Отправлено: 04.05.22 04:20. Заголовок: Fauna of Africa
I'm making this new topic after Биолог mentioned some interesting ideas for descendants of the tree hyraxes with more adaptations for an arboreal lifestyle. I was also thinking that they could be adapted to jump between branches and even trees. Биолог, do you have more ideas about these animals?
Отправлено: 31.12.23 14:40. Заголовок: I finished the descr..
I finished the description of another primate:
Golden dwarf guenon (Simiosucophagus chryseus) Order: Primates Family: Cercopithecidae Habitat: Montane semi-deciduous broad-leaf tropical forests of Western Africa The species that survived the environmental collapses during the transition between the Holocene and the Neocene were capable of evolving into new forms adapted to the habitats that appeared. In Africa, the guenons (Cercopithecus) remained as a diverse group with new genera appearing. Among them is the genus Simiosucophagus, which is formed by small sized monkeys that developed large and strong incisors that allow them to open the bark of trees to have access to sap, similar to the family Callitrichidae from South America. This genus is close related to the squirrel-guenons and to the satanic guenon from Zinj Land. Simiosucophagus, Sciuropithecus and Ceratopithecus together form the tribe Afrocallitrichini. The type species of the genus Simiosucophagus is the golden dwarf guenon, an inhabitant of montane semi-deciduous broad-leaf tropical forests of Western Africa. The golden dwarf guenon is a small primate, with males having 23-25 cm, while females have 20-23 cm. Like many small primates, they have a small head, large eyes. Their tails are the double of the length of their bodies. The fur of the head and back is reddish orange, with males having extra long hairs around the face and ears which give it a distinctive mane. The face is bright blue with a white nose spot. Underparts, arms, tail, and legs are silvery-gray. The tail also has a reddish orange tip. Like all the members of this genus, the golden dwarf guenon is adapted to eat sap.They gnaw holes in the bark of appropriate trees and vines with their large incisors to elicit the production of gum. When the sap puddles up in the hole, they lap it up with their tongues. They also lie in wait for insects, especially butterflies, which are attracted to the sap holes. They supplement their diet with nectar, fruits, eggs and bird chicks. The golden dwarf guenon is a highly social primate that typically lives in groups of two to nine individuals, but may reach up to 13 members. These groups consist of one male with several females and infants, giving rise to matrilineal societies. The mating system is polygynous, with a corresponding sexual dimorphism in size, as the males are the substantially larger sex. Females normally give birth every year, during the onset of the warm, rainy season; gestation is around five months, and the infants are born with fur and with their eyes open. Females stay in their natal groups, while males disperse once they reach adulthood. They have a lifespan of 13 years. Another representative of the genus is the black-headed dwarf-guenon (Simiosucophagus nigrocephalus). This species inhabits the lowland semi-deciduous broad-leaf tropical forests of Western African coast. They are small primates, with males having 20-24 cm, while females have 18-22 cm. The tail is double the length of their bodies. The head is black, with males having extra long hairs around the face and ears which give it a distinctive mane. The face is bright blue with a pinkish-white nose spot. The back and arms are reddish-orange. Underparts, tail, and legs are silvery-gray. The tail also has a reddish orange tip.
Отправлено: 03.01.24 21:49. Заголовок: I finished the descr..
I finished the description of another primate:
Lowland koolakamba (Parapan bellicosus) Order: Primates Family:Cercopithecidae Habitat:Lowland tropical forests and seasonal marshlands of Western and Central Africa. Many species didn’t survive the transition between the Holocene and Neocene. All great apes disappeared during this period, leaving their niches vacant. In the African continent, primates evolved to partially fill them. Among these new species is the koolakamba, a descendant of the guenons (Cercopithecus). It’s named after a purported hybrid species of chimpanzees and gorillas said to have inhabited the tropical forests of Western Africa. The type species of the group, the lowland koolakamba, inhabits tropical forests and marshlands of Western and Central Africa. The lowland koolakamba is a large primate if compared to its ancestors, they are 120 to 150 cm tall when upright, with females being smaller than males. The adult males weigh between 40 and 70 kg, with females weighing between 27 and 45 kg. Their arms are longer than its legs and can reach below the knees. The hands have long fingers with short thumbs and flat fingernails. The feet are adapted for grasping, and the big toe is opposable. The pelvis is long with an extended ilium. The head is rounded with a prominent and prognathous face and a pronounced brow ridge. It has forward-facing eyes, a small nose, rounded non-lobed ears and a long mobile upper lip. Both adult males and females have sharp and elongated canine teeth. The body is covered by coarse hair, except for the face, fingers, toes, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. The hair is dark brown with a reddish-orange tinge. The naked face is bright blueish-purple in sexually mature males and blueish-gray in females. The tail is reduced, with only 4 cm. This species is omnivorous with a taste for meat of other vertebrates, mainly monkeys. They hunt in groups, with the females being the ones more active on it. Due to them weighing less than the males, they are more agile when pursuing monkeys in the forest canopy. They will guide the distressed target to an area where the male is waiting, who will then use his strength to kill it. The food is distributed among the group, with individuals of high levels of the hierarchy eating more than the lower ones. The koolakamba also eats fruits, leaves, leaf buds, seeds, blossoms, stems, pith, bark, and resin. Insects, eggs, honey and birds are also consumed. They use tools when necessary, being capable of modifying sticks, rocks, grass, and leaves and use them when foraging for termites and ants, nuts, honey, algae or water. Some nuts are left to dry under the sun, before being crushed by stones. This species lives in groups with 15 to 20 individuals led by two adult males, one being older than the other. The rest of the group is formed by females and their offspring of different ages. The females are philopatric, remaining in the group where they were born. On the other hand, males are expelled when they are older, being forced to travel alone in search of a new group. During this nomadic period, males interact with each other, with cooperative duos being formed. These duos are usually formed by siblings, with the oldest being dominant. They search for food together and fight for the position of leading male in a group. Once part of a group, the males perpetrate infanticide, killing the young from the previous dominant male. Sometimes the dead infants will be eaten by them. They patrol the territory, protect group members, and search for food. They are highly territorial and will frequently kill other individuals. Battles between groups that trespassed territories are brutal. If the leading male dies, its subordinate will become the dominant. They sleep in the canopy of trees, making nests with branches and leaves. They mate throughout the year, although the number of females in oestrus varies seasonally in a group. Females are more likely to come into oestrus when food is readily available. The dominant male will mate with all the females, with his subordinate rarely being allowed to do it. From a group of ten pregnant female, only one will be carrying the child of a subordinate male and usually they are lower ranking females. Copulation is brief, lasting approximately seven seconds. The gestation period is eight months. Care for the young is provided mostly by their mothers. The survival and emotional health of the young is dependent on maternal care. Mothers provide their young with food, warmth, and protection, and teach them certain skills. In addition, an koolakamba future rank may be dependent on its mother's status. Newborns are helpless, their grasping reflex is not strong enough to support them for more than a few seconds. For their first 30 days, infants cling to their mother's bellies. Infants are unable to support their own weight for their first two months and need their mothers' support. When they reach five to six months, infants ride on their mothers' backs. They remain in continual contact for the rest of their first year. When they reach two years of age, they are able to move and sit independently and start moving beyond the arms' reach of their mothers. By four to six years, they are weaned and infancy ends. The juvenile period for the agogwe lasts from their sixth to ninth years. Juveniles remain close to their mothers, but interact an increasing amount with other members of their community. Adolescent females are supported by their mothers in agonistic encounters. Adolescent males spend time with adult males in social activities like hunting and boundary patrolling. Adulthood is reached after the thirteenth year, when the males are expelled from the group. Sexual maturity is reached with 14 years and they have a lifespan of 40 years Another representative of the genus is the Montane koolakamba (Parapan montanus), an inhabitant of the montane cloud forests of Central and Eastern Africa. They are larger than their western relatives, reaching heights between 125 and 180 cm, weights between 100 and 270 kg, and arm spans up to 2.6 meters, depending on age and sex. Their fur is dark brown, while their face is less colorful in males and totally gray in females. They are also more herbivorous, feeding on fruits, bamboo, leaves and herbs. Meat is rarely consumed.
Отправлено: 04.01.24 11:51. Заголовок: медведь пишет: Do a..
медведь пишет:
цитата:
Do any present-day primates have this kind of social structure? In primate groups, there is usually only one leader.
I'm aware, but I thought that it could be interesting way to show the adaptation of this species in which males form these pairs to increase their survival and chance of taking over the leading positions of the group. The relationship of these pairs would be similar with what happen with lions. Also, chimpanzees have a male hierarchy in which several males live in the same group together, but some have a high position than the others. I also used it as inspiration, but I didn’t want to make it a copy of the chimpanzee's system.
Отправлено: 04.01.24 21:43. Заголовок: Автор пишет: The tr..
Автор пишет:
цитата:
The trivial name agogwe is already occupied...
Is it in the project? Because it's the name of a cryptid with no valid description. If it's a problem, I can replace the name with Koolakamba, a purported hybrid species of chimpanzees and gorillas that was never properly described.
Отправлено: 08.01.24 16:03. Заголовок: I made the descripti..
I made the description of another monkey:
Bishop guereza (Colobus pontifex) Order: Primates Family:Cercopithecidae Habitat: Endemic to Central African lowland rainforest between the Lualaba River and the Aruwimi-Ituri River. The species that survived the Holocene had evolved into new species. Among these survivors is the mantled guereza (Colobus guereza), which gave rise to the bishop guereza in the Neocene. This new species' common name is inspired by its striking appearance, reminiscent of that of a Catholic bishop. This species is endemic to a limited area of lowland rainforest in Central Africa, located between the Lualaba River and the Aruwimi-Ituri River. The rivers worked as a physical barrier that isolated this population from the rest, resulting in their speciation. The bishop guereza has a distinctive pelage. Their mantle and back is white and covers part of their shoulder, giving the appearance of a papal pellegrina, a cape-like item of clerical dress worn by the Catholic pope. The top of the head is white. The bands that make up the mantle start at the shoulders and extend along the back until they connect at the lower torso. The tail is long and ends in a silvery-gray tuft which covers half of the tail. The rest of the body is black, including the sides of the face and chin. Infants are born with pink skin and white hair. The hair and skin darken as they age and by three to four months they attain adult coloration. Male usually gain their coloration before females. The male typically weighs 10 and 14 kg and the female weighs between 8 and 10 kg. The head and body length averages 60 cm for males and 54 cm for females. Like their ancestors, the bishop guereza has a small thumb that is vestigial. The teeth of the males are larger than those of the females. This species is not an obligate folivore. While it mainly eats leaves and fruit, its diet is quite variable. It may eat bark, wood, seeds, flowers, petioles, lianas, aquatic-plants and arthropods. The amount of each food item in its diet varies by area and time of year. Leaves usually make up over half of its diet, although fruits are occasionally eaten more depending on the season. When foraging for leaves, the bishop guereza prefers young ones over old. With fleshy fruits, they prefer to eat them unripe, which may serve to reduce competition with primates that eat ripe fruits. Like all colobi, this monkey is able to digest leaves and other plant fibers with a large, multi-chambered stomach that contains bacteria in certain areas. The bishop guereza lives in stable social groups, usually formed by 15 and 20 members. The groups usually contain one male, several females and juveniles. Males that are not part of groups either live solitarily or with other outside males in bachelor groups. The females keep the groups cohesive and they are matrilineally related. They rarely disperse from their natal groups, except possibly when they break apart. Males usually leave when they become sub-adults or adults. They may start out being solitary and or in bachelor groups. They gain entry into a social group either by being on the periphery or displacing a group male. Because of its low quality diet and the dispersed distribution of its food, the bishop guereza has a resident-egalitarian social structure. Females living in a group often have an egalitarian dominance style with no formalized rank relations. Relationships are relaxed and friendly with rare signals of dominance or subordinance. Physical aggression within the group is usually not harmful and rarely escalates into a conflict. Allogrooming is an important part of mantled guereza interactions and mostly occurs between females. However, such peaceful interactions do not apply between groups, with them being aggressive to each other. During intergroup encounters, males can engage in direct or indirect mate defense, like defending a female's resources. It is the males that participate in agonistic inter-group encounters but females may do so as well. Aggressive encounters between groups usually involve chases, displays and vocalizations rather than physical contact. The most notable vocalization of the bishop guereza is the "roar", which is made mainly at night or dawn by males. The sound of a roar can be carried for up to a mile. Roars are used for long-distance communication and can regulate inter-group spacing without direct, physical contact while foraging. The bishop guereza has a polygynous harem-based mating system. Mating solicitations are made by both males and females, half of the time for each. To solicit mating, the monkey will walk near its potential partner and make low-intensity mouth clicks or tough-smacks. During copulation, the males hold on the female's ankles and body. Most matings take place between individuals of the same group but copulations outside of the group can happen. The gestation period lasts 150 days with a 18 month interbirth interval. The newborn relies on its mother for support and must cling to her. As they grow older, infants can move on their own but keep returning to their mothers. The infants take up most of the attention in the groups. The other females in a group may handle an infant although the latter are only comfortable with their mothers. The males normally don't pay much attention to infants until they are four to five weeks old. Infants can eat solid food at about eight to nine weeks and by fifty weeks they are fully weaned and no longer need to hold on to their mothers. They have a lifespan of 20 years.
Отправлено: 13.01.24 15:36. Заголовок: I made the descripti..
I made the description for another mammal for Africa:
Giant potto (Megaloperodicticus altimontanus) Order: Primates Family:Lorisidae Habitat:Montane semi-deciduous broad-leaf tropical forests of Eastern Africa Many species had perished during the Holocene, bringing an end to their lineages. Only those that were resilient enough had survived, originating new lineages. Among these survivors were the pottos (Perodictius), with the giant potto being a new representative of this group. This species is endemic to the Montane semi-deciduous broad-leaf tropical forests of Eastern Africa. Living it up to its name, the giant potto is the largest representative of the Family Lorisidae. They grow to a length of 61 to 70 cm, with males being larger and heavier than the females. Their wooly fur is gray-brown with golden strands in the back. The underbelly is grayish-white. The index finger is vestigial, although it has opposable thumbs with which it grasps branches firmly. Like other strepsirrhines this species has a moist nose, toothcomb, and a toilet claw on the second toe of the hind legs. In the hands and feet, fingers three and four are connected to each other by a slight skin fold, while toes three through five are joined at their bases by a skin web that extends to near the proximal third of the toes. The neck has four to six low tubercles or growths that cover its elongated vertebrae which have sharp points and nearly pierce the skin; these are used as defensive weapons.Both males and females have large scent glands above the anal area. In females, the swelling created by the glands is known as a pseudo-scrotum. These structures are used to mark their territories and to reinforce pair bonds. This species is more omnivorous than their ancestors. While they feed on fruits and tree gums, the giant potto catches bats and small birds, including raiding nests in search of chicks and eggs. They also eat insects, lizards and amphibs. Their strong jaws enable it to eat fruits and lumps of dried gum that are too tough for other tree-dwellers. The insects they eat tend to have a strong smell and are generally not eaten by other animals. If threatened, the giant potto will hide its face and neck-butt its opponent, making use of its unusual vertebrae. It can also deliver a powerful bite. Its saliva contains compounds that cause the wound to become inflamed. Giant pottos move slowly and carefully, always gripping a branch with at least two limbs. They are also quiet and avoid predators using cryptic movement. The most common call is a high-pitched whistle, which is used mainly between mother and offspring. They have large territories which they mark with urine and glandular secretions. Same-sex intruders are vehemently guarded against, and each male's territory generally overlaps with that of two or more females. Females donate part of their territories to their daughters, but sons leave their mother's territory upon maturity. As part of their courting rituals, giant pottos often meet for bouts of mutual grooming. This is frequently performed while they hang upside down from a branch. Grooming consists of licking, combing fur with the grooming claw and teeth, and anointing with the scent glands. They face-to-face while hanging upside down from a branch. After a gestation period of about 210 days, the female gives birth, typically to a single young, but twins can also occur. The young first are clasped to the belly of the mother, but later she carries them on her back. She will also hide her young in the leaves while searching for food. After about ten months, they are weaned, and are fully mature after about 20 months.
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