| 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! |
| 10 Million Years of Rain; An Age of Mud and Venom | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 27 2016, 06:46 PM (3,024 Views) | |
| Monster | Oct 27 2016, 06:46 PM Post #1 |
Space Oddity
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10 Million Years of Rain The Holocene is long over. The Earth has seen the dawn of a dozen new ages, and with each period came a plethora of fantastic creatures and landscapes. Empires rose and fell, beset by hardship and disaster. Humans, acidic oceans, ice ages,asteroids, a brutal volcanic winter, and desertification all took their toll over the millennia. Still, life flourishes, and for each lineage coldly snuffed out and reduced to dust and bones another emerges to take its place. Incredible, fragile and breathtakingly beautiful, life on Earth soldiers on through everything thrown at it. Diversifying, innovating and surviving. Our tour begins 200 million years from now. The supercontinent Ameurasia has largely broken up, and biodiversity has started to recover after the latest mass extinction event. A deadly combination of desertification, glaciation, colossal flood basalt eruptions and anoxic oceans made for a punishing 20 million years. Many once great clades did not survive. Tetrapods in particular were badly affected. Some of the most successful lineages of all time dwindled and were destroyed over the ages, finished off by the bleak and hostile deserts that engulfed the land. There was no refuge in the seas, and they grew stagnant and quiet. But it wasn't to last. As the new continents moved further and further apart, the rains came, and the swamps and forests reclaimed the ancient deserts. The Earth was once again a welcoming place for vertebrates. They filled every new habitat, taking advantage of this new abundance of fruits, flowers and insects. This is a now a hothouse world. Global temperatures average 30C, there are no ice caps and much of the planet enjoys high precipitation. Large areas of the former continents are now submerged beneath warm, shallow seas. The Ameurasian deserts are almost gone. Forests and wetlands spread (almost) pole to pole, accounting for most of the planet's terrestrial ecosystems. Megafauna is rare; the old mammalian megafauna has been absent for a long time. Instead, the forests teem with thousands of smaller species of mammal, bird, lizard and amphibian, most weighing less than 10kg. They slink and scurry in the shadow of the lizards, snakes and amphibians are taking their places as the new giants of this world . Giant fish patrol the waterways and wetlands. A host of strange winged creatures fill the skies and forest canopies. Some of these creatures would be familiar to us; others have no current equivalent. Even the trees in the vast forests would look odd to us. It is humid, swampy, lush and green. It has been like this for the last 10 million years. But things are slowly changing. The continents are becoming more isolated from each other. The climate is cooling, ever so slightly, and in places the forests are receding. Grasslands and tundra are encroaching, little by little. The beginnings of a new age of megafauna can be seen. Herds of grazing animals hint at the former glories of the Cenozoic Era. This is a world in transition. This project explores the wildlife, biogeography and ecology of this lush, changing, watery world. Contents Currently in order of posting; better organisation to come with increased volume of published material! Spoiler: click to toggle |
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Flashlights, nightmares, sudden explosions. 'active' {tumblr} {Veles} {10 Million Years of Rain] Commissions: Open. | |
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| Sheather | Oct 27 2016, 07:30 PM Post #2 |
 
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Exciting. |
 The Gaiaverse | Eden | Terra Metropolis | Life of the Sylvan Islands | Other Spec Evo | Sheatheria | Serina | The Last Dinosaur A Wholesome and Good Thing | Sam | | |
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| Sphenodon | Oct 27 2016, 07:42 PM Post #3 |
Calcareous
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And so it returns, like the others, from its long slumber. |
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We have a Discord server! If you would like to join, simply message myself, Flisch, or Icthyander. Some of my ideas (nothing real yet, but soon): Refugium: A last chance for collapsing ecosystems and their inhabitants. Pansauria: A terraforming project featuring the evolution of exactly one animal - the marine iguana. Mars Renewed: An insight into the life of Mars thirty million years after its terraforming by humankind. Microcosm: An exceedingly small environment. Alcyon: A planet colonized by species remodeled into new niches by genetic engineering. Oddballs: Aberrant representatives of various biological groups compete and coexist. ..and probably some other stuff at some point (perhaps a no K-T project). Stay tuned! | |
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| Dr Nitwhite | Oct 27 2016, 08:23 PM Post #4 |
Luddite
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Yaaaaaaaay! It's back! |
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Speculative Evolution Projects- Other Relevant Work- Final SE Lifelist standings BREAKING NEWS We interrupt your regular programming to bring you this cutting edge report. ATTENDANCE DROPS DRASTICALLY ON SE SERVER This past Monday on Discord, famous server Speculative Evolution took a hit in the attendance office when it's offline member list suddenly reappeared. Mods scrambled to rectify the situation, but unfortunately there was little anyone could do. Server member Ivan was asked what he thought of the situation. "So long as Flisch, lord of machines and scion of Urborg lives, all will be well". SE, (in)famous for it's eccentric userbase, has recently been spiraling downward, and now we have hard conformation of the decline. Moderator "High Lord" Icthyander states "There is nothing to be concerned about, Discord is merely changing its UI again", but members are beginning to suspect the honesty of their staff. Stay tuned, we'll be back with more at 11. | |
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| Ivan_The_Inedible | Oct 27 2016, 08:31 PM Post #5 |
There are some who call me... Spencer.
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Don't remember the original, but I'll still like to see this in action. |
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Quotes are a thing Who will know? My Projects
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| Beetleboy | Oct 28 2016, 02:52 AM Post #6 |
neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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I am so excited right now. |
| ~ The Age of Forests ~ | |
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| GlarnBoudin | Oct 28 2016, 02:09 PM Post #7 |
Disgusting Skin Fetishist
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Damn, it's like a blast from the past in so many ways. Old projects popping up again, new ones based on old science; it's awesome! |
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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. | |
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| Zorcuspine | Oct 28 2016, 02:50 PM Post #8 |
Enjoying our azure blue world
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Hmm have there been others lately? If so, I missed them. Would love links  Also, I'm really pumped to see this back! |
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| Beetleboy | Oct 30 2016, 01:26 PM Post #9 |
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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By the way, forgot to ask, has anything notable changed since the previous version that we should know about? |
| ~ The Age of Forests ~ | |
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| Monster | Oct 30 2016, 05:32 PM Post #10 |
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Space Oddity
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Yes, a few things have changed and a couple of things are not canon anymore, but I'll get to that. |
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Flashlights, nightmares, sudden explosions. 'active' {tumblr} {Veles} {10 Million Years of Rain] Commissions: Open. | |
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| CaledonianWarrior96 | Oct 30 2016, 06:19 PM Post #11 |
An Awesome Reptile
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Never really read a lot into the last one, but I'll give this one a go |
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Come check out and subscribe to my projects on the following subforums; Future Planet (V.2): the Future Evolution of Life on Earth (Evolutionary Continuum) The Meuse Legacy: An Alternative Outcome of the Mosasaur (Alternative Evolution) Terra Cascus: The Last Refuge of the Dinosaurs (Alternative Evolution) - Official Project - Foundation The Beryoni Galaxy: The Biologically Rich and Politically Complex State of our Galaxy (Habitational Zone) - Beryoni Critique Thread (formerly: Aliens of Beryoni) The Ecology of Skull Island: An Open Project for the Home of King Kong (Alternative Universe) The Ecology of Wakanda: An Open Project for the Home of Marvel's Black Panther (Alternative Universe) (Click bold titles to go to page. To subscribe click on a project, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "track topic" on the bottom right corner) And now, for something completely different
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| Monster | Oct 31 2016, 04:24 PM Post #12 |
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Space Oddity
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The World The Earth, 200myh -early Apeirozoic era. Recovery and diversification of life following extended period of glaciation, natural disasters and extinction events. Before we leave for the field, we will take this opportunity to brief you on the shape of the world at this time. There will be time for a final safety check and neural adjustments following this briefing.But for now, please make yourselves comfortable. The Cenozoic ended with Earth in the grip of a ferocious ice age, over 40% of the planet's surface covered by ice and snow. Ameurasia had formed over the North pole, incorporating almost all of the present day continents.The continental interior was a frozen wasteland, comparable to Antarctica today. Great mountain ranges were pushed up where continents collided with each other - North America, Africa, Eurpose, Siberia, China. Beyond the ice sheets, the landscape was dominated by enormous glacial lakes, and cold, windswept deserts and steppes. Still further south, towards the tropics,the climate was milder and more stable. Forests and other kinder biomes survived along the southern coasts, harbouring the survivors who would go on to repopulate this ravaged world. Eventually, the continents began to move apart.The ice sheets melted, the glaciers retreated, and an era of renewed volcanic activity began, warming the planet and leaving pristine new land for the remaining life to colonise. The seas were rejuvenated, the forests spread, and the continents drifted further and further from each other. The cold, arid conditions and desolate expanses of ice of the end Cenozoic are now a distant memory. Every region of the globe now has its own distinctive flora and fauna, flourishing in this warm new world. UR is the largest continent, comprised of the former continents of Eurasia, and parts of Africa and North America. A vast mountain range runs from the Atlantic almost to the Pacific shores.The islands of the former northern Europe and the shallow, temperate Siberian Sea are highlights. An unusual large desert and some spreading areas of flat steppe and grassland in central Ur provide some relief from the endless forests and marshy river deltas of the rest of the world. AFRASIA was formed by the union of the South and East African plates with Arabia,India, Madagascar and Reunion. The biogeography of Afrasia is unusual, with three distinct regions. Western Afrasian fauna is largely derived from that of ancient Africa and Eurasia, largely cut off from the rest of the continent by the Congo Sea. Eastern Afrasian wildlife in contrast, has also been influenced by the interchange with Austropaua. Finally, Madagascar and Reunion - a region known as Lemuria - have been cut off from the rest of the continent since before the formation of Ameurasia and have been left largely to their own devices with only a little input from the continental faunas. AUSTROPAPUA was one of the more southerly and temperate regions of the old supercontinent, and largely cut off from much of it by the mountains. It was therefore partially isolated, and as for much of the Cenozoic, developed a unique and in some ways archaic fauna and flora. The region is now a complex mixture of islands, lakes and mountain ranges. PALUSTRIA was once North America. Two extensive, ancient mountain ranges run down either coast - the Rockies and the Appalachians, both having been eroded and then raised and augmented once more by tectonic activity. The centre is not the dry expanse of plains and desert that one might expect, but is dominated by the vast and shallow Winipek Sea. River deltas and seasonal rainforests provide a range of rich habitats. THALASSIA is what remains of South America. The Amazon Sea, Patagonian Seaway, and the impressive newly uplifted Andes mountain range break Thalassia into a number of distinctive bioregions. Thalassia was one of the least connected, most southerly parts of Ameurasia (to what would become Palustria) and enjoyed balmier, more stable and generally more hospitable conditions than much of the rest of the landmass. ANTARCTICA was an isolated continent shrouded in ice for much of the Cenozoic, and the only major continental landmass to remain separate from Ameurasia. Antarctica today remains isolated, located only slightly further north than during the Holocene. Coastal Antarctica proved to be a valuable refuge, having fairly stable and mild temperatures despite the interior remaining frozen until the breakup of Ameurasia began. It is a special place of lakes, high mountains and lush forests. POLARIS is the smallestand most northerly continent. The former islands of Greenland, Svalbard and Iceland and a massive spine of mountains formed by the Mid Atlantic Ridge present rugged vistas of seasonal temperate forests, jagged mountains and uncountable glistening lakes. ZEALANDIA is a microcontinent that partially resurfaced prior to the end of the Cenozoic. It was never joined by land to the Ameurasian mainland, but was separated from southern Austropapua by a short but deep strait, which allowed for a limited interchange of wildlife. An interesting place with a distinctive mix of old endemic and Austropapuan wildlife. BERINGIA is a microcontinent formed by the accretion and subsequent rifting of Alaska and the Chukchi Peninsula. Warm, lush, temperate forests cloak the mountains and valleys left by the retreating glaciers. A very new continent, Beringian fauna has much in common with that of Palustria, but retaining an Arctic flavour. There will be time during our excursions to discuss and examine specific aspects of the geography of each region in more detail. Until then, we hope this has provided you with a basic understanding of the early Apeirozoic world. Please begin pre-departure safety checks. |
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Flashlights, nightmares, sudden explosions. 'active' {tumblr} {Veles} {10 Million Years of Rain] Commissions: Open. | |
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| CaledonianWarrior96 | Oct 31 2016, 04:33 PM Post #13 |
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An Awesome Reptile
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Nice detail into this new world map. Will we be seeing an illustration of this map some point in the future? |
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Come check out and subscribe to my projects on the following subforums; Future Planet (V.2): the Future Evolution of Life on Earth (Evolutionary Continuum) The Meuse Legacy: An Alternative Outcome of the Mosasaur (Alternative Evolution) Terra Cascus: The Last Refuge of the Dinosaurs (Alternative Evolution) - Official Project - Foundation The Beryoni Galaxy: The Biologically Rich and Politically Complex State of our Galaxy (Habitational Zone) - Beryoni Critique Thread (formerly: Aliens of Beryoni) The Ecology of Skull Island: An Open Project for the Home of King Kong (Alternative Universe) The Ecology of Wakanda: An Open Project for the Home of Marvel's Black Panther (Alternative Universe) (Click bold titles to go to page. To subscribe click on a project, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "track topic" on the bottom right corner) And now, for something completely different
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| Monster | Oct 31 2016, 04:43 PM Post #14 |
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Space Oddity
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Probably. I was going to wait to post this until I had a finished map to put in, but then realised that might be a long time/never. I hope the continental arrangement makes sense. I did some research and based it on some recent models, but of course this is a such a long time into the future there was a lot of leeway and guesswork. |
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Flashlights, nightmares, sudden explosions. 'active' {tumblr} {Veles} {10 Million Years of Rain] Commissions: Open. | |
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| CaledonianWarrior96 | Oct 31 2016, 04:49 PM Post #15 |
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An Awesome Reptile
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The way I see it, the further you are in the future the more creative you can get. To be honest though I think seeing a map would make things clearer, especially since there's so many landmasses at this time |
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Come check out and subscribe to my projects on the following subforums; Future Planet (V.2): the Future Evolution of Life on Earth (Evolutionary Continuum) The Meuse Legacy: An Alternative Outcome of the Mosasaur (Alternative Evolution) Terra Cascus: The Last Refuge of the Dinosaurs (Alternative Evolution) - Official Project - Foundation The Beryoni Galaxy: The Biologically Rich and Politically Complex State of our Galaxy (Habitational Zone) - Beryoni Critique Thread (formerly: Aliens of Beryoni) The Ecology of Skull Island: An Open Project for the Home of King Kong (Alternative Universe) The Ecology of Wakanda: An Open Project for the Home of Marvel's Black Panther (Alternative Universe) (Click bold titles to go to page. To subscribe click on a project, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "track topic" on the bottom right corner) And now, for something completely different
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