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Innerwolf88 — Brontohyus-mammoth boar

Published: 2010-06-10 20:33:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 5783; Favourites: 60; Downloads: 360
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Description Some time ago I wrote in a comment I would like to draw one of those "hypothetical future fauna" based on the concept of "mammoth boars".

Boars are very succesful generalist animals, which flourish in the northern hemisphere thanks to their wide diet and broad echological niche.
In this hipothetic evolutionary scenary, the world reaches a new Ice Age, and boars capitalize on their ability to search for food below the ground, unearthing tubercules and moving toward the open plains.
In this new habitat, increasing size help for defence and termorregulation
(Bergman's rule kicks in) and with that increase there is more space for an enlarged gut, helping the boars to digest more vegetal mass( but they wouldn't say no to an ocassional carcass they could get through bullying).

The overgrown canines and snout( convergent with proboscidean defences and tapir trunk) would also contribute to the search of food under the snow layer.

The final result of that evolutionary process would be the genus Brontohyus, a giant suid filling the niche that mammoths/whooly rhinoceroses occupied on the previous glaciation.

I want to credit the original source of the boar's skeleton drawing I modified to get that design:
M. Coutureau(inrap) d'apres L. Pales et M. A. García, Mammifères du Quaternaire, éd. du CNRS. 1981
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Comments: 11

beingsneaky [2019-03-25 17:21:39 +0000 UTC]

i actually find this idea yo be HIGHLY likely to evolve in the future

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Ruschman [2015-01-01 00:53:36 +0000 UTC]

Now, did this creature ever exist, or is it entirely made up?

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Innerwolf88 In reply to Ruschman [2015-01-01 09:09:09 +0000 UTC]

It's written in the description, it's just an hypothetical animal. I made it up

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Ruschman In reply to Innerwolf88 [2015-01-02 02:10:58 +0000 UTC]

Oh Ok.
I've been making up animals too, if you are into World of WarCraft.
You might want to toggle the settings, unless you do not mind adult content.

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strong-1 [2013-05-10 02:18:59 +0000 UTC]

A wild Mamoswine appeared!....

I'm kidding, I love this concept. With their adaptability and high birth rates, Boars could easily fill this niche. One thing though, I'm not entirely sure of the tusks. I can't help but feel they would be more of a hindrance than assistance to feeding. Perhaps if they were the upper canines rather than the lower ones, or if they had a more upward angle? The tusks of pachyderms such as elephants and mammoths are the upper canines and the sloping angle of their tusks only doesn't interfere with feeding and drinking only because of the dexterous use of their trunks for these purposes. Since Brontohyus only has a somewhat primitive tapir like snout, I doubt it could work around these problems.

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MadMonty13 [2011-12-17 17:17:55 +0000 UTC]

This is some very good work, and that definitely sounds like a possibility if there is ever another Ice Age. I find them to be quite powerful creatures, if a tad messy. But if they are going to evolve to replace big critters like mammoths, what would hunt them? Maybe some kind of evolved wolverine? hehe

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Innerwolf88 In reply to MadMonty13 [2011-12-17 19:57:46 +0000 UTC]

In my "project" I had already developed a small-medium predator evolved from rats, but it would only be able to prey on their calves. If I take again on the subject I will most certainly design a top predator.
That's an interesting idea, they could work pretty well (them or a more widespread mustelid).
Thanks!

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MadMonty13 In reply to Innerwolf88 [2011-12-17 22:47:57 +0000 UTC]

Evolved rats? Hmmm...are they going to be sort of like pack hunters, or scavengers who will target the old, sick and vulnerable? Their hunting tactic could be to dash between the legs, bite into the arteries around the legs, step back and watch lunch bleed out.

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Innerwolf88 In reply to MadMonty13 [2011-12-17 23:16:09 +0000 UTC]

You will understand it better with this:[link] and [link]

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MadMonty13 In reply to Innerwolf88 [2011-12-17 23:37:06 +0000 UTC]

Ohhh so they'd become the mammalian counterparts of the Velociraptors. Kill `em with bee stings.

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Innerwolf88 In reply to MadMonty13 [2011-12-18 08:09:18 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, mostly ^^

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