animals of the 'verse
POSTED BY: crystalkei
UPDATED: Friday, December 21, 2007 04:29
VIEWED: 9707
PAGE 2 of 2
What single importance could a giraffe have to an eco-system which could not be done by another creature which mihgt be easier to transport?
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I seem to remember they were selling dogs in one scene. Looked like they might be stir frying them.
"Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU"
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Quote:
Originally posted by rallem:
What single importance could a giraffe have to an eco-system which could not be done by another creature which mihgt be easier to transport?
Giraffes are necessary for many species of savannah trees to propagate. The giraffe eats the seeds while browsing the tree, and deposits the seeds miles away through their dung. They also have a symbiotic relationship with a few species of birds. Remove giraffes from the savannah ecosystem, and the system would either become unstable, or have to adapt so much that it would be unrecognizable.
And who said living giraffes would have to be transported (although Serenity with a cargo hold full of giraffes is a great image)? Embryoes would be transported, gestated and raised on the surface, then the herds released in a target environment.
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Alternately, species like the giraffe could be limited to a few individuals confined to zoo like areas on the Core. But Schooner is right, the savannas would be different places entirely without ALL the species that make it special.
That would be a solution is if you really need no giraffes but I like giraffes, so there are giraffes.
http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/
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Late in the conversation but that's what I get to dissappearing for awhile.
I have a theory regarding the mammalian species of the future. No doubt whatever goverments that orchestrated the move to the new system would have thought about packing as many species of the trip over a possible. Whether or not they were embryonic samples would have depended on whether or not they had the technology of an artificial womb or chiamirism to utilize embryos, or if they just had a specialized ship that was specifically an animal ark.
However I think that when the trip was finally over, the Alliance might have designated a singular planet for nothing but keeping rare and exotic species alive, one large zoo planet if you will. That way the Alliance itself would be in control of the buying and selling of remarkable beasts, thus making a profit too (and opening up a black market for them because the upper crust might see owning something so rare as exotic... job for the crew?). The core planets would probably benefit by getting some 'extra' animals the Alliance had bred for zoos, but why waste time and money putting a zebra on a rim planet? Rim planets they perhaps merely dumped whatever less rare species they had on to support the ecosystem; rabbits, deer, coyotes, mice, hawks, ect, because they would be more numerous and hardy. So in conclusion, the more exotic animals would be more common place on the core planets, but on the rim I feel they'd only be known through tales and rough description (much like the infamous swuck).
Your Indian Pirate Lord,
Ash
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