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The Species Factory; Empty your mind
Topic Started: Nov 6 2014, 06:54 PM (33,424 Views)
Zorcuspine
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Velociraptor
Oct 4 2015, 05:46 PM
I'm not sure how plausible this is, but: an abelisarid native to the Amazon rainforest that is sort of a land-wobbegong. It's an ambush predator that remains still for long periods of time in areas where sauropods and other large herbivores gather. Dirt tends to build up between its scales due to its long periods of inactivity, and mosses and plants grow on it, providing it with camouflage. When a herbivore gets close enough, the abelisaur strikes, usually biting the herbivore on the leg, crippling it. The abelisaur has surprisingly good stamina, allowing it to pursue its wounded prey until it collapses from exhaustion or blood loss.
Wouldn't this make more sense as a cold-blooded predator? Like maybe some sort of bipedal croc.
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Velociraptor
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Yeah probably. I just want my wobbegong abelisaur, dammit.
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Unnamed No K-Pg project: coming whenever, maybe never. I got ideas tho.
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GlarnBoudin
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Your wobbegong abelisaur is a gift from the gods themselves, Velociraptor. Cherish it.

A family of basal archosaurs that have adapted into ape-like carnivorous forms, including land-dwelling creatures similar in proportion to the Deathclaws of Fallout, minus the horns.
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Scrublord
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Zorcuspine
Oct 4 2015, 05:55 PM
Velociraptor
Oct 4 2015, 05:46 PM
I'm not sure how plausible this is, but: an abelisarid native to the Amazon rainforest that is sort of a land-wobbegong. It's an ambush predator that remains still for long periods of time in areas where sauropods and other large herbivores gather. Dirt tends to build up between its scales due to its long periods of inactivity, and mosses and plants grow on it, providing it with camouflage. When a herbivore gets close enough, the abelisaur strikes, usually biting the herbivore on the leg, crippling it. The abelisaur has surprisingly good stamina, allowing it to pursue its wounded prey until it collapses from exhaustion or blood loss.
Wouldn't this make more sense as a cold-blooded predator? Like maybe some sort of bipedal croc.
No, it could still be a dinosaur. In fact, theres a real dinosaur (assuming you count birds as dinosaurs) with with that lifestyle--the potoo.
Edited by Scrublord, Oct 9 2015, 03:52 PM.
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Beetleboy
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Here's some of my own ideas, but they aren't open for use. I might use them at some point . . .

Gliding velvet worm (somehow)
Gliding stingrays
Aquatic armadillos
Marine desmans
Filter-feeding platypodes

That's all for now.
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LittleLazyLass
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Gliding velvet worm
Troll Man's done that already.
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Beetleboy
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Oh, has he? Sorry, I hadn't seen it . . .
Here's some more ideas:

Semi-aquatic shark (I think maybe wobbegong)
Hematophagous (blood-drinking) anurognathids
Small arboreal therizinosaurids similar to tamanduas
Aquatic scorpion
Fully carnivorous deer
Semi-aquatic lagomorphs
Tall giraffe-like camels
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Ànraich
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There have been aquatic scorpions for like a couple billion years, man.
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Hybrid
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Semi-aquatic shark (I think maybe wobbegong)

Epaulette shark can walk on land, although can't breath air.

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Hematophagous (blood-drinking) anurognathids

Sounds like David Peters's interpretation of Anurognathus.

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Aquatic scorpion

Brontoscorpio was aquatic.

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Semi-aquatic lagomorphs

Sheather had something like that, in two different versions if I remember correctly. They were true leporids, not pika.

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Tall giraffe-like camels

Aepycamelus and Oxydactylus fit that description rather well.
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Beetleboy
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Epaulette shark can walk on land, although can't breath air.

I meant much more terrestrial than that.

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There have been aquatic scorpions for like a couple billion years, man.

I know that, I meant a modern-day terrestrial scorpion adapting to a more aquatic existence in ponds, like the diving bell spider or something similar . . . I don't know, it's just a vague idea . .

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Sheather had something like that, in two different versions if I remember correctly. They were true leporids, not pika.

I thought I'd seen aquatic lagamorphs before somewhere but couldn't remember where exactly. It must be Sheather's that I'm thinking of.

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Aepycamelus and Oxydactylus fit that description rather well.

Yes. It was an idea I had when thinking about what might replace giraffes in the future (if giraffes died out). My ideas are some kind of camelid, whether a camel or maybe a llama or something similar. I also had an idea for a giraffe-like horse . . .
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JohnnyLuken
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Fully airbound bird descendants

-rigid streamlined skeletal-skull structure
-large permanently extended V-shaped wings for gliding and light motion
-legs devolved to small vestigial hooks
-extremely low metabolisms
-wing feathers evolved into interlocking lattice structure that extends its skeleton
-long gestation period, eggs are brittle lightweight disc structures
-spinning of airbound disc activates the fully developed offspring to break forth
-tail fins to catch longitudinal air currents and steer

Like reified stealth bombers....

These are descended from swallows. Alternately albatross evolve into a long bodied 6-winged predators with a lot of similar adaptations.

These would be built upon a largely airbased ecosystem, with exotic skyscraping "trees", heavy amounds of airbased plant and fungus reproduction and dispersal, sky plankton, and different strata of partially to fully airbound animals.
Edited by JohnnyLuken, Nov 7 2015, 09:08 AM.
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JohnnyLuken
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Staboids

At the other end of the scale from the airbound avian descendents, Staboids have abandoned flight entirely and adapted their wings as stabbing implements. Fully upright, bipedal, with a wiry body plan, S are extremely agile and represent the first avian packhunters since Dromeoasaurs.

S typically target prey larger than them, up to the most gigantic herbivorous megafauna of their day. Bloodsuckers by trade, with long curved beaks to siphon blood from stab sites, S are alternately predators and parasites, though the distinction is often blurred.

Mostly likely descended from cossowarys or roadrunners,they flourish from 200Mf-400Mf. Unlike the Airbounds, S's talons and beaks make them still relatedly avian, and can best be described as a seperate subclass, though they leave several lineages who split from Avian class entirely. Even in their time, S produce several variants-peaceful sapdrinkers, insectivorous burrowers with spadelike appendages, and even a large quadruped that lurches and scuttles around on robust front spikes and grasshopperlike hind legs, like some some grotesque Avian Bug hybrid.

Ferocious as they seem, it should be noted that S are not generally the most powerful predators of their time, and even sometimes fall victim to predation themselves, testament to the harshness of an increasingly elaborate future ecosystem.
Edited by JohnnyLuken, Nov 7 2015, 03:52 PM.
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GlarnBoudin
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A rabbit-sized descendant of the horse with a chalicothere-like body plan and front hooves that have evolved into scoop-shaped digging apparatuses. Could be eusocial.
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El Dorito
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Descendants of the 'chickenosaurus' idea, something like a dromaeosaur, but maybe without an enlarged claw. Apparently the part that codes of teeth has already been done, but the eggs aren't 'allowed to hatch because the people responsible haven't been authorised by the (US) government. This is despite the fact that these altered chickens would apparently be normal in behaviour.

First idea, A relatively large 'breed' (are different varieties of chickens called breeds, or is that only dogs?) that is used as some sort of pest control on farms, because a chicken that looks like a velociraptor would be pretty funny to see on a farm, and flightless birds with bright colours would probably be easier to control than cats or something like that (I don't know I just thought this up on the spot).

Velociroosters - because yeah, they would probably be better than guard dogs too.

And finally a food breed for 'KFCs' (Kentucky Fried Chickenosaurus), because half the comments on the video I found this on were about KFC…

This one could be interesting because of the fact that it is already sort of happening and could be here within the next 30 years or less.
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Beetleboy
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Large, marine, whale-like Thalassocnus descendants . . . 'nuff said.
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