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| Pandora; Filling in the ecosystems | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 4 2010, 02:52 PM (4,177 Views) | |
| Ddraig Goch | Jan 4 2010, 02:52 PM Post #1 |
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Ar hyd y nos
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This topic is for filling in the unfortunately sparse ecosystems of Pandora, the planet from the movie Avatar. To assist, here is a list of current fauna; FULL LIST OF KNOWN PANDORAN FAUNA Flyers (Supposedly related) Banshee- dragon-like carnivore, subspecies in mountains and rainforest Leonopteryx (Leonopteryx rex) - like an oversized Banshee, but with bright blue vertical head crest Stingbat (Scorpiobattus volansii) - miniature Banshee, with long, poisonous tail-barb Tetrapteron - beaked animal with two tails, subspecies found in swamp and rainforest Herbivores (Supposedly related) Hammerhead Titanothere (Titanotheris hammercephalis) - huge browser, similar in behavior to Terran Rhinoceras. Herd animal Sturmbeest (Bovindicum monocerii) - plains dwelling herd beast Hexapede (Sexcruscervus caeruleus) - gazelle-like creature, with twin membranes on head, used for display Carnivores (Supposedly related) Thanator (Thanatora Rex) - mighty, lion-like apex predator. Subspecies in rainforest and sub-arctic biomes Viperwolf (Caniferratus costatus) - pack hunting, highly intelligent carnivores. Subspecies in rainforest, savannah and sub-arctic habitats Other Direhorse (Equidirus hoplites) - nectar drinking, horse-like animal. Possibly forms herds Fan Lizard (Fanisaurus pennatus) - lizard-like creature, with large, circular flap of brightly coloured skin, used to escape predation Slinger (Acediacetus xenoterribili) - bizarre predator, whose body is the adult and whose head is the infant Dinicthoid (Gargoylia macropisceae) - highly aggressive, bottom-dwelling fish. Hunts like Terran crocodiles, dragging prey underwater Invertebrates Hellfire Wasp (Magnivespa velox) - swarming, wasp-like insect. Two stingers, agonizing venom Teylu - larval stage of centipede-like invertebrate. Highly nutritious Arachnoid (Scorpiosista virosae) - scorpion-like animal, six-legs, two stingers Glow Worms (Arachnolumera nitidae) - large, bioluminescent worms. Feed off decaying plant material Medusa-Aerocoelenterates (Aerocnideria aerae) - massive floating jellyfish, uses tentacles to capture prey Anemenoid (Cataracta anemonica) - lifeforms that float on the surface of the water, uses tentacles to grab prey Simians Prolemuris (Prolemuris noctis) - monkey/ lemur-like animal, highly sociable. Odd arm configuration Na'vi (Homo pandorus) - sentient race Go speculate!
Edited by Ddraig Goch, Jan 31 2010, 06:51 AM.
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| Empyreon | Jan 16 2010, 07:20 PM Post #76 |
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Are you plausible?
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One thing I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me is that the banshee is missing a pair of limbs; it's a tetrapod. That fact sets it apart from both the tetrapteron and the Leonopterix. |
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Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus! COM Contributions food for thought
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| Carlos | Jan 17 2010, 05:14 AM Post #77 |
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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No, it is stated it lost the back limbs as it became specialised for flight, not that it is different. It is still closely related to the leonopteryx, though they are still in different genera probably. In fact, the two banshee species would form their own genus, while every single other flyer species we are aware of would belong to their own genera (I still need to see the stingbat) Edited by Carlos, Jan 17 2010, 05:15 AM.
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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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| Venatosaurus | Jan 17 2010, 11:50 AM Post #78 |
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HAUS OF SPEC
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If I get time today, I'll upload a picture of the Stingbat, which seems very closely related to both the Mountain and Forest Banshees, as they too have lost a pair of limbs. |
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| Holben | Jan 17 2010, 12:06 PM Post #79 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Maybe some are 'advanced' flyers, who have derived from the others? |
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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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| Ddraig Goch | Jan 17 2010, 01:33 PM Post #80 |
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Ar hyd y nos
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The Stingbat's middle-limbs, whilst making up part of the wings, seem to be diminished. Perhaps that explains the limb-loss in the Banshees? |
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| Holben | Jan 17 2010, 04:12 PM Post #81 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Are you saying stingbats are evolutionary throwbacks of the banshee? |
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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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| Ddraig Goch | Jan 17 2010, 04:22 PM Post #82 |
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Ar hyd y nos
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Not exactly, I'm just saying that it might begin to explain how the Banshee lost one set of limbs. The Stingbat could be undergoing a similar process. |
| Save the Blibbering Humdinger from extinction! | |
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| Holben | Jan 17 2010, 04:30 PM Post #83 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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Oh, right. Thought we had something there. If it's useful, then i understand. |
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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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| Empyreon | Jan 17 2010, 08:51 PM Post #84 |
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Are you plausible?
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That's what I was saying. I'd categorize them in a separate genus from the leonopteryx because they lost their limbs (and it looks like maybe the stingbat has done the same), but I doubt they're in separate families. |
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Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus! COM Contributions food for thought
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| Carlos | Jan 18 2010, 04:44 AM Post #85 |
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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Anyway I found two little issues we sure need to debate: 1- Why the hell all animals need the nervous structures to connect with each other. I suppose this would be usefull to connect within other animals of the same group/pack/whatever, and later some species would connect the the plant network, but there's several lifeforms that probably don't need this, like the Thanator or the Leonopteryx, which are stated to be solitary. Do they have the mental capacity or the need to download and upload information from the network? 2- The sheer fact herbivores exist in this planet ruled by a plant network deity. One would think that, having achieved that level of sapience, the plants would feel the need to exterminate creatures that eat them or damage them, and yet there's titanotheres (which not only are herbivores but surrely would cause a lot of damage with those horns), and plenty of other herbivores and at least one common, pig like omnivore. I can only find two explanations: A ) Animals like the titanothere are actually just titanic fruit and seed eaters, like the direhorses are just oversided hummingbirds. Occasionally they could violate the contract by eating branches and leaves and entire plants, but vegetation in general evolved to beecome exclusively angiosperm like, so they need them. B ) The plants are sadomasochists that feel pleasure through pain. This would also explain why they took so long to relaised that the humans were a threat: they were to occupied feeling pleasure that they didn't relaised they would all disappear entirely |
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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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| T.Neo | Jan 18 2010, 10:04 AM Post #86 |
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Translunar injection: TLI
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Indeed. The neural antennae are sensory structures in the direhorse at least, so maybe they are actually all sensory structures perhaps used by communication between species members, that evolved into the Na'vi "USB port" interfaces. A Leo or Thanator might not have enough mental capacity, but something with more mental capacity (a Na'vi or the Eywa network) would be able to interface and upload/download information.
The plants are not sapient, in the same way brain cells are not sapient. Each individual plant is just a small part of the sentient network, so loss of a single plant or more won't affect the network.
That is an explanation for the implausibility of a elephant-sized netarivores. Or the plants could wipe out animal life altogether, and achieve total dominance. Makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, no? Makes little sense from a spiritual film perspective though...
LOL! |
| A hard mathematical figure provides a sort of enlightenment to one's understanding of an idea that is never matched by mere guesswork. | |
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| Ddraig Goch | Jan 18 2010, 02:31 PM Post #87 |
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Ar hyd y nos
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That is the reason that I started this thread. To invent new species for Pandora, and to redesign the existing ones until they "work", if nescessary. |
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| Empyreon | Jan 18 2010, 08:35 PM Post #88 |
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Are you plausible?
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So wait, another thread about Avatar is going to segue into an analysis of their implausibility? Many very good points are brought up, but there are now four threads that discuss Avatar, its life forms, and whether or not they make sense. Let's delineate which ones cover what subjects or just merge all four into one. |
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Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus! COM Contributions food for thought
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| Ddraig Goch | Jan 19 2010, 11:17 AM Post #89 |
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Ar hyd y nos
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Okay then, this thread is for, as said in the subtitle, "filling in the ecosystems" - ie, creating new lifeforms for Pandora. |
| Save the Blibbering Humdinger from extinction! | |
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| Ddraig Goch | Jan 21 2010, 04:17 PM Post #90 |
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Ar hyd y nos
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And, following on from my last post, shall we design a new Pandoran species? I would, personally, like to see a kiwi/ bandicoot anologue. A small nocyurnal insectivore. If we base it's ancetry, lets say, with the Tetrateron (or a similar species), what results might we get? |
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