Biological Conservation through Isolation
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## Overview This mechanic explains the survival of extinct species on the plateau. Due to the physical barriers of the basaltic cliffs, the "ordinary laws of Nature" regarding extinction and evolution are altered. ## Mechanics and Rules * **Neutralized Checks**: The various environmental and predatory checks that influence the struggle for existence in the wider world are neutralized or altered within this closed system. * **Artificial Conservation**: Species that would have otherwise disappeared due to competition or environmental changes are "artificially conserved" by the accidental conditions of the plateau's elevation. * **Contemporary Ancestors**: Challenger describes these creatures as "contemporary ancestors," implying they are living links to the prehistoric past that have maintained their "hideous and formidable characteristics." ## Examples from the Story * **Iguanodons**: The expedition observed a family of five Iguanodons (two adults and three young) in a glade. These creatures, described as "monstrous kangaroos" twenty feet in length with slate-colored lizard skin, survived because the lush conditions of the plateau never changed. * **Pterodactyl Rookery**: A volcanic blow-hole on the plateau serves as a communal nesting ground for hundreds of pterodactyls, proving they lived in gregarious fashion similar to modern penguins. ## Narrative Significance This principle provides the scientific rationale for the story's central conceit, moving the plot from mere fantasy into the realm of speculative evolutionary biology.
Category
Reality Layers
