https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/categories/15/tags/2223.rssNew Posts Tagged 'mammals' - Scientific SpeculationScientific Speculation - Codidact2020-09-09T09:44:59Zhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/277405How do I realistically keep my large mammalian predator hidden from other pack hunters. Cazadorrohttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/530352020-08-21T04:44:51Z2020-09-09T09:44:59Z<p>What coloration pattern/ technique could a large mammalian predator employ to evade detection from other mammalian predators at 100 -> 20 meter distances (or close enough so that it could spr...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/262906Would a Longer PETM Save the Creodonts and the Mesonychians?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992020-05-05T19:52:58Z2020-05-06T08:14:38Z<p>Some 55.8 million years ago, Earth underwent a really dramatic heat wave known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM. What happened, exactly? We don't know how it happened, but we d...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/262611Could Meridiungulates Colonize The World Before the Opening of Panama?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992020-04-23T22:20:01Z2020-04-24T06:45:57Z<p>The last time I asked something similar, I asked <a href="https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/147730/could-xenarthrans-be-ferried-outside-south-america">if it would be possible for...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/262278Could an Ice Age Extinction Wipe Out All Marsupials?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992020-04-12T22:56:24Z2020-04-13T02:55:45Z<p>Say the word "Australia", and one of the first things to come to your mind would be the marsupials.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGCIV.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="http...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/262113The Serina Series: Episode I: CatsJohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992020-04-06T05:23:09Z2020-04-06T06:52:46Z<p>"Serina" is a popular speculative evolution project in which, apart from a long list of fish, invertebrates and plants, the only terrestrial chordate to colonize this terraformed moon is the can...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/260900How Would the Multituberculates Survive Longer Than in Our Timeline?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992020-02-27T02:30:08Z2020-02-27T02:30:08Z<p>In exploring likely candidates for an alternate Earth without rodents, someone suggested multituberculates to me. Here's a little summary as to who the multituberculates were for anyone not in t...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/260689Would the Muroid Niche Be Occupied by Just One Clade?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992020-02-21T13:21:13Z2020-02-22T18:01:44Z<p>The muroids are a superfamily of rodents consisting today of mice, rats, voles, hamsters, lemmings and gerbils. There are at least 1750 different species of them, proof apparent of their enviro...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/259246The Red-Headed Whale. Why Would the Head be Red?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992020-01-09T04:03:09Z2020-02-19T05:45:46Z<p>In the waters of Iceland, the natives have their own word for a particular brand of cetaceans--"Illhveli", literally "evil whales". And the bloodthirstiest of them all is Raudkembingur, Iceland...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/260148Mammal evolving spider-silkRichard Lindahlhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/440002020-02-04T19:03:04Z2020-02-05T18:31:15Z<p>I wanted to include a spider-like race in my book (not a typical drider, but more like a hairy hominid covered in tarantula-like hair and thinner and longer limbs and fingers). However, I wanted...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/258879Perissodactylian CetaceansJohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992019-12-28T04:28:51Z2019-12-29T05:01:45Z<p>Perissodactyla is an order of mammals consisting currently of the seventeen species of horses, rhinoceroses and tapirs. Usually, any clade is connected by a coupling of genetics and physical mo...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/258378Can an insect evolve to look and function like a mammal?FelisMiscellaneoushttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/444282019-12-08T19:42:10Z2019-12-24T04:02:38Z<p>I'm working with this alien race that looks and functions essentially like a mammal - skin, muscles, hair, internal bones, large size, etc. - but evolved from an insect or other bug. They're a l...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/258129Could Bear-Dogs Look and Act Like Actual Bears?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992019-11-29T01:51:06Z2019-12-05T20:20:17Z<p>Back home, Amphicyonidae (bear-dogs) predated Ursidae by only four million years. While the latter still lives in the form of eight species, the former had been extinct for two-and-a-half milli...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/257995If I have an Earth-like world with Earth-like fauna, and I want brightly-colored mammals, what would be a realistic way of causing that to evolve?Yaitz331https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/443892019-11-25T12:28:27Z2019-11-27T00:23:41Z<p>On Earth, while birds and reptiles can be quite brightly colored, it's rare for mammals to have any bright colors, and the rare times they do, it's either just slightly different (like with oran...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/257985Can a Mammal Develop a Jaw Shaped Like a Beak?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992019-11-25T02:47:29Z2019-11-25T18:25:58Z<p>Many mythological creatures have a popularity secondary only to the dragon (the one true global force.) Among them is the griffin, a half-bird-half-cat cut-and-paste. Now, in an alternate Eart...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/257831Wolves and Hyenas--Allies For LifeJohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992019-11-19T04:19:22Z2019-11-19T17:58:37Z<p>In recent years, we have found evidence in the Negev Desert of the Middle East of a striped hyena, a solitary carnivoran, tagging along with a pack of wolves. This sort of alliance is found now...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/257682Pinniped CreodontsJohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992019-11-14T02:39:48Z2019-11-17T03:51:51Z<p>Here is all you need to know about the creodonts:</p>
<ol>
<li>They were a group of carnivorous mammals that, despite having carnassials, had no relation to Carnivora.</li>
<li>They were a glob...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/257564Can Owl Ears Instead of Echolocation Guarantee Life in Cave Colonies?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992019-11-09T13:50:41Z2019-11-12T16:03:30Z<p>In an alternate Earth, there are no bats. Instead, there are "flying monkeys" (which are actually lemuriform primates, rather like bushbabies or lorises.) And even though they have batlike ear...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/256448Can an animal produce milk all the time?Nierninwahttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/431132019-09-28T01:40:03Z2019-09-29T16:20:35Z<p>So as most of you probably know, <a href="https://www.simply-live-consciously.com/english/food-livestock-products/cows-and-their-milk/" rel="noreferrer">cows don't produce milk all year round fo...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/254904What is the bio-mechanical plausibility of a fox with venomous fangs?Rhodiumhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/440592019-08-07T14:23:48Z2019-08-13T07:56:11Z<p>For context, I've been working on a fantasy race for use in a science fiction novel, the gist of which is essentially a red fox that has had its genes manipulated by a supernatural force with th...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/237330Are pharyngeal and cutaneous breathing possible for an aquatic mammal?Cowriehttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/417452017-11-29T22:26:03Z2019-07-10T15:06:39Z<p>I'm working on a setting with merfolk that I'd prefer to be fully mammalian. However, they have underwater cities and I find that hard to believe for a species that needs to surface every few h...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/244597Is the evolution of my aliens realistic?Catershttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/22412018-08-11T16:28:22Z2019-06-14T16:44:52Z<p>So, I have thought about the evolution of my aliens and how they could evolve things like lactation but still retain their reptilian characteristics.</p>
<p>Here is my best thought about it so ...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/253441How to produce milk that's similar to blood?Halhexhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/437042019-06-05T13:53:58Z2019-06-05T16:48:27Z<p>How could a mammal produce milk which resembles blood? </p>
<p>The <em>blood milk</em> should keep as many properties of milk as possible, curding for example, while resembling blood as much as...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/253371Anatomically Correct Swarm of RodentsLiam Morrishttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/435882019-05-31T11:14:19Z2019-05-31T14:55:04Z<p>Rats are commonly associated with illness and disease due to the role they played in <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death" rel="noreferrer">The Black Death</a>. However, some wor...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/253193Could Xenarthrans Be Ferried Outside South America?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992019-05-25T01:28:55Z2019-05-25T13:15:22Z<p>Right from the beginning, the xenarthrans--armadillos, sloths and anteaters--have been at a disadvantage. For the longest time, their home was an island continent, which made them extremely vul...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/221308Bovinae immune to predatorsάλεξ μιζÎÏιαhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/391072016-07-27T09:29:26Z2019-05-22T14:54:14Z<p>Given an unlimited time to evolve: what are the best ways to make any wild bovinae immune to its natural predators like the classic big felines (lions or tigers) and most reptiles (crocodiles or...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/252368Could a medium sized mammal in the order carnivora evolve to be bipedal?John Lewishttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/435982019-04-28T03:36:14Z2019-04-30T16:37:17Z<p>In the movie <em>Guardians of the Galaxy</em> (and a few others), we meet a bipedal raccoon known as Rocket (who I am aware did not evolve to be bipedal, but I am using him as an example). I hon...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/251060How could a female member of a species produce eggs unto death?A Lambent Eyehttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/78192019-03-13T08:29:28Z2019-03-14T14:47:21Z<p>As far as I am aware, female mammals cannot produce eggs (as in ova) after a certain age/maturation.</p>
<p>How could the female produce eggs for an unlimited amount of time, resulting in a 'qu...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/247699Would it be possible for mammals to evolve blue blood?Drk Lord Stanhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/431402018-11-17T02:30:48Z2018-11-18T00:57:56Z<p>Ever since I found out about the green blooded skink, I have wondered if it's possible for other blood colours to evolve among vertebrates, specifically blue in mammals.</p>
https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/246680Whale-Tail and Seal-Legs in One AnimalJohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992018-10-12T00:12:36Z2018-10-14T02:05:14Z<p>In marine mammals, there are two different body types for two different niches:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wt4VY.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.co...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/241457Could a cow produce bottled milk?ScienceKeanuhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/419542018-04-28T17:36:08Z2018-07-04T19:55:28Z<p><strong>Could a cow produce bottled milk?</strong> The answer is, of course, no; there is no way a cow could do that; obviously. Perhaps I should be more clear on what I'm asking. </p>
<p><str...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/243182How plausible would a fully aquatic bat be?Aquar1animalhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/425322018-06-26T00:51:02Z2018-06-28T01:53:37Z<p>So, it turns out that bats are actually pretty good swimmers; several species of bats have been reported swimming, and they're far more capable and agile in the water than they are on land:</p>
...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/242607Can Pinnipeds Fit in a Worm Forest?JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992018-06-10T04:14:02Z2018-06-10T12:49:05Z<p>In an alternate Earth, coral has been extinct for over 400 million years. In their place were the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Bivalvia (clams, oysters, mussels)</li>
<li>Cirripedia (barnacles)</li...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/238765How could a mammal develop that has long legs but lives in a semi aquatic area?CAGIGhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/419432018-01-24T04:03:29Z2018-01-24T14:12:05Z<p>This probably sounds fairly ridiculous- I know, but in short I've been developing a sort of future earth. It's not extraordinarily accurate, but I've been trying to at least keep the obvious in ...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/231646Bats With Pterosaur WingsJohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992017-06-01T20:55:26Z2017-06-16T11:50:39Z<p>Perhaps THE hallmark of bat anatomy is the wing--a thin sheet of membranous skin attaching four of five fingers. But compared to another group of skin-winged fliers, that's pretty much it.</p>
...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/231697Gorilla + Orangutan = The Best of Both WorldsJohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992017-06-02T21:53:14Z2017-06-02T22:21:20Z<p>In the great apes, there are two worlds--ground and treetop. Representing the ground is the largest primate on Earth, the genus <em>Gorilla</em>. Representing the treetops is genus <em>Pongo</...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/229427Three-Toed Sloths in Temperate USAJohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992017-03-14T03:19:54Z2017-03-14T20:06:01Z<p>Bradypodidae is the family consisting of the three-toed sloths, the one we most associate the word "sloth" with. As far as we know, they exist only in the tropical forests of Latin America and ...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/225170An Australia for Egg-Layers (No Marsupials)JohnWDaileyhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/43992016-11-12T06:41:57Z2016-11-13T06:27:44Z<p>Without a doubt, the most iconic mammals of Australia are the pouch-bearing marsupials. You can find less than 250 species in that one island-continent.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.c...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/218935A monkey-like creature with no legs?Systemhttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/-12016-04-27T22:54:36Z2016-04-28T02:54:45Z<p>Is it possible that a monkey-like creature, in the mountains, could evolve to have no legs and a really strong set of fore-arms? I was thinking that this might be possible because of the climbin...https://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/posts/210864What evolutionary factors can contribute to large sexual dimorphism in large mammals?Caninahttps://scientific-speculation.codidact.com/users/80492015-04-05T14:21:52Z2015-04-07T00:25:23Z<p>On Earth, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear" rel="noreferrer">the polar bear</a> is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear#Physical_characteristics" rel="noreferrer">a...