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Suggestion for an Alternative Evolution Project
Topic Started: Dec 15 2009, 11:42 PM (843 Views)
TheCoon
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Happy merry Jesusmas inhabitants of the Spec Forums!
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I first thought I could do this project, but I'm actally concentrated in my Lost Island one, so if anybody wants to take it, that's fine.
In this world, the Aptian extinction never happened. For the ones that don't know this extinction, it's not as big as the P-T or the K-T, but this was what basically screwed pterosaurs. Fossil records show that after the Aptian most pterosaur families dissapeared, leaving only pteranodons and azhdarchids.
So, if this extinction never occured, probably birds would never diversify, and probably pterosaurs would be able to survive K-T, but what do you think?
Greetings young life form! Procyon Lotor at your service.

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The Dodo
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I'm a little shaky on the Aptian extinction, all I know is that it occured in the Cretaceous and mainly affected marine life. Are people sure this contributed to a decline in pterosaurs?
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Carlos
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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Well, yes, as on land groups like spinosaurs and non-titanosaur sauropods were already on the march to extinction. However, this single event did not reduced the pterosaurs so much; forms like lonchodectids and ornithocheirids still lived well into the Cretaceous, and anurognathids are theorised to have survived into the late Cretaceous as well.
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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ATEK Azul
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This sounds interesting. Though I have never heard of the extinction so what it changes I have little clue?
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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TheCoon
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Happy merry Jesusmas inhabitants of the Spec Forums!
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Dodo is right. This extinction affected mainly marine life, and pterosaurs were also affected, and some scientists theroize that this might have contributed to the later extinction of all the pterosaurs, but this is mainly a theory.
Greetings young life form! Procyon Lotor at your service.

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ATEK Azul
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sounds interesting could we still have aquatic Reptiles then?
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Carlos
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I suppose nobody read my post, right?
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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ATEK Azul
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I read it but was not sure how do respond or the point you were making.

So what were you trying to tell us?
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Carlos
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Basically that the extinction didn't occured only on marine environments, and in any case most pterosaurs weren't even aquatic prey eaters anyway.
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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ATEK Azul
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Oh okay thanks for explaining.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Ddraig Goch
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Ar hyd y nos

Quote:
 
and in any case most pterosaurs weren't even aquatic prey eaters anyway

Once again, my naivity shows, but I was under the impression that the majority of them ate fish or cephalopods. Please, JohnFaa, enlighten me.
Save the Blibbering Humdinger from extinction!
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The Dodo
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There is a topic about pterosaur niches in Biology Discusion, here it is http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/1632126/1/
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Carlos
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Mind that it was before the discovery of Darwinopterus, ence my then ignorance towards aerial predators. Even though Pterorhynchus had already been found...
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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Ddraig Goch
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Ar hyd y nos

Thanks. I really need to bone up on my prehistoric life (there's a pun in there, somewhere...)

So, if this extinction never happened, birds never became successful, and the pterosaurs have taken their place up until the Homocene, how might this affect mammalian evolution?
Save the Blibbering Humdinger from extinction!
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Carlos
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Most likely mammals would have had more serious competitors, as pterosaurs are quadrupedal too and unlike birds their egg shells are quite thin, meaning ovovipary could be achieved
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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