Canis Lupis

Mar 31 2010, 07:00 PM

CO2 emmission end date: Very interesting and I'd like to see how Holben calculated that. However, I won't really have to worry about it, since the world started going to hell in a hand basket (pardon the expression) in the 2000's and humanity went extinct around 2120.

• An emu descendent that eats fruit and leaves. It has a brightly colored neck and, in males, bright coloration under the wings. They, like modern emus, are fiercely territorial. Also like in modern emus, males raise the chicks and incubate them while the female is pretty much solitary. The males retain their egg tooth as they grow older, using it to fend off predators. The males also developed their inflatable pouches more, making their sounds able to echo throughout the forest.
  
• A wombat descendent that takes the niche of pigs. Effective eradication techniques have wiped out most feral species in Australia, thus allowing for a boost in marsupial diversification (note: dingoes and camels still exist. Native species got used to them over time). These wombat descendents (commonly called marsupial pigs) often congregate in small family groups consisting of a monogamous pair and any offspring they have. Females generally only have one offspring at a time, but twins are not uncommon. The young grow quickly and are weaned at one year. They stay with their parents until they reach sexual maturity at three years and generally live for eight years in the wild.
  
• A quoll descendent that has evolved to take a feline-like niche. With the eradication of introduced house cats, quolls were able to evolve into another great lineage of predatory marsupials. Mostly an arboreal group, there is one genus that makes its living on the ground. Most species possess a block-shaped head, giving them a greater bite force. They vary in coloration, but the ground genus is mostly brown whereas the arboreal genii have white spots to help camouflage in the sunlight.
  
• A tree kangaroo descendent that evolves to take the niche of primates. They seem to be evolving in this direction already. At 15MYF, they may not be brachiators. But, as they continue to evolve over millions of years (and if arm structure allows it), they could become brachiators in around 30 million years (so about 45MYF). However, in 15MYF, they continue to follow the dendrolagus (tree kangaroo genus) habit of leaping from branches. In 15MYF, these descendents have taken to gripping branches with forepaws with toughly-padded palms.
  
• A cane toad descendent that has evolved to hunt native bird species. In modern times, birds are listed as one of the cane toad’s natural prey items. In a future Australian rainforest, where birds (mostly flighted) will diversify, it seems that cane toads would capitalize on this food source, becoming a major predator of bird chicks. As such, cane toads have evolved the ability to climb trees by making use of claws on their fore- and back-feet. They can digest both the bird eggs and the bird chicks (though bones, beaks, eggshells, etc are generally regurgitated). Their poison has become more potent, providing an even more effective defense against angry bird parents.
  
• A Johnston’s crocodile descendent which has evolved to become a dominant predator in the North Australian rainforest’s main river system. Saltwater crocodiles are largely on the decline throughout much of Australia and inhabit only a few bays around the coast. As such, Johnston’s crocodiles have evolved to take the niche once occupied by the salties. Today, Johnston’s crocodiles are known for their galloping gait and this has become more pronounced in their descendent, used to launch themselves at shore side prey that come down for a drink. They are almost twice as long as their descendents and are formidable predators.