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| Eggeater Possum; One of the few non-chiropteran Antarctic terrestrial mammals | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 21 2012, 12:57 PM (172 Views) | |
| miocenemadness | Jun 21 2012, 12:57 PM Post #1 |
Fire alone will save the Clan...
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The eggeater possum is one of the few terrestrial mammals of Antarctica that are not bats. They made it to Antarctica by rafting on mats of vegetation and in logs, and are descended from a species of hibernating possum from South America. Once the possums got there, they had few food sources; as a result, they became egg eaters, as the name suggests, though they won't just eat bird eggs; they will also eat carrion and bird chicks. They evolved white fur to hide from predators, which include Antarctavis and Meatcleaver Skuas. During the winter, eggeater possums will dig snow dens, similar to what polar bears do, and they will hibernate all winter, which is when the young are born. The young will be fully formed by the time the possums wake up from their hibernation, and the mother eggeater possums will then teach their young how to steal eggs from bird nests and how to hunt prey. Eggeater possums have a small set of saber teeth, which they use to disembowel prey and to break open eggs. They are about the size of modern day possums, and could be recognized as a possum. They have grown fur on their bald tails, and are now woolly. However, they also have 5 northern relatives; the Patagonian eggeater possum, the Andean eggeater possum, the Falkland Islands eggeater possum, the Galapagos eggeater possum, and the New Zealand eggeater possum. The largest is the New Zealand eggeater possum, which is about the size of a fox.
Edited by miocenemadness, Jun 22 2012, 09:56 AM.
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| Canis Lupis | Jun 21 2012, 02:34 PM Post #2 |
I'm watching you.
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...I actually really really like this! I am pleasantly surprised! You are learning fast, miocene (or whatever it is you want us to call you). FYI, I mean you no offense by this statement. I'm just glad you've found your speculative groove. Edited by Canis Lupis, Jun 21 2012, 02:36 PM.
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| miocenemadness | Jun 21 2012, 03:04 PM Post #3 |
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Fire alone will save the Clan...
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Thank you, Canis. And you can call me mio. And I was not offended by your comment, don't worry. |
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| El Squibbonator | Jun 21 2012, 03:39 PM Post #4 |
The Third Child
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THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END! The planets have aligned, an asteroid is about to collide with Earth, the Rapture is about to occur. . .and MioceneMadness just made a logical proposal. |
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| Dragonborn | Jun 21 2012, 08:48 PM Post #5 |
Devout Christian, and not afraid to show it! (But with the ban on religious topic, that doesn;t happen)
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Please, the world won't end until the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley cup. The Eggeater Opossum actually makes a lot of sense. How far into the future is this set? |
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| miocenemadness | Jun 22 2012, 09:55 AM Post #6 |
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Fire alone will save the Clan...
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I believe 15 million years in the future. |
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6:02 AM May 21
