Future Is Wild: A Natural History of the Future by Dougal Dixon, John Adams

From the Publisher

Imagine the world in the far distant future -- a world without humans, a world so different from ours that, until now, it's been impossible to consider.

What creatures will roam the land or swim in the oceans? The Future Is Wild brings to life a world of amazing creatures and sets them loose in our imagination.

Based on fundamental biological and evolutionary principles, they could -- and may yet -- exist:

5 million years from now.

It cannot fly, but the carakiller is the Amazon's swiftest predator.

100 million years from now.

Toratons, descendents of tortoises, are the biggest animals ever to walk the Earth.

200 million years from now.

Warrior terabytes disable victims by spraying chemicals at them.

In five million years, Northern Europe and North America are covered by ice sheets. Only the hardiest, most adaptable species are able to survive. In 100 million years, Earth is a global hothouse, brimming with life. Another 100 million years and Earth is a single, huge supercontinent and one vast, warm ocean.

Using state-of-the-art computer animation, The Future Is Wild is able to transform the imagination into actual images, creating a living world of strange creatures and extraordinary habitats.

Publishers Weekly

In this clever and highly entertaining natural history of the future (and companion to the recent seven-part series on the Animal Planet cable channel), geologist and paleontologist Dixon and natural history television special-producer Adams imagine what life on Earth will be like over the next 200 million years. Using approximately 110 computer-generated illustrations of the planet's evolution, the authors fill this sprawling supercontinent, which they call Pangaea II, with amazing new creatures like the flying great blue windrunner, the oceanic sharkopath and the colossal forest-dwelling megasquid, which combines the body of an elephant with the tentacles of a squid and the face of Jabba the Hut from Star Wars. The creatures are presented with an amazing amount of detail; by imagining a living future, the authors, assisted by advisers in all areas of science, hope "to ensure that the plants and animals of our future worlds are viable, and could evolve from existing species in the time available." While some of the illustrations border on the cartoonish, the majority of them are quite realistic and will captivate the minds of children and young adults; the high quality of the research and writing in each provocative chapter clearly presents a great deal of scientific information in a way that will engage and challenge teenage and adult readers. (Jan.)

Paula Rohrlick - KLIATT

An intriguing blend of science and science fiction, this is the companion book to a spring 2003 Discovery Channel TV series of the same name. Based on principles of evolutionary biology and written with the help of a team of scientists, the text examines the patterns of evolution over time and projects into the future, imagining what life on Earth could be like. Using over 100 striking, colorful computer-generated images, it shows the planet 5 million years from now, in the throes of an ice age; 100 million years from now, when it is "a global hothouse," and 200 million years from now, when there is one huge super continent and a mass extinction has destroyed 95% of life on Earth. New creatures are profiled, such as the ocean flish, which has evolved true wings, and the elephant-sized megasquid. Imaginative and provocative, this will enliven biology classrooms as well as school and public libraries. Includes a glossary. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2003, Firefly, 160p. illus. maps. index.,

Amy Sisson <%ISBN%>1552977242 - VOYA

A companion to the Discovery Channel series of the same name, this title is a visual guidebook to possible far-future, posthuman ecosystems. With the help of several scientists, the authors have extrapolated specific species that theoretically could evolve from the few present-day creatures lucky enough to survive future mass extinction-including the environmental impact to which humankind currently contributes and accelerates. Written in plain yet not overly simplistic language, this book seems unusually suited to a wide range of ages, up to and including scientifically minded older teens. The contents include an introduction and three sections describing Earth as it might be 5 million, 100 million, and 200 million years from now. For each proposed future species-from "gannetwhales" (sea creatures evolved from birds) to a giant land-walking squid-the authors explain the biological processes that could give rise to such creatures. The computer-generated illustrations of the hypothetical species are gorgeous and detailed, often accompanied by photographs of the present-day "source" species, thus allowing the reader to make important visual comparisons. It seems that the clever, creative forces behind this work have a real chance of opening some young adults' eyes to the possibilities of science. The book is suitable for both public and school libraries, and some teachers might even consider incorporating it into their lesson plans. Because young adults likely will not know to ask for this unusual book, however, librarians should be prepared to make it known to their patrons. Glossary. Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Chronology. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any betterwritten; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Firefly, 160p,

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-Speculating on the future of our planet, this imaginatively illustrated volume, based on a television series of the same name, will challenge readers' knowledge of evolution, natural selection, and ecology. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Forewords & Introductions
• Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Forewords & Introductions

Introduction

Imagining the Future
by Professor R. McNeill Alexander

Professor R. McNeill Alexander is Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Leeds, UK. He is a specialist in biomechanics, the study of animal movement. He has provided invaluable help and advice on many aspects of the animals and habitats featured in The Future is Wild television series. Here, he talks about the scientific processes and methods which underpin this vision of the future.

The Future is Wild tells of eight-ton squids roaming the land in a world where all the continents have merged into a single, huge landmass. It tells of snails that hop like kangaroos, fish that fly like butterflies through forests, and birds with four wings. This future world may seem incredible, but it is firmly grounded in science.

Imagining the planet Earth five, 100 and 200 million years in the future is no easy task. In order to bring the habitats and creatures of tomorrow to life, the producers of The Future is Wild have worked closely with an international team of scientific advisers to ensure that everything that is presented is possible.

We began by imagining how Earth's continents might be distributed in the future. For this, we called on an earth scientist. By studying rock magnetism, earth scientists have discovered how, over the past several hundred million years, the continents have slowly moved, regrouped and crushed together to form mountain ranges. There have been no sudden changes of direction in these movements, and our consultant expects them to continue more or less as our future world maps show (see page 13). The position of landmasses and mountains alsodetermine the climates of the future. By studying the world maps, a climatologist was able to deduce the climates of our future habitats.

We have had advice from a great many biologists. Some are acknowledged experts on particular groups of organisms while others are known for their breadth of knowledge in fields such as ecology, biomechanics and physiology. But even with this fund of knowledge, we have to accept that our predictions, though rooted in science, will necessarily contain some conjecture. In our rich, diverse world, there are simply too many species interacting with each other and with their environments in subtle, complicated ways. The theory of chaos tells us that it is impossible to make reliable long-term predictions for highly complex systems.

Despite the difficulties involved, we have done our best to ensure that the plants and animals of our future world are viable, and could evolve from existing species in the time available. Our team of biologists has suggested man remarkable possibilities, such as the megasquid, a giant terrestrial squid living in the Northern Forest 200 million years from now. This animal is the result of detailed advice and calculations from an expert in squids and a specialist in biomechanics.

Our suggestions are based on certain assumptions. We have assumed that the plants and animals of the future will be made of similar materials to present-day plants and animals. For example, we have assumed that wood an bone will be as strong as present-day wood and bone, and that muscles will exert about the same force as present-day muscles of equal size. We have also assumed that the maximum rates of animal growth or photosynthesis in plants, will be no faster than at present. These assumption have been applied in numerous calculations, to check, for example, that a large land animal would be strong enough to support its own weight or that a flying animal could carry enough fat to fuel its journeys.

A few simple rules, based on observations of present-day animals, have helped us to work out what the lives of future animals would be like. One general rule states that an animal sixteen times heavier than a close relative will need about eight times more food each day and take about twice as long to grow to maturity. The large animals that we imagine might inhabit the world in the future have all been created with this in mind.

In the course of evolutionary history, several amazing patterns of change have occurred repeatedly. We can expect to see similar patterns in the future, in other groups of animals and plants. For example, birds, bats, insects and pterosaurs have all, separately, evolved the ability to fly. Amphibians, lungfishes, land snails, crabs and insects have evolved the ability to breathe air instead of water. Ostriches and certain salamanders have evolved to become sexually mature while retaining juvenile characteristics - with its fluffy feathers and rudimentary wings, an ostrich resembles an overgrown chicken. Aphids, water fleas and rotifers all reproduce by parthenogenesis, or virgin birth. In creating the plants and animals of tomorrow, we have used our knowledge of the past to help us imagine the future.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Imagining the Future by Professor R. McNeill Alexander

Professor R. McNeill Alexander is Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Leeds, UK. He is a specialist in biomechanics, the study of animal movement. He has provided invaluable help and advice on many aspects of the animals and habitats featured in The Future is Wild television series. Here, he talks about the scientific processes and methods which underpin this vision of the future.

The Future is Wild tells of eight-ton squids roaming the land in a world where all the continents have merged into a single, huge landmass. It tells of snails that hop like kangaroos, fish that fly like butterflies through forests, and birds with four wings. This future world may seem incredible, but it is firmly grounded in science.

Imagining the planet Earth five, 100 and 200 million years in the future is no easy task. In order to bring the habitats and creatures of tomorrow to life, the producers of The Future is Wild have worked closely with an international team of scientific advisers to ensure that everything that is presented is possible.

We began by imagining how Earth’s continents might be distributed in the future. For this, we called on an earth scientist. By studying rock magnetism, earth scientists have discovered how, over the past several hundred million years, the continents have slowly moved, regrouped and crushed together to form mountain ranges. There have been no sudden changes of direction in these movements, and our consultant expects them to continue more or less as our future world maps show (see page 13). The position of landmasses and mountains also determine the climates of the future. By studying the world maps, a climatologist was able to deduce the climates of our future habitats.

We have had advice from a great many biologists. Some are acknowledged experts on particular groups of organisms while others are known for their breadth of knowledge in fields such as ecology, biomechanics and physiology. But even with this fund of knowledge, we have to accept that our predictions, though rooted in science, will necessarily contain some conjecture. In our rich, diverse world, there are simply too many species interacting with each other and with their environments in subtle, complicated ways. The theory of chaos tells us that it is impossible to make reliable long-term predictions for highly complex systems.

Despite the difficulties involved, we have done our best to ensure that the plants and animals of our future world are viable, and could evolve from existing species in the time available. Our team of biologists has suggested man remarkable possibilities, such as the megasquid, a giant terrestrial squid living in the Northern Forest 200 million years from now. This animal is the result of detailed advice and calculations from an expert in squids and a specialist in biomechanics.

Our suggestions are based on certain assumptions. We have assumed that the plants and animals of the future will be made of similar materials to present-day plants and animals. For example, we have assumed that wood an bone will be as strong as present-day wood and bone, and that muscles will exert about the same force as present-day muscles of equal size. We have also assumed that the maximum rates of animal growth or photosynthesis in plants, will be no faster than at present. These assumption have been applied in numerous calculations, to check, for example, that a large land animal would be strong enough to support its own weight or that a flying animal could carry enough fat to fuel its journeys.

A few simple rules, based on observations of present-day animals, have helped us to work out what the lives of future animals would be like. One general rule states that an animal sixteen times heavier than a close relative will need about eight times more food each day and take about twice as long to grow to maturity. The large animals that we imagine might inhabit the world in the future have all been created with this in mind.

In the course of evolutionary history, several amazing patterns of change have occurred repeatedly. We can expect to see similar patterns in the future, in other groups of animals and plants. For example, birds, bats, insects and pterosaurs have all, separately, evolved the ability to fly. Amphibians, lungfishes, land snails, crabs and insects have evolved the ability to breathe air instead of water. Ostriches and certain salamanders have evolved to become sexually mature while retaining juvenile characteristics - with its fluffy feathers and rudimentary wings, an ostrich resembles an overgrown chicken. Aphids, water fleas and rotifers all reproduce by parthenogenesis, or virgin birth. In creating the plants and animals of tomorrow, we have used our knowledge of the past to help us imagine the future.