Thanks to sad-dingus for the genus name.

Lotan (Letalicoluber toxipeltus)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Ringtail Limbless
Habitat: Fermi Polar Beach, Fermi Temperate Beach, Fermi Desert
Size: 75 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Adults: Omnivorous (Teacup Saucebacks, Bladesnapper chicks, Hockel, Snapflagg, Whiskerback, Twigdorse, Fuzzpile berries, Fuzzweed berries, Qupe Tree fruit); Juveniles: Carnivorous (Minikruggs, Krugg, Leafcutter Krugg, Spiked Krugg, Egg Krugg, Shieldworm, Lickworm, Snowsculptor Janit, Communal Janit, Spiny Wrigum, Pewpa, Infilt Pewpa)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Mesotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Viviparous

On the island of Fermi, various species of limblesses have managed to maintain footholds within the chilling confines of its polar beaches. With so much competition located within such a limited region, combined with the harsh climate of the area, it was inevitable that some limblesses would either have to adapt or risk going extinct. The lotans are an example of a success story in this regard. Having split from their ancestors, not only have they managed to carve out a new niche for themselves upon the polar shores of their island home, but they have gone so far to spread further beyond their ancient territories and have even gained ground within the interior of the landmass.

Compared to their ancestors, lotans bear a darker color scheme to not only better blend in with the black sand and soil of the regions they inhabit, but also to help them to stay warm as their coloration is better at absorbing heat. They still maintain splashes of color and various patterns upon their hides, which helps to warn would-be predators that the lotans possess a second defense beyond the thin, easily broken-off spines that adorn their skin, their nasty bite, or a threatening swing of their thagomizers. Lotan flesh is toxic, though they themselves do not naturally produce it, and in fact young lotans lack it entirely. They gain their toxins from their diet, as juveniles will gorge themselves on a diet rich with toxin-laden minikruggs who, in turn, gained their toxins from their own diets of toxin-laden flora such as the various species of toxiglobes and the like. This chain of poison helps to protect the adult lotans, as the toxins that lace their flesh and spines make them nearly inedible to most other species, and will last them for the rest of their lives, which are typically in-between three and four years should they not succumb to injury or starvation.

The fangs of the lotan have lost the dimorphic nature of their ancestors, wherein one was notably larger than the other, even if it was already limited within ringtail limblesses. This came about due to a lack of selection for the trait, as well as due to their change in diets. With a gradual switch from larger prey to smaller species, as well as the inclusion of much more fruit in their diets, smaller fangs were selected for and thus became the norm within the species, much like it once was countless generations before.

Reproduction is not that different from other limblesses, though some changes in parenting has occurred. Two individuals will meet up, and should conditions be right - both adults are healthy, well-fed, etc... - they will go on to copulate. Once mating is done, they will work together to dig out a burrow so that they can raise their young within it. With up to three dozen young born at only around 3 to 4 cm in length, both parents will work to protect them, with each partner taking turns to hunt and gather food for both themselves and one another. Once the young are large enough, at around 10 cm at around 1 month, the parents will go their separate ways and leave them to fend for themselves. While not all will survive into adulthood, those that do will have no natural predators to threaten them.

No worries. I see no issue with extending this another week. I've also pinged MNIDJM about the beaches, so when they get back on we'll have this cleared up, but so far it seems to just be a case of them not being added by accident.

I think it must be an oversight, as I don't think anything replaced it on the beach (it has no descendants there, or any at all yet, by the time of this.)

On a slightly different topic, would people like to extend this contest by another week? Would give those who already finished with their submissions some extra time to polish their drawings/descriptions, as well as make other submissions, and give others who were busy more time to finish their submissions.

Glad to see bandersnatches getting some more love, especially for one of the weirder lineages of them.

*EDIT*

It occurred to me, but should these perhaps be referred to as spectresnatches like its direct ancestor (aka Speckled Spectresnatches)?

I only bring this up since their is a notable morphological distinction between them and other bandersnatches. The later has retained their eyes and have smaller ears, while the former have no eyes and instead have greatly enlarged ears. Oh, and the later also have eyespots on their backs derived from their wings.

Looks good to me.

"For those living in heavily wooded areas, they take on different shades of dark blue and indigo to help hide in the forest floor; while those living in scrublands have a golden color along with purple spots to help keep it hidden against the golden dirt and purple flora."

You could perhaps change "to help hide in the forest floor" to "which provides camouflage amongst the forest underbrush;"

I like the design a lot, it's like an adorably chubby, shell-less turtle. The one suggestion I'd make is combine the first few sentences, since it seems rather awkward that they appear to be 1 to 2 sentence long paragraphs. Alternatively, perhaps make them longer.

"As they are nocturnal and Seashrogs diurnal"

Should this be "As they are nocturnal and Seashrogs are diurnal"?

As for whether or not Twinkiiros and/or Twinkorals are able to survive on the driftwood islands, they should be fine, especially the former, since all that decay should in fact help facilitate their growth, especially since it would be save to assume several species would adapt to living along their submerged shorelines.

- - -

Also, a heads up, but the Prime Specimen contest has been extended to June 12th. That means everyone has more time to work on their submission(s).

I've made the edits as per your recommendations. By the way, are you planning on taking part in the newest Prime Specimen?

I like the coloration and skin patterns, and their interactions with herders should prove fuel for potential evolutions.

I'll be honest, I'm not an expert on how big a colonial organism like this can get, as the biggest I can think of, on earth, are limited to massive siphonophores. Since it is capable of photosynthesis, that should give it some leeway in regards to size.

I like how complex the houses are becoming, though those rogue males are certainly quite frightening.

Burrowyrm (Densterrae hyacinthocutis)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Squat Limbless
Habitat: Vivus Taiga, Vivus Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Woodland
Size: 40 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Carnivore (Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Whiskrugg, Grovecrystal Krugg, Vermees, Xenobees, Xenowasps, Dartirs, Sapworms, Neuks, Exoskelesor, Teacup Saucebacks, Pikashrew, Kehaida, Chasing Twintail, Scrambled Shrew, Barkback, Jongfoll, Umbral Sphinx, Gryphler)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Mesotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Viviparous

Splitting from its ancestor, the burrowyrms have spread deeper inland into Vivus and have even gained ground in Darwin itself. While their ancestors along the cold, polar coasts of the continent continue to dwindle in population, the burrowyrms have instead gone on to thrive, having evolved better adaptations to the cold that serve to compliment their semi-subterranean lifestyle. Filling out the niche of a small predator, they help to keep the populations of various small fauna in check, and are in turn kept in check by various larger predators.

One of the most prominent features this species has evolved is their bright colors, a highly visible trait which they utilize to warn off potential predators. The reason for this of their mildly venomous bite which has recently evolved. This poison does not involve the usage of poison sacs connected to fangs and is instead produced by the salivary glands and coats the teeth. While said poison is deadly to small prey items, paralyzing them outright, it can still cause a painful burning sensation for anything larger than 20 centimeters long. Another noticeable feature is the numerous thorn-like spines that form rows along their backs. Anchored in the chainmail-like formation of bony nodules located just beneath the skin, each spine possesses several muscular attachments, allowing them to be flexed about to a limited degree. While individually this achieves little, when done en masse this allows better digging through both leaf litter and soil, especially with the aid of their spade-like specialized tooth.

For most of the colder parts of the year, the habitats that burrowyrms call home are distinctly barren of them. This is because during these times they will burrow several meters underground in small hollows they have dug out, sleeping away the winter in a state of brumation. They await for the return of warm weather, for only that - or prolonged exposure to the body heat of another organism - is what is capable of awakening them from their slumber. In fact, so deep is this state of dormancy that they remain utterly motionless towards most external stimuli, and will not even react to being dug up, at least not immediately so. Once spring has returned, however, they will begin to eagerly return to the surface and gorge themselves on a wide variety of small prey items, utilizing their venomous saliva to incapacitate them so that they may be crushed in their jaws and then devoured.

Besides the seasonal gorging that burrowyrms undergo with the arrival of warm weather, so too do they seek out mates. Intertwining themselves with one another, a mated pair will remain in such a position for hours at a time, after which they will go their separate ways. Burrowyrms choose a new partner every year over their ten year lifespan, and each mating typically produces several tiny squirming offspring for whom the parents show no parental care. The young will need to rely on their venomous saliva and capacity to burrow if they are to survive the numerous predators that would otherwise make a quick meal of such small offspring.

Because of the change in their diet towards small, mouth-sized prey, the size of several of their fangs - outside the large, modified one - have reduced significantly, to the point where they are no longer exposed when their mouths are closed, much like the majority of their teeth.

Beautiful species, I love how serene its face looks.

I'm really loving the skin patterns on this one, as well as the changing in color patterns through its flesh.

One thing, but you forgot to put a space between the first and second paragraph.

Seeing this makes me wonder if baby buttpipers are born with developed butt-sacks, or if they develop as they mature, resulting in their equivalent of voice breaking (aka like what we go through in puberty when our voices deepen).

I wonder if we'll see some offshoots that will adapt to other flora types, or if black flora are inherently better for them in regards to choice in hosts.

I like the design, and there really haven't been that many huge saucebacks. Given how big they are, I'm curious how they interact with Bludblugs and Cleaner Ukneuks, or whether or not they'd spread them as well.

Ah, yes, I meant baron signaltails. Thanks for catching that.

... though admittedly, shrew paleontologists might collect baron sprintzilla skulls.

I like how the eye-ears more resemble glorious eyebrows.

So basically, if the trunk is really a mass of branches, it would basically make each tree a microclimate, since those dense crystal leaves and such would block the wind and thus make it feel warmer inside the foliage.

It's like a mix between an oak and a coconut tree. I like it. Hopefully some tamow or shrog learns how to adapt to this new flora, since fire resistance wood would prove useful should forest fires occur.

Here was the color hue swap. Really brings out some of the colored bubble scales. I intermittently added them to make the species more colorful, as well perhaps suggest a randomness between individuals.




Here was my original sketch. Ignore the missing third toe (that was added in afterwards, though I didn't upload the image). Surprise surprise, it was in the process of consuming a sowshrog! While I'll likely not finish this sketch, if I were to relate it to the final product, I would say that the smaller crest and shorter arm bubble-scale feathers are sign that this individual is a subadult.

Ya, name is a bit long, but it's a direct reference to the Chupacabra (goat-sucker), just with the Spanish word for shrew used instead of goat. Figured it was appropriate for a lineage of vampires.

I've used this style a few times recently. Unlike my last style, where I used Gimp to retrace all the features as a separate layer, increase the thickness of the lines, and then add colors/shading as separate layers, I did something different. I instead imported the image to gimp, made it slightly transparent, then added coloration to layers beneath it, and shading to layers above it. In this way its essentially the original sketch, just colored.

I did have a few other images of this, one hue tweak, and the original sketch before this one.

I look forward to seeing that shrog!

I concur... though admittedly, with how close May 4th was, I keep imagining this thing making Darth Vader quotes to the normal Shroom Herder.

*EDIT*
Any interactions between this and the shroom-eating Gamergate Gundis of Darwin, especially since the Tamed Berry Arbourshrooms are among the shrooms that flourish within the shroom fields?

Swap with OviraptorFan.

Chupamusaraña (Somnusisucco ferrumnocte)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Press-Toothed Bubbleskin
Habitat: Drake Temperate Woodland, Drake Rocky, Drake Boreal, Drake High Grassland, Drake Plains, Drake Chaparral
Size: 2.7 m long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Adults: Hemophagous (Sowshrog, Drakeshrog, Wolvershrog, Bannertail, Signaltail, Racing Rainbowtail, Swordtail, Baron Signaltail young, Double-Lipped Sauceback young, Lipped Sauceback, Killcoat), Osteophagy; Juveniles: Hemophagous (Rosybeak Phyler, Scarlet Phlyer, Golden Phlyer, Azure Phlyer, Indigo Wutuu)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Bubble-Wrap Scales)
Reproduction: Sexual, 2 Genders, Live Birth, Milk, Pouch

On the small continent of Drake, various species of bubbleskin have evolved in relative isolation from the rest of their kin over the course of countless generations. As one might expect, they have diversified and spread throughout the landmass, each species tending to specialize on gorging themselves upon the blood of their own particular prey. In general, this has typically consisted of the various plent species that flourish upon the island, as well as the offspring of some of the smaller signaltail species. However, rather recently on the evolutionary timescale, a distant family of shrews have come to call the island home, and already their impact on the local ecosystems can be felt throughout the continent. Descendants of the globally spanning seashrogs, these shrogs possess greater intelligence, high adaptability, and a penchant for rapidly diversifying, shaping and dominating every habitat they encounter. And unlike the bubble-wrapped scales of the blood shrew descendants known as bubbleskins, the fur of these shrews allows them to better handle the cooler climes and colder winters of Drake with a much greater efficiency. It would seem that, outside of the solitary giants like the polar baron and its kin, these shrew newcomers would displace the hemophagous bubbleskins as some of the top predators, or at least so it had seemed up until relatively recently.


Anatomy
Having split from its ancestor over the course of several thousand years, the chupamusaraña has, in comparison to most of its kin, evolved a larger, more robust form in response to the various large shrogs now native throughout Drake. Their foreclaws have become larger, and their forelimbs have become thicker and muscular in order to provide greater force when the claws are used to pierce into the hides of their prey. Their rear legs have become stockier which supports their weight, while the bubble scales that adorn them have shrunken in size in order to provide greater flexibility in the toes. The heads also possess this reduced size in scales, though to a much greater extent, as an evolutionary adaptation to their messy diets - smaller, smoother scales are easier to keep clean than larger, bulker ones, especially given how bloody their meals are.

The numerous bubble-wrapped scales that adorn the skin of this species are slightly iridescent. This occurs due to, while under the right light conditions, the minute amounts of oil that coat these bubble-wrapped scales causing them to take on a wide hue of colors. Because the concentrations of these oils and the size of the bubble-wrapped scales differ between individuals, no two chupamusarañas may bear the same pattern. In addition, the bubble-wrapped "feathers", which are larger, more specialized types of bubble-wrapped scales, tend to have the most vibrant colors due to greater presence of oils on them due to the glands that secrete them being found in greater numbers near their "roots". The primary function of this oil is to keep the scales of all kind clean as well as make it more difficult for parasites to attach themselves.

While newborns and juveniles possess relatively smooth, if still somewhat bumpy, domes upon their heads, it is the adults, who upon reaching sexual maturity, come to bear an impressive pair of bony crests. Serving as attachment points for several powerful jaw muscles, the primary purpose of this structure is for both communication and as a form of sexual display. Numerous blood vessels located just below the skin can be expanded as excess blood is pumped into them, causing the skin to turn a deep crimson and, more importantly, become a hotspot for the infrared vision that all bubbleskins possess. As most non-bubbleskins are incapable of detecting this, it serves as an effective means of communication, especially when it comes to attracting a mate - healthy individuals can afford to expend this excess heat, while sicklier ones cannot.

Of interest is the reemergence of a nipple-like structure - though more akin to a patch of skin - within the pouches of females. While not directly related to those their distant ancestors, having in this case evolved from a modified oil gland found within the lining of the pouch, it produces a rich, if fatty, milk-like substance that their young can lap from. It will keep them nourished for the first month of their life, after which they will begin to turn to blood-based meals. Typically large enough to allow up to three offspring to feed from, any more than that would be unsustainable, and in such cases one of the offspring will likely be bullied off and eventually die starvation or exposure if pushed out of the pouch.

Unlike other bubbleskins, the chupamusaraña have evolved ocular structures not unlike the tapeta lucida of many carnivorous earth vertebrates. As a retroreflector, these surfaces are quite capable at reflecting light, giving this species eyeshine at night as well as significantly improved low-light vision, a useful adaptation to hunting at either dusk or dawn.

Vision
The eyesight of the chupamusaraña is, like that of all bubbleskins, quite a remarkable thing. Besides the typical color vision that they share with most other shrews - now enhanced by the presence of tapeta lucida-like retroreflectors - they also possess two pairs of more specialized, sensitive eyes capable of seeing what others cannot. This is most apparent with the first pair of specialized eyes, which are capable of detecting infrared. This capacity to detect thermal energy has been refined over countless generations, and is sensitive enough to detect the body heat produced by most fauna, though it has some difficulty detecting small ectothermic life. As long as there is not too much in the way to interfere, such as dense foliage, a chupamusaraña can see nearly as far away at night as it can during the day. This is especially effective when hunting on the night of a full moon, a time when the light of Mason isn't present and thus even normal low-light vision cannot effectively function, especially if it is during the dead of night.

The second set of specialized eyes, however, do not detect infrared, but something else entirely. While it is said that the original bubbleskins could detect bioelectric signals and even see the nervous system of their prey if close enough, this is nowhere near as refined or as potent within this lineage. Instead, they are able to detect very faint electric fields, and even make out the faint patterns produced by all life. While this is not sufficient for hunting, it can, on occasion, help them find prey hidden from normal sight, such as something buried under loose soil. This however only works if they are within a meter or less of them. It would seem that this form of vision may be on its way out, though evolutionary there are no major pressures being placed upon it.

Diet
Unlike the rest of their kin, the chupamusaraña have evolved a taste for shrew blood, preferring it to that of plents. This does not mean they have abandoned the latter prey entirely, as juveniles will still hunt small phlyers much as their ancestors did. It is only now that, once they are fully grown, they instead prefer larger prey, with shrogs in particular being a common target. They have not developed a taste for other bubbleskins, but have also begun to include other large prey items besides shrogs, such as various species of signaltails and saucebacks. While they primarily feed on just the blood of larger organisms, the vice-like pressure of their jaws is more than capable of liquidating the internal organs of smaller prey. While they have some difficulty digesting more solid foods, this "organ juice" is more than palatable to them, and serves to provide them with essential vitamins and minerals that blood alone cannot provide.

In addition to the typical hemophagous diet which it shares with other members of its group, this species of bubbleskin in particular will also engage in the gnawing and even the outright consumption of the smaller bones of other shrews. They do this in order to acquire the precious calcium within them, a substance that is necessary for supporting their internal bone structures and such. Pregnant females in particular are known for engaging in this behavior as they need the extra calcium for their developing offspring.

Hunting Strategy
Chupamusarañas are nocturnal predators, though distinct populations are also active during the times of early dawn and late dusk. While under the cover of darkness, they are unmatched in their role as predators, with their advanced vision allowing them to stalk prey items that would normally be seen as too large for species of their size. This includes the various shrogs, saucebacks, and other such prey species of Drake upon which these bubbleskins hunt as they, for the most part, are diurnal by nature. As such, at night they are quite vulnerable to predation. Moving slowly and steadily, they can sneak up upon them and then, with a sudden strike, puncture their foreclaws deep into the flesh of their prey as they aim for major blood vessels. Should their aim be true, most prey will bleed out within seconds, making for an easy kill. Should they miss, however, they can also rely upon their vice-like jaws to finish them off. While the enlarged fangs are mostly just a sexual display now, their powerful jaw muscles allow them to crush the bones of shrogs quite efficiently, meaning that should they manage to wrap their jaws around the throat of one, it will not last long at all.

Many shrogs have evolved tool use, such as spears, for both hunting and defense. For most predatory species, this can prove a dangerous proposition to consider hunting them, but not for chupamusarañas. While they would normally hunt them while they sleep, should they come across an awake one, they are more than capable of standing their ground. The wooden spears of most shrogs, sharpened to the point where they can pierce unguarded flesh, have found their foil in the hides of these bubbleskins. A completely unintentional evolutionary defense, but the bubble-wrapped scales, being hard due to their keratinized structure and possessing a smooth, rounded shape, are quite capable at deflecting weaker pokes and instead turning them into glancing blows, though typically at the cost of the scales themselves. Should a shrog or some other clawed species attempt to dig its nails into their hides instead, they will find an excellent grip, though perhaps too much of one. If their claws should penetrate the bubble-wrapped scales, their tough yet flexible nature makes it difficult to free oneself from them. It is not unheard for individual chupamusarañas to be seen bearing the withered, desiccated husk of a forelimb stuck onto their sides, its owner having long since died and rotted off but the limb too well stuck to have become detached on its own. Such events though will come to an end when those scales are inevitably shed so that new ones underneath can grow in.

Mating & Reproduction
The mating process for the chupamusaraña begins with a male specimen building up nests, typically composed of numerous fallen branches and small trees such as those of ferines, arranged into several spires. The materials utilized have been placed tightly against one another, and are subsequently held in place by having been carefully bitten - and thus crushed - until they have been partially pulped and stuck together against one another. These nests can be over three to four meters in height, and are adorned with various bones of shrogs and similarly sized species, with the most prized ones containing the bones of adult baron signaltails or, on very rare occasions, those of very lost polar barons. While rarely are all these bones the results of kills the male has made, they do serve to indicate a capable hunter, since not only is it able to build, guard, and maintain a sizeable nest, but also continue to hunt as well. If a female approaches the nest, the male will begin a mating display involving stomping in place, raising its forelimbs above its head, spinning in place, and flushing its crests with blood. While seemingly a silent affair, in truth a cacophony of low-frequency sounds are present, which primarily only bubbleskins can detect. Should the female be interested, she will replicate his movements, after which the mating will occur over the course of several hours. Following this, both individuals will go their separate ways, with the male in particular returning to his nest so as to attract further mates.

After a gestation period of roughly two months, the females will give birth to one or two underdeveloped offspring. Blind, pink, and with only a thin coating of bubble-wrapped scales, they are essentially helpless and must crawl there ways into the mother's pouch. They will lap from the nipple-patch, growing strong and putting on weight at a rapid pace. The milk is not nearly as nutritious as that of other shrews, primarily due to the mother's primarily sanguineous diet, but it provides a much needed boost for the growing newborns and also helps them develop strong bones from an early age. Within little over a month, they will begin to resemble smaller, leaner versions of the adults, though they are lacking in crests and still retain a pinkish hue. They will begin to leave the pouch at this point for brief periods of time, and will be nourished now by partially digested blood which the mother will regurgitate for them. Within a year the young will have developed a darker coloration and be large enough to go off on their own, and within two or three more they will be large enough to begin mating on their own.