Iridescent Animals Exist

 I remember a few years ago, someone (who I still respect very highly), told me it was impossible for iridescence to exist in mammals. Since that time, I've discovered that some mammals can indeed have iridescent fur. Thanks to this article I found, I found out it's indeed possible. Notice the pic, of a vlei rat (Otomys) is shimmering colors of green, purple and blue. 

That's not the only one. There are MANY mammals that have such a feature. Here's a few more...

Akhal-teke horse.

Golden mole.

Polar bear.

And there are also several species of mammals that glow...

Tube-nosed bat.

Flying squirrel.
Platypus.
Springhaas.

In the Metazoic, I just simply take this to a little more extreme. With creatures like Cercolampis (Pentadactyls, Pileatidae). They sparkle like glitter, which allows them to hide from overhead predators, like predatory pteropods and eagles. To a watching predatory bat, or an eagle, the sparks of light when Cercolampis moves through the trees, resemble sunlight shining on leaves.

Of course the iridescence we see in mammals of today is nowhere near the sublimity of some birds, reptiles and insects. But it advances in the Metazoic era. To a point where there are fully-iridescent mammals. Some do even glow in the dark, as depicted above. I used to think that was a thing only scorpions did! But I was wrong. Several mammal species today will glow green or reddish under certain light. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Backwards Evolution?

This is an interesting article that showed up in my feed today. This asks the question of whales and dolphins evolving back to becoming land animals. I must admit, and I don't talk about families I've deleted over the years of working on Metazoica, but I thought about what it would be like if dolphins evolved back to being land animals. But I threw that idea away way back in the days. Because it just doesn't make sense. I've had several ideas since I started this project in the early 90s that I've thrown away. But the one that applies to this is those families. I thought IF whales and dolphins were to revert back to being land animals, they'd have to walk on their forelimbs. They do still have the same bone structure as land-dwellers' feet. But that kind of over-dramatic reverse evolution could never happen. Anyway, this is the article I found... Could Whales And Dolphins Ever Evolve Back To Being Land Mammals? | IFLScience Could Whales And Dolphins Ever Evo...
Read more

The Making of Lemuria?

 I admit, I cannot take credit for naming the island of Lemuria. That was Dougal Dixon's idea I believe. But it was a good enough name that I decided to use it in my Metazoic project. After all, Metazoica is kind of an extension of the After Man project. It was inspired by it, and I just built on it. I really liked Dixon's ideas and agreed with most of them at the time. Besides, I don't believe his ideas were too far off. For example, the island of Lemuria. Now, I don't really know if that's what it'll be called. But I do know, and there have been studies, that the island, made up of most of the eastern side of Africa, will emerge. I found an article that describes how it is believed this area will form. It is a very seismically active area even today. So, the plates will obviously separate. Scientists now believe that could happen within the next 10 million years (approximately). I picture at first, it will become a channel, which in my book, I call the Nile Ch...
Read more

How Dogs Survived Radiation

This was an interesting article I found, and something to think about in a speculative biology project. How dogs survived so long and reproduced in an infected area, like Chernobyl. The dogs did not die of the radiation. In fact, it's quite the opposite. They have survived and thrived, and still do today. Although you won't want one of these dogs in your home, unless you have a death wish. But they offer some great examples of how animals can live in an area infected with radiation. It could even give some insight to how animals can survive cataclysms that might end humanity. So I thought this was a good subject to post here. To view the article, you can go here  https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets/chernobyl-s-feral-dogs-offer-clues-to-radiation-s-role-in-evolution/ar-AA1v0yOb?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ACTS&cvid=4d41b9f4b3fd4e1d98192c329b8cac1f&ei=17 Chernobyl's Feral Dogs Offer Clues to Radiation's Role in Evolution Story by Angela Park Have you ever thought of...
Read more