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matt writes...

you told me once that the Mayan clan and any other clans native to the Americas migrated over the Bering Strait from Asia like humans did about 10,000 years ago. so, where did the gargoyle species evolve from? humans came from East Africa and spread out across the world, the gargs must have had a starting place too. what about the beasts, where did they evolve from?

Greg responds...

Beasts and gargs have common ancestors. As for the location of their original evolution, I'll keep that to myself for the time being (while I figure it out).

Response recorded on February 07, 2001

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Yttrium writes...

You'd mentioned in the archive that gargoyles may be capable of having twins, yet it would be extremely, extremely rare. My question is, if a gargoyle did have twins, would they be born from the same egg, or would two eggs be laid?

---Ytt

Greg responds...

It's so rare, I hate to answer this. But I'd say one egg.

But let me emphasize that I don't see this happening naturally more than once every few hundred years.

Response recorded on February 07, 2001

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Aris Katsaris writes...

A question about rookery generations...

1. If the Wyvern massacre had not happened, would the Trio normally have been considered rookery parents to the eggs that would have hatched in 998? Or was the generation of the first rookery parents the one immediately older than them? (Goliath, Demona, ColdTrio, etc)

In short are rookery parents 40 or 60 years older than their first rookery children?

2. What if one of the gargoyles had mated really young (teen pregnancy) and contributed an egg by the time she was biologically 15? Ten years later would she *not* be considered a rookery mother even though she had biologically contributed an egg? Or would she be treated as an exception among her generation?

3. For that matter would Iago be considered a rookery father to the eggs simply because of his generation, even though he was mateless and hadn't contributed an egg himself? Or not?

Greg responds...

1. 60.

2. Gargoyle females aren't generally fertile by age 30 (biological age 15). This decision, frankly, was probably S&P driven originally, but I'll stick with it now. Garg females generally lay three eggs in a lifetime at age 50, 70 and 90 (biological age 25, 35 and 45). This further separates them from human biology, which I kinda like. And keep in mind, sex drive isn't limited to fertile cycles.

3. First off, did I ever say Iago was mateless? But to answer your question, Iago would likely have been viewed as a Rookery Father (or at least Rookery Uncle -- though there would be no such terminology) UNLESS he made a personal point of not accepting that responsibility.

Response recorded on February 07, 2001

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Eric Daniels writes...

yes hi I was wondering if you could tell me why gargoyles satnd for on buildings and what are they? Are they god's creatures, like "angels" or are the devils creatures? if you could, could you email me at Danielse@gatorzone.com thank you for your time, Eric Daniels

Greg responds...

Sorry, Eric. I cannot e-mail you from this site. It wouldn't be fair. I hope you'll check back here for your answer.

Gargoyles are certainly not the 'devil's creatures'. Nor are they angels. They're mortals like us of a different species. You're typo "satnd" makes it tough for me to know exactly what you're asking, but however you believe humans were created/evolved whatever, something similar happened with gargs.

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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Anonymous writes...

Are there any female gargoyles who are obese? How about muscular or extremely skinny? Are any females bow-legged?
Are there gargoyles with differnent wing and ear types than the types that were shown on the series?
You know how some gargoyles have a sharp elbow or knee spike that juts out, I was wondering if any gargoyles have them on both knees and elbows because it was always on or the other.

Greg responds...

Obese? Not likely, but possible, I guess.

Look, it's all sounding possible.

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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Anonymous writes...

Are there any female gargoyles with wings like Lex's, or male gargoyles with wings like Desdemona's?
Are there any female gargoyles who have a beak like Brooklyn's? Or an overbite like Lex and Broadway?
Save Una, most females I have seen look pretty similar, no offense.

Greg responds...

Sure, why not?

(And none taken.)

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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Anonymous writes...

How long is a female gargoyles' gestation period?

Greg responds...

Didn't I answer this already? Check the Gargoyle Science archive.

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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Anonymous writes...

Between what ages are gargoyles able to reproduce? (youngest/oldest)
Do female gargoyles have menopause?

Greg responds...

1. I don't have that info with me at the moment.

2. I imagine so.

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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matt writes...

would there be any biological problems with two gargs of different races (i.e. Guatemalan and London) mating and having a hatchling? i know interracial humans don't generally have any medical problems but i'm wondering if it is any different for gargs.

Greg responds...

No. Despite appearances, the differences in garg terms are as genetically superficial as racial differences between humans.

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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matt writes...

ah, Jim, i almost got the last post of yesterday too!!! oh, well.
Greg, garg eggs take ten years hatch, why? that is a mean blow for nature to give the gargs. do the embryos inside the eggs turn to stone? even so, that is egual to five years in incubation! why does it take so long for these embryos to mature?

Greg responds...

I don't know. Can you think of a reason?

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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gedoena writes...

Greg,

[ Gargoyle Science Question: ]

This probably looks a little silly, but I was just rereading my last posting and decided to reverse my thoughts on the matter.

Because gargoyles mate for life, it is probably very important to them to have someone fill that role in their lives. In an isolated clan with an unequal number of each sex for one generation, there would be very little hope of finding a mate for some of the clan members. With no possibility of mating with the equivalent of a widow, this would doom the "left-over" clan members to a lonely life, with a great gap to fill. Would this feeling cause them to bond to one-another?

This explaination is probably much less romantic then the one you would give, but I feel that there must be something in the biology and culture of a species that will at least allow for any given behavior to exist (just as you said that you did not think gargoyles would be found with a particular pashion or talent for architecture, as this was not an area where their talents were likely to be useful).

I guess this was much more of a ramble then a question. But again I would be very interested in hearing your response.

Thanks,

Gedoena

Greg responds...

Did I say that about architecture? Is that an exact quote?

See my previous response for my explanation.

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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Gedoena writes...

Greg,

[ Gargoyle Science Question: ]

I have been reading through the archives lately, and was surprised to see that you believe that there would be homosexual relationships between gargoyles. This is not because of any personal moral problems; I was just wondering about the background of it within this species.

According to your other posts, gargoyles mate for life, and are driven by biological urges tied to certain scents peculiar to their mates. I would assume that even though each gargoyle has a particular scent, females' scents would be much more similar to eachother then to the scent of any male (and vice-versa). Therefore, I don't understand how two members of the same gender would become attracted to one another.

Furthermore, gargoyles only mate once every 20 years, and only lay one egg at a time. Being a warrior race, there is a probably a fair likelihood that at least one of the parents has died before more then one or two eggs have been laid, making it hard to keep up a sustainable population. It would seem that it would be of great import to the clan to have as many mated pairs as possible.

I guess this was more of a comment then a question, but I would very much like to hear your response to these thoughts.

Thanks,

Gedoena.

Greg responds...

I think your logic is flawed. Not that I'm a biologist. But taking humans as an example, it seems to me that there are plenty of people who are biologically geared to being homosexual (scents and all). In the nature/nurture argument, I think nurture has very little to do with it, save adding a sense of repression, generally.

I mean if it ain't biology, it's reincarnation or something.

So if that's the case with humans, why wouldn't it be the case with gargoyles. I've even read about homosexual ducks.

As to your "Furthermore", keep in mind that gargoyle mates have sexual relations as often as they are in the mood. Females are only fertile every twenty years. That doesn't define their sex drives. Or the males'. And yes, I do think there would be a cultural imperative toward mating pairs. But maybe the cultural imperative to find a soulmate for life would be even stronger.

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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matt writes...

is it possible that Demona could lay an egg every twenty years since she is biologically a middle aged garg and (probably) still responds to those Earth rythm things? do gargs mate any time they want or only every twenty years? did Demona have sex with Thailog? sorry about the vulgar questions... :)

Greg responds...

Gargoyles potentially have sexual relations more often than once every twenty years. Fertility and lust are two separate issues, not that they are mutually exclusive either.

In theory, Demona could lay an egg every twenty years, assuming she had a mate who mated with her when she was fertile. That hasn't been the case.

As to Thailog, to be blunt, the answer is almost certainly yes. But they broke up years before Demona would be fertile again.

Response recorded on February 01, 2001

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Basilisk writes...

You've said that gargoyles concieve eggs every twenty years and the eggs take ten years to hatch. What are the intervals for gargoyle beasts?

Greg responds...

The same.

Response recorded on January 31, 2001

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IMPFAC Goldberg writes...

Hey Greg, I found this at IMDB and wondered what it was:
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0120911
You and some others from Garg. are named. Just wondering.

'Nother question: How many eggs to gargs lay at once? Can it be more than one?

Greg responds...

What's an IMDB?

One egg at a time.

Response recorded on January 26, 2001

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The One writes...

1) If a Gargoyle dies at night, what happens to the remains, do they turn into stone? If they do turn into stone, do the reamins continue to rot at night?

2) How exactly do Gargoyles have eggs? Does the female carry the eggs for a term and then lay out those huge eggs? Or do they lay something small that slowly matures and get larger?

3) Are Gargoyles warm-blooded? Cold-blooded?

4) Where do Gargoyles get the extra bodily mass when they turn into stone?

Greg responds...

1. I've answered this before. No. A dead gargoyle stays in whatever form it was in when last alive.

2. The female does carry the egg for a short term. The eggs are soft when laid, and don't get hard until the first sunrise after being laid. They stay hard after that, until the hatching.

3. Generally, I'd say they are warm-blooded. Though they might fall under a third category.

4. Who says they have extra body mass?

Response recorded on January 26, 2001

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zakhur writes...

Hey Greg, i Was wondering, what's the maximum amount of eggs, that a gargoyle female can lay in a lifetime?

Greg responds...

Generally, three.

Response recorded on December 22, 2000

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matt writes...

is it possible that the closest living relative of the gargates would be the platypus? i mean, if you compare them its interesting. both are warm blooded, egg laying while still nurse their young, have claws and beaks! they are probably even more similiar but i'm trying to remember the features of the platapi from a discovery channel show from a long time ago. this is probably a really stupid question but its really late and i can't tell. good night.

Greg responds...

I suppose it's possible, but I'm not ready to call the platypus a gargate without more evidence than the relatively superficial things that you mentioned.

Response recorded on December 22, 2000

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JADE writes...

I was just wondering, if a gargoyles died in battle would they turn to stone, or stay in their flesh form? Because I belive that in "Future Tense" it showed Hudson in stone and he was said to dead, or was that just some type of a memorial? Just wondering....

Greg responds...

That was a BRONZE memorial. Not stone. Metal. Not him. A statue.

When a garg dies, he or she stays in whatever form he or she was in when he or she died. Presumably, any garg that died in battle was flesh when he or she died. Thus they'd stay flesh.

Response recorded on December 22, 2000

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matt writes...

was sevarius' theory of gargs storing solar energy ever confirmed? i assume it was.

Greg responds...

I buy it.

Response recorded on December 22, 2000

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matt writes...

is it possible that in the distant past there were gargoyle clans living within the artic circle (I imagine mammoth and saber-tooth gargs!!)? if so, how would such clans deal with the six month day, six month night cycle of the poles?

Greg responds...

Possible. They'd adapt in some way.

But I'm not saying for certain that it's true.

Response recorded on December 22, 2000

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Tana writes...

"Or what if two interior digits fused into one?" was a response to somebody's post on gargoyle hands... I was playing around in my sketch book one day, thinking it would be cool to make an anatomical refrence book for gargoyles (okay you know you're too much of a fan when...^_^) But the idea of the fingers fusing together is what I chose to use, almost without thinking...that the way my diagram worked the gargoyle hand still has all 5 metacarpals, and the middle finger has two proximal phalanges rather than one per finger seen in humans...um, can you tell I've taken an anatomy class? I'll have to play around s'more and show you what I've done when I come to the gathering!

Aside from the wings (and therefore scapula), feet, hands, tails and brow ridges, would there be other differences you could think of between humans and gargs? Hollow bones (like birds) Perhaps a different rib structure... Not that you've probably thought about it, but like I said I'm really into anatomy.

Greg responds...

Unfortunately (for me), it's clear you know much more about anatomy than I do.

I don't see gargs as having two interior digits fused, and I can't help wondering if you aren't quoting me out of context. They evolved seperately from (and earlier than) humans with four digits, rather than five. So fusing doesn't make much sense to me.

I also doubt they have hollow bones like birds. Sure it would help explain how they glide, but the physical punishment that we've seen them absorb and dole out, doesn't suggest hollow bones to me. But I don't pretend to know this stuff. Still, I'd be very interested in seeing your work at the Gathering.

Response recorded on December 22, 2000

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zakhur writes...

Hi Greg, I was wondering, even though most gargoyles only have one egg at a time, is it possible for them to have more, what i mean is are their chances of having twins the same as humans, or is it rarer in gargoyles to have twins?

Greg responds...

Much, much rarer. Much.

Response recorded on December 21, 2000

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LSZ writes...

On Garg evolution:

Quote: As to their numbers, it's a chicken/egg thing. They reproduce so infrequently. I think that once upon a time there was a risk of Gargoyles being a species that threatened to overtake the world - as humans eventually succeeded in doing. Gargs were tough, intelligent, mobile, cooperative and nearly invulnerable- even when asleep.Maybe Mother Nature gave them some handicaps on purpose. Maybe humanity was created as competition.

*snip a lot of very interesting stuff on evolution occuring on a planetary scale and the role of humanity in it*

1) Were the gargoyles 'created' as competition for the Lost Race?
2) Were the fae 'created' as competition for any for humans or gargs, or both?
3) If so, it seems rather unfair to give humans THAT big a challenge vs. nearly unkillable godlike energy being-esque things..why is a challenge THAT big?
4) Will a challenging race arise on the planet to challenge the current three someday?

Greg responds...

1. Don't take that quote too literally.

2. Ditto.

3. See above.

4. There will be challenges -- from many sources.

Response recorded on December 21, 2000

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Duncan Devlin writes...

I'm not sure if this has come up before, but:

Do gargoyles turn back to flesh during a solar eclipse?
How about Demona's reversion.

Greg responds...

I've always wanted to do an eclipse story, so I'm going to choose not to answer this at this time.

Response recorded on December 01, 2000


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