Appendix F: Experiment 1 Study Sheet

The study outline was displayed on the computer, which also tracked and displayed the elapsed time. After the study session, the computer closed the study outline automatically and started the next task.

Figure A 10. Screenshot of the interface with the instructions for the task for the study session in Experiment 1.

Cyrus Wildlife

In 1993, scientists at NASA received their first communication with life forms in a distant solar system on a planet called Cyrus. The next transmission from the Cyrans will be received by the NASA scientists shortly, as it takes a full 10 years for each communication exchange.

The Cyrans are a friendly race of intelligent beings and have agreed to participate in a scientist exchange program so that we may each learn about life on the others’ planet. The following descriptions of some of the animals (extinct, endangered, and populous) were received during our first communication with the Cyrans 10 years ago.

1.         Extinct Wildlife

• Cyrans classify a species of animals as extinct if they cannot locate a single specimen.

1.1.      Herding Animals

• Many of the herding animals on Cyrus resemble the herds of goats and deer on Earth.

• All Cyrus herding animals are marsupials; the females give birth to very young embryos which continue their development in their mothers’ permanent pouch.

1.1.1.   Desert Rabbuck

• The desert rabbuck was about the size of an Earth sheep.

• It developed several characteristic features which allowed it to cope with the hot, dry environment in which it lived.

• This species went into extinction after a few unusually dry desert years.

1.1.2.   Helmet Horn

• The helmet horn was a small variety of herding animal found on grassy, mountain slopes.

• They preferred to remain higher up on the mountains where there were fewer predators.

• This species was made extinct by hunters seeking the valuable horns.

1.2.      Birds

• The variety of bird species on Cyrus is as diverse as that on Earth.

• The air on Cyrus is slightly lighter than that on Earth, so aviaries are able to fly even though their bone structure tends to be somewhat heavier than that of Earth birds.

1.2.1.   Flower-Faced Patoo

• The interior of the flower-face patoo’s beak was colored and patterned like the petals of a flower, so that when its mouth was open it looked exactly like an open alpine bloom.

• This elaborate mimicry deceived insects and provided the patoo with a meal by merely opening its mouth.

• This species was made extinct by a disease-carrying bug that fed almost exclusively bird blood.

1.2.2.   Needle-Nose Whistler

• This insect eater had a long, sharp bill, which allowed the needle-nose to penetrate bark and forage for insects.

• By lowering its head and resting a set if whiskers against a tree, the needle-nose were capable of feeling even the slightest movement of insects beneath the bark.

• This species was made extinct by a disease-carrying bug that fed exclusively on birds.

1.3.      Meat Eaters

• Because Cyrans do not kill animals for food, the planet’s natural predators serve to control the population of many plant-eating species.

• Meat eaters on planet Cyrus, then, are vitally important to the balance of the planet’s ecosystems and, consequently, to the Cyrans

1.3.1.   Shurrack

• One of the deadliest predators ever found on Cyrus was the shurrack.

• They hunted in packs, using very sophisticated strategies.

• It is unknown why this species went extinct.

1.3.2.   Rubber Belly Snake

• The rubber belly snake hibernated all year and awakened only for about a month at the start of the desert rainy season

• A typical adult could unhinge its jaw to eat an animal as large as an Earth cow, and the rubbery stomach of the snake could expand to an enormous size in order to accommodate such a huge meal.

• This species went into extinction after a few unusually dry desert years killed off its prey.

2.         Endangered Wildlife

• Cyrans classify a species of animals as endangered if they can only locate between 1 and 200 specimens.

2.1.      Herding Animals

• See section 1.1.

2.1.1.   Fat Tail

• The most unusual herding animal, the fat tail, may reach sizes of up to eight feet from nose to tail.

• The fatty tail is a store of both water and food that enables the herd to go for long periods of time without eating or drinking.

• This species became endangered after a few unusually dry desert years.

2.1.2.   Snow Rabbuck

• The snow rabbuck has a starkly different appearance from that of the other rabbucks.

• Wooly and course in texture, their coats help to keep the animals warm.

• This species was made endangered by hunters seeking these valuable furs.

2.2.      Birds

• See section 1.2.

2.2.1.   Hawk Whistler

• The hawk feeds primarily on rodents; it circles the forest until it spots its prey, swoops down, and carries it off.

• The aggressive male provides protection from predators, as well as defending his family against rivals.

• This social order creates makes it difficult to bring the species out of endangerment, since only a few females can be found.

2.2.2.   Long-Plumed Quail

• The long-plumed quail survives on insects, as well as the rare seeds and plant matter found in the desert.

• The characteristic feathers sported by the male of the species are used to attract females during the courting rituals.

• In unusually dry years, no breeding takes place so the females lay no eggs. This is thought to be the reason why this species became endangered.

2.3.      Meat Eaters

• See section 1.3.

2.3.1.   Night Stalker

• One of the most fearsome creatures in the forest is the night stalker. One and a half meters tall, the mammal roams screeching and screaming through the Batavian forest at night in packs.

• They prey indiscriminately on animals, attacking them with their ferocious teeth and claws.

• The Cyrans’ fear of this creature led to massive hunting parties, which eventually made this species endangered.

2.3.2.   Sabre Bear

• The sabre bears are large creatures that are well adapted to life in the harsh Arctic.

• Only the female, shown here, are equipped with the large “sabre” teeth. It is the female of the species, then, that hunts for the small, social groups in which they live.

• A favorite prey of the sabre bear is the snow rabbuck. However, because snow rabbuck have become scarce, many sabre bears have starved, thus making the species endangered.

3.         Populous Wildlife

• Cyrans classify a species of animals as populous if they can locate 201 or more specimens.

3.1.      Herding Animals

• See section 1.1.

3.1.1.   Common Rabbuck

• Common rabbucks are lightly built running animals, able to escape quickly from predators like the night stalker and with teeth particularly suited to cropping leaves and grasses.

• The common rabbuck is the species from which the other rabbuck species have evolved.

• The common rabbuck lives and roams plentifully in the forest.

3.1.2.   Mountain Rabbuck

• The mountain rabbuck looks much like the common rabbuck, but is much smaller.

• Its diminished size allows it to maneuver easily over its rocky mountain environment.

• Because it is hard to reach the high mountain tops where they live, this species has thrived successfully with hardly any natural predators.

3.2.      Birds

• See section 1.2.

3.2.1.   Heavy Billed Whistler

• The heavy-billed whistler subsists on a diet much like that of the North American squirrel on Earth because it is capable of cracking large nuts with its thick bill.

• It is also capable of storing large quantities of nuts, seeds, and berries in its bill.

• Because of its non-insect diet, it has successfully avoided disease-carrying insects, making it one of the most heavily populated birds on the planet.

3.2.2.   Flightless Kyo

• The most populous creature on the arctic is the flightless kyo, an aquatic creature with paddle-like wings, which resemble penguins, which are so successful on Earth.

• The flightless kyos rarely come ashore, where they are quite defenseless against their land-dwelling predators.

• Because the kyos avoid predators so well, they continue to thrive in the arctic regions.

3.3.      Meat Eaters

• See section 1.3.

3.3.1.   Bird Snake

• As its name implies, the bird snake subsists mainly upon birds.

• Rather than stalking its prey while in the nest, the bird snake uses its sonar to locate and then grabs its meal from the air.

• Because the bird snake can adapt to hunt nearly any kind of bird, its population continues to grow.

3.3.2.   Desert Shark

• The desert shark is sausage-shaped with a blunt, strong head and powerful shovel-like feet.

• It “swims” through the desert sand rather than burrowing, bursting into the underground nesting chambers of its prey, which it locates using sensory pits at the end of its nose.

• Because it is hard to find under ground and it has no natural predators, this “king of the desert” continues to thrive, despite the recent decrease in population of other desert dwelling animals.

Document Last Updated December 31 1969 19:00:00.