EnviroLink Forum

Here's yet another goofy take on the grazelopes vs the heat....

Insulation.

No, I'm seriously wondering about this. With them, it'd have to be fur....but this goes against conventional thinking so much.....

If the fur could somehow form a barrier between the hot 'outadoors' and it's insides, maybe it'd a story-twist to go with....

But that's exactly the oppisite of most earthside critters.

I'm thinking the torso of the critters could possibly be covered with a 'heat'barrier' fur, while their tail and walking limbs would be at least party bare' to act as radiaters.

It's human to think putting on a heavy coat in warm weather is a bad idea...but many desert living people wrap themsleves in robes and scarfs...

Maybe a working list of how to battle heat would be useful here...

Radiater surface(Tail, limbs, ears....thin is good here)
Insulation(Fur, mostly.....)
coolant(Water, to start with, anyway)
Being 'water-tight';(keep water loss to mininum....some sort of 'air-lock' for the mouth/ears/nose?)

A thought.....plants use fruit to atract animals to assist in spreading therr seed.....what if plants provide something the cools a critter, for the same purpose? Water would be the obvious treat....I'll have to think if I can come up with others...

Camels are one of the most amazing animals on earth; they were one of the first critters I went to; on seeing how animals dealt with heat.

Here's something that would add a little color.....

I got to thinking of grazelopes and their using long tails as heat-radiaters;

during the heat of day; they could lie in the grasses they feed off and mutally cool each other by 'fanning' with their tails.

It's weird(To say the least) because huddleing up is something we're used to seeing in cold weather, not hot.

Can anyone see how a critter could produce either radio/waves and /or radar?

Critters have electric impulses in their nervous systems.....

Can it be taken further?

Come on; surely there's at least one other person who's thought about such?

Think of the possibilites of creatures who used radio to cuommuncate....or otherwise examine and live in the world around them.

A couple thoughts on radio-gifted critters:

I have got to think this would bless such creatures with a tremendous advantage; in regards to communicating over long distances.

Speaking from a evolution stand-point: would that be such a advantage that non-radio comms would be 'out-evoluved?'.

Can radio-using and non-radio using creatures live in the same world?

Here's a few random thoughts regarding -radio-critters:

I figure to produce radio-waves powerful enough to be useful at a distance will require the critter to have a high-energy diet. Being a omnimore myself, I'm inclined to think this must mean a high-in-meat diet, but I can see it's possible for things to be otherwise.

A big 'fermentation-vat' stomach, like saurapod dinosaurs probably could do the trick as well as a very high or all meat diet.

One thing I wonder: with all these critters using radio for both sending and receiving; would it interfere with radio's of the colonists? And what would those planning on moving to Zeta think; if these radio transmissions were picking up by orbiting space-probes?

Also; will radio-tranmissions be colonists interfere with the native Zetan wildlife?

Lotta directions to go with this idea.

Hmmm....radio-critters doesn't seem to produce much discussion.
Can't figure why.....

Working on some smybotic relations between plant-life and higher-critter forms....

I had a dream of flying creatures using leafs in place of feathers....

I've thought it over; trying to see how I could make such a set-up work...

In a symbiotic relation; each have to get something out of it. I'm figuring....

The plant that takes the role of feathers could gain a advantage in distributing it's seeds; once the creature takes to the wing.

The creature gains the bonus of being able to fly. Perhaps it would be timed with the seasons: that when predators the 'leaf-wing' is vunable to moves in; they fly out to safer pastures.

Note; the plants might vary their color, making leaf-wings of any number of colors. The plants might even assist in mating displays. Perhaps we could name them bouquet-wings.

How the plants would get to growing upon the creature's limbs I haven't thought much on. Most likly eatten, though.

Those really desiring to discuss wierd critters need to check out the Snaiad forum.

Boy, I do need to spend some time back on this thread. Lots of fun.