What extinct species would you clone if you were a billionaire?

What species would you clone if you were a billionaire?

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If we had warrah DNA, it would probably be the easiest of the animals to clone on the list. Just use a domestic dog as surrogate.
 
I would prefer to see species that went extinct in modern times to be brought back, like Carolina Parakeet and Tassie Tiger.
 
If we had warrah DNA, it would probably be the easiest of the animals to clone on the list. Just use a domestic dog as surrogate.
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We do have warrah DNA, though getting a near-complete strain would be exceptionally hard. The warrah and domestic dog are distant relatives (at opposite ends of Canini) so the chance of that succeeding would have been tiny. Mammoth (Asian elephant), Elvis (hmm.... human?), Caribbean monk seal (other monk seals) and quagga (remaining plains zebra races) are all much closer relatives.
 
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Wouldn't a Maned Wolf work as a Warrah surrogate?
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A more likely candidate based on divergence, which is similar to woolly mammoth vs. Asian elephant. Except for the legs (irrelevant in reproduction), size shouldn't be too far off either: One of the few warrah specimens with the entire skin preserved has a head-and-body length of 97 cm, within the lower range of the maned wolf. A significant problem is that we know next to nothing about warrah reproduction. Though it can be tweaked with hormones, the foetal development of the donor (warrah) and surrogate (maned wolf) still have to be quite similar for it to work.
 
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What extinct species....

I've voted for Mammoth, as the species with the most potential for recreating a whole ecosystem in the long term. It may be one of the more 'do-able' ones as well [access to DNA, surrogate available]. None of the birds has a chance, because there is the whole 'egg' thing to get round.
 
I've been thinking about this poll and as far as us zoochatters are concerned it's all about the thylacine/mammoth. But what if this was asked to the general public? I'm guessing Elvis would be way ahead on votes by now... :p
 
Not an option, but a few from me of species I'd just love to see [spellings will be way off]:

Leptictidium
Indracatherium
Antelodonts
Woolly rhino
Dwarf Sicilian elephant
Giant camel
Titanaboa


One with a bit more potential would be either the Bali or Javan tiger, or the Western black rhinoceros.
 
Javan Rhino said:
Not an option, but a few from me of species I'd just love to see [spellings will be way off]:

Leptictidium
Indracatherium
Antelodonts
Woolly rhino
Dwarf Sicilian elephant
Giant camel
Titanaboa


One with a bit more potential would be either the Bali or Javan tiger, or the Western black rhinoceros.
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How about the baiji? Completely man made extinction and we should be doing all we can to sort it out!
It's definitely in the same vein as the tigers and rhino, it's all "our" fault! :(
 
No dinosaurs on this list? :p

I'd have to say the mammoth, particularly the Columbian mammoth, just because it's one of my favorite extinct animals, although it was very tough not picking the thylacine. The elephant bird, bluebuck, and Irish elk are all very good options, too.

I'm still debating with myself whether or not bringing back Michael Jackson would be a good thing or a bad thing... :eek:/:D
 
Of the more recent extinctions, I think I would have to choose the Atlas bear- at least then Africa could have its only native bear back.

On the other hand, if I had all of prehistory to choose from, I would go for Crotalus giganteus- a twelve-foot long, 20kg plus rattlesnake from the Pleistocene of Florida.
 
They died when the earth flooded because they would get on Noahs Ark,atleast thats what Noahs Ark Zoo Farm in the UK,try to get you to believe:p:rolleyes:
 
My personal choices would be:

Saber Tooth Tiger
Elephant Bird
Megatherium
Cave Lion

Would have been interesting to see what animals would still have survived if mankind wasn't such as distructive species!
 
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