Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Could a Monotreme Griffin exist?

+0
−0

in the story i'm writing there is an island of mostly Monotremes which have diversified into a variety of ecological niches from giant platypus's to megafauna larger than the largest Placental Mammal to even Griffins which rule over the mountainous regions. Now some characteristics of these Griffins include:

  • lay eggs (of course)
  • are Tetrapods instead of Hexapods like classical Griffons
  • 15% smaller than a mountain lion
  • are quadrupeds (optional)
  • males will collect shiny objects to there nests to attract mates
  • are carnivores
  • have an eagle like head
  • have lion like hindlimbs and tail
  • have bird like wings
  • can glide but can't fly (or at least for very long)
  • are solitary
  • are covered in fur
  • have fur which resembles feathers on their wings and head (optional)
  • lay eggs which are gold in coloration (optional)

given this how realistic are they and what evolutionary pressures might lead to them?

NOTE: magic does not exist in my story

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/170534. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

0 comment threads

1 answer

+1
−0

Be Flexible With What Counts as Wings

Your griffons are four legged as the common depictions show, but rather than wings separate from the limbs instead there is a gliding membrane like that of a sugar glider or flying squirrel.

A lion's body plan is simply unsuited for flight, but there are multiple mammalian quadrupeds that glide.

Gliding has evolved independently in both marsupials and placentals, so it's not unreasonable for it to appear in monotremes.

The griffins could live in forests and glide from tree to tree to chase prey.

Fur

Having fur look like feathers isn't difficult, as long as you're flexible on what kind of feathers it's supposed to look like. Ratties have feathers that look rather hair like from a distance. The griffons could have very downy fur.

Beak and Eggs

Monotremes have these features.

Lion Features

Convergent evolution, consider how similar the thylacine was to canines in its body plan

Egg coloration, collecting objects, carnivorous diet, and some of the other cosmetic features are very straightforward.

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/a/170548. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

0 comment threads

Sign up to answer this question »