Dinosaurs are a very diverse group of animals that lived during a long span on Earth's history. Their common points and usage is considered here.
| Class: | Real Animals to Fabulous Beasts |
Dinosaurs are a very diverse group of animals that lived during a long span on Earth's history. Their common points and usage is considered here.
Dinosaurs in their original forms may be encountered by time travelers adventuring through appropriate periods of Earth's history, or they may be encountered where ancient DNA has been cloned to populate future zoos, as in Jurassic Park. Escapees from such parks may be encountered in Gamma World scenarios, possibly in mutated forms.
Divergent descendants of the original dinosaur species may be discovered by explorers discovering relict pockets in hidden corners of contemporary Earth, by cross-time travelers who visit versions of Earth where dinosaurs continue to live through contemporary times, or by star-farers going to worlds colonized by intelligent Saurian Folk before they went extinct on Earth. These may be surprisingly different from the original dinosaurs from which they are descended.
SEE "The New Dinosaurs: an Alternative Evolution" by Dougal Dixon for a plethora of fine examples of how dinosaurs might have continued to evolve realistically.
Dinosaur analogs, often wildly divergent from their base model dinosaurs, may be discovered on distant worlds. Living sculptures based on dinosaur genes will be far more divergent.
Fantasy worlds also may have creatures based on dinosaur models. Some adventurers may find the presence of dinosaurs in a fantasy setting a disconcerting clash of genres; making the new creature less obviously dinosaur-based may diminish this discordance. Change the name to something more appropriate to the local culture. Reupholster the creature with feathers well-camouflaged, parrot-brilliant or fur of hair or flame, or segmented plates of rivet-studded bronze - whatever suits the setting. Modify the form; elongate or shorten the limbs, or modify or add a feature, such as hooves or electro-shock or regeneration organs. By the time this is done, the resulting creature may bear little resemblance to the dinosaur on which it is based - which is the whole point.
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