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Пост N: 1065
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ссылка на сообщение  Отправлено: 21.10.25 20:38. Заголовок: Persian wetlands


I and Автор were discussing about the Tigris-Euphrates river system in the Neocene. Due to the Persian Ridge, the flow of water suffered modifications. Other important factor in this region is the closing of the Persian gulf, forming a body of water, which is nameless for now. He agreed that a wetland would form in the delta of these rivers and in the area of the lake. So I made this new topic to discuss ideas about this region.
To begin, the body of water needs a name, but It could be something more creative than Persian lake. What do you think of Sasan Lake? Sasan was the name of the royal house that ruled the Sassanid Empire and was also the name of the grandfather (or father) of its first ruler, Ardashir I, and a semi-legendary warrior and hero.

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Пост N: 1084
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ссылка на сообщение  Отправлено: 01.12.25 02:40. Заголовок: I made some species ..


I made some species for these wetlands. These are some animals and one plant.

Mesopotamian gull (Ichthyaetus mesopotamicus)
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Lariidae
Habitat: Endemic to the Tigris-Euphrates river system and the Persian Lake, nesting in the surrounding desertic areas.
In the Neocene, the geography of the Middle East had changed. The collision between Arabia and Eurasia had resulted in the rise of the Persian Ridge, which affected the Tigris-Euphrates river system and resulted in the closing of the Persian gulf, with it becoming a lake. Due to that, the region around that body of water and the delta formed by the discharge of these rivers in the lake had become a wetland, an oasis in the middle of the desert.
It was in that wet area that the Mesopotamian gull evolved. It's a descendant of the sooty gull (Ichthyaetus hemprichii), once common in the Persian gulf. This bird is endemic to the Tigris-Euphrates river system and the Persian Lake, nesting in the surrounding desertic areas. This hot and arid environment has few predators and may be relatively safe for the breeding gulls.
The Mesopotamian gull is 34–39 cm long with a 100–110 cm wingspan and weighs 166–400 g, with males being heavier than the females. Adult birds have a slate gray hood in breeding plumage, which extends down onto the nape. The upperparts and inner upperwings are pale grey; the breast is dark-grey but the rest of the underparts are white. The secondaries are black with a white trailing edge, and the primaries are black. The underwing is dark and the tail white. Adults in non-breeding plumage have the body and upperparts of the wings white, with silvery grey on the saddle and breast, as well as faint shades of gray in the head. Adults have red beaks which get brighter during breeding. The legs are pale gray.
The bird is a predator and scavenger. It feeds on small fish, crustaceans, newly hatched afa and the eggs and chicks of other birds. The Mesopotamian gull will also harass other aquatic birds to steal their food. They will patrol the desertic areas surrounding the rivers and lakes in search for dead animals, being common to see them eating carrion.
The site chosen for the nest, a scrape in the sand and often near rocks, is a waterless region some 35 to 100 km from the water. Once the eggs hatch, the parents take it in turn to make the round trip to the sea to bring food and water to their offspring.
Like the grey gull (Leucophaeus modestus) from the Holocene, a species that made its nests in the Atacama desert, the Mesopotamian gull has developed various thermo-regulatory mechanisms when nesting to maintain its body temperature and that of its eggs and chicks within acceptable limits. In the hottest part of the day the parent bird stands over its nest to prevent the eggs or chicks overheating. The eggs have impervious shells in order to avoid losing too much water through evaporation, which helps them survive when the incubating parent needs to leave the nest when threatened by a predator.
Breeding occurs from August to December, typically in large colonies on offshore islands. The typical clutch size is one to three eggs. Incubation is made by both parents for 22-27 days. The chicks normally remain near the nest for the first 5 days. They are fed and brooded by both parents. The young can fly when they are around 40 days old. They reach sexual maturity within 2 years and have a lifespan of 20 years old.

Abzutherium (Abzutherium duoceratus)
Order: Hyracoidea
Family: Platyceratheriidae
Habitat: Tigris-Euphrates river system, reaching the delta at the Persian lake.
In the Neocene, the geography of the Middle East had changed. The collision between Arabia and Eurasia had resulted in the rise of the Persian Ridge, which affected the Tigris-Euphrates river system and resulted in the closing of the Persian gulf, with it becoming a lake. Due to that, the region around that body of water and the delta formed by the discharge of these rivers in the lake had become a wetland, an oasis in the middle of the desert.
It was in that wet area that a lineage of flathorns, large descendants of the hyrax, evolved to have a semi-aquatic lifestyle: the abzutherium. Abzû is a primordial concept in Mesopotamian mythology and represents holy freshwater of aquifers. He was the mate of Tiamat, the primordial saltwater. Thus abzutherium means “Beast of Abzû”. This animal is endemic to the Tigris-Euphrates river system, reaching as far south as the delta formed at their discharge in the Persian lake.
The abzutherium is a large mammal. Height at the withers is 129–133 cm for males and 120–127 cm for females, but large individuals may attain 160 cm. Head-body length at maturity typically ranges from 240–300 cm with a short tail with 20 cm of length that ends with a small tuft. They range in weight from 300–550 kg. They have barrel-shaped bodies with stubby legs with webbed toes. The eyes, ears, and nostrils are placed high on the roof of their skulls. This allows these organs to remain above the surface while the rest of the body is submerged. Both males and females have a pair of bony horns that grow at the parietal bones, being shorter in the females. Males have 45 cm long upper canines, which are modified into tusks. Females canines are shorter. Abzutherium’s fur is very short and mostly dark brown in color, with the head and belly being light brown.
This species spend most of the time underwater, using their weight to sink and move along the bottom. They graze under water, feeding on aquatic plants such as reeds, sedges and species of marsh grasses. The abzutherium also feeds on the Mesopotamian water hyacinth. Individuals of this species will occasionally graze at the margins of the water bodies where they live, feeding on grasses.
The abzutherium lives in herds of 10 to 20 individuals led by a dominant male. Dominant males have established territories throughout the rivers, having breeding access to all the females in his territory. Younger bachelors are allowed to stay as long as they defer to him. A younger male may challenge the old male for control of the territory, with males clashing horns and using tusks in violent fights. Within the pods, these animals tend to segregate by sex. Bachelor males lounge near other bachelors, females with other females, and the territorial male is on his own.
Females reach sexual maturity at five to six years of age and have a gestation period of eight months, while males reach maturity at around 7.5 years. Both conceptions and births are highest during the wet season. Mating happens outside of the water. Females abzutherium give birth to only one calf in seclusion and return within 10 to 14 days. Calves are born on land or shallow water, hidden among the reeds. The female lies on her side when nursing, which can occur underwater or on land. The young are carried on their mothers' backs in deep water. Mothers are very protective of their young, not allowing others to get too close. After seven months, calves may be temporarily kept in nurseries, guarded by one or more adults, and will play amongst themselves. Calves no longer suckle when they are a year old. Both young individuals of both sexes usually disperse after they reach 4 years. Sexual maturity is reached at 10 years old. Abzutherium have a lifespan of 50 years, but males tend to die early due to territorial disputes.

Mesopotamian water hyacinth (Pontederiamesopotamica)
Order: Commelinales
Family: Pontederiaceae
Habitat: Throughout the Tigris-Euphrates river system.
During the Holocene, humans had introduced several plant species in new habitats both for agriculture and for gardening. Some of these exotic species became well adapted to these new habitats and in the Neocene they gave rise to descendants. One of these cases was the Mesopotamian water hyacinth, a descendant of the common water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes), an invasive species in the Euphrates river that were introduced in the Holocene by humans. This species now is distributed throughout the Tigris-Euphrates river system.
Like its ancestor, the Mespotamian water hyacinth is a free-floating perennial aquatic plant. broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 m in height. The leaves are 15–25 cm across on a stem, which is floating by means of buoyant bulb-like nodules at its base above the water surface. They have long, spongy, bulbous stalks. The freely hanging roots are purple-black. An erect stalk supports a single spike of 10 to 20 attractive pink colored flowers with six petals. It's polinated by beetles that spend their entire life cycle in these plants.
This species maintained the reproductive strategy of its ancestors, reproducing primarily by way of runners or stolons, which eventually form daughter plants. Each plant additionally can produce thousands of seeds each year, and these seeds can remain viable for more than 28 years. It grows fast, with mats doubling in size in one to two weeks. In terms of plant count rather than size, it can multiply by more than a hundredfold in number in a matter of 23 days.

Afa (Varanus afa)
Order: Squamata
Family: Varaniidae
Habitat: Tigris-Euphrates river system, reaching the delta at the Persian lake.
During the Holocene, the Tigris-Euphrates river system suffered from human impacts. The marshes that once existed there were drained, leaving severe damages to these habitats. In the Neocene, this river system was once again modified when the Persian Ridge was formed. However, the rivers continued to exist and new species evolved there. One of these species is the afa, a descendant of the desert monitor (Varanus griseus) that inhabits the Tigris-Euphrates river system, reaching the delta at the Persian lake. Afa was the name of a large cryptid lizard reported from the marshes of the Tigris River in Iraq.
The afa is a large reptile, measuring 210-250 cm of length. Males are larger than females. The skin is reddish yellow with horizontal black bands on either their backs and tails. Males have bright red throats, while in females the throat is pale yellow. The legs are short and stocky, with partially webbed feet. Its eyes have nictitating membranes for protection while swimming.
It’s an apex predator, feeding on any aquatic or terrestrial animal they encounter, including smaller individuals of its species. Fishes, aquatic birds and large mammals that it can ambush them and drag under water are part of the afa’s diet. The only animal that they don’t dare to attack is an adult abzutherium, which can kill them by trampling or with a bite.
The afa breeds in late fall and early winter. Males select a sand bank for themselves and start to produce a guttural sound to attract the females. Fights between males happen for the possession of the best sand banks. When a female approaches the male, he raises the neck and shows her the bright red throat. After inflating it, they start to move the neck up and down. If she approves, the female will repeat his movement. After mating, she will leave him.
Females lay 10-20 eggs in a clutch. They excavate nests on the river shores, in places that will not be flooded. Females, after laying, will linger around the area for the next 30 days. The eggs hatch after 120 days, with the young afa being independent of their mother. Sexual maturity is reached when they reach 200 cm. The afa have a lifespan of 70 years, with some individuals reaching 100 years.

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Пост N: 2721
Откуда: Финляндия, Вантаа
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ссылка на сообщение  Отправлено: 01.12.25 10:34. Заголовок: Interesting animals ..


Interesting animals and plant!

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большой шрифт малый шрифт надстрочный подстрочный заголовок большой заголовок видео с youtube.com картинка из интернета картинка с компьютера ссылка файл с компьютера русская клавиатура транслитератор  цитата  кавычки моноширинный шрифт моноширинный шрифт горизонтальная линия отступ точка LI бегущая строка оффтопик свернутый текст

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