Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Speculative biology is simultaneously a science and form of art in which one speculates on the possibilities of life and evolution. What could the world look like if dinosaurs had never gone extinct? What could alien lifeforms look like? What kinds of plants and animals might exist in the far future? These questions and more are tackled by speculative biologists, and the Speculative Evolution welcomes all relevant ideas, inquiries, and world-building projects alike. With a member base comprising users from across the world, our community is the largest and longest-running place of gathering for speculative biologists on the web.

While unregistered users are able to browse the forum on a basic level, registering an account provides additional forum access not visible to guests as well as the ability to join in discussions and contribute yourself! Registration is free and instantaneous.

Join our community today!

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
The Species Factory; Empty your mind
Topic Started: Nov 6 2014, 06:54 PM (33,384 Views)
Caesio16
Member Avatar
the sweet jingle-jangle of the coral triangle
 *  *  *  *
LittleBirthdayGirl!
Jun 3 2018, 09:05 AM
Well, you can't apply human morals to another sapient. There might well not be an ethical issue to them. Some bird species allow/encourage infanticide between their chicks (for example), so there's certainly a possible precedent there. Additionally, if it's a bird who lays several eggs in a batch, population growth is going to become a big problem eventually. Disposing of eggs would be one way to deal with it.
Besides it's an excuse to do lots of... you get the idea
Spoiler: click to toggle


Spoiler: click to toggle



Spoiler: click to toggle


GENERATION 28: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the
generation. Social experiment.

Wkhuh duh rqob wzr jhqghuv

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Rebirth
Member Avatar
Adolescent
 *  *  *  *  *
After the extinction event at the end of the Eocene which wiped out basilosaurids, palaeophiids and dyrosaurids, many marine predator niches were left open. A group of late survivors on the brink of extinction, the last surviving dolichosaurids which survived the K-Pg event, took to the sea, and rapidly increased in size, also becoming much more serpentine. By a stroke of luck, they eventually also developed live birth and an increased cold tolerance, which served them well by the end of the Oligocene Period and into the Miocene. By that time, the largest species of this new clade, reached lengths of over 60 feet long, and resembled giant marine snakes. But they still kept their now tiny, somewhat vestigial ribs, to clatch onto partners during mating.

As they spread beyond the Atlantic Ocean and into the Indian and Pacific Oceans, they developed new strategies to bring down prey. Some became venomous, others became constrictors, being able to hold air-breathing marine tetrapods down underwater and drown them as their heads stayed just above water, assisted with underwater respiration through skin (which in turn caused them to evolve skinny "frills", "fins" and "manes") which gave them an edge. A particular lineage evolved both abilities, and as the Miocene came to a close, they found themselves inhabiting freshwater bodies in Africa and Asia, becoming smaller, and preying mainly on freshwater cetaceans and crocodilians, though they also caught prey drinking at the water's edge.

In the Late Miocene, as other K-Pg survivors like choristoderes and sebecosuchians died out, these dolichosaurids lived on, with venomous species having an edge over constrictors as they did not need underwater respiration to assist with killing prey and could evolve fat layers in their skin to tolerate colder climates. Constrictors still survived in the freshwater tropics of Africa and Asia, and in some tropical seas. And with their tiny limbs and serpentine bodies, they slowly regained terrestrial locomotion. Throughout the Old World, these terrestrial dolichosaurids spread, using constriction to kill land-dwelling prey, mostly mammals.

In the Pliocene and Pleistocene, the largest species rivaled giant extinct snakes like Titanoboa in length and bulk, helped by their evolved, somewhat more functional legs, like those Chamaesaura lizards. One particular genus of these magnificent reptiles, Drakon, even reached lengths of 50-55 feet long and begun to specialize in preying upon megafaunal mammals such as elephants, rhinos, and perhaps the juveniles of the behemoth. Their increased cold tolerance did not allow them to reach the colder parts of Northern Europe, but did allow them to maintain a stronghold in the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and North Africa, even Mesopotamia, as well as the southernmost parts of Europe. At least one species lived as far east as southern China.

Marine species continued to diversify into gigantic sea serpents rivalling the largest mosasaurs and Basilosaurus in size, including the Con-rit (Thalassopython scolopendra) of Asia and the Leviathan (Tiamat rex) of the Mediterranean. Freshwater species lived well in Asia.

With the expansion of man in the Pleistocene, many animals like mammoths became extinct, but the giant serpent populations remained strong in India, the Middle East and North Africa well into the Holocene, at which point these creatures, undoubtedly the dragons of lore, influenced various religions and mythologies, and were worshiped as gods or maligned as demons and devils. The Hebrews, Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans among others hunted and were hunted by gigantic members of the genus Drakon. It was at this point, with technological advances in the Bronze Age and Iron Age, that humans started getting an upper hand against the dragons. Ancient texts and some remains found in human temples and settlements indicate that at least one or two terrestrial Drakon species persisted at into the early centuries A.D., being recorded by such figures as Pliny the Elder and Apollonius of Tyana, but shortly after this the last must have been wiped out, as after this the memories and descriptions of dragons became extremely distorted, adding nonexistent traits like wings, fire breath, feathers and an affinity for precious gems and metals. The last definite terrestrial dragon remains date to around ~354 A.D, from the border of Pakistan and India near the Indus River. Around a millennium later, the last freshwater dragons died out in China.

However, as terrestrial dragons died out, sea dragons persisted and were feared by sailors. Leviathan seems to have become extinct in the Mediterranean sometime around the Late Middle Ages due to depletion of prey, but Leviathan populations, Con-rit and pelagic species in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans appear to have persisted until the mid 20th century. It is virtually certain that sea dragons, the last dragons of all, are still alive today in low populations, but are critically endangered due to overexploitation of prey like whales, turtles and fish.

Posted Image
Edited by Rebirth, Jun 22 2018, 01:47 AM.
My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
GlarnBoudin
Member Avatar
Disgusting Skin Fetishist
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
A very interesting post, Rebirth. I'd honestly love to see it expanded upon more.
Quotes
Spoiler: click to toggle


Co-creator/corporate minion for the Pop Culture Monster Apocalypse!

My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle

Coming Soon
Spoiler: click to toggle


My dA page.
My Fanfiction.net page.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Rebirth
Member Avatar
Adolescent
 *  *  *  *  *
GlarnBoudin
Jun 23 2018, 12:20 AM
A very interesting post, Rebirth. I'd honestly love to see it expanded upon more.
Decided to write a quick species profile after seeing this.




The largest terrestrial dragon of all time, and also the largest terrestrial squamate of all time, was the Indian dragon (Drakon indicus). Reaching lengths of up to 55 feet and possibly up to 60 feet long, it was the undisputed apex predator of the foothills, grasslands and lowland swamps of India and Pakistan during the Pleistocene and Holocene, up until its extinction due to overhunting and habitat destruction during the early centuries A.D.

As a secondarily terrestrial derived dolichosaur, the Indian dragon had an extremely serpentine appearance, with only small, vestigial limbs, a long trunk, relatively short neck and moderately long tail. The head was relatively short and was similar to that of a Gila monster, and the jaws were filled with sharp, serrated teeth similar in shape to those of a phytosaur, but with grooves; members of the genus Drakon used a hemotoxin to weaken prey in addition to using constriction to kill. Unlike large constricting snakes like pythons and anacondas, dragons could not dislocate their jaws, rather taking chunks out of their prey with teeth, similarly to a shark, and indeed their teeth were sufficiently sharp for that. A feature specific to males was a pair of horns above each eye, and a horn on the nose, probably used to attract mates.

Indian dragons, like other members of their genus, were apex predators specializing in megafauna such as elephants, large bovids and rhinoceroses, the juveniles preferring deer, antelope and eventually progressing up to buffalo and even bears or big cats, though they would not pass up any humans foolish enough to get close. Their scales contained osteoderms, and thus their hide was difficult to penetrate even with most weapons. As their prey had relatively slow reproductive rates, the reproductive rates of dragons were even slower, only producing a large litter of young every other year which were already the size of the largest boa constrictors at birth, though many of these would be picked off by big cats, humans and packs of wolves. Only one or two would make it to adulthood, a process which would take years to a couple of decades. Studies of growth rings in vertebrae indicate the oldest dragons would live up to 80 years old. Like their marine and freshwater ancestors, they gave birth to live young.

Populations of Indian dragons, and other species in the Middle East and North Africa for that matter, only began declining when their prey did. It was not until late Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman times that weapons were invented that were able to efficiently kill dragons, and so dragon hunting became a popular sport and rite of passage in India. Juveniles were killed the fastest, then adolescents. Killing adults required complex weapons like traps and fire. Nonetheless, dragon populations declined within centuries, and by ~350 A.D., the last individuals were killed off. The Indian dragon was the last terrestrial dragon species. Freshwater dragons of China and Central Africa died out only in the 13-1400s A.D., and marine dragons are believed to still be alive today, albeit extremely rare and endangered.
Edited by Rebirth, Jun 23 2018, 01:03 AM.
My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
GlarnBoudin
Member Avatar
Disgusting Skin Fetishist
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Awesome! What did the giant marine forms look like?
Quotes
Spoiler: click to toggle


Co-creator/corporate minion for the Pop Culture Monster Apocalypse!

My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle

Coming Soon
Spoiler: click to toggle


My dA page.
My Fanfiction.net page.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Rebirth
Member Avatar
Adolescent
 *  *  *  *  *
GlarnBoudin
Jun 23 2018, 01:21 AM
Awesome! What did the giant marine forms look like?
Think something like giant serpentine mosasaurs or sea snakes. Vestigial clawed climbs used to grapple to mates, very long bodies, heads resembling sea snakes in basic shape but with mosasaur-like teeth. Add lots of skinny frills, "manes" and other appendages to assist with underwater respiration, some ornamentation like horns on the head. Some coastal species like Leviathan do not respire underwater and have somewhat armored scales. Basilosaurus-sized or even longer.
My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
GreatAuk
Member Avatar
Northern Penguin
 *  *  *  *  *
You should make this into it's own project. It's very good.
Let us dance together.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Beetleboy
Member Avatar
neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
I have also been working on some realistic dragon designs. I may post them some time.
~ The Age of Forests ~
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
GlarnBoudin
Member Avatar
Disgusting Skin Fetishist
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
GreatAuk
Jun 23 2018, 09:57 AM
You should make this into it's own project. It's very good.
Agreed. The 'behemoth' that you hinted at earlier is tantalizing as well.

I'd love to see what Beetleboy has in store as well!
Quotes
Spoiler: click to toggle


Co-creator/corporate minion for the Pop Culture Monster Apocalypse!

My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle

Coming Soon
Spoiler: click to toggle


My dA page.
My Fanfiction.net page.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Rebirth
Member Avatar
Adolescent
 *  *  *  *  *
GlarnBoudin
Jun 23 2018, 06:58 PM
GreatAuk
Jun 23 2018, 09:57 AM
You should make this into it's own project. It's very good.
Agreed. The 'behemoth' that you hinted at earlier is tantalizing as well.

I'd love to see what Beetleboy has in store as well!
The behemoth is the late-surviving indricothere from a few pages back.
My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
GlarnBoudin
Member Avatar
Disgusting Skin Fetishist
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Rebirth
Jun 24 2018, 08:33 PM
GlarnBoudin
Jun 23 2018, 06:58 PM
GreatAuk
Jun 23 2018, 09:57 AM
You should make this into it's own project. It's very good.
Agreed. The 'behemoth' that you hinted at earlier is tantalizing as well.

I'd love to see what Beetleboy has in store as well!
The behemoth is the late-surviving indricothere from a few pages back.
Ah, I see.

Hmm, what else would exist in this world?
Quotes
Spoiler: click to toggle


Co-creator/corporate minion for the Pop Culture Monster Apocalypse!

My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle

Coming Soon
Spoiler: click to toggle


My dA page.
My Fanfiction.net page.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
LittleLazyLass
Member Avatar
Proud quilt in a bag

Couple days late but I decided to sit down and read it, and though this sort of legendary creature interpretation angle isn't really my taste in spec, I'm definitely happy to see this kind of content here in the thread. When I first created this thread - nearly four fucking years ago, holy shit - this sort of content was what I hoped it'd spawn. Little one-offs spec essays that didn't have to fit into a larger project. Not just a sea of couple sentence ideas people dump and never explore in any further depth. I do think, in a way, this thread has been a bad thing, encouraging just that; dumping ideas instead of putting in the effort to really make them go somewhere, instead of sharing something truly of value. Additionally, it discourages making threads for properly developed one-offs, where they'd likely get more feedback and appreciation. It's nice to see some better content thrown out in here.
totally not British, b-baka!
Posted Image You like me (Unlike)
I don't even really like this song that much but the title is pretty relatable sometimes, I guess.
Me
What, you want me to tell you what these mean?
Read First
Words Maybe
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mynameisnotdave23
Member Avatar
Idiot Extraordinaire
 *  *  *  *
Here's a WIP description for my sapient therapsids on page 45:


Late Permian period- 252 mya
The Lycan
The Lycan is an omnivorous Theriodont therapsid inhabiting the northeastern deserts of gondwana. It is covered in handsome, sandy-brown fur which coats its entire one meter-long body. While it may resemble any typical therocephalian, it is much different. It lives not to just feed, mate, and pass on its genes, but to think, to feel, to produce art, to dream, and to question the world around it. It creates tools, perfecting them to fulfill certain tasks it's body cannot accomplish alone. It makes languages, although very different to our own. This creature is what we would consider a sapient species, the first one to evolve since the conception of life itself.
It is an omnivore, foraging for anything edible in the harsh desert environment, from insects to eggs. Food in these deserts is scarce and spread out, so to counteract this Lycans live in large clans which distribute out across wide stretches of area in search of food. When found, food will usually be shared with the rest of the family, to ensure no one goes hungry. A clan is typically nomadic, travelling place-to-place depending on the quantity of food in a region. However, in more stable ecosystems where food is prevalent year-round clans may settle the land.
Lycans often create tools, usually used in assistance to hunting and foraging, and keep these as prized possessions. This is obviously a learned trait, pups will be taught how to create tools from a young age, as well as any other useful skills. Pups will also be given a name, often coinciding with their appearance or personality. An individual will keep this name throughout their life, and will be used as a form of identification.

Growing up within the clan

The life of every Lycan begins in a burrow, dug into the sand by their parents around thirty days ago when their mother laid her eggs here. She would then tend to them, maintaining their temperature. Their father would bring back food, usually in the form of small animals back to her. Once they hatch, the mother would nurse them, producing a milk-like substance on her stomach. After three weeks, the mother and father (and potentially other relatives, such as uncles, aunts, cousins, older siblings, and grandparents) begin to bring food in the form of pre-killed insects and reptiles to satisfy the ravenous young. At this stage, the pups begin to open their eyes and move independently. Around this age, the young will be given a name. The name eases the parent's time feeding the young, as the selected pup's name will be called, and will come to it's parents for food. The name is usually multi-parted, and is given based on an individuals appearance or personality. (Translated examples include Long-fang, Brave-one, or One who is strong-willed.) In another two weeks or so, the pups will have mastered the art of locomotion, and most of their hair will have grown in, although they will still keep a scruffy,-gangly appearance. Young will soon leave the burrow, and join the adults on their endless, nomadic quest for sustenance. Pups at this age will be taught how to put certain words together to create complex sentences, and how to convey their thoughts and emotions. The pups will also learn the basics of survival, how to hunt for food, how to find water, how to avoid predators, and how to make tools. Parents will teach how to make a specific tool, and how to use it.
At the age of five months, the young will have learned everything they will need to know about the world. They will largely resemble their parents except for size. At the age of two years, a Lycan will be sexually mature and be considered an adult. An individual at this age may decide to leave their clan and find a new one, in search of a partner. The average lifespan is around twenty five to thirty.

Culture and behavior.

As a social and intelligent species, Lycans have many different ethnicities with different morals and culture. Most individuals lack organized religion, but most seem to have some kind of bind to the sun, moon, and rains, which all play an important role in their life. Singing is a common pastime, it most commonly sounds similar to the howls of modern wolves.

(More later)

Edited by Mynameisnotdave23, Jun 26 2018, 03:53 PM.
Projects


Avisia, an island archipelago isolated for over 88 million years, and is know home to megafaunal birds, mekosuchine crocodiles, and many relics. (currently in infancy)
Read here: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/8192410/2/#new

Deviantart: https://mynameisnotdave23.deviantart.com/
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Free Forums with no limits on posts or members.
Learn More · Register for Free
« Previous Topic · General Spec · Next Topic »
Add Reply