#epigene

[on-beyond-holocene]

Neomilvus pyromaniacus

In the time of humans, wildfires were prevalent in Australia. The dry conditions fueled the growth of massive fires. While these fires may have been started or exaggerated by human activity, humans were not the only species to influence fire spread. Several species of birds of prey were reported to spread fires into unburned areas, to prey on small animals attempting to escape. By ten million years in the future, these birds have taken the next step - they light the fires themselves.

The Australian phoenix has longer legs than the kites it is descended from, making it more adept at terrestrial locomotion next to burning outback. Although not all prey is caught at the edge of a fire, starting fires to flush out small mammals and rodents is not an uncommon practice in this species. Populations that more frequently hunt with fire have developed more ecologically sustainable burning practices, and this knowledge appears to be picked up by every bird in the area. The frequency of phoenix-started burns actually reduces the prevalence of catastrophic megafires within its range, by clearing out dry underbrush before too much of it accumulates.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Notopanthera ferox

In the time of humans, cats were a nuisance in Australia. Since 1820, over three million feral cats have come to populate the continent. Cats are extremely effective predators, and their spread has contributed to the extinction of at least 22 native mammal species. Even today, feral cats have begun to grow abnormally large, reaping the rewards of their success. Lax control programs have ensured their survival past the Holocene, and as time went on the cats became progressively larger and more ambitious.

Notopanthera is the largest terrestrial predator in Australia ten million years hence, with large individuals being comparable in size to a mountain lion. Its upper canines have grown so large as to stick out of the mouth when closed. This re-evolution of saber teeth is not surprising, as it had evolved at least six times previously in synapsids. A pursuit predator, it preys upon kangaroos, emus, and camels. It’s most common in open, drier habitats, but it is versatile and can be found across the continent.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Notocamelus latimeri


Dromedary camels were introduced to the continent of Australia in the time of humans. Originally imported for transport and construction, a large feral population quickly gained a foothold and grew rapidly. Although many culls were undertaken, the population failed to be exterminated from the continent. Ten million years in the future, the camels have now completely assimilated with the ecology of Australia.


Latimer’s camel is the largest herbivorous animal on the continent of Australia; large individuals have heads held 3.5 meters off the ground. It is leaner and taller than its ancestors, and has lost the fatty hump they bore. Latimer’s camel is equally at home in high outback and slightly wetter grassland habitats, and has a broad diet of grasses and xeric shrubs. It is a social animal, and can often be found in mixed herds with kangaroos, emus, and lagomorphs.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Bos proximos

It does not take long in the future for new species to appear. In some cases, this is the result of hybrid speciation. In the wake of humanity, some of the millions of cattle that were domesticated across the continent of North America managed to successfully integrate back into the wild. These were primarily hardier breeds such as Texas Longhorn. By one million years in the future, these have intermixed with surviving populations of American bison.

Beefalo are the largest animal species in the immediately post-human Americas, with an average shoulder height of 1.7 meters. They are common in open areas across the two continents. Beefalo are very hardy and can be found in many habitats, from tropical forests to open scrubland. Social group size varies with habitat; prairie beefalo live in larger herds than scrub or forest beefalo. Despite their size and the large horns on their heads, they are commonly preyed upon by packs of coydogs.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Agelaius congregator

Some birds have done better than others in the immediate wake of humanity. A few species of new world blackbirds, particularly red-winged blackbirds, have done amazingly well. Their omnivorous diet, large population size, flexible habitat preference, and ability to live in close proximity to humans has ensured their survival. One million years in the future, they are still highly abundant throughout the Americas.

The sunset-winged blackbird has physically changed little from its immediate ancestors. Flocks are significantly larger on average, however, and can reach well over a million individuals per flock. The very largest flocks can clear a field of everything edible before moving on to pastures anew. Sunset-winged blackbird populations are controlled by feral cats, corvids, snakes, and surviving birds of prey. Factoring in migration ranges, sunset-winged blackbirds can be found from northern Canada to northernmost South America.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Canis vulgaris

Feral dogs were common on the continent of North America even before the extinction of humans. As the remains of their civilization slowly disappeared, the most adaptable of these dogs returned to wild settings. They soon came into contact with coyotes, which had thrived during the reign of humanity. By one million years in the future, North American feral dogs have been absorbed into coyote populations, resulting in a new hybrid species.

Coydogs are slightly larger than their ancestors, reaching 1.5 meters in length and over 20 kg in weight. Physically they closely resemble coyotes, although with longer limbs, slightly large ears, and a greater diversity in coat colors, inherited from their domesticated ancestors. Coydogs are generally a social species, although solitary individuals are not uncommon, especially in drier habitats. Coydogs range across North America and northern South America, as the continent’s next apex predators

[on-beyond-holocene]

South Dakotan Forest, 1 million years hence

We begin our journey one million years in the future. Humans are long gone from the planet, but while they have left little evidence of their existence on the surface, their legacy is still felt. Although temperatures have started to decline after the disappearance of humans and coincident decrease in carbon outgassing, North America is still warmer than it was in the Holocene. Now, the central United States, such as South Dakota is covered by alternating grasslands and deciduous forests.

The native North American megafauna from the Holocene are all but extinct; now, the main inhabitants are descendants of creatures that lived alongside humans. Herbivorous animals that have survived from the Holocene include rabbits, wild horses, and deer. A new face is a descendant of domesticated cattle from more southern regions. The region's predators are descended from coyotes and feral dogs and cats. In the trees live squirrels, rats, crows, pigeons, sparrows, and blackbirds.

Inhabitants of the South Dakotan Forest include:

Beefalo

Coydog

Sunset-winged blackbird

[on-beyond-holocene]

Eustolas sp.

The new apex predator of the Hawaiian islands, Eustolas can grow up to 1.2 meters in height. It is too large to fly, but is an adept terrestrial predator.  Unusually for an owl, its feathers have a greenish hue to them. It is randomly active through the day and night, preying on wharf rats, birds, notters, and carrion washed onto the shore. Eustolas mates for life unless one partner dies, and usually nests in higher grounds away from shore.

There have been numerous previous instances of owls growing in size and adopting terrestrial lifestyles on islands: the stilt-owls (Grallistrix), the Cuban giant owl (Ornimegalonyx), and the Andros Island barn owl (Tyto pollens). This course of evolution has occurred once more in future Hawaii, with barn owls providing the ancestral stock. There are five species of Eustolas, one for each major island in the chain, which display subtle differences in size and plumage.