ttyo888

Blue skin has appeared in some mammal groups... like the mandrill's face for example based on an article they say that there are some collagen fibres causing a Rayleigh scattering in the skin of the mandrill

Really? so if lets say a reptile with the proper adaptations like fur and fat and a thermostat can live at cooler areas without needing to eat a lot right? Something like a leatherback turtle which I find amazing. But if a mammal needs to absorb a bit of heat which I can find no examples, it has to have a spot on the back that has black fur, right? I am trying to see how an animal can relied on its low heated blood and also heat absorbing and conservation adaptations can live? Or we just can't have something in between cold and warm blood? Anyone?

oh nevermind... But lets say a nearly cold blooded animal with a lower body temperature like say 10 degrees above surrounding regardless mammal or reptile has thick layer fur or fat then will it be able to function? or will it suffer overheating or overcooling? And can a mammal absorb heat from surroundings?

what about hair?

hmm but elephants have a high body temperature like us... but if a mammal of elephant size has a body temperature like say a platypus? sorry if I sound ridiculous.

How about Gigantotherms? they have a cold blooded metabolism and can get large. But too bad there are no mammal Gigantotherms though. A gigantotherm with fur is a bit impossible right?

Is it possible to have an animal with a body temperature of only like within the range of 80 to 90F? Like having a thermostat turn on at a low setting?

But how do Amphibians managed to stay active and croak at night when it's cooler. And also if lets say a mammal which has a body temperature like say 10 degrees lower and if it is to stay active and not enter hypothermia what adaptations does it need? a bit more fur or fat to insulate? or it's just not possible.

I was looking thru the wikipedia and then I discovered that the naked mole rat is cold blooded. so lets discuss cold-blood and warm blood. Basically the question is that can I assume that a cold blooded mammal will need less food than a warm-blooded one assuming that they are the same size. and can the cold blooded mammal reach evolutionarily a larger size than a warm blood? And also how about a heterothermic one[in between cold and warm]

If the plant also collect water from the roots and also get 25% more water from the basin on top I managed to find out from the scientists that made the program that the height limit of plants here on earth is limited by the height which the water tubes in the stems can go. So I am guessing that the water from the top can ensure that the plant's tissues that are beyond the height limit of the plant can get hydrated from the water in the basin. A two way water collecting system perhaps?

Hey how about if the stem is swollen like a pineapple of something. The pineapple is part of the bromeliad family that also have a basin to collect water.

Hmm then what about the fur/hair? Maybe the same Rayleigh scattering can be applied to them?

And there is a factor influences whether wing will work on a human To lift a human of considerate weight, the force of two legs jumping will never by enough. Birds use their two legs for the production of speed before flying. So that's why there are no Giant Birds alive. Pterosaurs on the other hand, use the forelimbs and hindlimbs in combination to produce thrust before a flight. And they got to the size of a small jet fighter for some of them. Hope this helps. For your human, I think they will be on fours before they take off and depending on the wing structure, you might even need the wings themselves to push the ground.

Basically the Pagoda tree lives on a Planet with a denser atmosphere and more CO2. But I am talking about Earth conditions. If a plant on Earth is holding water on the top via leaves like a bromeliad and supported by a trunk. And also just like bromeliads their water supply will feed other animals that live in water and also sustain a small ecosystem. Will this still work?

After watching Extraterrestrials, I was wondering whether can a plant take in water from the top like collect it in a basin like this strange plant? PAGODA TREE Distinguishing Features: Abundant carbon dioxide means the pagoda trees grow to more than half a mile tall. Cuplike crowns above the canopy collect rainwater to keep the uppermost limbs hydrated. Closest Earth Cousin: Giant sequoias, but their growth is limited by the ability of the tree's vascular system to deliver water hundreds of feet up.

Is it possible maybe there will be a "true" flying rodent? We have gliding ones already so......

Oh but the rate which the teeth grow varies from species to species right?

ah, Mokele I have been expecting your input on this subject. hmm I have made a thread here about carnivorous rodents out of curiosity sometime ago. I am thinking the thylacoleo, the marsupial lion from Australia has the design for the rodent carnivore as it looks almost rodent like. In fact, after getting bitten by hamsters in the past. I think there is little modification on rodent dentition in order to feed on flesh. The case is more on the body anatomy to get meat from living herbivores. Also I have some size limits on my creatures. the biggest ones on my island are only as big as asian elephants and the biggest carnivores are big as tigers only. So no dinosaur rodents on my island but even at this kinda of size, I think most people with the fear of mice would be running for their lives.

The selection pressures; existence of carnivorans and other predators, prevent the evolution of predatory rodents. But if lets say there are no such selective pressures.... What do you guys think?

Okay I have some theories on how the rodents got onto my islands and then evolved in isolation. So there are two theories How the rodents got to the Gnaw Islands Theory 1: Drift Wood Migration= based on New Zealand environmental tragedy and Madagascar The rodents drifted from the earthquake prone Sunda Shelf which included Indonesia in the past. Perhaps in the past, a Kratatoa like eruption or another natural disaster had send a substantial amount of rodents onto the "virgin" Gnaw Island via driftwood like the lemurs reaching Madagascar. "Virgin" Gnaw Island probably like New Zealand had an avian-dominated ecosystem. But once the rodents drifted there, being rodents they ate all of the native avian fauna to extinction. It is suspected that the rodents that drift there were from the Sciuridae[squirrels] stock as even the flying species of avians were not spared either. [squirrels have been known to eat insects, eggs, small birds, snakes and rodents]. Theory 2: Part of the Sunda Shelf or Zealandia= New Caledonia Taking from the Sunda Shelf map, it is possible that the island was once like New Caledonia, part of the super continent Gondwana. But then it's more likely that the island might have mammalian fauna instead of merely reptile and avian fauna of New Caledonia. It's possible that the rodents took over as the original carnivoran or ungulate inhabitants died off. This absence of carnivorans and ungulates, rodent adaptability and island gigantism can account for the large size of the rodents.

is 710.2 km square enough? Btw is that a mimic octopus in your avatar?

I understand My rodent will not be reaching dinosaur size despite the temptation but they will be much bigger than the little rodents scurrying up the tree definitely I would say the size of an elephant is the limit of my rodents. The largest of them is only the size of an Asian elephant at 3 metres at the shoulder. The predators are smaller and the biggest of them is only the size of the tiger. But despite so I think the suspense and fear of them is still there right?

Well moontanman, there are some trends that big animals shrink on islands but small animals enlarge. Gough Island for example had house mouse bigger than their ancestors introduced in the 19th century. If they can change their size in a century, imagine what they can become in a million years time if nothing was done to stop them.

Hi I am here for some scientific backing on a novel I am working on. My novel involved rodents that have evolved into larger forms that can rival that of other mammalian groups. They evolved on an island like New Zealand and Gough Island which had no mammalian predators but lots of naive bird species. Soon after the rodents found the island, they increased in size and supplanted the native avians and became the dominant species. Provided that there are no humans to stop the rodents and there is plenty of bugs and plants to sustain the ecosystem, how possible is this scenario that rodents evolve into creatures that I suggest? I sincerely wish for some scientific minds to share their opinions as how the rodents here can evolve?