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| Canine Takeover | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 13 2017, 06:05 PM (931 Views) | |
| Talenkauen | Jul 14 2017, 07:37 PM Post #16 |
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Perpetually paranoid iguanodont
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It's not for you to decide, Yi Qi. It's the mod's. Whatever you may think about Yixan, it's not your place to exact judgement upon them like that. |
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| YixianBirdBeast | Jul 14 2017, 09:09 PM Post #17 |
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Adolescent
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So it is impossible for Dogs to replace Birds, Rodents and Bats? |
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| Talenkauen | Jul 14 2017, 09:29 PM Post #18 |
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Perpetually paranoid iguanodont
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Bats: not very likely. It would take a very long time for them to at least gain flight, let alone echolocation. They might be able to achieve powered flight eventually, but it wouldn't be a strait "dog-bat". Rodents: Extremely unlikely, unless purposefully put in an environment that lacks rodents. The thing about modern extinctions is, if dogs can survive in human survival bunkers, so can rats and mice. Birds: Nearly impossible. The steps it took for birds to evolve, as well as their trademark features, are too complex to be replicated by canid descendants. Maybe, if some of the post dogs evolved powered flight, they might be able to take some of the niches left by birds, but it wouldn't be the same as true birds. |
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| YixianBirdBeast | Jul 14 2017, 09:40 PM Post #19 |
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Adolescent
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Could Dogs replace Elephants, Whales, Lions, Horses, Rhinos, Crocodiles, Armadillos, Anteaters and Sloths? |
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| Dragonthunders | Jul 14 2017, 09:41 PM Post #20 |
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The ethereal archosaur in blue
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Nop |
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| Talenkauen | Jul 14 2017, 09:52 PM Post #21 |
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Perpetually paranoid iguanodont
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I highly doubt that dogs would be able to evolve into clear cut "Elephant dogs", or "rhino dogs", or even "croco-dogs". Why would you want to, anyways? Why waste the dog descendants's potential by turning them into remakes of modern fauna? Why not expand upon the possibilities of a canine dominated world, and fill it with unique and interesting species? |
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| Ivan_The_Inedible | Jul 14 2017, 10:19 PM Post #22 |
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There are some who call me... Spencer.
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Definitely have to agree with Talen here. Yixian, if you actually do go through with this project of yours, in the long run it'd be best to take a page out of Sheather's book: sure, you can make analogues that bring old fauna to mind, but don't make them clear-cut replacements that would be easier to have the originals for. Take the tribbats. While they look like just weird bats at first, taking a second glance shows just how bizarre they are when compared to actual bats. One leg, seven membrane-supporting fingers, fish ancestry, extendable jaws, etc. |
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Quotes are a thing Who will know? My Projects
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| YixianBirdBeast | Jul 14 2017, 11:30 PM Post #23 |
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Adolescent
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I never said They could be clear cut replacements |
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| Talenkauen | Jul 14 2017, 11:42 PM Post #24 |
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Perpetually paranoid iguanodont
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The way you phrased your questions sure made it sound like it. Our points still stand, though. Better to strive for more unique niches and species, than blatant analogues. |
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| Tartarus | Jul 15 2017, 06:18 PM Post #25 |
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Prime Specimen
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Not necessarily impossible, just impossible in the ways you had it occurring. However, a world where dogs fill the niches of those other creatures you mentioned could be justified if perhaps humans took dogs to another world, some super cataclysmic event kills off huge numbers of creatures on Earth, then humans and dogs return to Earth long afterwards. Alternatively, you could have a terraformed world scenario where future humans or aliens or whatever decide terraform another world and put dogs on it for some reason, but the groups you want them to "replace" are not put on said world. Note in both these possible scenarios though you would still need to give reasons why dogs, rather than anything else, would go into said niches even if said niches were not yet taken. |
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| ForceofHabit | Jul 15 2017, 07:03 PM Post #26 |
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Adolescent
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You'd also need to give them a food source. I incorrectly stated previously that dogs are obligate carnivores, in reality they are mesopredators (thank you Nyarlathotep), but that still opens up the issue of them still being primarily carnivorous. A dog can't solely subsist off of plant matter at the get go, it needs prey to hunt and eat in order to keep itself healthy. If you went the terraformed planet route, you'd inevitably have to include some sort of larger prey animal for them to hunt (like glires, ground nesting birds, etc.) which would probably more rapidly evolve into herbivorous niches than the dogs ever could. However, that's not to say that they're completely restricted in their niche. Given a few million years, I imagine some species of dog could evolve to exploit more exotic food sources and niches. Perhaps one group gave up on hunting small prey animals and decided to exclusively feed on insects, not unlike an aardwolf. Maybe a group has taken to the trees in pursuit of eggs, eventually developing flight through some reason or other. Herbivory is a bit more dubious, but not out of the realm of possibility. Maybe a lineage of dogs becomes more boar-like in habits, paving the way for obligate herbivory later on down the line. |
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| Corecin | Jul 15 2017, 07:04 PM Post #27 |
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Have you ever been bitch slapped for lack of listening? lack of doing what your told? cuz i'm not far from slapping you
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Martin's COM entry had a similar idea to what some of you are suggesting. |
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| Yiqi15 | Jul 16 2017, 07:47 AM Post #28 |
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Prime Specimen
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The difference, however, is that Martin made the bucksnatchers their own unique creature rather then simple creatures which mimic bats completely. |
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7:51 PM Jul 10