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Description
In the span of 50 million years, the rift of Africa has split in two, and has become completely isolated after showings its cracks. Much like Madagascar, the rift and its ecosystems are unlike anything we’ve seen in Africa today. In this newly formed narrow stretch of ocean, one of the remaining populations of surviving humpback whales thrive there. These mysticetes have remained the same in terms of appearance, but are more socially complex, with its intelligence similar to that of parrots. However, not all the animals of the rift looked the same.

Tarpon shark
Ancestor: Indo-Pacific tarpon
Size: 3 m (length)
A larger descendant of tarpons, tarpon shark seems to have been convergently evolved like the prehistoric Xiphactinus of the Cretaceous, being more powerful and compact than its ancestors. It is an agile and voracious predator, feeding on anything smaller than itself, even its own kind.

Brontoboar
Ancestor: Bushpig
Size: 2.3 m (height) 4 m (length)
The brontoboar is a massive suid evolved from the bushpig. By becoming larger, its fur common to its ancestor has been all but reduced, becoming nearly hairless as to not overheat itself. Living on the strands of plains of the isolated rift, the brontoboar occupies the niches left vacant by African megafauna (elephants, rhinos, etc.). It’s pair of horn-like protuberances on its snout have also become larger, and can be co-opted into tools for display, defense and fighting against rivals during mating season.

Tirval
Ancestor: Serval
Size: 1.1 m (height), 1.3 m (length)
The tirval is another descendant of the serval besides the stilt cat of the past. This time, its spots have been turned into tiger-like stripes that help it blend in with its surroundings when hunting prey. This doesn’t appear to be the case of the kittens however, which retain their spots before adulthood.

Baboonine
Ancestor: Papio spp.
Size: 80 cm (height), 1.8 m (length)
The baboonine is a pack-hunting pursuit predator evolved from otherwise omnivorous baboons, which sometimes do hunt prey on occasion. Filling the roles of wild dogs and hyenas, baboonine troops function more like wolves, consisting of 20 to 30 individuals, and led by an alpha male and a female. Despite these familiar traits, the baboonine still retains the opposable thumb (although it is held off the ground like a cat’s due-claw), enabling them to grasping items and climbing up rocks and trees. During disputes, males can also flare up their manes like hyenas while bearing fangs as threat displays.

Town weaver
Ancestor: Village weaver
Size: 33 cm (queen length), 20 cm (general caste length)
Town weavers are small eusocial passerine birds whose social structure function similarly to termites and mole rats. This colonial system consists of five castes, two of which are the king and the large queen, the only flightless and reproductive members. Once the “king” have finished constructing the base of the weaver nest, the queen will stay stationed there, having the king continually mate with her and continuously produce clutches of eggs. Meanwhile, the workers do their part expanding the nest to accommodate other castes, and feeding the queen and her hatchlings. Other castes, such as the warriors, have hooked beaks and sharp spurs on their legs to fend off any predator that comes close to their nest. When the conditions are right, the queen would even lay eggs that would hatch into reproductive alates that would soon grow up into new kings and queens; once they’re old enough to fly, the alates leave the nest in search of unrelated alate mates to start a new cycle.

Special thanks to Zarekay56 and codylake (especially for the descriptions and the concept designs)!

Description
In the span of 50 million years, the rift of Africa has split in two, and has become completely isolated after showings its cracks. Much like Madagascar, the rift and its ecosystems are unlike anything we’ve seen in Africa today. In this newly formed narrow stretch of ocean, one of the remaining populations of surviving humpback whales thrive there. These mysticetes have remained the same in terms of appearance, but are more socially complex, with its intelligence similar to that of parrots. However, not all the animals of the rift looked the same.

Tarpon shark
Ancestor: Indo-Pacific tarpon
Size: 3 m (length)
A larger descendant of tarpons, tarpon shark seems to have been convergently evolved like the prehistoric Xiphactinus of the Cretaceous, being more powerful and compact than its ancestors. It is an agile and voracious predator, feeding on anything smaller than itself, even its own kind.

Brontoboar
Ancestor: Bushpig
Size: 2.3 m (height) 4 m (length)
The brontoboar is a massive suid evolved from the bushpig. By becoming larger, its fur common to its ancestor has been all but reduced, becoming nearly hairless as to not overheat itself. Living on the strands of plains of the isolated rift, the brontoboar occupies the niches left vacant by African megafauna (elephants, rhinos, etc.). It’s pair of horn-like protuberances on its snout have also become larger, and can be co-opted into tools for display, defense and fighting against rivals during mating season.

Tirval
Ancestor: Serval
Size: 1.1 m (height), 1.3 m (length)
The tirval is another descendant of the serval besides the stilt cat of the past. This time, its spots have been turned into tiger-like stripes that help it blend in with its surroundings when hunting prey. This doesn’t appear to be the case of the kittens however, which retain their spots before adulthood.

Baboonine
Ancestor: Papio spp.
Size: 80 cm (height), 1.8 m (length)
The baboonine is a pack-hunting pursuit predator evolved from otherwise omnivorous baboons, which sometimes do hunt prey on occasion. Filling the roles of wild dogs and hyenas, baboonine troops function more like wolves, consisting of 20 to 30 individuals, and led by an alpha male and a female. Despite these familiar traits, the baboonine still retains the opposable thumb (although it is held off the ground like a cat’s due-claw), enabling them to grasping items and climbing up rocks and trees. During disputes, males can also flare up their manes like hyenas while bearing fangs as threat displays.

Town weaver
Ancestor: Village weaver
Size: 33 cm (queen length), 20 cm (general caste length)
Town weavers are small eusocial passerine birds whose social structure function similarly to termites and mole rats. This colonial system consists of five castes, two of which are the king and the large queen, the only flightless and reproductive members. Once the “king” have finished constructing the base of the weaver nest, the queen will stay stationed there, having the king continually mate with her and continuously produce clutches of eggs. Meanwhile, the workers do their part expanding the nest to accommodate other castes, and feeding the queen and her hatchlings. Other castes, such as the warriors, have hooked beaks and sharp spurs on their legs to fend off any predator that comes close to their nest. When the conditions are right, the queen would even lay eggs that would hatch into reproductive alates that would soon grow up into new kings and queens; once they’re old enough to fly, the alates leave the nest in search of unrelated alate mates to start a new cycle.

Special thanks to Zarekay56 and codylake (especially for the descriptions and the concept designs)!