I have changed course on my writing schedule. I have been so consumed in the scientific aspects of my main dinosaur book that I am a bit distracted from writing the actual story. Due to this, I have decided to focus on the zoological book side project for the time being. This way, I can get the scientific aspects out of my system. This zoology book will be like the speculative evolution books such as those written by authors such as Dougal Dixon. Dougal Dixon wrote books that talked about how the dinosaurs could have evolved if they never became extinct or how animals would have evolved if humans never existed. I will be taking a similar route by describing each of the reverse engineered life forms in my dinosaur series and how they have evolved in their manmade environment. Who knows? If I finish this zoology book first, it would give my audience a preview on what to expect when they read the main dinosaur series. I am eight pages in so far and I am on fire!
Tag Archives: BOOK
A FLAWED ISLAND
My dinosaur book will take place on an island, but it will be an island like no other. The island will be completely manmade, but it will not be made with cement or rebar. Instead, this island will be made through the use of terraforming technology. Terraforming is a form of science that revolves around altering the terrain and atmosphere of an area. The designated area can range from a small patch of land to an entire planet. Before the main experiment started, this island did not exist on any map and was grown from scratch. Not only is this island the site of an experiment on genetic engineering, but it is also the site of an experiment on terraforming. Together, these two experiments become part of the main experiment, which focuses on making a manmade ecosystem function. Making a manmade ecosystem function is also part of the ultimate endgame of the overall experiment. However, because of its completely manmade nature, this island is very flawed in a number of areas, which forces the creatures to evolve in unpredictable ways. Overall, this island will be light years away from the usual lost world stereotype and will show what could happen to an artificial world.
A ZOOLOGY BOOK
After much thought, I am thinking of creating a zoological book based on the reverse engineered animals in my dinosaur book. While I can’t go through all of the scientific details during the main story, I am thinking of including them in a separate project that talks about these manmade dinosaurs and the creatures who live alongside them. I am also thinking of making the narrator of this zoology book be the scientist who creates these animals. This would be similar to how some tie-in Game of Thrones book s were written from the point of view of a maester from the Citadel. There will be illustrations that will show what each creature looks like and how they live in their natural habitat.
GIANT MILLIPEDE
300 million years ago, there were several giant insects due to the high oxygen levels. Among those super-sized creepy crawlies was a giant ancestor of millipedes known as Arthropleura. This thing could grow to be about eight feet long, had armor plating to protect it against predators, and its large mandibles could deliver a nasty bite. Despite its threatening appearance and weaponry, Arthropleura was a herbivore that often foraged along the forest floor. I am thinking of introducing a creature that is similar to Arthropleura in my dinosaur book. I am envisioning it to be more like an armor-plated version of a centipede instead of a millipede.
THE LARGEST RODENT
For those of you who are afraid of rodents, I apologize in advance. Rodents are easily the most diverse genus of mammal to the point in which 45% of the mammal population consists of rodents. In the modern era, the largest rodent is the capybara, which is roughly the size of a pig. However, the capybara is not the largest rodent that ever existed. Even though rodents mostly lived in the dinosaurs’ shadow, the largest rodent in history lived during their reign. This rodent was about the same size as a bull and resembled a super-sized version of a capybara. Good luck calling pest control if you have a rat this big. I am thinking of introducing a reverse engineered rodent in my dinosaur book that shares some traits with this prehistoric super-rodent.
TERROR BIRDS
Picture Shows: Terror birds, giant, flightless, carnivorous prehistoric birds.
After the dinosaurs became extinct, their bird descendants still managed to produce terrifying giants. Among these giant birds were a flightless group of carnivorous birds known as terror birds. One of the earliest version of these predators was Gastornis, which was seven feet tall and was the apex land predator fifty million years ago. One million years ago, the true terror birds ruled the savannah of prehistoric South America. These ten-foot-tall South America birds were known as Phorusrhacos and frequently competed the saber-toothed cat, Smilodon. However, the terror birds became extinct right before modern humans appeared. Their fate was sealed when they were outcompeted by specialized mammal predators. For my dinosaur book, I am thinking of giving the terror birds a comeback by introducing a reverse engineered version of them.
PREHISTORIC ELEPHANTS
When people think of prehistoric elephants, they often think of the wooly mammoth. However, the elephant has proven to be one of the most diverse evolutionary experiments for mammals. As a result, prehistoric elephants came in all shapes and sizes. Some lived like hippos, some resembled rhinos, and some grew their tusks in unusual ways. Sadly, despite being the result of over 35 million years of evolution, the modern elephant seems doomed to be the last of their kind to exist. I am thinking of introducing a creature that resembles the early elephants in my dinosaur series.
AN ARMORED SEA MONSTER
Prehistory has seen its fair share of scary sea monsters, but there was one creature that stood out from the crowd. 350 million years ago, there was a giant armor-plated fish known as Dunkleosteus. This fish was over thirty feet long and weighed between four or five tons. Instead of teeth, Dunkleosteus was armed with extensions of its jaw bones, which operated like scissors to slice through prey. Biting its jaws together allows its weaponry to remain razor sharp. This trait was developed out of necessity because most of its prey were other armor-plated fish, which could not be eaten with conventional teeth. Dunkleosteus also had a very disgusting habit after it was done eating. It would puke up the indigestible bits of its food, which includes bones and armor plating. It may look like the fish is sick, but it is perfectly normal behavior due to what it eats. Overall, if you thought Jaws was scary, you would die of fright when you swim with this behemoth. As my dinosaur series progresses, I am thinking of including a creature that is similar to Dunkleosteus, but it would be completely different.
THE SINS OF MAN
Mankind has achieved so many accomplishments ranging from the creation of fire to landing on the moon. However, even though humanity is more than capable of technological and scientific progression, they have little to no regard to the consequences of such advancements. Despite all they have created, humanity’s innovations tend to have a negative impact on the world around them. As a result, it seems inevitable that mankind will be undone by their own intelligence and creativity. In my dinosaur book, humans will try to prevent extinction with their latest scientific advancement, but they will trigger a chain of events that will result in the most destructive mass extinction in the process. The event that is about to unfold will become the bane of humanity’s existence.
MANMADE MASS EXTINCTION
So far, there have been five mass extinctions in our planet’s history. In each of those extinctions, at least two thirds of all life on Earth was wiped out. Normally, these extinctions were caused by asteroids, volcanic activity, and climate change. It has been believed that the next mass extinction will be caused by humanity. There are warning signs that this is the case such as pollution, deforestation, and poaching among many others. However, for my dinosaur series, I am thinking of depicting a manmade extinction level event that will dwarf all other manmade disasters combined. When the dust settles, Earth will be a completely different place as a result of mankind’s arrogance and carelessness.
