Drew Middlemas writes...

Hullo, just wanted to say first of all that I enjoyed Clan Building and Bad Guys immensely, and I hope that someday we get to see more Gargoyles stories being told.

Anyway, I have a question that I suppose loosely connects to the 2198 spin-off (I'm not sure if this has already been asked; I couldn't find it on the archives). What would happen to a gargoyle if they were ever up in space? Since technically there's no day or night in space, how would that affect them?

Thanks in advance, and wishing you all the best with your future projects.

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Do Gargates nurse? I think that egg laying mammals nurse, so it isn't inconceivable. Why else evolve to have breats? (Though I vaguely remember something about Duck Billed Platapai sweating milk.)

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

I was sure this was in the archive, but when I checked I couldn't find it. The clones coloring is different because of the forced maturation process. Is that also why Thailog's eyes glow red instead of white.

(I could've sworn I remembered you answering it, but when I looked to confirm the answer, even going into the Thailog section and manually searching for 'red' turned up nothing.)

TK writes...

Dear Mr. Weisman,

After Goliath falls in love with Elisa, would her menstrual cycles have any biological effect on him? Yes, I know...that's a very ODD question, to say the least. Thank you, regardless.

Rebel writes...

Hi Greg, I have some questions for you about the functions of gargoyle stone sleep. I checked the archives and saw lots of questions about stone sleep, but as far as I could tell, no one asked these questions specifically.

We know that stone sleep serves the following functions:
-rest and rejuvenation
-healing of injuries
-storing of energy (as hypothesized by Sevarius)

However, based on what we've seen in the series and comics, it seems like it probably serves other functions as well. So I have some questions for you about other possible functions of stone sleep.

1. Does it cleanse the gargoyle? We've never heard any mentions of gargoyles bathing and there probably wasn't a shower in the clock tower. So does dirt, grime, and body emollients turn to stone with the gargoyle, or does it sit on top of their stone skin and get sloughed off when the gargoyle awakens?

2. Does it cleanse the gargoyle's clothes? If stone sleep cleanses a gargoyle, it seems logical to me that it would clean the gargoyles' clothes as well. After all, the Humility Spell would turn a gargoyle's clothes to stone because he considers those clothes to belong to him. But, presumably, he would not consider any dirt that is on those clothes to be his, so it seems like any dirt on his clothes might get shed when he wakes up. This could explain why the gargoyles in the show are always wearing the same clothes and we've heard no mentions of doing laundry.

3. Does stone sleep serve as a way to expel wastes? When gargoyles wake up, they end up shedding a bunch of skin. Where does all that mass come from? That's probably at least a pound or two of stone skin being shed per gargoyle, and they do it everyday. If gargoyles are shedding all that stone skin AND pooping, it seems like they would constantly be losing mass or having to eat more to put on mass. Yet if the mass from their food goes towards the outer-most layer of stone skin everyday, that makes sense to me from a conservation of mass perspective. That's why I'm wondering if the stone skin that gets shed every night is mostly gargoyle solid waste.

Not a question about stone sleep functions, but a question about it in general

4. Did Lexington and Hudson get to watch the sun rise (or at least part of it) when they were in London? It seems logical that if their awakening got delayed due to jet lag, maybe their falling asleep got delayed too.

Anonymous writes...

Okay, so the London Clan has a strict limit of two eggs per breeding couple to avoid a Clan population that could not be supported at Knight's Spur. This I understand. What I'm curious about is Coco's comment about how the limitation is enforced by isolating Gargoyles from their mates “during the FEMALE'S final heat”. Does this mean that the mating seasons only affect the fertility of female Gargoyles and that male Gargoyles might possibly be fertile throughout most of their life and not just during the mating seasons? I mean, if male Gargoyles can only become fertile at the same ages as the females (50, 70, and 90 years old), then how could Yama and Sora have a third child (not that they necesarily WILL have a third child, or any children for that matter, I'm just saying COULD they have a third child?) Sora's third potential egg would be laid when she's 90, at which point Yama would be 110 years old (he's from an older rookery). Females cannot become pregnant at the age of 110 and if males are the same way, Yama would not be able to impregnate Sora with a third egg at the ag of 110. So, do male Gargoyles follow the same fertility pattern as females or could Yama and Sora potentially have a third child?

RandomStan writes...

If a gargoyle got a permanent tattoo (as opposed to henna), would it stay on their skin or would teh stone sleep break it down the next sunset?

Kozispoon writes...

"Do gargoyles suffer from gargoyle-specific illnesses or handicaps?"

Dean Cain writes...

Here's a question about Lexington, and how Gargoyle culture pertains to him.

According to you, Gargoyles show affection to each other by stroking each others' hair.

Lexington is (As far as I know), the only bald Gargoyle. He is also (As far as the fans know) the only homosexual gargoyle. Did him not having hair factor into him leaning toward homosexuality? Or did that just happen to fall into place?

Gargoyle Fan writes...

in Goliath and Elisa's relationship can Hummans mate with Gargoyles.has it done so in the past?

Hyun-Ae writes...

Hello, Mr. Weisman. I was curious about Gargoyle twins, but I don't have any questions on the subject as much as I do have some rambles. Please keep in mind I am no expert on biology and I may be completely off. Having said that, here are my thoughts on twins.

I did a little research on egg twins -- double yolked eggs -- and thought it could _possibly_ be attributed to gargoyles. A twin yolked egg occurs when (for example) a chicken's ovary will make two yolks at once. The shell is formed over both yolks, and results in a longer, larger egg being laid. With chickens, twin chicks hatching is almost non-existent. Eggs must be turned so that the chick's head can reach the air cell to breath while inside the egg. Then it will peck it's way out if all goes as planned. In the case of twins, they fight each other inside the egg, fail to reach the air cell and suffocate. Human intervention can result in both chicks surviving (the egg is opened for the chicks) but, yet again, it's rare.

Okay, I know Gargoyles are _not_ chickens, but it still got me to thinking. IF a female gargoyle did lay a twin yolked egg, it would stand out as being a bit bigger than the other eggs. Surely the soon-to-be parents would notice this and probably deduce what the larger egg meant. I believe you said that gargoyle parents do not aid the hatchlings to break out their shells, but MAYBE an exception could possibly be made for the unhatched twins since such a phenomenon doesn't happen often anyway. IF the developing babies survived to the point of hatching and IF they either a) somehow managed to successfully escape their egg themselves, or b) had adult intervention, you would be left with fraternal twin gargoyle hatchlings, not identical twins. In theory, this could also further support the idea that no two gargoyles look exactly alike.

Oof, sorry if I am making no sense. I never was good at being succinct, but I suppose that's why they are called 'rambles'. Anyway, these are just some ideas on the subject and I thought you might like to hear them. :) Of course please feel free to disregard anything I've said. I am not out to "trip you up" or tell you what is what in the world you created.

On another note, I just wanted to say that Gargoyles is a wonderful, thought provoking universe with deep, multiple layered characters and absolutely terrific stories! I am deeply sorry that I will not be able to attend the final Gathering (you have no idea how sorry!!) but I'm still glad to have been given the chance to experience the world of Gargoyles. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!

the shadow writes...

I'd like to Know something.Why does it take ten years for a Gargoyle egg to hach

Clark Cradic writes...

Can gargoyles recieve the same negative side effects from cigarettes or alcohol like humans do or does their stone sleep negate these effects?

Clark Cradic writes...

Can Oberon's Children breed with Gargoyles?

Matt writes...

I have a question about this response you gave to Rebel:

Rebel writes...
Which part of the world did gargoyles first arise in? For example, humans apparently arose in Africa and then migrated almost everywhere else, and then evolved. I'm curious to know which continent gargoyles first came from. If you'd care to narrow it down even further, that'd be great, since a continent is a really big place.

I did a search to see if this had already been answered, but I didn't see anything. If you've answered it already and I missed it, my apologies.

Greg responds...
Pangea.

Response recorded on April 22, 2009

Did you mean that the gargoyles species as it exists today originated on Pangea or that gargates as a whole originated on Pangea?

Nelio writes...

Thank you again Mr. Wiseman for answering these question from your fans. I have two related questions for you this time.

1. In regards to stone sleep, I had always imagined that the Gargoyles always biologically shift into "stone". The Gargoyles wiki talks about how when gargoyles are "stone" they are not actually stone but just really hard material that resembles stone. Assuming this is all true, I was wondering if then in the case of a broken statue, if you would be able to see the internal biology of the gargoyle such as bones, organ, blood vessels, etc. Granted they would be stone, but would they still be there?

2. This relates to Cold Stone and the stone pieces of his make-up. It was stated in the show that Cold Stone is made up of stone from three different gargoyles. Assuming that the various parts of the gargoyle anatomy would still exist in a stone state, would these not be visible upon inspection of Cold Stone's body?

3. When Demona turned the citizens of Manhattan to stone in City of Stone, was their stone sleep the same or similar to the Gargoyles? More importantly did their anatomy stay in tact like I am imagining the Gargoyle's do when they undergo stone sleep?

I have a lot of cool, though slightly morbid imaginer in my head about all of this. As always, I look forward to your response.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

This isn't really a question, but a conversational response to a question Rebel asked.

"Which part of the world did gargoyles first arise in? For example, humans apparently arose in Africa and then migrated almost everywhere else, and then evolved."

While there has been disagreement for years about precisely where and when our species evolved, the evidence is now accumulating very strongly on the side of the "Out of Africa" theory. The evidence is pretty strong now that our species had fully evolved into our modern form before migrating out of Africa, although other human species had migrated to Asia and Europe before we did.

rick writes...

Dont think Im perverted for asking this but after seeing Goliath and elisa's relationship on the show I just got really curious,is it possible for gargoyles to mate with humans not reproduce just simply mate.

Matt writes...

Just a quick question. I don't need any specifics or anything, but I wonder if you've ever decided what happens to gargoyles/beasts during solar eclipses. You mentioned you might have a story to tell there, have you ever figured it out?

It'd be interesting to see what happens. A gargoyle in a cave still wakes and sleeps normally because it isn't about sunlight, but about biological clock stuff. So, a solar eclipse shouldn't bother them... right? I dunno. An interesting thought. Any ideas?

Thanks Greg.

Rebel writes...

Which part of the world did gargoyles first arise in? For example, humans apparently arose in Africa and then migrated almost everywhere else, and then evolved. I'm curious to know which continent gargoyles first came from. If you'd care to narrow it down even further, that'd be great, since a continent is a really big place.

I did a search to see if this had already been answered, but I didn't see anything. If you've answered it already and I missed it, my apologies.

Clark Cradic writes...

I've loved this show ever since I was a kid. In fact you could say this show helped me get through elementary school cause I'd rush to get my homework completed so I could go right the tv when I got home to watch the newest episode. Now that I'm older I still get this wonderful since of nostalgia when I watch this and start asking questions about the Gargoyles I never thought of as a kid, specifically their biology and culture since I loved those electives in high school.

1. Are gargoyles more likely to get certain traits and characteristics if they're from a specific clan? If so, is it just genetics or do they aide them in their territory? If not, does that mean that all gargoyles are generally the same with just different looks that are just for show?

2. How do gargoyles see the sun? Do they see it with a sort of reverence like Demona and Hudson did in The Mirror, or do they see it more of a curse due to their vulnerability?

3. Are there any diseases only gargoyles can get?

The Flaming Tortoise writes...

Hi Greg,

Good to see this place open again!

My question is basically, how do Gargoyle populations sustain themselves? With females having (almost always I've believe you've said) a maximum of three eggs, and as you said in reference to why gargoyles practice communal parenting: "Perhaps this is the result of the high Gargoyle mortality rate. " would it not be an intense struggle to just maintain a clan's population?

And with this in mind, even considering that in modern day mortality rates for gargoyles has probably dropped significantly, wouldn't the practice of the London clan of limiting each pair to two eggs total be very risky for the continuation of their clan?

Thanks for you time

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Well, I sadly can't buy the individual comic issues anymore. Since Disney won't let SLG publish any after 9/31, I'll have to wait for the trades. I can't afford to buy each issue twice.

I do have a question about the Labyrinth Clan, who are sort of topical:

We know that gargates gain energy by absorbing heat or sunlight during the day, and that if a gargoyle were deprived of this for enough nights in a row, she would eventually start feeling some kind of negative effects.

Given this, what will happen to the clones as they continue to sleep underground every day? It's dark and probably cold and damp down there.

Annie writes...

Hello I have a question. It may be a stupid one but its something I'm curious about. If someone, say for example broke the finger off a gargoyle durring the day while the gargoyle was stone then glued it back on before the gargoyle woke up, would the gargoyle wake up healed like it never happened or would they wake up with a stone finger glued to a stump?

Matt writes...

Since Sevarius was the first person in the series heard to use the term "Gargate", did he, in fact, invent this term in the Gargoyles Universe?

Curious writes...

I have two questions about gargoyle homosexuality:

We know there are homosexual male gargoyles, but are there any lesbians?

How do homosexual gargoyles fit into the gargoyle social structure? Do they face any difficulties socially because of their sexual orientation, either similarly or unexpectedly different from humans?

Alberto Loera writes...

Una has elements of a unicorn, Coco looks like a wild boar, and Zafiro has a lot of reptilian elements, are there any animals that you don't think could be incorperated into a gargoyle design?

Matteo writes...

I know you got a tad cranky the last time this was asked, but I was wondering if I could be a little more specific. You said that a gargoyle in stone sleep might still wake-up after taking MINIMAL damage (if not life threatening). My question is If Jackal succeded in altering Goliath's face into his own would he wake up looking like Jackal, or be considered dead?
If you don't want to answer that I understand, but while i'm on the stone sleep subject I was also curious about something else. If a destroyed gargoyle was ground down and resculptured would he be "reborn?"

DarkFae writes...

Since Demona turns into a human by day, courtesy of Puck in "The Mirror" (awesome episode), would she still lay eggs like a normal gargoyle or have liveborn offspring? Would it depend on her form at the time? What she mated with?

Anonymous writes...

what do gargoyles eat

Anonymous writes...

Do you know if Brooklyn is right or left handed?

Matt writes...

Gargoyle Beasts

1. Back before humans became a serious threat to gargoyle clans, like lets say 5,000 years ago, did most/all clans have beasts members?

2. Why exactly did gargoyles "domesticate" the beasts? Did they actively bring them into the clan or have the two species always kinda stuck around together?

3. We've seen a beast member among the Ishimura Clan. From dialogue we learn that the clan has lived peacefully with humans for some time. Given that beasts reproduce sooner and more than gargoyles, why is the beast population of Ishimura so much smaller than the gargoyle population?

4. Did beasts evolve from winged gargates, merely losing their wings to become more terrestrial at some point? You've said before that beasts may have vestigial wing bones or something.

Thanks Greg!

dph writes...

Previously in Ask Greg - http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=10471 ,

dph writes...

Thank you for your previous response to my question about Ophelia. IYou have stated that the ability of a female gargoyles and female gargoyle beasts to become pregnant is tied to Earth's natural cycles. Are the abilities of female gargoyles and female gargoyle beasts to lay eggs also tied to Earth's natural cycles?
Greg responds...

Uh... probably.

Without getting to graphic, if a female gargoyle was artificially inseminated with the proper cells on the right day of the year but not in the right year, would her body start forming an egg so she could possibly lay an egg in an odd year?

Missi writes...

Kind of a random question, but when the Gargoyles lived in the clock tower, where did they use the bathroom? (Of course, this is assuming that they would need to considering they eat and it has to come out somewhere). While watching the show, I never saw some sort of random door or anything, so I figured I'd ask.

John writes...

I looked through the archives and you seem to get this question somewhat often but I would really like to know at least vaguely what the heights of the major gargoyles are (within half a foot would work). At the very least could you give the height of Lexington? He tends to not stand up straight a lot and its a little hard to tell.

If its really that bothersome forget it but as I'm sure you know the estimates from fan vary so much even a guess from you would probably be more accurate. I suppose even one height would help as I could just estimate from that...

I'd appreciate any help on the subject but I would blame you if you have better things to do.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

This isn't a question, it's really an answer to a question you once asked, and hopefully you'll find it useful or at least interesting.
Some years ago, somebody asked you if gargoyles are warm-blooded, and you answered:
<<"I guess so. Is there a third category?">>

Well, there ~is~ a third category, sort of. Animals can be partly warm-blooded and partly cold-blooded -- in-between, or "a little from column A, a little from column B," so to speak.

I'm sure you can imagine a mixture of warm-blooded-ness and cold-blooded-ness, but if you are interested in the details, they are on Wikipedia, in the articles "Cold-Blooded" and "Warm-Blooded." I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing you about science, so in short: being cold-blooded or warm-blooded are just the two most common combinations of six different metabolic traits, but other combinations do exist in nature. Just looking at canon and canon-in-training information, it appears to me that gargates have some cold-blooded traits (they absorb thermal energy, they apparently sleep in suspended animation, and they eat less than a mammal of their size) and some warm-blooded traits (they have hair, they're active in cold weather). I'm very interested in what your thoughts are about gargoyles, if you still feel they might be in a "third" category. I'm so curious about their biology.

holly clark writes...

where do gargoyles come from?

Anonymous writes...

I got a question about Staghart. (No, not THAT question!) Are his antlers deciduous or do they stay on all the time like true horns?

melissa writes...

Hiya.
Little question about the stone healing. I noticed that some of your characters have piercings. Would they heal up if the rings weren't in when they went to sleep? Can gargoyles get tattoos? Also, do gargoyles have belly buttons? I'd think being oviparous means they wouldn't.
Thanks!

Chimaraz writes...

Is the practice of raising eggs communally based on tradition for Gargoyles, or is it more of an instictual biological imperative? The answer we usually get is that it's the Gargoyle way, but is it the Gargoyle way because they're told they've always done it that way, or is it the Gargoyle way because instinct tells them that if they lay an egg in the rookery, all eggs in the rookery are theirs? It is the most sensible course of action, based on their reproduction, but did the practice arise because of how they reproduce universally as a species, or do they reproduce universally as a species because of how they practice parenting?

... Chicken or egg?

dph writes...

Thank you for your previous response to my question about Ophelia. IYou have stated that the ability of a female gargoyles and female gargoyle beasts to become pregnant is tied to Earth's natural cycles. Are the abilities of female gargoyles and female gargoyle beasts to lay eggs also tied to Earth's natural cycles?

Anonymous writes...

Is there any gay or lebian gargoyles?

dph writes...

Previous in Ask Greg you've stated (from this page - http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=10195)

Matt writes...

I've been crunching some numbers concerning the Avalon Clan and their breeding cycles.

Now, the beasts on Avalon should have already started breeding by 1996. No eggs should've hatched yet, but there should be one egg on Avalon waiting to hatch in 2038.

The gargoyles however are another matter since they must be much older than beasts to reach breeding age.
Lets take Ophelia for example. In 1996, Angela and Ophelia (who hatched in 1058) are about 39 years old. The need to be about 50 before their first mating. For Angela, in the real world, this will come 11 years later when she concieves the egg containing Artus in 2007. For Ophelia on Avalon however, 11 more years will equal 264 real world years! Which means she wouldn't be old enough to mate until the year 2,260 AD (To get her in tune with the Earth rhtyms we'll say the fall equinox of 2,267AD.)

So, what I'm wondering is, you've said that the Avalon Clan would be bringing eggs to Queen Florence Island in 2198, but I think they are only gonna have a beast egg or two to bring since none of the gargoyles will be old enough yet, is this correct? What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks Greg.
Greg responds...

I'm not sure your premises follow...

I'm fairly certain Ophelia will lay an egg at the same time as Angela -- assuming she's alive at the time. The physical maturity to lay an egg may be reached before the planetary bio-rhythm is, if that makes sense.

The truth is... I've worked all this out in the past, but I just don't have the energy or the time right this minute to go back and confirm my math. But I think I'm right.

Also, previous in Ask Greg you've stated - ( http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=7564 )

Faieq writes...

A while ago I noticed a short ramble of yours entitled 'While I'm thinking of it...' It was rambled on Monday 4th March 2002. I won't repeat the whole thing here, however the beginning started off with you repeating an exchange between you and Aris Katsaris concerning the date Angela and the other eggs on Avalon would have hatched and underneath your response you wrote;

"With all this in mind...

I know I've established -- both here and in my own head (particularly with regards to G2198) that eggs hatch on the Spring Equinox.

But does anyone remember whether (and where) I've established what month the eggs are laid in?

I can't recall if this has come up yet.

Anyone know? And would this solve my problems at all?"

Recently I remember another question previously submitted on Friday October 13th by Aris Katsaris that may help you.

"Aris Katsaris writes...
A small tidbit that you revealed through the last contest was that the hatching of the eggs takes place in March 21st - the Spring Equinox, that is.

Now, I always felt it would be on an equinox or a solstice- those are the only dates that make sense really... Is the laying of the eggs also done on the Spring Equinox (ten years earlier ofcourse)?

How about the egg's conceiving? Have you decided how much time is spent between the eggs's conceiving and laying?

Greg responds...
That's interesting. Maybe.

As for conception, maybe I'll make it a six month term and put it on the fall equinox.

The truth is I chose March 21st because it's my son's birthday. But sometimes things in the Garg Universe just seem to come together. It's cool that way.
recorded on 10-20-00"

From your above response I assume that the eggs would be laid on the spring equinox, with the females being fertile on the fall equinox from the previous year.
I don't know whether this would clarify any problems over when the eggs hatched, but I hope it helps.
Greg responds...

I agree, it helps. Thanks.

I also don't know if it fixes my math problems, but I'm hopeful. And I like the idea of females being in heat at the fall equinox and laying their eggs in the spring (and the eggs hatching ten years later in the spring). For a race, that is so attuned to the bio-rhythms of their planet, it just feels right.

I don't think that literally all the eggs are conceived on the EXACT same night. Same with laying. Same with hatching to some extent too. There's probably something like a three night window for these things (say, two nights on either side of the equinox).

Now, here's my questions: Assuming that the fall equinox of 2008 is at night time on Avalon,
1)is the window of opportunity for Ophelia to became pregnant on Avalon a few hours or a few days? I know this sounds rather dumb, but given that time passes more slowly on Avalon and the in real world, you've there a window of opportunity of 2-3 days before and after, I was wondering if that window of opportunity was shortened on Avalon because of the difference in the way time passes.

2)Normal gargoyle pregnancies are 6 months. If that time was spent on Avalon, that amounts to 6 months * 24 Avalon time differential to equal 144 months or 12 years in the real world. If Ophelia was to become pregnant in 2008 and stay on Avalon the entire duration of her pregnancy, her egg wouldn't be ready to be laid until 2020. 2020 is 2 years after eggs normally laid in 2008 would normally hatch. Would Ophelia be able to lay the egg in 2020 or would she have to wait until 2028 to lay the egg?

Woods writes...

In the Rock Hudson and Lexington wake up at 7:45 this is accounted to jet lag but in New York it would only be 2:45pm, so wouldn't have made more sense for Hudson and Lex to wake at elevenish in London

Rebel writes...

Unfortunately, my comic book guy didn't get the TPB in yet, so I'll have to wait until next week to offer my praises. *sigh* So far I've heard good things from everyone else who already has it.

In the meantime, I do have a question about #7 that I meant to ask before. After Brooklyn decides to stay in Manhattan, Goliath says that Hudson can lead the expedition in London. I know Brooklyn has great leadership skills (after all he is the second) and Hudson is a proven leader, but to me that line made it seem like Goliath doesn't think any of the other clan members could be leaders, if given the chance. Surely Broadway and Lexington have SOME leadership capabilities, even if they are not as suited for a leadership role as Brooklyn. And if I had to guess, I would say Angela could DEFINITELY be a good leader, given an opportunity. After all, she's smart, intuitive, and she's got great parentage as well as her experience as second-in-command of Avalon on her side--though her leadership "style" would certainly be different than Goliath's or Brooklyn's.

So basically what I'm wondering is:
1. Does Goliath think any of the other clan members have leadership abilities?
2. Do YOU think any of the other clan members have (or will have) leadership abilities?
3. If any of them do, do you think they'll ever get a chance to show it?

I know it's kind of a silly question since the Manhattan clan already has a second-in-command, but I was just wondering. I informed a lot of my internet friends about the TPB, and many of them are now making plans to buy it :).

simon jardine writes...

are there any homosexsual Gargoyles, if not is it posible for there to be any?

Matt writes...

I've been crunching some numbers concerning the Avalon Clan and their breeding cycles.

Now, the beasts on Avalon should have already started breeding by 1996. No eggs should've hatched yet, but there should be one egg on Avalon waiting to hatch in 2038.

The gargoyles however are another matter since they must be much older than beasts to reach breeding age.
Lets take Ophelia for example. In 1996, Angela and Ophelia (who hatched in 1058) are about 39 years old. The need to be about 50 before their first mating. For Angela, in the real world, this will come 11 years later when she concieves the egg containing Artus in 2007. For Ophelia on Avalon however, 11 more years will equal 264 real world years! Which means she wouldn't be old enough to mate until the year 2,260 AD (To get her in tune with the Earth rhtyms we'll say the fall equinox of 2,267AD.)

So, what I'm wondering is, you've said that the Avalon Clan would be bringing eggs to Queen Florence Island in 2198, but I think they are only gonna have a beast egg or two to bring since none of the gargoyles will be old enough yet, is this correct? What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks Greg.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Greetings, Greg.
I've been waiting a while to post this.

This summer at my Grandma's house I watched a National Geographic Channel special called "The Science of Dogs." Do you get that channel? The scientists wanted to find out how dogs can be bred to look so different from one another, so they started sequencing DNA. They found out that all canids have certain sections of their genomes that mutate easily and rapidly, and can create large physical differences with only small mutations. Apparently other mammals don't have these genes. Because of this, dogs can be bred to look very different from wolves, while other domestic animals like cats and cows all look pretty much the same.
So it seems that "chameleon genes" (or "dog genes"?) already exist in real life! Though gargoyle variation is rather more dramatic than the differences between dog breeds. I think wolves and other wild canids all look the same as their siblings, despite their "chamelon genes," because each species is optimally adapted to a particular habitat and niche, and each individual needs to be as well-adapted as possible. I wonder why it is that gargoyles (and beasts), instead of all having the same adaptations to where and how they live, look so different from one another.
So I don't find the "chameleon gene" idea implausible. I think it is highly unusual but still biologically plausible. I also watched a nature show (long time ago) that included a segment about a plant in Hawaii which basically has exactly that. No two plants look alike, they can be anything from a tree to a tiny herb or weed, or a long vine. Though I don't remember what that plant is called.

Tanya writes...

As answered in a previous question, Gargoyle females (can) bare eggs at 'biological ages 25, 35, and 45'. What about the males; what's the age limit for their potency? Also, does age difference play a great role in choosing a mate or is it mostly love and good genes? Finally, how common is it to take a new mate after a previous mate has passed away?