon
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Thanks. By the way, is it right if I put this animal in my island or is it unplausible?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiphactinus
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The Dodo
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It is a marine fish so it wouldn't just stay around the island, it would move around the ocean causing other changes. Also I don't think it would survive K-T, unless it shrunk or something.
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TheCoon
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But what if the species stayed trapped in a lake in the island or something?
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The Dodo
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I think it's a bit big for the island, but it would probably shrink over time, how about a smaller relative that is already small. Of course it would also need to adapt to fresh water.
A question, the island was bigger before right?
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TheCoon
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Yep. But during the early eocene it became really small, and during the miocene it expanded and became it's actuall size.
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Vultur-10


It would probably shrink *some* ... but there are some pretty huge predatory freshwater fish. The Nile perch can reach 200kg.

And growing/shrinking in size seems to happen fairly easily; I could see it turning into a 20-100kg lake predator, something like a giant pike.
Edited by Vultur-10, Dec 12 2009, 12:26 PM.
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