The World Today
The world changes. That is one of the first things we learn in Geography. 600 Million years ago, there
was only one continent. Then about 300 million years ago, that continent broke up and became two big
masses. Today, there are 7 major continents constantly shifting their latitude. Each one moves at a rate of
an inch per year. Some move less, some more, depending mostly on the ocean currents that surround that
continent. Where they move also depends on the ocean current. Australia, for example, is moving
northward, and in the future will collide with Asia, most likely taking the islands in between with it. These
are usually very violent periods in the Earth's history, filled with earthquakes and tidal waves. South
America is moving southward and the southernmost tip will be in Antarctic waters, making for very cold
winters for the creatures living in that particular area.
With the so-called "Continental drift" also came diversity among species. Animals could evolve in all
kinds of directions to adapt to their surroundings. Animals of Africa, a tropical area, adapted well to the
100+ degree heat, where animals found in Alaska, a cold, polar habitat, would not survive for long.
These animals live their lives in their habitat they way they were programmed to. Each continent has their
own assortment of predators and prey. Wolves and bears keep deer and pronghorn in check in the
temperate regions of the World, while jackals, wild dogs and hyenas keep zebra and gazelle numbers to
a minimum on the African savannah, and the same is played out all over the World.
What is the point to all this? The answer is adaptation. Animals adapt to their surroundings. Africa has
more large predators, the largest being the Nile Crocodile, because it has more large herbivore species
than anywhere else on Earth. Those that cannot adapt die off. It's the way Nature intended. Herbivorous
animals tend to multiply faster than carnivorous animals, therefore evolve faster and more species. This
also explains why carnivore families unfortunately do not last very long, geologically speaking. The
Tyrannosaur family was actually only on Earth for no more than 2 million years, so it's believed. The dog
family has been here for about 10 million years, and are considered the greatest adapted carnivores of all.
Felines (cats) evolved about the same time as dogs, but started off big, due to evolving from hyenas, and
evolved smaller. So the cat on your lap is actually descended from lions, rather than the other way
around. Saber-tooths were not true cats, but right in between cats and hyenas.
The world of the Metazoic is a very different world than what we are used to seeing today (see template
below). If you will notice there are quite a few changes made to this "new world" as opposed to the old
world that we know today. South America has become an island and drifted southward towards
Antarctica. The southernmost tip of the island continent gets very cold, dark winters, much like some of
northern Canada does today. North America has lost it's western end. Constant earthquakes in
California, up to Washington State, east to Idaho, have forced this whole 400-mile wide area to become
an island, dubbed "San Diego Island". North America it's self has moved somewhat northward, causing
all of Canada to become totally polar. Greenland is at the very top of the world, litterally. What was once
the Amazon jungle is now brushland and almost temperate rainforest.
Africa too has split up and moved northward. Where the Nile River once was is now a 500-mile wide
channel separating Continental Africa with the new island, Lemuria. Madagascar is now 1800 miles away
from the nearest land, it still owns it's own cargo of animals though. Between Africa and Europe is the
Afro-European
was only one continent. Then about 300 million years ago, that continent broke up and became two big
masses. Today, there are 7 major continents constantly shifting their latitude. Each one moves at a rate of
an inch per year. Some move less, some more, depending mostly on the ocean currents that surround that
continent. Where they move also depends on the ocean current. Australia, for example, is moving
northward, and in the future will collide with Asia, most likely taking the islands in between with it. These
are usually very violent periods in the Earth's history, filled with earthquakes and tidal waves. South
America is moving southward and the southernmost tip will be in Antarctic waters, making for very cold
winters for the creatures living in that particular area.
With the so-called "Continental drift" also came diversity among species. Animals could evolve in all
kinds of directions to adapt to their surroundings. Animals of Africa, a tropical area, adapted well to the
100+ degree heat, where animals found in Alaska, a cold, polar habitat, would not survive for long.
These animals live their lives in their habitat they way they were programmed to. Each continent has their
own assortment of predators and prey. Wolves and bears keep deer and pronghorn in check in the
temperate regions of the World, while jackals, wild dogs and hyenas keep zebra and gazelle numbers to
a minimum on the African savannah, and the same is played out all over the World.
What is the point to all this? The answer is adaptation. Animals adapt to their surroundings. Africa has
more large predators, the largest being the Nile Crocodile, because it has more large herbivore species
than anywhere else on Earth. Those that cannot adapt die off. It's the way Nature intended. Herbivorous
animals tend to multiply faster than carnivorous animals, therefore evolve faster and more species. This
also explains why carnivore families unfortunately do not last very long, geologically speaking. The
Tyrannosaur family was actually only on Earth for no more than 2 million years, so it's believed. The dog
family has been here for about 10 million years, and are considered the greatest adapted carnivores of all.
Felines (cats) evolved about the same time as dogs, but started off big, due to evolving from hyenas, and
evolved smaller. So the cat on your lap is actually descended from lions, rather than the other way
around. Saber-tooths were not true cats, but right in between cats and hyenas.
The world of the Metazoic is a very different world than what we are used to seeing today (see template
below). If you will notice there are quite a few changes made to this "new world" as opposed to the old
world that we know today. South America has become an island and drifted southward towards
Antarctica. The southernmost tip of the island continent gets very cold, dark winters, much like some of
northern Canada does today. North America has lost it's western end. Constant earthquakes in
California, up to Washington State, east to Idaho, have forced this whole 400-mile wide area to become
an island, dubbed "San Diego Island". North America it's self has moved somewhat northward, causing
all of Canada to become totally polar. Greenland is at the very top of the world, litterally. What was once
the Amazon jungle is now brushland and almost temperate rainforest.
Africa too has split up and moved northward. Where the Nile River once was is now a 500-mile wide
channel separating Continental Africa with the new island, Lemuria. Madagascar is now 1800 miles away
from the nearest land, it still owns it's own cargo of animals though. Between Africa and Europe is the
Afro-European
The World in 60 million years from
now
now