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Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 6:24 pm
by Gfamily
Hippos going native in South America filling the ecological niche left by extinct native animals.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -world-aoe

Re: Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:32 pm
by dyqik
TIL that there was once such a thing as a 3-ton wombat.

The Google search results are pretty terrifying.

Re: Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:04 pm
by Fishnut
There's a Tim Flannery book about the ecological history of Australia (the title of which I can't remember off the top of my head) and I know it suggested bringing Komodo dragons into the top end of Aus as a replacement for the mega-lizards that used to live in the area. One thing I never considered was the importance of the poo. He made quite a compelling case (at least when I was reading it) that the loss of dung and associated dung beetles and other dung-using animals incorporating it into the top soil was at least partly responsible for its degradation and subsequent loss.

Re: Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:39 pm
by Gfamily
It seems to be a common understanding that the extinction of the South American Megatherium (and other giant ground sloths) was disastrous to the propagation of the Avocado, as it was the only animal that was able to distribute the Avocado seed, nothing else having a gut large enough to swallow the seed and pass it whole.
Had it not been for humans it would have been very sensitive to extinction by environment loss.

Re: Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 12:42 am
by bmforre
Fishnut wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:04 pm
There's a Tim Flannery book about the ecological history of Australia (the title of which I can't remember off the top of my head) and I know it suggested bringing Komodo dragons into the top end of Aus as a replacement for the mega-lizards that used to live in the area. One thing I never considered was the importance of the poo. He made quite a compelling case (at least when I was reading it) that the loss of dung and associated dung beetles and other dung-using animals incorporating it into the top soil was at least partly responsible for its degradation and subsequent loss.
See Ben the Dung Beetle
from the series "Maya the Bee", episode "In Search of Lost Dung".

Plenty more on the 'net.

Re: Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 4:31 pm
by bmforre
Rebreeding the Ur-Bull, the Auerochs.
In German.

Re: Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 4:39 pm
by Martin Y
I'm a gnu.

How do you do, again?

Re: Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 10:31 pm
by plebian
bmforre wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 4:31 pm
Rebreeding the Ur-Bull, the Auerochs.
In German.
I dont think the cult director needs help reproducing.

Re: Reintroduction of Megafauna

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 2:27 pm
by bmforre
plebian wrote:
Sat May 23, 2020 10:31 pm
bmforre wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 4:31 pm
Rebreeding the Ur-Bull, the Auerochs.
In German.
I dont think the cult director needs help reproducing.
Perhaps from a female Auercow?