Surviving the End of the Holocene: Mongooses and Civets

Scenario: The mass extinction event that marked the end of the Holocene epoch wiped out a large majority of life on Earth. A myriad of species succumbed to the harsh conditions brought about by severe climate change and geological catastrophes. However, against all odds, certain species managed to endure and survive, notably the civets and mongooses. Over the next couple of tens of millions of years, the remaining species of the earth adapted and evolved in various wild and unprecedented ways. The evolutionary path of the civets and mongoose was the most striking among all. With significantly reduced competition and predators, these mammals expanded their territories and proliferated across the globe. The once mostly quadrupedal mongoose and civets gradually developed bipedal locomotion, much like humans did millions of years ago. Their intelligence spiked due to an increase in their brain size, leading them to become the Earth's next dominant species. The need to adapt to diverse environments gave rise to numerous subspecies, each uniquely adapted to its habitat. The civets, known for their dexterity even in their Holocene form, developed a higher degree of finesse that allowed them to be excellent tool users. In the equatorial regions, civets built large communities in the tree-filled jungles. With their inherent climbing skills, they invented ways to live high above the ground, safe from terrestrial threats. Their prehensile tails evolved into stronger appendages, adding a new dimension to their mobility. Conversely, the mongoose, earlier largely solitary creatures, began forming communities in savannahs and desert regions. Groups worked in tandem to build vast burrow cities beneath the ground, effectively adapting to harsh weather conditions. Using their highly developed sharp teeth and claws, not only for predation but also a tool in construction and daily life. As the centuries turned into millennia, the new world order was established. Mongooses and civets became the dominant terrestrial lifeforms. Their societies evolved, technology improved and they learnt to harness the forces of nature. Anthropocene drivers like climate instability, habitat loss and species extinction, that marked the end of many preceding species were now well-managed. The scenario is set in a future, almost 100 million years from our time - a world familiar yet strikingly different, ruled not by humans but their unimaginably evolved mammalian counterparts, the mighty civets and mongooses.