The image does not need to be changed (apart from being finished)

velocidohve is tiny, I don't think it's a threat to the shrog.

I was gonna make an illustration, but I guess it can wait. I'll remove the wip mark.

EDIT: This cannot be approved until the hypnotizer waxface is done. @Coolsteph please hurry

That's what happens when animals hibernate yes

Where are its spiracles and what is going on with its sauce?

Actually, the ancestors have never had pollen and the use of the term "pollen" is the error.

Coincidentally, a few months ago a species that got tongues on the wrong end out of misinterpretation was retconned to have been using hemipenes as tongues, turning it cursed out of necessity. If you'd drawn a tongue on the wrong end, would you have done the same retcon or just redraw?

I think it's safe to assume xenobees have gotten to Fermi already. They're small and they can fly, they've probably gotten tossed over by wind on many occasions.

QUOTE (Coolsteph @ Nov 1 2021, 09:15 PM)

I think I made this back when I confused the rear ends for the front end of Xenobees, as I did for the Xenobee. I justified that after the fact in a nearly-complete description I made today. They're mating claspers that can be mistaken for fangs. Its actual mouth is in its tail-like proboscis, of course.

It's gonna bother me forever if I don't ask, so...when you thought the mouth was the cloaca and the cloaca was the mouth...

...what did you think the tongue that many wingworms are depicted with was?

I apparently neglected to describe how the swarmerweed manages its body plan. The following addition is what I intended for it.

I would like to add this paragraph after the second one:

QUOTE

Bizarrely, the entire developmental process, from individual zooid production to the shape of the zoon as well as reproduction by budding, is controlled by the nervous system. The zoon as a whole has some awareness of its own shape and an instinct telling it what it's "supposed" to be shaped like, and therefore it "knows" when something is missing as a result of injury or immaturity. This allows it to instruct its individual zooids to bud in order to grow or to close a gap; without this careful direction (and as is sometimes induced by mutation or disease), wounds would be left with sheet- or tag-like scars, as the zooids do not have individual awareness of the size and shape of the wound and would overshoot. It can even instruct gathering zooids, which are as close to a "stem cell" as is possible in this setup, to produce zooids of specific types. As swarmerweeds are brainless, this is all predetermined by instincts no more complex than simple computer code, but if they were more intelligent, they would have potential to do some very strange things.

Those look a bit deepfried. I hope they aren't meant to be the final art.

Well, there are probably flora on the beach that need pollinators. Shrogs spread basically everything that had a fruit.

why does it have fangs on its cloaca

I've broken up the sentence.

I doubt those dundis will go extinct, as long as they're breeding quickly (small fauna usually have a lot of predators, and I know that hawks are undeterred by skunks anyway). They camouflage well against the soil.

It could be repurposed for next gen if you can make a transitional form. You'll probably need to make something else for the challenge, though.

Vultoph (Cadaveroraptor longidigitus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Sausophrey
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Dixon-Darwin High Desert, Dixon-Darwin Desert, Darwin Plains, Darwin Chaparral, Vivus Rocky, Vivus High Grassland, Vivus High Desert, Vivus Volcanic, Raptor Volcanic
Size: 1.2 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Scavenger, Carnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Pink Scrambler, Gryphler, Barkback, Tasermane, Handlicker Dundi, Dundigger, Sabulyn, Lizatokage, Xatakpa, Neoshrew)
Respiration: Active (Unidirectional Macrolungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)

The vultoph split from its ancestor. As there were no large flying scavengers, it has taken upon itself to fill the vulture-shaped void in Sagan 4's ecosystem, now feeding primarily on organisms which are already dead. It is able to live primarily on carrion despite being a large endotherm because it can soar over long distances in search of food, covering a vast range in a very short amount of time. Like most large scavengers, it will still hunt small prey to supplement its diet.

To adapt for a diet of carrion, the vultoph has undergone a few physical changes. Its walking toe is very long, keeping its flight feathers clear of rotting flesh. Its head and neck are almost completely featherless apart from its ears, discouraging decomposers from infesting its skin through its feathers, and its eyes are set very far back, preventing rotting material from entering them and causing infection. To avoid being poisoned by rotting meat, it has a very strong immune system and an extremely acidic stomach.

Unlike other ophreys, the vultoph is not territorial. A single carcass of something especially large can feed many, so there is no use fighting over it. It is common to see so many vultophs feeding from one carcass that the carcass isn't even visible beneath the writhing sea of wings and mandibles. They commonly follow predators on their hunts, hoping to eat whatever is left over once the predators have had their fill. They will also circle above creatures that appear to be dying, waiting until it's finally time to swoop in and commence their feast.

Like its ancestor, the vultoph has unidirectional macrolungs, two pairs of spiracles, and slotted wings. This allows it to soar very high in the air with little energy and without suffocating. Its skin is dark to help it resist increased exposure to ultraviolet light in the upper atmosphere. Its feather color always depends on the color of rocks in the biome it resides in with spots or stripes to blend with low-growing flora. Its "tail crest" is colorful to communicate with others of its kind and can be hidden under its tail feathers while on the ground.

The vultoph nests on the ground; like most flying saucebacks it is already ironically very poor at climbing or perching, and having such long stilt-like toes only makes it worse. It nests communally among rocks or shrubs, where it will be well-hidden. Their chicks can run soon after hatching, but cannot yet fly and must be brought food by their parents. As their stomachs are weaker and their immune systems not quite as developed, hatchlings must eat fresher meat.

As its head is mostly naked, the vultoph is one of the few descendants of the interbiat to have the short skin-based portion of its pinnae visible. The flight feathers remain in place on the ear, providing lift in flight and aiding in directing sound into the ear canal.

What do they do for that long? Don't they have to worry about competing with their own offspring?

300 years jesus christ

Medibang Paint Pro (my personal choice)
It's kinda like Paint Tool SAI, but free
Pros:
- Lots of good brushes both built-in and on the cloud
- Auto-saves by default
- Supports most file formats
- Cloud saving
Cons:
- Inconsistent compatibility with mouse-drawing
- Some premade brushes are locked behind a paywall

FireAlpaca
Also similar to Paint Tool SAI
Pros:
- Though it doesn't have as many built-in brushes, it's compatible with brushes made for MediBang
- Has an animation-making tool
- Supports most file formats
- Can be installed without administrator privileges
Cons:
- Inconsistent compatibility with mouse-drawing

I've only included ones I have personal experience using, as I can't really speak for ones I have not used. Feel free to suggest more if you know of any, make sure to include pros and cons.

For flora, the method and organ of gas intake is what's listed. For most it's stomata, but innately thick and shelled flora like crystals and glass may need a different method.

Approval Checklist:
Art:
Art Present?: Y
Art clear?: Y
Gen number?: Y
All limbs shown?: Y
Reasonably Comparable to Ancestor?: Y
Realistic additions?: Y

Name:
Binomial Taxonomic Name?: Y
Creator?: Y

Ancestor:
Listed?: Y
What changes?:

• External?: Smaller, cursorial adaptations, leg spur, larger and extra cheek spikes in males
• Internal?: Fewer young at a time
• Behavioral/Mental?: Polygamy

Are Changes Realistic?: Y
New Genus Needed?: I don't believe so, but it's in a new genus anyway so I guess?

Habitat:
Type?: 2/2 (Temperate (the volcanic) and Montane)
Flavor?: 3/3 (Grassland, Scrubland, Woodland)
Connected?: Y
Wildcard?: N/A

Size:
Same as Ancestor?: N (smaller)
Within range?: Y
Exception?: N/A

Support:
Same as Ancestor?: Probably
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

Diet:
Same as Ancestor?: Y (but broader)
Transition Rule?: N/A
Reasonable changes (if any)?: Y, Broader

Respiration:
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

Thermoregulation:
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

Reproduction:
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

Description:
Length?: Good
Capitalized correctly?:Y
Replace/Split from ancestor?: Replace locally
Other?: N/A

Status: Approved

Approval Checklist:
Art:
Art Present?: y
Art clear?: y
Gen number?: y
All limbs shown?: y
Reasonably Comparable to Ancestor?: y
Realistic additions?: y

Name:
Binomial Taxonomic Name?: y
Creator?: y

Ancestor:
Listed?: y
What changes?:

• External?: Smaller, more "horns", more bipedal, bigger head
• Internal?: Bigger brain
• Behavioral/Mental?: Tree climbing, hierarchy, additional calls, throwing things

Are Changes Realistic?: Y
New Genus Needed?: N

Habitat:
Type?: 2/2 (temperate and montane)
Flavor?: 1/3 (woodland)
Connected?: Y
Wildcard?: N/A

Size:
Same as Ancestor?: N (smaller)
Within range?: Y
Exception?: N/A

Support:
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: Should be "bone", not "bones" (the parenthetical is for the material)

Diet:
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Transition Rule?: N/A
Reasonable changes (if any)?: Shifted to terrestrial food

Respiration:
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

Thermoregulation:
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: N/A

Reproduction:
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?: I suggest mentioning the milk, as is standard for shrews

Description:
Length?: Y
Capitalized correctly?: Y
Replace/Split from ancestor?: Split
Other?: N/A

Status: Approved

Bubblewraptors are much better at being huge carnivores than ukfauna

Sky Bloodbee (Xenoapis aerosanguis)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Xenobees
Habitat: Atmosphere (Troposphere)
Size: 2.5 cm long
Support: Exoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Parasite (Blood, trichomes, mucus, and urine of Soaring Phlyer and Hairy Sky Phlyer)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphrodite, Eggs)

The sky bloodbee split from its ancestor, a small bloodbee-like xenobee, and ascended into the sky. It feeds on the mucus, blood, urine-sweat, and other fluids of high-soaring phlyers and nests within the leaves of sky flora. To drink blood, as it cannot create wounds on its own, it takes advantage of pre-existing wounds created by blood tropoflies and sucks the blood out with its suction cup-like mouth. It is able to keep up with the eternally-flying plents by catching and flying inside of their slipstream. It only feeds for a short time before returning to its nest so that it does not become separated from its social group and offspring. As its eyes are on its abdomen, it flies backwards.

The sky bloodbee nests communally. It uses silk to tie many small flying plants such as cloudgrasses and young grumps to one another and utilizes a mixture of silk and cloudgrump leaves for support and insulation. It is a hermaphrodite and mates via cloacal kiss. It performs parental care, regurgitating partially digested blood, mucus, urine, and trichomes for its larvae to consume.

That would probably work.

https://sagan4alpha.miraheze.org/wiki/Bloodbee

QUOTE (Coolsteph)

Fortunately for the bloodbee, it does not need to make wounds to feed on the blood-rich afterbirth of giant hornfaces, snoofloos, drakoggs, dualtrunks, plentshirshus, barkbacks, rosybeak phylers, cragagons, striped phlockss, briarbacks, tasermanes, and handlicker dundis. (It especially likes dualtrunk afterbirth.)

This is said to feed on plent afterbirths, but ambulatory plents do not have afterbirths and never have. Afterbirth is ejection of the placenta, which in mammals is a highly derived egg; not only are several of the listed plents not actually placental, but because ambulatory plents have never laid eggs, the ones that do have placentas absorb them, rather than shedding them. (Does this count as misinterpretation? idk where else to put this)

The blood tropofly exists to decrease the amount of nutrient loss from flying herbivores, yes. That doesn't increase the amount of nutrients available though, just reduces the nutrient sink. The idea with ocean feeders that fill the sky with food is that they actively increase the amount of food available just by existing.