Deadline: October 15, 2007

Hello and welcome to the first The Future is Deviant competition. The Future is Deviant is a competition involving specualtive biology, or hypothetical evolution. These will be held at random dates, not annually or monthly or weekly as such.

For this first competition you are to create an illustration of one species in its natural habitat. The species should live in a future earth set at about 25 million years hence. In the description there should be an ancestor indicated and data concerning the size and appearance, behavior, range and habitat, and the diet and ecosystem roles. All submissions must be sent to be through devArt's note system which I would think most of you would know what it is.

Submissions will be judged based on creativity, scientific basis, descriptiveness, and, not quite as much but still, on artistic appeal.

Just to verify here is a samply description (please note it is not a creation of mine just an example for the purpose of giving an example):

Species: Ostrichornis giganticus

Appearance The giant ostrich is about 12 feet tall and weighs 800-900 pounds. It has a long neck and large body accompanied by strong muscular legs that are used for defense. This species has no feathers on its head and neck and the rest of its body is covered in brown or gold feathers that help it blend in.

Behavior This ostrich is highly defensive but not habitually agressive. Males do fight during the mating season but confrontation is rare in this species. Ostriches guard their young but usually give them some kind of independence. Like their ancestor the ostrich, only the alpha pair in a territory actually care for the young, the other females have no part in the raising of their own chicks. These ostriches are obviously flightless so they make their nests on the ground. Most of their time is spent looking for food or caring for young.

Habitat It lives in the savannas and plains of east Africa. Its range is limited to parts where there is sufficient rain since it is such a large animal. A relative, the tiny ostrich, lives in the forest nearby but the ranges of the two species do not overlap.

Diet and Predation This large bird eats grass and fallen leaves. Sometimes they will eat fruit and seeds and even insects and spiders. The giant ostrich has few predators although the young can be killed and eaten by the killer cat and wolf crocodiles.