After Man: A Zoology of the Future
Encyclopedia
After Man: A Zoology of the Future (1981) is a 1981 book by the Scottish
geologist
and author, Dougal Dixon
. In it, he presents his hypothesis on how the fauna and geography could change 50 million years from now.
, closing up the Mediterranean. Asia and North America would collide and close up the Bering Strait
. South America would split off from Central America. Australia would collide with southern Asia, uplifting a mountain range. Finally, parts of eastern Africa would split off
to form a new island which he called Lemuria
. Other volcanic islands have been added, such as the Pacaus Archipelago
and Batavia.
Rabbucks
Gigantelope
Predator Rats
Carnivorans
Coniferous Forests
Tundra and the Polar Regions
Deserts
Tropical Grasslands
Tropical Forests
Islands and Island Continents
. Dixon's later work Man After Man also includes man. In 2002, a program on Animal Planet
called The Future Is Wild
—for which Dixon was a consultant—advances further using more precise studies of biomechanics and future geological phenomena based on the past.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and author, Dougal Dixon
Dougal Dixon
-Biography:Dixon studied geology and palaeontology at the University of St. Andrews and is best known for his illustrated works of speculative fiction, which largely concern "zoologies of the future": his own visions of how human beings and animals might evolve in millions of years' time...
. In it, he presents his hypothesis on how the fauna and geography could change 50 million years from now.
Geography of the future
Dixon assumes that Europe and Africa would eventually fuseAfrican Plate
The African Plate is a tectonic plate which includes the continent of Africa, as well as oceanic crust which lies between the continent and various surrounding ocean ridges.-Boundaries:...
, closing up the Mediterranean. Asia and North America would collide and close up the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
. South America would split off from Central America. Australia would collide with southern Asia, uplifting a mountain range. Finally, parts of eastern Africa would split off
East African Rift
The East African Rift is an active continental rift zone in eastern Africa that appears to be a developing divergent tectonic plate boundary. It is part of the larger Great Rift Valley. The rift is a narrow zone in which the African Plate is in the process of splitting into two new tectonic plates...
to form a new island which he called Lemuria
Lemuria (continent)
Lemuria is the name of a hypothetical "lost land" variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The concept's 19th century origins lie in attempts to account for discontinuities in biogeography; however, the concept of Lemuria has been rendered obsolete by modern theories of plate tectonics...
. Other volcanic islands have been added, such as the Pacaus Archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
and Batavia.
Major groups of After Man: A Zoology of the Future
While there are a wide variety of creatures in After Man, many of these can fall into easily recognizable groups, e.g. rabbucks, gigantelopes, predator rats, etc. Some of the larger groups in the future include:Rabbucks
- Rabbucks fill in the void of deerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, zebras and antelopeAntelopeAntelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
(since antelope became things like the gigantelopes) but descended, as the name suggests, from rabbits. They live in almost any environment, and they mostly feed on grass. Their anatomy resembles that of ungulates, though there are a few primitive hopping forms lurking around.
Gigantelope
- The Gigantelope take the niche in the future that was formerly held by elephantsAfrican Bush ElephantThe African Bush Elephant or African Savanna Elephant is the larger of the two species of African elephant. Both it and the African Forest Elephant have usually been classified as a single species, known simply as the African Elephant...
, giraffes, mooseMooseThe moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, musk oxen, rhinoceroses, and other large herbivores. Resembling the ancient sauropods or indricotheres, they are descended from antelope, and range in a wide variety of forms. One subbranch have evolved into the large, moose-like herbivores of the north, the Hornheads.
Predator Rats
- The major group of predators in the future. Like our modern carnivorans, they exist on almost every continent and fill almost every carnivorous niche. They evolved, as the name suggests, from ratsRATSRATS may refer to:* RATS , Regression Analysis of Time Series, a statistical package* Rough Auditing Tool for Security, a computer program...
, and range in forms resembling polar bears, wolves, wolverines, cats, and even aquatic walrusWalrusThe walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
-like forms.
Carnivorans
- For the most part, Dixon assumes that Carnivorans have either gone extinct, or have been forced into peripheral niches like the Creodonts were in the OligoceneOligoceneThe Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
. A few still exist, the Shurrack, Pamthret, Striger, Ghole, Gurrath and Nightglider.
Animals of After Man: A Zoology of the Future
Temperate Woodlands and GrasslandsTemperate deciduous forest
A temperate deciduous forest, more precisely termed temperate broadleaf forest or temperate broadleaved forest, is a biome found in North America, southern South America, Europe, and Asia. A temperate deciduous forest consists of trees that lose their leaves every year...
- Angler Heron, Butorides piscatorius
- Chirit, Tendesciurus rufus, an inchworm-like rodent descended from squirrelSquirrelSquirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s. - Falanx, Amphimorphodus cynomorphus
- Janiset, Viverinus brevipes
- Long-Necked Dipper, Apterocinclus longinuchus
- Lutie, Microlagus mussops
- Oakleaf Toad, Grima frondiforme
- Pfrit, Aquambulus hirsutus
- Purrip Bat, Caecopterus spp.
- Rabbuck, Ungulagus spp.
- Common rabbuck, Ungulagus silvicultrix
- Desert rabbuck, Ungulagus flavus
- Arctic rabbuck, Ungulagus hirsutus
- Mountain rabbuck, Ungulagus scandens
- Some species like stranks, watoos, and picktooths replace zebras and giraffes
- Rapide, Amphimorphodus longipes
- Ravene, Vulpemys ferox
- Reedstilt, Harundopes virgatus
- Shrock, Melesuncus sylvatius
- Testadon, Armatechinos impenetrabilis
- Tree Drummer, Proboscisuncus spp.
- Tree Goose, or hanging bird, Pendavis bidactylus
- Tusked Mole, Scalprodens talpiforme
Coniferous Forests
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
- †Ancestral Hornhead, Procornudens spp.
- Beaver, Castor spp.
- Broadbeak, Pseudofraga spp.
- Chiselhead, Tenebra vermiforme
- Common Pine Chuck, Paraloxus targa
- Hornhead,Cornudens spp.
- Pamthret, Vulpemustela acer
- Spine-Tailed Squirrel, Humisciurus spinacaudatus
- Trevel, Scandemys longicaudata
Tundra and the Polar Regions
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
- Bardelot, Smilomys atrox
- Bootie Bird, Corvardea niger
- Distarterops, Scinderedens solungulus
- Flightless Auk, Nataralces maritimus
- Gandimot, Bustivapus septentreonalis
- Groath, Hebecephalus montanus
- Lesser Ptarmigan, Lagopa minutus
- Meaching, Nixocricetus lemmomorphus
- Parashrew, Pennatacaudus volitarius
- Pilofile, Phalorus phalorus
- Polar Ravene, Vulpemys albulus
- Pytheron, Thalassomus piscivorus
- Ruffle, Rupesaltor villupes
- Shurrack, Oromustela altifera
- Vortex, Balenornis vivipera
- Woolly Gigantelope, Megalodorcas borealis
Deserts
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
- Desert Leaper, Aquator adepsicautus
- Desert Shark, Psammonarus spp.
- Desert Spickle, Fistulostium setosum
- Fin Lizard, Velusaurus bipod
- Grobbit, Ungulamys cerviforme
- Khilla, Carnosuncus pilopodus
- Kriskin, scientific name unknown
- Leaping Devil, Daemonops rotundus
- Long-Legged Quail, Deserta catholica
- Sand Flapjack, Platycaudatus structor
- Spitting Featherfoot, Pennapus saltans
Tropical Grasslands
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
- Flightless Guinea Fowl, Pseudostruthio gularis
- Gigantelope, Megalodorcas giganteus
- Ghole Pallidogale nudicollum
- Horrane, Phobocebus hamungulus
- Long-Necked Gigantelope
- Picktooth, Dolabrodon fossor
- Raboon, Carnopapio spp.
- Rundihorn, Tetraceras africanus
- Strank, Ungulagus virgatus
- †Shovel-Horned Gigantelope, scientific name unknown
- Watoo, Ungulagus cento
Tropical Forests
- Anchorwhip, Flagellanguis viridis
- Clatta, Testudicaudatus tardus
- Chuckaboo, Thylapithecus rufus
- Fatsnake, Pingophis viperaforme
- Giantala, Silfrangerus giganteus
- Giant Pitta, Gallopitta polygyna
- Hawkbower, Dimorphoptilornis iniquitus
- Hiri-Hiri, Carnophilius ophicaudatus
- Khiffah, Armasenex aedificator
- Long-Armed Ziddah, Araneapithecus manucaudata
- Mud-Gulper, Phocapotamus lutuphagus
- Posset, Thylasus virgatus
- Slobber, Reteostium cortepellium
- Striger, Saevitia feliforme
- Swimming Anteater, Myrmevenarius amphibius
- Swimming Monkey, Natopithecus ranapes
- Termite Burrower, Neopardalotus subterrestris
- Toothed Kingfisher, Halcyonova aquatica
- Tree Duck, Dendrocygna volubaris
- Trovamp, Hirudatherium saltans
- Turmi, Formicederus paladens,
- Water Ant, scientific name unknown
- Zarander, Procerosus elephanasus
Islands and Island Continents
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
- Cleft-Back Antelope
- Flooer, Florifacies mirabila
- Flower-Faced Potoo, Gryseonycta rostriflora
- Gurrath, Oncherpestes fodrhami
- Long-Necked Yippa
- Matriarch Tinamou
- Nightglider
- Night Stalker, Manambulus perhorridus
- Pacauan Bird Snake, Avanguis pacausus
- Pacauan Whistler, Insulornis spp.
- Shalloth, Arboverspertilio apteryx
- Snorke, Lepidonasus lemurienses
- Strick, Cursomys longipes
- Surfbat, Remala madipella
- Terratail, Ophicaudatus insulatus
- Tick Bird, Invigilator commensalis
- Valuphant, Valudorsum gravum
- Wakka, Anabracchium struthioforme
See also
- Man After Man: An Anthropology of the FutureMan After Man: An Anthropology of the FutureMan After Man: An Anthropology of the Future is a speculative book written by Scottish geologist Dougal Dixon and illustrated by Philip Hood. The theme of the book is a science fiction body horror exploration of the possibilities of the future evolution of humans...
(1990) - Future EvolutionFuture EvolutionFuture Evolution is a book written by paleontologist Peter Ward and illustrated by Alexis Rockman. He addresses his own opinion of future evolution and compares it with Dougal Dixon's After Man: A Zoology of the Future and H. G. Wells's The Time Machine.According to Ward, humanity may exist for a...
(2001) - The Future Is WildThe Future is WildThe Future Is Wild was a 2002 seven-part documentary television miniseries. Based on research and interviews with several scientists, the miniseries shows how life could evolve in the future if Homo sapiens became extinct; the Discovery Channel broadcast changed this outlook by stating the human...
(2003) - The World Without UsThe World Without UsThe World Without Us is a non-fiction book about what would happen to the natural and built environment if humans suddenly disappeared, written by American journalist Alan Weisman and published by St. Martin's Thomas Dunne Books. It is a book-length expansion of Weisman's own February 2005 Discover...
(2007) - Life After PeopleLife After PeopleLife After People is a television documentary series where scientists and other experts speculate about what the Earth might be like if humanity no longer existed, as well as the impact humanity's disappearance might have on the environment and the artificial aspects of civilization...
(2008) - While the British ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
series Primeval mostly focuses on prehistoric life, several of its creatures, most specifically the Mer and Future predator, are from the future. The latter in particular appears to be based on a combination of the purrip bat and the nightstalker.
Similar projects
Paleontologist Peter Ward wrote another book on a different perspective on future evolution, one with humans intact as a species. This book is called Future EvolutionFuture Evolution
Future Evolution is a book written by paleontologist Peter Ward and illustrated by Alexis Rockman. He addresses his own opinion of future evolution and compares it with Dougal Dixon's After Man: A Zoology of the Future and H. G. Wells's The Time Machine.According to Ward, humanity may exist for a...
. Dixon's later work Man After Man also includes man. In 2002, a program on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
called The Future Is Wild
The Future is Wild
The Future Is Wild was a 2002 seven-part documentary television miniseries. Based on research and interviews with several scientists, the miniseries shows how life could evolve in the future if Homo sapiens became extinct; the Discovery Channel broadcast changed this outlook by stating the human...
—for which Dixon was a consultant—advances further using more precise studies of biomechanics and future geological phenomena based on the past.