0:00:05.200,0:00:09.670 Hello and welcome! This is a short video about the inspiration that led to the 0:00:09.670,0:00:12.410 creation of a particular monster on Alter Aeon. 0:00:12.410,0:00:16.039 If you have explored the Kordwood, you've probably encountered 0:00:16.039,0:00:20.160 these: melanistic mutant tree rats! 0:00:20.160,0:00:23.980 Sounds like a runaway science experiment, doesn't it? 0:00:23.980,0:00:27.820 Well, melanistic mutant tree rats 0:00:27.820,0:00:30.919 are real. "Tree rat" is a 0:00:30.919,0:00:35.280 redneck term for squirrel. Now, unless you live in a few select 0:00:35.280,0:00:38.540 regions of North America, you've probably never 0:00:38.540,0:00:42.120 heard of, let alone seen, a melanistic squirrel; 0:00:42.120,0:00:46.230 however, here in Nowhere, Illinois, melanistic squirrels, 0:00:46.230,0:00:49.910 or black phase squirrels as they are sometimes called, 0:00:49.910,0:00:53.760 are common sight. Melanism is a rare mutation that results 0:00:53.760,0:00:59.020 in an usually dark pigmentation. In central Illinois we have two categories 0:00:59.020,0:00:59.800 of squirrels: 0:00:59.800,0:01:04.049 the fox squirrel and the eastern gray squirrel. Eastern gray squirrels have a 0:01:04.049,0:01:09.430 one in ten thousand chance of developing the mutant gene that causes melanism; 0:01:09.430,0:01:12.480 furthermore, the melanistic genes are dominant, 0:01:12.480,0:01:15.720 meaning that the offspring of any blank phase squirrel 0:01:15.720,0:01:18.900 will also be black. "But, wait!" you may ask, 0:01:18.900,0:01:22.240 "if the genes for melanism are dominant, then why aren't 0:01:22.240,0:01:27.580 all eastern gray squirrels black?" A very good question with the very interesting 0:01:27.580,0:01:28.200 answer. 0:01:28.200,0:01:32.080 You see, before the wilderness the eastern North America was colonized, 0:01:32.080,0:01:36.600 most squirrels actually were black. They thrived in the canopies of the thick 0:01:36.600,0:01:39.159 deciduous forests that used to cover the region, 0:01:39.159,0:01:42.440 where their coloration would help hide them from predators 0:01:42.440,0:01:46.210 in the prevalent darkness. When the first settlers tamed the land, 0:01:46.210,0:01:50.830 many of those dense forests were cut down. The light forests that took their place did 0:01:50.830,0:01:54.270 not provide nearly as much concealment as the old forests, 0:01:54.270,0:01:57.530 so black squirrels lost their evolutionary advantage over their 0:01:57.530,0:01:59.119 lighter colored cousins. 0:01:59.119,0:02:03.250 As a matter of fact, because their black fur contrasted so much with the 0:02:03.250,0:02:04.460 natural landscape, 0:02:04.460,0:02:09.690 melanistic squirrels were easier for their most efficient predator to locate 0:02:09.690,0:02:10.729 and kill them, 0:02:10.729,0:02:15.510 and those predators were humans! Farmers hated squirrels because of the damage 0:02:15.510,0:02:16.799 they caused the crops, 0:02:16.799,0:02:21.499 and humans figured out that the black squirrels' hides made nice gloves and caps, 0:02:21.499,0:02:26.129 and also that they were tasty little buggers! So, humans hunted black squirrels 0:02:26.129,0:02:27.200 to extinction. 0:02:27.200,0:02:31.549 Now only in isolated communities are melanistic squirrels making a comeback, 0:02:31.549,0:02:35.480 very slowly recovering from the genocide committed against them 0:02:35.480,0:02:42.040 ages ago. Good luck, guys! That concludes this behind-the-scenes video presentation. 0:02:42.040,0:02:46.249 If, per chance, you have stumbled across this video without ever having heard 0:02:46.249,0:02:47.239 of Alter Aeon, 0:02:47.239,0:02:51.859 we invite you to come and play! Alter Aeon is a text-based medieval fantasy 0:02:51.859,0:02:53.359 role-playing game that is 0:02:53.359,0:02:56.529 fun for all ages. Visit our website at 0:02:56.529,0:03:00.389 "alteraeon.com"; that's 0:03:00.389,0:03:04.150 a l t e r a e o n dot com. We hope to see you there! 0:03:04.150,0:03:04.859 Happy mudding!