"Future Animal Evolution: Species Guesses?" Topic

I, for one, think that "dinosaurs" (upright reptiles) may make a comeback, if humans are removed from the equation (either by an apocalyptic event or if humans migrate to other worlds and return only to hunt game):

What about you guys? Any guesses?

Dan

Insects.

Birds of Prey

There's an excellent TV show called Life After People (based on the book A World Without Us) that looks at what happens in a world where humans are removed from the equation. Obviously, in any realistic look at it, *how* people are removed is a big part of what would happen next.

Cats and dogs would have a pretty good run at things, having decent numbers to get starting and native populations with which to crossbreed, and no major predators to do anything about it. Snakes and bears would also be in a good place to expand.

Cockroaches. The ultimate survivors.

Dan, if you don't know of it already, you might enjoy a book called "Life After Man" by Dougal Dixon. Some fascinating notions about a whole range of creatures of the future, evolved from those familiar to us today. Recommended.

But my money's on meerkats grabbing the land rights once we're gone!

Cheers, TC.

I doubt that the death of humans alone would make a major change as few ecological niches would open up. We might see changes in some domestic animals, probably losing some of their superflous characteristics like massive milk production in bovines. Some pet dog breeds might become specialists of sorts.

If you really want to see a shakeup in evolution you need a major change that affects a lot of species, like climate changes, mass extinction or continental drift.

Rats.

Leland R. Erickson

Rats.

Reminds me of… I think it was Shadowrun, that had an "elevated" species of rodent, the Devil Rat.

Always loved the idea- NIMH done right (well, "right" according to my admittedly bleak preferences).

I'm holding out for Hellbenders, Gila Monsters, and crocodilians to make final claim on land. Be nice to see a revolution of the Megalodon come back to put the whales in their place, too.

- Monk

If you ever have an opportunity, look at this book.

link

It is a very interesting look at animal development after man.

Mikr

Funny you should ask!

I'm reading Evolution by Stephen Baxter

link

Novelises the evolution of humans from when they were tiny rodent like animals scuttling under the feet of dinosaurs, to what happens after the "fall". Well worth the read.

JohnG

Dougal Dixon also had a hand in the BBC series "The Future is Wild".

Which ecological niches open up with the disappearance of Man will depend on how we disappeared and what the planet did in response. If we plagued out then the species that were parasitic on civilization (rats, roaches, pigeons) would enjoy a brief dominance but fade as our ruins did. The domesticated species would vary a lot in the short term. Cats, dogs, pigs, and chickens would probably do fine, while horses would start to shrink back toward pony size, and huge domesticated segments of cattle and turkeys would just vanish, leaving the less domesticated varieties behind.

Ultimately, this is likely to leave a continent or two with no large ungulates, so something will eventually fill that niche. Whether it is deer re-occupying it, a return of buffalo, or gigantic sheep is hard to say.

If we leave this Earth more violently, we will probably destroy a lot of habitats on the way out. Enough of that to cause regional extinctions will both create new environs and new species to fill them.

@GyspyComet – Was that the TV series that had the squid that had evolved to live in the trees? The Squibbons I think they were called.

@OctaChaz – yes, Future Is Wild definitely had octopuses swinging about in the trees like gibbons.

@Cacique Caribe – aren't birds just upright dinosaurs? If the big mammals drop dead, perhaps there would be room for more Moa, Genyornis and Diatryma type giant birds.

Presuming that whatever takes out man also removes most of the existing mega-fauna. In the short term generalists species would do the best. Rodents, chickens, crows, etc would be major winners. Long term they would start to specialize into different niches. How far into the future are you interested?

I agree with checking out Dougal Dixon's After Man and the Future is Wild for ideas.

-Will