Welcome to my Metazoic site! This site discusses the existence of the creatures to come along after humans will be extinct. I first became interested in a world after man when I acquired my first copy of Dougal Dixon's After Man: A Zoology of the Future in 1992. However, I unwittingly created creatures that did not exist from the time I was about 8 years old. But it was after I obtained a copy of that book (now a collector's item) that I decided to take these same creatures I created as a child and make them more realistic in an evolutionary sense. Though it may be hard for a lot of us to grasp, humans will soon become extinct. One of the biggest factors of how this will happen is the current overpopulation rate. Which is why I don't contribute to the population. I created this world with little more than mammals fulfilling all ecological niches with the help of some friends. I even gave the era of the age after man a name, I called it the Metazoic, derived from the words for "After-era" (Meta, meaning after, and zoic meaning era). We are now in the Cenozoic era. To view all the animals I have created since I began this project, you can go to the "Meet the Mammals" section of this site. To discuss your own ideas about what you think will happen in the future world, and share your ideas with others, please feel free to leave a comment.
One more thing, some of you may find this site quite offensive, and you have a right to your own opinion. But please respect my right to have an opinion too. I'm not saying there is no GOD, I believe it was HIM who got the ball rolling. But I believe after that, evolution took over. There is so much more evidence of evolution than there is of creation. Even that going on right under our noses. Other than that, enjoy yourself and visit our many links.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

What's He Going To Do, Nibble Your Bum?

I re-watched my old copy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail recently, and it got me thinking, specifically about this scene here...







My question is, if the world actually does go nutters and a rabbit does develop carnivory, what exactly would it look and act like? Its not exactly as far-fetched as it seems, rabbit mothers do eat their own young on occasion to hide the smell of a dead baby, though it is highly unlikely. So for the sake of discussion lets look at the biology of Carnilagus montypythonorum

The first think one has to ask about this rabbit is the teeth. Lagomorphs, like their cousins the rodents, have large, evergrowing teeth, which allow them to tear through tough plant matter. However, unlike rodents, rabbits also have a second, smaller pair of incisors in the front of the mouth, which help to reinforce the first pair. The first pair of incisors will become our killing tools for the rabbit. The incisors will become hypertrophied, forming long, spear-like fangs.

But what of the other four incisors? What becomes of them? Well, these teeth become sharp too, though not the saber-like killing tools of the first pair. Instead, these teeth move, the upper pair of incisors stay where they are, and the rear pair move out to the sides of the main two. What's the point of this? Well, quite simply, these rear incisors keep the front pair sharp. To make sure the rabbit is able to kill at any time, the rear pair of incisors grind against the front pair. When the upper pair grow too long, they break off from the pressure given to them by the upper pair, thus keeping them sharp.

As for the rest of the teeth, the only thing I can think of is that the first two pairs of molars change. The first premolar becomes buzzsaw-like and sharp, much like the premolars of the carnivorous macropod Propleopus. The tooth behind it becomes the carnassial, working to shear off flesh from the carcass of the dead. The skull of Carnilagus has some differences from that of its kin. The most noticable is that the condyles have shifted back, and a saggital crest has developed. This gives the rabbit a more powerful bite needed to take down prey.

As for the external appearance of the rabbit, it has a few extra tricks up its sleeve. Its eyes have become larger and...may I say....cuter, in order to take in more light to hunt in lower light conditions, such as at dusk. Its fur is covered in a sort of oil that keeps blood and pieces of flesh from sticking to it, and keeps its fur white and looking clean.

So how exactly does Carnilagus live? My guess would be that due to its small size, the majority of Carnilagus' diet is made up of small animals; rodents and birds. However, its ferocious weaponry "with big nasty teeth" means that if threatened, it can take on foes even multiple times its size, including blundering knights.


...unfortunately, all of these wonderous adaptations do little in the face of The Holy Hand Grenade.

1 comment:

Metalraptor said...

Yes, I realize that rabbits are not rodents, but lagomorphs. Just a pre-emptive answer there.