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| Isla Esperanza; an island of "gryphons"....... | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 17 2011, 09:19 PM (1,765 Views) | |
| xaritscin | Jan 17 2011, 09:19 PM Post #1 |
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since my Vinland planet was a really stupid idea. i decide to choose another topic for making a new project.. the history: Isla Esperanza is an island located on the Atlantic. covered in mistery for centuries, the only record from its extistence was a report from an spanish ship on 1650. the Esperanza, a commercial ship that was going to Cuba with food and other supplies, was taken as disappeared after an storm. many weeks after the event the ship landed in Cuba. the captain Eduardo Francisco de la Guardia. explained that after the storm, they lost their direction. and landed on an strange island full of strange beaked beasts. they stayed on the ship for three days, only landing on the island for water and other supplies. after that they recovered their course and delivered their cargo on Cuba. the history was taken as a joke, and was forgotten for years. but that was going to change... on 2010, were several sigths from merchant ships, all of them said about an island located in some part of the Atlantic, away from the normal trade routes along the ocean. since then, several expeditions have been made in search of the island, only one was succesfull. the expedition in charge of Dr. Alexander Von Krauss. a German Biologist... the things that Dr. Krauss discovered on "Isla Esperanza", made real the history given by Captain de la Guardia...an island full of "Gryphons" Geologic Timescale: Isla Esperanza appeared during the early Cretaceous. after the break between South America and Africa. being a fragment of Gondwana, it was thought that was a sort of "lost world". but the truth was that the island suffered the cataclyms of the KT extinction. Biology: creatures on Esperanza belong to several groups, including modern groups that came flying or swimming. but the most part of the flora and fauna are endemic to the island. evolved isolated for 65 M.Y. the most interesting group is the order Ornitotheria. an strange group of animals, that keep both Mammal and Avian features. but arent directly related to them. Ornitotherids evolved from little maniraptoran ancestors, the most basal, "Micronocturnus" was a little nocturn dinosaur that like birds, developed warm blood. giving them and advance they were mostly nocturnal and their omnivore diet gave them an advantage when the other dinosaurs died. and were replaced by the Mammals on the mainlands. the primitive Ornithotherids started to evolve during the paleocene, and became the important group on the island. along with some little mammals and other species that survived the extinction. with the coming of the years this creatures lost the theropod and adopted a more "mammal" like posture. with some exceptions. their mouths became evolved on beaks and kept their floofy baby feathers. but the most important change was the developing of a primitive "Uterus"(actually and extention of a part of their Cloaca" , Ornitotherids became oviviparous, keeping their eggs in their poachs like modern Echidnas, they give birth to living babyes which are breed by both parents until is enough mature to leave by itself. Geography: Esperanza is an insland similar in size to Tazmania, located on mid Atlantic its covered by tropical waters. and its climate can be from tropical to snow on its tallest peaks. allowing to the evolution of many different species on the island. ........................................................................................................................................................................... an introduction to the Ornithotherids: this creatures evolved from Maniraptoran ancestors, the most antique is "Micronocturnus" a little dinosaur related to both raptors and modern birds. this creature was capable of developing warm blood, due its size, it was insectivorous most the time, as it could eat little vertebrates, fruit and some vegetation. it was nocturnal, taking advantage of its good vision and keeping safe on the trees it survived the KT extinction and lived the first steps of the paleocene. until it disappeared by the hands of the mammals that were starting their journey for conquering the world. like what happened with marsupials and monotremes. the isolation of Esperanza gave them the chance of surviving, exiled in their last bastion. the first Ornithotherids started to evolve on the island, one group kept their ornithopodal posture, while others started to change to a more mammal like posture as they kept on their tree climbing style. the other group, known as "Neoraptora" survived until the miocene, when the temperatures started to change. only one family survived "Ornitomorfidae". this survived tue their Avian characteristics on the more tropical parts of the island, and evolved in forms that could resist the colder places. with the vanish of almost all the first group, the second group made its scene. known as "Theridomorfa" this group became dominant the lasts million years evolving in many forms. this due some features that they developed while their bird-like brothers were in charge. Theridomorphs had an scheleton more similar to those of a mammal or therapsid, their feathers became very thin and more numerous so they could get more heat on cold nights. and an advantage on their reproduction, while the first group were egg layers. this ones developed a primitive "uterus", an extension of their cloaca where the eggs were kept until the babies were ready to birth. this allowed them to travel without problems and helped to reinforce the family traits on the species. as the parents were always keeping safe their childs while traveling. some species became carnivores while other became hervibores, the same happened with their neoraptoran brothers. and adapted to all the different enviroments on the island, along with other species that were present on Esperanza already and the new species that came from water and air. .............................................................................................................................................................................. species: -Ornithotheria: Diggerbill: "Wombatomorfa Subterranea" Diggerbills belong to a group of digger Theridomorphs, making large tunnels on the ground, they feed on bulbas and roots, as they can go outside and feed on grass. they usually live on the plains. they're about the size of a Wombat and like them, they live lonely lives. except when mating. they give birth from one to two babies that are fed by both parents. breeding time is for about a month until the babies are fully developed and can go for theirselves. Sprinter: "Gastornimimus Corredora" Sprinters are a diverse group of Neoraptorans, known for their good runnings skills and their large beaks. this creatures use their long tails for giving stability as they chase the prey, ramming them with their large and heavy beaks, and finally giving a mortal blow with them. their raptor like claws are really good for grabbing prey and also very usefull for climbing when atacking massive prey. this creatures live on pairs, making nests on the several trees that are scattered on the plains, they lay around one to three eggs which are guarded by both parents, the babies will live on the nest for about four months until they're enough big for joining the hunt. once they reach maturity they leave the family in search of their own partners. Gargoyle: "Aerosauria Quiroptera" this Theridomorphs are really recent, evolving from climbing and gliding ancestors, they reached primitive flight, with their bat like wings they fly on the forests in search of insects, fruits and fishes. unlike bats, this creatures can reach big sizes nearly the sizes of birds of prey, and like them, they use a really good sight for locating their victims. their anatomy is similar to that of birds, so they can walk and stay on trees without being downwards. they live on big groups from 30 to 50 individuals, living in pairs and having from one or two babies each season. like other Theridomorphs they have to hunt for feeding their childs so each parent cares about each babie. in some cases, other members of the group can feed the babies. breeding is for about three months, after that babies can fly for themselves and search their own food. Wildkin: "Urstrixia Arctomorphidae" Wildkins are a big species of Theridomorphs, like a mix betweeen an owl and a bear, this omnivore creatures live on the forests and temperate areas of the island, always in search of food. they can stan in four or two legs, and use their sharp claws for hunting and climbing. they are lonely creatures, but when after mating season, males help females to breed the "cubs" until they're enough big for going by themselves, then the male leaves. this creatures hace a good sight and hearing, and can reach 3 meters tall. Gryphons: "Raptocarnivora" Gryphons are a large group of predating Theridomorphs, known for they resemblance to the mythological Griffins, these creaters can be both solitary or pack hunters. come in many sizes and their beaks are adapted to the different types of prey. they are divided in "common gryphons" (Raptofelidae) and "Gryphonoids" (Kahydrocanidae): common Gryphons are similar to felids, some species are good chasing prey alone or in groups, and others are good stalkers. they have swift bodies that evolved from climbing ancestors, in fact. there's still little species that keep the primal lifestyle. these gryphons evolved short and little beaks, like those of eagles or hawks, allowing them to have a good sight when chasing their prey. also they have evolved retractile claws, that evolved from the ancestral killer raptor claws. this creatures usually have from 3 to six cubs in some species while in others they can only have oner or two. the breeding method depends on the species, the same with the parents interaction. Gryphonoids evolved and adapted for speed and teamwork. like canids, their beaks are very usefull for killing, but their sight is not so good like their felid like brothers. then they evolved a very good smell sense. so their beaks have been adapted for being long with good nasal holes. like those of some Vultures. unlike with common Gryphons, these species dont reach big sizes. because they dont need to be very strong since they work on groups. packs are leaded by an alfa couple, this species can have from 3 to 6 cubs or less. all parents work for breeding the babies until they're enough grown for joining the hunt. Gryphons can live in many places, from the most desertic to the most snowy areas. only challenged by their Neoraptoran cousins. Hypogryphs: "Ornithoungulata" this Theridomorphs are the most succesfull grazers on the island, evolved from little ancestors who developed hooves, they roam in big groups on almost all places. some of them can reach huge sizes on example are the Gustavs which can reach from 3 to 5 meters long. Hypogryphs tend to have only 1 babies per season, the males fight each other or make displays for atracting females. breeding times and gestation differ from species. the term "Hypogryph" came for one specimen "Ophistocomorfus Equinus", due its horse like anatomy and behavior. due this it was given the common name "Hypogryph" and the same happened with the whole group. Lemuraptors: "Pseudosapidae" a very interesting group of Neoraptoran Ornithotherids, Lemuraptors are pretty recent, evolving from primitive omnivores, their good diet and their climbing features modified their brain size and thus they started to develop a primitive sapience. this little creatures, have around the size of a monkey, using their hands and feet for climbing and managing objects, they trend to live in groups raging from 7 to 12 individuals, like their Sprinter brothers, they are monogamous and trend to have only one babie who is protected by both parents. since they are Neoraptoran, it would be easy to think that Theridomorphs would develop sapience on the island, but scientifics got really amazed when they discovered that the Neoraptorans had the most intelligent species on the island. xperiments with Lemuraptors have shown that they can learn from experiences and have a very curious personalities, this creatures have been seen using rocks and sticks as primitive tools but their tropical lifestyle tied them to the tropical parts of the island. but in recent studies they seem to be adapting to colder environments. -Notosuchida: Armorcroc: "Ankylosuchus Herbivorus" certainly not an Ornithotherid. this crocodiles evolved from African ancestors who were adapted for eating plants. their ancestros survived the KT extinction on the island due their little size, semiacuatic features and their little resistence to the colder environments. they grew with the Neoraptorans and ocuppied many hervibore niches on the island. and after the climate change of the Cenozoic, they took better places on the food chain. the Armorcrocs belong to a group that imitates the life of the armored dinosaurs, adapting their bodies for supporting a heavy osean armor, a feature that all crocodiles have. they are practically impenetrable, except for some parts of their abdomen. they live lonely lives, and when there's mating season, males fight each other for females, making displays of brute force they charge each other until one of them gets tired, the females grow about 30 eggs, and care for them like in all crocodile species. after their birth, babies can live by themselves. but obviously, a little part of them will survive. their chance to this is their climbing habilities, they born little and without their armors. living on the trees eating leafs. they grow until they loose their habilities and start to live on the grasslands. then their armor starts to grow, until they reach maturity. they dont fear predators, and if its possible, they can in fact kill them. but theyr armor makes them slow creatures and their vulnerability points keeps the population balanced, since they can be killed easilly if predators found their weak point. this creatures live on both plains and woody areas and can reach from 3 to 5 meters long. -Crocoducks: "Ansarisuchus Semiungulatus" Crocoducks belong to an strange group of crocodiles who evolved after the KT extinction, when the island didnt had enough herbivore niches, and since then, have evolved along its new inhabitants. the main features of this strange grazing crocs is the fact that their mandibles look very similar to those of the Ansariformes Birds. like the Armorcrocs, they have evolved for land with some ties to water, this ones started to evolve in a semiungulate style, they preffer to live on marshes and swamps using their paddle like mouths for eating water plants. their armored bodies cover them from predators and their switf legs make them hard prey, but their armors are not hard enough. like with some croc species, females take care of the babies until they are enough big for taking care by themselves, this especies lay about 15 and 25 eggs. Mammals: Chargers: "Carnoungulata" unlike the cientific name, Chargers are in fact Omnivores, and dont belong to Ungulates, in fact, they're Meridiungulates one of the animal groups that have ties to South America. this creatures belong to an alternate group who was related to Notungulates, but became in part scavengers, this allowed them to eat carrion, plants and fresh meat. this creatures are named chargers, because of the horns and antlers they developed on their heads. being similar to deers or other ungulates. they can use them as defense and for hunting too, as they kill using them to "charge" their prey. they can have different sizes, the most big tend to eat only carrion like happens with Monoceratids an order similar to the extinct Toxodontids which have Rhino like horns. other species like Swinomimids eat almost everything, like modern swines and boars. and the most agressive the Carnoceratids who like to kill when there's opportunity. the number of babies can differ from only 1 to 6 in some species also breeding time is different, and mating too. most part of Chargers live on little groups or packs, with some loner species. Platyseals (Ornitorhinchus Pinnimimus) Isla Esperanza is also one of the last bastions of the Monotremes on the whole planet. one of this diversified species are the Platyseals, a group of marine platypuses, unlike their Australian cousins they have developed a good sight and their beaks are similar to those of primitive acuatic birds like Hesperornis. they trend to hunt along the coastline, reaching the limits with open ocean, are loner creatures that only meet with others on mating season, but they have been seen hunting together in groups ranging from 5 to 10 individuals. like al monotremes they dont lay many eggs, this species only lays 1 egg per season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ i'll give more info later........hope to receive some critics.... Edited by xaritscin, Mar 5 2011, 11:32 PM.
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| Cephylus | Jan 19 2011, 10:15 PM Post #16 |
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Torando of Terror
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No, his griffons have pouches. Griffons have to look the same because you all based it on the SAME creature. And he is just saying he needs critics to make his project more realistic, so stop bothering him. Anyway, these bat-like griffons. The aeiral species have feathers or wing membranes like pterosaurs? |
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| xaritscin | Jan 19 2011, 10:22 PM Post #17 |
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they have a combination between bat wings and pterosaur wings. like a sort of bird wings with membranes instead of feathers....... |
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| xaritscin | Jan 20 2011, 08:58 PM Post #18 |
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new specimen added........this time is a reptile.... |
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| Cephylus | Jan 21 2011, 02:05 AM Post #19 |
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Torando of Terror
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Yay! Notosuchids! Maybe crocodilians should be the largest herbivores in the island? I like how you are starting from a single dinosaur lineage. I get what you mean on the wings. |
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| xaritscin | Jan 21 2011, 12:21 PM Post #20 |
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well, i dont like that all modern crocs are carnivores, so i wanted to make the hervibore species survive on the island. they take the place of big and armored grazers. but theres other hervibores that are more awesome. i'll add them once i have made a good description. |
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| Adman | Jan 21 2011, 08:59 PM Post #21 |
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Totally not lamna
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Nice ideas. |
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Projects and concepts that I have stewing around Extended Pleistocene- An alternate future where man died out, and the megafauna would continue to thrive (may or may not include a bit about certain future sapients) Inverted World- An alternate timeline where an asteroid hit during the Barremian, causing an extinction event before the Maastrichtian. Dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and notosuchians make it to the present, along with a host of other animals. Badania- Alien planet that has life at a devonian stage of development, except it exists in the present day. Ido- Alien world where hoppers (derived flightless ballonts) and mouthpart-legged beasts are prevalent. Leto- Life on a moon orbiting a gas giant with an erratic orbit; experiences extremes of hot and cold. The Park- ??? Deeper Impact- a world where the K-Pg extinction wipes out crocodilians, mammals, and birds; squamates, choristoderes, and turtles inherit the earth. World of Equal Opportunity- alternate history where denisovans come across Beringia and interact with native fauna. Much of the Pleistocene fauna survives, and the modern humans that end up crossing into North America do not overhunt the existing animals. 10,000 years later, civilizations exist that are on par with European and Asian societies. The Ditch- Nothing is what if seems.. | |
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| xaritscin | Jan 21 2011, 10:43 PM Post #22 |
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added a new specimen and the important carnivore group..... |
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| Cephylus | Jan 22 2011, 12:16 AM Post #23 |
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Torando of Terror
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Nice ideas! Pack hunting gryphons and owl bears. So the pack hunting carnivores are the most common predators in this island. And I'm looking forward to bizarre herbivores. I assume they are gryphons? |
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| Adman | Jan 22 2011, 06:52 AM Post #24 |
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Totally not lamna
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If you look at the first or 2nd page, you will see that he wants notosuchians as herbivores.
Edited by Adman, Jan 22 2011, 06:52 AM.
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Projects and concepts that I have stewing around Extended Pleistocene- An alternate future where man died out, and the megafauna would continue to thrive (may or may not include a bit about certain future sapients) Inverted World- An alternate timeline where an asteroid hit during the Barremian, causing an extinction event before the Maastrichtian. Dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and notosuchians make it to the present, along with a host of other animals. Badania- Alien planet that has life at a devonian stage of development, except it exists in the present day. Ido- Alien world where hoppers (derived flightless ballonts) and mouthpart-legged beasts are prevalent. Leto- Life on a moon orbiting a gas giant with an erratic orbit; experiences extremes of hot and cold. The Park- ??? Deeper Impact- a world where the K-Pg extinction wipes out crocodilians, mammals, and birds; squamates, choristoderes, and turtles inherit the earth. World of Equal Opportunity- alternate history where denisovans come across Beringia and interact with native fauna. Much of the Pleistocene fauna survives, and the modern humans that end up crossing into North America do not overhunt the existing animals. 10,000 years later, civilizations exist that are on par with European and Asian societies. The Ditch- Nothing is what if seems.. | |
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| Jasonguppy | Jan 22 2011, 08:06 AM Post #25 |
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Cardinal
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Do you play Dungons and dragons? "Cuz the owl bears sound slightly supiciuos... |
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I do art sometimes. "if you want green eat a salad" Projects: Amammalia: A strange place where mammals didn't make it and the land is, once again, dominated by archosaurs. Oceanus: An endless sea dotted with islands, reefs, and black holes. Literally endless, literal black holes. ❤️❤️~I'm not a boy~❤️❤️ | |
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| Cephylus | Jan 22 2011, 08:28 AM Post #26 |
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Torando of Terror
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No, owl bears seems nice... I like this scientific version of owl bears.
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| Jasonguppy | Jan 22 2011, 08:29 AM Post #27 |
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Cardinal
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Yeah, me too |
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I do art sometimes. "if you want green eat a salad" Projects: Amammalia: A strange place where mammals didn't make it and the land is, once again, dominated by archosaurs. Oceanus: An endless sea dotted with islands, reefs, and black holes. Literally endless, literal black holes. ❤️❤️~I'm not a boy~❤️❤️ | |
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| xaritscin | Jan 22 2011, 02:06 PM Post #28 |
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i wanted to make them like the Urstrix, an species of terrestrial owls that appear on FFXII.....but since this creatures evolved without wings, they had to get closer to the WoW Owlbears... and no, i dont want notosuchids to be the important hervibores.. |
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| xaritscin | Jan 23 2011, 10:31 PM Post #29 |
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new group of hervibores and omnivores..... |
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| Jasonguppy | Jan 23 2011, 10:45 PM Post #30 |
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Cardinal
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Very nice. The SA "ungulates" are rarely used in SE projects. Good job. |
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I do art sometimes. "if you want green eat a salad" Projects: Amammalia: A strange place where mammals didn't make it and the land is, once again, dominated by archosaurs. Oceanus: An endless sea dotted with islands, reefs, and black holes. Literally endless, literal black holes. ❤️❤️~I'm not a boy~❤️❤️ | |
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I like this scientific version of owl bears.
1:46 PM Jul 11