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Hyrax; ever going to make a comeback?
Topic Started: Jun 6 2010, 08:22 AM (1,066 Views)
MitchBeard	Jun 6 2010, 08:22 AM Post #1
proud gondwanan Posts: 431 Group: Members Member #281 Joined: Mar 10, 2010 Gender: Male Nationality: Australian	Hyraxes are pretty cute, stocky little herbivores. They were a pretty diverse group of animals in the late eocene, and dominated africa as far as herbivory goes. They were ousted once those pesky bovines evolved though. There are still a few species left though, and seem well set up to bounce back after a big mass extinction. They're small, good at going without water, and are foregut fermenting with a multi-chambered stomach, and used to living in marginal habitats. What do you guys think?
Carlos	Jun 6 2010, 09:10 AM 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.	I think that, once eastern Africa becomes an island of its own, they will dominate it. Elsewhere they can still occupy unusual niches like those of chalicotheres
	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
Ook	Jun 6 2010, 09:32 AM Post #3
not a Transhuman Posts: 2,933 Group: Members Member #282 Joined: Mar 10, 2010 Gender: Male	there could be plenty potentional descendants of hyrax...rhinoceros like,hyppohyrax,full marine hyraxes,as johnfaa write,there could be chalicothere like hyrax,ungulate like hyrax,maybe some proboscean like forms(probosceans are close relatives and very early probosceans maybe looks like hyrax)
MitchBeard	Jun 6 2010, 10:08 AM Post #4
proud gondwanan Posts: 431 Group: Members Member #281 Joined: Mar 10, 2010 Gender: Male Nationality: Australian	Early Proboscideans came from the same stock as hyrax
SSJRaptog	Jun 8 2010, 11:42 AM Post #5
Adolescent Posts: 216 Group: Members Member #153 Joined: Mar 22, 2009 Nationality: Dutch Favorite Quote: I used to be perfect. Now I"m even better	In my mission Wild future project, East Africa is dominated by Hyrax decendants, so yeah I really think Hyrax's have a bright future
Ook	Jun 8 2010, 12:01 PM Post #6
not a Transhuman Posts: 2,933 Group: Members Member #282 Joined: Mar 10, 2010 Gender: Male	in mine project evolve hyrax into aquatic beast,big grazer and little herbivore(like gazzelle,but smaller)
Toad of Spades	Jun 8 2010, 11:55 PM Post #7
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.	Besides herbivores descended from hyraxes, it would be very interesting to see carnivorous descendants from these animals. It would be awsome for some of them to evolve into hooved carnivores.
	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.
Pando	Jun 9 2010, 12:03 AM Post #8
Obey or I'll send you to the moon Posts: 5,648 Group: Members Member #275 Joined: Feb 24, 2010 Area of expertise: Future Evolution	They're too cute to be carnivores! Anyways, hyrax have the advantage that they're tiny, and on both land and trees. Hyrax could take nearly EVERY niche that a tetrapod could take, give enough time and advantages.
Toad of Spades	Jun 9 2010, 12:12 AM Post #9
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.	If some carnivores' unguls become more pronounced and become like hooves on each finger, it would be easy for them to become more like mesonychids. Edited by Toad of Spades, Jun 9 2010, 12:13 AM.
	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.
Pando	Jun 9 2010, 12:15 AM Post #10
Obey or I'll send you to the moon Posts: 5,648 Group: Members Member #275 Joined: Feb 24, 2010 Area of expertise: Future Evolution	But they're too cute!
Toad of Spades	Jun 9 2010, 12:19 AM Post #11
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.	The early mammals were cute and look at all the things they evolved into.
	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.
Ook	Jun 9 2010, 12:21 AM Post #12
not a Transhuman Posts: 2,933 Group: Members Member #282 Joined: Mar 10, 2010 Gender: Male	all mammals is cute
The Dodo	Jun 9 2010, 02:32 AM Post #13
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,382 Group: Members Member #189 Joined: Jul 26, 2009 Gender: Male Nationality: Australian	I rest my case.
Margaret Pye	Jun 9 2010, 07:09 AM Post #14
Adult Posts: 596 Group: Members Member #267 Joined: Feb 3, 2010 Gender: Female Nationality: Australian	Aww, come on Pandora - vicious carnivores are much more interesting if they're cute and fluffy with big eyes! Yay for weasels, falcons, the cat family and the Spring-Heeled Jack of Nereus! Hey, have hyraxes made any major bauplan changes in the last 50 my? Or are they just minor variations on the common ancestor of elephants, sirenians and perissodactyls? They're fairly specialised for herbivory at the moment, what with the complicated stomachs, but that could always evolve backwards... gradual simplification of the stomach as they start to add more fruit to their diet, and then on to tubers and slugs, and then once their digestion can handle occasional meat they could start developing adaptations for hunting rats, particularly if this hypothetical mass extinction killed off cats... Hyraxes climb, so we should design some more arboreal forms. I don't know what hyrax shoulders are like (does anyone here?) - probably not very flexible, so they'd probably be more squirrel-like than monkey-like.
	My speculative dinosaur project. With lots of fluff, parental care and mammalian-level intelligence, and the odd sophont.
Ook	Jun 9 2010, 07:11 AM Post #15
not a Transhuman Posts: 2,933 Group: Members Member #282 Joined: Mar 10, 2010 Gender: Male	Bexi Jun 9 2010, 12:21 AM all mammals is cute all healthy mammals,this very old dog is not cute,but healthy dogs is cute all mammal species is cute eeeerr
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