Nova+Carpere

**NOVA CARPERE.** << Cyprinus Carpio (Modern Animal)
 * Cheryl Au**

This personal interpretation of the future animal is In many ways, very much similar to the Common Carp that lived approximately 100 million years before. Latinmeaning “new carp”, the Nova Carpere (//Piscibus stagnum//) is of the same family as the Common carp and therefore ha s inherited many of the carp’s features.

Here, the adaptations of the Nova Carpere will be explored along with the environmental pressures that would have caused it to evolve from the Carp to its form 100 million years later.

HABITAT.
The population of Nova Carpere is mainly centered around North America and the Northern parts of the Asia pacific 100 million years later. (Fig.01). They are found in large inland lakes that tend to have small rivers branching in and out from the central lake. This gives the Nova Carpere a larger hunting and breeding ground.

The lake is most likely to have high amounts of aquatic plants which would also be the habitat of other freshwater species. These other freshwater fish species will become the prey of the Nova Carpere such as the. However the aquatic plants do provide the Nova Carpere with a source of food, if there are no other food available at the time, as the Nova Carpere is Omnivorous like the __Manafish__.

The Nova Carpere also inhabits lakes in which a sandy water bed or a on shore beach is available, as the beach will provide the Nova Carpere a save place to spawn as well as an area which is hidden and easily protected place so that the eggs will not be in danger of other predators. The water will be murky and have high amounts of sediments, this is so that the Nova Carpere can hide and camouflage themselves before surprising their prey and attacking them.

//Source:// //http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/images/figure06_01.gif// ||
 * [[image:kkk.png width="640" height="315"]] ||
 * **RED** ﻿**represents the areas the Nova Carpere are found** ||
 * > **Fig.01: Carp habitat**

The temperature, 100 million years later is expected to peak at around 40 to 45 degrees after a long period of cold climate. The Nova Carpere would be able to survive in almost any condition but it would prefer water temperatures of rougly 30 degrees and will begin spawing at 26 degrees. The atmosphere would be foggy and hot and lacking in colour, this is due to the climate of the period.

The Nova Carpere can survive in both freshwater and saltwater however they prefer freshwater but they have adapted to suit both environments. The Nova Carpere will only go into saltwater if their lives or the lives of their spawning are at risk. Similarly, the __Manatee__ can survive in both freshwater and saltwater.

//Source:// //http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/128702/530wm/C0065588-Dimetrodon,_artwork-SPL.jpg// || v
 * [[image:fsgsg.png width="720" height="360"]] ||
 * > **Fig.02: Nova Carpere habitat**

**ADAPTATIONS.** //Source (image):// //http://pokemon-pokedex.findthebest.com/sites/default/files/620/media/images/Remoraid.png// || = =  **1. Pointed Body** One particular of the Nova Carpere that has evolved from the Carp is that they no longer have an oval-shaped body but instead the Nova Carpere now has a more pointed body with the back end being more round shaped, almost like a pear.
 * [[image:gdsg.png width="481" height="370"]] ||
 * > **Fig. 03: Labeled Diagram of Nova Carpere**

With the pointed head, it allows the Nova Carpere to resist most of the water drag and helps it to swim faster as many of the animals 100 millions years later have evolved to become fast swimmers. In order to survive and catch prey to eat, the Nova Carpere must be a fast swimmer.

**2. Sharp canine-like teeth**

Unlike the Common Carp, the Nova Carpere has evolved back into an active predator much like the Cheirolepis. The top and bottom jaw of the Nova Carpere are lined with small sharp teeth as well as having two large canine teeth on each jaw that slightly resembles those of a wolf-fish and or a __coyote__ and most canines for that matter. With these features, the Nova Carpere can penetrate skin of their prey more easily and have a stronger grip on struggling prey. It also allows the Nova Carpere to digest their food better.

//Source:// //http://www.itsnature.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/wolf-fish.jpg// ||
 * [[image:fdsgg.png width="426" height="337"]] ||
 * **Similar to the Wolf-fish, jaw lined with small**
 * sharp teeth and canine-like ones** ||
 * > **Wolf-Fish**

As freshwater species of fishes 100 million years later have begun to dwindle, there is a constant need to fight for survival. Having these canine-like teeth not only protects the Nova Carpere from any oncoming danger such as from their predators but also allows them to more effectively catch their prey as having a source of food gives the Nova Carpere a better chance of survival.

**3. Split caudal fin**

Another adaptation in which the Nova Carpere has is that no longer do they have a single caudal fin but two. The tail fin, having split into two can propel the Nova Carpere forwards faster and at longer distances. The caudal fin’s propulsion is similar to the motion of a pair of scissors. As the caudal fin is split and moving in a scissors-like motion, there is a lesser need to move the tail as often. The Nova Carpere have evolved to “gliding” in water rather than swimming.

With this adaptation, the Nova Carpere has a higher chance of survival as the caudal fin propels them forwards at a faster speed and can therefore catch their preys more easily as well as swim away from their predators more swiftly.

**4. Crown-like feature (Crownia)**

The Nova Carpere have also developed a crown-like feature known as the crownia, on top of the head that is used to attract mates. As the female to male ration of the Nova Carpere is 10:1, the females use the crownia to attract the males to fertilsed their spawning. The male Nova Carpere can fertilise multiple spawnings within the reproduction period of three months every year.

The crownia has lead to the survival of the Nova Carpere as the males are now aware of the spawning made by the females and can fertilise the eggs before their predators locate them. The crownia allows for more spawning to takeso that the Nova Carpere population can be stablized and these new eggs can replace those that were killed.

**5. Upward turned mouths** The Nova Carpere has a upward turned mouth, a tremendous change from the Common Carp. Still a bottom dwelling species, it is an active predator that lurks in the dark of the water bed and waits till their prey is above them beforer lunging upwards to attack their prey. The upward turned mouths allow the hunting of prey to be an easier task but also it is more likely for the Nova Campere to injure their prey and have a better grip on them. //Source:// //http://www.costa-rica-fishing.info/fish-identification/images/tarpon.gif// ||
 * [[image:dsdfs.png width="224" height="350"]] ||
 * > **Example of an upward turned mouth**

This gives the Nova Carpere a better chance of survival as they can catch prey more effeciently and can allow them to digest their food better. By having enough to eat, they are more likely to survive as their sensory organs are more alert otherwise they could starve to death or be attacked by predators.

**ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURE.**

Environmental pressures that have caused the Nova Carpere to evolve into what it has become is due to the evolution of other aquatic freshwater species as well as the reducing numbers of freshwater fishes due to extinction. 100 million years from today, many aquatic species have evolved to become faster more flexible swimmers, in order to keep up with these changing species, the earlier forms of the Nova Carpere would have had to evolve so that they, in turn can survive and catch the, now faster, prey. These prey became faster swimmers so the Nova Carpere developed split caudal fins as well as a pointed body so that they could catch up with their prey. These prey also became more flexible and could easily struggle out of a predator’s mouth, therefore the Nova Carpere developed canine-like teeth to secure the prey in their mouths and reduce the risk of them swimming away. As many freshwater species became extinct due to insufficient breeding, the Nova Carpere developed the crown-like feature (Crownia) to attract their mates so that the Nova Carpere population can be sustained.

**SELECTION PRESSURE.**

As the amount of food available dwindles in the future will force the Nova Carpere to abandon hunting for prey and instead turn to aquatic plants for survival. Their pointed bodies as well as their razor-sharp canine teeth will gradually be unnecessary and will be lost during evolution. As the Nova Carpere begins to only feed on aquatic plants, they could become the prey of another freshwater predator. As these predators evolve to become more aggressive in their feeding, it could wipe out the entire population of Nova Carpere. This could lead to the extinction of the Nova Carpere as over time, there would not be enough Nova Carpere to continue reproducing and the Nova Carpere would be replaced by another species.

=BIBLIOGRAPHY. =

SpaceRip. (n.d.). YouTube - Earth 100 Million Years From Now ‏. //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGcDed4xVD4