Great Australasian Interchange

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Great Australasian Interchange
Topic Started: Jun 6 2014, 02:37 PM (3,537 Views)
Spugpow	Jun 6 2014, 02:37 PM Post #1
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,025 Group: Members Member #389 Joined: Sep 20, 2010	Australia is currently on a collision course with Eurasia, and, judging from similar situations in the past, this is bad news for its native fauna. The Great American Interchange was an event precipitated by the formation of the Isthmus of Panama 3 million years ago, in which the Laurasian fauna of North America largely displaced the native animals of the island continent South America. The coming faunal exchange between Australia and Asia has been anticipated by the introduction of non-native species by humans, and generally alien species have outcompeted native ones. But the American interchange wasn't entirely one-sided. A few marsupials, xenarthrans and caviomorph rodents successfully made their way into North America. Similarly, the expansion of native Australian clades like corvids in the past belies the idea that native species always lose. So the question is, assuming humans don't do much more damage than they already have, what is the fauna of Australia going to look like a few million years after colliding with Eurasia? Which native species might survive or even colonize the larger landmass? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Interchange Edited by Spugpow, Jun 6 2014, 02:39 PM.
	My deviantart page: http://amnioticoef.deviantart.com/


Adman	Jun 6 2014, 02:46 PM Post #2
Totally not lamna Posts: 3,898 Group: Members Member #375 Joined: Sep 2, 2010 Gender: Male Nationality: The Great Atlantic Steppe Favorite Quote: “I dont leran from no one“ -Archeo	In my opinion, many of the parrots and corvids would survive and expand northward.
	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..


Spugpow	Jun 6 2014, 02:50 PM Post #3
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,025 Group: Members Member #389 Joined: Sep 20, 2010	Very plausible, since it's already happened multiple times. I just looked it up, and apparently not just corvids, but all songbirds originated in Australia.
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Hananas59	Jun 6 2014, 02:52 PM Post #4
Traveller of the imagination Posts: 793 Group: Members Member #1,124 Joined: Jul 30, 2013 Gender: Male Also known as: Hans	I think some marsupials would survive and go north. While other species like bovines or carnivorans would go south
	Treading the line between imagination and reality


Spugpow	Jun 6 2014, 03:09 PM Post #5
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,025 Group: Members Member #389 Joined: Sep 20, 2010	I think it's likely that several small arboreal possums will survive, as they did in South America. I think macropods (kangaroos) are good candidates for invading Eurasia, because they have the potential to occupy niches that no other large animals do thanks to their hopping locomotion. They haven't been severely affected by Laurasian carnivores (dingos) or human hunting in historical times.
	My deviantart page: http://amnioticoef.deviantart.com/


Sheather	Jun 6 2014, 03:12 PM Post #6
Posts: 5,953 Group: Admin Member #999 Joined: Mar 13, 2013 Gender: Male Nationality: United States Favorite Quote: if tidepods are so good then why isn't there a tidepods 2 ~ Martin Also known as: Dylan	Indeed, and it's already been shown they can survive competition from placentals, having experienced no significant decline following the introductions of camels, rabbits, horses and other feral ungulates.
	The Gaiaverse \| Eden \| Terra Metropolis \| Life of the Sylvan Islands \| Other Spec Evo \| Sheatheria \| Serina \| The Last Dinosaur A Wholesome and Good Thing \| Sam \|


Martin	Jun 6 2014, 04:43 PM Post #7
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,557 Group: Members Member #1,389 Joined: Mar 28, 2014 Gender: Male	I'm guessing , opossums would likely survive in a similar manner to deidelphids (like spugpow said).Kangaroos are also good candidates and will likely expand their range (as spugpow also said).Dasyuriformes and vombatiformes will likely die , but about bandicoots , I'm not sure.



bloom_boi	Jun 7 2014, 01:09 PM Post #8
What The? Posts: 5,549 Group: Members Member #450 Joined: Dec 18, 2010 Gender: Male Nationality: my blood is where my boots are Favorite Quote: "I didn't know the Forest Spirit made the flowers grow" Also known as: Watcher/Kom	Why would kangaroos be in a good place to expand northwards? If anything they would be trapped in Australia. They are desert animals and best as desert animals. Becoming arboreal they would face a lot of competition from placental animals, especially monkeys.
	"You shall perish, whatever you do! If you are taken with arms in your hands, death! If you beg for mercy, death! Whichever way you turn, right, left, back, forward, up, down, death! You are not merely outside the law, you are outside humanity. Neither age nor sex shall save you and yours. You shall die, but first you shall taste the agony of your wife, your sister, your sons and daughters, even those in the cradle! Before your eyes the wounded man shall be taken out of the ambulance and hacked with bayonets or knocked down with the butt end of a rifle. He shall be dragged living by his broken leg or bleeding arm and flung like a suffering, groaning bundle of refuse into the gutter. Death! Death! Death!"


trex841	Jun 7 2014, 01:10 PM Post #9
Entity Posts: 15,103 Group: Members Member #533 Joined: Mar 28, 2011	Haven't they been introduced to some places in Europe and are doing pretty well for themselves?
	F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team. At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting. Protectorates of the Proan Empire The Sundered Realms - A fantasy realm where the world is divided into different sections. (Following names subject to change) The Gavell Kingdom The Everdark Forest The Lunar Tundra The Sand Sea The Asteroid Cloud The Rotting Shard The Orbital River The Outer Shadow Bottle Beasts - This Universes version of Pokemon. Worlds Impacted by the Enlightened/Visceral War The 'Verse Whale - The Homeworld of the two forces, a planet sized organism, and the unique life that has flourished on it. замороженный конец - An Ice Age world populated by tripodal organisms. [To Be Named] - A world of creatures with an arm for a head [To Be Named] - The Homeworld of a species where only the males are sapient. [To Be Named] - The home of a race of carnivorous, trap building beings. [To Be Named] - A planet of organisms that can link their minds, where two forms of intelligence have arisen. Unaffiliated Universes [To Be Named] - A parallel earth where the Synapsids took over after the Permian Extinction, among other resulting changes. نيو نيو امستردام - An abandoned Dyson Cylinder containing an Ecumenopolis now catering to our former pets and pests. (A concept developed entirely separate from DroidSyber's Arcology, I swear.) The Bleed - A vast universe where physics are more a suggestion than a rule. Parakosmos Minor - Known Earth Pocket Universes, Natural or Artificial. Island of Marsupials and Armadillos off the coast of South America A world inhabited by Woodpecker descendants (Again, not meant to be a clone of Serina, I in no way have that much detail ready for this.) Katiwala - Your typical Lost World...if i decide to go that route... (And this is just the spec related stuff)


Martin	Jun 7 2014, 01:25 PM Post #10
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,557 Group: Members Member #1,389 Joined: Mar 28, 2014 Gender: Male	No.They've been introduced to Britain , but their numbers are really low.



Holben	Jun 7 2014, 01:38 PM Post #11
Rumbo a la Victoria Posts: 14,334 Group: Admin Member #220 Joined: Sep 18, 2009 Area of expertise: Xenobiology	Those are wallabies. I have seen them loose, they seem pretty happy and docile. I think there's a population in Scotland they wanted to cull to protect capercaillies. Tree kangaroos might be an interesting migrant.
	Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."


Martin	Jun 7 2014, 01:47 PM Post #12
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,557 Group: Members Member #1,389 Joined: Mar 28, 2014 Gender: Male	Wallabies are medium sized kangaroos.Plus I think they could very well spread.



xaritscin	Jun 7 2014, 01:54 PM Post #13
Adult Posts: 990 Group: Members Member #295 Joined: Mar 29, 2010 Gender: Male Nationality: colombian	guess most predatory marsupials will go extinct with competition from placentals, as for Dingos which i dont know if considering them endemic, well i think they can thrive in the future but they must have long gone mixed with domestic dogs. yeah wombats would likely go extinct, as for Echidnas and Platypuses they should remain, as they cover niches not found in the continent, as far as i know.



Holben	Jun 7 2014, 01:56 PM Post #14
Rumbo a la Victoria Posts: 14,334 Group: Admin Member #220 Joined: Sep 18, 2009 Area of expertise: Xenobiology	There are plenty of differences between kangaroos and wallabies, lumping them together is not correct. Look at their dentition; wallabies have a flat row of molars near the back of the jaw (separated from the frontal cutting teeth by about an inch of unused bone) whereas kangaroos have a curved tooth row with high crowns. Also, kangaroo cutting teeth are a little flatter, and they shed their premolars. This is because of their diets; wallabies mainly eat the leaves of bushes, whereas kangaroos graze. Several other differences if you look. Compare their neck length, skull shape- look at where the eyes and snout of each in comparison;
	Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."


trex841	Jun 7 2014, 02:09 PM Post #15
Entity Posts: 15,103 Group: Members Member #533 Joined: Mar 28, 2011	So it's like the differences between these two?
	F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team. At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting. Protectorates of the Proan Empire The Sundered Realms - A fantasy realm where the world is divided into different sections. (Following names subject to change) The Gavell Kingdom The Everdark Forest The Lunar Tundra The Sand Sea The Asteroid Cloud The Rotting Shard The Orbital River The Outer Shadow Bottle Beasts - This Universes version of Pokemon. Worlds Impacted by the Enlightened/Visceral War The 'Verse Whale - The Homeworld of the two forces, a planet sized organism, and the unique life that has flourished on it. замороженный конец - An Ice Age world populated by tripodal organisms. [To Be Named] - A world of creatures with an arm for a head [To Be Named] - The Homeworld of a species where only the males are sapient. [To Be Named] - The home of a race of carnivorous, trap building beings. [To Be Named] - A planet of organisms that can link their minds, where two forms of intelligence have arisen. Unaffiliated Universes [To Be Named] - A parallel earth where the Synapsids took over after the Permian Extinction, among other resulting changes. نيو نيو امستردام - An abandoned Dyson Cylinder containing an Ecumenopolis now catering to our former pets and pests. (A concept developed entirely separate from DroidSyber's Arcology, I swear.) The Bleed - A vast universe where physics are more a suggestion than a rule. Parakosmos Minor - Known Earth Pocket Universes, Natural or Artificial. Island of Marsupials and Armadillos off the coast of South America A world inhabited by Woodpecker descendants (Again, not meant to be a clone of Serina, I in no way have that much detail ready for this.) Katiwala - Your typical Lost World...if i decide to go that route... (And this is just the spec related stuff)


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