Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Speculative biology is simultaneously a science and form of art in which one speculates on the possibilities of life and evolution. What could the world look like if dinosaurs had never gone extinct? What could alien lifeforms look like? What kinds of plants and animals might exist in the far future? These questions and more are tackled by speculative biologists, and the Speculative Evolution welcomes all relevant ideas, inquiries, and world-building projects alike. With a member base comprising users from across the world, our community is the largest and longest-running place of gathering for speculative biologists on the web.

While unregistered users are able to browse the forum on a basic level, registering an account provides additional forum access not visible to guests as well as the ability to join in discussions and contribute yourself! Registration is free and instantaneous.

Join our community today!

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
A Growing Collection; of creatures that dont' quite fit
Topic Started: Jan 19 2010, 11:23 AM (1,989 Views)
agatharights
Member Avatar
Prime Specimen
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
As of late, I've found myself forming this idea for a different sort of earth. Still has mammals, reptiles, avians, all those fun things...but things are just...different. I've been sketching mostly mammals so far, but they don't quite conform with creatures currently on earth, even though they seem like they'd fit in well.

So I'll be working on that here, working up a design where something changed around the time mammals just started to get going. I'll accept any suggestions and contributions as well, hint hint. :D

Posted Image
A small bear-raccoon like creature with dexterous hands.

Posted Image
A long-necked deer-like grazer, similar to a deer and giraffe.

Posted Image
A heavy-set apex predator. Reminds me of a dire wolf.

Posted Image
A clever, arboreal lemur-like species, and something between a rabbit and a squirrel.


More pending...
Posted Image
Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Replies:
Margaret Pye
Member Avatar
Adult
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Well, I'm putting hummingbats in my dino-world, so I'll put mine up sooner or later. It's one of those ideas that are obvious once someone else has thought of them, though, so I don't want copyright over it - anybody can use it.
My speculative dinosaur project. With lots of fluff, parental care and mammalian-level intelligence, and the odd sophont.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Holben
Member Avatar
Rumbo a la Victoria

Someone needs to create coppyright rules for this forum.
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."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Margaret Pye
Member Avatar
Adult
 *  *  *  *  *  *
How about:

If I want copyright over it, I say so.
If I'm not fussy about the copyright, I say so.
If I don't mention copyright, people who want to steal my ideas must ask permission.
I will not copyright obvious concepts (for example: a post-human ecosystem will have lots of giant rats, pigs could evolve into predators, bats could start flying by day and stealing bird niches.) This one's a bit subjective, and given the way people constantly and coincidentally come up with the same ideas, it's best not to claim plagiarism unless you're entirely sure.
If I'm lucky enough to get my work published, and it contains somebody else's creature, I will credit them on the acknowledgements page.

What do people think of that?
My speculative dinosaur project. With lots of fluff, parental care and mammalian-level intelligence, and the odd sophont.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Holben
Member Avatar
Rumbo a la Victoria

Well, many of the base animal designs have been already used by a planet called Earth, so that should have some copyright protection- ;)

I'll allow anyone to use or improve upon my ideas, so long as it isn't entirely recognisable as mine.
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."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
agatharights
Member Avatar
Prime Specimen
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
I'm honored when somebody uses my creatures. I just ask that they casually referance me somewhere.

OH MAN I LOVE BATS

BATS BATS BATS

I'm thinking a seabat like Pye there suggested, and I was also considering carrion-bats, clumsy fliers, but good at stripping down corpses.
Posted Image
Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
agatharights
Member Avatar
Prime Specimen
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Things I'd like to work into this world-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_lemur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsupial_Lion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_bird
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placodermi
Posted Image
Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
lamna
Member Avatar


Rather than complicated copyright just be decent.

Terror birds and Thylacoleo? Wow sounds great, and your drawing are good as always.

However there would still be a set divergence point when things go differently, the first different mutation. Of course there is no reason why you need to know when that happens.
Living Fossils

Fósseis Vibos: Reserva Natural


34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur.
T.Neo
 
Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
[flash=500,450] Video Magic! [/flash]
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Margaret Pye
Member Avatar
Adult
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Should phorusrhacoids dance? I realise they're not that closely related to cranes, but dancing phorusrhacoids sound fun. And should they have coiled tracheas for more impressive roaring?

And yes, three cheers for giant possums who think they're leopards. Hmm, maybe just replace all the cats in the ecosystem with thylacaleonids? Thylacaleonids'd probably be more arboreal than cats, wouldn't they? A sabre-toothed thylacaleonid would be rather odd-looking. Or would it just develop longer thumb claws instead?

Do you want normal colugos or speculative colugos? Hmmm... what can a colugo change into, except the obvious bat?

Wouldn't scavenging bats be better off with excellent gliding and soaring skills, so that they could keep a better eye out for corpses?
My speculative dinosaur project. With lots of fluff, parental care and mammalian-level intelligence, and the odd sophont.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
agatharights
Member Avatar
Prime Specimen
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
I was considering taking the flying lemurs group (not true lemurs, but actually the closest relatives to primates! Sadly, there are onely 2-3 species left in the world) and making them a much more clever species. I'd have to restrict their gliding abilities quite a bit, but they'd be about the intelligence level of some great apes, I E using tools and whatnot.

And carrion bats would be fine gliders, they just would have kinda clumsy powered flight until they caught an updraft.

I think marsupial predators would be quite interesting, though, due to the unique dentition of marsupial lions (incisors used to kill prey, instead of canines) and the fact that they'd make for some pretty huge apex predators, perhaps they'd be the "Felines" to the Hyenas "Canids"

I generally think of smaller terror birds, not that large, sticking to warm, jungle areas or war field areas. I imagine they'd be common in South America, and a few islands, but competition from northern american predators would prevent them from spreading.
Posted Image
Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
agatharights
Member Avatar
Prime Specimen
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Things from old projects that also might fit in here

Haredeer, perhaps as a variant evolution of the lagomorphs.
Posted Image
Posted Image
More here.

The weasel-seal, perhaps part of the true weasel family now, or simply a very small seal.
Posted Image
Posted Image
Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Carlos
Member Avatar
Adveho in me Lucifero
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Quote:
 
Should phorusrhacoids dance? I realise they're not that closely related to cranes, but dancing phorusrhacoids sound fun. And should they have coiled tracheas for more impressive roaring?


AFAIK phorusrhacids had a deep, hollow cavity in their upper jaws, implying they did what storks do: produce sounds by clapping their jaws. Not as impressive as roaring, but appears to have been sucessfull
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

Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
agatharights
Member Avatar
Prime Specimen
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
I think it'd work.
Posted Image
Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Margaret Pye
Member Avatar
Adult
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Why restrict the colugos' gliding abilities? Can't they be intelligent, active omnivores/fructivores while keeping the giant patagium? Sure, if you want them to have hands dextrous enough for tool-making then they'd better lose most of the finger webbing, but why can't they keep all the rest?

Haredeer are clever, and have a nice air of "hang on, that's not quite normal..." How big's the weaseal? It's incredibly adorable-looking. What's its lifestyle?

Is the "fluffy hyaena thing" actually a hyaena, or merely hyaena-shaped?
My speculative dinosaur project. With lots of fluff, parental care and mammalian-level intelligence, and the odd sophont.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
agatharights
Member Avatar
Prime Specimen
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
It is a hyena. I think I'm going to replace most canid things with hyena and mustelids, and most felines with marsupials (because I can durrr)

The sea weasel, Hydrid furo, lives in small family groups and eats fish off coastlines. They're very noisy.
Posted Image
Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
agatharights
Member Avatar
Prime Specimen
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
OH HOH HOH I'M BACK CHILDREN
Posted Image
Parrot-Dogs. These intelligent, playful omnivores live on a series of warm-temperate islands. They primarily eat fruits and nuts, but also scavenge kills, using coordination to steal meat from other predators. THey live in groups of six to eight and form close family bonds. Also, so dang cute. Seriously.

Don't you want one?

Posted Image
A boring plantigrade caniform.

Posted Image
A concept for "sea elephants"- AKA the cryptid Trunko. I've been obsessed with drawing Trunko sketches for years, so now I'm finally settling into playing with ideas. THis one here's a juvenile male. His tusks are still growing, and he has not yet shed his juvenile fur.

Posted Image
OH GOD

WHAT IS IT

GET IT AWAY FROM ME

AAAAA
Posted Image
Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Alternative Evolution · Next Topic »
Add Reply