RECOMMENDED READING LIST ON EVOLUTION:
> The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
> The Extended Phenotype - Richard Dawkins
> The Revolutionary Phenotype - J.F. Gariepy
> Evolution and the Theory of Games - John Maynard Smith
> Animal Signals - John Maynard Smith
> The Red Queen - Matt Ridley
> Mendel's Principles of Heredity - Bateson & Mendel
> Population Genetics: A Concise Guide - John H. Guillespie
> The Largest Avian Radiation: The Evolution of Perching Birds, or the Order Passeriformes by Jon Fjeldså, Les Christidis, and Per G. P. Ericson
>The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity by Douglas Erwin
>Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age World by George McGhee Jr.
>Triassic Life on Land: The Great Transition by Hans-Dieter Sues
>On the Prowl: In Search of Big Cat Origins by Mark Hallett and John Harris

What's an animal alive today that could converge into an ankylosaur niche?

>>5101999
pig

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>>5101999
armadillos
its already happened before, it can happen again

>>5102038
being armored isn't a niche formfag

>>5101999
Pangolins
Armadillo Lizards
Snapping turtles
Thorny devils
Horned lizards

All of those actually grow big scales/osteroderms/spikes on their bodies and tails and could probably evolve a club.

>>5102048
what did I just say about armor and niches, formfag

>>5101999

turtles like Meilania

>>5102087
>>5102041

Well the exact niche of ankylosaurs is unclear. We understand them as low browsers, so technically a horse is an akylosaur analogue

>>5101996
op what the hell is that thing

>>5102164

What is Mako? luman

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>>5102164
oh wouldn't you like to know

wasn't there a game where you built your own animals? Spore?

>>5102041
uh, "herbivore that focuses on being slow and defensive instead of cursorial" is a niche, actually.

not a fan of the aislop, it's nonsense because it disregards the actual evolution part of speculative evolution and is frustratingly derivative.

Why are creatures in speculative evolution so hideous?

>>5102311
That's a strategy. What does the herbivore specifically eat

>>5102313
I think the slop is bait. I recognize the creatures and the project they're from has a strict policy against AI. Unsure why slopify them

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>>5102313
>>5102325
cope

>>5102328
you didn't even try with that one

>>5102289

yup

>>5102323
plants, you fat faggot
stop being obtuse

>>5102322
they're trying too hard to be "realistic"

>>5102386
>doesn't know the difference between a browser and a grazer or a generalist and a specialist

>>5102416

Again, horses.

>>5102423
Horses are specialists.

>>5102323
What's the difference between a strategy and a niche? Don't tell me you think niche is exclusive to how they obtain food, because that's extremely silly.

>>5102459
A niche is what specific resource the species exploits. And a specific subset of plants is as much a different resource from other subsets of plants as insects are from rodents for carnivores

>>5102488
Well, that's wrong. A niche is what role an organism fills in an environment or ecosystem. That typically includes what foodstuff they consume, but it does not require that inclusion for it to be a niche.

>>5102515
The fact that polar bears will eat you isn't your niche

>>5102533
You're being very silly.

https://alpha.sagan4.org/wiki/Dioramas

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>>5102776
Not even gonna bump the thread with an example?

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future

>>5103134
what's with the multiple eye creatures?

>>5103445
just report it for trolling and ignore it, he's not posting any actual spec evo and is not interested in discussing it.

>>5102041
>>5102323
>>5102416
>>5102488
>>5102533
What a sperg lmao

>>5103558
I was hoping there actually was some thought behind it or justification like maybe a concept of earth undergoing a cataclysm that wiped out every vertebrate and evolution having to start over or so

like I get it's AI, but in theory you could use AI to make a sort of "good enough" sketch of ideas you had
always a shame when AI images turn out to have just no thought behind them

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>>5103558
>>5103682
you do realize those are classic sagan 4 dioramas """remastered""" with AI right

>>5103822
Why not post the originals then? they are much more appealing

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>>5103824
idk "future" or smth here's another one

>>5103822
Putting an existing work through a slop filter and then not discussing it at all is not suitable for these threads. It's just regurgitating things, especially considering the filenames most likely in a malicious manner. It's just trolling.

New Noterra video on not!cryogenian microorganisms
https://youtu.be/uuhW4BwN90A

New Kaimere videos
https://youtu.be/qT1EL5niQ9k
https://youtu.be/yTutXAv4IQA

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>>5104196
>kaimere
speaking of things that aren't spec evo...

>>5104196
Noterra really deserves far more views
single celled spec-evo is fascinating

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could animals ever transition to live in space, the same way aquatic species moved onto land?

>swifts already spend 10 months in the air without needing to land
>suddenly a predator appears that mostly hunts swifts at lower elevation
>selective pressure for swifts that fly higher and land less often
>eventually you reach the first bird that gives live birth, with the offspring remaining in a pouch to avoid falling before their wings are ready, finally enabling them to keep airborne for their entire lives
>when attacked by predators, they ascend to where the air is too thin for them to follow, holding its breath for over 30 minutes like an emperor penguin
and you could call them martlets because https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martlet

>>5104470
the air being thin doesn't just make it harder to breathe, it also makes it harder to avoid stalling, requiring increasingly more energy to maintain the necessary velocity to stay at that altitude or increasingly massive wingspan

then there's the issue that it gets cold fast at higher altitudes again requiring more energy expended to stay warm
all while your ability to generate energy is reduced significantly by your lower oxygen intake

and you still need to descend to get food because there's no possible ecosystem that high since it completely lacks autotrophs to form the baseline, which means exposing yourself to predators, while being hamstrung at lower altitude by the requirements to survive at extreme altitude, and you are not capable of ascending fast enough to escape danger and you're also not big enough to simply avoid predators entirely due to the requirement of being extremely light weight to be even capable of remaining airborne

there's simply no good way to achieve this

>>5101996

New Age of Monotremes megavideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFBaVIsWQCc&t=692s

>>5104470
I think this might be achievable by pests that hitch a ride with humans going to space. Not sure exactly how they'd adapt but it seems plausible.

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>tits
>lays eggs
harpies are fucking monotremes

>>5102164
It's called Italian brainrot

>>5105820
>>tits
>monotremes
you'll lap up her milk off of her bare, nipple-less flat chest and you'll like it. I'm sure I would.

>>5105820

You do realise there's a number of extinct mammal groups that laid eggs right?

>>5105982
Mammal-like reptiles?

>>5105982
yes but as you said those groups are extinct so they cant possibly be harpies

>>5106709

Said groups became extinct fairly recently though. You could have your harpies be the last representatives of said group.

>>5106677

I mean animals like Castorocauda and Morganucodon

>>5104494
/thread
>>5104470
>live in space
also,choose your words better next time. High altitudes≠space
no living beings can survive in outer space,let alone thrive

>>5106751
>no living beings can survive in outer space,let alone thrive
In theory it would be possible through genetic manipulation create some kind of microorganism capable of withstanding vacuum and use special pigments to withstand the radiation and gain energy from it

but even if you could do that they still completely and utterly lack nutrients, so you pretty much need them anchored to a comet for them to have any chance, and it needs to be a comet or waterbearing asteroid rich in carbon and other necessary minerals
you could in theory simplify a creature to use as little elements as possible but even then extracting those from an asteroid or comet rich in them is exceedingly hard constrained by a simplified bodyplan

>>5105820
There's been more bird species with teeth or that produce milk then there are or have ever been mammals with feathers.

>>5107665
wait which bird species produce milk, as in actual milk?

>>5107686

Not actual milk but crop milk is common among birds like pigeons, penguins and flamingos

>>5107815
oh sure I knew about that one but I was just wondering if some bird convergently evolved true milk
which is not entirely unlikely considering that siphonops annulatus actually went and evolved proper milk despite being a caecilian

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>>5101996

New entry in Lemuria https://lemuriaspeculative.wordpress.com/2026/03/12/freshwater-dugong/

I'm hoping to make a litrpg about a Zerg like alien and I'd like your guys thoughts in regards to this stat sheet.

#Specimen Profile: Hybrid Tyrsect Drone

Classification:
- Taxonomic Species Designation: Tyrsecta (Drone Caste, Young Adult Phase)
- Specimen ID: TDR-047-HYB
- Observation Date: Cycle 47.892

Morphological Analysis:
- Body Plan: Hexapod (six-limbed) ambulatory structure, approximately human-scale (1.8m length, 1.2m height at shoulder).
- Cranial Features: Raptor-like skull with; ant-derived mandibles at the corner for grabbing and pinning in place (lancing edges, tensile strength ~350 MPa).
- Exoskeletal Armor: Sparse chitinous plating, covering vitals and sitting well away from joints.
- Unique Morphology: Abdomen gaster acid gland reservoir (capacity: 1 L corrosive fluid, pH <2).
- Locomotion: Agile, predatory gait; capable of bursts up to 60 Km/h.
- Sensory Apparatus: Compound eyes (360° field), 20/190 vision; chemoreceptors on antennae for pheromone detection.
- Vital Signs: Metabolic rate elevated (energy expenditure: 2.5x baseline drone); regenerative capacity moderate (minor wounds heal in ~48 hours).
- Genetic Integration: Rodent cerebrum xenograft stable; hybrid vigor noted (enhanced neural plasticity).
- Acid gland ejection range: 6-8m; toxin profile: Hydrofluoric-based, tissue dissolution rate: 10cm3/min.
- Synaptic Relay Cluster: Range 12 meters; Low frequency; Baseline drone hive-mind relay organ.

Behavioral Assessment:
- Cognitive Status: Independent Thought unlocked; no longer hive-dependent.

Quantitative Stats Overview:
| Attribute | Value | Notes |
| Strength | Mandible crush force: 1,500N; lift capacity: 300kg. |
| Agility | 16 m/s; jump height of 2 meters. |
| Durability | Chitinous armor rating of ~350 MPa. |
| Intelligence quotient | 25; Post-mutation; basic problem-solving emergent. |
| Kill Count | 19 tyrsect drones. |
| Malleable Biomass Accumulated 16 liters of tyrsecta flesh. |

>>5108738
looks interesting, what is it for?

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Rhinoailurus amurensis, a newly discovered Early Oligocene felid from the Russian Far East that may reshape understanding of early cat evolution. Unearthed in 2023 from the Bureya River formation, the fossil includes a well-preserved skull and partial skeleton. While similar in size to a modern bobcat, the animal’s most striking feature is its highly developed nasal structure, unlike anything previously seen in related carnivores, immediately drawing scientific attention.

Anatomically, Rhinoailurus was a capable carnivore with strong jaws, sharp teeth, and a body suited for agile movement, but its defining trait was its extraordinary sense of smell. Its nasal cavity was vastly enlarged and complex, suggesting an olfactory ability far surpassing that of modern animals—even exceeding that of a bloodhound. This implies it was a scent-specialist predator, likely relying on smell rather than speed or vision to locate prey and navigate its environment.

Its evolutionary position remains debated. Some analyses place it as a sister taxon to Proailurus, an ancestor of modern cats, while others argue it belongs to a farther separate, extinct feliform lineage. Regardless, Rhinoailurus lived in a mixed woodland-savanna ecosystem during a time of climatic change, where its advanced olfactory abilities would have been advantageous. Ongoing research aims to clarify its classification and further explore its sensory adaptations, with hopes that additional fossils will shed more light on this unusual predator’s place in evolutionary history.

>>5111588
>aislop

Biogeographically, the current continents do not allow for as much variation as would be possible; Eurasia is very vast and located at relatively high latitudes. Imagine if the continents were more fragmented, with more islands, and if most of it were concentrated in the tropics. We would have an even richer global flora and fauna.

>>5111714
Floating islands would work. Rafts of nitrogen fixing reeds would provide shelter for seagoing and castaway animals without changing ocean currents.

>>5111714

Cretaceous to Eocene in our history

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>>5101996

New entry on Multituberculate Earth: https://multituberculateearth.wordpress.com/2022/03/31/gondwanatheria-world-domination/

>>5101996
What sort of pokemon are these?

My own spec evo project isn't going that well...I am so lost now

>>5112817

What is it and what happened?

>>5112962
I'm completely lost about atmospheric pressure, currently on a revamp yet again but I don't actually understand what higher atmospheric pressure do past the initial observations, it's genuinely hard.

>>5113101
https://worldbuildingpasta.blogspot.com/2025/11/climate-explorations-pressure.html

this has a fairly decent exploration on different atmospheric pressure effects on climate in a very much readable format

>>5101999
rhinos
just have them grow osteoderms

>>5113259

Depends on the rhino. Some rhinos are grazers while others are browsers, unlike ankylosaurs

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Scud posting begins now.

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>>5114553

>>5114555
>>5114553
Now do gigascud

>>5114555

Question: how do the gamete scuds enter the adult scuds? Do they live in water?

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Wanna design an oceanic mustelid that doesn't look like seals or whales. I figure going for max eyesight works best here, to achieve a unique look. I don't know about the rest of the body though.

My apologies for making a thread without realising there was already a spec evo thread.

Thought about a very intelligent Amphibious Cetacean that lives in an alternate Antarctica where Aegicetus descendant survived there by hybridising with a Stem Simocetid and a Stem Aetiocetid roughly 34 million years ago therefore gaining the ability to echolocate, produce wax esters and develop a melon and baleen to hunt Krill and Squid in the Southern Ocean while crawling on land/ice to breed and establish mating rights. Lobodont Seals therefore didn't evolve since Mixocetid Whales took the niche already by the Oligocene.

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>>5116476
The species that contributed to the genome.

>>5101996
New Alien Biospheres - Alien Anthropology video
https://youtu.be/lgtuefqQs1s
https://youtu.be/4FGQefqIRxw

>>5116474
could aim for basilosaurus. I like the creepy face.

>>5116532
I thought this was already over and done with? I wish it was with how much identity politics he pushes into everything, it was hilarious when he made a blm disclaimer in one of his random conlang videos.

>>5116573
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o04Y6W90J60
kek this was pathetic

>>5116474

Looks like a cookie cutter shark

New Kaimere Trylogy
https://youtu.be/dH5J5d3YGsk
https://youtu.be/BHEYNt1tIiI
https://youtu.be/DIadunrliJo