| 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! |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| Cetacean concepts | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: May 11 2010, 11:58 AM (853 Views) | |
| Carlos | May 11 2010, 11:58 AM Post #1 |
Adveho in me Lucifero
|
I felt a little bad by directing my anger at dolphins rather than their fans lately, so here's a few futuristic cetaceans: Francisco (old concept) Cetaceans, as a group, managed to survive to the age of man; however, many species had disappeared since then and, 15 million years in the future, they were mostly replaced by seals and other marine mammals. A few dolphin species, however, managed to survive, most being quite specialised animals. One of them is the Francisco (Neolipotes lusitanicus). This animal evolved from the modern day bottlenose dolphin, an animal that already occurs naturally in Rio Sado, in Portugal (and probably once also in the close river Rio Tejo, if it wasn't for the intense human activity there). Over millions of years, the disappearence of man allowed dolphins to become very well established in the Iberian Peninsula's main rivers and lakes, and as a result this animal evolved. As a whole, the Francisco resembles the river dolphins from the age of man; such similarities are the result of parallel evolution. In particular, it resembles the Franciscana (from the modern La Plata river) and the Baiji (which once lived in China). Like them, it usually feeds on fish and small invertebrates that live on the bottom of the river. It is not particularly very big, with a body length of about 2-3 meters. Unlike modern river dolphins, this one has a dorsal fin, as it evolved from marine dolphins (the modern tucuxi, a fresh water marine dolphin, has one, as opposed to the "true" river dolphins, who usually have a small hump in back). This cetacean lives in smaller groups than their marine ancestors, as there's fewer predators than in the sea and sometimes not as much food. In the wetter seasons, when floods occur, this dolphins spread themselves around the flooded lands; at this times, they form larger groups, as some marine predators climb up the rivers. While mainly living in rivers and lakes, the Francisco occasionally ventures into the sea, specially when there's droughts. They usually remain in shallow waters, although sometimes they occur as far away as the Azores or Britain. |
|
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  | |
 |
 
|
| Replies: | |
|---|---|
| Ook | Jun 7 2010, 10:03 AM Post #16 |
not a Transhuman
|
i dont say that its impossible,but its very unlikeli |
   
| |
|
|
|
| MitchBeard | Jun 7 2010, 10:19 AM Post #17 |
proud gondwanan
|
I agree, at least while there is competition on land at least. |
|
|
|
| Pando | Jun 7 2010, 10:45 AM Post #18 |
Obey or I'll send you to the moon
|
And if that competition were to go extinct I can assure you unless it's a land virus they will be extinct too. Cetaceans are meant to stay in the sea. |
|
|
|
| Rick Raptor | Jun 7 2010, 12:43 PM Post #19 |
Adolescent
|
I always wondered whether a future dolphin could evolve into this direction. I think it would only be necessary if the dolphin evolves into a Sperm Whale-like animal which often dives deep into the dark abyss. |
| [My DeviantArt account] | |
|
|
|
| lamna | Jun 7 2010, 01:08 PM Post #20 |
 
|
And even then, eyes are going to be pretty useful near the surface. |
|
Living Fossils Fósseis Vibos: Reserva Natural 34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur. [flash=500,450] Video Magic! [/flash] | |
|
|
|
| MitchBeard | Jun 8 2010, 12:57 AM Post #21 |
|
proud gondwanan
|
I don't know man. If they're feeding on stuff deep down enough like sperm whales do, chances are that wherever they come up will be the middle of nowhere and there won't be much to look out for. What would a sperm whale need to see topside anyway? They don't exactly have a plethora of predators lurking at the surface. |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · Evolutionary Continuum · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
7:38 PM Jul 13