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| Draft: Earth without necks; Terrestrial life never evolved the neck | |
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| Topic Started: Apr 3 2017, 12:18 AM (906 Views) | |
| Rodlox | Apr 3 2017, 12:18 AM Post #1 |
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Superhuman
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This is a rough draft of something I've been mulling for a while, and finally put pen to paper about: what if those early tetrapods had never developed the neck? (or the neck simply wasn't in the lineage leading to land - it might be in the tetrapods who never left the sea) if all else fails, I'll invoke time-travelers as the cause of the necklessness. My aim is to explore concepts like iterative evolution (the same feature appearing in unrelated lineages - like the sabertoothed cats, nimravids, and marsupials of OTL (our timeline)) and parallel evolution, and and the rise of flightlessness. My first draft picture is of iterative evolution: the first two clades aa_ and ab_ are the shallow-water paddling flightless descendants of gliders who found themselves on islands; ac_ did not evolve from a glider, rather from burrowing stock. but all three of them produced both members normal for their family - the __b species - and members who snag passing fish for their meals, using the claws of their feet, stationed at the end of an elongated body. (i took the habit of reptiles and i think amphibians of getting longer spines, and applied it here)  Now, undoubtedly there are fish-eating neckless tetrapods who can shut their nostrils to dive down in pursuit of prey (or i assume there are at this point), but those aren't what appeared in my mind to kick off this project into reality. I'm not sure if this will include another idea I'd been mulling: tetrapods without tails. (true tails - feathers and fur don't qualify) ps: at this point, the tetrapods basically have one toe per foot, but also have clawed feet. (picture a foot with a clawed toe, and then two talons alongside the toe), that's why two toes look so skinny in the drawing. i may change or keep that design concept; thoughts? |
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.---------------------------------------------. Parts of the Cluster Worlds: "Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP) | |
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| Dapper Man | Apr 3 2017, 12:44 AM Post #2 |
* I am fed up with dis wuurld *
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Interesting... |
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Speculative Evolution: Manitou; The Needle in the Haystack. | |
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| Rodlox | Apr 3 2017, 12:49 PM Post #3 |
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Superhuman
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thank you. -------- while working on parallels between lineages that have returned to the sea (sculling, mostly, a few puntings)...I realized I put this in the wrong folder. Could a Mod please move this to Alt.Evolution? much appreciated. |
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.---------------------------------------------. Parts of the Cluster Worlds: "Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP) | |
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| CaledonianWarrior96 | Apr 3 2017, 01:19 PM Post #4 |
An Awesome Reptile
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Just had an image of a plesiosaur with no neck. Very strange image. Not that that could evolve in this scenario |
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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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| Talenkauen | Apr 3 2017, 02:37 PM Post #5 |
Perpetually paranoid iguanodont
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You mean like this?  Also sorta related: 
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PLEASE NOTE: If I come off as harsh or demanding whilst talking to you, please tell me. I apologize in advance..... UPCOMING PROJECTS: Projects here
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| Rodlox | Apr 3 2017, 10:26 PM Post #6 |
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Superhuman
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Both of those are correct, because thus far I'm not sure whether to go the "neckless like whales" route (your top image, basically), or keep the basically cephalothorax attachment (the spidery solution in the lower image) of most fish. thoughts, please? |
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.---------------------------------------------. Parts of the Cluster Worlds: "Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP) | |
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| Rodlox | Jun 4 2017, 10:35 PM Post #7 |
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Superhuman
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It is with a heavy heart that I must officially close this thread and place it into the Forum Orphanage. After much contemplation, I must face that I cannot give this thread the fauna or attention it deserves, and should thus and therefore hand it over to more capable hands. It had been my initial & founding thought for this thread to test out potential solutions for questions relating to necks -- such as the feeding strategies of sauropods & giraffes, and if elephants & bison would need such large attachment muscles on their skulls & shoulder vertabrae if necks were not an issue. But, as even a cursory viewing of River Monsters should have shown me, fish are plenty muscular, powerful, agile, and flexible - all without necks. |
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.---------------------------------------------. Parts of the Cluster Worlds: "Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP) | |
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| 9Weegee | Jul 14 2017, 04:09 PM Post #8 |
Newborn
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https://youtu.be/jHepjitYJmM?t=3m53s I'm guessing this is what the world will look like |
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| CaledonianWarrior96 | Jul 14 2017, 04:54 PM Post #9 |
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An Awesome Reptile
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I know you're new here 9Weegee but if a topic has been quiet for several months we tend to leave it alone. There's a thread in Announcements you can read about necroposting. Also while I'm here, Jesus, Talenkauen that looks terrifying and painful |
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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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| Zorcuspine | Jul 14 2017, 05:15 PM Post #10 |
Enjoying our azure blue world
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I wouldn't really call a month necroposting, though I guess it is on the fence. |
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| 9Weegee | Jul 14 2017, 05:18 PM Post #11 |
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Newborn
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Thank you for telling me that 
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| CaledonianWarrior96 | Jul 14 2017, 07:25 PM Post #12 |
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An Awesome Reptile
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Well Rodlox did say he abandoned this and left it for the project orphanage so I figured that would count as necroposting since no new material will be coming until some picks this up from him |
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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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