Imagine a version of Earth fifty million years
in the future — one where humanity has vanished, and extraordinary new creatures now populate the
planet. This hypothetical future is the topic of the retro speculative zoology book ‘After Man,’
written by a founder of the genre — Dougal Dixon. The book is part of a trilogy alongside ‘Man After
Man’ and ‘The New Dinosaurs’ — ( I have a video on The new Dinosaurs in the archive). But ‘After Man’
is Dixon’s original masterwork, and an influence behind other series like the Future is Wild,
and C. M. Kosemen's infamous ‘All Tomorrows.’ Its impact no surprise, as the post-human Earth
Dixon brings to life within the pages feels so familiar, and yet so alien. And the biology of the
futuristic animals he showcases are so strange, it’s worth taking a closer look. So, for this
entry into the archive, we’re going to break down the animal ecosystems of the far future,
bearing in mind that — as I mentioned in my New Dinosaur’s video — some of the science is
outdated, and it’s impossible to know exactly what such a world would look like. Think of this
book and this video as just an interesting guess. So, let’s leap forwards fifty million years, and
discover what types of fantastical species might now reign over the planet. Beginning in the
vast temperate forests and grasslands of this reborn Earth, the planet’s biome distribution has
shifted dramatically. 50 million years from now, tectonic movements will likely rearrange the
continents, pushing Africa into Eurasia, Eurasia into North America, and separating North and South
America. In these new transcontinental regions, Dixon imagines you can find various species of
rabbucks — sizeable, swift-footed grazers with strange appearances. As you can imagine, rabbucks
are descended from modern day rabbits, but have become much larger with longer legs. This is
because the rabbucks now occupy the evolutionary grazing niche once held by deer, which have
declined in this hypothetical future. The rabbucks are preyed upon by the Falanx, a mid-sized
predator species with scissor-like molars. These carnivores are roughly wolf-sized. Despite
this, however, the Falanx aren’t the descendants of wolves at all — but a very distant offshoot
of none other than the rat. And I will say: I’m certainly glad that wolf-sized rats aren’t
something we have to deal with in our time. Moving into the forests, you can find the Oakleaf
Toad: one of my personal favorite new species. These curious amphibians get their name from
the peculiar leaf-shaped growth on their back with helps with camouflage. Many modern toads
employ camouflage of their own — though few at the same remarkable level as the oakleaf. Another
way oakleaf toads are different from most modern amphibians is they’re true carnivores — large
enough to eat small mammals instead of just insects. And within the nearby wetlands,
the bizarre Reedstilt lurks: searching for prey with its sinuous neck and balancing on
its platform-like feet. Despite appearances, the Reedstilt is a descendent of insectivores like
hedgehogs! Over millions of years, these animals lost their quills and became larger and larger
as they transitioned into mid-sized predators. Continuing on to the pine trees of the northern
coniferous forests, we have the hornheads — a large animal with unique horns for defense, and
subsist off moss and lichen. These species are a larger, more defensive incarnation of the
antelope — trading the characteristic speed of their ancestors for size and security
from predators. And speaking of predators, the Pamthret is one of the most dangerous within
the coniferous forests. These creatures are descended from ferrets — who are also carnivores
in the modern day, just not quite as dangerous ones. But even the Pamthrets sometimes think twice
about tangling with this animal — the spine-tailed squirrel. As you can tell by the name, they’re
most closely related to modern ground squirrels: although they’ve taken a page out of the
porcupine’s handbook, and now sport long, pointy quills for warding off predators. A
creative, and effective survival strategy. Moving even further northwards, we arrive at the
windswept tundra and below-zero polar regions. Here, you can find the wooly gigantalope, a thick
furred beast with massive forward-facing horns for clearing snow off the vegetation it consumes. As
you can likely tell by the name, this species is another offshoot of the modern antelope, although
its lumbering size and massive horns make it in many ways similar to a rhino. In the nearby
icy mountains dwell the sure-footed Gorath, a species well equipped for vertical movement
upon the steep slopes. This high-elevation species is likely the descendent of none other
than the goat, with the horns of the modern goat the precursor to the single bony plate
the Gorath uses for territorial displays. And even further north within the icy
waters of what we call the arctic circle, the leviathan-sized Vortex and smaller Porpin swim
through the cold waters. The vortex is the new largest creature on earth, and a clear analogue to
whales, while the porpin shares many similarities to the modern porpoise or dolphin. Despite this,
these two animals are in fact descended from none other than penguins — who, over the eons, became
fully aquatic and swelled to immense sizes. We’ve got more fantastical creatures to cover,
including my personal favorite, but since we’re halfway through the list, if you’re enjoying this
content, please consider taking a moment to like, subscribe, and hit the notification icon
to stay up to date on all things curious. Heading much further south to the equator, we find
a vast sequence of deserts. Here, Dixon imagines the rather unfortunate looking desert leapers roam
the sands. These bulbous-tailed animals might look (and hop) like kangaroos, but they’re actually
another descendant of modern rodents. The desert leaper also employs the same unique survival
strategy as the camel — as the creature’s large tail, like the camel’s hump, contains specialized
fat deposits, which allow it to go without food for long periods. Even more wrinkly than
the desert leaper is the desert shark: an animal with a truly unfortunate appearance.
Their hairless bodies are a carryover from their similarly alarming looking ancestors, the naked
mole rats. And like naked mole rats, the sand sharks (which have no relation to actual sharks)
spend most of their time burrowing underground to regulate body temperature. And the last creature
in the desert is the Rootsucker, a much friendlier looking fellow with hard plates for defense and
long front claws for digging up the roots of the succulents it feeds on. The Rootsucker is the
evolutionary legacy of the armadillo, an animal that shares its armored shell and also uses its
front claws for digging for food. And are one of my personal favorite species—though not yet
my very favorite. ontinuing on, also near the equator, a belt of tropical grasslands flourishes,
in a climate similar to what supports elephant populations today. But instead of elephants, the
lumbering Rundihorn and Southern Gigantelope now dominate the grassy fields. Both species occupy a
similar niche to modern elephants as the heaviest animals on the savanna — and perhaps the
heaviest animals anywhere in this new world. As the name implies, these species are yet another
descendant of the antelope, if you can believe it. But where there are grazers, there are predators,
and the Horrane are the truly bizarre looking species which preys on Gigantelope. Despite the
build and coloring of their bodies resembling that of the modern cheetah, as you could probably
tell by their faces the Horrane are descendants of primates, which have become fully carnivorous
ambush predators. And even more horrifying are the Raboons, another primate offshoot
which became a grassland-dwelling carnivore. Descendants of the modern, much less frightening
looking baboon, the Raboons are no longer content to feed on plants and fruit alone, becoming
full-on scavengers. Like their baboon ancestors, however, they have close family structures
and live in groups instead of going it alone. Further south, in the vast tropical forests of
the world, the long-trunked Zarander feed on high leafy branches. Despite their trunks,
the Zarander aren’t related to elephants, but to modern day wild boars. It’s hard to see the
family resemblance, but fifty million years is a lot of time for a species to adapt to a new way
of life. Traveling along to the tropical rivers, we’ve got the Swimming Monkey. The name kind of
tells you everything you need to know about this one. They’re a monkey… but they’re good at
swimming. A pretty straightforward creature. And in the same boat, we have the swimming
anteater: which, once again, is an ant-eater, but good at swimming. You get it. Much more unique
is the unfortunately named Mud-Gulper — a species which occupies a similar niche in the swampy
waters as the modern-day hippopotamus, but despite having a very similar looking snout, the mudgulper
is yet another animal descended from a species of rodent. And arriving at our last destination, we
have the isolated and diverse world of islands. In particular, the enormous island of Lemuria which
broke off from the modern African continent, is home to some of the most striking species this
new world has to offer. Meet the Night Stalker: an animal so strange it twists one’s mind just
looking at it. The four-limbed, predatory night stalker is a descendant of the bat, and has given
up the wings of its ancestors in favor of a fully terrestrial existence. But the Nightcrawler isn’t
the only descendant of the bat worth mentioning. The last species on our list is… this the
Flooer, an absolutely absurd looking animal which resembles a flower in sight and smell to
lure in insects. Crazy though this might seem, it’s not actually that far off from how Venus fly
traps catch their prey — although such a trait evolving in an animal is a truly insane concept.
And for that reason, despite its appearance, it’s my very favorite. And that’s the end of
our voyage 50 million years into the future. Like I said in my New Dinosaur’s video, Dougal
Dixon’s work, while just an entertaining guess at the future, is worth checking out if you ever get
the chance. n the meantime, thanks for watching. If you liked this video, please lend your support
and like, subscribe, and hit the notification icon if you haven’t already to stay up to date on
all things Curious. See you in the next video.
