Metazoica back-up

I kept the modern family of armadillos in tact for the Metazoic, the Dasypodidae. It is a family we are familiar with now, but with a few minor changes. They have gotten bigger. Of course the species of Dasypus are still around for at least part of the Metazoic, as well as a smaller species I called Thoracolagus , which is the tiniest armadillo of the Metazoic. They are not as tiny as the modern Pink fairy armadillo ( Chlamyphorus ), which is today's smallest species, about the size of a rat, but Thoracolagus comes in a good second, being the size of a small rabbit. The largest species will appear during the late Metazoic era. They are the species in the sub-family Dasyventrinae. They include the species of Grammoclavia and Dasyventris . These species are so big, they cannot even roll into a ball like other armadillos can. Today, the largest armadillo is in fact the giant armadillo ( Priodontes ), which can reach a length of about 5 feet. But the largest species of the Metazoic,...

I have created a "blidget" as it is now called, it is a widget that takes the RSS feed from this blog. Whenever I make a new post on this blog, it shows up on the widget. I invite everyone interested in my site to take this and post it up on their website as I will be making new announcements on here whenever they are available. You don't have to if you don't want to, it's just an invitation. I have installed this feature on the home page of my website. Just go to www.metazoica.com . There, you can see what the widget will look like. You can click on the "Get Widget" button at the base of the widget to get the embedding code, and paste it where ever you want it.

I cannot even begin to mention how many times this subject has been brought to my lips. It's always evolution or creation--which is it? First I want to explain myself, I am a born-again Christian. I do believe there is a supreme being we call "GOD". I also believe in Nature. Those that choose to follow the specifics of an organized religion I feel are free to do so. I don't have a specific religion, so to speak. I created one of my own. I may never have any followers, but that is fine by me! I have never been the "follow-the-leader" type so creating my own religion is typical of my regular personality. I don't go to church because there is none to support my style or beliefs. However, I do believe in GOD. I've felt HIS presence too many times not to believe in HIM. HE always answers my prayers, and my meeting with Tim Farriss in Seattle is definite proof of that!!! That plus several little miracles that go on all around me every day. I also believe i...

I have kept the modern family Myrmecophagidae for well into the future. They are descended from the modern family, only in the Metazoic, they are considerably more varied. I used Dixon's idea for a swimming anteater. Some on the SE forum thought that idea was silly, but I personally like it. We have colonies of ants that build their nests in swamps and lakes, like beavers. Or rather like water spiders. The feet of these ants are paddle-shaped, and the hills themselves are made of water reed material. The swimming anteaters paddle through the water like muskrats, and are able to rip these mounds apart with their sharp claws. The anteaters of this age completely lack the teeth, but most have developed gizzards, and Formiciarctos has weapons of it's own for crushing food. Most species walk on their knuckles like apes, and have sharp claws on the forelimbs. The tail is long, and in only one species is prehensile. The head in most species has not changed hardly since the Cenozoic. ...

I have placed a poll on the right side of this page. What do you think the next "rulers of the planet" will be? Do you think it'll be mammals as depicted on my Metazoic site? Do you think it'll be birds? Do you think we will revert back to the age of reptiles? Or do you think insects will rule? You don't have to reveal who you are, you don't have to comment. I just want to see what you think. I've seen everyone thinking about what group will rule the future. I personally feel it will be mammals. Mammals are much more adaptable than any other group. Birds are pretty adaptable, but not as much as the mammals. I used to raise finches, and one thing I found out is that they die when exposed to a draft. Especially the tropical finches, like waxbills and Gouldians, and any other tropical variety of finches. Finches aren't the only ones, but also parrots and other hookbills all die when exposed to cool breezes. It happens almost instantly. I remember one time...

This week's group to discuss is the high-browsing squirrels, family: Sivasciuridae. We are familiar with the concept that there were once huge rodents. These high-browsers are no exception. They are built like heavy-set giraffes. Or like a cross between a giraffe and an elephant. They lost most traces of their distant relatives' characteristics, which happen to be squirrels. But felt the need to grow bigger to browse the leaves in the tree tops. And they did grow!! The largest of these squirrels is 40-feet tall. They are among some of the largest rodents of the Metazoic. The smallest of them is 25-feet tall, which is still quite large. Like modern giraffes, they have prehensile lips and a long tongue to reach for the leaves with, in addition to their long neck. The tail is relatively short, and when running is held over the back of the animal. The tail is thick and well-haired. They are not fast runners, but can effectively defend themselves with their heavy front legs, equippe...

I made some corrections on my site and all, I found out from a loyal lurker here that Microraptor is already the name of a dinosaur--of all things!! So I changed it to Nanomustela , thanks to Vultur from the SE forum for giving me the idea. Sorry V, I don't know your name so I cannot name the animal after you. If you'd like it named in your honor, you can PM me. I even made that correction on my checklist already. Along with a few other corrections on there, most of them typos. The updated checklist can be viewed and downloaded at this link: http://www.metazoica.com/files/Metazoic_mammals.pdf . My apologies to all my loyal viewers for not making the corrections earlier.

I have been working on another family of animals, the weasels, family: Vulpemustelidae. This is the Metazoic weasel family. They are truly descended from modern weasels, but they have a bit of a difference. Their legs are a bit longer than many species in the modern weasel family. The futuristic sea otter ( Thalassictis ) is well on it's way to becoming cetacean-like. They have flippers instead of feet, like modern sea otters. One species, Phobogula , is the bully of it's era. It is the equivolent of modern wolverines. Like wolverines, they can muscle into any other animals' kills. Though some predators, like Ictocamelus , would be a dangerous, and ultimately fatal, target for even a Phobogula' s rage. But like modern wolverines against grizzly bears, they sometimes take their chances. Well anyway, that's some of the family in a nutshell. Here is the link where you can read more about them, and view them: http://www.metazoica.com/weasels.html . I didn't color th...

The family Dromadidae is a family of antelope that somewhat resemble the prehistoric Hyracotherium . However, in spite of their horse-like appearance, these are descendants of antelope. They have the cloven hooves of antelope. The tails are mostly long and tapered, usually with a tassel at the end. They are fast creatures, and even bound and prong like antelope do today. There are no sub-family rankings, but these antelope are found throughout most of the World. They are all active during the day. The smallest species in this family are of the genus Dromada and Coelognathus . These are very tiny, lightweight ungulates. The largest of them are no bigger than a miniature poodle. The smaller species are mostly forest-dwellers that feed on any lush green vegetation they may find, which is abundant in their habitat. They live in small groups, usually no more than about 10 individuals. Coelognathus fills in the niche in the old world that Dromada fills in the new world. When a pradator is...

My list is basically separated into the simple classification system I use all the time for the mammals of the Metazoic. Though I tend to also use the popular system around today, I have 5 major groups I separate the animals typically in. They are: The large grazers (grazers over 5 feet long) The predators (mammals that are for the most part, carnivorous). The small grazers (grazers 5 feet long or less) The pentadactyls (what we today know as 'primates') The flying mammals (mammals that mostly fly or glide). This simplifies everything because each group can contain several different orders. Though some are varying degrees of each group. For example, the armadillos of the Metazoic are all opportunists, they feed on anything . Yet I put them in the large grazers group. Most of them are less than 5-feet long too. I mix everything up according to how many species of each family represents each group. For instance, I place the true rat and mouse family (Pseudomyidae) in the small gr...

I've decided each week I am going to discuss a different family group of animals on my checklist. For those who have downloaded my checklist, you can follow right along, I'll be going down the list to discuss each group. For those who haven't downloaded it yet, go ahead. It's free! I decided not to charge for it. The first group is the Ant-hogs, or Formicederidae. Inhabiting most of the Old World, particularly Africa and Eurasia, this is a family I figure to have 5 genera and 14 species. No sub-familial ranks. Though there should be. Most of these species are ant-eaters, equipped with specially designed claws on their forefeet. They are descended from modern hogs so they still have hooves on their feet. But most species like Formicederus , Verris , and Phylloglottus all have these unusual-shaped claws on their forefeet. These sharp, curved claws are used to pry open tough termite mounds and logs bearing ant colonies. These hogs then use their long, sticky tongue to lap...