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.

Friday, September 30, 2011

More Genera Changes

Every once in a while I do this. I go back and change some names of some of the genera on my Metazoic checklist. Well, I've been working on that for a bit now, since I printed another prefix and suffix list. I'm really getting to know these terms now! Aside from adding a few new genera and species to the list this past week, I also changed some names, and if you have printed a copy of our most recent checklist, you might want to change these names. So I just wanted to give everyone a headsup on this. Some have been screaming for name changes for a long time! So the names that have been changed are:

Tapimimus is now Tapiemulus
Callichroma is now Anemodryas
Plumipitheca is now Crossodemnus

I had to change these! For one thing, I remember what Metalraptor said about using the name "pithecus" for lemurs and other prosimians. And besides, I think Crossodemnus better fits these varieties of lemurs, whose face and body is full of frills and crests. Hense the new name, which means "tasseled-" or "frilled-upon". I thought it was creative anyway. :) And I found out that Callichroma was already taken. So, I had to change it too. The new name actually means "wind spirit". It too is a lemur, and today, lemurs are often seen as spirits. And I like the sound and feel of "wind spirit", as these lemurs would be fast in today's world.

The Tapimimus is another one I just had to change. The animal is NOT entirely based on Dixon's Tapimus. Same idea, but I wanted to make it it's own animal, an antelope instead of a descendant of rodents. So I felt I had to change the name. The new name actually means "equal to tapirs", even though it is a tiny animal, only the size of a modern tapir's nose! LOL!

Anyway, those are the new changes. I will be updating you all on more as they happen. I'm still hoping to reach 4000 species by Christmas 2012. But if I keep going at the rate I went last night, I should reach that goal by next summer. So, keep your eyes on the ticker on the right side of this page! I update it every time I add new species to the checklist!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Family of the Week: the Metazoic Hyenas

The family Cloacariidae consists of mammals that are mostly scavengers. They rarely hunt their own food, unlike today's hyenas. These animals are not true hyenas, but instead are descended from weasels. The basic body form is unlike modern hyenas, but the lifestyle is much the same. These animals have very long necks and small heads that are completely naked. Their ears are very small and rounded. The eyesight is poor, but the sense of smell very well makes up for it. The olfactory cavity is reminiscent of that of turkey vultures. They can smell rotting flesh from several miles away. The body is not built like hyenas, but instead are longer than they are tall. The legs are short, the tail is long, or at least as long as the head and body. Unlike in modern hyenas, the females of this family do not have a large clitoris. The males' penis is also quite small, and not easily visible underneath all their fur. The feet are a lot like those of dogs, but they are not really built for running. If you can picture it, these are not attractive animals! They are mostly active during the day, when the predators they like to follow are most active. The most remarkable feature of this family is the design of their teeth. It is unlike any other carnivore on Earth. The canines have become rounded and hard as stones, and the carnissals have become fused together to become one very large chomping mechanism useful for crushing bone. Including those of large gigantelopes.

The largest species are in the genus Yaina. This genus also has the widest range in the family. They range from southern Africa to Asia. They stand as high as 8 feet tall, including the head and neck. Their size gives them a better advantage over most other scavengers, and at times, works to scare a predator off it's prey. They are poor runners, and feed on anything they can scavenge. The smallest species is Pallidogale, which are about 2 feet tall, but about 5 feet long. These animals have a short, blunt, rather catlike head, much shorter than in other species in this family. But the jaws are no less powerful. Like modern hyenas, these animals have a bite force of 1500 pounds per square inch.

As adults, the larger species have few or no predators. Pallidogale may be preyed upon by predatory rats, like Monarchomys, or predatory bats and birds. The young of several species may also be taken by predators, such as large viverrids, predatory bats, and even dogs. Snakes and large carnivorous birds are also a threat to the babies. These animals can defend themselves vigorously. They are not "cowardly" as we see modern hyenas as. In fact, they are quite tough, much more like today's wolverines. They can deliver a nasty bite to an attacker, given the chance, using their powerful jaws and bone-crushing teeth.