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bensen-daniel — A Distinct Extinction

#speculative #biology #dinosaurs #evolution #extinction
Published: 2017-09-29 05:57:58 +0000 UTC; Views: 3114; Favourites: 39; Downloads: 3
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Description

If extinctions are random in their effect, then replaying them will yield very different results. In this case, the dice (actually it was a random number generator) spelled oblivion for the crocodiles and pterosaurs, and obscurity for turtles and lizards, and wild success for plesiosaurs, theropods, and eutherian mammals. The result is a diversity of mostly hairless, ectothermic predatory mammals lurking in swamps and scuttling up walls. Small, semi-terrestrial pliosaurs bask on logs, and maniraptors…just keep on manirapping, you know? Those fingers are pretty big, though. That sure is something.

This picture is dedicated to Melissa Walshe , who beta-read The Goose’s Wing  and helped me fix it. She asked for something “surprising” and these creatures certainly surprised me, so… thanks, Melissa!

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Comments: 19

6544R13 [2024-09-28 15:54:32 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

bensen-daniel In reply to 6544R13 [2024-10-02 09:46:35 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

6544R13 In reply to bensen-daniel [2024-10-02 11:56:33 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

bensen-daniel In reply to 6544R13 [2024-10-04 09:25:32 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

6544R13 In reply to bensen-daniel [2024-10-04 10:04:14 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

povorot [2017-09-30 01:39:14 +0000 UTC]

i like this line of thought a lot

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

bensen-daniel In reply to povorot [2017-09-30 14:30:41 +0000 UTC]

I ran the random number generator again and I got this timeline:
Extinct: pterosaurs, ducks/loons, ratites, non-avian theropods, eutherians
Relictal: all other birds (including some enantiorniths), crocodilians, ornithiscians, sauropods, multituberculates and eutherians
Successful: lizards. Just. Lizards.

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

povorot In reply to bensen-daniel [2017-10-13 21:15:23 +0000 UTC]

My favourite of ALL TIMELINES

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

bensen-daniel In reply to povorot [2017-10-14 07:14:27 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Lediblock2 In reply to bensen-daniel [2017-10-01 14:50:59 +0000 UTC]

.....Holy shit, that needs to be drawn now.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

bensen-daniel In reply to Lediblock2 [2017-10-02 05:42:21 +0000 UTC]

Darren Naish's squamazoic is already a thing

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Lediblock2 In reply to bensen-daniel [2017-10-03 13:39:32 +0000 UTC]

I still wanna see your take on it.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

bensen-daniel In reply to Lediblock2 [2017-10-03 14:38:50 +0000 UTC]

I did actually have some ideas, but I'll talk to Darren about them first

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raygungoth [2017-09-29 06:45:27 +0000 UTC]

That owl raptor looks like it's hunting the way a mantis does.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

bensen-daniel In reply to raygungoth [2017-09-29 11:03:19 +0000 UTC]

Maybe! Mostly I was thinking about the hands becoming secondary jaws.
Another thought occurs: what if the hands were also part of food processing? Grinding molar-fingers? 

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

raygungoth In reply to bensen-daniel [2017-09-29 23:32:08 +0000 UTC]

Yes! Like a dragonfly larva's jaws or the pharyngeal jaws of lots of ocean critters.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

bensen-daniel In reply to raygungoth [2017-09-30 14:30:53 +0000 UTC]

yeah!

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Whachamacallit1 In reply to bensen-daniel [2017-09-29 12:26:20 +0000 UTC]

I would say that the owl raptor looks like it's plotting and scheming something...

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bensen-daniel In reply to Whachamacallit1 [2017-09-29 13:06:35 +0000 UTC]

the extinction was probably his fault!

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