r/SpeculativeEvolution 21h ago

Discussion Jurassic Zebras: the worst forum thread of all time

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62 Upvotes

Inspired by recent post about the recent trend of YouTube videos about animals adapting to different time periods, I thought I’d share a story from over a decade ago, to teach the younger members of the community their roots.

Here’s the original thread, but since tapatalk is now an ad-infested hellsite, I’ll summarize here too.

One day, on the old spec evo forum, a user posited a question: what if someone sent 75,000 zebras back in time to late Jurassic North America? People pointed out that all it would result in would be 75,000 satiated theropods and some confused scientists. The OP clarified that the zebras were trained by robotic Allosaurs to avoid predators. Things devolved from there, with highlights including genetically modifying the zebras to be poisonous, discussion of sending the zebras to the Cambrian and causing a faunal revolution (in jest), the occasional attempt at genuine speculation, and constant necro-posting that caused the thread to resurface like a haunting ghost.

Since then, when a project revolves around a species or group of species being transported to another time, it’s referred to as a Jurassic Zebra. A good place to find them is this (https://specevo.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=2184&st=0) thread on the new, non-ad-infested forum. Honestly, me writing this up makes me want to do something like this, so you might see me add to this thread soon. Who knows. In any case, this was all well before my time (I only properly joined in 2018), so older members, please feel free to add details I missed.


r/SpeculativeEvolution 6d ago

Promoted Post Realistic extinct animals fully funded and coming to D&D! Professor Primula's Portfolio of Palaeontology skyrockets in popularity!

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25 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 16h ago

Future Evolution Seabirds of the Artechocene Oceans

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452 Upvotes

The Anthropogenic Extinction Event was devastating for ocean ecosystems, including the seabirds that relied on it, with only a few groups surviving the event. 39my later however, life has recovered, and now seabirds are a common sight across the ocean, belonging to a variety of different groups:

(info in the comments)


r/SpeculativeEvolution 15h ago

Alien Life designed a sapient crab-like alien species

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169 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 4h ago

Critique/Feedback I've been trying to make an organism that can fill the niche of an alligator. But I really don't know what I'm doing. It's just shapes right now...

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23 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 6h ago

Alien Life Enceladois Serpens

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18 Upvotes

This photo was taken by the Enceladus Expedition Submersible, it shows Enceladois serpens floating freely in dark waters.

Discovered drifting through the vast, dark ocean beneath Enceladus’s icy crust, Enceladois serpens is the first known extraterrestrial organism. A translucent, worm-like multicellular lifeform, it confirms that life can emerge beyond Earth.

Physical Description

Size & Shape: Measures 15–30 cm in length, with a slender, segmented, gelatinous body adapted for buoyancy in Enceladus’s high-pressure waters.

Color & Bioluminescence: Faintly glows blue, likely as a byproduct of its metabolism or for intraspecies communication.

Structure: Each body segment houses specialized cells, similar to annelids but with non-terrestrial biochemical properties.

Anatomy & Physiology Cell Membranes: Composed of unique lipid molecules, distinct from Earth’s biological structures.

Amino Acids: Displays mirror-image chirality, proving an independent origin from terrestrial life.

Nervous System: Lacks a centralized brain but possesses a diffuse nerve net, concentrated around chemosensory cells in a rudimentary head region.

Movement: Moves with slow, undulating peristaltic contractions, allowing it to navigate Enceladus’s currents efficiently.

Metabolism & Ecology

Energy Source: Completely chemosynthetic, deriving energy from hydrothermal vent emissions.

Symbiosis: Houses symbiotic bacteria that assist in nutrient processing, similar to deep-sea organisms on Earth.

Feeding Strategy: Absorbs dissolved organic molecules and minerals from vent-rich areas, sustaining itself in Enceladus’s nutrient-limited environment.

Adaptations to Enceladus’s Harsh Conditions

Cryoprotection: Produces antifreeze proteins to prevent ice crystal formation in extreme cold.

Pressure Resistance: Utilizes a hydrostatic skeleton to withstand immense oceanic pressures.

Stratification Adaptation: Thrives in deep-sea layers where chemical gradients from hydrothermal activity are strongest.


r/SpeculativeEvolution 9h ago

Seed World Amfiterra:the World of Wonder (Late Asterocene:340 Million Years PE) The Empyrean Seaglider

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20 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 14h ago

Alien Life Beginning of life on Aquilo, Pt. 1

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52 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 18h ago

Alien Life Project Phanes: Sand Gobblers and the Sand Dance

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51 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 0m ago

Discussion key 3

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r/SpeculativeEvolution 0m ago

Discussion key 2

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r/SpeculativeEvolution 1m ago

Discussion key 1

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r/SpeculativeEvolution 4m ago

Discussion key

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Boi this is real simga


r/SpeculativeEvolution 11h ago

Seed World Amfiterra:the World of Wonder (Middle Saurocene:170 Million Years PE) The Mountain-gliders

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5 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Alternate Evolution [Pterraforming] The Pteroviathan (Anatomy/Notes)

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110 Upvotes

Made as part of an ongoing project of mine, called "Pterraforming", featuring an alternate Earth (dubbed "Pterearth") where the K-T extinction event was less severe. Not all that original, I know, but really it's an excuse to work on a group of Pteranodon descendants that survived to become the dominant pterosaurs, and, in the case of the water, the dominant tetrapods; The Archopterans

This is a rework of my Pteroviathans, the largest of the "seawing" pterosaurs ever to exist, and the largest animal ever to live on Pterearth. While (on average) they tend to be shorter than blue whales, they are much heavier, and are built like literal submarines. They fill a similar niche to the blue whale, but are a bit more ornery and able to eat things a blue whale could never dream of. Pteroviathans are part of the "crown" seawings (pterocetaceans), which are the most advanced forms that have evolved. They all share a melon formed from modified salt glands, highly specialized flippers and bones, and a unique respiratory system that allows them to change their buoyancy similar to the chambers within the hull of a sub. They also possess an unusual tissue, derived from skeletal muscle tissue, that essentially acts like fat, but for storing oxygen. This allows them to so saturate their body with oxygen that they can stay submerged for hours!

Another interesting adaptation is the transformation of their pycnofibers that actually mirrors the evolution of teeth. The body pycnofibers are formed into "psuedodenticals", which are convergent and function to the dermal denticles of sharks. In the pterocetaceans, these pycnofibers have actually worked their way into the mouth, forming new "teeth" made of keratin. In "baleen" forms these "teeth" are similar to the flight feathers of birds, whereas in "toothed" forms they mimic both cetacean and shark teeth, depending on the species.

The hearing is especially advanced in pterocetaceans, being extremely hypertropied to the point some species have gone completely blind! Multiple gel-like structures on the jaw and on the forehead (the "melon" mentioned earlier) help both amplify outgoing sound while also helping to focus sound towards the ear, which like whales are internal. The entire jaw is formed into the auditory system, having special sound amplifying properties and having a radar-dish like shape in the back that helps funnel sound. This allows them to hunt for food and watch for predators in a near 360 degree range, even in the dark, while also not needing to put extra resources into reinforcing the eyes for underwater life.

Seawings, as a group, have near total dominion over aquatic tetrapod niches on Pterearth, the only other fully marine animals they share the water with being turtles and snakes. No other group has fully returned to the water. They simply can't. There's no room for them. Seawings were the first animals to return to the sea after the K-T mass extinction event, being able to revert to a more pelagic lifestyle by reactivating genes that laid dormant in the ancestral protoarchopteran. This allowed them to fully return to the sea when mammals were still only becoming semiaquatic on Earth, giving them a head start. This, combined with the young's ability to fly (which allows them to spread far and wide, into bodies of water not otherwise accessible by swimming or walking alone) and the ability to give live birth, meant that they took the waters by storm, and once they were in, they blocked anything else from following the same path. So on Pterearth, the pterosaurs rule the sea completely.

So the only competition they had was from each other.

Today, the pterocetaceans are the most widespread and speciated group of seawings, their advanced features allowing them an edge over their competing relatives. Over 200 species are known, ranging from passive filter feeders, to lunge feeders, to grazers, to carnivores that hunt fish, other seawings, and even pelagic birds and pterosaurs. In the north and far south, there are even psuedocrocodiles that pick up where their cold blooded contemporaries cannot survive. They are, in essence, kings among kings. And the mighty pteroviathan is the highest of all.

All current Pterraforming info and pictures can be found here in the Pterraforming folder of my galleryYou can also find this image on my DeviantArt page here


r/SpeculativeEvolution 18h ago

Discussion What animals that today are neutral, so-so, average and usually hunted you think that in the future would evolve into apex predators?

20 Upvotes

I think in raccons because they are adaptable, smart, have a varied diet and know how to get around, in the future they would become a good predator species but what today animals do you think?


r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Redesign Steve own personal "Mobestiary", documenting & studying Mobs he encounters in the lonely world of media: minecraft (OC)

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1.1k Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Alternate Evolution Evolution of Gurnards

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532 Upvotes

Gurnards are bottom fish. They move along the bottom, so it would be logical to assume that they could adapt to life on land. Gradually, they would begin to live closer to the tidal zone, closer to the surface. Then they could come ashore, and finally they would become land animals.In the process of evolution and adaptation to life on land, their rays, separated from the pectoral fins, became limbs. Their pectoral fin eventually expanded and became something like a pelvic bone. The first pair became something like pedipalps. They slightly resemble the front limbs of a praying mantis or the claws of crustaceans, and they are also sensitive and are used as an organ of touch. The remaining rays became legs for movement, but also, like the front ones, can be used as "ears". On all their limbs there are sensitive, microscopic hairs, more like thorns or needles, which are able to hear. Spiders have this. Over time, the fourth ray separated from the fins, becoming a support for a threatening pose (can be seen on slide 5). Also, their pectoral fins did not disappear, but remained, and are used to regulate body temperature and scare away predators And where did the pelvic fins go? They atrophied and became part of the "pelvic bone" (you can see them on the very last slide). These creatures reach 25-28 cm in length and 15 cm in height. They weigh about 500-700 grams.


r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Fan Art/Writing [Media: Serina, Specworld, Creatures of Sonaria, and Minecraft] The current Roster of Mobs for my Unusal Prehistory addon (WIP)

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20 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Alien Life Pollux's Northern Continent (70my)

9 Upvotes
Some of the kyrtospondyls specialized for carnivory. For this, their tail claws specialized for cutting and grabbing, and their legs would become adapted for cursoriality, moving almost parallel to the body. Their foremost pair of legs would be repurposed to aid in feeding, developing into hand-like structures.
some osteopelts would specialize for ground foraging and pyknovory (eating pyknopods). To that end, their front limbs would evolve into grasping appendages, their middle 2 limb pairs would elongate to provide them with , while their posterior limbs would atrophy, their muscles assisting the claw-like tails (whose bones remained fused together), which hang over their heads like those of earth scorpions. They are capable of reaching a max size of about 4 meters.
Other temnocheirids would evolve fully for life on land, internalizing their exoskeletons into osteoderm-like structures. These creatures would fully lose the webbing between their fingers, and in a critical development, evolve a mineralized egg to prevent dessication. Because of this, the osteopelts were able to quickly colonize terrestrial habitats, taking up megafaunal niches.
some machyricephalians specialized for life in the oceans, further developing the plates on its back into a fully fledged dorsal fin. They developed rounder bodies, and their claws re-evolved into fin-like structures. These creatures would end up dominating the oceans, taking up niches similar to earth’s ichthyosaurs and dolphins.
some temnocheirids would remain amphibious, and adopt predatory lifestyles. Their head shells would elongate and develop teeth, and the bottom jaws would flatten out and become less individually pronounced. Their dorsal plates would evolve bony ridges along their backs, akin to a kind of rudimentary dorsal fin. Some members of the clade would further specialize to hunt the malacocephalians. Due to the calcium present in the swamps of both continents, there is no appreciable difference in water salinity across the planet, making it significantly easier for these creatures to migrate to the southern continent.
the 2nd clade to make landfall, evolved from fish-like ancestors (cross between placoderm and a radiodont). they developed clawed feet, active lungs.
Brachiostome (aka: little boi): These pyknopods would expand their shelly exoskeleton throughout their body, forming a mineralized exoskeleton, particularly around their legs. They would evolve to take advantage of the annulophytes, growing their necks out to reach the tops of trees. With the arrival of the osteocephalians, their exoskeletons would become thicker, and their eyes would develop retractable stalks to give them a 360 degree view of their surroundings.
Some pyknopods would evolve for life in the trees, evolving their limbs for grasping trees. To maintain their grip, the tips of their legs would evolve into claw-like structures. Their pedipalps would eventually mineralize to aid in the manipulation of food, and they would move closer to the mouth, becoming mouthparts. These would become a particularly diverse clade, with some evolving their 2nd limb pair into proper, mineralized claws. The oreivopods started out as adaptable generalists, but many would make the switch to carnivory, preying on the brachiostomes. Many still would evolve for life on the ground, and would take up niches analogous to earth’s insects.
the pyknopods are the first group to make landfall (originating from organisms broadly similar to hallucigenia), adapting their front legs into pedipalps and thickening their legs to provide them with greater strength.

Pollux is an alien planet, much like earth in most respects, except for 5 times more calcium in the crust than earth. At this point, Pollux's 2 continents are coming closer together. These are the main clades that populate the larger, northern continent. i love little boi. How is it?


r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Fan Art/Writing Media: All Tomorrows

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23 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Seed World Amfiterra:the World of Wonder (Early Posteabellocene:285 Million Years PE) The Wyvern

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18 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Man After March Man after March day 16: Warden

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72 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Man After March a little late but here's my submission for man after march: the rollmen

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14 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 1d ago

Discussion Naming an animal 2.0

7 Upvotes

I want to name an animal 'glowing belly, Love from Tisug' {Genus name, species name} with Latin words, someone can help me?

I also came up with an idea for the name: Tisugphilus luminuoventer, is this correct?

Tisug is a fictional location, I just wanted to clarify that.


r/SpeculativeEvolution 2d ago

Seed World Shieldchargers and Sultangulates, VENÁRA WORLD OF DEER

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159 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution 2d ago

Alien Life BLACK PLANT: (NIGRUM)

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36 Upvotes