Predator and Prey In the South African Rainforests

A Stridling interrupts a courtship between 2 pluplets, in the midst of a clearing. Naturally, they head for the trees. The female, however, will shortly become food for the Stridling, as it is catching up quickly. 

 126 myh, in the last days of the Cenozoic, in what was once the southern areas of Africa,  there’s a tropical rainforest. The  has moved north into the It could be compared to the Congo, with lowland forest covering the land, and countless rivers stretching everywhere. However, we see no apes or antelope, long gone to extinction. In their place, we see derived immigrants from Asia and Europe.


An example of this would be the Pluplets (Cephalochromus croccurrhus), which are the distant descendants of pigs. They are derived from the trisoplis, a group of pigs with an omnivorous diet a third claw, and a build like that of a mustelid, albeit larger. They spread thanks to their hardiness, with populations from the southernmost areas of Africa, to the coldest areas of what once was Canada. After the start of the Novinperous (74- 126), the expanded in their niches with the disappearance of several clades. In the dense forest habitat, they evolved a body with short legs, a long tail, and a fairly long, semicylindrical body. They are 3 feet long, and weigh about 140 pounds.

   Their most defining trait is the 2 symetrical ridges on a males snout, a case of convergance with the mandrill. In males, it is colored bright shades of red and yellow (Though a few species have blue and purple colorations), and is used as for display. Meanwhile, with females, they're a dull dark brown, and are useless.

They spend the duration of the day foraging in the undergrowth of the forest, using their claws to dig out anything to eat. They have a varied omnivorous diet, which includes nuts, fruits, roots, fresh shoots, insects, and small tetrapods. They have a pair of elongated canines which also help root out anything. When doing so, at least a few will stand as sentries, keeping wary for any predators. Although they are normally seen on the ground, they are also well adapted to moving through the trees. They usually use it as a means of escape from predators, but they will also rest in tree holes.

They are highly social animals, gathering in groups of over 100. They can also be noisy, making sounds ranging from barks to high-pitched screeches. When trying to find a mate, which can happen anytime, a male will flash around his ridges until he is successful. Females can have 2- 6 young, which ride around on their back before they can walk.


The apex predator of the region is the Speckled Stridling (Acutodontus austrabrevis) . Their build largely like that of the extinct saber-toothed cats, with short jaws and much more robust build. They even possess sheaths for the teeth, which are not part of the skeleton, but made from cartilage. They belong to a new family of carnivores derived from mustelidae. With the disappearance of several varieties of carnivores that appeared during the Ortugene (16- 74 myh), they took advantage of this open niche, evolving into larger and more powerful carnivores. The saber-canines emerged in the North, used to piece the thick fur of herbivores. They soon spread over all of Paritumal, and have since dominated many of the predatory niches. These mustelids first arrived in the South African rainforests 119 myh, and are fairly new to the forest’s ecosystem.

This is one of the smaller species, at only 5 feet long and 4.5 feet tall at the shoulder, which they evolved to maneuver easier through the forests. They are covered in darks spots and stripes, allowing them to blend in with the surrounding forest. They also possess larger ears than most other species, allowing them to cope with the hot and humid environment.

They can be found in environments other than rainforest, as they can live in more sparsely wooded areas, even occasionally grassland.
When hunting for prey, they usually stalk them through the rainforest, and then deliver a fatal bite to the neck. They are not especially fast, though they can on occasion reach speeds of around 20 mph. They feed on small to medium-sized herbivores, such as derived galliformes, suids, and procyonids. It is also not too uncommon for them to feed on carrion, or steal a meal from some other predator.

Males have vast territories, which usually contain several fertile females. Conflicts over territories usually consist of grunting and bluffing, though there is the occasional scratch or bite. Mating usually occurs during the Wet Season, and males have no further involvement with the young afterward. Females rear a litter of 3-5 young, colored in much darker spots to blend in with the forest floor. This eventually fades away as it enters adulthood.


Unfortunately, despite the impressive menagerie of mammals that have emerged over the 190 million years of the Cenozoic, sadly it all must come to an end at some point. This would come in the form of an asteroid, roughly 4 miles wide, ending the reign of the mammals. This would not be a total annihilation for them, but it would devastate them enough to put them out of power. Both of the previous varieties of mammal are far to specialized to survive an extinction event like this, and despite the pigs making it out, the plumplets will simply vanish with the Cenozoic.