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Questions that don't need their own topics vol.2; New and fresh
Topic Started: Jan 4 2018, 11:18 AM (26,861 Views)
CaledonianWarrior96
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What are the chances penguins could become expirated in New Zealand? If they come under threat from dangers like introduced predators then my logic is that eventually as mortality of eggs and chicks increases each breeding season for penguins they may eventually die out or move to more isolated islands were predation risk is lower and their population can recover, though at a possibly stunted rate
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GreatAuk
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Could Earth life actually survive if we dumped it on a suitable planet and left it there à la Serina?
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CaledonianWarrior96
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AukTalk
May 12 2018, 06:23 AM
Could Earth life actually survive if we dumped it on a suitable planet and left it there à la Serina?
That depends on whether the conditions of this planet are within the range for Earth life to survive and later evolve to tolerate them better. We're talking gravity, atmospheric density, composition of atmospheric gases, humidity across the planet, temperature, the presence of absence of moons, nutrients available for primary trophic organisms and many other factors.

Personally I can see Earth life living on an alien world if the planet is 90% similar to Earth, with 85 - 80% being the lowest I can see life surviving long enough to be able to adapt to the alien conditions
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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)
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CeratosaurusKing
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Just a little question but would a neo-platyhystrix be original enough?
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Mynameisnotdave23
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CeratosaurusKing
May 12 2018, 02:59 PM
Just a little question but would a neo-platyhystrix be original enough?
Depends how similar it is and why it evolved to be that way.
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beingsneaky
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ok since i was a bit vague before i am going to reask my question (but more specific) in what situation do you see a tetrapod evolving 3 legs
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Cool_Hippo43
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something like a gastropod do not have many chances with a more complex animal like a vertebrate or arthropod, does that limit its size right? so I think that for giant slugs to coexist with "more normal" animals (with legs and jaws formed) they would have to develop some sort of defense ... I think of simply having a poison that is extremely toxic to all other animals, but not I know if this would really be so effective.

I imagine a world with very large slugs (the size of an ox) living alongside animals like vertebrates, without them being traveling bags of food
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Talenkauen
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CeratosaurusKing
May 12 2018, 02:59 PM
Just a little question but would a neo-platyhystrix be original enough?

Making a creature that's just a copy of an extinct species is pretty unoriginal. Normally when a creature resembles another in some way, it's due to Batesian mimicry (intentional similarity for protection or camouflage), or the similarity is only vague and superficial, and the two species are actually rather different. There's no such thing as a neo-bear, or a mammoth 2.0. Please, try to stay away from making anything with a common name starting with "neo".
Edited by Talenkauen, May 12 2018, 08:14 PM.
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whachamacallit2
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Does anyone know how termite castes are determined? I understand that the caste is determined after the nymph stage, but I can't find anything on what exactly determines their caste designation
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CaledonianWarrior96
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Are there any Western Pacific species of sharks that can tolerate brackish waters for a short period of time (ideally a few hours at least)? I'm aware the bull shark can be found on the coast of Eastern Australia but I want to shift my focus on other, preferably smaller shark species.
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- 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)
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opeFool
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CaledonianWarrior96
May 13 2018, 02:59 PM
Are there any Western Pacific species of sharks that can tolerate brackish waters for a short period of time (ideally a few hours at least)? I'm aware the bull shark can be found on the coast of Eastern Australia but I want to shift my focus on other, preferably smaller shark species.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_shark

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CaledonianWarrior96
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Ok let me follow my last question with another. How easy is for marine sharks to evolve a tolerance to low saline environments? It's evolved in different species independently so it can't be too hard to develop, but in the case of known brackish-tolerant sharks what selective pressures did they face for them to become like that?
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- 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)

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beingsneaky
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also can a herbivore cat exist
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Russwallac
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May 12 2018, 06:23 AM
Could Earth life actually survive if we dumped it on a suitable planet and left it there à la Serina?

In order for a planet to be habitable for (most) Earth life, there needs to be life on it already. The reason Earth is the way it is now is because early life basically terraformed it, producing the atmosphere that Earth life now needs to survive. For example, unless there's something actively producing it, molecular oxygen won't really be present in a planet's atmosphere because it's so reactive. Not to mention all the complexities necessary to build a functioning ecosystem from the ground up; after 3 billion years, life has gotten pretty interdependent.

beingsneaky
May 14 2018, 04:42 PM
also can a herbivore cat exist

Cats are obligate carnivores and very heavily specialized for eating meat, so an herbivorous cat is incredibly unlikely. That being said, cats do enjoy fruit on occasion, and fruit is very easy to digest, so partial frugivory is maaaaybe possible.
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LittleLazyLass
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Well, a frugivore makes a very good transitionary half-step between carnivory and herbivory. Some carnivore, like a cat, adapts to start eating some additional fruit in its diet. Eventually, part of this lineage ends up evolving into a primarily frugivorous species. From there, they adapt further to specialize in that, and at this point they're in a better position where evolving herbivory might be more achievable. The same step is harder to take in reverse, though; I remember hearing somewhere this actually keeps going beyond this, with the more advanced ruminant feeding system having trouble evolving back into a hindgut approach, which does have some advantages (particularly as you scale into a larger animla).
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