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Fallow Earth
Topic Started: Aug 1 2016, 06:00 AM (1,233 Views)
Jonagold2000 Aug 1 2016, 06:00 AM Post #1
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Welcome to Fallow Earth, a project in which mankind's actions lead to a minor extinction event, causing the death of most endangered animals. But that was not all fate had in store for life on Earth. an asteroid, 7km wide, was heading for the sun when its course was altered by Jupiter's gravitational influence. The asteroid hit Earth somewhere in South Africa, it caused a cloud of debris and dust to block out the sun for several decades and as a result 50% of life on Earth went extinct, it was the end of the Holocene. Any humans living on Earth were either killed or fled to extraplanetary colonies. After this catastrophy humans decided to aid the recovery of Earth's biosphere, making sure that the situation didn't get any worse. They, due to reasons still unclear, revived several extinct lineages to take part in this new biosphere. After a few thousand years humans left the solar system entirely, presumably to let nature take it's course after the biosphere had stabilised.

With humans gone the current glacial cycle recommenced after about 50,000 years and the ice ages continued untill about 8 myh, after which Earth's average temperature slowly crept up untill about 15 myh, when the average temperature is about 3 degrees celcius higher than today. Around this time humans rediscovered Earth and set up colonies. This is the time period the project takes place in, called the Anachrocene.

Earth has changed within the 15,000,000 years humans have been absent. The polar caps have retreated, leaving large parts of Antarctica and Greenland unfrozen. East Africa has broken off from the rest of the continent and the Mediterranian has closed. South America is no longer connected to North America.

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Credit to Dragonthunders.

The lineages that have been revived:
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Edited by Jonagold2000, Aug 11 2016, 11:05 AM.
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Vorsa Aug 1 2016, 06:44 AM Post #2
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Mysterious tundra-dwelling humanoid
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I like this project (I follow it on DA) and I'm excited to see which animal you post first. :D
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Dr Nitwhite Aug 1 2016, 06:50 AM Post #3
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I love that map! I look forward to more!
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Jonagold2000 Aug 1 2016, 07:55 AM Post #4
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Quick question: Should I upload older animals that I've posted on DA before or should I only do new concepts?
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Finncredibad Aug 1 2016, 10:38 AM Post #5
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Do new concepts.

Question: how did humans bring back these extinct animals? DNA only lasts a couple thousand to a few million years ago.
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Jonagold2000 Aug 1 2016, 11:27 AM Post #6
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I ment if I should post concepts of species that I've already posted on DA here in case someone here reads the thread but is unknown with the project.

The more recent animals were brought back via DNA decoding. The more ancient ones are GMOs. The Buitreraptor for instance is a Seriema that was engineered the be as close to a real Troodon as possible.
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GlarnBoudin Aug 1 2016, 02:26 PM Post #7
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Awesome to see that we're here on this site as well, Jona (You know me as Lediblock2 on deviantArt)! Personally, though, I think we could fit one or two species into Africa; it's a big place, but we have so little there. I say to put something big there - maybe a ground sloth or even a therizinosaur.
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Jonagold2000 Aug 1 2016, 03:08 PM Post #8
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There are 4 animals that were released on Africa (plus one by its coast) but with migrants Africa has about 7 more on land. There's quite a few animals on there.

More info on the extinct animals's migration: http://a-lost-world-project.deviantart.com/art/Fallow-Earth-distribution-of-prehistoric-animals-624738286
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Zorcuspine Aug 3 2016, 10:48 AM Post #9
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 You should definitely post the deviantart submissions here imo. It makes it easier for people seeing this project for the first time to access them.
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Jonagold2000 Aug 11 2016, 10:15 AM Post #10
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Time for an update!

It's midday in a forest on the North American East coast, 15 million years in the future. A slight breeze moves through the calm forest. The calls of birds are among the few things breaking up the silence. From a nearby creek a familiar looking creature crawls onto shore with in its mouth a crayfish. The creature is a small crocodylomorph, only 70cm long. You could easily mistake him for a juvenile, but it has taken many years for him to achieve this size. He is in fact an Eastern dwarf alligator. His small but powerfull jaws crack the exoskeleton of the crayfish quickly as he proceeds to feast upon his catch. But his feast doesn't last for long as a foraging juvenile Macrotyrannus has picked up on the creature's fish's scent. The gator quickly makis his way to the water. But unfortunately for the little tyrant there's not much meat left on the carcass and she is forced to seek further.

An hour later and she is still hungry. The little theropod stops for a moment to sniff the air, it appears she smells something. The theropod quickly bolts into the woods again, her legs taking her through the forest at great speeds. Then, in an open clearing, she notices a large, furry silhouette lying down. She slowly approaches the creature when it suddenly comes alive. The little Tyrant freezes momentarily. It appears the creature she has stumbled upon an adult Macrotyrannus sleeping in the grass. The brute looks her in the eye for a bit, and she quickly runs back into the woods.

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The largest land predator
Macrotyrannus imperator (emperor large scale tyrant) is the largest land predator of Fallow Earth, no land carnivore even comes close. It can achieve lengths of 14m, weigh in at around 11,000-13,000 kilograms and reach heights of near 5 meters. But their size isn't all that's interesting about them. They are the only known theropods that headbutt, and aside from when they're hungry they are surprisingly gentle. Scientists think this might be due to a relatively well-developed brain for a non-avian theropod, Macrotyrannus are smarter than their ancestors, about as intelligent as a chicken.


Macrotyrannus is a fierce, solitary hunter living throughout the forests of North America that feeds on mostly megafauna. They can hunt in different ways, for taller animals, particularly Silvatherium, they use a headbutt to tip them over and waiting for said trauma to kill them or for smaller animals they go for a more traditionally Tyrannosaurid approach, trying to snap the prey item's neck with a 6 ton bite. The former only rarely being used. In order to headbutt the creatures evoled large, robust browcrests and have reshaped their necks to absorb shocks. Heatbutting is also used in battles over mates and territories, usually is the traditional facebiting doesn't give a victor.


As the young theropod searches further she picks up another scent, a small deer, she follows its scent through the trees and bushes. But stops for a second when she notices a pair of oxpecker crows fly by, she knows these birds don't wander too far off from larger creatures, she must be wairy. She notices tracks in the soil. Upon inspectio they appear to be from the deer, and they're fresh.

She races onwards untill she stumbles upon a huge Silvatherium standing amongst a group of North American treeferns. The giant mammal isn't pleased in the least by this visitor and calls upon the rest of the herd. The juvenile tyrannosaur heads for the trees but bounces back when another Silvatherium appears from amongst the trees. She seems surrounded. One of the mammals gets agressive and begins to approach. The theropod panicks and sprints to the nearest bush. The Silvatherium stay around for a while, waiting to see if the little tyrannosaur returns but after half an hour return to browsing. She sneakily reappears from the bush and heads into the woods, snatching a dwarf gator as she goes.

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The long-legged rhino
Silvatherium elegans is a species of Indricothere native to the North American East Coast. They are among the largest land herbivores of North America. Being up to 4 meters tall, 5.7 meters long and weighing 10,000 kilograms. While S. elegans is a forest dweller other species live in a larger range of habitats. S. arizonensis for instance lives in a desert enviroment.

One of the things that sets Silvatherium apart from it's ancestor is its short neck, thought to have been evolved in order to decrease the area where the Tyrannosaurs could bite and kill them. Another adaptation thought to hve been evolved for protection is their herding behavior. The creatures live in small herds consisting of 7-10 adults females with their calves and a male or 2.
Edited by Jonagold2000, Aug 11 2016, 10:41 AM.
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GlarnBoudin Aug 11 2016, 03:48 PM Post #11
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I honestly think that you're giving dinosaurs too little credit in terms of intellect. Crocodiles, for instance, have been known to use tools, learn to climb vertical surfaces, and in some cases, hunt in packs to trap fish.
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Jasonguppy Aug 11 2016, 04:48 PM Post #12
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What tools do crocodiles use?
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Dragonthunders Aug 12 2016, 10:03 AM Post #13
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I honestly think that you're giving dinosaurs too little credit in terms of intellect. Crocodiles, for instance, have been known to use tools, learn to climb vertical surfaces, and in some cases, hunt in packs to trap fish.

I wonder what is the relevance of crocodiles here when the only mention of comparison made are with chickens, and to be fair, chickens have shown a fairly high intellect.
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Zorcuspine Aug 12 2016, 10:46 AM Post #14
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Aug 11 2016, 04:48 PM
What tools do crocodiles use?
Both crocodiles and alligators have been documented purpousely placing sticks on their head while submerged to lure birds looking to build a nest. They're no chimps, but it's still pretty impressive for animals traditionally regarded as dumber then rocks.
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GlarnBoudin Aug 12 2016, 02:42 PM Post #15
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Aug 12 2016, 10:03 AM
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I honestly think that you're giving dinosaurs too little credit in terms of intellect. Crocodiles, for instance, have been known to use tools, learn to climb vertical surfaces, and in some cases, hunt in packs to trap fish.

I wonder what is the relevance of crocodiles here when the only mention of comparison made are with chickens, and to be fair, chickens have shown a fairly high intellect.
They're animals closely related to dinosaurs that have shown surprisingly advanced intelligence.
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