[Diamiboard beakworm]

Diamiboard beakworm (Curaliivermis natocrystallivorius)

Creator: terracara
Ancestor: Gateway Beakworm
Habitat: Yokto Coast, Somarinoa Coast, Huggs Coast, Jujubee Ocean, Ovi Coast, Clayren Coast
Size: 19-35 cm Long
Diet: Herbivore (Diamiboards, Phytodiamonds)
Reproduction: Sexual, two genders (dimorphic), Eggs in the water laid in "root cradles" of diamiboards

This species is the result of a second series of gateway beakworms leaving their cave home into open sea. Instead of taking advantage of crystal korals and crystal shrubs, this species feeds on the roots of diamiboards as young and will bite chunks off of the crystaline part of the diamiboards as adults (with their thickened "beaks"). The young are brown to fit in with the darker portion of the diamiboard. Adult females retain the camouflage while males develop a vibrant orange use for mating purposes. There are rare red and yellow-blue varieties, the latter resulting in a short lifespan (not good camouflage) but the former sometimes enhancing the lifestyle of the individual. Another feature of this species is its large eyes, positioned for viewing above the water's surface, kind of like a great white, except it is trying to locate diamiboards.

Actually I think neither are very realistic: Future is Wild has logical species but the time frame would seem rushed, such species could not evolved within 5 million years, while the species from After Man nearly completely ignore accepted theories about the evolution of species, specialized species suddenly changing to completely different niches and body structures.

That's a cool animal! You will be a great team member! 

However, you need to color your pictures in order to join. Also, I believe hexipod is correctly spelt hexapod.

Actually hexipod is correct in this usage: hexipod means "swimming foot" but hexapod means "six footed". Actually nevermind, it should be "nexipod", changing it now.

Thanks 

[Creator:]

Nexipod Bubblepede (Nexipus tuphlosis, Gr. "blind swimming-foot")

Creator: terracara

Ancestor: River Bubblepede

Size: Up to 60 cm. long

Habitat: Bone River

Diet: Herbivore (River Bubbleweed)

Reproduction: Asexual and sexual, spores or copulation between hermaphroditic partners using "spur-clasps"

There are significant differences between the hexipod bubblepede and its ancestor the river bubblepede. First of all, it is mostly a free-swimming animal, allowing it to quickly escape the more intelligent predators that would be able to see past its camouflage. The first three pairs of appendages/legs have become fin-like to help propel it through the water. The fourth pair of legs are now known as "spur-clasps", used to 'poke' a predator in the mouth if it is ever captured and in copulation, a rare event in this organism's lifespan. The fifth pair of legs has been completely reduced, and thus no longer exists. The fourth body segment (not including the head) has been greatly stretched to 'better' copy the appearance of its main food item, the river bubbleweed. Another adaptation of this species is its longer 'beak', used to basically cut leaves off of the bubbleweed so that it can be more easily consumed and digested.

But I've seen your pictures at the site and they are quite good. why do you need an artist to help you?

Hardly. I can't do anything further than simple line sketches

Well right now I am making my own site and discussion forum and am tinkering with different things. Anyway, here is the first species added to the site:

http://post-holocene.sytes.net/pages/silvapithecus/

Hopefully a willing artist will work with me and make an illustration of it and that will go in the top left box and I will be adding basic info in the middle top box (common names, size, distribution, etc.). The bottom box has the species description.

EDIT:

http://post-holocene.sytes.net/pages/enudrihurax/

http://post-holocene.sytes.net/pages/ozarupithecus/

Got to tell you, that all sounds just awesome and I love the level of realism you added here. Would keep my eyes on this one, I see great potential. Just to make sure, do they human still inhabit earth or have they left or gone extinct?

The basics are this: I am basically predicting what the world and its species might look like approximately 25 million years hence without the pressures of mankind.

No people

And seemed to have messed up when saying domestic cats would be dominant predators of the Great Plains. Most likely if they have any impact they will be more like African wildcats or caracals, maybe sandcats. But then again badgers would be a better choice for taking advantage of any descendents of prairie dogs and maybe jumping mice 

Very interesting.

I generally disagree with some of your theories. I believe that creatures extremely successful such as rats, chickens, and cats, would find their ways and evolve and rule many of the niches instead of other "natural" animals and evolve to suite their needs in the different biomes.

I don't remember saying that cats and rats would not be successful especially considering that I plan for the domestic cat to dominate the terrestrial carnivore niche in the Great Plains and the arboreal leopard-like niche along the east coast as well as some islands (Hawaii and Galapagos perhaps). I don't see rats in major niches but they will still be successful, I mean there are way better candidates for predatory niches: raccooons, introduced mongooses, foxes, coyotes, cats (wildcats, domestic cats, caracals, pumas, and ocelots), and mustelids (weasels and ferrets). Baboons will be highly successful considering their intelligence, variety of habitats, and opportunistic diet. Predatory and ape-like forms are barely far-fetched and perhaps the best choice for replacing great apes and some major predators. 25 million years is too short of time for these minute fauna to suddenly dominate and run amok. Now, yes, in isolated environments such as Hawaii I think it would be great to have a more developed version between wild cats and feral chickens. I would even be willing to work on it more with you if possible if you were willing. Otherwise on the mainland, I doubt they could compete with naturally occurring fowl and the natural predators. They do so well on islands because they have no major predators.

Right now I am working on various ecosystems including the Great Plains and the Outback.

Progress on these two: [Under Construction]

Great Plains "Land of the Bison"
-Grazers: Large kiang-sized domestic ass with sparse zebra-like stripes (Onagritherium americanum); large mule deer (not sure if it should be elk-like or buffalo-like) (Megalocervus imperator); giant entelodont-like peccary (Deinotayassu ponderosus)
-Predators: Pack-hunting "dire" coyotes (Pseudolupus dirus); "sabertooth" lynx (Fatalidon terribilis)
-Scavengers: A jackal-like fox (No scientific name)

Why lynx instead of feral cats? The lynx is larger and much better adapted to open environments. Wildcats tend to do better in wooded environments and brush, thus they are the dominant predators in the forests and low mountains of the east coast. Scientific names may be subject to change as this part is unfinished. More on prairies dogs and other fauna.

Australian Grassland and Desert "Dreamtime"
-Grazers: mostly kangaroos and wallabies
-Browsers: A huge megafaunal wombat (Brontorhinus megas); a closely-related wombat that prefers deserts (Brontorhinus camelirhachis); a giant emu (Mihirung paringmal); giraffe-like camel (No name yet)
-Predators: Dominant predator, large quoll (Pseudopardalis koalaotis); a 12 to 15-foot venomous goanna (Phobogoanna phalangion)
-Insectivores: a karge aardvark-like numbat (Psapharionux pnigitithrix)

I wasn't sure where to post this or whether it is okay for me to do so but I decided to let you guys have a peak at a project I am working on currently called Ulterior Praesenti (which will most likely be changed to something more simple_). The basics are this: I am basically predicting what the world and its species might look like approximately 25 million years hence without the pressures of mankind. So far it has been a relatively small project but as I have been studying into evolutionary processes more I think I am slowly developing a good scientific look at the process.

First up is my sketch of this future world's geography:

http://post-sapient.deviantart.com/art/25-Million-Years-Hence-62671707

Here are some basic drawings and sketches of fauna:

Therastruthioides gigapodotis, a giant descendent of the secretary bird

Giraffatestudo gramenator, a one-ton version of the Galapagos giant tortoise

Noctuasphinx fatalis, a swift and streamlined short-eared owl

And here are descriptions of some of the species:

Although the great apes may be lost forever, the lesser apes still cling to existance. With the large megafaunal apes of Asia gone, the gibbons (Hylobates, Symphalangus) were first in line to replace them. Among the species to do so is Silvapithecus yeren (Silvapithecus "forest ape", "yeren" referencing a slight resemblence to the cryptic Chinese Yeren, a Bigfoot-like legendary beast), a gorilla-sized gibbon found throughout Malay and southern China. Although its ancestry is uncertain, it is most likely derived from the lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) or the siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus, the largest gibbon species of the Holocene).

At a distance, this beast is near identical to a male silverback but upon inspection it is most obviously not. It is covered in deep black fur (with a common tannish morph as in the lar gibbon), notably long around the neck and around the chin (creating a beard, even a mane). There is a ring of white fur around its facial region much like its gibbon ancestors. The only areas not covered in fur are its face, the soles of its feet, the palms of its hands, and the torso (or rather the immediate area around the nipples). When standing upright, its height can be as much as 4 feet 8 inches. The typical weight range is 200 to 430 pounds (this only applies to the main population, the subspecies S. yeren giganteus may reach 600 pounds). Males are usually about 50% larger than females and possess a more pronounced sagittal crest and brow ridges.

Silvapithecus lives in patriarchal groups, meaning the alpha male gets priority when it comes to mating. He usually selects females who are also high in the hierarchy and approaches them with aggression or submission when signalling that he wishes to mate. Younger males are expected to not mate and often males who do choose to mate or attempt to do so are driven away by the dominant male. Females give birth after approximately eight months and do the majority of the childcare (other females are known to help on many occasions). Infants are weaned at 2 to 3 years of age and reach full maturity at about 11 years of age (at full maturity, most males leave their group in search of unrelated females). A single individual may live anywhere from 30 to 50 years.

As stated above, they live in patriarchal groups of 10 to 20 individuals, usually related to some extent. The family group is made up of one alpha male, a few immature males (there may be other adult males), and many females and their young. Males usually provide security from outside troops whilst females care for the young and manage social bonds. These apes are completely terrestrial, occasionally climbing trees in order to reach vegetation or prey. They nest on the ground in mounds of vegetation that they have gathered or inside large hollows of older trees. The group spends most its time foraging, traveling what can sometimes be great distances across its territory. Males can both be nurturing too their own family and aggressive towards opponents and prey animals.

Unlike gorillas, this ape is omnivorous, meaning it does not discriminate as far as taking small prey (including monkeys). A majority of its diet is still vegetation, including bamboo, leaves, twigs, bark, and grains. As far as animal prey, it will eat termites, ants, butterflies and moths, large spiders, mice and other rodents, and monkeys. It will also feed on non-poisonous fungi, usually mushrooms. 

One of the greatest losses of history was that of the great apes. The great apes were lost as a result of human negligence and irresponsibility. The absence of the great apes left a gap for the monkeys and lesser apes to fill in, including the baboons. Among the species replacing these apes is Ozarupithecus phrontistes ("phrontistes" references The Thinker by Auguste Rodin, "Ozaru" recognizes the unintentional resemblence of the animal to the Oozaru of the DragonBall universe), a baboon filling the niche of a common chimp (Pan troglodytes).

Major differences between this animal and its ancestors (Papio) include a more chimpanzee-like maw/lip, an adjusted nose (further up on the face), larger eyes, shortened and flattened face, longer arms, and a less distinguished tail. Its fingers and thumbs are more advanced, better for handling food items as well as simple tools such as branches for reaching prey. Males are significantly larger than their female counterparts, weighing around 36 to 52 kilograms compared to 29 to 43 kilograms. Sexual dimorphism is a feature of both chimpanzees and baboons. Hair color tends to be tan or brown and turns to gray as an individual ages. Skin color is light pink from birth to weaning and becomes dark brown by adulthood.

Generally ozarupithecines live in troops of 10 to 160 members, including a few males, many females, and their young. Males maintain dominance of the troops with a single alpha male possessing the most dominance and sexual rights. Group hierarchies are subject to changes due to young males overthrowing the dominant male. Although technically a patriarchal system, females have a major effect on the distribution of individual dominance. Even under this structured society, they tend to maintain some form of individuality, leaving their group every once and a while to forage alone or simply find some form of solitude. This species is relatively intelligent, displaying tool-use as well as emotion and problem solving abilities.

Males use several techniques in order to win the right to mate with a female. Most tend to use aggression and dominance to subdue females. Some others try to win a female's friendship and affection through grooming, caring for young, and gathering food for her. The female is the one to intitiate the copulation. Once impregnated, the female will endure a 78 to 80-month gestation period. One baby is born per pregnancy. If twins are born, one of the twins is usually either abandoned or dies of starvation (mothers have limited milk). Females do most of the childcare and exhibit a "babysitting" behavior. Weaning occurs after about one year and sexual maturity is reached after 5 to 8 years. Young males leave at sexual maturity (except in rare circumstances) and females tend to stay in their troop.

This species has a highly varied diet ranging from smaller monkeys to leaves and grass, thus making it an omnivore. Its diet may include any of the following: leaves, twigs, grass, seeds, nuts, fruits, flowers, insects, rodents such as mice, hedgehogs, small primates, and small artiodactyls or jackalopes. Just as in chimps, ozarupithecines may use tools such as sticks to catch insects and leaves to drink (or rather sip) dew. Adults have few predators, using displays of aggression (opening the mouth to show fangs, throwing rocks and sticks, and standing upright and "poofing" up the hair) to drive off would-be predators. The young are eaten by birds of prey, large mammalian carnivores, some swine, and male ozarupithecines.

The crab-eating enudrihurax (Enudrihurax ochthophulax) is a large rodent that lives along the shores of South America from what was once Colombia south to Tierra del Fuego. It lives and feeds in both estuaries and the open ocean, although its ancestor the coypu (Myocastor coypus) lived mainly along the banks of rivers and streams. Other more advanced enudrihurachids and halimotheriids.

Compared to the typical sort of rodent, this species is a monster. Its incisors jut out of its jawline which are perfect for cracking crustaceans and mollusks, its typical variety of prey. Its nostrils have moved slightly further up the face to accomadate for the jaw structure as well as making breathing more easy. These nostrils can shut as in whales and camels so that they are not flooded with salt water. Its eyes are significantly reduced in size since sight is not as important to its ability to sense its environment with such advanced senses of smell and touch (the nostrils are lined with long whiskers). Its body is stocky with strong forearms that provide thrust while swimming but reduced back limbs to enhance streamlining. The tail forms a paddle for both thrust and directional purposes.

Unlike the halimotheriids that live a colonial patriarchal lifestyle, these enudrihurachids are mostly solitary in nature, preferring to live by themselves in small sea caves and duneside burrows. Females and males are both territorial and will fight with any adult enudrihurachid that they encounter. Females are kinder to adolescents something probably resulting from their entense care for their own young. When encountering a female defending her young, she often hisses and growls and clacks her incisors together to intimdate a would-be predator and to show off what could be a very painful bite. If some cases younger individuals will "barf" up a noxious liquid, spraying it in the face of anything that disturbs them.

Unlike their ancestors who bred year round, this species has a distinct breeding season, or at least in the areas where there is a distinct dry and wet season. Breeding usually corresponds with this. The females go into estrus when the first rains come signifying that the ecosystem can support new young enudrihurachids. Estrus lasts up to 180 days allowing for the widely distributed males to get their chance at breeding. The now reproductive females emit a kind of musk that works to grab the attention of the male crab-eating enudihurax's sense of smell. Once the smell is located the male may track the female for some number of days. Finally when they encounter one another, there is an amount of play fighting and horse-play type behavior followed by copulation.

Once impregnated, the female and male split up, the female to ready her den for her 150 to 176-day pregnancy and the male to search for more mates. Young are birthed in a large den lined with grass, seaweed, driftwood, and various other materials for insulation. Newborns are fully developed with fur and open eyes ready to take on the world. The two to three young are cared for by the mother for nearly seven months at which point they are ready for independence.

The diet of this species can be compared to that of a sea otter. It feeds on any mollusc, echinoderm, or crustacean that it may find on the seabed. These prey items include crabs, shrimp, clams, oysters, mussels, small squid, urchins, and the occasional fish or small shark. This is contrary to the coypu's diet of aquatic vegetation, but this tradition is not lost thanks to the coypu's other ancestors: the neosirenids. Predators of the enudrihurax include male elephant-halimotheres, pseudocetoids, sharks, and giant predatory fish. 

The manaia, Harpyaccipiter manaia, (meaning "grotesque beaked figure" in Maori) is a gigantic eagle native to the forests, grasslands, and mountains of Aotearoa. It has an enormous 16-foot wingspan, twice that of its ancestor, the wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax). Males are smaller than their female counterparts, weighing only 30 to 36 pounds whilst the females weigh up to 60 pounds. The feathers on this animal are earthy brown, except those in its head crest (something like that of a harpy eagle) and its tail, which are striped, and those in its breast which are white. Its most fiersome features are its enormous beak and its talons.

Typically a mating pair of manaia live together for life in a territory that they both defend. When one of them dies, the other becomes reclusive and, in most cases, never associates itself with other eagles again. Breeding takes place in the winter (June to August). Nests are constructed in various places, from caverns to mountain cliffs to patches of grass-cloaked earth. The nests are huge, reaching sizes as great as 4 meters wide and 6.5 meters deep. In this nest, the females lays only one egg from which a giant young hatches after 63 to 69 days. After 7 to 10 months, the youngster is no longer dependent on its parents, but will not mate until it is 4 years of age. The manaia may live up to 20 years if conditions allow.

Manaias live in pairs unless they have lost their partner or have yet to find one. They spend much of their time hunting, raising young, and defending their territory. The rest of their time is spent resting. They have an amazing sense of sight, aided by their gigantic eyes. Manaias use their eyes for surveying their territory and for hunting. They are the most powerful predators in Aotearoa. Just about every animal in manaia territory lives in fear of being snatched from the sky. Even the largest mammals fear the manaia. They hunt everything from hedgehogs ti rabbits to wallabies to other eagles. There is no animal that hunts adult manaias. Chicks are preyed upon by predatory hedgehogs and snakes.

You could also go and make some posts at a resource forum and then request an affiliate button.

 

Well after viewing the main site, I see that there was an "extinction" and am wondering at what point is the evolution for your organisms.

Hey. I'm known my various usernames (2 on devArt, 4-6 on forums_). Not really planning to contribute anything to Sagan but decided to post here 

Good to see two of my sites up there (main post): The Xenobiology Forum no longer exists and the Future World Wiki was a failed project.

I suggest the Hypothesis Project v2: http://hypothesis-project.sytes.net/index/

Apparently wikipedia doesn't allow for articles such as this.