If these animals hadn't gone extinct, how would they fare today?
- Thread starter saint polype
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I wonder how gigantopithecus would fare in modern-day India, China, and Vietnam?
I don't think they would make it to modern times as it was climate change, and not humans, that drove Gigantopithecus to extinction.
For other species, could woolly rhinos (not elasmothere type ones, coelodonta type ones) have survived to present times if humans never overhunted them to extinction (if it was humans, not climate change, that was primally responsible for the extinction of many large megafauna in most of the world)? If woolly rhinos did survive to today's world, some could have at least spread into North America if they had found a landbridge between Siberia and Alaska? That would be awesome to see a North American (sub)species of woolly rhinoceros.
Sadly I think they were to well adapted to the islands they were found on. Between rodent and any large carnivorous mammal I am thinking not long. Unless Europeans decide to farm them like ostriches, but I doubt the will last that long.I wondered if the moa of New Zealand and/or even the giant elephant bird of Madagascar could have been saved from extinction.
Anyway, I've been fascinated by alternate histories having Diprotodons surviving the extinction possibly caused by man, so if man never spread wildfires across Australia, then Diprotodons would still be alive today as the world's largest marsupial (even beating the grey/red kangaroo as the largest), living in forests and wetlands across Eastern and Southeastern Australia. Imagine seeing Diprotodons alive today in, not only in the wild, but also in zoos and safari parks instead of as fossils in museums.
While what I want back are Diprotodonts (all species including Diprotodon, Zygomaturus, and others), Ground Sloths, Glyptodonts, Toxodon, Macrauchenia, Chalicotheres (if any species lived recently), Moas, and Genyornis.
Fair enough, for me any animal that went extinct since 1492 would do, but the carnivores are the greatest loss to meWhile what I want back are Diprotodonts (all species including Diprotodon, Zygomaturus, and others), Ground Sloths, Glyptodonts, Toxodon, Macrauchenia, Chalicotheres (if any species lived recently), Moas, and Genyornis.
All of this also makes me wonder if there is any merit to that claim I once heard that some species were simply "incompatible" with human civilization - meaning they would have gone extinct in ANY scenario where humans reach the tech level and population we have today, in a "you can only have one or the other" kind of deal. I suppose this would go especially for carnivores that require vast hunting grounds.
Unfortunately, they now have tigers to worry about (the Javan and Balinese tigers lasted until the 20th century while the Sumatran tiger is still around).
Seen a couple mentions of the Moa (my personal favorite extinct animal). I have wondered how things might have gone down if the first Maori had the foresight to try to breed Moa for food instead of burn down the forests and hunt them into extinction within 100 years. I’m not sure what sort of POD it’d take to make that possible, but farm-raised, cage-free Moa steaks would probably be delicious and be yet another thing for which NZ is world-renowned in modern times.
A relict Short Faced Bear in the Midwestern plains hunting buffalo would be terrific.
Elephant bird eggs were mainly targeted and sadly between the humans and the rats they wouldn't have made it.
Annoyingly enough there are records of malagasy run being transported to Reunion in egg shells and Europeans in the early days talked of giant birds from the South still in existence.
ar-pharazon
Banned
I can see American horses and camels should they have survived into historical times limping to where a conservation movement to protect them and re grow their population is possible.
North American predators-on the other hand are in a far worse position.
I can maybe see the caspian tiger(extinct subspecies) surviving and intense conservation efforts being made.
Honestly it depends-the pressure of human hunting, habitat destruction, and so on is often too much-if the pressure is lessened just a little bit it might be enough to ensure some species survive as critically endangered into the late 20th and 21st centuries allowing more resources and efforts to be made to ensure their survival.
North American predators-on the other hand are in a far worse position.
I can maybe see the caspian tiger(extinct subspecies) surviving and intense conservation efforts being made.
Honestly it depends-the pressure of human hunting, habitat destruction, and so on is often too much-if the pressure is lessened just a little bit it might be enough to ensure some species survive as critically endangered into the late 20th and 21st centuries allowing more resources and efforts to be made to ensure their survival.
All the Moa talk has me thinking of this weird ATL where New Zealanders are no longer called Kiwis but instead the former