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 (48,921 Views)
IIGSY
Member Avatar
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
CryperVilla
Oct 6 2017, 04:40 PM
Posted Image

Bagheera kiplingi, a mostly herbivorous species of jumping spider from Central America.

Copy paste from Wikipedia

B. kiplingi inhabits Mimosaceae trees, Vachellia in particular, where it consumes specialized protein- and fat-rich nubs called Beltian bodies. The nubs form at the leaf tips of the acacia as part of a symbiotic relationship with certain species of ants. The spiders actively avoid the ants that attempt to guard the Beltian bodies (their food source) against intruders. Although the Beltian bodies account for over 90% of B. kiplingi diet, the spiders also consume nectar and occasionally steal ant larvae from passing worker ants for food. Sometimes, they cannibalize conspecifics, especially during the dry season.

Despite their occasional acts of predation, the spiders' tissues have been found to exhibit isotopic signatures typical of herbivorous animals, implying that most of their food comes from plants. The mechanism by which they process, ingest, and metabolize the Beltian bodies is still unresearched. The vast majority of spiders liquefy their prey using digestive enzymes before sucking it in.

While they feed almost exclusively on a herbivorous diet in Mexico, where they inhabit more than half of Acacia collinsii trees, populations in Costa Rica, where less than 5% of Acacia are populated by B. kiplingi, do so to a lesser extent. Although this species is mostly territorial and forages solitarily, populations of several hundred specimens have been found on individual acacias in Mexico, with more than twice as many females as males. B. kiplingi appears to breed throughout the year. Observations of adult females guarding hatchlings and clutches suggest that the species is quasisocial.



I just found out about these beauties when I was researching spider eyes, and I was thoroughly shocked to learn the extent to which they feed on plants. If this could evolve once, perhaps the adaptation could eventually lead to lineages of herbivorous arachnids?
Sorry for the shameful self promotion, but I got a pretty cool herbivorous arachnid
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
 
HangingThief
Member Avatar
ghoulish
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
CryperVilla
Oct 6 2017, 04:40 PM




I just found out about these beauties when I was researching spider eyes, and I was thoroughly shocked to learn the extent to which they feed on plants. If this could evolve once, perhaps the adaptation could eventually lead to lineages of herbivorous arachnids?
Keep in mind that this only evolved because beltian bodies are meant to serve as a food source for normally carnivorous arthropods. There's nothing impossible about herbivorous arachnids but it's unlikely that this particular instance will lead anywhere. It isn't much more suited to "real' herbivory than other spiders.
Hey.


Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Chuditch
Member Avatar
Dasyurid
 *  *  *  *  *  *
The Gondwanian on Night Parrots
 
It was one of two mainland Australian parrots to have been said to have gone extinct, the other being the spectacular Paradise Parrot, which I may cover in a later post.
Told you I will.

Paradise Parrot (Psephotus pulcherrimus)
Sadly, Australia's other 'extinct' bird hasn't come back yet. Nor ever will (probably...)

History
John Gilbert collected the first Paradise Parrot specimens on the Darling Downs of Queensland in 1844. Charmed by the birds fantastic colours and grace, he requested to John Gould that the bird be named after him (If you remember, John Gould named the Night Parrot as well. Gould is widely known as 'The Father of Australian Ornithology and Mammalogy", naming hundreds of new species in his time spent in Australia and publishing two books; one on birds, one on mammals. Gilbert was his main field scientist). Gould disliked using people's names in species names, and beacsue he had already named the Gilbert's Whistler after him, named the bird pulcherrimus -very beautiful. Gilbert was killed by Aborigines before learnt this (In a turn of events, it turned out that Gilbert's Whistler had already been given a scientific name. Poor Gilbert. However, the bird still retains his surname in its common name, and he has the Gilbert's Potoroo (Potorous gilbertii) and Gilbert's Dunnart (Sminthopsis gilberti named in his honour). He gave the bird the common name of Beautiful Parrakeet, and described it with much enthusiasm:
"The graceful form of this new Parrakeet, combined with the extreme brilliancy of its plumage, render it one of the most lovely of the Psittacidae yet discovered; and in whatever light we regard it, whether as a beautiful ornament in our cabinets, or a desirable addition to our aviaries, it is still an object of no ordinary interest."
In many ways, it was the kiss of death

Posted Image
The 'Beautiful Parrakeet" in The Birds of Australia: In Seven Volumes by John Gould. These are two males.

Huge numbers of Paradise Parrots were shipped to Europe, and the fabulous male was a sought after stuffed specimen. Meanwhile, cattle overgrazed the bird's vital habitat, the fire and water regimes were altered, and the Prickly Pear cactus invaded its range. The termite mounds it relied on for nesting were removed to create tennis courts, ovens, floors and roads. Add a little bit of cat and fox predation, and the little parrot was tipped over the edge. The last authentic sighting was in 1922.

Posted Image
A live photo taken at Burnett River, Queensland, in 1922, the year of the last confirmed sighting.

Biology
The Paradise Parrot is one of the 5 Psephotus parrots that existed at the time of European settlement. Today, only 4 remain. These are the Red-rumped Parrot, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Hooded Parrot and Mulga Parrot. All are beautiful, but the Paradise Parrot was the prettiest of them all. In habits, it is similar to the Hooded and Golden-shouldered Parrots, it's closest relatives. They all nest in termite mounds; makes sense as these are abundant in the northern areas where these three birds live. However, this made it easy for trappers to harvest young birds. Open savanna woodland consisted its main habitat, and it lived in an area of south-east Queensland. It was said by Gilbert to have an 'agreeable' voice. It traveled in pairs or small family groups, and fed quietly on seeds in the early morning and late afternoon. Its flight was low, undulating and swift.

Other than this, little else is known of its biology, but it is assumed similar to its close relatives. It is a sad fact that such a charming creature is no longer with us, a classic story of human greed and ignorance. But, the past is past. We must learn from the mistakes of those before us. Meanwhile, as we go on with our daily lives, one of the Paradise Parrot's closest relatives, the Golden-shouldered Parrot, is also facing extinction. It is important we work to save this bird now, or it will go the way of its relative!

Posted Image
Some preserved male Paradise Parrot specimins, showing the beautiful colours of the bird.
My wildlife YouTube channel
Projects
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
LittleLazyLass
Member Avatar
Proud quilt in a bag

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
 
Archeoraptor
Member Avatar
"A living paradox"
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
yo may know about extinct pangolins like eomanis,and you would get tha appart from developpment of scales and tranformation-loss of dentition for their lifestyle they haven´t done nothing very different from what they do now,
well you are wrong

Epoicotheriidae---
This group of North American stem-pangolins livwd for around 21 million years in the Eocene-Oligocene,the were specialised burrowers similar to golden moles or fairy armadillos
Posted Image
they have most characteristics associated with fossorials like short hands,modified forelimb bones,reduced eyes and a upwards pointy snout
if i found the skull pic i will add it late,smae for info on other pangolins and pholidotes since I recall aplaenodonts
Astarte an alt eocene world,now on long hiatus but you never know
Fanauraa; The rebirth of Aotearoa future evo set in new zealand after a mass extinction
coming soon......a world that was seeded with earth´s weridest
and who knows what is coming next...........

" I have to know what the world will be looking throw a future beyond us
I have to know what could have been if fate acted in another way
I have to know what lies on the unknown universe
I have to know that the laws of thee universe can be broken
throw The Spec I gain strength to the inner peace
the is not good of evil only nature and change,the evolution of all livings beings"
"
Spoiler: click to toggle
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
trex841
Member Avatar
Entity
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Ooo, this is fascinating. I didn't even know they had a North American distribution, let alone anything like this.

Though funnily enough, as I posted this, I found an article where that picture was used and I think I might have read it before, and that part just completely slipped past me.
Edited by trex841, Oct 27 2017, 04:30 AM.
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
 
Archeoraptor
Member Avatar
"A living paradox"
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *
it was a tet zoo article and I recall skull pic from a paper while reasearching for Astarte
Astarte an alt eocene world,now on long hiatus but you never know
Fanauraa; The rebirth of Aotearoa future evo set in new zealand after a mass extinction
coming soon......a world that was seeded with earth´s weridest
and who knows what is coming next...........

" I have to know what the world will be looking throw a future beyond us
I have to know what could have been if fate acted in another way
I have to know what lies on the unknown universe
I have to know that the laws of thee universe can be broken
throw The Spec I gain strength to the inner peace
the is not good of evil only nature and change,the evolution of all livings beings"
"
Spoiler: click to toggle
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Tenno
Newborn
 *  *  *
Meet Meglara garuda, a giant solitary wasp from Sulawesi with huge tusks.

Posted Image
Posted Image
Edited by Tenno, Nov 2 2017, 05:25 AM.
Posted Image Posted Image
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mao
Member Avatar
Homo Erection
 *  *  *  *
DINOCARID
Dec 14 2016, 09:46 PM
Okay, the basic idea is to name an obscure, interesting, or just plain weird organism (or just an obscure/interesting/weird fact about a well known one), living or extinct, to try and bring a little discovery to each other's days! Just make sure to post the name, formal or not, some basic information, a picture, and if possible, a link to a relevant wikipedia article or other information source, unless you've covered everything known.

Members of the genus Palaeophis were large aquatic snakes that existed from the maastrichtian to the priabonian ages in the waters of europe and north africa, and while the smallest were shorter than a man is tall, the largest belonging to the species colossaeus were nearly thirty feet long(longer than most orcas!). Studies of their vertebrae show vascularisation suggesting a faster metabolism and higher growth rate then modern snakes. It's unclear, but they may have possessed small but developed hind limbs.

Posted Image

These guys are probably pretty well known on here, but maybe there'll be someone who didn't know of THE GLORY OF THE SEMI-ENDOTHERMIC DOLPHIN-SNAKES.



Dammit! I wanted to do a gigantic sea snake for my project, but why does nature always beat me to the punch?
As of my gender, I have every gender imaginable, some even inconceivable to your minds. I have every gender in the gender spectrum, as well as ones you cannot envision.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
trex841
Member Avatar
Entity
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
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
 
Sayornis
Member Avatar
Neotenous
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Shrews aren't an obscure taxon, but here are a couple interesting facts about them:
Families travel in "caravans" with each biting onto the tail-base of the one in front of it.
According to recent studies, their brains shrink in winter

Another for the "little-known interesting fact about well-known species" department: sea lions use logic!
The Library is open. (Now under new management!)
Dr Nitwhite
Aug 19 2016, 07:42 PM
As I said before, the Library is like spec crack.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Beetleboy
Member Avatar
neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Quote:
 
According to recent studies, their brains shrink in winter

Guys I think I might be a shrew
~ The Age of Forests ~
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
LittleLazyLass
Member Avatar
Proud quilt in a bag

Here's a better video that came up for the shrews:

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
 
Scrublord
Member Avatar
Father Pellegrini
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Sawflies and horntails (suborder Symphyta) are already plenty obscure to most people--they're the weird cousins of bees, ants, and wasps, but they look more like flies and their larvae look more like caterpillars. You've probably even seen one before without knowing what it was. Like caterpillars, most sawfly larvae eat leaves or burrow into plant stems. They don't eat other insects like ants and wasps, nor do they feed on pollen and honey like bees.
That's what makes the family Orussidae--the parasitic wood wasps--so bizarre. They're unique among the sawflies in that they have carnivorous larvae, which feed on the larvae of beetles and other sawflies in wood. No other family of sawflies does this. It's thought that the Orussidae, with their taste for meat, resemble the common ancestor of sawflies and "advanced" hymenopterans like bees and wasps. There are only 85 species in this family, which dates back to the Jurassic period, and they are usually small and brightly colored. They are of little economic importance, although one New Zealand species, Guiglia schauinslandi has been considered as a possible biological control agent for the introduced horntail Sirex noctilio.
Edited by Scrublord, Nov 2 2017, 07:39 PM.
My Projects:
The Neozoic Redux
Valhalla--Take Three!
The Big One



Deviantart Account: http://elsqiubbonator.deviantart.com

In the end, the best advice I could give you would be to do your project in a way that feels natural to you, rather than trying to imitate some geek with a laptop in Colorado.
--Heteromorph
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Rodlox
Superhuman
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Mao
Nov 2 2017, 06:11 AM
Dammit! I wanted to do a gigantic sea snake for my project, but why does nature always beat me to the punch?
there are different ways to be a giant snake (compare pythons to anacondas)...and what habitat you can access (see swimming titanoboas)
.---------------------------------------------.
Parts of the Cluster Worlds:
"Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
3 users reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Members: Yiqi15, lamna
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Fully Featured & Customizable Free Forums
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Science Central · Next Topic »
Add Reply