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YellowPanda2001 — 10myh - Cuba Fauna

#cuba #futureanimals #futureevolution #speculativeevolution #speculativezoology
Published: 2021-11-05 10:00:04 +0000 UTC; Views: 13375; Favourites: 71; Downloads: 5
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Description 10 million years after the Holocene extinction event, the faunal components of the Cuba island have shown to be radically different than what it was before the Holocene. Now, both native creatures and introduced ones have evolved in synchrony to adapt to this brand new environment. This is a selective collection of animals that will exist on this island, 10 million years in the future.

1. Cuban turkey (Cubanumida clarkii) - This species of abundant galliform measures 80 cm long. Resembling a turkey, it is actually a descendant of the helmeted guineafowl. Being a ground-dwelling omnivore, it feeds in various plants and small animals it can find, usually gathering in flocks for mutual protection.
2. Horned slider (Trachemys fernandi) - The only turtles that exist in Cuba are descendants of the cuban slider. The horned slider is a 25 cm long example, characterized by a small horn at the tip of its snout. Its an omnivorous freshwater reptile.
3. Orange-chested cuban kingfisher (Megacephaloceryle luteopectus) - The orange-chested cuban kingfisher is a descendant of the belted kingfisher. This is a particularly small kingfisher, compared to its ancestor, measuring just 20 cm in length. It is a avid piscivore, diving in the freshwater courses of Cuba on ray-finned fish.
4. Keel-finned topminnow (Girardinus longus) - Speaking of ray-finned fish, the keel-finned topminnow is a peculiar species of freshwater fish, descended from the goldbelly topminnow. The males display a very large pair of fins protruding from below, being enormous gonopodia. They are smaller than the female, with the male measuring 3 cm long, and the female twice that length.
5. Giant porcupine hutia (Spinomys giganteus) - In prehistoric Cuba, the island was filled with a myriad of different species of hutias, but only one, the Desmarest's hutia, survived the Holocene extinction event. Even though the presence of other intrdouced mammals, like other species of rodents, carnivorans and ungulates, implied that many eccological guilds would be left occupied by these new animals, hutias still found a way to diversify in their terms. The giant porcupine hutia measures 1.5 meters in length and is the largest rodent in Cuba. It has a body covered in sharp spines, like a porcupine, to defend itself from predators.
6. Common jay-blackbird (Novoagelaius superstes) - Descended from the tawny-shouldered blackbird, the common jay-blackbird is a very common and intelligent species of bird around Cuba. Jay-blackbirds are social and intelligent creatures, being observed crafting tools and displaying a level of intelligence comparable to many corvids. It measures 15 cm in length.
7. Small black water snake (Tropidonerodia niger) - The small black water snake is a descendant of the salt marsh snake. This is a 40 to 60 cm long natricid that has estabilished in Cuba. It is semi-aquatic, patrolling the water line, feeding on fish, crustaceans and other aquatic animals. It uses water as a refuge for predators as well, and when it feels threatened, it pretends to be dead and releases a foul odor.
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dinofoxy5 [2022-04-07 15:39:59 +0000 UTC]

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