The Gaming Den

If you could clone one extinct species, and bring them back Jurassic Park-style, which would it be and why?

T-Rex? Dodo birds? Those eight-ton manatees? Neanderthals?

Smilodon fatalus and Utahraptor, both for exactly the same reason.

I wish to ride one.

Well whoever got that wish most recently apparently used it on the Land Lobster

Hobbits to save us from the Dark Lord Sauron.

Nah. Some manner of ridiculously huge arthropod to keep in my house and fuel guest's nightmares. Perhaps a two-foot long scorpion.

A 12-meter crocodile might be fun to unleash upon the world in all its horrific over-sized glory.

I also concur with Prak_Anima's Utahraptor, as it's probably the closest thing to Jurassic Park velociraptors you will actually find.

DSMatticus wrote:I also concur with Prak_Anima's Utahraptor, as it's probably the closest thing to Jurassic Park velociraptors you will actually find.

Actually, that would be Deinonychus, closer in size to the JP velociraptors, and still a dromeaosaur. Also, apparently, they are considered velociraptors in some taxonomies, which Chricton actually was aware of. Huh.

They are, unfortunately, not large enough to ride.

Prak wrote:Actually, that would be Deinonychus, closer in size to the JP velociraptors, and still a dromeaosaur.

Everybody says that, but I don't buy it. Deinonychus stares you in the belly-button or the sternum, maybe. The Jurassic Park velociraptors can stare you in the eyes.

I think the utahraptor is a closer resemblance (a little too large) to what's in the Jurassic Park movies, even though it's taxonomically further.

Eh, fair. The biggest utahraptor discovered has a hip height equal to a man, which suggests that the average utahraptor was probably smaller.
note: the largest specimen ever described is closer in height to a horse, or comparable to a grizzly bear, wiki so helpfully points out.

Also, I would point out that they are possibly the best thing to have ever come out of Utah, and should I ever have necromantic powers, I want to raise all remaining utahraptor fossils and set them loose on the mormons.

Dire Wombats. My girlfriend would be so delighted.

(Alternatively, from a "useful" perspective, Shtella's Sea Cow, which upon discovery was described as being delicious and full of meat... yeah, extinction followed rapidly with a description like that. If brought back and farmed, that'd be kind of handy.)

"Discovered, giant marine mammal. Further examination determines them to be delicious and full of meat."

Yep. That's humans for you.

Stromatolite!

Several reasons for this.

First and foremost, an awesome name. Second, Out of most of the pre-cambrian explosion life forms, they always sounded coolest. Three, I just want giant faux-rocks on all beaches.

Prak_Anima wrote:"Discovered, giant marine mammal. Further examination determines them to be delicious and full of meat."

Yep. That's humans for you.

Oh, that's nothing compared to one species of giant turtle that:
A) Was not afraid of humans (had no natural predators in its area)
B) Was delicious and large
C) Contained basically fresh water

It took so long to give it a scientific name because people were too busy eating them. Even Darwin described them by taste, comparing them to beef, chicken, fish, lamb and butter, and saying how the turtle was better than all of them.

They're not extinct, but very endangered. I'm not sure if all species are that tasty, presumably more research is needed.

"Um, Chelonia..."
"Oh shut up with your Latin and just eat the damn thing!"

Koumei wrote:Oh, that's nothing compared to one species of giant turtle that:
A) Was not afraid of humans (had no natural predators in its area)
B) Was delicious and large
C) Contained basically fresh water

Going into D&D game. Totally going into D&D game. If I were in such a game, I'd learn how to [Call] them as soon as possible. And I'd just call them dinner, to be honest.

Cynic wrote:Stromatolite!

Ur, um they aren't actually extinct today.

Josh_Kablack wrote:

Cynic wrote:Stromatolite!

Ur, um they aren't actually extinct today.

Well... goal accomplished!

Most of my knowledge about evolution and extinct species has only come about quite recently. One from a sudden interest in evolution itself. I haven't gotten around to much reading on the subject so I'm still in the dark when it comes to knowing more than the very basic principles. The other way I've gotten most of my info has been from reading/watching books/shows about the subject with my kid.

Ahh, looking back at what I've been reading with my daughter, it looks like the Stromatolites came up before the pre-cambrian explosion. I just assumed that they also went extinct. I also assumed that the current Strromatolites were of a very different strain. I seem to have been quite wrong. Thank you for correcting me.

Does it have to be an animal?

Personally, I'd like to bring back that Mediterranean birth control weed. Get a biomechanical engineering lab to make it suitable for a wide variety of soils, get that shit spread around good and plenty around the planet.

Microraptors. Having a little bird/lizard thing as a pet sounds fun.

I'd want two: the first organism that endocytosed the precursor to the mitochondria, and the organism that was the precursor to the mitochondria. Since that was the start of all eukaryotic life on earth, I think it would be wicked fun to play with it.

Wouldn't a combination of revivals be the best way to go. A small population that introduces more Oxygen into the world, a small sample that brings in more CO2, and another that brings in some other vital component. If we can somehow bring about a group of species to life that could help against climate change (is this possible?) then that would be cool. Of course, I'm talking out of my ass since I don't even know if any such combination exists or if it's even feasible. Feasible in that if we resurrected them what would be the necessary next steps to create a stable environment to bring about the above combination.

Cynic wrote:Wouldn't a combination of revivals be the best way to go. A small population that introduces more Oxygen into the world, a small sample that brings in more CO2, and another that brings in some other vital component.

We have that already. you might have heard of them...

O2

CO2

"Free" nitrogen

I was just thinking of a new infusion of some sort is all.

I want me some mini mammoth

Blasted wrote:I want me some mini mammoth

This.

Cynic wrote:I was just thinking of a new infusion of some sort is all.

Honestly, if we start bringing back extinct species, it'll be through genetic engineering, and at that point we can just engineer bacteria that convert methane and CHCs into oxygen.

@Land Lobster, cool.

Me? I'd be bringing back about a million specimens at hundred generation intervals to trace back the evolution of man to earlier times. Technically, each should be the same species as a few either side of it, so it's kinda like one big species.

Not exactly a discovery, but it would totally mindfuck the fundies, which is always good.

Magrencules, an herb that Albertus Magnus claimed was an ingredient in Fire Resistance potions.