added in
I'm super into this.
Interesting artistic choice, it feels like an authentic old sagan microbe.
Interesting artistic choice, it feels like an authentic old sagan microbe.
Righto, the female sounds like it needs a slight tweak, assuming there's four limbs on the body. good thing to keep in mind when drawing legs, it automatically grants your drawing a little more perceived depth once all are drawn on.
I wrote this description back in November
if you think the sorite would eat them I can write that in.
if you think the sorite would eat them I can write that in.
I'll get another.
better
Fumbled Mouthe (Deusrelinqus ratoidi) [Rat-like and godforsaken]
Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Southern Scrambler
Habitat: Darwin Highboreal
Size: 13 cm long
Diet: Kleptoparasite (Twineshrog, Twigfisher Shrog), Omnivore (Shaggy Volleypom megaspores, Cragmyr berries, Cleaner Borvermid, Grovecrystal Krugg, Minikruggs, Teacup Saucebacks False Cleaner Borvermid, Nightcrawler Borvermid, Twin-Tail Orbibom seeds, Common Fraboo eggs pupa and larvae, Muckwater Fraboo eggs pupa and larvae, Ramchin eggs, Berry Arbourshroom berries, Boreal Tubeplage fruit, Feroak berries, Gecoba Tree berries, Quail Raptor,Eggslurping Sorite, Soricinus, Leaping Soriparasite, Lazarus Soriparasite, Crystal Swordgrass shoots, Woodland Watergherkin shoots), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Reproduction: Sexual (male and female, live birth, pouch and milk)
The Fumbled Mouthe split from its ancestor, the [[Southern Scrambler]], it has moved to [[Darwin Highboreal]] and shrank in size by about half. They've become more social, forming large loosely associated colonies centered around a cache of storable foods such as dried out [[Cragmyr]] berries or [[Shaggy Volleypom]] megaspores. This cache is important for the group to survive during times of scarcity for example during particularly drought stricken dry seasons with little hiccup in their activities. They may dig burrows under logs and stones as safe hideaways. These are used by any individuals in the colony and happily shared. If an individual is found injured by another in their group the injured creature will be helped to the closest burrow to recover and receive food. As different individuals move in and provide additions to the excavation these burrows can become rather long and chambered for regular residency. Despite this they prefer to store their central cache in an aboveground hollow such as a shattered stump,or spaces between tightly grown trees stuffed with leaves, as this placement is better for preventing moisture build up and rot. But what they prefer most are the walls of shrog nests, such as [[Twineshrog]] or [[Twigfisher Shrog]].
These walls of sticks, woven and bundled, whether tied together or matted with mud, provide an abundance of nooks and potential hollows to stuff with food. These homes even come with its own built in food sources in the form of lively and delicious [[Cleaner Borvermid]]s and [[False Cleaner Borvermid]]s, as well as whatever foods the resident shrog had looked away from, dropped, or tried to store for later. Another benefit of relying on these structures for storage is that possible raiding creatures that would, if having discovered the cache in a stump, decimate their stores. Instead, the walls of the nest are protected by the large carpozoans that have built them and any small beasts that foolishly meander in risk getting dispatched. Most would rather avoid the structures all together. This aggressive nature of the shrog, of course, extends to the scurrying vermin that are the Fumbled Mouthes if they are noticed as well.
The use of the [[Shrog]] nests are a double edged sword, unlike their ancestor, that would simply overwhelm the shrog and seize the entire nest for themselves, the Fumbled Mouthe must have a nest that is upkept. So those populations that had chased away or even killed the shrog quickly found their beautiful home in disarray, and their central cache promptly raided by the opportunists around them. So, being sneaky, and quick, they developed greater instinctual tolerances for proximity with the shrog. Of course they become discovered and engaged with by their host quite regularly despite their attempts. These engagements are almost always attempts of dispatch on the behalf of the host, via smashing, biting, stabbing, stepping on, or pulling apart to be discarded or devoured.
This storm of violence on the species had rapidly selected for those better and better able to survive and recover greater and greater damages. Those with burrows near the shrog nest were able to be dragged to safety by allies, and kept alive through recovery, if able to eventually eat. The resulting tiny beast of these rapid selection processes become incredibly resilient. Their blood near instantly coagulates over damages, with blood vessels constricting and rerouting their contents so as to minimize loss of fluids at any wound. Their arteries are highly elastic and the smooth muscle in their walls strongly capable of pumping blood if the heart is damaged. Their lungs are many lobed, with each lobe able to seal off via capillary restriction and inflammation if nonfunctional and allow the others to continue their normal processes. If too severely damaged then the lungs may enlist tissues attached to them to become new lung tissue, triggering structure reconfiguration as the new minilobes form. Nearly the entire brain can be crushed and repaired or replaced. Albeit this is not survivable if the portion used to tell the lungs to breath, or alternatively the motor centers that may cause convulsions to force air into the lungs, are destroyed beyond function. The entire body, with exception of gonads, is rich in their lineages' unique nearly totipotent cell layers. Alongside this the body fat content is a higher percentage, spread thoroughly throughout the body, and is capable of providing the energy needed for these repairing cells to function.
This durability allows any Fumbled Mouthes that are able to survive attacks to potentially regrow whatever is missing from their self, given enough time. Those with missing limbs, or pierced organs, or torn skin, that escape the wrathe of the shrog tend to be a fairly straightforward repair. The wounds cap off or fill in with a form of blastema that does its best to replace what was lost. For things that don't necessarily need replacing, but the wound was severe enough to override more typical healing, the process can be a little messy. Organs may get extra lobes or other pieces, either resulting in an organ that works better, or worse, or even the death of the shrew due to malfunctioning. Limbs that trigger replacement, but are still partially attached, may grow extras of themselves that attempt to form nerve, bone, and blood connections. These are normally chewed off by their owner to restart the replacement process properly.
This ability to seal a wound means that even an indidivual getting cut in half can seal off their lower end and survive. These ones don't usually attempt to eat the food provided to them until their digestive system reforms to an acceptable degree, in the meantime surviving on their fat deposits. Unfortunately, although they are able to survive, they generally have stunted backends with problems of sterility. Technically speaking repeated minor damages that trigger replacement can return a more normal backend to them, but it is rare that such damages get properly applied during their lifetime.
In more unusual cases, such as an individual being split only partially in half, where the entire body is still able to share a blood supply but unable to reseal itself back together both major wounds will seal off and begin their regeneration. This strange event will create forms of conjoined individuals, one with the original head and possibly a new backend, and one with a brand new brain but the original tail. Though to each their respective new half is somewhat stunted. Those where the two have more or less entire bodies of their own will pull apart and heal. However, in other cases the conjoinment is more extreme, creating a forked body. These individuals are not particularly useful or capable, and tend to remain in the burrows, continuing to be cared for by the other members of the colony. Eventually they end up bickering and chewing themselves apart, resulting in an even more prolonged state of healing and regeneration.
Like its ancestor the Fumbled Mouthe produces milk to feed its joeys and possesses a pouch to house them in during development. Unlike its ancestor both females and males form pouches and are capable of producing milk at feedable rates, though males pouches are smaller and their milk flow far less if produced. They are capable of breeding 6-8 times a year and can produce litters numbering 8-20 tiny joeys at a time often with multiple identical twins or triplets. The higher end of this many joeys in a litter is more than a single mother can feed at a time, resulting in adopting out offspring to other members of the colony being a common occurrence. This handing out of offspring typically is to newly mature females without a litter of their own with whom favorite burrows are shared. However, males may be selected if no litterless females are available. Though milk synthesis is primarily triggered by pregnancy it is also secondarily, and easily, triggered by the prolonged presence of joeys in a shared burrow and rapidly increased upon adoption.
Though food storage and life revolves around the shrog nest, and much of their restful time is spent in scattered burrows, a good chunk of their active time is out in the leaf litter of the wilds. There is no specific time of day during which they are active, rather the cyclical pattern of activity is dependent on the individual, this results in always at least a few wandering about scouting for food to collect. Preferred routes during their ventures run along the lengths of large objects such as trees, logs, and rocks. This gives them fewer points of vulnerability and allows focus in specific directions for dangers. Areas known to be merely pathways to reach where they want are beelined through, under as much leaf litter and debris as possible, resulting in established aboveground tunnels through the forest duff or pocket meadows that dot their territories. Though its main predators are primarily airborne, the [[Montemsnapper]] and [[Underswooper]], grounded predators such as young of the [[Argusraptor Complex]] catching and toying with them or [[Mudslider Teuthopin]] crashing into their burrows are semi-common occurrences. Dreadful run-ins with [[Sinister Sorite]] are not uncommon, though due to the predators hunting habits it results in them being partially eaten alive if their head is not destroyed. More rarely they may be horrifically skewered by a [[Brookside Leisterpom]] near some water or thrashed and devoured by a lucky [[Squirrelly Dufftrout]] wandering by a pathway.
Do they hunt ballshrog that are down on their luck? Or do they attempt attacking nests?
Can't see the image right now but the description is nice, kind of a broad billed heron thing.
That top gill is probably all they really need given they're not very smart and sessile.
With that you could give it a little something to kick sand away from their gill if needed, though it's probably not all that needed.
The lower gills are pretty deep if there isn't a loosened burrow hole to allow water easier flow downward.
With that you could give it a little something to kick sand away from their gill if needed, though it's probably not all that needed.
The lower gills are pretty deep if there isn't a loosened burrow hole to allow water easier flow downward.
Fantastic elaboration
Can .. .. can you elaborate on how it is better at storing water in it's cells?
For example, a better cuticle in some way, a thicker epidermis, or a sealing slime coat that takes the brunt of the environment
For example, a better cuticle in some way, a thicker epidermis, or a sealing slime coat that takes the brunt of the environment
can you elaborate on why it doesnt need to go back to the water
This is a swap with Future Tyrannosaurus
Soggy Patricia Clamatillusorus vetitii (forbidden delusional cry)
Ancestor: Snowsculptor Janit
Creator: Colddigger
Habitat: Artir Temperate Beach, Flisch Subpolar Beach, Darkov Subpolar Beach, Soma Temperate Beach, Soma Subpolar Beach
Size: 6 cm Long
Support: Chitin (exoskeleton)
Diet: Detritivore, Scavenger, Autocoprophage
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Trachea)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Fat)
Reproduction: sequential hermaphrodite, eggs
The Soggy Patricia split from its ancestor and spread across the Drake beaches. Like their ancestor they are detritivores, feeding on the diverse debris that washes up on the beach from high tide. The majority of their active time is spent in the wrack zone of the beaches during low tide, with no particular socializing between individuals. They're fairly common, and often can be found in groups feeding on large piles of debris. Though squabbling can occur, rarely does it actually result in any prolonged confrontations. More typically it simply ends with one giving up whatever piece of food they were fighting over and quickly pursuing the next piece of food down the beach.
During high tide the Soggy Patricia stows away among the flora and driftwood found along the edges of the tidelands. They remain inactive, hidden from possible predators. Flipping a large piece of driftwood will often expose whole clusters of them sharing temporary shallow burrows they had created for the moment. Again during this period of the day they are not particularly social, but are rather indifferent to the prospect of sharing their space with others of their own kind.
Breeding season occurs at the end of winter. Unlike their ancestors snow is not involved in the creation of nests at all. Rather the males will dig burrows underneath driftwood outside of the reach of tides. These tunnels can reach 50 cm in length and dead end without a chamber. The males advertise these burrows by standing on top of the driftwood and waving their front limbs at passersby and honking a distinct call "Aaaay-wazheckzhev-Aaaay". If they notice any predators they will quickly flee between and underneath the driftwood.
Females that pass by will stop for a day or two to mate and lay eggs, after laying eggs they will leave to continue on down the beach. Once the tunnel is filled with the 2 mm long eggs the males will stop advertising availability and crawl down to fill the entryway with sand or dirt and guard it. They rarely travel the mere meters down the beach toward the detritus, preferring to simply fast during their guard duties. A body part that now exists on them that aids in both self-defense and the defense of their burrow, found on them from the time of hatching but at its greatest size in the old males, are spurs that occur on the top of the end most segment of their front limbs. These are used for punching and scratching and pinching and are very tough and sharp.
After about 24 days the eggs begin to hatch, the young scramble out of the burrow pushing past one another and spill across the dunes of the beach. When this happens the guarding male abandons the burrow location to begin the usual period of wandering and feeding to build their strength back up. Once recovered from their period of fasting the male will once again go through the process of finding a length of driftwood to dig a burrow beneath. They will repeat this cycle until the end of summer.
Due to the sequential hermaphroditic nature of their lineage, all the hatched young start life as females. As 2 to 3 mm size morsels upon hatching they are skittish by nature, this aspect hardly wavering as they increase in size and age. They are fully capable of caring for themselves upon leaving the egg, and like the mature females they spend low tide scouring the beach for food and high tide hiding among the flora and driftwood of the upper beach dunes. They sexually mature as females after about 70 to 80 days. This means that, at least for those hatched from eggs early in the year, Soggy Patricia are able to lay a clutch of their own during their first summer of life.
Winter survival for these tiny organisms is rather basic. At the end of summer they wander more inland to find logs and rocks and other large objects that they may dig a burrow beneath for protection. In response to cooling temperatures their metabolism slows down and their body produces threitol to prevent damage from freezing. The species is capable of performing this task even shortly after hatching, allowing the breeding season to continue on until nearly the end of summer without major mortality of young to the cold. Though, it's fairly common for a newly hatched Young to hide away in the burrows created by larger individuals simply for convenience. While waiting out the winter individuals survive purely on fat stores, this is actually the most common cause of death for young during winter as opposed to dying from the cold. The youngs simply lack adequate storage to survive that length of time without venturing out to eat. In temperate regions winter does have daylight, and occasionally even somewhat warm days during which the starving Young may attempt to venture out to a low tide in order to replenish their energy stores. In subpolar regions this may kill quite a few of them however, as winter lacks adequate daylight to warm them if they venture away from their burrow. Exposure to the air of the winter night maybe too intense for them to survive, and if they do they risk the potential of getting lost in the darkness or if the entrance to its burrow gets buried with snow.
Unlike it's ancestors the Soggy Patricia does not willfully engage sequential hermaphroditism. This transformation from female to male is not influenced by population, or demographic density of the sexes, it's purely caused by time. The first two years, whether hatched at the beginning of the year or the end of summer, are spent as females. At the end of their second winter they will develop into a male and go through the process of digging burrows and advertising them. Into their third winter the individual is lacking in adequate storage to be able to survive, in subpolar regions this is enough to fairly quickly end the male. In temperate regions and individual may be able to survive further along into winter by scrounging some food during warm days. But by the time that spring comes around they're simply too worn down to survive.
Physically the species is fairly similar to their ancestors; rotund bodies and thick limbs with their eyed posterior flipped up and over their thoractic center. Their digestive system superficially looped due to this body arrangement, so that the mouth and cloaca essentially lead to the same point. Fat deposits throughout their bodies for winter survival. Their body form folded reminiscent to the development of Terran crabs, though simultaneously flipped on their backs.
Many aspects are slightly different however, one being the cloaca preferentially held to the side of the mouth at all times, no longer immediately above. Though this prevents hygienic issues frass is regularly consumed in order to extract further nutrients and pass what was eaten through digestion multiple times. The eyes that exist along this posterior length of their body are now set off center, initially aligned as hatchlings they move to the sides as the organism ages and grows. This allows for better depth perception in all directions.
The mouth is even larger now with thick muscles for grinding and processing the wrack from the ocean. This already large orifice can expand further to accommodate scarfing mouthfuls of organic matter to take full advantage of the short time it's available. The front limbs have developed defensive spurs on the tops of the ends, as well as lobes for greater grip and manipulation of their food and digging.
One interesting development that deviates from the body structure of their ancestors is their ability to vocalize through their tracheal system. Like most other wingworms the Soggy Patricia has a unidirectional tracheal system that is semi active. This tracheal system spans from the mouth back to the cloaca, which in Janits is looped back around toward their front. Being semi active in wingworms this tracheal system is capable of moving air through itself, though typically via the moving activities of other parts of the body not explicitly designed for that action. Most commonly this would be powered by flight, or the movement of wings, in the more taxonomically localized lineage it would be the movement of legs derived from wings. The Soggy Patricia has taken advantage of this and developed air sacs closely associated with their hindmost legs which are capable of being pressed and deflated to give a burst of air through the exit holes associated with their cloacal region. The "kissing lips" surrounding their cloacal region associated with mating are now longer and more muscular in order to manipulate the sounds created by this escaping gas. The hatchlings and females commonly blow raspberries using this process, make pooting sounds, or hissing sounds, the males create more complex songs for their burrow advertising.
Makes sense.
It looks like it would be something like 16 m wingspan
That's definitely in the small airplane realm.
It looks like it would be something like 16 m wingspan
That's definitely in the small airplane realm.
Soggy Patricia Clamatillusorus vetitii (forbidden delusional cry)
Ancestor: Snowsculptor Janit
Creator: Colddigger
Diet: Detritivore, Scavenger
Habitat: Artir Temperate Beach, Flisch Subpolar Beach, Darkov Subpolar Beach, Soma Temperate Beach, Soma Subpolar Beach
Size: 6 cm Long
Support: Chitin (exoskeleton)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Trachea)
Reproduction: sequential hermaphrodite, eggs
The Soggy Patricia split from its ancestor and spread across the Drake beaches. Like their ancestor they are detritivores, feeding on the diverse debris that washes up on the beach from high tide. The majority of their active time is spent in the wrack zone of the beaches during low tide, with no particular socializing between individuals. They're fairly common, and often can be found in groups feeding on large piles of debris. Though squabbling can occur, rarely does it actually result in any prolonged confrontations. More typically it simply ends with one giving up whatever piece of food they were fighting over and quickly pursuing the next piece of food down the beach.
During high tide the Soggy Patricia stows away among the flora and driftwood found along the edges of the tidelands. They remain inactive, hidden from possible predators. Flipping a large piece of driftwood will often expose whole clusters of them sharing temporary shallow burrows they had created for the moment. Again during this period of the day they are not particularly social, but are rather indifferent to the prospect of sharing their space with others of their own kind.
Breeding season occurs at the end of winter. Unlike their ancestors snow is not involved in the creation of nests at all. Rather the males will dig burrows underneath driftwood outside of the reach of tides. These tunnels can reach 50 cm in length and dead end without a chamber. The males advertise these burrows by standing on top of the driftwood and waving their front limbs at passersby and honking a distinct call "Aaaay-wazheckzhev-Aaaay". If they notice any predators they will quickly flee between and underneath the driftwood.
Females that pass by will stop for a day or two to mate and lay eggs, after laying eggs they will leave to continue on down the beach. Once the tunnel is filled with the 2 mm long eggs the males will stop advertising availability and crawl down to fill the entryway with sand or dirt and guard it. They rarely travel the mere meters down the beach toward the detritus, preferring to simply fast during their guard duties. A body part that now exists on them that aids in both self-defense and the defense of their burrow, found on them from the time of hatching but at its greatest size in the old males, are spurs that occur on the top of the end most segment of their front limbs. These are used for punching and scratching and pinching and are very tough and sharp.
After about 24 days the eggs begin to hatch, the young scramble out of the burrow pushing past one another and spill across the dunes of the beach. When this happens the guarding male abandons the burrow location to begin the usual period of wandering and feeding to build their strength back up. Once recovered from their period of fasting the male will once again go through the process of finding a length of driftwood to dig a burrow beneath. They will repeat this cycle until the end of summer.
Due to the sequential hermaphroditic nature of their lineage, all the hatched young start life as females. As 2 to 3 mm size morsels upon hatching they are skittish by nature, this aspect hardly wavering as they increase in size and age. They are fully capable of caring for themselves upon leaving the egg, and like the mature females they spend low tide scouring the beach for food and high tide hiding among the flora and driftwood of the upper beach dunes. They sexually mature as females after about 70 to 80 days. This means that, at least for those hatched from eggs early in the year, Soggy Patricia are able to lay a clutch of their own during their first summer of life.
Winter survival for these tiny organisms is rather basic. At the end of summer they wander more inland to find logs and rocks and other large objects that they may dig a burrow beneath for protection. In response to cooling temperatures their metabolism slows down and their body produces threitol to prevent damage from freezing. The species is capable of performing this task even shortly after hatching, allowing the breeding season to continue on until nearly the end of summer without major mortality of young to the cold. Though, it's fairly common for a newly hatched Young to hide away in the burrows created by larger individuals simply for convenience. While waiting out the winter individuals survive purely on fat stores, this is actually the most common cause of death for young during winter as opposed to dying from the cold. The youngs simply lack adequate storage to survive that length of time without venturing out to eat. In temperate regions winter does have daylight, and occasionally even somewhat warm days during which the starving Young may attempt to venture out to a low tide in order to replenish their energy stores. In subpolar regions this may kill quite a few of them however, as winter lacks adequate daylight to warm them if they venture away from their burrow. Exposure to the air of the winter night maybe too intense for them to survive, and if they do they risk the potential of getting lost in the darkness or if the entrance to its burrow gets buried with snow.
Unlike it's ancestors the Soggy Patricia does not willfully engage sequential hermaphroditism. This transformation from female to male is not influenced by population, or demographic density of the sexes, it's purely caused by time. The first two years, whether hatched at the beginning of the year or the end of summer, are spent as females. At the end of their second winter they will develop into a male and go through the process of digging burrows and advertising them. Into their third winter the individual is lacking in adequate storage to be able to survive, in subpolar regions this is enough to fairly quickly end the male. In temperate regions and individual may be able to survive further along into winter by scrounging some food during warm days. But by the time that spring comes around they're simply too worn down to survive.
Physically the species is fairly similar to their ancestors; rotund bodies and thick limbs with their eyed posterior flipped up and over their thoractic center. Their digestive system superficially looped due to this body arrangement, so that the mouth and cloaca essentially lead to the same point. Fat deposits throughout their bodies for winter survival. Their body form folded reminiscent to the development of Terran crabs, though simultaneously flipped on their backs.
Many aspects are slightly different however, one being the cloaca preferentially held to the side of the mouth at all times, no longer immediately above. The eyes that exist along this posterior length of their body are now set off center, initially aligned as hatchlings they move to the sides as the organism ages and grows. This allows for better depth perception in all directions.
The mouth is even larger now with thick muscles for grinding and processing the wrack from the ocean. This already large orifice can expand further to accommodate scarfing mouthfuls of organic matter to take full advantage of the short time it's available. The front limbs have developed defensive spurs on the tops of the ends, as well as lobes for greater grip and manipulation of their food and digging.
One interesting development that deviates from the body structure of their ancestors is their ability to vocalize through their tracheal system. Like most other wingworms the Soggy Patricia has a unidirectional tracheal system that is semi active. This tracheal system spans from the mouth back to the cloaca, which in Janits is looped back around toward their front. Being semi active in wingworms this tracheal system is capable of moving air through itself, though typically via the moving activities of other parts of the body not explicitly designed for that action. Most commonly this would be powered by flight, or the movement of wings, in the more taxonomically localized lineage it would be the movement of legs derived from wings. The Soggy Patricia has taken advantage of this and developed air sacs closely associated with their hindmost legs which are capable of being pressed and deflated to give a burst of air through the exit holes associated with their cloacal region. The "kissing lips" surrounding their cloacal region associated with mating are now longer and more muscular in order to manipulate the sounds created by this escaping gas. The hatchlings and females commonly blow raspberries using this process, make pooting sounds, or hissing sounds, the males create more complex songs for their burrow advertising.
edited to include all land masses
Feather Blice (Satiavipediculus spp.) [Quite the bird louse]
Ancestor: Minikruggs
Creator: Colddigger
Diet: Detritivore, Parasitic (feathers and skin of Saucebacks, Biats, Ophrey, etc.)
Habitat: Wallace, Koseman, Drake, Steiner, Barlowe, Lamarck, Fermi, Ramul
Size: 0.1 - 0.5 cm long
Support: Chitin (Exoskeleton)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Respiration: Passive (Diffusion)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two sexes, soft eggs cemented to leaves or feathers
Feather Blice split from its ancestor the Minikruggs to take on a more parasitic style of living. They can be found throughout Wallace and Koseman. These miniscule creatures may measure from half a centimeter in length down to 1 mm among the smaller species of the genus. They have undergone a dietary transition from a diverse form of eating among their ancestors to a more specialized food source. The new food source for this group of fauna are specifically the chitinous feathers and skin of feathered saucebacks, biats, and their kin.
The reproductive cycle of this group is a little more complex than its ancestor, but it begins with a soft egg hidden at the base of a floral leaf. This egg hatches to release a single diploid female baby, fully capable of wandering around on its own. This baby wanders to the tip of the leaf that it was born on and extends its legs outward in a reaching form. In time other larger fauna will brush past it, those without feathers made from chitin are ignored or even fleed from. Those that do have feathers made from chitin are quickly latched upon by the extended limbs.
The baby female having found its first host quickly scurries deep into the feather coat of the larger organism toward its skin where it will feed on both the filaments of the feathers toward their base as well as taking small bites out of the skin itself. Homes on the body of the host that are most sought after are near the crevices of limbs where it's warmest and safest from the elements as well as the backs of ears or along the seams of the sauce.
It takes about 10 days for the parasite to reach reproductive maturity on the host. Once having reached maturity the female parasite will begin laying parthenogenic eggs cemented to the base of feathers. These eggs will always hatch into haploid females, which again will take 10 days before becoming reproductively mature. Behaviorally they are fairly similar to their diploid mother, though less persistent in remaining near the base of limbs and ears, and have a tendency to feed further up the feathers.
Once this first generation of haploid females reach reproductive maturity they too will begin laying their own eggs. These eggs will be clonal, complete copies of their parents genome. However the behavior of their parent differing from the diploid form of their genus will result in the eggs being scattered throughout the feather coat of their host. This placement of eggs means that the temperature exposure will be different, those eggs that were cemented to a feather further up the structure and away from the body of the host will be exposed to cooler temperatures. These temperature differences will determine the sex of the organism, with cooler temperatures resulting in males and warmer temperatures resulting in females.
These haploid eggs attach to the feathers of their host hatch within 2 to 3 days. Preening and other hygienic forms of behavior from their host will clean off these eggs, especially destroying the eggs further up the feather which are destined to become males. However, egg production is fairly consistent so many of them will be able to hatch in time to scurry back down to the body where it's safer. Males become sexually viable within only a few days, and unceremoniously breed with any females in their vicinity.
Fertilized haploid females will replicate the egg laying behavior of the initial diploid females, laying diploid eggs tightly against the base of feathers. Virtually all of these eggs will hatch into diploid females due to proximity to the body. Though, because the sex determination of eggs laid by haploid females is temperature-based, If an egg that were fertilized is somehow placed higher up on a feather, or falls away from the host's body due to the event of feather loss, it will hatch into a diploid male. These individuals produce progeny that are triploid after fertilization, and die before hatching.
Fertilized diploid females, also producing eggs that are diploid, will gorge themselves on the skin of their host and then drop away into the open environment during a period when their host is resting. From there they will scurry away to the safety of any Flora where they will begin to cement individual eggs to the base of leaves. Diploid females produce a hormone inside their eggs that silence the temperature based sex determination found in haploid females, this is why all their eggs become female. The Feather Blice will feed on the dead tissue of these flora as well as detritus on the ground, until they run out of fertile eggs. After this they'll clamber up to the top of a flora to try to repeat the process of hitching a ride onto a sauceback or biat.
Diploid Feather Blice can live in this cycle of living on a host and crawling around the underbrush for about a year before dying. In more temperate climates the population survives the cold periods via the individuals found on hosts. Those that drop off of the hosts from instinct simply succumb to the heat loss and quickly die before completing their cycle. During these times of years the main method that the parasites are spread is via direct contact between individual hosts, as haploid females and males shuffle between the feathers. Haploid individuals typically never leave the host that they hatched on, they're rather short lived, haploid females only living for a quarter of a year and haploid males for only half that.
Because of their small stature, and their blood containing hemoglobin, they have no longer any need for active respiration. The blood close to the surface of their bodies is able to absorb oxygen through exposure at the seams between their exoskeletal scutes and carapace. This blood is able to capture, hold on to, and transport the oxygen to tissues deeper in the body. Their legs and body are flatter than their ancestors, this allows them to more quickly shift about among the feathers of their host and to avoid being preened away. Their feet are more hook-like and grippy to allow them to hang onto feathers more easily.
What a fun flora, always happy to see unique purple plants.
What's the wing span on this
Feather Blice
Ancestor: Minikruggs
Creator: Colddigger
Diet: Detritivore, Parasitic (feathers and skin of Saucebacks, Biats, etc.)
Habitat: Wallace, Koseman
Size: 0.1 - 0.5 cm long
Support: Chitin (Exoskeleton)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Respiration: Passive (Diffusion)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two sexes, soft eggs cemented to leaves or feathers
Feather Blice split from its ancestor the Minikruggs to take on a more parasitic style of living. They can be found throughout Wallace and Koseman. These miniscule creatures may measure from half a centimeter in length down to 1 mm among the smaller species of the genus. They have undergone a dietary transition from a diverse form of eating among their ancestors to a more specialized food source. The new food source for this group of fauna are specifically the chitinous feathers and skin of feathered saucebacks, biats, and their kin.
The reproductive cycle of this group is a little more complex than its ancestor, but it begins with a soft egg hidden at the base of a floral leaf. This egg hatches to release a single diploid female baby, fully capable of wandering around on its own. This baby wanders to the tip of the leaf that it was born on and extends its legs outward in a reaching form. In time other larger fauna will brush past it, those without feathers made from chitin are ignored or even fleed from. Those that do have feathers made from chitin are quickly latched upon by the extended limbs.
The baby female having found its first host quickly scurries deep into the feather coat of the larger organism toward its skin where it will feed on both the filaments of the feathers toward their base as well as taking small bites out of the skin itself. Homes on the body of the host that are most sought after are near the crevices of limbs where it's warmest and safest from the elements as well as the backs of ears or along the seams of the sauce.
It takes about 10 days for the parasite to reach reproductive maturity on the host. Once having reached maturity the female parasite will begin laying parthenogenic eggs cemented to the base of feathers. These eggs will always hatch into haploid females, which again will take 10 days before becoming reproductively mature. Behaviorally they are fairly similar to their diploid mother, though less persistent in remaining near the base of limbs and ears, and have a tendency to feed further up the feathers.
Once this first generation of haploid females reach reproductive maturity they too will begin laying their own eggs. These eggs will be clonal, complete copies of their parents genome. However the behavior of their parent differing from the diploid form of their genus will result in the eggs being scattered throughout the feather coat of their host. This placement of eggs means that the temperature exposure will be different, those eggs that were cemented to a feather further up the structure and away from the body of the host will be exposed to cooler temperatures. These temperature differences will determine the sex of the organism, with cooler temperatures resulting in males and warmer temperatures resulting in females.
These haploid eggs attach to the feathers of their host hatch within 2 to 3 days. Preening and other hygienic forms of behavior from their host will clean off these eggs, especially destroying the eggs further up the feather which are destined to become males. However, egg production is fairly consistent so many of them will be able to hatch in time to scurry back down to the body where it's safer. Males become sexually viable within only a few days, and unceremoniously breed with any females in their vicinity.
Fertilized haploid females will replicate the egg laying behavior of the initial diploid females, laying diploid eggs tightly against the base of feathers. Virtually all of these eggs will hatch into diploid females due to proximity to the body. Though, because the sex determination of eggs laid by haploid females is temperature-based, If an egg that were fertilized is somehow placed higher up on a feather, or falls away from the host's body due to the event of feather loss, it will hatch into a diploid male. These individuals produce progeny that are triploid after fertilization, and die before hatching.
Fertilized diploid females, also producing eggs that are diploid, will gorge themselves on the skin of their host and then drop away into the open environment during a period when their host is resting. From there they will scurry away to the safety of any Flora where they will begin to cement individual eggs to the base of leaves. Diploid females produce a hormone inside their eggs that silence the temperature based sex determination found in haploid females, this is why all their eggs become female. The Feather Blice will feed on the dead tissue of these flora as well as detritus on the ground, until they run out of fertile eggs. After this they'll clamber up to the top of a flora to try to repeat the process of hitching a ride onto a sauceback or biat.
Diploid Feather Blice can live in this cycle of living on a host and crawling around the underbrush for about a year before dying. In more temperate climates the population survives the cold periods via the individuals found on hosts. Those that drop off of the hosts from instinct simply succumb to the heat loss and quickly die before completing their cycle. During these times of years the main method that the parasites are spread is via direct contact between individual hosts, as haploid females and males shuffle between the feathers. Haploid individuals typically never leave the host that they hatched on, they're rather short lived, haploid females only living for a quarter of a year and haploid males for only half that.
Because of their small stature, and their blood containing hemoglobin, they have no longer any need for active respiration. The blood close to the surface of their bodies is able to absorb oxygen through exposure at the seams between their exoskeletal scutes and carapace. This blood is able to capture, hold on to, and transport the oxygen to tissues deeper in the body. Their legs and body are flatter than their ancestors, this allows them to more quickly shift about among the feathers of their host and to avoid being preened away. Their feet are more hook-like and grippy to allow them to hang onto feathers more easily.
Ancestor: Minikruggs
Creator: Colddigger
Diet: Detritivore, Parasitic (feathers and skin of Saucebacks, Biats, etc.)
Habitat: Wallace, Koseman
Size: 0.1 - 0.5 cm long
Support: Chitin (Exoskeleton)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Respiration: Passive (Diffusion)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two sexes, soft eggs cemented to leaves or feathers
Feather Blice split from its ancestor the Minikruggs to take on a more parasitic style of living. They can be found throughout Wallace and Koseman. These miniscule creatures may measure from half a centimeter in length down to 1 mm among the smaller species of the genus. They have undergone a dietary transition from a diverse form of eating among their ancestors to a more specialized food source. The new food source for this group of fauna are specifically the chitinous feathers and skin of feathered saucebacks, biats, and their kin.
The reproductive cycle of this group is a little more complex than its ancestor, but it begins with a soft egg hidden at the base of a floral leaf. This egg hatches to release a single diploid female baby, fully capable of wandering around on its own. This baby wanders to the tip of the leaf that it was born on and extends its legs outward in a reaching form. In time other larger fauna will brush past it, those without feathers made from chitin are ignored or even fleed from. Those that do have feathers made from chitin are quickly latched upon by the extended limbs.
The baby female having found its first host quickly scurries deep into the feather coat of the larger organism toward its skin where it will feed on both the filaments of the feathers toward their base as well as taking small bites out of the skin itself. Homes on the body of the host that are most sought after are near the crevices of limbs where it's warmest and safest from the elements as well as the backs of ears or along the seams of the sauce.
It takes about 10 days for the parasite to reach reproductive maturity on the host. Once having reached maturity the female parasite will begin laying parthenogenic eggs cemented to the base of feathers. These eggs will always hatch into haploid females, which again will take 10 days before becoming reproductively mature. Behaviorally they are fairly similar to their diploid mother, though less persistent in remaining near the base of limbs and ears, and have a tendency to feed further up the feathers.
Once this first generation of haploid females reach reproductive maturity they too will begin laying their own eggs. These eggs will be clonal, complete copies of their parents genome. However the behavior of their parent differing from the diploid form of their genus will result in the eggs being scattered throughout the feather coat of their host. This placement of eggs means that the temperature exposure will be different, those eggs that were cemented to a feather further up the structure and away from the body of the host will be exposed to cooler temperatures. These temperature differences will determine the sex of the organism, with cooler temperatures resulting in males and warmer temperatures resulting in females.
These haploid eggs attach to the feathers of their host hatch within 2 to 3 days. Preening and other hygienic forms of behavior from their host will clean off these eggs, especially destroying the eggs further up the feather which are destined to become males. However, egg production is fairly consistent so many of them will be able to hatch in time to scurry back down to the body where it's safer. Males become sexually viable within only a few days, and unceremoniously breed with any females in their vicinity.
Fertilized haploid females will replicate the egg laying behavior of the initial diploid females, laying diploid eggs tightly against the base of feathers. Virtually all of these eggs will hatch into diploid females due to proximity to the body. Though, because the sex determination of eggs laid by haploid females is temperature-based, If an egg that were fertilized is somehow placed higher up on a feather, or falls away from the host's body due to the event of feather loss, it will hatch into a diploid male. These individuals produce progeny that are triploid after fertilization, and die before hatching.
Fertilized diploid females, also producing eggs that are diploid, will gorge themselves on the skin of their host and then drop away into the open environment during a period when their host is resting. From there they will scurry away to the safety of any Flora where they will begin to cement individual eggs to the base of leaves. Diploid females produce a hormone inside their eggs that silence the temperature based sex determination found in haploid females, this is why all their eggs become female. The Feather Blice will feed on the dead tissue of these flora as well as detritus on the ground, until they run out of fertile eggs. After this they'll clamber up to the top of a flora to try to repeat the process of hitching a ride onto a sauceback or biat.
Diploid Feather Blice can live in this cycle of living on a host and crawling around the underbrush for about a year before dying. In more temperate climates the population survives the cold periods via the individuals found on hosts. Those that drop off of the hosts from instinct simply succumb to the heat loss and quickly die before completing their cycle. During these times of years the main method that the parasites are spread is via direct contact between individual hosts, as haploid females and males shuffle between the feathers. Haploid individuals typically never leave the host that they hatched on, they're rather short lived, haploid females only living for a quarter of a year and haploid males for only half that.
Because of their small stature, and their blood containing hemoglobin, they have no longer any need for active respiration. The blood close to the surface of their bodies is able to absorb oxygen through exposure at the seams between their exoskeletal scutes and carapace. This blood is able to capture, hold on to, and transport the oxygen to tissues deeper in the body. Their legs and body are flatter than their ancestors, this allows them to more quickly shift about among the feathers of their host and to avoid being preened away. Their feet are more hook-like and grippy to allow them to hang onto feathers more easily.
Oh yea I see that, that's good camo
Have their abdomens lost their multiple segmentations?
Have their abdomens lost their multiple segmentations?
Could evolve something that feeds on slightly young spores before they puff away
How do they respond to rain? How do they respond to storms? How do they respond to hail, do they have different kinds of responses to all these things?
What's the scientific name mean
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