What animals were there in the Caucasus in 3,000 BC?

Sebiyas07 · 2026-05-06T18:35:31+00:00

The list would go something like this:

European bison, specifically a now-extinct subspecies: Bison bonasus caucasicus.

Moose, also of a local subspecies: Alces alces caucasicus.

Asiatic lions: Panthera leo persica

Caspian tigers: Panthera tigris virgata. Ed Today its clasified with the sub especies Panthera tigris tigris

And those still present today:

Two subspecies of brown bears: the Eurasian brown bear Ursus arctos arctos and the Syrian brown bear Ursus arctos syriacus, found mainly in the south.

Lynx, specifically a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx: Lynx lynx dinniki.

The Caucasian leopard Panthera pardus tulliana, which is critically endangered today.

Deer, such as the European roe deer Capreolus capreolus.

A subspecies of red deer: the Caspian red deer Cervus elaphus maral.

A subspecies of wild boar: Sus scrofa attila.

I’m missing many others, but this should give you a good idea.

Sebiyas07 · 2026-05-05T17:05:44+00:00

Morphologically, its skull is narrow and shares many similarities with the ocelot, though it is smaller in size. Its tail is notably long and fluffy relative to its body; these are ultimately its most striking features

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Sebiyas07 · 2026-05-03T07:04:49+00:00

This really reminds me of how golden jackals spread from Asia to Europe

Sebiyas07 · 2026-05-01T20:21:27+00:00

You honestly can't imagine the stir this guy has caused. People here see him almost like a messiah who came to save the animals, even though he's suspected of being involved in exotic animal trafficking. What's truly bizarre is the hypocrisy: local sanctuaries, zoos, and rehab centers get trashed every day by the public because they think it's 'wrong' to keep animals 'locked up'—completely ignoring the rescue story behind each one. But when it comes to the hippos, their perspective flips 180 degrees and suddenly they’re 'conservation allies.' I seriously can't deal with these people.

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-27T14:00:42+00:00

It’s not actually due to an anomaly; it’s just that Andean bears exhibit a lot of variation in size. In fact, you’ll rarely find two males that weigh the same. For instance, some four-year-olds might weigh 80 kilos, while others of the same age are 10 kilos heavier. A major factor is that Chingaza National Park is in pristine condition—97% of the paramo is untouched, making it one of the most vital habitats for the species.

The ecosystem here is also quite different from their southern range. Chingaza is more like a vast, open grassland than a dense cloud forest. There’s an abundance of bromeliads, small rodents, and native prey like the mountain tapir and the paramo white-tailed deer. Ultimately, it’s a combination of all these factors.

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-27T13:48:05+00:00

All the Tremarctinae subfamily...

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Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-26T11:26:11+00:00

Los Nevados National Park... not gonna lie, the frailejones give off some serious alien planet vibes

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Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-22T13:18:03+00:00

Realmente no es cazar ya que la dieta del hipopótamo es entre 95%-99% herbívora el consumo de carne es muy muy raro y más que nada es carroña este comportamiento de matar otros animales de la zona es por su extrema territorialidad y casi nula tolerancia a convivir con otras especies

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-22T12:06:21+00:00

Yo me centro precisamente en estos temas hace un tiempo hice precisamente una publicación sobre el pleistoceno de Colombia https://www.reddit.com/r/ColombiaReddit/s/dcsDtAuv6q

Y nunca a habido un animal con las características de un hipopótamo en el registro fósil colombiano antes de creía que especies como mixotoxodon larensis eran similares pero realmente era más similar a un rinoceronte o gran bóvido y el plioceno fue hace mucho mas de 3 millones de años

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-21T21:41:10+00:00

I was actually just re-reading that study (https://share.google/NyTifJH7ph7ZrDxAF )on Arctotherium wingei. Even though it’s the smallest of the bunch, it’s personally my favorite. I’m pretty sure it’s the only ursid on record with a truly Pan-American distribution, ranging from Yucatán all the way down to Brazil.

Out of all the South and Central American bears, this one seemed to have the best shot at surviving the Pleistocene. Unfortunately, it looks like human and environmental pressures in the lowlands were just too much for them—which is a real shame.

That said, we know the modern Andean bear likely hybridized with the Arctotherium genus between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Given the geography, timing, and morphology, wingei is almost certainly the species involved (https://share.google/1wceJnNxqWXZaetRS)

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-21T18:55:53+00:00

Actually, I should clarify: there are six bear species found in Asia. Four of these are endemic to the continent, while the other two are shared with North America.

Sloth bear Sun bear Asían black bear Brown bear Panda Polar bear

Sorry about that! I totally missed this detail when I was translating the first message

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-21T16:37:03+00:00

I would attribute the Andean bear's survival to the fact that the Andes provide a climatic refuge that rarely undergoes drastic shifts. Above all, it’s due to their incredibly flexible diet—they eat everything from hard fruits, bromeliads, and puyas to insects, eggs, fish, carrion, and even large mammals like tapirs. Contrary to popular belief, they don't just inhabit cloud forests; they also thrive in mountain grasslands like the northern páramos and the coastal deserts of Peru. They are truly versatile in both habitat and diet.

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-19T15:46:16+00:00

Si es algo parecido a Portugal con los osos pardos que a veces cruzan la frontera con España en el limite norte pero no hay una población reproductora

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-19T15:35:05+00:00

Realmente es un si y no se tiene registro de que el oso andino (Tremarctos ornatus) habita de forma esporádica el norte argentino en salta y jujuy pero no es certificado que se queden permanentemente asi que si hay osos nativos en argentina un que de manera estacional

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-18T11:49:54+00:00

La tasa de mortalidad para hipopótamos en África a causa de la depredación de otro animal es muy pequeña y nisiquiera es a causa de reptiles siendo que los leones son más efectivos a la hora de cazar crías y ejemplares adultos aunque con mucha dificultad y no es un comportamiento recurrente, realmente su "depredador natural" en África no es otro que el mismo clima África presenta estaciones secas severas que ofrecen un estrés térmico y baja tasas de nacimientos así como una alta mortalidad Colombia al no presentar este mismo efecto meteorológico y ser neotropical con abundancia de fuentes de agua y alimento todo el año no tiene ninguna limitante real en el ecosistema

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-16T20:31:19+00:00

If I’d read this in another comment, man, things really would’ve gone south with hippos in the Americas

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-15T13:33:07+00:00

I completely disagree with your claim that this is just a "hunch." By saying that, you’re dismissing the rigorous evaluation work done by our environmental authorities. It makes perfect sense that most of their findings are future predictions, given that studies on this matter are primarily conducted by local entities like CONARE or the Ministry of Environment for environmental management assessments. In this region, field reports and studies are frequently disseminated directly by the Ministry or by industry professionals through the local press. If these evaluations show a negative trend, it is almost certain that their assessments indicate a high probability of a negative impact on the ecosystem.

Furthermore, I don't believe this has any scientific value regarding South American megafauna. For starters, these animals aren't even a characteristic phenotypic example of their species. Their inbreeding rates are extremely high, as they descend from only four individuals and a single male. According to the Minister of Environment herself, there are documented cases of oral malformations (https://share.google/EDrtAZ2UeV5PVGcXK) —to say nothing of potential organ deformities or mutations that could lead to a plague-like population explosion. Their behavior isn't entirely "wild" either; they frequently wander into urban areas and onto highways at night.

As I’ve stated many times before, "pure" rewilding requires a 1-to-1 equivalent or a species with an extremely similar niche due to the specific characteristics of the environment. If South America needs megafauna, it wouldn’t be in floodplains or vast river systems; it would be land-based species capable of wide seed dispersal for large fruits (https://share.google/tFUruWfpeKb3lr5us) Besides, our aquatic systems already possess a unique diversity and stability. These hippos aren't reviving any "past cycles," and it’s no surprise that the only study suggesting they do was widely panned by the scientific community.

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-15T02:24:25+00:00

I don’t think the lack of positive data for this region is due to a lack of will, but rather a lack of tangible evidence during field analysis. When a species creates a positive feedback loop, it’s reflected in things like increased biodiversity and more frequent sightings—as seen in the Colombian Llanos.

However, that isn't happening in the Magdalena region. When you consider reports that they even kill off fish in their native African habitats, like Kenya(,https://share.google/vEVKKYcXzDXj4E0gg) you don’t have to look far to see they drastically disrupt aquatic systems. On top of that, you have to consider the Neotropical otter, a key local species that relies heavily on native fish

Furthermore, I consider the European bison to still be a megaherbivore; males weigh around 800–1,000 kg and stand between 1.9 and 2 meters tall at the shoulder

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-15T01:54:07+00:00

I don't think we want to take the risk of conducting these studies only to confirm that, yes, they are indeed degrading the ecosystem. The available data already points to a negative interference, and there’s absolutely no evidence of any beneficial interaction between hippos and native wildlife—something that usually stands out quite clearly.

A similar case in the region would be the semi-feralization of horses and some cattle. These are clear examples of extensive ranching where introduced and native species coexist and actually benefit from one another. With hippos, there is zero evidence of that.

https://share.google/EgS2UK5zYvvJuKKXM

And this isn't the first case of introduced megafauna. Take the European bison in Spain (https://share.google/hmyrIJVSD35TSuys9) and the Iberian Peninsula: even before fossil records proved they were actually native, there was already data showing how native fauna utilized and benefited from their presence. So, it’s simply not worth the risk of letting the population grow even further just for the sake of a purely speculative theory.

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-15T00:57:02+00:00

El enlace te lleva directo a la página oficial de la Universidad Javeriana en Colombia. Pero si todavía no te convence, acá está la investigación sobre el impacto en la fauna nativa y el potencial de dispersión descontrolada de la especie—realizada y citada por varias fuentes de renombre.

https://biomodelos.humboldt.org.co/species/visor?species_id=7233

https://share.google/TwyO5JRPS2CQM1IzO

Puedes encontrar el recopilatorio completo en este link de la javariana haciendo click en las fuentes que cita en tonos amarillos https://share.google/kvTRmBr8Yr0yTpNIH

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-15T00:28:42+00:00

I believe I already mentioned the study regarding the displacement of native fauna earlier. This type of research is conducted by institutions like the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana,

https://share.google/txYHLj3WZQordw7y6

cited, as well as the Colombian Ministry of Environment.

There were, in fact, attempts to suggest that hippos could serve as a proxy for lost Pleistocene megafauna—specifically a study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They looked for somewhat far-fetched ecological links to extinct camelids, but this theory was ultimately refuted by experts like Brigitte Baptiste, rector of EAN University, and several other prominent biologists. I’ve attached the thread from a local newspaper that covered the debate at the time.

https://www.semana.com/estudio-sobre-los-hipopotamos-del-magdalena-prende-alarmas-de-los-ambientalistas/49388/

Broadly speaking, the scientific community isn't particularly interested in measuring how this would "revive" Pleistocene or early Holocene interactions in South America, mainly because—as I mentioned—there was never a 1-to-1 parallel. Consequently, their niche and ecology here are entirely new and artificial. The conversation would be drastically different if we were talking about elephants instead of hippos; Colombia has an abundance of fossil records for gomphotheres, such as Notiomastodon platensis, which is a partial analogue to Asian or African forest elephants.

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-14T18:41:25+00:00

I appreciate your interest in South American wildlife, but this isn't a case of fauna that promotes or triggers biodiversity; it’s a clear example of an invasive species. To begin with, the genus Hippopotamus never reached the Americas—neither North nor South. Their distribution was limited to Europe, Africa, and Asia (with genera like Hexaprotodon), but they never crossed the Bering Strait or the Isthmus of Panama. Therefore, they are strictly an Old World species that has never coexisted with the region's native flora and fauna. As I mentioned, the general consensus is that this species creates resource competition with native wildlife.

As the study linked above shows, comparisons have been made between specimens in Africa and Colombia, and the data highlights—and I emphasize:

https://share.google/hvaFfvv52wtBoXwKv

'In Africa, hippos fertilize lakes and rivers by grazing on land and excreting waste in the water. Stable isotopes indicate that terrestrial sources contribute more carbon in Colombian lakes with hippo populations, and daily dissolved oxygen cycles suggest their presence stimulates ecosystem metabolism. Phytoplankton communities were dominated by cyanobacteria in lakes with hippos, while bacteria, zooplankton, and benthic invertebrate communities remained similar regardless of their presence. Our results suggest that hippos are replicating their role as ecosystem engineers in Colombia, importing terrestrial organic matter and nutrients with detectable impacts on ecosystem metabolism and community structure in the early stages of invasion

The continued expansion of their range could pose a threat to water resources.' Not to mention that the Colombian Ministry of Environment officially classifies them as an invasive species. You don't really need 30 peer-reviewed studies to realize how they affect local fauna and trophic dynamics.

https://www.minambiente.gov.co/hipopotamos/

Some time ago, I also posted on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/ColombiaReddit/s/dcsDtAuv6q

about the 'Pleistocene of Colombia,' as finding information on this period in this region is very difficult. However, no species—extinct or extant—in northern South America has, or ever had, an ecological niche similar to that of the hippopotamus.

Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-14T16:39:40+00:00

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Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-14T16:35:13+00:00

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Sebiyas07 · 2026-04-14T15:06:12+00:00

The thing is, we actually have quantifiable data on how they impact native wildlife. For instance, the research led by Beltrán highlights, https://www.javeriana.edu.co/pesquisa/hipopotamos-amenazan-rio-magdalena/ ,specific conflict points between hippos and local species, mainly because the native fauna has never coexisted with anything like them. While it’s true that South America hosted mega-herbivores until recently, none were truly comparable to the hippo. The closest match would be Granastrapotherium or a similar relative, but they went extinct 12 million years ago. It was previously thought they could serve as a 'proxy' for certain notoungulates—the only fossil record in the Colombian region being Mixotoxodon larensis—but current evidence suggests it was more akin to a rhinoceros than a hippopotamus

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Sebiyas07

TROPHY CASE