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| K-T to the present.; Do Mammals need cosmic intervention? | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 28 2009, 04:49 PM (2,508 Views) | |
| ATEK Azul | Dec 28 2009, 04:49 PM Post #1 |
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Transhuman
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This topic while not a project is for the discussion of a scenario where the Meteor missed and the Dinosaurs survived farther than 65 million years ago. I know you've heard this scenario a bunch, but heres the twist the point of this topic is to have a world where Mammals realisticly out compete the Dinosaurs by the present day without celestial impacts or sapient species. Other than the normal restrictions of Mammal evolution like the Amount of vertebrae they can have, there are no restrictions. Also I'm not posting the things I have thought up until the Topic gets some posts so if you want my ideas, please post comments, questions and contributions. Also have a nice descussion! |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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| Holben | Dec 29 2009, 12:55 PM Post #2 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Well, tempertaure would have given the mammals a real advantage in all but the tropical regions. And as the tropics turn to rainforest, bigger dinosaurs will become scarce. |
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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. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| Carlos | Dec 29 2009, 01:04 PM Post #3 |
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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You forgot that crocodillians were also largely present in the late Cretaceous, competing directly with mammals. Even if dinosaurs were gone, mammals would still have crocodillians to deal with |
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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 | Dec 29 2009, 01:09 PM Post #4 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Oops- sorry. But crocdilians, in many of their forms, were water-dwellers. Even when they developed land froms, that was a direct result of KT and free niches. They wouldn't have been competing with mammals so much- but another side effect of this, i think, is that whales will not seperate from mesonychians. |
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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. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| ATEK Azul | Dec 29 2009, 01:50 PM Post #5 |
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Transhuman
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Alright I'm glad this topic has aquired attention. Alright since you bring up Crocodillians should I edit the 1st post to say that we should try to have Mammals out compete Crocodillians(atleast until they reach our worlds diversity) and Sea Reptiles? Also why wouldn't Cetaceans(or analoges) evolve? They would have quite an advantage in the colder waters of the Ice Ages. And Holbenilord you have a good point about forests creating smaller Dinosaurs especially in that era(I forget the name of which period it was in) where forests cover most of the planet. That could shrink or kill many groups and possibly give Mammals an advantage for a period of time. Maybe the forest life of Dinosaurs will make them ill prepared for when Grass starts to spread and take over? This could give Mammals who seemed to evolve a way to eat Grass fast, another advantage? And then the Ice Age's which could spell doom for many large Dinosaurs which we think lost their Plumage. |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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| Holben | Dec 29 2009, 02:20 PM Post #6 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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the Palaoeocene and eocene had largely rainforest climates, and after that it went into a bit of a decline. By the pliocene, Antarctica, which was seperated from South America, had an ice cap. Maybe marine reptiles would have died as plankton fluctuated and food shortages hit the late eocen ocean? |
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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. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| ATEK Azul | Dec 29 2009, 02:33 PM Post #7 |
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Transhuman
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That's possible but I don't think many marine Reptiles were filter feeders. I think the climate shifts that happen will be a main factor in Mammals becoming dominant. |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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| Holben | Dec 29 2009, 02:35 PM Post #8 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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No, but the food chain knock-on effect would be severe. If mammals become dominant later, they will still have many various forms. Most of the animals we know and love today (and others) had group forerunners dating back to the palaeocene. |
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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. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| ATEK Azul | Dec 29 2009, 02:40 PM Post #9 |
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Transhuman
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Oh I get what you mean, that is very possible. And your right many groups did have early members back then which might help Mammals |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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| Holben | Dec 29 2009, 02:41 PM Post #10 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Mammals as a groupweren't doing to badly in the cretacous either. They were definitely diversifying- i wonder if bats could have filled the nocturnal insect hunter niche while the dinosaurs song was not yet sung? |
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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. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| Carlos | Dec 29 2009, 02:46 PM Post #11 |
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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Land crocodillians were very diverse in the late Cretaceous, having produced herbivores, cursorial predators, armoured omnivores, insectivores and so on. Even if mammals out competed dinosaurs (which is largely unlikely anyway), crocodillians would still prevail |
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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 | Dec 29 2009, 02:48 PM Post #12 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Oops... my bad. Sorry for misleading you on the prevalence of crocodilians in the Cretaceous. Could we keep some of them on, just to fit in with the mammals? A herbivorous one could take the place of indricotheres and their ilk, perhaps? EDIT: just spelling corrections, sorry. Edited by Holben, Dec 29 2009, 02:48 PM.
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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. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| ATEK Azul | Dec 29 2009, 02:48 PM Post #13 |
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Transhuman
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I don't know much about Mesozoic Mammals but I heard they were doing decently. Also what were the Mammal groups in the Cretacious because with out the K-T as we know it there might be some added diversity(besides the Multituberculates). Also I just thought of something, We would still have 4 groups of Cephalapods which might effect things in the oceans. |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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| Holben | Dec 29 2009, 02:50 PM Post #14 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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I think marine reptiles could live on by the equator, perhaps? |
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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. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| ATEK Azul | Dec 29 2009, 02:53 PM Post #15 |
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Transhuman
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Possibly the equator is very likely to be their domain with their continued existence. So we might have a world with diverse Crocodillians sharing with Mammals? That could lead to interesting adaptations in both groups. Infact Crocodillians could help bring down the Dinosaurs especially since they can generate forms that eat Dinosaurs. Also we might not have Bats in this world since Bird diversity would be much more than our world. Oh and we would still have Pterosaurs. What do you think, could Mammalian flyers evolve? Edited by ATEK Azul, Dec 29 2009, 02:54 PM.
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| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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