Future

I've made quite a few posts about dinosaurs, now I want to post about some of my favorite animals of the future. Yes, I do have some faves, even though most of them are my own ideas. These are the animals I do sculputres of. Currently, I am working on a giant relative of today's armadillos. I call it Dasyventris. It is a true relative of today's armadillos, but it is about 20 feet long, with specialized armor, coated with short, stubby spikes all down the back and sides, 5 long, sharp horns on it's head and 4 long, sharp spikes on the end of it's tail to swat at predators. Not only do these provide the armadillo with protection, they also have huge claws on the forefeet to also swat at predators should one manage to flip Dasyventris on it's back, exposing the soft, furry underside. The main predator of Dasyventris is Deinognathus. Deinognathus is a giant, predatory relative of today's deer and antelope. They get up to 25 feet tall and stand on 2 legs. The forelegs are greatly reduced, and are built like a bear's paws, with huge, sharp claws. The hind legs are long, and they don't have feet, they have hooves, like a cow, built for short persuits of their prey. The head is huge and looks like that of a camel, with a bigger mouth and sharp teeth. The tail is long and thick, counterbalancing the huge head. And today felines prey on deer and antelope!! LOL! They'd be in for a big surprise if they tried to attack this animal! I actually have several stories where some large feline attacks one of these deer-like predators and gets a surprise when the "prey" bites them back!

Another favorite is actually a critter that I found in another book about future evolution. I call it Ophiuchus. It's a tiny squirrel. Where it lives there are many species of birds and bats that will feed on these squirrels. In turn, the circle of life continues, and there is a variety of snake that will prey on the birds and bats that feed on the squirrel. Ophiuchus has developed an interesting way of defending it's self. The tail has markings on the end that resembles the head of this bird and bat-eating snake. When a bird or bat attacks it, the squirrel will duck under a branch and move it's tail akin to how the hunting snake would move it's head. Ophiuchus even hisses when necessary, further mocking the hunting snake. Here is a pic I made of the squirrel in 2004:

This is the animal at work.

Of course anyone who knows me knows my favorite animals are lemurs. Yes, I've even thought of a place for them in the future World. There are some of course who inhabit the trees, as all lemurs should. But I've also thought up one who has taken to the seas and oceans. I call it Oreolemur. They are related to today's bushbabies. Even today, there are prosimians that are very good swimmers, and one variety that even feeds on water reeds. Oreolemur goes a step further and feeds on fish, squid and crabs. They swim very well propelling themselves like modern sea lions, and catch fish and squid in "mid-flight". Their swimming habits are very un-primate-like. Unlike other primates when they swim, Oreolemur does not use their arms to stroke. But rather they use their huge, flat, fully-webbed feet. The arms and tail are used to steer the animal on a dime. They are so fast in the water, they can even leap directly out of the waves and onto the rocky cliffs that make up their land-based roosts. The reason they are so fast is sharks and giant sea-genets take these lemurs in the water. Yes, even the future will have sharks! They were here before us and they will be here when we are gone! Anyway, here's some drawings I did of Oreolemur in 2005.

Here's one resting on the cliffs.

This one caught a fish.

These are some of my favorite animals. My Metazoic site goes into detail about the lifestyle of these animals.