#epigene

Neomilvus pyromaniacus

In the time of humans, wildfires were prevalent in Australia. The dry conditions fueled the growth of massive fires. While these fires may have been started or exaggerated by human activity, humans were not the only species to influence fire spread. Several species of birds of prey were reported to spread fires into unburned areas, to prey on small animals attempting to escape. By ten million years in the future, these birds have taken the next step - they light the fires themselves.

Notopanthera ferox

In the time of humans, cats were a nuisance in Australia. Since 1820, over three million feral cats have come to populate the continent. Cats are extremely effective predators, and their spread has contributed to the extinction of at least 22 native mammal species. Even today, feral cats have begun to grow abnormally large, reaping the rewards of their success. Lax control programs have ensured their survival past the Holocene, and as time went on the cats became progressively larger and more ambitious.

Notocamelus latimeri


Dromedary camels were introduced to the continent of Australia in the time of humans. Originally imported for transport and construction, a large feral population quickly gained a foothold and grew rapidly. Although many culls were undertaken, the population failed to be exterminated from the continent. Ten million years in the future, the camels have now completely assimilated with the ecology of Australia.


Bos proximos

It does not take long in the future for new species to appear. In some cases, this is the result of hybrid speciation. In the wake of humanity, some of the millions of cattle that were domesticated across the continent of North America managed to successfully integrate back into the wild. These were primarily hardier breeds such as Texas Longhorn. By one million years in the future, these have intermixed with surviving populations of American bison.

Agelaius congregator

Some birds have done better than others in the immediate wake of humanity. A few species of new world blackbirds, particularly red-winged blackbirds, have done amazingly well. Their omnivorous diet, large population size, flexible habitat preference, and ability to live in close proximity to humans has ensured their survival. One million years in the future, they are still highly abundant throughout the Americas.

Canis vulgaris

Feral dogs were common on the continent of North America even before the extinction of humans. As the remains of their civilization slowly disappeared, the most adaptable of these dogs returned to wild settings. They soon came into contact with coyotes, which had thrived during the reign of humanity. By one million years in the future, North American feral dogs have been absorbed into coyote populations, resulting in a new hybrid species.

We begin our journey one million years in the future. Humans are long gone from the planet, but while they have left little evidence of their existence on the surface, their legacy is still felt. Although temperatures have started to decline after the disappearance of humans and coincident decrease in carbon outgassing, North America is still warmer than it was in the Holocene. Now, the central United States, such as South Dakota is covered by alternating grasslands and deciduous forests.

The native North American megafauna from the Holocene are all but extinct; now, the main inhabitants are descendants of creatures that lived alongside humans. Herbivorous animals that have survived from the Holocene include rabbits, wild horses, and deer. A new face is a descendant of domesticated cattle from more southern regions. The region's predators are descended from coyotes and feral dogs and cats. In the trees live squirrels, rats, crows, pigeons, sparrows, and blackbirds.

Inhabitants of the South Dakotan Forest include:

Beefalo

Coydog

Eustolas sp.

The new apex predator of the Hawaiian islands, Eustolas can grow up to 1.2 meters in height. It is too large to fly, but is an adept terrestrial predator.  Unusually for an owl, its feathers have a greenish hue to them. It is randomly active through the day and night, preying on wharf rats, birds, notters, and carrion washed onto the shore. Eustolas mates for life unless one partner dies, and usually nests in higher grounds away from shore.