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| Elephants in Speculative Evolution | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 5 2017, 06:43 PM (1,318 Views) | |
| Terraraptor411 | Oct 5 2017, 06:43 PM Post #1 |
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Troodontid
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This might be an open/closed thread, but I'm very curious on this topic. Why is it always assumed elephants go extinct in most specevom projects? I know they are endangered today and heavily hunted by humans, but given how frequently humans go extinct in these projects wouldn't that give them a chance to recover? I'm also aware they are a K reproductive species but given their intelligence, generalist herbivory diet, and social networks I feel they could potentially thrive after humans extinction. The main things against them are a dying out human race would probably wipe them out for food, and slow reproduction. But baring that human feeding frenzy, wouldn't they be able to recover? At least assuming their populations don't fall any more than they have today. Thoughts? Opinions? Critiques? |
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Current Projects: Alien Earth Ultimate Pangea Potential Future Projects Future of the North Star: TBD My DA Page: https://terraraptor.deviantart.com/ | |
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| Yiqi15 | Oct 5 2017, 07:04 PM Post #2 |
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Prime Specimen
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@Terraraptor411 The problem with that is that elephants have a lot stacked against them. They need large amounts of food and territory, and just just aren't as adaptable as other groups. |
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Current/Completed Projects - After the Holocene: Your run-of-the-mill future evolution project. - A History of the Odessa Rhinoceros: What happens when you ship 28 southern white rhinoceri to Texas and try and farm them? Quite a lot, actually. Future Projects - XenoSphere: The greatest zoo in the galaxy. - The Curious Case of the Woolly Giraffe: A case study of an eocene relic. - Untittled Asylum Studios-Based Project: The truth behind all the CGI schlock - Riggslandia V.II: A World 150 million years in the making Potential Projects - Klowns: The biology and culture of a creepy-yet-fascinating being My Zoochat and Fadom Accounts - Zoochat - Fandom | |
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| Scrublord | Oct 5 2017, 07:10 PM Post #3 |
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Father Pellegrini
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I've actually been planning on putting elephants in my Neozoic project. Specifically, they're descended from the population of Asian elephants introduced on the Andaman islands near Indonesia. They survived there while their relatives in Africa and mainland Asia all died out, making them the last elephants in the world. However, they eventually spread, by swimming, to other islands in Southeast Asia, and gave rise to an entire radiation of dwarf, island-dwelling elephants. These last up until about 15 million years in the future, when an new radiation of large herbivores descended from antelope colonizes the islands and outcompetes them. Edited by Scrublord, Oct 7 2017, 01:48 PM.
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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 | |
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| IIGSY | Oct 5 2017, 09:50 PM Post #4 |
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A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
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It depends on the extinction really. If it's a Kp-G type extinction, they are most certainly dead |
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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
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| Terraraptor411 | Oct 5 2017, 10:57 PM Post #5 |
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Troodontid
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Yes, both those things are true. However space is usually available, barring humans, and given that they can eat most types of plant matter I'd say that makes them fairly adaptable. Factoring in intelligence to quickly change behaviors in response to new pressures, and I think they are more adaptable than most people would think. Not saying they can compare to faster reproducing species, but compared to rhinos, hippos, and other megafauna they are quite adaptable.
That's really cool! I've seen similar ideas with Asian elephants surviving this was a few times before. Its a good and plausible idea. My focus here is a bit more on the mainland populations though.
I agree wholeheartedly, megafauna in general can't survive an extinction like that. I'm referring more to a Holocene Extinction Event, that I feel they could potentially survive, or at least have better odds than most projects infer. Gonna make a pro/con list for elephants in general, maybe that will help. Everyone feel free to add or question things to/on this list. Pros: -Intelligent -Adaptive Behaviors -Sociable, aiding each other and each others offspring in survival -Generalist Herbivores -Can live in many environments (Tropical Rainforest, Temperate Rainforest, Savanah, Srubland/Desert, Grasslands, etc) Cons: -Require Large Territories -Require Large amounts of food -Slow reproduction rates |
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Current Projects: Alien Earth Ultimate Pangea Potential Future Projects Future of the North Star: TBD My DA Page: https://terraraptor.deviantart.com/ | |
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| Jaxuar | Oct 6 2017, 03:27 PM Post #6 |
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Fetus
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I think they are a keystone species, if the extant species of proboscideans were going to die out, there is a possibility that many other species of animals would become extinct, while I agree that they are highly adaptable and Intelligent. that's doesn't mean that will be enough if there is not enough territory, resources and population. there could be many factors to their extinction. |
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| Tartarus | Oct 6 2017, 05:32 PM Post #7 |
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Prime Specimen
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Another factor to consider is conservation. Elephants have become more rare due to all that hunting and destruction of their homes that humans have perpetuated. But nowadays there are conservation programs trying to help elephants recover. If we assume a future scenario where conservation efforts have had a high success rate, as opposed to the more standard "Holocene extinction dooms them" scenario, then there is a good chance there could be elephants long into the future and this would make for some good future evolution speculations. |
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| Terraraptor411 | Oct 6 2017, 06:18 PM Post #8 |
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Troodontid
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You make an excellent point about them being a Keystone species. I tend to forget how they alter their habitats, changing forests to grasslands over long periods of time. Perhaps a project should mention that, how would the dissaperance of elephants alter the habitats and affect evolution?
Well considering how Asian elephants have been recovering that's a relief. I might try exactly that idea if you don't mind, a Holocene extinction event where some endangered or critically endangered species survive and thrive. |
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Current Projects: Alien Earth Ultimate Pangea Potential Future Projects Future of the North Star: TBD My DA Page: https://terraraptor.deviantart.com/ | |
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| peashyjah | Oct 7 2017, 01:41 PM Post #9 |
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Bydo
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Modern day elephants and extinct proboscideans are mostly highly specialized animals but their earliest ancestors are much more highly generalized and adaptable, giving rise to a variety of larger more specialized forms and species. |
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Discontinued projects: The New Ostracoderms (i might continue with this project again someday) The Americas (where in 58 million years from now in the future North and South America has both become isolated island continents) All Expansions (my attempt at expanding the universe of All Tomorrows by Nemo Ramjet aka C.M. Kosemen, started June 6, 2018) Anthropozoic (my attempt at expanding the universe of Man After Man and also a re-imagining of it, coming 2019 or 2020) New Cenozoica (my attempt at expanding the universe of The New Dinosaurs and also a re-imagining of it, also coming 2019 or 2020) All Alternatives or All Changes (a re-telling of All Tomorrows but with some minor and major "changes", coming June 10, 2018) | |
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| Tartarus | Oct 7 2017, 05:38 PM Post #10 |
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Prime Specimen
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Sure, go ahead. That would be an interesting scenario to see. Especially seeing as future spec scenarios showing a more positive future for currently endangered species do not seem to have been done all that much. |
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| Terraraptor411 | Oct 8 2017, 09:46 AM Post #11 |
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Troodontid
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That's a good point, including their ancestral forms in this opens up a wider range of opportunities.
Yeah, I'm definetly saving that for a future project idea. An entire continent populated by nothing but endangered or critically endangered species. |
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Current Projects: Alien Earth Ultimate Pangea Potential Future Projects Future of the North Star: TBD My DA Page: https://terraraptor.deviantart.com/ | |
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| Scrublord | Oct 8 2017, 09:54 AM Post #12 |
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Father Pellegrini
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Well, I know Sheather has made scenarios like that. I wonder how much of it is just a matter of other members being afraid they won't be able to measure up to him. |
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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 | |
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| Archeoraptor | Oct 8 2017, 11:41 AM Post #13 |
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"A living paradox"
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there is also alt evo extended plehistocene from Adman even worked on actual species and made them evolve |
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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 | |
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| Terraraptor411 | Oct 8 2017, 12:05 PM Post #14 |
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Troodontid
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Oh? Which of Sheathers projects were that? I must have missed them somehow. |
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Current Projects: Alien Earth Ultimate Pangea Potential Future Projects Future of the North Star: TBD My DA Page: https://terraraptor.deviantart.com/ | |
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| IIGSY | Oct 8 2017, 12:49 PM Post #15 |
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A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
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Serina my dude |
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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
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