I have created a video with instructions on how to now access and use the Meet The Mammals section of the Metazoica website. This may be the first in a series as the site undergoes some improvements in the future. Anyways, enjoy this stroll through the new site.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Family of the Week: The Carnivorous Rats
Well, this week's family of the week is the family Caromuridae. That is, the predatory rats. Metalraptor suggested that instead of having regular rats as the ancestoral form of this family, that perhaps dormice would be a better fit. I used to raise dormice (back when they were a legally kept species) and I couldn't agree more. One of the things I was told when I bought my first breeding couple was to feed them crickets every now and then. So I did. You would not believe the ferocity these animals displayed when attacking those crickets!! It was astronomical!! Imagine that species evolved into a super predator of tomorrow. At least of it's time. The most notable feature of this family are the incisors, which have retained their rodent-like characteristics, but with the added feature of growing into canine-like points. The shape of the points depends largely on what kind of prey they consume. For instance, Vulpemys preys on small, soft-bodied animals, so their incisors have small, slightly backward-curved points. Caromus is a scavenger so its incisors have inward-growing, circular-shaped points for picking the bones of large animals clean. Monarchomys preys on large animals like antelope, and kills them by clamping the windpipe shut, so their incisors have long, straight, sharp points on the edges.
Some of the smaller species in this family live alone or in couples, while some of the larger species hunt in groups, like wolves. But this is not always the norm. Some large species are very accomplished lone hunters. The feet of most species somewhat resembles both a rat and a dog. They are diurnal animals for the most part, but a few species still haunt the night. They are built for running, chasing their prey down until it is exhausted. The tail is long in most species, usually as long as the body and fully-furred. The claws of most species are not retractable, with the exceptions of Monarchomys and Ailurotheria. Then there is the sub-family Thalassomurinae. Though it is classified as a part of the Caromurids, they have several differences. The legs have been reduced almost to flippers. This is where I changed some of Dixon's ideas about the sea-going predator rats. I decided to make the body form more otter-like than like what he presented in After Man. I thought the idea of Thalassomus's disproportionately long flippers was a little extreme. Scinderidens though, I changed little more than making it more otter-like. Though I kept the walrus-like tusks. But the body of my version is not wrinkly, but rather more like that of a fur seal. All species have rather large, foreward-facing eyes, and small, rounded ears. The eyesight and hearing is how these animals sense the presence of prey.
When it comes to extreme incisors in this family, Scinderidens tops them all. They have evolved much like the incisors of other species in this family, but the points on the edges have grown extremely long, much like that of a walrus. These "tusks" can be as long as 2 feet. The animal uses them to crush the shells of oysters and clams, so they can extract the meat from the shell. They also use them to display and look menacing to rivals during the breeding season. Rarely do they use them, unless a rival attempts to steal a female from a dominant male. Their closest kin, Thalassomus, lacks the long "tusks", but the body form is much the same as seen in Scinderidens.
The most ferocious member of this family is Monarchomys. This animal hunts in small packs. Though it is rather slenderly built, it is by no means a weak hunter. In fact, a single 150-pound Monarchomys can hold down a 400-pound rabbuck easily, just long enough to suffocate it to death. They also tend to want to carry this large prey back to their den to be consumed. The den is usually just a large, shady tree, or sometimes the enlarged burrow of another animal that they use to house their young. Monarchomys are active hunters that only feeds on what they kill themselves. Seldom, if ever, scavenging off of other animals. In this species, the claws are retractable, like a cat's. And they are razor sharp. But mostly used as help in subduing large, struggling prey. The claws do not actually kill the prey themselves.
Another very interesting species in this family is Sarcophagomys. This is the only species to land on the island of Madagascar before it drifts further out into the Indian Ocean. This animal is about the size of a modern cougar. The feet are specialized for grasping branches, much like those of modern primates. This is because most of this animal's hunting is done in the trees. They feed on lemurs. All four feet have grasping ability, so they can easily chase their prey through the trees. Even some of the best leapers among lemurs, the sifakas, cannot escape this predator very easily. This predator has a long tail, like a balancing pole, they use to steady them, and the hind legs are longer than the forelegs, which give them better springing ability. This enables them to persue lemurs wherever they happen to go. And for it's size, Sarcophagomys is incredibly lightweight. Though from nose to tail tip, the animal is about 7 feet long, they weigh less than 80 pounds.
Though the predatory rats are among the top predators of their day, they sometimes face some of their own evil threats. Crocodiles may be able to take them down, as well as the larger and bulkier predatory squirrels. Also dogs may prey on these animals. Though Sarcophagomys is isolated, and lasts longer as a species than most other members of this family, the family dies off completely when they have to compete with such rising families as the Deinognathids.
As for the new site, I completed 2 families so far. Please be patient. Since it is just me working on these, I will have to go at a pace that allows me time to also do other things I need to in the days. The latest family is the Choerocaballidae. Go check it out and have fun!! There will also be some more gradual changes made. I am contemplating a better Metazoica banner than the one I have now. I'm thinking of turning it into a little movie-style banner, with animals from the site racing across the word "Metazoica" in their own way. I've been discussing that with my web-designer. Also, remember to donate! It will be much appreciated. :)
Some of the smaller species in this family live alone or in couples, while some of the larger species hunt in groups, like wolves. But this is not always the norm. Some large species are very accomplished lone hunters. The feet of most species somewhat resembles both a rat and a dog. They are diurnal animals for the most part, but a few species still haunt the night. They are built for running, chasing their prey down until it is exhausted. The tail is long in most species, usually as long as the body and fully-furred. The claws of most species are not retractable, with the exceptions of Monarchomys and Ailurotheria. Then there is the sub-family Thalassomurinae. Though it is classified as a part of the Caromurids, they have several differences. The legs have been reduced almost to flippers. This is where I changed some of Dixon's ideas about the sea-going predator rats. I decided to make the body form more otter-like than like what he presented in After Man. I thought the idea of Thalassomus's disproportionately long flippers was a little extreme. Scinderidens though, I changed little more than making it more otter-like. Though I kept the walrus-like tusks. But the body of my version is not wrinkly, but rather more like that of a fur seal. All species have rather large, foreward-facing eyes, and small, rounded ears. The eyesight and hearing is how these animals sense the presence of prey.
When it comes to extreme incisors in this family, Scinderidens tops them all. They have evolved much like the incisors of other species in this family, but the points on the edges have grown extremely long, much like that of a walrus. These "tusks" can be as long as 2 feet. The animal uses them to crush the shells of oysters and clams, so they can extract the meat from the shell. They also use them to display and look menacing to rivals during the breeding season. Rarely do they use them, unless a rival attempts to steal a female from a dominant male. Their closest kin, Thalassomus, lacks the long "tusks", but the body form is much the same as seen in Scinderidens.
The most ferocious member of this family is Monarchomys. This animal hunts in small packs. Though it is rather slenderly built, it is by no means a weak hunter. In fact, a single 150-pound Monarchomys can hold down a 400-pound rabbuck easily, just long enough to suffocate it to death. They also tend to want to carry this large prey back to their den to be consumed. The den is usually just a large, shady tree, or sometimes the enlarged burrow of another animal that they use to house their young. Monarchomys are active hunters that only feeds on what they kill themselves. Seldom, if ever, scavenging off of other animals. In this species, the claws are retractable, like a cat's. And they are razor sharp. But mostly used as help in subduing large, struggling prey. The claws do not actually kill the prey themselves.
Another very interesting species in this family is Sarcophagomys. This is the only species to land on the island of Madagascar before it drifts further out into the Indian Ocean. This animal is about the size of a modern cougar. The feet are specialized for grasping branches, much like those of modern primates. This is because most of this animal's hunting is done in the trees. They feed on lemurs. All four feet have grasping ability, so they can easily chase their prey through the trees. Even some of the best leapers among lemurs, the sifakas, cannot escape this predator very easily. This predator has a long tail, like a balancing pole, they use to steady them, and the hind legs are longer than the forelegs, which give them better springing ability. This enables them to persue lemurs wherever they happen to go. And for it's size, Sarcophagomys is incredibly lightweight. Though from nose to tail tip, the animal is about 7 feet long, they weigh less than 80 pounds.
Though the predatory rats are among the top predators of their day, they sometimes face some of their own evil threats. Crocodiles may be able to take them down, as well as the larger and bulkier predatory squirrels. Also dogs may prey on these animals. Though Sarcophagomys is isolated, and lasts longer as a species than most other members of this family, the family dies off completely when they have to compete with such rising families as the Deinognathids.
As for the new site, I completed 2 families so far. Please be patient. Since it is just me working on these, I will have to go at a pace that allows me time to also do other things I need to in the days. The latest family is the Choerocaballidae. Go check it out and have fun!! There will also be some more gradual changes made. I am contemplating a better Metazoica banner than the one I have now. I'm thinking of turning it into a little movie-style banner, with animals from the site racing across the word "Metazoica" in their own way. I've been discussing that with my web-designer. Also, remember to donate! It will be much appreciated. :)
Friday, April 9, 2010
Having Fun With The New Site
As you all may know by now, the new Meet The Mammals section is up. All the bugs haven't been worked out yet, but it is up now. I'm fiddling around with the new features. My web designer is still trying to make it perfect. He promises it will be done today. I can only hope! I haven't been back this morning, but I will periodically add new species to the list. Even I cannot wait to see what it will look like. This time, each family counts as a category. The categories can be found on the right sidebar. I can no longer have the species listed as "large grazers", "small grazers" or "pentadactyls", etc. Now, the families just show up on the side individually. Hope you all like the new feature!
I am still thinking of putting up a "members only" area. But you have to donate to set up an account. That will be the area that has the best features though. Such as short films about some of the animals (I will not be putting these films on YouTube, so don't look for them there), video games, maybe even a rating system where you can rate each of the animals, and comment if you'd like. The donation will be a one-time thing, not a monthly or annual thing. But I will have it fixed so that only people who donate a certain amount can create an account. Perhaps a $10 donation will get you in. But that comes later. I've even been thinking about this video game, been thinking about it since 1998. I thought it could be set up like a safari, and the users ride in a car, which breaks down and they have to get back to the safety hut. Or something to that effect. On the way back, there are a bunch of mammals (Metazoic-style) that tries to destroy the sight-seers, and the user has to try and escape them. I think that's a cute idea. But that comes later.
So far, I've worked on a few anteaters. I will be working on more species as time goes on. I will also put up the new checklist. I just added some more species to the list. You can download it later on in the Meet The Mammals section. I think everyone will like the new features. Meantime, just enjoy!
I am still thinking of putting up a "members only" area. But you have to donate to set up an account. That will be the area that has the best features though. Such as short films about some of the animals (I will not be putting these films on YouTube, so don't look for them there), video games, maybe even a rating system where you can rate each of the animals, and comment if you'd like. The donation will be a one-time thing, not a monthly or annual thing. But I will have it fixed so that only people who donate a certain amount can create an account. Perhaps a $10 donation will get you in. But that comes later. I've even been thinking about this video game, been thinking about it since 1998. I thought it could be set up like a safari, and the users ride in a car, which breaks down and they have to get back to the safety hut. Or something to that effect. On the way back, there are a bunch of mammals (Metazoic-style) that tries to destroy the sight-seers, and the user has to try and escape them. I think that's a cute idea. But that comes later.
So far, I've worked on a few anteaters. I will be working on more species as time goes on. I will also put up the new checklist. I just added some more species to the list. You can download it later on in the Meet The Mammals section. I think everyone will like the new features. Meantime, just enjoy!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Family of the Week: The Marsupial Monkeys
Back again with a new family of the week. This week it's the marsupial monkeys, the Thylapithecidae. Though this family was originally thought up by Dixon, I've taken them and tweaked them around a little. There are only 2 varieties in this family. There is Thylopithecus and Carnophilus. Though I have pretty much kept Thylopithecus much the same as presented in After Man, with a few minor changes, I made Carnophilus quite different. I made it more like a marsupial baboon type creature. Though it is the largest member of this family, and the more carnivorous species, it is alot like it's closest kin. It lives in trees and has a long, prehensile tail. But the head is very doglike, naked and the teeth are long and sharp. Much like a modern baboon. The eyes are wider apart than in true monkeys, and used mostly to spot prey and pounce with accuracy.
Though they resemble monkeys, they are actually descendants of the possum, like the brushtail possum. Though Carnophilus is a true predator, Thylopithecus is more of a scavenger. They prefer to have their prey prekilled by some unfortunate force, whether it be by another predator, or a fall out of a tree, or natural disaster. All species have the long, prehensile tail. The face and ears are nude, the palms and soles are nude, as is the end of the tail for grasping. The ears are large and pointed, the fingers are tipped with sharp, powerful claws, as are the toes, the fur is soft and thick, the eyes are rather large, and they can move surprisingly fast through the trees. The jaws are powerful enough to crush bone. They can often take prey as large as themselves. Carnophilus is famous for feeding on the marsupial sloth. They tend to sneak up on the animal as it is clinging, or sleeping on a branch. But they can also feed on other possums, pteropods, small reptiles, lemurs and even prey as large as tree wallabies. When on the hunt for prey, Carnophilus prefers to stalk and pounce, but it can chase some prey through the trees. Though fast, agile and alert lemurs like Leptonosoma, can produce a problem when hunting them. As these lemurs can leap as far as 60 feet in one bound. Carnophilus cannot leap that far! So if the lemurs spot the predator, and they usually can, they can outdistance the Carnophilus quite easily. Smaller lemurs are easier to hunt, as is the marsupial sloth, which cannot leap at all.
These animals are normally solitary, and takes up residence in their own trees. Any other individual animal foolish enough to try and steal their tree is met with great hostility, and is fought and can be killed by the resident animal. They are also nocturnal, though sometimes they can be active during the day. Females can have up to 10 youngsters, which are carried in a pouch that opens at the tail end. After 6 weeks, the young go from the pouch to riding on the back. They breed only once a year.
Though these animals are predators themselves, they can be preyed upon by a wide number of predators. Carnophalanger is among their worst enemies. Monitor lizards, predatory bats, snakes and even small cats can prey on young that have been dropped by the mother, or strayed too far. Sometimes predatory pteropods will even take adults. Even within the family, species feed on each other. Carnophilus typically preys on Thylopithecus, if they cross paths. Some carnivorous lemurs, like Bromista, will also feed on these creatures, and can easily persue them in the trees. Though they typically like to take them while they are asleep on a branch or in a tree hollow.
As for the new Metazoic site, it is still being worked on. There are some technical problems that need to be sorted out. Hopefully they will be resolved by tonight, and the new Meet the Mammals section will be up and running by then. I will be putting up some families that I have not yet worked on, like the abbergants, which I know Metalraptor wanted to see really bad. :)
Though they resemble monkeys, they are actually descendants of the possum, like the brushtail possum. Though Carnophilus is a true predator, Thylopithecus is more of a scavenger. They prefer to have their prey prekilled by some unfortunate force, whether it be by another predator, or a fall out of a tree, or natural disaster. All species have the long, prehensile tail. The face and ears are nude, the palms and soles are nude, as is the end of the tail for grasping. The ears are large and pointed, the fingers are tipped with sharp, powerful claws, as are the toes, the fur is soft and thick, the eyes are rather large, and they can move surprisingly fast through the trees. The jaws are powerful enough to crush bone. They can often take prey as large as themselves. Carnophilus is famous for feeding on the marsupial sloth. They tend to sneak up on the animal as it is clinging, or sleeping on a branch. But they can also feed on other possums, pteropods, small reptiles, lemurs and even prey as large as tree wallabies. When on the hunt for prey, Carnophilus prefers to stalk and pounce, but it can chase some prey through the trees. Though fast, agile and alert lemurs like Leptonosoma, can produce a problem when hunting them. As these lemurs can leap as far as 60 feet in one bound. Carnophilus cannot leap that far! So if the lemurs spot the predator, and they usually can, they can outdistance the Carnophilus quite easily. Smaller lemurs are easier to hunt, as is the marsupial sloth, which cannot leap at all.
These animals are normally solitary, and takes up residence in their own trees. Any other individual animal foolish enough to try and steal their tree is met with great hostility, and is fought and can be killed by the resident animal. They are also nocturnal, though sometimes they can be active during the day. Females can have up to 10 youngsters, which are carried in a pouch that opens at the tail end. After 6 weeks, the young go from the pouch to riding on the back. They breed only once a year.
Though these animals are predators themselves, they can be preyed upon by a wide number of predators. Carnophalanger is among their worst enemies. Monitor lizards, predatory bats, snakes and even small cats can prey on young that have been dropped by the mother, or strayed too far. Sometimes predatory pteropods will even take adults. Even within the family, species feed on each other. Carnophilus typically preys on Thylopithecus, if they cross paths. Some carnivorous lemurs, like Bromista, will also feed on these creatures, and can easily persue them in the trees. Though they typically like to take them while they are asleep on a branch or in a tree hollow.
As for the new Metazoic site, it is still being worked on. There are some technical problems that need to be sorted out. Hopefully they will be resolved by tonight, and the new Meet the Mammals section will be up and running by then. I will be putting up some families that I have not yet worked on, like the abbergants, which I know Metalraptor wanted to see really bad. :)
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