5 Million Years Hence
Stop two – 5 Million Years Hence – Earliest Lactozoic era
Mankind is all but forgotten, the earth is clothed in the greenery of healthy, fully developed ecosystems. The only sign that man were ever here, are weathering fossils and layers of chemical-laden rocks in the ground. These rocks are the remains of man’s cities and pollution, a layer that marks the end of the Anthropocene, and the beginning of the second mammal age, the Lactozoic.
A small set of ice ages have taken hold, and thus the climate fluctuates between cool and wet at one time, and cold and dry at the other. Currently the climate is colder and drier than the modern day. The continents have started to show evidence of their constant rhythmic dance, discernable on a map. The Straits of Gibraltar have closed as Africa marched north, and the Mediterranean Sea has become a series of salt-pans and large saline lakes, punctuated by mountains which were once islands. As Australia has pushed north, Tasmania and New Guinea have been squeezed upward, reconnecting them with the Australian mainland. This action has also caused parts of the Indonesian Archipelago to coalesce into larger islands, though as yet, Australasia and Indonesia are still separate.
The habitats and vegetations slightly resemble those of the earliest Holocene, but only outwardly, the large trees are mainly descended from kinds which mankind either farmed for wood, or otherwise cultivated. Many common weeds of the Anthropocene have given rise to new kinds of ground cover and shrubs, and grasslands still predominate in many places.
The animal denizens of this new mammal age are starting to deviate from what would be familiar to us. Hares have become large, upright deer-like herbivores, there are boars as large as the largest rhinoceros, and sheep-sized herbivorous rodents descended from rats, marmots and other common gnawers. Predators have developed too, the unassuming housecat has given rise to large puma and leopard-like cats, and the little raven of Australia has become a ground-walking predator of small game. In the rivers and seas, the fishes are all descended from species which were resilient to the pollution and overfishing perpetrated by man, in some cases, coastal fish have filled vacant niches. These are just a few examples the fauna of this new age.
Surely, as the future wears on, the world and its fauna will appear less and less familiar.
Mankind is all but forgotten, the earth is clothed in the greenery of healthy, fully developed ecosystems. The only sign that man were ever here, are weathering fossils and layers of chemical-laden rocks in the ground. These rocks are the remains of man’s cities and pollution, a layer that marks the end of the Anthropocene, and the beginning of the second mammal age, the Lactozoic.
A small set of ice ages have taken hold, and thus the climate fluctuates between cool and wet at one time, and cold and dry at the other. Currently the climate is colder and drier than the modern day. The continents have started to show evidence of their constant rhythmic dance, discernable on a map. The Straits of Gibraltar have closed as Africa marched north, and the Mediterranean Sea has become a series of salt-pans and large saline lakes, punctuated by mountains which were once islands. As Australia has pushed north, Tasmania and New Guinea have been squeezed upward, reconnecting them with the Australian mainland. This action has also caused parts of the Indonesian Archipelago to coalesce into larger islands, though as yet, Australasia and Indonesia are still separate.
The habitats and vegetations slightly resemble those of the earliest Holocene, but only outwardly, the large trees are mainly descended from kinds which mankind either farmed for wood, or otherwise cultivated. Many common weeds of the Anthropocene have given rise to new kinds of ground cover and shrubs, and grasslands still predominate in many places.
The animal denizens of this new mammal age are starting to deviate from what would be familiar to us. Hares have become large, upright deer-like herbivores, there are boars as large as the largest rhinoceros, and sheep-sized herbivorous rodents descended from rats, marmots and other common gnawers. Predators have developed too, the unassuming housecat has given rise to large puma and leopard-like cats, and the little raven of Australia has become a ground-walking predator of small game. In the rivers and seas, the fishes are all descended from species which were resilient to the pollution and overfishing perpetrated by man, in some cases, coastal fish have filled vacant niches. These are just a few examples the fauna of this new age.
Surely, as the future wears on, the world and its fauna will appear less and less familiar.
Fauna
Corsair Raven (Cursocorvus australis)
Ancestor: Little Raven (Corvus mellori)
Australia inherited many problems from mankind in the modern day; feral placental carnivores were one such problem. But the ravages of rabies and distemper have impacted them so harshly during the late anthropocene, that birds and marsupials can compete successfully in the future. The corsair raven of Australasia is as tall and heavy as a fair sized leghorn cock, and hunts on the ground, though it is still able to fly. Feeding mainly on small and mid-sized reptiles, as well as rodents and large insects, it also regularly eats carrion. It is found on the plains and in scrubland, and is far less common in the forested northern reaches of the continent.
Ancestor: Little Raven (Corvus mellori)
Australia inherited many problems from mankind in the modern day; feral placental carnivores were one such problem. But the ravages of rabies and distemper have impacted them so harshly during the late anthropocene, that birds and marsupials can compete successfully in the future. The corsair raven of Australasia is as tall and heavy as a fair sized leghorn cock, and hunts on the ground, though it is still able to fly. Feeding mainly on small and mid-sized reptiles, as well as rodents and large insects, it also regularly eats carrion. It is found on the plains and in scrubland, and is far less common in the forested northern reaches of the continent.
Neoquoll (Dasyurogale pseudofelis)
Ancestor: Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuarti)
In Australia, marsupial predators hold sway now in the forests, having evolved from relatively meek and tiny ancestors. Neoquoll are pugnacious nocturnal hunters, averaging about 12 kilograms, and preying on any vertebrate that they can overpower, usually those smaller than themselves. When faced with a predator such as a large bird, they are able to spray a foul liquid from their anal glands. As with its ancestor, litter sizes are very large with only a few surviving to adulthood, however lifespan is a good deal longer compared to modern forms.
Ancestor: Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuarti)
In Australia, marsupial predators hold sway now in the forests, having evolved from relatively meek and tiny ancestors. Neoquoll are pugnacious nocturnal hunters, averaging about 12 kilograms, and preying on any vertebrate that they can overpower, usually those smaller than themselves. When faced with a predator such as a large bird, they are able to spray a foul liquid from their anal glands. As with its ancestor, litter sizes are very large with only a few surviving to adulthood, however lifespan is a good deal longer compared to modern forms.
Hedgeboar (Echinochoerus pseudotaxus)
Ancestor: European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
The forests and scrublands of mainland Europe, as well as the semi-arid scrubland around the margins of the Mediterranean salt-lakes are home to the hedgeboar. Occupying a niche somewhere between a badger and a pig, this creature grows as heavy as 50 or 60 kilograms, though it is built fairly low to the ground. It feeds on almost anything it can find, bird’s eggs, carrion, small vertebrates, nuts, berries, truffles, roots, and even soft low growing foliage. It competes successfully alongside some kinds of more generalized wild pigs.
Ancestor: European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
The forests and scrublands of mainland Europe, as well as the semi-arid scrubland around the margins of the Mediterranean salt-lakes are home to the hedgeboar. Occupying a niche somewhere between a badger and a pig, this creature grows as heavy as 50 or 60 kilograms, though it is built fairly low to the ground. It feeds on almost anything it can find, bird’s eggs, carrion, small vertebrates, nuts, berries, truffles, roots, and even soft low growing foliage. It competes successfully alongside some kinds of more generalized wild pigs.
Erymanthian Boar (Titanosus caecus)
Ancestor: Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)
From the lineage of the great boar comes the erymanthian boar, an herbivorous beast weighing up to 3 tons. Significantly adapted for mixed feeding on both grass and browse, it is a hindgut fermenter much like a horse or rhinoceros. Large gregarious herds of them are common sights across Eurasian plains and open forests, where an alpha male will have subordinate males and a large harem of females. Females give birth to two or three well developed piglets, and have only 4 large teats.
Ancestor: Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)
From the lineage of the great boar comes the erymanthian boar, an herbivorous beast weighing up to 3 tons. Significantly adapted for mixed feeding on both grass and browse, it is a hindgut fermenter much like a horse or rhinoceros. Large gregarious herds of them are common sights across Eurasian plains and open forests, where an alpha male will have subordinate males and a large harem of females. Females give birth to two or three well developed piglets, and have only 4 large teats.
Galloping Hare (Leporocervus macrotis)
Ancestor: European Hare (Lepus europaeus)
Inhabiting the taiga and deciduous forests of Eurasia, this lagomorph is about 90 centimetres at the shoulder and 60 kilograms in weight. Having a tall digitigrade stance and hoof-like toes, galloping hares can flee a predator at a speed of about 50 kilometers per hour, and will often make prodigious leaps as far as 6 meters at full pelt. These animals are exclusively browsers, and can digest both deciduous and evergreen foliage, in lean times they will chew bark and twigs for sustenance. Fecundity is lower than in their ancestor, with only a single large leveret being born per litter.
Ancestor: European Hare (Lepus europaeus)
Inhabiting the taiga and deciduous forests of Eurasia, this lagomorph is about 90 centimetres at the shoulder and 60 kilograms in weight. Having a tall digitigrade stance and hoof-like toes, galloping hares can flee a predator at a speed of about 50 kilometers per hour, and will often make prodigious leaps as far as 6 meters at full pelt. These animals are exclusively browsers, and can digest both deciduous and evergreen foliage, in lean times they will chew bark and twigs for sustenance. Fecundity is lower than in their ancestor, with only a single large leveret being born per litter.
Sheep Cavy (Caviovis sudamericana)
Ancestor: Domestic Guinea-pig (Cavia porcellus)
South America has been a land of rodent supremacy since the early Anthropocene. The sheep cavy is a good example of how this has changed relatively little; they are 80 kilogram grazers which are ubiquitous on the South American plains. Having hoofed feet, they are able to run and flee very well, though they form large herds for mutual protection. Fecundity is only slightly lower than their ancestor, and breeding season sees large crèches of pups under the care of mothers or aunts.
Ancestor: Domestic Guinea-pig (Cavia porcellus)
South America has been a land of rodent supremacy since the early Anthropocene. The sheep cavy is a good example of how this has changed relatively little; they are 80 kilogram grazers which are ubiquitous on the South American plains. Having hoofed feet, they are able to run and flee very well, though they form large herds for mutual protection. Fecundity is only slightly lower than their ancestor, and breeding season sees large crèches of pups under the care of mothers or aunts.
Cipactli (Maresuchus ferocior)
Ancestor: Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
The very last of the crocodilian lineage, the cipactli is a marine reptile reaching 9 meters in length. It inhabits the tropical Atlantic and some parts of the equatorial pacific. Streamlined and sinuous, it pursues various kinds of fish, large and small, and will also ambush seabirds which sit on the water. The coast of Mexico and California are the main nesting sites, with females hauling out awkwardly to lay clutches of up to 70 eggs.
Ancestor: Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
The very last of the crocodilian lineage, the cipactli is a marine reptile reaching 9 meters in length. It inhabits the tropical Atlantic and some parts of the equatorial pacific. Streamlined and sinuous, it pursues various kinds of fish, large and small, and will also ambush seabirds which sit on the water. The coast of Mexico and California are the main nesting sites, with females hauling out awkwardly to lay clutches of up to 70 eggs.
Lurking Goby (Gobiesox rapax)
Ancestor: Black Goby (Gobius niger)
The disasters of the Anthropocene also entailed significant reduction of fish stocks; many important pelagic and food fish became extinct. As a result, coastal fishes filled these niches in the post-Anthropocene. One such creature is the Lurking Goby, a meter long ambush predator of coastal and estuarine waters throughout the north Atlantic. It will usually attack from concealment among rocks or weeds, feeding mainly on fish or squid that are smaller than it.
Ancestor: Black Goby (Gobius niger)
The disasters of the Anthropocene also entailed significant reduction of fish stocks; many important pelagic and food fish became extinct. As a result, coastal fishes filled these niches in the post-Anthropocene. One such creature is the Lurking Goby, a meter long ambush predator of coastal and estuarine waters throughout the north Atlantic. It will usually attack from concealment among rocks or weeds, feeding mainly on fish or squid that are smaller than it.