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

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

Join our community today!

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Obscure Taxa; For interesting or obscure organisms you'd like to share.
Topic Started: Dec 14 2016, 09:46 PM (48,952 Views)
Uncanny Gemstar
Member Avatar
Godfather of SE
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Neat, Russian nesting Flatworms. Also, sorry for being that guy, but trachylepis was on here already.
Recent Projects

Old Projects

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
IIGSY
Member Avatar
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
kopout
Feb 3 2017, 01:40 AM
Insect Illuminati Get Shrekt
Dec 25 2016, 02:50 PM
Dromaeosaurus
Dec 25 2016, 07:07 AM
Stretching the boundaries of what counts as a "taxon"...

The 8th February 1951, the hospital of Baltimore took cervical cancer cells from Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who would die because of that cancer in October. Despite the death of their original host, the cancer cells survived well enough in the lab, because of a genetical mutation that allowed them to replicate indefinitely. They're hypertriploid, reaching 76-80 chromosomes per cells, and they have absorbed viral genes from the papillomavirus. They were successfully cloned in 1955. Six decades later, those cells are still growing and reproducing. Known as HeLa cells, they're shipped around the world to be used in all kinds of experiments - cancer research, resistence to toxins and viruses, sensitivity to drugs or cosmetics, and so on. If you still count them as parts of Henrietta Lack's body, Mrs. Lacks weighs around 20 tons at 96 years.
Because of their inhuman genome, Leigh Van Valen, whom you might remember for the Red Queen Hypothesis, proposed to classify HeLa cells in the new species Helacyton gartleri, named after Stanley Gartler, who had worked on their clonation and issues with contamination of other cultures. An alternative proposal would classify them as Homo sapiens gartleri. So here you have it - the first (kinda) official posthuman!

Posted Image
I am left absolutely dumbfounded. Someone should make a spec project about this.
I almost used it in the At The End competition, for the irony of an endolithic microbe being not only the last vertebrate but the last animal period and one of the last Eukaryotas.
Well, do it anyway. That's too good an idea to pass.
Projects
Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates
Last one crawling: The last arthropod

ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess)

Potential ideas-
Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized.
Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal.
Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents.

Quotes


Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups


In honor of the greatest clade of all time


More pictures


Other cool things


All African countries can fit into Brazil
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
IIGSY
Member Avatar
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
That flatworm looks and awful lot like a rotifer
Projects
Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates
Last one crawling: The last arthropod

ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess)

Potential ideas-
Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized.
Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal.
Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents.

Quotes


Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups


In honor of the greatest clade of all time


More pictures


Other cool things


All African countries can fit into Brazil
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vorsa
Member Avatar
Mysterious tundra-dwelling humanoid
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Vaquita
Phocoena sinus

Posted Image

The vaquita is the world's rarest cetacean as well as being considered the most endangered of 129 extant marine mammal species. It has been classified as one of the top 100 evolutionary distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) mammals in the world. Despite being a beautiful and intriguing animal with no close relatives, the vaquita is critically endangered due to the prevalence of illegal gillnet totoaba fishing (itself an endangered species). The current vaquita population is estimated to be just 30, making the species critically endangered and due to the continued threats in its environment, it is in imminent danger of extinction.

Posted Image
Posted Image

However, the Mexican government has funded a massive protection scheme aiming to remove all gillnets from the vaquita's habitat. A protective housing/captive breeding program has also been developed and is undergoing feasibility testing as it is now viewed as necessary to rescue the species. However, the sea pen housing needed to implement this strategy is not expected to be available until October this year which may be too late. Additionally, the ability of the vaquita to survive and reproduce while confined to a sanctuary is uncertain.

There are charities and organisations working to save the species so feel free to read about what they do and donate to them as this animal is in dire need of help.

Charities:
VIVA Vaquita
Save the Vaquita Day
Save The Whales
WWF
Defenders of Wildlife
Conservation of Biology

Posted Image
My Deviantart: http://desorages.deviantart.com/

Birbs

"you are about to try that on a species that clawed its way to the top of a 4 billion year deep corpse pile of evolution. one that has committed the genocide you are contemplating several times already. they are the pinnacle of intelligence-based survival techniques and outnumber you 7 billion to 1" - humans vs machine
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Uncanny Gemstar
Member Avatar
Godfather of SE
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Tinkerbirds
Spoiler: click to toggle

So piciform birds are pretty well known in general, woodpeckers and toucans being the most famous. However in Africa, far from the American woodpeckers and Toucan, there are small rhamphastidae birds known as the Tinkerbirds. Overall they look like a pretty normal songbird except with a somewhat large beak and zygodactyl feet. They're pretty cute too, so they have that going for them. I honestly couldn't find much information on them though unfortunately.
Tinkerbirds Wikipedia Page
Recent Projects

Old Projects

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
IIGSY
Member Avatar
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Posted Image

Mawsonia is a 2 and half ton coelacanth from the Cretaceous period. It isn't often talked about, and when it is, it's almost always in the context of it being on spinosaurus's menu. It was probably a carnivore, eating any animal it can swallow. It was 4 to 6 meters in length.
Projects
Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates
Last one crawling: The last arthropod

ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess)

Potential ideas-
Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized.
Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal.
Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents.

Quotes


Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups


In honor of the greatest clade of all time


More pictures


Other cool things


All African countries can fit into Brazil
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
LittleLazyLass
Member Avatar
Proud quilt in a bag

I have heard of those fish before, but it's never really occurred to me how crazy they were. There were great-white sized fish swimming around in rivers.
totally not British, b-baka!
Posted Image You like me (Unlike)
I don't even really like this song that much but the title is pretty relatable sometimes, I guess.
Me
What, you want me to tell you what these mean?
Read First
Words Maybe
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
IIGSY
Member Avatar
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Little
Mar 1 2017, 10:14 PM
I have heard of those fish before, but it's never really occurred to me how crazy they were. There were great-white sized fish swimming around in rivers.
It certainly wasn't the only one

Posted Image
Projects
Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates
Last one crawling: The last arthropod

ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess)

Potential ideas-
Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized.
Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal.
Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents.

Quotes


Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups


In honor of the greatest clade of all time


More pictures


Other cool things


All African countries can fit into Brazil
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
trex841
Member Avatar
Entity
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
I had pictured in my mind once of an underwater shot of one of those rivers (With a human scuba diver, I believe as a Chased by Dinosaurs style mockumentary) and it always kind of stuck with me.
F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs
A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.

At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting.

(And this is just the spec related stuff)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
LittleLazyLass
Member Avatar
Proud quilt in a bag

Jeremy Wade would have a field day... and probably die.
totally not British, b-baka!
Posted Image You like me (Unlike)
I don't even really like this song that much but the title is pretty relatable sometimes, I guess.
Me
What, you want me to tell you what these mean?
Read First
Words Maybe
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
HangingThief
Member Avatar
ghoulish
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Don't forget Rhizodus.
Hey.


Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Even
Roman Catholic theistic evolutionist
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
There's still another giant bichir... Bawitius or something...
Currently a part of Specworld's revival and The Dark Phoenix's Dinosaur Spec... Still open for idea exchanges and commentaries

GENERATION 26: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the
generation. Social experiment.

My Pets
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
IIGSY
Member Avatar
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
HangingThief
Mar 2 2017, 08:07 AM
Don't forget Rhizodus.
That was from the carboniferous. But yeah, that too. When it comes to giant fish, lamnid sharks get all the attention when they where plenty of other massive fish.
Projects
Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates
Last one crawling: The last arthropod

ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess)

Potential ideas-
Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized.
Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal.
Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents.

Quotes


Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups


In honor of the greatest clade of all time


More pictures


Other cool things


All African countries can fit into Brazil
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
IIGSY
Member Avatar
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Figured I would post one more picture of spinosaurs and it's sushi bar. Apparently, there was freshwater plesiosaurs.
Posted Image
Projects
Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates
Last one crawling: The last arthropod

ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess)

Potential ideas-
Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized.
Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal.
Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents.

Quotes


Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups


In honor of the greatest clade of all time


More pictures


Other cool things


All African countries can fit into Brazil
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Dapper Man
Member Avatar
* I am fed up with dis wuurld *
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Yep, they were Leptocleidids.
Speculative Evolution:

Manitou; The Needle in the Haystack.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
3 users reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Members: Yiqi15, lamna
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Science Central · Next Topic »
Add Reply