Beaked Mammals

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Beaked Mammals; is it possible?
Topic Started: May 11 2010, 03:52 PM (3,701 Views)
Toad of Spades	May 11 2010, 03:52 PM Post #1
Clorothod Posts: 624 Group: Members Member #114 Joined: Dec 27, 2008 Nationality: United States Favorite Quote: Street smart is just an excuse for dumb people to use the word smart to describe themselves.	Many groups of tetrapods have evolved beaks, but not mammals (platypi have a pliable bill, not a keratinuous beak). However, some therapsids had true beaks, so it could be possible for some mammals to evolve a beak. Though in the history of mammals, no known mammal has had a beak. So how likely do you think it is for a group of mammals to evolve beaks, and if so, which mammals do you think could be good canditates for evolving beaks? I think its very likely for a keratinous beak to evolve in mammals if the right need for one to evolve arises. I think mammals with unspecialized teeth have the best chance because they can easily specialize to a new use. Also rodents with teeth that project forward out of the mouth like mole-rats and pocket gophers have a good chance. Edited by Toad of Spades, May 11 2010, 04:01 PM.
	Sorry Link, I don't give credit. Come back when you're a little...MMMMMM...Richer. Bread is an animal and humans are %90 aluminum.


Carlos	May 11 2010, 04:07 PM Post #2
Adveho in me Lucifero Posts: 11,702 Group: Members Member #5 Joined: May 31, 2008 Gender: Male Nationality: Portugayse Favorite Quote: Blame is the playing of children and is given to many like a gift that cannot be returned. Acceptance is the tool of the mature that is rarely loaned out.	Note mammals are the only vertebrateswith muscular lips; they get in the way of the beak, so a conventional beak cannot be formed in mammals. You get get something akin to a monotremate/cetacean "beak" however, which is basically just a snout that looks like a beak
	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


Practically Uninformed	May 11 2010, 04:11 PM Post #3
Informed enough to care Posts: 1,570 Group: Members Member #274 Joined: Feb 20, 2010 Nationality: Born in DC, bred in SC, now in NJ. A partial citizen of Tartarus Favorite Quote: "Ya gotta put the soup-drinker in the flute-lips, and shake it all up!"	Perhaps rodent teeth could become a pseudo-beak?
	You may be a king or a lil' street sweeper, but sooner or later, you'll dance with the reaper!


BaliTiger23	May 11 2010, 04:29 PM Post #4
Do Not Touch Anything For It May Explode And Kill You Posts: 279 Group: Members Member #139 Joined: Feb 14, 2009 Area of expertise: Future Evolution Nationality: Canadian Favorite Quote: Just sayin'.	I've got a couple beaked mammals in my own project. I've hypothesized that the incisor teeth could evolve into a beak-like structure. I don't remember the specifics as I've lost my notes, but I could probably find the information again that led me to that conclusion... maybe lol.



Carlos	May 11 2010, 04:31 PM Post #5
Adveho in me Lucifero Posts: 11,702 Group: Members Member #5 Joined: May 31, 2008 Gender: Male Nationality: Portugayse Favorite Quote: Blame is the playing of children and is given to many like a gift that cannot be returned. Acceptance is the tool of the mature that is rarely loaned out.	Teeth are a choice, seeing as the non-mammalian rhynchosaurs developed beaks from teeth
	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


Margaret Pye	May 13 2010, 08:42 PM Post #6
Adult Posts: 596 Group: Members Member #267 Joined: Feb 3, 2010 Gender: Female Nationality: Australian	Did they really? I didn't know that! Do you have the details? But yeah, rodent teeth sound good.
	My speculative dinosaur project. With lots of fluff, parental care and mammalian-level intelligence, and the odd sophont.


Deleted User	May 14 2010, 09:00 AM Post #7
Deleted User	The teeth were covered by keratin, so yes, it was a sort of beak
Deleted User


sam999	May 14 2010, 04:54 PM Post #8
Adult Posts: 886 Group: Members Member #212 Joined: Sep 6, 2009	JohnFaa May 11 2010, 04:07 PM Note mammals are the only vertebrateswith muscular lips; they get in the way of the beak, so a conventional beak cannot be formed in mammals. Or maybe it could.... You could have a very muscular lip, which has rigeas so it works somewhat like a beak itself, then inside it, a "beak" formed of forward-pointing teath. All-in-all it would end up looking somewhat like the molth of a moray eal, or the alien from the alien movies.
	I am not suffering from insanaty. I truely enjoy being mad. Comeon, thy dragons need YOU! Visit them here please...


BaliTiger23	May 14 2010, 08:12 PM Post #9
Do Not Touch Anything For It May Explode And Kill You Posts: 279 Group: Members Member #139 Joined: Feb 14, 2009 Area of expertise: Future Evolution Nationality: Canadian Favorite Quote: Just sayin'.	While researching this, I found this interesting tidbit: "Juvenile Uromastyx have two pairs of sharp incisors in the upper and lower jaw for catching small prey during this early, carnivorous phase. As the lizard grows, anterior teeth are lost and a beak structure develops, highly adapted for the herbivorous, adult diet. The most anterior bone of the upper jaw, the pre-maxilla, grows downwards to overhang the lower jaw, resulting in extensive wear of juvenile incisors and lateral teeth, with the mature pre-maxillary 'beak' functioning as a single chisel-like tooth. Oblique wear and tooth loss also causes the contact between upper maxillary and lower dentary bones to sharpen, providing an effective cutting surface. Tooth replacement is repressed in Uromastyx species (e.g. the Indian spiny-tailed lizard, Uromastyx hardwicki), so the beak continuously retains its integrity as an excellent structure for cropping and cutting vegetation." The entire page covers the different types of beak structures in birds and reptiles, including dinosaurs. Source material here. I just found the example of the Uromastyx fascinating, and wanted to share. The whole page is really interesting though, so I definitely recommend reading it. It's definitely relevant to this topic, and I'll continue to search for more information. The idea of beaked mammals has always held my interest and imagination, so finding scientific evidence to back the idea up would definitely make my day.



irbaboon	May 21 2010, 10:41 PM Post #10
Adolescent Posts: 345 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: Sep 5, 2008	Something like this maybe?



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