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Galliformes and other animals for South America (ïðîäîëæåíèå)
JOrnitho: Hello! I'm back with ideas for some new species for South America. I found in my computer an archive with some ideas for fauna and flora that I had some time ago and decided to show there to ask your opinion about them. The first is about a descendant of the domestic chicken. [more]Copper jacumitan (Jacumita cuprinus) During the Holocene, the man introduced many species in other continents. The jacumitan is a descendant of domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) that are introduced in South America. It replaced the birds in the family Cracidae, which are extinct in the Neocene, in some areas. In a matter of fact, the name jacumitan is the junction of the words jacu, the popular name in Brazil for guans of the Genus Penelope, and the tupi word mitã (mitan) that means new, this way the name means “new guan”. The copper jacumitan is the type species of this genus and lives in the savannas and woodlands of Central South America. The copper jacumitan is sexually dysmorphic. The male measure 190 cm, due to the long tail, it has a bright coppery brown upperbody plumage and reddish-brown feathers below. They also have metallic dark green feathers on the tail and wings. Only males have a bright red naked skin on the face, with two wattles that conceal the sides of its head. This characteristic is shared by all males of the genus Jacumita. The males of the genus also have crests formed by white feathers with black tips. During courtship and panic moments, they rise the crests. The females have 75 cm of length and are cryptic brown and adapted to camouflage, its naked skin on the face is pale pink and don’t have flesh wattles. The young males are similar to the females until they reach 9 weeks, at this time the wattle begin to develop. Both sexes have long orange colored legs and grey beak. The males have spurs that they use in fights for dominance. The neck is long and slim. Copper jacumitans can fly, but prefer to run from the predators flying only as last resort. These birds are omnivorous and feed on insects, seeds, and fruits. Its forage for food by scratching the ground, usually near herbivores this way there is other animals observing for the presence of predators. Often the male sits on a high perch, to serve as a lookout for his group. He sounds an alarm call if predators are nearby. At night it will sleep perched on branches. Copper jacumitans are polygamous; the male will have a harem with 5 to 12 females and will guards the area where his females are nesting, and attack other males that enter his territory. To initiate courting, the males will dance in a circle around or near a female, raising their crests and lowering the wing which is closest to the hen. Then, he will vocalize and when she responds to his call, the male will mount her and proceed with the mating. The females make their nest in the ground, laying 6 to 14 red eggs which are incubated for 22 days. Chicks are precocious, leaving the nest shortly they are born. They fledge in about 4 to 5 weeks, and at 13 weeks old are chased out of the group by their mother, at which point the young males start to form a harem and the females join an existing one. Sexual maturity is reached at 6 months and the lifespan of this species is of 13 years, however is common for males to die early due to predation. Other species in the genus Jacumita are: Golden jacumitan (Jacumita aurea) Living in the forests of the Atlantic coast of South America, the males of this species has 200 cm of length, from beak to tail, while the females have 83 cm. The plumage of the male have a bright golden-yellow plumage in the upperparts, being scarlet in the chest and belly. They have dark metallic green wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Red jacumitan (Jacumita amazonica) Living in the "terra firme" forests of the Amazon , the males of this species has 185 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 70 cm. The plumage of male is bright orange-red in the upperparts, while their chest and belly is yellow. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Andean jacumitan (Jacumita andina) Living in the highland forests in the slopes of the Andes, the males of this species has 170 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 68 cm. The plumage of the males is white in the upperparts and yellowish-red in the belly and chest. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. This other one is about a descendant of the californian quail: Common austral grouse (Tetraoinus australis) During the Holocene, the man introduced many exotic species different habitats, the ancestor of the austral grouse was one of these species. Their ancestor was not a true grouse, but the Californian quail, due to evolutionary convergence they acquired characteristics similar to the true grouses of North America. Living in the forests of Southern South America, the male austral grouse are 55 cm long and the female have 44 cm of length. The male have a dark grey body plumage, black-and-white bridled head pattern, black back and a greyish-blue belly. They have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers that droops forward (long and black in males /short and brown in females) and long forked blackish tail with white undertail coverts. Females and immature birds are mainly greyish-brown with a light-brown belly. Both sexes have a black bill and relatively long grey legs. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects. In some regions their main source of food are the seeds of trees of the Genus Araucaria. These birds are not elegant fliers, however they sleep perched in branches. Given a choice, they will normally escape on foot. During the courtship, the male austral grouse do displays on a lek, each male have a “personal space”. The males strut around their chose space, doing a display. The display consists of the male posturing himself with the head near the ground. Then, they start to move it from right to left showing their crests, simultaneously they raising the tail feathers, showing their withe undertail coverts. After that, they will raise their heads abruptly and whilst make a highly distinctive mating call. When another male invade the personal space of other, a fight happens, in this case the male will try to take of the crest of the rival, this way they will not be capable to display for the females. The female usually lays approximately 12 spotted eggs. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation on the ground. Incubation lasts from 21–25 days, usually performed by the female and rarely by the male. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest with their parents within hours of hatching. The male stay with the female until the young leave, with 3 months. The young reach sexual maturity with 1 year, with this age the young males acquire the coloration of an adult male. Their lifespan is of 27 years. In the forests of Tierra del Fuego another species lives, the Black boreal grouse (Tetraoinus nigrus). Their main difference to the other species is that the males have an all-black plumage, with only a faint shade of blue in the chest and brown undertail coverts. The females are similar to that of the common austral grouse. The males have 52 cm and the females 41 cm.[/more] I also have in this archive some names for possible species that I never developed bayond some few facts. Maybe someone could help me make their descriptions.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho ÎÊ.
JOrnitho: Another idea that I had was a descendant of the chinchila rats (Abrocomidae). Living in the Andes, it would acumulate fat tissue in the autumn for their hibernation in winter.
ìåäâåäü: Interesting idea!
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Do you think they'll still need to hibernate deeply and for long periods in the warm climate of neocene? Even in alpine climate of Andes, it will be considerably warmer than in holocene today.
ëÿãóøêà: Áèîëîã I think that this descendants of chinchillas still will hibernate - if it was -25 and became -20, it's still much cold for small cute rodent.
Áèîëîã: ëÿãóøêà I thought it would be about -10 centigrade in winter, since -20 C is the temperature of holocenic mountains in temperate climate.
ëÿãóøêà: Áèîëîã I thought it would be about -10 centigrade in winter, since -20 C is the temperature of holocenic mountains in temperate climate. If warming is so strong, chinchillas won't hibernate.
JOrnitho: If the temperatures are that high, I don’t think that they would need to hibernate. However, they could still develop a fat tissue to survive the periods of lack of food, which usually come in the winter.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho At least, they will not hibernate for so long and so deeply as in holocene. And I agree about the fat.
JOrnitho: I finished the description of the mangrove rat, now I'll work in the chinchila rat. Atlantic mangrove rat (Palustromys cancrivorus) Order: Rodentia Family: Cricetidae Habitat: Mangroves and coastal lagoons of Southeastern and Northeastern South America The anthropogenic onslaught over nature during the Holocene had damaged several ecosystems and brought several species to extinction. The disappearance of humanity gave some respite to the survivors and they continue to evolve, allowing several new species to appear in the Neocene. The water rats (Nectomys) were capable of surviving and their direct descendants are the rodents of the genus Palustromys. The type species of this group is the Atlantic mangrove rat, an inhabitant of the mangroves and coastal lagoons of Southeastern and Northeastern South America. The Atlantic mangrove rat has a 19 cm body length and a tail of 15 cm. It have relatively longer, less hairy ears and a glossy, long pelage. This pelage is made up of wool hairs and guard hairs and is dark brown dorsally and is light gray on its sides and ventrally. All representatives of this genus have palmed hind feet, which allows them to swim. They have strong muscles in their head, allowing them to deliver powerful bites. They are omnivorous mammals with a diet ranging from fruits and leaves to insects and small fish. They have preference for the fruits of the mangrove trees, being able to risk climbing to reach it. With their powerful bite, the mangrove rats can crush crustaceans. They are solitary mammals that are active during the night. The males have a much less defined home range and tend to roam, while the females are very territorial. When swimming and searching for food, the mangrove water rat is able to detect objects under water and lift them above the surface in order to inspect to see if the object is edible or not using olfaction and sight. When hunting on land it is able to secure prey but pouncing and grasping with its forepaws. Nests are generally built in a similar way to those of birds and consist of dry twigs and leaves woven together. They are built inside dead trees alongside streams and under dense vegetation for protection The Atlantic mangrove rat is a polygynous rodent in which males will increase their home range in an attempt to mate with many females to produce the most offspring possible. Although males tend to be sexually active all year long, the females have a higher pregnancy rate during the wet season. This will produce offspring that have an abundant food source when born, resulting in greater growth and larger populations. Gestation periods last around 30 days and the litters can be as small as 1 offspring and as large as 7. Males are generally absent when raising the altricial young, so the female is responsible for feeding and caring for their young. This species has a lifespan of 3 years. Another representative of this genus is the Amazon mangrove rat (Palustromys amazonicus). This species inhabits from the mangroves of Northern South America to the flooded forests of the Amazon River. Their size is similar to that of the Atlantic species, but their fur is black rather than dark brown. Living in the coastal lagoons of Southern South America, the Southern mangrove rat (Palustromys australis) is another representative of the group. This species has a body length of 16 cm, while its tail measures 11 cm. They have a reddish brown fur with white underparts.
ëÿãóøêà: JOrnitho It's good rodent.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good rat!
JOrnitho: I'm having problems to think in a good vernacular name for the chinchila rat. Any one have sugestions? It would be like a Holocenic chinchila rat, with the exception of it getting "fat" during the winter.
ëÿãóøêà: JOrnitho Winter chubby chinchilla? Fat tissue chinchilla? Fat chinchilla?
Áèîëîã: ëÿãóøêà Not bad, though too banal. Would be great to find local Indian (tupi, guarani) words for "fat" and "rat".
ëÿãóøêà: May be rata-gordita ("chubby rat" on spanish)?
JOrnitho: ëÿãóøêà ïèøåò: May be rata-gordita ("chubby rat" on spanish)? I thought about using the name chinchillone, which is a local name for the chinchila rat. So maybe it could the chinchillone-gordito.
ëÿãóøêà: JOrnitho Good name, use it!
JOrnitho: Finished the description: Chinchillone-gordito (Abrocoma andina) Order: Rodentia Family: Abrocomidae Habitat: Andean Plateau and rocky areas of high altitude in the Andes The anthropogenic onslaught over nature during the Holocene had damaged several ecosystems and brought several species to extinction. The disappearance of humanity gave some respite to the survivors and they continue to evolve, allowing several new species to appear in the Neocene. The chinchilla rats (Abrocoma) were capable of surviving and some new species of this genus appeared. One of them is the chinchillone-gordito, an inhabitant of the Andean Plateau and rocky areas of high altitude in the Andes. The chinchillone-gordito is morphologically similar to the members of the genus Abrocoma that lived during the Holocene. It had 25 cm of length, with 80% of their size being formed by their furred tail. The fur is long, dense and soft, and the ears prominent and rounded. The feet are broad but short, with four toes on the front feet and five on the hind; the small, nail-like claws are hidden by tufts of stiff bristles. The dorsal pelage is dark gray, slightly paler on the flanks, and the hairs on the underparts are white. However, what differentiates it from their ancestors is that, during the end of autumn, these rodents acquire a three-centimeter thick layer of fat. This helps them conserve energy for the cold months of winter, when food supply is low. It is diurnal and feeds on shoots, leaves, grasses and seeds. While they feed, a member of the group will stay as a sentinel. The chichillone-gordito lives in a burrow, often sharing a pre-existing one with other species. Alternatively it digs its own burrow, often under boulders. A group of up to six individuals can occupy the same burrow. Several colonial burrows may be grouped close together, forming colonies that may range from several to a hundred individuals. It is an efficient climber on both rocks and bushes. This species is monogamous. The mating season starts during the spring, with the gestation lasting for 120 days. One to two precocial young are born and they receive the care of both parents. Newborns are capable of eating plant food and are weaned at 6 weeks old and reach sexual maturity relatively quickly at an average age of 8 months. They have a lifespan of 8 years, but many are preyed before reaching this age.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good rat, again!
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