# Creatures of the Future **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 27, 2002, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138 "2002-12-27T10:41:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fauxpas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e480ec/32.png) [@fauxpas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fauxpas)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/1 "2002-12-27T10:41:34Z")
Would it possible for certain mutations upon normal creatures of today in the future? ---
**Author:** ![RobertTB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@RobertTB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobertTB)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/2 "2002-12-27T10:44:44Z")
I’ll tell you New Year’s Day, when I watch the special on Animal Planet 😉 ---
**Author:** ![fauxpas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e480ec/32.png) [@fauxpas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fauxpas)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/3 "2002-12-27T10:47:27Z")
HEY! lol I sort of got the question from that as well… ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/4 "2002-12-27T10:51:25Z")
**Fauxpas** , I don’t quite follow your original post. ---
**Author:** ![RobertTB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@RobertTB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobertTB)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/5 "2002-12-27T10:57:48Z")
If I may… Animal Planet is going to have an hour or two special on New Years day, showing what life on Earth will be like in 200 million years. Glowing sharks, massive slugs, etc. I believe the OP was wondering if…er…I dunno. But the special looks good! ---
**Author:** ![SmileyDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SmileyDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmileyDeath)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/6 "2002-12-27T10:57:55Z")
Kill this thread before it spawns again! AHHHH! It’s attacking my face! ---
**Author:** ![Azael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@Azael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azael)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/7 "2002-12-27T16:08:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Would it possible for certain mutations upon normal creatures of today in the future? \*\* Yeah right, and men will walk on the moon. (We have been using induced mutations for a looooong time now) ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/8 "2002-12-27T16:10:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RobertTB \* > \*\*If I may… > > Animal Planet is going to have an hour or two special on New Years day, showing what life on Earth will be like in 200 million years. Glowing sharks, massive slugs, etc. > > I believe the OP was wondering if…er…I dunno. But the special looks good! \*\* That does sound cool…when is it on? ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/9 "2002-12-27T16:18:04Z")
January 1st, 8 PM. I’ma be _glued_ to the set, I can tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/10 "2002-12-27T16:37:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RobertTB \* > \*\*If I may… > > Animal Planet is going to have an hour or two special on New Years day, showing what life on Earth will be like in 200 million years. Glowing sharks, massive slugs, etc.\*\* What life _might_ be like, not “will”. It is impossible to predict what life in the distant (geologically speaking) future will look like, as there is no directionality to evolution. ---
**Author:** ![SmileyDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SmileyDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmileyDeath)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/11 "2002-12-27T16:44:38Z")
What is a finch? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/12 "2002-12-27T16:54:11Z")
_Re: Finches_ > [@](#): > > Finch = any of numerous songbirds having a short stout usually conical bill adapted for crushing seeds. Definition from [here](http://www.finches.org/). Darwin’s Finches are one of the early proofs of evolution, being a wide variety of birds in the Galapagos, all descended (and showing evidence of having done so) from an immigrant group of finches. _Re: the OP:_ Recommended reading is Dougal Dixon’s book [\*After Man](http://hallanimals.com/biological_sciences/243.shtml)\*, a supposed future natural history of how animals evolved in the 50 million years or so after man became extinct. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/13 "2002-12-27T17:22:07Z")
Here’s **Polycarp** ’s link to Dixon’s book, corrected: [_After Man_](http://hallanimals.com/biological_sciences/243.shtml). ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/14 "2002-12-27T17:27:43Z")
I was hoping, **DF** , that a wandering Mod. would happen along and fix my spasticated link to the Finches page, which would make the link to the Dixon book site OK. But thanks for posting the corrected link. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/15 "2002-12-27T17:41:55Z")
I’m certainly looking forward to the Animal Planet special myself. I’m curious as to why they seem to think future evolution will favor gigantism, especially in land animals. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/16 "2002-12-27T17:59:41Z")
Big nasty future animals make better TV than tiny bug-eating future sticky-toed geckos. Quite simple, really. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/17 "2002-12-27T18:09:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Big nasty future animals make better TV than tiny bug-eating future sticky-toed geckos. Quite simple, really. Unless you’re selling auto insurance… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/18 "2002-12-27T18:13:42Z")
You kidding? I’d totally watch commercials where the futuristic parrot that’s now the size of a moa bites someone’s leg off and says “_Now_ you’re saving 15%, aint’cha?!” ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/19 "2002-12-27T18:58:46Z")
**Moderator’s Note:** Is there a debate here? If so, could someone please tell me what it’s about? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138/20 "2002-12-27T19:06:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > \*\ ***Moderator’s Note:** Is there a debate here? If so, could someone please tell me what it’s about? \*\* Possibly the OP made a little fox paw. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creatures-of-the-future/145138.md?page=2)