Kerguelen: A Relic of a Kingdom Lost

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!

Pages:
1
2

Kerguelen: A Relic of a Kingdom Lost
Topic Started: Jan 30 2015, 03:29 PM (2,449 Views)
Nyarlathotep	Jan 30 2015, 03:29 PM Post #1
The Creeping Chaos Posts: 1,301 Group: Members Member #1,358 Joined: Mar 2, 2014 Gender: Male Area of expertise: Future Evolution Nationality: English Gender: Redundant much redundant?	Kerguelen: The Introduction Global Map (picture shown was created by freodhoric (freodhoric.deviantart.com/) so thank you very much to him) Background: There are many legends about ancient landmasses which have sunk beneath the waves, possibly to return in the future-if they ever did at all that is. Such places include Atlantis, the home of an ancient civilisation recorded by Plato. Another was the hypothetical landmass of Lemuria in the Indian Ocean, and again Mu in the Pacific, also known as Zealandia. However, an existing ancient landmass has been fairly overlooked in the concept of history, and potentially of the future. This is the Kerguelen plateau, which today is only represented by some small islands, the kerguelen islands, at about 7200km2 in area and the McDonald islands and Heard Island, which although larger than say, Malta is quite small to other landmasses. The Whole Plateau: The entire plateau though measures about 1.25 million square kilometres, which is over double the size of Madagascar, and has resurfaced 4 times or so over the last 130 million years. It is possible that it could do this in future as well. In the modern day, the islands are very sparse due to both the harsh cold climate and their small size. But it doesn’t have to be this way forever. The Fauna to begin with: To assess what could evolve on these islands, one must assess what is already present, as well as what could arrive there over time. In terms of native fauna, the islands were dominated mostly by seabirds due to the sparse terrain, along with insects, allowing vast growths of lichen moss, grasses and endemic cabbages, with no trees or bushes surviving (although evidence suggests that araucariacaea trees were present in the Mesozoic and early cenozoic eras where a much warmer climate was present). The coasts on the other hand were flowing with vast amounts of seabirds, such as gulls, terns, petrels, skuas, albatrosses, the Eaton’s pintail and even 4 species of penguin, as well as seals. The McDonald and Heard Islands were mostly unscathed by the presence of man, but the larger Kerguelen islands were much more drastically affected. As of the present year of this entry, the islands are estimated to be home to well over 3000 bizet sheep, 100 mouflons (or mountain sheep), 4000 reindeer taken from Norway, and numerous numbers of rats, mice, rabbits, cats and mallards, as well as trout in the previously empty streams and rivers. These herbivores devastated much of the local flora, and as in other islands, the rats would often raid the nests of seabirds, while cats would hunt the birds themselves, though also keeping the rabbit population in check as time went on. The Near Future: Even after the disappearance of man and the disasters that that bought, the islands weathered fairly well. Culling programs were carried out in later years to more efficiency, but as more pressing matters came, such as wars and pollution problems, the islands were ignored in favour of other habitats. The islands did manage to benefit though in some ways from the warmer temperature. They were reduced somewhat in area by rising seas, but they also allowed the flora to grow in more abundance, and for seeds from further north to survive more easily, either from human ships or naturally. After the fall of man and the stabilising of the global climate, the islands resumed their path, with a new set of events taking place. By the start of the postanthropocene (6500AD), the fauna was beginning to make changes in accustom to the environment. While the vegetation was now more prevalent and less sparse than it had been before, as new species of shrub, grass and hardy flowers had made their way to the island, the herbivores experienced a shift in size. The reindeer, which had previously been giants compared to the other animals, were already starting to noticeably reduce in size. As thousands of years turned into millions of years, there was a fairly standard island layout to the creatures. The larger animals like reindeer and to a lesser extent the sheep would reduce in size due to the lack of available food. Adult deer 4 million years hence would weigh no more than 120kg as males and 80kg as females, and have shorter legs and larger heads than the ancestors to consume food better. The mouflon descendants survived in more upland habitats and also dwarfed in the conditions, often reaching less than 40kg. The normal sheep seemed well adapted and thus stayed a similar size, though adapting to a more meagre diet. The other animals of the islands however increased in size significantly with lack of competition. Rabbits without competition from other animals and with more food grew much larger, rivalling the extinct Majorcan nuralagus in size, though faster and more agile, and prone to living in groups so it could escape the local cats, along with thicker fur to keep warm. Lemming like rodents descended from mice would consume roots and nibble on grain beneath the feet of these larger herbivores. The islands main predators were the ruthless descendants of feral cats, the largest of which reaching over 30kg, and capable of preying not only on rabbits but also on young sheep. Smaller predator niches, such as hunters of rodents and young seabirds would be occupied by rat derived creatures, though more traditional omnivores and herbivores were also present. The descendants of the mallard unfortunately outcompeted the native ducks and thrived in wet environments, developing into larger flightless forms, even dabbling into terrestrial behaviour. This small but functional ecosystem was remaining the same, until around 5 million AD. The Great Change Begins: 5 million AD was the time when the Ice ages starting in the Pleistocene were beginning to end, and the world was becoming warmer even than during the Holocene. The animals were adapting to a more plentiful supply of food once again when their ecosystem became damaged by an intense array of volcanic activity occurring via underwater volcanoes. This led to the formation of new islands, which formed, died down and fused together at a chaotic rate. This allowed the organisms to expand their range into these new territories, and it also led to other organisms rafting here, such as shrubs, small insects and other hardy plants. It even carried seeds for beeches, cannabacae, araliaceae, ferns and even the returning araucaria trees, leading to the first forests emerging once again, leading for a whole new habitat for the animals to colonise. What these animals did not comprehend was that the Kerguelen Plateau was rising once again. This caused a climatic shift, as the volcanic activity released greenhouse gases over time, contributing to global warming and a rise in sea levels. Despite this, the islands continued to grow bigger, and in vague relation to the subcontinent of India, also slowly moved north. By 10 million years hence or the start of the kergucene era, it had reached a similar size to its modern one- a staggering 1.25 million square kometres, creating a whole new subcontinent. This vast virgin land took time for the animals to colonise, and also allowed some groups of birds such as rails, pigeons, corvids and finches to move to the island naturally. Here they intermingled with the local birds, such as the flightless ducks, which led to a partitioning of niches. Geographical Changes: The plateau moved over 15 degrees north, which still left it well south of such places as Madagascar and the newly forming continent of Lemuria (split from East Africa), something coinciding with the warming climate. In fact by the thermocene era (33-40 million hence) the world was as warm as the late Eocene, with even Antarctica being home to tundras and coniferous forests. Kerguelen itself was left slightly (i.e. 1-2+C average) warmer than modern day New Zealand, and so became home to a flourishing ecosystem mixing the typical large birds you would find in other islands around the world with a host of mammals that have gone extinct elsewhere. Here, deer still graze on the plains alongside strange rabbits and terrestrial anatids, while being chased by various felids. In the trees, vast colonies of pigeons and finches do their best to protect their nests from arboreal rat descendents different to any you would see anywhere else. Flightless rails pick out insects and detritus under the feet of enormous bovines that wonder through the forests and plains, and the mountains are still ripe with the calls of sheep. An ironic remnant of a bygone age, the age of the Holocene, this land remains as a legacy to the humans that once called this world home. This is Kerguelen: the Lost Kingdom. Yes, I'm not really working on Atlantis at the moment, but I have had the idea of instead doing a future project involving another potential landmass which actually did exist during the Mesozoic era. Partially rejuvenated both by human activity and volcanic reemergence, this new subcontinent will be a place of plenty for almost any organism, and a refuge for groups long since extinct elsewhere. Edited by Nyarlathotep, Nov 24 2015, 11:39 AM.

Replies:
Nyarlathotep	Dec 3 2015, 07:10 PM Post #16
The Creeping Chaos Posts: 1,301 Group: Members Member #1,358 Joined: Mar 2, 2014 Gender: Male Area of expertise: Future Evolution Nationality: English Gender: Redundant much redundant?	Kerguelen- A Relic of a Kingdom Lost. The mountainous forests: Picture Bigger Pic Intro In the higher mountainous edges of the subcontinent, there lies a significantly different flora and fauna to those found further south. Here, the mountains slope up from tightly clung forests, into plains into tundra to full blown ice cap in the tallest mountains, and thus a different group of animals have evolved to exploit the ecological positions of living in these forests. In this environment, plants like conifers and ferns thrive, similar to those of the Mesozoic with a generally more primitive flora and not as many flowering plants, with the exception of hardy types such as ivies, grasses and bamboos, and the odd dandelion descendent. Thus here, the fauna has evolved to accommodate a very different lifestyle to what it would be elsewhere. 1. Snowrat At the tops of the tallest mountains, up to 5km above sea level, there aren’t many creatures that are adaptable enough to make home here. Descendants of mice and rabbits have been able to adapt to a mountain lifestyle to accommodate for the new foodstuffs of hardy grasses. One such creature is the snowrat (acroscurius cryophibia) a descendent of the mice of old, driven out by more aggressive rat descendants into the mountains. They have many adaptions to a cooler, drier environment and meagre food supplies, and they are definitely good jumpers, though not as good as kangorabbits in other parts of Kerguelen. They are covered in a grey fur that moults into a white coat while in winter, and they have small ears and eyes to keep out the cold as they move around. Even the paws are coated in hair, but the claws are reasonably long to keep a good grip as it moves up the edges. It feeds primarily on grain found up at greater heights, and they often travel in groups to ensure food is found more easily. They are quite migratory creatures in habits, tending to move wherever food is found in the most abundance as opposed to being limited to a particular habitat. Snowrats are relatively small species, being no more than 35cm long including the short tail, about 20cm tall and weighing in the region of about 2kg. Their buckteeth are an archetypical rodential reaction to dealing with their habitat, allowing them to gnaw their grassy food effectively, while the molars grind the harder substances which makes up for the relatively inefficient digestion process. The lips cover the teeth to insulate the mouth, and the whiskers are long even by rodent standard, allowing them effective sensitivity to local conditions. 2. Rocksteeper Another creature that lives this far up on the mountains is one that hasn’t changed that much from its distant ancestors. The rocksteeper (Altitragus kerguelis) is a creature that from a distance could easily be mistaken for its mouflon ancestor, or for one of the mountain goats that once roamed the rest of the world. It retains curved horns that allow it to ram its opponents in duels over territory, and the legs are long but sturdy, allowing it to traverse quite rough terrain with relatively little effort. The animal has an adjustable thick coat of wool, which tend to moult more during the summer times or on lower latitudes naturally. There are regularly large amounts of wool hanging off the edges of rocks and in between mosses. What is unusual in that the animal can individually decide when is a good time to moult or grow new hair based on immediate conditions, similar to how some tadpoles can undergo metamorphosis. Rocksteepers are almost exclusively solitary animals, and are generalist creatures, allowing them to survive in very hardy conditions indeed, including those offered in these caves. They are quite sizeable creatures, measuring about 1m tall with 12cm long horns on their head and a 1.5m length overall. At this size, a weight of 60kg tends to be quite normal, especially if the animals coat is on the animal. The fur also changes somewhat depending on weather, being a brighter colour in winter and higher latitudes, but being darker in warmer weather. 3. Kerguelen Greakhawk In the skies, another type of creature makes its way across the mountain regions, though unlike the previous creatures, it is no herbivorous mammal, but a predatory bird. This is the Kerguelen Greathawk (kergueliraptor gigantis), a descendent of the hawks from the age of Man that has developed to take advantage of rodent prey. While falcons and traditional birds of prey are quite rare in this part of the world, some have eventually made their way to Kerguelen, where they tend to do better in the tropics due to their immediate ancestors also being tropical. The greathawk’s primary diet consists of rodents like snowrats, arboreal creatures living in the forests further down, rabbits and even young rocksteepers, being quite a powerful creature. It has a light brown coat of feathers covering most of its body, though the tips of the wings are white, while the scaled legs are a yellow colour. The wings are quite long in length, showing that this creature tends to primarily feed out in open habitats rather than in the forests where it would be more vulnerable. A case of sexual dimorphism can be found however, where the smaller males are more specialised towards hunting in these forests, while larger females with greater wings tend to have a more open lifestyle. The animal’s eyesight is excellent and allows it to detect prey over great distances. The beak is sharpened at the top to cut through and strip flesh of the bones, as the talons on the feet are the main killing weapon in these creatures. The wingspan of this beast reaches about 3m overall for females, who weigh about 12kg, while the males are a smaller 2m in wingspan, weighing about 7kg. Powerful predators like these can sustain themselves on many different prey items though, so they are not particularly endangered when one prey item becomes rarer than normal- a tactic which helps the species as a whole survive. 4. Sabre-tooth Cabbager The volcanic mountains produce fertile ground for various plants to grow, and from these they are able to fuel many different herbivore species. The descendants of the old Kerguelen cabbages flourish in the lower parts of the forest and form an undergrowth, which happens to feed a number of smaller and lower aimed herbivores. One of these is the sabre-tooth cabbager (ftyarizeidon ungulatus), a strange herbivore adapted specifically to feed on these foods. Originally, the arrival of rabbits to the islands from human intervention devastated the populations of the cabbages, which were nutritious and capable of self-germinating, a feature quite unusual amongst angiosperms. Eventually, some of the cabbages adapted to create poisons and further accelerate their rapid reproductive capacity, giving them an edge over many other plants, including newer arrivals. As Kerguelen rose up from the sea once again, the cabbages managed to spread quite quickly due to its self-germination ability, thus forming a thriving lower region to forests. They are particularly prevalent in the highlands where they complement the surrounding fauna which appears primarily Mesozoic in comparison, with the exception of patches of bamboo now and again. However, the rabbits also followed their food into this position, culminating in the sabre-toothed cabbager, a creature using exceptionally large primary incisors to peel cabbages from the floor and devour them quickly, shovelling it in its mouth using a scraping motion. The secondary incisors work as more normal nipping incisors, with the molars a more standard mammalian arrangement. The animal’s body has dramatically changed from that of the standard lagomorph design, having abandoned the hopping lifestyle of its ancestors, with long ungulate like legs and padded feet like those of a camelid. The head is quite long allowing for lots of molars, and the ears are of an average size. The animal’s hair is reasonably long due to the habitat in which in which it lives, being a tawny colour. The tail remains similar to that of its ancestors, being used for signalling against predatory organisms that inherit these forests. Cabbagers are some of the largest lagomorphs living here, measuring about 1m tall at the shoulder, 1.2m tall overall, 1.5m long and weighing around 70kg. They also have a spur made from one of their other remaining digits which can defend them from attacking cats or hawks. Their sabres also make a good defensive weapon, but are usually only used as a last resort against such beasts. They are quite sociable creatures, living in small herds and protecting their relatively small young at all costs. 5. Highland crusher-cat Some of these predators include plesiohyenids, a group that has been in decline for millions of years elsewhere due to competition with the predatory sheep descendants known as deinoprobatonids that roam much of Kerguelen’s open spaces. These mainly scavenging or kleptoparasitic beasts still thrive in the mountains, using bone crushing jaws and relatively small claws to take out their prey. This is the highland crusher-cat (pachyfelis sylvestris), a main predator in this habitat. It has a grey fur which doesn’t work as well for camouflaging in higher greener, works quite well amongst the cabbages and mountain rocks. Unlike many other cats, it is also primarily cursorial and prefers chasing its prey rather than relying on the standard ambush technique. It thus gains much of its food by scaring off smaller, more standard species of cat who do ambush their prey. Crusher-cat jaws have developed along the more scavenger and killer orientated lifestyle, with the molars developed to crush bone, with a longer and less broad skull to gain a powerful grip on the prey item. The jaws are not as powerful as those of the of the deinoprobatonids and the claws are not as effective for running as hooves, so these creatures survive well due to the more forested terrain and retaining some traditional cat features. Crusher-cats are quite large, similar in size to a Bengal tiger, though with a shorter tail and higher shoulders, with a more upright pose, being quite intimidating creatures to behold. They are not the largest of their kin but certainly take the role of apex predator here. Highly solitary beasts, they are quite rare compared to more standard felines, but they are certainly a peril to encounter regardless. 6. Kergueleopard A more standard feline that roams these forests is known as the mountain Kergueleopard (Kergueleopardalis vulgaris), and unlike the crusher-cat is a much more standardly built for a feline, with a body designed to help it climb trees easily, hide in low vegetation and leap out to take its prey. It bears a strong resemblance to both a leopard and a puma, having a coat and climbing skills like the former and the latter’s more anatomical elements given its small cat ancestry. Kergueleopards are quite sizeable predators, measuring about 2m long including the tail and weighing in the region of 70-80kg. On top of the neck is a horse like mine which keeps the animal insulated during cooler temperatures, and also intimidates other animals into thinking it is larger than it really is. Like their namesake, once they have killed a prey item of various sizes, including cabbagers and young deer, they will drag them up into the treetop to be eaten. This usually keeps them safe from crusher-cats which are incapable of climbing, while also being too thick in greenery for the greathawks to get at. The animal’s teeth are quite different to those of the crusher cat, having proportionally large canines like the clouded leopard, though not in the same league as the sabre-toothed cats of old and new. Their method of killing is similar to those of traditional big cats that roamed during the age of man, in terms of grasping the enemies’ throat and strangling it to death. There are not many animals that can avoid these vicious predators, as well as those in the skies. 7. Bighorner But one herbivore here is undoubtedly too big for any form of cat in this region to take. Feeding on young conifer sprouts and other thick non-angiosperm plants growing in these lines of latitude is a powerful beast descended from the hardy mouflon sheep. These beasts are known as Bighorners (gigacerovis pseudobison), creatures which take the mouflons mighty horn structure to a logical extreme. They are found across both the mountains sides and the forest in search of vegetation, of which they are quite generalised toward. The horns are curved around and reach forward, often over a metre in front of the rest of the animal, giving it a very foreboding appearance. As a result of its huge head and horns, it has a massive front and relatively small lower torso, while the lips of the creature are quite pronounced, allowing it to grasp plants effectively while feeding, while the horns can be used both to uproot bushes and small trees and fight other members of their kind. Adults are too large and aggressive to have any predators in this region, so most of their aggression goes against other members of their own kind, or against predators that try and attack their young. The females are significantly smaller than the bulls, measuring about 1.7m at the shoulder, about 3m in length excluding the horns and tail and weighing about 1100kg, while the males reach a more impressive 2.3m tall, 4m long and weigh up to a maximum of 1700kg, rivalling beasts like pelorvis in proportions, as well as horn span. It is by far the largest of all the mouflon descendants, and one of the largest creatures on the island, dwarfed only by a few bizet and reindeer descendants. Its coat is a general brown colour, though the top of the animals head shows red skin which is used to intimidate other animals from fighting them. A particularly thick mane increases their appearance of power, making them look even more muscular than they are. When threatened, they will charge towards their threat at speeds of up to 50km/h, though this rarely happens on steeper terrain. They are truly spectacular beasts to behold but also the most dangerous. Outro And these are the most noticeable fauna of the mountain habitat, though not by any means the only. There are also several species of deer that roam around the forests in smaller populations, as well as rats and mice which dwell in the trees and the undergrowth, hunted by descendants of barn owls, hawks and crows. Ducks thrive around ponds, lakes and rivers which originate from the flowing ice from the mountains, full of fish, insects and many aquatic plant life. As we move further north, we find the climate becoming generally warmer and wetter, though not before we encounter the Greater Plain of Kerguelen and the creatures that dwell there. See you soon! Edited by Nyarlathotep, Dec 4 2015, 12:05 PM.



Beetleboy	Dec 4 2015, 09:46 AM Post #17
neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three Posts: 3,700 Group: Members Member #1,776 Joined: Oct 2, 2015 Gender: Male Area of expertise: Future Evolution Nationality: British Favorite Quote: In the absence of proper data, speculate wildly. Also known as: Jacob, JurassicJacob, Beetle	Nice, I like the highland crusher-cat.
	~ The Age of Forests ~


Nyarlathotep	Jan 14 2016, 05:41 PM Post #18
The Creeping Chaos Posts: 1,301 Group: Members Member #1,358 Joined: Mar 2, 2014 Gender: Male Area of expertise: Future Evolution Nationality: English Gender: Redundant much redundant?	The Great Kerguelen Plain. Pic Further north still, lies a more arid and open habitat than that seen previously. In this one, grass makes up the majority of the flora, though there are occasional breaks of bamboo or auracania in between, resembling the Holocene Savannah’s of Africa except for the exact plant species. It is of course considerably smaller in area and cooler than that habitat, meaning that it bears more of a resemblance to the ice age great plains of North America. With a diverse ecosystem consisting of a mix of old, human introduced descendants and later immigrant stock, the group appear somewhat similar to the old Pleistocene ecosystem, though with less diversity. It is time to explain these creatures and their ways, and what has developed from this stock. Naturally, grasslands tend to be home to a wide range of grazing animals, particularly the artiodactyls which have flourished during the Neogene as well as the new Novagene. The more grass-orientated sheep, descended from the human introduced bizets were some of the first to capitalise on this, allowing for a flourishing group of sheep descendants to take over as the plateau resurfaced and warmed. One of these is the stilt-sheep (equorvis leptodontus), a creature very different to its ancestors. Unlike them, it has abandoned the relatively compact build of its ancestors and instead has a form somewhat similar to that of the llama, with long legs, a flat body without a slope and a somewhat long neck pointing downwards, allowing it to reach over long distances for grass. Of course, it is still perfectly capable of raising the neck above the shoulders, though it rarely does this due to a specialised diet towards grass. The wool is certainly not as thick as on its ancestors, and is not much longer than the rest of the fur, just much curlier. The head also has a curve around the lower jaw, allowing it to effectively crop its food. The stomach is round and holds a powerful four-chambered stomach which allows it to process grass easily, like with its ancestors. They appear in fairly large herds like zebra of the time of man, and their horse-like appearance is easy to note, either from a distance or even up close, besides the obvious artiodactyl anatomy. They lack any trace of horns, and so they rely on powerful kicks to defend from predators. Adult males stand about 1.2m tall at the shoulder, measure about 2.5m long with the neck fully outstretched and weigh a healthy 350kg, while females are slightly smaller. They take good care of their young, who are only weaned 12 weeks after birth, and become independent at about 2 years old, where they become a separate part of the herd, or even another herd entirely. The colour of their fur tends to be a light brown colour, though it is darker around the legs for the sake of better camouflage. They are unfortunately prey to a number of vicious predators living in this habitat. While many deer have retained a traditional ecological form to them, others have gone down altogether different routes, including ones that go instead of simple grazing. Browsing forms of deer were quite common in the age of Man and Pleistocene, and as a new chance on Kerguelen came, browsers took to a new extreme. This extraordinary creature is the pinnacle of such an evolutionary pathway, known as the Ubercervis (ubercervis maximus), and a very distant descendent of the reindeer. Ubercervis are much more solitary than many of their relatives, and tend to travel alone or in pairs, limiting their social influence in many ways as a result. The antlers which made their descendants so iconic are still present, though they are far smaller and simpler than they once were, curving out less than 90cm in span, comparatively tiny compared the sets of their ancestors or relatives. They make up for this though by becoming very bulky and tall creatures, with a long neck and head ideal for picking leaves off the auracania trees growing in between the grasses and on the edges of the forests. Classic deer ears are still present, though they are noticeably larger than normal to cope with the warmer climate of the grasslands. The animal’s fur is a darker brown not too different to that of their ancestor except for the specific shade. Young tend to have a brighter, sandier colour to better camouflage with the grasses that surround them. White stripes also occur around the neck, not too different from those of the okapi. This shows an analogy in the evolution of this creatures from an originally forest dwelling ancestor, with a similar variety still living in those forests today. Over millions of years they adapted to a life of feeding on the higher trees, with the antlers shrinking and neck and body growing to accommodate for this. Despite the giraffe like lifestyle, the animal overall resembles a kind of antlered indricothere in its proportions, being much more robust in build though still enough to reach high regions. It doesn’t have the long tongue that giraffids have and so the creature requires a much more standard nibbling common in deer instead. Adult males are very large animals, normally measuring about 4.5m tall when the neck is fully arched up and weighing 2500kg, similar to the ancient camel titanlyopus. Exceptionally large males can get even bigger, into a megacamelus range of up to 3700kg and 5m in height. Females are somewhat smaller of course and more robust, with a normal one being about 4m tall and weighing 2100kg. They are easily the tallest animals on Kerguelen, and are only rivalled by the Galumph (cervipottamus borealis) of the northern rainforests among the cervids, both being much larger than either megaloceros or cervalces. They are not the most massive animal in Kerguelen though, with the sheep holding that prize. Their spectacular appearance though would mean that if Kerguelen were inhabitited by humans, this would likely be their national animal. Hopping through the grasses, feeding on grain lies an altogether different group of herbivores. These animals could easily be mistaken for some kind of wallaby or giant jerboa, though it is another type of creature entirely. It possesses no pouch, its tail is more muscular than a jerboa’s and it has a white rump at the end of it. This creature is a lagomorph without question. These are savannah-hoppers (ambipodus altilagus), distant descendants of mankind’s rabbits introduced here. As they adapted to the cool and dry climate of the original kerguelen, they improved their bodies to quicker move around over long distances and away from increasingly hostile felines. They developed a body plan convergent with that of various mammals before, the leptictids, the rodents and the macropods. As the plateau resurfaced and the world warmed, this group thrived and adapted to open climates everywhere, creating a flourishing dynasty of unusual rabbits as a result. The incisors are enlarged and curve downward towards the jaw, somewhat like the tusks of the ancient proboscidean deinotherium. The head overall is also longer than that of its distant ancestor, with greater whiskers and more mobile ears to detect predators and members of their own kind. They often travel with stilt-sheep at a distance, using the greater size of them to intimidate predators not to attack. Their tails can arch directly upwards, allowing them to signal to other members of their group whether an attack is immanent. Their group mentality is especially important given the relatively underdeveloped state of their young, a major disadvantage compared to their distant relatives the hares, which still roam Eurasia and North America. As a result, they form in a ring around their young while moving, keeping them safe from danger, and where possible, will settle in burrows. They don’t do this as often as their mountain kin though, as a nomadic lifestyle is favoured in this habitat. Savannah-hoppers tend to be about 40cm tall, about 90cm long including the tail and weigh about 8kg in both genders, while new-born young are no larger than house mice, and much more vulnerable. Their best defence is that they are fast for their size, capable of running at speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour. While the grasslands might not appear to favour waterfowl, another group of mallard descendents flourishes in this habitat. While not as large as the thundergoose further south, these ostrich-ducks (basilornis magnificens) are beautiful creatures with their elegant bodies and marked colouring. Males possess large feathers around the tail used for sexual display, not too different to those of a peacock, though they are a white colour instead. The neck is more bear and is orange, as are the legs. The bill is thick and deep, similar to the ancient dromornids of the neogene, excellent to crop plants and small animals from the undergrowth. They live in pairs with a male and a harem of females who take care of the eggs. Males are significantly larger, being similar to the Pleistocene Genyornis which roamed Australia, whereas the duller females are similar in size to emus. The spurs on their feet make excellent fighting weapons, both against rivals and against any cats or deinoprobatids that dare attack. The main body of feathers on the male is a dark black colour, though with patches of brown while the tail feathers and wings are a white colour instead. Females tend to be a grass colour, which fits them well to camouflage. As a result, the majority of deaths from predation are male, despite their better defensive abilities due to a lack of camouflage. Ostrich-ducks are much rarer than other herbivores, due to how hostile they tend to be towards other groups of their kind. They tend to live in areas of taller grasses nearer to the forests as well, as they provide more twigs and leaves to make the nests then in the middle of the normal grasslands. Chicks have more standard duck features, particularly in the beak to crop plants, though the adults have deeper ones that are better to consume grass, though they will swallow stones to assist in the digestion process. Among the decently sized herds of sheep, deer and birds lies a much larger beast which has inherited the ways of its ancestors. A small group of lumbering giants is quite a common sight here, though they tend to only be from a distance of the other creatures, as most animals give them a wide berth. These animals are known as the Bunyan’s Bovid (elephorvis bunyanis), a distant descendent of the bizet that has evolved to take the ecological position of the pachyderms of old. The animal’s horns are relatively small for the beast’s size, with a horn span of around 1.5m in males, though they are very thick in their design. The animal’s fur is a sort of dark blue, and is light and coarse, due to the hot climate, having lost most of their wool except for a mane around the males’ back, used to make it appear even larger than it is to any opponents. The sheep ancestry is still noticeable based on the way the head is shaped and how the legs and tail are arranged, even if it is far bulkier than any sheep or bovid of the age of Man. The Bunyan’s Bovid is easily the largest animal in Kerguelen, with adult males measuring about 6m long, 2.9m tall at the shoulder (excluding the woolly mane of course), and weighing a huge 5-6 tonnes, just slightly smaller than an African elephant (or 2.4-2.5 times as massive as the prehistoric Bison latriforms), being primarily solitary animals. The females of course are considerably smaller and less robust, measuring about 5m in length, 2.4m at the shoulder and weighing 2.5-3.2 tonnes overall, as well as having no horns. To make up for this, the females are far more common within a herd, and they tend to have a mostly matriarchal social structure except for adult males. They are much more solitary and like their ancient ancestors would spend time locking horns with other males to compete for the mating rights of local females. These clashes would be intense, and often wounds would be sustained to both parties, though they are rarely dangerous. Bunyans also have a particularly loud mating call caused by a pouch in their throat, which can be heard from up to 10km depending on how well the vocal chords are constructed. Predators rarely dare attack these, as only juveniles, the sick or elderly are even remotely capable of falling to prey. The grasslands provide excellent opportunity for other creatures. With a bountiful supply of prey, predators have also made their way. In the undergrowth, a creature with sprawling legs and a long tail moves towards its rabbit prey, licking its lips and preparing to pounce. These animals would sound like some form of monitor lizard capable of chasing small prey like this. but one would be mistaken, as there are no reptiles or amphibians on this landmass. This creature, known as the lurker (lagolestes horridus) is actually a descendent of the rats introduced by man. Without competition, rats diversified into a wide range of positions, exploiting various different food-stuffs. As the climate warmed and food became more plentiful, some of these changed their metabolism. They became ectothermic, for the second time in the history of eutherians, with myotragus being the first. The lurker flourishes in its position as a deadly ambush predator, specialised towards small and fast running prey. As a result, they tend to be quite agile and are required to make fast moves quickly over a short distance. Their fur is an orange colour that helps it hide in the undergrowth, thus making it less spottable to either the prey or larger predators. The snout is interesting, with sharpened incisors that rub against one another, ensuring that they are constantly in the position to stab and kill prey. The molars are sharp and designed to sheer meat from the carcass. The tail is also furry, but the hair doesn’t do too much in terms of insulation, except for the winters, where snow may sometimes land over the grass fields, requiring this beast to migrate northwards into the forests. They are primarily solitary creatures, but during times of famine they are known to mobilise in groups capable of taking on prey much larger than themselves, including stilt-sheep. Adult lurkers measure about 1.5m in length, about 20cm tall and weigh about 15kg, though their vicious nature makes them deadly to many animals in this land. The most common predators in this habitat easily are the felines due to their tenacity and adaptability. While the deinoprobatids destroyed most of the bone crushing cats, the more archetypical ones have gone strength to strength as the ecosystem develops. As well as cheetah like forms found further south, more robust creatures have also developed in synchronisation with some prehistoric roads. One of these is the savannah katanachin (Kerguelosmilus latriforms), a powerful and bulky cat adapted to a different form of prey. They still retain a number of features from their standard cat ancestors such as triangular ears and a long tail, and they purr rather than roar. Yet the katanachin has developed an almost bear like appearance with deep claws that can latch onto prey and pin them down. Its killing weapon is a pair of tusks on the lower jaw, which move down and cut the throat with ease, while the teeth are more similar to those of a normal cat. Developed from hardened bone and fashioned keratin, they are just as large as the sabre-teeth of smilodon and much sturdier, while also freeing the mouth to consume smaller prey, a huge advantage that allows them to attack both smaller and larger prey in its own way. They are understandably bigger and slower than most of their relatives, thus meaning the prey they go after is also slower. They are classic ambush predators, arching their back and chasing over a reasonable distance, rather than the deinoprobatid’s pursuit way of life. The fur around the cheeks intimidates rivals and the sheaths give it a look not too different from thylacosmilus, only much more robust. They tend to specialise towards old stilt-sheep and youngsters of the Bunyans and Ubercervis, using a quick strategy of offing the prey to avoid attracting attention from other predators. They have very muscular shoulders and front quarters, while the back pair are less extreme, with a tail used to signal to other members of their kind, usually in an aggressive tone. Katanachins are one of the deadliest predators on Kerguelen, using a powerful build to bring down almost any prey, and the exceptional size of the savannah species helps further. Adults measure about 3.6m long including the tail and are known to weigh up to 400kg, rivalling smilodon populator and panthera atrox in size and power. Its forest dwelling relatives are smaller but still deadly in their own right. The flourishing deinoprobatid dynasty has allowed the development of many creatures. Some are small and effortlessly pursue prey like wolves over long distances, while others live in the forests and forage like bears. Another pursues a deadlier lifestyle. Enter the violator (necrodon tyrannus), a vicious beast. Unlike the cats, violators are omnivorous creatures like their relatives, and are just as likely to eat shrubs, roots and bulbs as they are to attack or scavenge off other animals. But they are nevertheless much more predatory than their relatives, adopting a kleptoparasitic lifestyle similar to that of arctodus simus. The wool covers the body quite evenly except for the head which is long and tusked. The animal’s torso is flat like a canid’s and its legs long. It is primarily a distance pursuer like the smaller relatives, allowing it to chase down prey when it has to like a grizzly. However, its preferred form of acquiring food is to steal it off smaller predators such as the katanachin or the pack-hunting sheep-in-wolves-clothing (Luporvis familiaris), meaning less effort is required. Its appearance and aggression are excellent at warding off other predators, or for adding them to its menu. They are much larger than the other predators, with adult males weighing in at more than 600kg, though females are only about 400kg usually. Their deep, shrill cries are enough to terrify a human if they were around, or most other animals living here for that matter. Despite their powerful reputation, they are quite social animals when it comes to one another, living for life in a mating pair while raising any offspring they have, being a vast improvement in temperance over the bears of the old world. This of course doesn’t make them any less deadly to the fellow neighbours of the Kerguelen plain. Yet another terrifying predator that lives in this habitat is the sheep-in wolf's-clothing (Luporvis familiaris), a smaller form of deinoprobatid adapted to an almost exclusively carnivorous lifestyle, and a more sociable one too. It is unique among its group in that it lives in an organised social structure, consisting of up to 20 individuals. They will hunt in packs to bring down larger prey, or effectively coordinate attacks against smaller prey. This efficient form of hunting and hierarchy resembles the structure of wolves, in that it is egalitarian and depends on the strength and experience of hte individuals there. The communitarian mindset of these creatures makes them quite formiddable. They have relatively small heads for members of the group and long legs, meaning they are more specifically adapted for speed and agility over size and power. They even have upright ears and longer tails which makes them resemble wolves. While they lack canines, their lower incisors are thicker than normal, rather than being tusk like as shown in other members of the group, meaning they are good for tearing and biting, rather than brutal bone crunching kills. Adults of either gender are around 1.5m in length and weigh in the region of 45-60kg. It takes about 8 years for them to reach full maturity, though they are first trained to hunt when they reach the age of 2, ensuring the long term survival of the species. And that is one of the main terrestrial habitats done (yes, this is a redo of an earlier one :p) . Next up shall be the northern forests, where a subtropical climate has taken root and a greater diversity of fauna than anywhere else in Kerguelen exists. See you then! Edited by Nyarlathotep, Feb 28 2016, 07:11 PM.



Nyarlathotep	Feb 28 2016, 07:16 PM Post #19
The Creeping Chaos Posts: 1,301 Group: Members Member #1,358 Joined: Mar 2, 2014 Gender: Male Area of expertise: Future Evolution Nationality: English Gender: Redundant much redundant?	Kerguelen- The-northern-forests Pic To the furthest north reaches of Kerguelen lies a forest not too different from that in northern New Zealand, New Caledonia or even Madagascar. In this forest, a diverse range of flora and smaller fauna exist which flourishes off each other. There is also a large amount of wetland for creatures to live in, in the form of rivers, lakes and even swamps. This creates a number of new opportunities for organisms to exploit, particularly underwater vegetation and fish, mainly descended from the trout of man’s time. As a result, the diversity of creatures roaming here is notable and profound. In the regions around the water’s edge, various birds make their home, feasting on smaller insects and algae. Of the many descendants of mallard, some of these have remained in the aquatic habitats and continued to thrive, though not all resemble their ancestor so much. One of these is the false-swan (Megacygnus borealis), an unusually long necked omnivore feeding around the edges, using its neck to provide maximum range. It is of course flightless due to the lack of competition, and has sturdy legs and stabilising wings that help it move around effectively without its neck tipping it over. The legs are quite powerful for their size and aid in swimming around from region to region as well. They live in small flocks with each other, though they tend to only look after their own offspring, and are quite protective. They share their namesake’s fierce aggression towards other animals, and their serrated beak proves quite a nasty deterrent to predators. Adult males are larger than the females, measuring about 1.5m tall when the neck is fully stretched and weighing up to 17kg, while the females are around 1.2m in height and weigh around 10kg. The males also have brighter colours around the neck, with a crown of feathers on the head in addition, used for sexual display. False-swans are some of the most common larger avians in this habitat, and while vastly outnumbered by the various songbirds and such that live in the trees, they are a prevalent part of the ecosystem regardless. In the trees, another type of bird makes it’s living, although in an altogether different manner. With various small rats moving around the forests, a creature has evolved in response to these organisms, in the form of a skystalker (Aichmirornychys kerguelis), a native owl that flourishes of this bountiful supply. While only moderately sized by owl standards, it is one of the most common flying predators here, being descended from barn owls that arrived on the plateau around 15 million years after man’s disappearance. The animal has relatively short but broad wings which are useful for travelling into a more compact environment of the forests, but allow it to be fast and agile to pursue prey. They don’t have tufts of feathers around the eyes like one might expect, but they do have proportionally large eyes and an unusually straight beak to them. They use this beak to stab their prey while the talons hold it in place. Unsociable creatures they are, but they will involve in mating pairs which last for life, meaning they are quite efficient parents. The single chick will be raised in turns by each partner while the other is out hunting, similar to the social structure offered by most penguins, thus meaning the chick always has someone to take care of it. Adults of both genders having a typical wingspan of around 80cm and weigh about 1.2kg, though their talons are proportionally huge, with claws almost 2cm long. In terms of mammalian fauna, one of the most numerous animals here is one which would have puzzled the taxonomists of the 19th and 20th centuries. This creature, known as a snuffler (Suinasorvis mytedafus) has a face which would appear to resemble some strange form of pig, with a very large, flexible extension of the lip on the upper jaw, often pressed against the ground, snuffling around like a bottom feeding fish for food, where the shovel like incisors move it to be chewed and swallowed. They are also quite sharp and so can be used to deliver nasty bites to insects, rodents or even small birds when they need to. One would think from this head and its sturdy build that it was some kind of pig, but in reality it is a sheep. This is given away by its bovine posture, a short, fluffy tail and of course the signature horns, which bend downwards the way the tusks of the old pigs would. They are some of the more basal of the deinoprobatid group, being still herbivorous in the majority sense. Snufflers are therefore much more passive than their vicious relatives. Their enlarged snout also means a large nose and a good sense of smell, along with a nasal cavity. This allows them to create relatively loud noises for them to communicate over distances. They travel in herds of up to 30 individuals through the forests, and while not as smart as pigs, do their best to survive. The lambs are always kept within a short distance of at least two adults to monitor for predator activity, and ensure the long term survival of the herd. Adult males are the larger gender, measuring about 1.4m in length, 80cm at the shoulder and weighing around 80kg. Females are somewhat smaller, at around 1.3m long and 75cm tall, with a normal weight of about 65kg. They have a light brown fur and an almost hairless snout, which maximises its effectiveness when pressed against the ground. Another very different type of herbivore lives in the waters and swamps around this region. The descendants of reeds, lillies and other aquatic plants from the age of man look mostly the same as they did in man’s time, though there are also some aquatic variations of grasses and dandelions, some of the most adaptable of all the plants. All this food feeds some animals or another. The false swan feeds on the smaller plants and algae, whereas the reeds are fed upon by a much more impressive beast. Almost entirely submerged, a creature moves into somewhat shallower water, revealing a back covered in dark brown fur, and later, a huge pair of antlers covered in reeds, with the prongs having hooked them from the surface below. A long rough tongue strips the vegetation off the antlers and into a mouth where they are chewed and consumed this is the mighty galumph (Cervipottamus borealis), the second largest deer known to science. Though not nearly as huge as the ubercervis of the plains, it is nevertheless big enough to dwarf all other animals in the rainforest. The use of its enormous antlers, with an antler span of up to 4m, as food gatherers is ingenious within the natural ecosystem, and one unique to this specific creature. Galumphs are solitary beasts and therefore quite rare to find, and share a high temper with the hippos that once roamed Africa, being hostile to any cat or deinoprobatid that approaches. Even smaller deer and such don’t dare approach an aggressive male. Both genders are a similar size range, with adults standing about 2m tall at the shoulder and weighing in the region of 1300-1500kg, with exceptionally large specimens sometimes reaching as high as 2000kg. These remarkable beasts are some of the most iconic fauna in this entire ecosystem. Also in the rivers lies a variety of other vertebrates living here. Though there are no reptiles or amphibians, there are plenty of fish dwelling in these waters, many of them descended from the trout that were introduced by man. One of these is the emerald barbtail (Aegicauda smaragdocutis), a beautiful bright green fish which camouflages surprisingly well with the algae-thick waters of northern Kerguelens rivers. The barb tails retain some similarities with their trout ancestor, with their streamlined body shape and relatively conservative dorsal and pectoral fins. The tail of the fish however comes with a barb that can work either for sexual display or to defend it against fish-eating cats. The emerald barbtail is an insectivorous species which feasts on insects swarming around the edges of the rivers and lakes, catching any that move too close and get captured by the flow of the water. Their colour scheme can also dazzle predators that try to pursue them, providing a refuge in audacity from the ruthless creatures around them. They are a medium sized representative of the genus Aegicauda, measuring about 40cm from mouth to vent, with an additional 20cm worth of tail. The barb in question is in the upper fluke and is sharpened like the spur of a platypus. It is not venomous however, merely painful to whatever gets caught in it. Other members of Aegicauda include the nibbler barbtail (Aeigicauda dimunitivus), which is much smaller at around 20cm and feeds on small algae and plankton. The monstrous barbtail (Aegicauda horridus) is a much larger predator, over 1m in length which uses sharpened teeth to tear chunks out of smaller fish, including its relatives, while even attacking swimming rodents. This diverse group of fish does well to thrive in this habitat, as it is warmer than elsewhere in Kerguelen and serves perfectly their needs. In the trees, the rat dynasties fed upon by the owls continue to flourish. With no reptiles to compete with in a relatively warm climate, some have abandoned the regulation of body temperature in pursuit of an ectothermic lifestyle. Feeding on small birds like the chicks of the false swan comes quite an intimidating creature, known as the hoodrat (Herperattus avilestes), a distant descendant of the black rats that came from man’s time, a forest dwelling relative of the plains dwelling lurker. Its build has some similarities such as a low body, dark fur and a long tail, but there the similarities end. The head is much larger proportionally and in length, filled with sharpened molars that shear through flesh quickly, while the incisors stab the prey and are organised in a way to make sure they are constantly sharpening. The limbs now sprawl at the sides like with a lizard, and are equipped with sizeable claws that make it deadly in unarmed combat. The tail is also covered in fur that helps the animal camouflage. The majority of the animals fur is a brown colour, with the exception of the upper part of the head, neck and shoulders, which is black, giving this beast its name. Hoodrats tend to travel alone, but will often gather in a mob around particular prey items, similar to a komodo dragon. While they lack a venomous bite, they make up for it in ruthlessness and excellent at stealthy kills. An adult hoodrat measures around 2m in length including the tail and weighs up to 40kg. One of its particular habits is to go into bird’s nests and attack quickly, snatching eggs, hatchlings and even chicks when they can. This results in the mother birds becoming highly protective and weary of what is in the undergrowth, though who can blame them? In terms of local predators, many of them in this land consist of the descendants of cats. These are not ectothermic like the hoodrats, but instead pursue their age old lifestyle as ambush predators, with many specialising in birds and rodents. However, some have managed to pursue larger prey as well. Several species of generalised deer and sheep descendant make their home in the forests and around the river, ranging up to the gigantic galumphs, and something has evolved to exploit these. This is the forest katanachin (Kerguelosmilus paronca), a smaller, less robust relative of the savannah variety that has developed to feed on smaller and more agile prey. Its build is somewhat similar to that of a leopard or jaguar, though somewhat longer in torso, while the face is somewhat shorter to compensate for the tusks on its chin. These are also proportionally smaller than those of the more extreme variety to the south, but still useful to kill large prey items easily and quickly, while the other teeth are good for clamping down on the more delicate creatures that it shares its habitat with. The tail is striped and does not have a signal to it, allowing it a solitary lifestyle similar to a tiger of the time of man. Adult males measure about 3m in length including the tail, measure up to 1m at the shoulder and can weigh as much as 200kg, approaching an African lion in proportions, while females are around 2.5m in length, 90cm tall and weigh in the region of 140kg or so at maximum. Like tigers they use stripes to disguise themselves in the undergrowth, and it means that they are also able to avoid competition from another predator living here. The grizzly-beast (Daeotherium arctomimus) dwarves even the largest cat living in this habitat, though it is certainly unrelated. It is an obligate omnivore, with about 70-80% of its diet being vegetation, a ratio not too different to the old brown bears of man’s time, though this animal is a bit more limited in where it can reach due to its obligate quadrapedalism. The grizzly-beast comes in several subspecies depending on the climate, with this one (D. a. occidentalis) being the most common. It gets its name from having grizzled fur, which long ago lost its wooliness due to a changing climate and lifestyle. The head of the animal contains large canines, chipping incisors and grinding molars which allow it to consume a wide range of foods, though not in the same way as the snuffler. It is capable of some low-level browsing on bushes and such, and like the other beasts it can drive off smaller predators from their kills in order to gain a source of food with little effort. They have relatively long but thin fur, with grizzles in it, along with a particularly long patch around the tail. The animal’s posture is still much more horizontal than that of any bear, making rearing up impossible, giving away its sheep ancestry. Grizzly-beasts are sizeable animals, measuring about 1.4m tall at the shoulder and weighing up to 500kg, certainly impressive enough to frighten any smaller animals away from them. They are highly solitary and do not tolerate the company of other members of their kind well. A final predator that makes its home in these forests comes not from the ground, but in the waters. Just as in the age of man, there have been migrants to these waters from the ocean, with this being one of them. Enter the shearing-shark (Vasanizodon Kerguelis), a descendent of the reef sharks of man’s age. Similar to the bull-shark, the shearer has adapted to fresh water environments and is found throughout the tropics and subtropics. In this specific species, it has adapted to the riverways of Kerguelen’s northern forests. As a result, it has reduced vision and an increased emphasis on smell to locate its prey, as if the shark’s smell wasn’t honed enough. One of their favourite items of prey besides trout and minnow descendants is the galumph, either for adults or for young. A tactic it will use against adults is to move into them, bite off a chunk of flesh and leave. Often the wounds will eventually recover, allowing the shark to return again. With smaller prey, such as juveniles, a more direct form of hunting is employed. They have to watch out for the antlers though, as these can easily snag on the shark’s fragile gills, and a kick can do devastating damage. Thus they are the masters of speed attacks, moving at speeds of up to 45km/h in the water and quickly moving out of the way through premeditated turns. Adult sharks can reach up to 2.5m in length, being very sizeable creatures, with the females usually being larger than the males. And those are the creatures of the Kerguelen northern forests, the final major habitat of Kerguelen. Unless any more progress is desired, the project is more or less finished now. Also, an edits been made to the previous post, so check that out too. Edited by Nyarlathotep, Feb 28 2016, 07:16 PM.



1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)

Join the millions that use us for their forum communities. Create your own forum today. Learn More · Register Now
« Previous Topic · Evolutionary Continuum · Next Topic »

Pages:
1
2