STL Science Center

STL Science Center

30 September 2013

Movies Abandon Us

Hesperocyon does not have any starring roles in movies or documentaries. That is fairly sad considering the fact that Hesperocyon is the first of the canid lineage and a linking transitional form between the the linked canid-felid forms of Miacids and the canid lineage post splitting of the two lineages. Miacids, remember, were arboreal carnivores that hunted in the trees that they lived in. Potentially Miacids could hunt terrestrially as well, but the general life history of the family in the trees is what is known. Hesperocyon is a terrestrial hunter; having lost the arboreal nature of their ancestors and being a great deal better suited to life on the ground. We could certainly have animations of Hesperocyon hunting on the ground as a novel adaptation of the canine lineage. Felines, in opposition, retained the ancestral habit of living and hunting from trees, at least partially, making the hunting of Hesperocyon even more interesting. I am sad we cannot watch an animation of this in the works. Instead, here is an illustration of Hesperocyon hunting (no copyright issues today, just check out the link)!

No comments:

Post a Comment