Quillfence (Quillotuber ligneus)
Creator: Coolsteph
Ancestor: Quaxaca
Habitat: Raptor Volcanic (4-4.3 km), Dixon-Darwin Rocky (3.6-3.9 kilometers)
Diet: Photosynthesis
Size: 50 cm tall
Respiration: ???
Support: Cellulose Walls
Reproduction: Asexual, Spores, Tuber Budding
A Quillfence stores energy in the form of inulin in its thickened underground stem swellings (tubers). Usually, it uses the energy stored within its tubers to quickly recover from herbivory, especially from Ramchins, a major herbivore. In the very rare instances of volcanic eruption, it can draw upon the energy of its tubers to quickly grow above covering layers of ash and photosynthsize again, or wait out days when the sky is dark from ashes.
The inulin of its tubers is difficult or impossible to digest for most fauna which don't use extensive microbial fermentation in their digestive systems. The most practical workaround of using something with a pH equal to or less than 4 and heating up to at least 40 C (104 F) is irrelevant in its environment, which is not especially prone to fire, and lacks any organisms intelligent enough to use fire or even hot rocks. Thus, only a few herbivores can theoretically digest its tubers.
Quillfences can reproduce vegetatively, something like potatoes, by growing underground shoots from the tuber, which eventually grow into tubers of their own and new individuals. Where the soil is rich and fertile, most often in Raptor Volcanic, it can create many such shoots, roughly evenly spaced from each other. The thin, straight aboveground shoots and spacing brings to mind a fence, hence the name "Quillfence".
Quillfences grow in the more arid, low-lying areas of their habitats. They take roughly two and a half months to grow to maturity, with less for particularly ideal conditions. In conditions of significant ashfall, it survives the outskirts of volcanic eruptions better than their relations. However, their slower maturation rates require good conditions for months to establish populations, and they are somewhat slow to colonize denuded areas. Differential performance under volcanic eruptions is nonetheless difficult to observe, due to the rarity of such events.
Around two months, Quillfence stems start becoming tough and lignified around the tuber. After two and a half months, lignification becomes more substantial, significantly decreasing its palatability to Ramchins. After this point, tuber growth tends to slow down, and it has greater reproductive output. Maximum lifespans for an individual are around eight months, although small clonal colonies can persist for longer. If not broken down or substantially decayed, the lignified stems of Quillfences remain upright for a surprisingly long time, making a fairly good fence for small fauna.
The tubers have a delicious nutty taste, something like pecans and potatoes. The fuzz-like leaves of dead and dying Quillfences are somewhat unusual among purpleflora for being bluish periwinkle-like color, not pink or champagne.
---
(It's going above 4x because of no competition in its size range, although its tubers didn't seem proportionate for a wild plant roughly the size of a sunchoke, which I used for after-the-fact inspiration for its description. Therefore, it's not the maximum of 10x. If not acceptable, 36 cm will do.)
Name: Glideabovi (Volantilenocus exaurarumbra)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Treedundi (Jaylenocus arbori)
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Javen Tropical Rainforest, Javen Tropical Woodland, North Darwin Tropical Woodland, East Darwin Tropical Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Woodland
Size: 16 centimeters long, 32 centimeter “wingspan”
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Xenobees, Minikruggs, Cloudswarmers, Silkruggs, Xenowasps, Gushitos, small Neuks, small Dartirs, Sapworms, Sapshrooms, Boreal Tubeplage fruit, Feroak berries, Bloodsap Melontree fruit, Gecoba Tree fruit, Hengende, Cragmyr berries, Mainland Fuzzpalm berries, Hairoot, Tropical Gecoba Tree fruit, Branching Qupe Tree fruit, Carnossamer fruit, Tlukvaequabora berries, Marblora, Twinkbora, Penumbra Fuzzpalm berries, Bora Scuttler, Hanging Olshkra, Fuzzpile berries, Kellace, Fruiting Grovecrystal fruit, Scrubland Tubeplage fruit, Scrubland Quhft fruit, Tubeplage fruit, Quhft fruit, Cup Qupe fruit, Borinvermee (occasionally))
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth)
When some treedundis from the Darwin Savanna started to wander into the boreal forests of Dixon-Darwin, they found an abundance of food among the branches. The main drawback, however, was that they often needed to descend down one tree to the ground and then climb back up a different tree to access the food on that tree, which can prove dangerous due to the abundant numbers of predators on the ground. Since there are more trees in the area than in places like their ancestral home of Savanna, sometimes the branches of a different tree may be only a few horizontal yards away. This tempted some treedundis to risk falling to their doom by jumping across gaps, which would then favor individuals able to cover larger distances in their jumps as well being able to soften their fall. This resulted in the already long limbs of these populations to become connected by large membranes of skin, allowing them to catch air and act as a parachute or even glide. This would lead to these populations splitting off from their ancestor and giving rise to the glideabovi, the first species of nodent to take to the air.
Glideabovis have not changed too much from their ancestor in terms of anatomy once you get rid of the membranes.The two buck teeth of this species still act as grinding plates to help crush up their food into small pieces for their back teeth to then further process. The main difference of their dentition is that the first pair of back teeth on the upper jaw, which were vestigial nubs in their ancestor that did not aid in feeding, have grown in size and became similar to canines in terms of shape. While the glideabovi does use the two canines to kill prey on occasion, they are mostly used for intraspecific combat since glideabovis are solitary nodents and do not like to share with their neighbors. The large ears of the glideabovi help listen for potential predators like local species of falcophrey or to detect the sounds of prey like a xenobee flying around.
The main differences of this species from their ancestors are in the limbs and the membranes of skin connecting them. The membranes of the forelimbs go all the way up to the tips of the fingers, which themselves have become longer to increase the size of the skin membranes they can bear (except for the fifth digit, which has become reduced in size and is the only digit on the forelimbs that is free of the membranes). The large membranes on the forelimbs does sacrifice their ancestors ability to grab things with their hands, but the hindlimbs do not have as extensive membranes which means their feet can still grab pretty well.
Glideabovis almost never go down to the ground, since there are plenty of predators on the forest floor and their membranes become a handicap when it comes to moving on substrate. This, of course, is mitigated by glideabovis not needing to come down to the ground since they will instead move to the next tree by jumping. When they launch themselves into the air, the glideabovi will open their membrane up to their maximum extent to slow their descent, effectively acting as a parachute. The membranes can also allow the Glideabovi to glide for a moderate distance, though they can’t control their path very well and thus must aim their launch before they take to the air. Once they land on a tree, they will scamper up the surface to make up for the vertical distance lost in their descent.
Glideabovis do not have any caste systems, with the species instead having just males and females who can breed. To keep up with predation rates, the glideabovi females will produce large litters of offspring. While the youngsters are capable of living on their own from birth, their smaller size means they can’t make the jumps between individual trees so they spend the first few months of their life on a single tree.
A close up of the head displaying the tusk-like teeth as well as the rest of the Glideabovi's dentition.
Here we go! This was originally gonna be my first species of nodent ever submitted but then the Fishing Grasper was resurrected so I ended up doing a different species of nodent first. This is still my first species of the Noant lineage though, and it is also the first species of nodent to get into the air in any compacity! What do you guys think of it? It may hold potential to become a new group of flying nodents!
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Nov 26 2021, 05:20 PM
Ophan Scimitar (Rotaferrum petatoculos)
Creator: Papainmanis
Ancestor: Hearthead
Habitat: Darwin Plains, Darwin Chapparal, Vivus High Desert, Vivus high Grassland, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Dixon-Darwin High Desert
Size: 1.4 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: scavenger & Carnivore (Lizatokage, Thin Lizatokage, Egg Lizatokage, Grassland Lizatokage, Agropspyt, Varant, Feroakage, Guangu, Sabulyn, Argeiphlock, Plehexapod, Tasermane, Brighteyes, High Grassland Ukback, Dualtrunk, Briarback, Sitting Dund, Hedgimali, Neoshrew, Xatagolin, Xatazelle, Dundigger, Snoronk, Gulperskunik, Cleaner Ukneuk, Snoofloo)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)
The Ophan Scimitar has split from its ancestor, simultaneously adapting to the presence of their Argusraptor cousins with whom they share much of their habitats as threats, rivals and models of mimicry.
Their plating has expanded along the vertebrae of the proboscises and have grown sharper edges, making them a very painful meal prone to injure any would be attacker. They have grown in both size and relative weight, with a more rounded and thicker physique, inspiring their rounded name.
They are not as fast as their ancestors, but what they lack in speed they add in brawn. Their size and intimidating form allowed them to specialize as scavengers for the larger part of their diet, taking over the area around a treasured carcass and scaring away most of the competition, often including the very same predator who made the kill. No less vital, internally their immune system has evolved to handle the rot and risk of infection.
They continually grow teeth in their oral ring past the growth of the skull, compensating for constantly breaking their teeth on bones and other hard tissues in a carcass. They developed a higher density of teeth sockets in a back and forth wave like pattern that allows them to grow more teeth without losing tooth density, ensuring that at any time there will likely be enough healthy teeth while other teeth are healing. As a consequence, the additional eyestrills allow them to find the scent of carcasses from far away. To protect their eyestrils fromBlood, sand, and dust. They are lined up with a type of fatty tear duct, releasing soapy bubbles that clean them out.
Their tail feathers aid in intimidation and defense due to their mimicry of the eyes of Argusraptors. When they lower their front to eat, the sight of their backside rocking up and down creates the animated appearance of a running Argusraptor. The illusion works so well to discourage others from getting close to the area, that rocking back and forth has being adapted as a nervous response.
On the flip side of the very same motion, rocking back and forth towards each other has become a display of affection and takes part in their mating ritual, as the potential mates will rock back and forth towards each other while circulating closer and closer, eventually touching and scratching their tusks along each other's armor plates if they like each other, or going for a bite if they don't. Once mated, the pair of Ophan Scimitars - known as a bike - will nest together and take turns defending the larva while the other returns with mouthfuls of food to regurgitate, preferring to defend themselves from opportunity shrews by spreading thin and wide, minimizing a chance encounter.
This post has been edited by Papainmanis: Jan 23 2022, 02:07 PM
Buhmungus Infectoids Neoturbatusnex ssp.
Ancestor: Disturbed Infectoid
Creator: colddigger
Habitat: Global
Diet: Microbes
Size: 0.05mm - 1cm long (mature), 1μm long (dormant spore)
Support: Cell Membrane
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Respiration: Passive Diffusion
Reproduction: Asexual, Virus-like Infection, Spores, Sexual, Budding
Buhmungus Infectoid split from its ancestor, the Disturbed Infectoid, and rapidly diversified across the globe. They can be found in any environment with moisture, from the bottoms of oceans to the damp soil of mountain springs, feeding off microbes. The various species range in size from microscopic to up to 1 cm in a few rare cases.
The colony structure is very similar to their ancestor. Their surface is shaggy with cirri, lengths of microtubules and cell membrane fused together into structures larger than cilia that act in unison reminiscent of structures found on Earth Ctenophores, which are beaten to move through the environment. Their anterior is open to sift in prey items smaller than themselves. Their inside is a hollow cavity lined with digestive cells that semi-freely extend in from the walls to lyse prey items and absorb their cytoplasm and materials as food. These cells will work together in order to kill larger prey items and share in the spoils. Material is distributed between colony members via dendrite-like appendages that extend throughout the collection.
Their outer surface is covered in a second membrane called a shroud membrane held in place by anchor chains of saccharides and microtubules. This layer is dotted with glycolipids and other metabolic tags functioning to disguise the Infectoid identity and trick observers into registering them as something less dangerous.
The posterior end of the colony gradually sloughs off dormant spores wrapped in a layer of shroud membrane.
The spore sits in its environment in dormancy, appearing to be the tiny remains of something once living based off its shroud membrane, until stumbled upon by another organism. The intermembrane space between the shroud membrane and the true cell membrane is filled with lysosomes. Once discovered by a hungry microbe the spore is devoured, and the shroud membrane will take damage. This triggers the release of lysosomes into the attacking microbe which promptly rips apart its insides. During the chaos a protective vacuole from the spore quickly latches onto the nuclear membrane of the attacking microbe, if unicellular, and engulfs it. Once inside the prison vacuole the nucleus is forced into a dormant state while the Buhmungus Infectoid gets to work assimilating the shredded cytoplasm into a new body.
The initial cell membrane once belonging to what is now the prisoner nucleus becomes the new shroud membrane. The active Infectoid cell inside draws in cytoplasm, and begins forming large pores along it's surface for ease of traverse between the inner cell and the intermembrane space for particles, ribosomes, and microtubules. Specialized proteins are used to skim through the prisoner nucleus for sequences necessary for the formation of species specific surface particles such as glycolipids. This information is transcribed by Infectoid proteins and the RNA translated, if necessary, by Infectoid ribosomes. All resulting compounds, particles, and processing, is restricted to marked vacuoles and escorted along microtubules to the intermembrane space where they are eventually united with the shroud membrane to perform their identification function.
During mitosis both the Infectoid nucleus and prisoner nucleus are replicated. The daughter cells divide inside the shroud membrane, which is expanded to accommodate the new cargo. If there isn't enough cytoplasm in order to form the basic structure for the active capture of prey then immature Buhmungus Infectoid will repeat the bait-and-switch process utilizing the new shroud membrane. However rather than capturing a new prisoner nucleus the assailant simply is destroyed entirely and devoured from the inside. The original prisoner nucleus is retained and any damage done to the shroud membrane during the attack is repaired using it.
After one or two of these events the Buhmungus Infectoid will have enough mass to form their mature shape. The cells in the cluster will differentiate into their specialized roles. Branching tubes will gently pass through the intercellular spaces to maintain supply chains to those cells no longer capable of obtaining food for themselves. Just under the surface of the posterior end the cells will specialize in the formation of spores. Mother cells will replicate their nucleus, without replicating the prisoner nucleus, and bud off a daughter which passes into the intermembrane space and pushes out to become engulfed in the shroud membrane and separate into the world.
When a spore is eaten by something multicellular, whether a filter feeder or planktonic predator, it can be a real problem. Most often the spore simply perishes, or if it's lucky the shroud membrane allows it to pass through digestion or even get coughed up with minimal damage. However, sometimes just the right food processing in the mouth or esophageal tube of a predator results in cascading their infection response. This results in rupturing through some epithelial cell of their attacker and converting it into a host body. Their process is very much the same as if they were going through their standard life cycle, however they cannot bait in any new attackers. Rather, they are passively fed alongside other epithelial cells by their host. This sustenance does allow them to multiply, though it stunts their lifecycle as the medium is not adequate for maturing into their adult colonial form. If the host is small enough the infection may overwhelm it and the Buhmungus Infectoid will be able to become free to mature. If the host is large then it's a dead end and the Buhmungus Infectoid will remain in its tissue, immature and unable to reproduce, until one of them dies.
If a spore is captured by a fellow Buhmungus Infectoid then a curious thing happens. The spore is initially attacked, its shroud membrane being destroyed like any other prey. This, however, releases its lysosomes which are marked as belonging to the species. Because both participants are of the same species safety measures to prevent self digestion stops all lysosome activity. The cell membrane of the spore is exposed to be recognized, it is held stuck to the wall of the digestive cavity and a tube is formed through the extracellular space toward the posterior end of the colony from its point of contact. The spore is hoisted through this, its membrane dotted and augmented for reception once reaching it's destination. Upon coming in contact with one of the many budding reproductive cells the tags placed on the spore are used to cut its membrane open and allow the reproductive cell to take on it's nucleus. After this both Infectoid nuclei will undergo meiosis and nuclear exchange, with both producing daughter nuclei for budding.
Simplified diagram of an Infectoid cell
This post has been edited by colddigger: Dec 5 2021, 06:35 PM
Sanguine o' Spheres (Sanguinariusasphera spp.)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Hemoglobe
Habitat: Global (Marine)
Size: 5 mm to 1 cm
Support: Unknown
Diet: Hematophage (blood of Gilltails and kin), Parasitic (flesh of Gilltails and kin)
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Unknown
Reproduction: Super Fast Asexual Budding, Very Resistant Spores
Over the course of millions of years, gilltails and their kin have been one of the most common forms of aquatic life on Sagan IV. Found in nearly every body of water, from freshwater rivers to the inky black darkness of the deep ocean, they have been a success story, even if they've rarely gained access to the title of top predator wherever they've lived. Despite this success, very few, if any parasites have arisen to exploit them, unlike on a planet such as Earth where near every living species has a parasite. While this is not to suggest nothing parasitized them - plenty of polyfee and microbial species certainly did - for the most part nothing specialized in doing so. However, as with any food source that goes unexploited for so long, it was only a matter of time for something to evolve and take advantage of it.
Prior the ice age that engulfed Sagan IV, a curious evolution, which might have otherwise gone unnoticed amongst all the evolutionary oddities of this world, occurred. A lineage of hydroglobe, normally a photosynthesizing species of "ball flora" that survived through its use of resistant spores and their incredible capacity to bud and spread over nearly any solid object, had begun to grow exclusively off the common gilltail. While it was not uncommon for occurrence in nature - even to this day various species will grow off the sides of large marine organisms - for the most part it was an example of commensalism, as the flora benefited from the access. This was not the case in this species, though. This flora, which would come to be known as the hemoglobe, was parasitic. Like some of the carnivorous ball flora of old, this species did not derive the majority of its energy from sunlight but from other organisms. Evolving a structure akin to a holdfast that pierced the flesh, they would use it to hold tight against the skin of a gilltail, even draining it of blood slowly through minute tubules that perforated them. Infestations of these could prove lethal over time, but for the most part the hosts' immune system would keep them at manageable levels until they died off.
Now, after millions of years, this is no longer the case. Several lineages of hemoglobe have evolved and split off into a new genus, one composed of individuals far more deadly than their ancestor ever was.
The sanguine o' spheres have taken its parasitic relationship with gilltails to the next level. No longer are they capable of performing photosynthesis, instead now taking all they need to survive from their "gracious" hosts. Once a spore - now bearing a much more mobile form and being more akin to zoospores - finds a gilltail by following its chemical trail in the water, it seeks out an opening, such as a small scratch or other such wound, and upon doing so it digs in. Once it has secured itself, it will begin to mature into its adult stage. As it grows, the typical sanguine o' sphere will secrete enzymes that slowly digest the surrounding flesh in order absorb the resulting nutrients, as well as for their own protection. This protection comes in the fact that they will take up the various chemical markers of their gilltail host, which helps to hide them the hosts' immune system. All all while this is going on, their holdfast-like structures are beginning to spread out and dig in to their fleshy surroundings. They will seek out blood vessels, and once they penetrate them, will begin to transfer the blood within into the main body. These structures also perform a secondary function, for while the sphere itself is capable of budding new individuals, so too can it. This can cause an infestation of sanguine o' spheres to quite rapidly grow out of control, for even if the initial infestation site is somehow removed, "roots" might remain that are intact enough to start it all over again.
As new spheres continue to form, spreading over the body of the poor gilltail, its health will begin to drastically decline. While some infestations kill their hosts slowly over the span of months, many do so instead in the span of weeks. The host, suffering from both anemia and its own body slowly being digested away, becomes weakened, sluggish, and overall fairly pallid in coloration. Eventually, they will have difficulty even swimming, if they are not picked off by predators, until they are incapable of moving enough water through their gill-systems, a fatal situation for them. Of course, this is assuming the infestation starts on a more open part of the body, but this is not always the case. Should spheres begin to mature around the base of an eye, they are quite easily capable of penetrating their way into it and render the gilltail blind in that eye, which in turn can drastically reduce its chances of both feeding and avoiding predation. Should the infestation begin near either end of the gill-system, they can quite easily - if unintentionally - clog it, resulting in a much more rapid death for their host. Fins can also be a point of infestation, which can cause interference with the gilltail's capacity to swim effectively.
While a host dying quickly is detrimental to most parasites that don't rely on complex, multi-host lifecycles, for the sanguine o' spheres it is of little concern. By the time the first spheres have reached maturity, they are already releasing their spores asexually into the surrounding water. While many will never find a host, all that's needed is one to be successful in order to start the process all over again, and with oceans rich in gilltails, there are many potential opportunities to find a host.
-- Oddballs --
While the vast majority of the hundred or so species of sanguine o' spheres - typically at least one for every species of gilltail and their kin - follow a very similar lifecycle and bear almost indistinguishable appearances beyond size - many species can only distinguished with genome sequencing - there are still a few evolutionary oddballs that pop up from time to time. One lineage, for example, has developed a tolerance for brief ventures out of water, a necessity given their typical hosts are srugeings. Another lineage doesn't immediately release spores throughout its life, instead relying on the guts of large carpozoans to release them from their bodies, and to achieve this they subtly alter the chemical scent of their gilltail host to make them more pungent to these sorts of predators. Perhaps the oddest of all is a lineage that is particularly deadly to its host, primarily because once the gilltail has died, the spheres will extend outwards from the corpse on thin stalks in order to better infect small scavengers with their spores which are in turn consumed by un-infested gilltails. Of course, all these examples are merely outliers on the evolutionary tree of the sanguine o' spheres. Time will tell whether or not they will lead to vibrant new limbs, or if they are but mere branches to be pruned all too soon.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Dec 4 2021, 08:21 PM
Name: Wriggletail Chromoleoxus (Variumsuchus illecebra)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Chromanke (Trisimius plandigitus)
Habitat: Yokto Temperate River, Yokto Temperate Riparian, Drake Boreal
Size: 70 centimeters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Carnivore (Migrating Glowsnapper tadpoles, Seashellsnapper tadpoles, Hammerhead Shocker, Glowogg tadpoles, Chromofeef, Krugg Slayer, Sloshbelly, Sailmail tadpoles, Elahpekomlap Bubblehorn, Zurecorhiallo Bubblehorn, Scuttlers, Larvaback, Grabbyswarmers, Miniswarmers, Loafshell(occasionally), Wriggletail Chromoleoxus tadpoles)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Frog-Like Eggs in Foam Nests)
The wriggletail chromoleoxus split off from their ancestor when some populations of chromanke began to hunt prey close to the water’s edge. Often descending to the ground and waiting for small prey to pass by before snatching them with their tongues. To better capitalize on this resource, the descendants of these chromanke populations would develop several different adaptations to better suit them for such a lifestyle.
While the wriggletail chromoleoxus is no longer arboreal, which resulted in them getting larger since they no longer need to support themselves on thin branches, the tail is still prehensile and highly flexible. This is because they use their color changing abilities to have the tail tip resemble a species of the vermees genus group that had fallen into the water. The promise of a tasty morsel lures in the small carnivores of the river such as Hammerhead Shockers and will also draw the attention of critters such as the tadpoles of sailmails or migrating glowsnappers. As they move closer and closer to the bait, the mobile eyes of the wriggletail chromoleoxus lock onto the target while the saganisuchian remains still except for the tail tip. Once it is in range, the wriggletail chromoleoxus will shoot out its long tongue, which now wraps around its target and hold on as the prey is then brought back to the mouth. The large backward-curving teeth in the wriggletail chromoleoxus’ jaws prevent the prey’s escape as it struggles. While its lost the majority of its sticky saliva of its ancestors, the wriggletail chromoleoxus still secretes it at the tip of the tongue to aid to grabbing prey to further increase the chances it will be caught.
While it does spend a good amount of its time luring prey in, the wriggletail chromoleoxus does not solely rely upon this strategy and can also hunt down prey by entering the water. Because of its shape, the wriggletail chromoleoxus is not a particularly good swimmer and so it instead moves underwater by crawling along the river bed with its sticky toe pads. The wriggletail chromoleoxus will rely on ambush when actively looking for prey rather than luring it in, often using its forelimbs in a sort of giant push-up to lunge towards a victim such as aquatic bubblehorns or an unwary sloshbelly and snap them up in their elongated jaws.
Due to its lifestyle, the wriggletail chromoleoxus often experiences competition with the loafshell, which often culminates in the two species getting into fights with the two species killing and eating one another being not uncommon. The two species manage to coexist because they both hunt slightly different kinds of prey (with loafshells also hunting terrestrial prey while the wriggletail chromoleoxus only hunts in and around the rivers) and because the ectothermic metabolism of the wriggletail chromoleoxus means it does not need to hunt as frequently as an endothermic loafshell.
The only time a wriggletail chromoleoxus climbs a tree is to lay their eggs, since they still keep them within a foamy nest which keeps them moist until they hatch. Once they do hatch, the young wriggletail chromoleoxus will drop into the water and feed upon small small aquatic prey until they become developed enough to adopt the lifestyles of the adults. Much like their ancestors, the wriggletail chromoleoxus does not exhibit parental care, and adults will occasionally eat the tadpoles of their own species since they do not differ that much from their regular prey when they are young.
Much like their ancestors, the wriggletail chromoleoxus will change their colors for communication, turning black and red as warning colors to drive off intruders since they may compete for resources.
A Wriggletail Chromoleoxus shooting out its tongue to snatch prey.
Alright! Here is one of my two planned descendants of the Chromanke! The next one will be pretty similar to its ancestor and in fact replace it, so If anyone wants to make a descendant of the Chromanke they should do it soon. Thoughts on this guy in terms of general lifestyle and niche?
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Dec 25 2021, 09:05 AM
Swap with sad-dingus.
Crysfortress Walker (Gemmacarus sucinipurpura)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Crystank Walker
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Drake Temperate Forest, Drake Rocky
Size: 5 cm long
Support: Chitinous Exoskeleton
Diet: Sapivore (Forest Venomerald, Pagoda Crystal, Towering Grovecrystal, Vesuvianite Tree, Frigid Vesuvianite, ) Detritivore, Scavenger
Respiration: Unknown, Passive (Symbiotic Gas Exchange with Crysfortress Shell)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Eggs parasitized by Symbiote's Spores
Splitting from its ancestor, the crysfortress walker has spread further throughout the central and southern boundaries of the continent of drake. Environmental pressures have encouraged this species to grow much smaller both to conserve energy and, by extent, reduce the size and thus weight of their crystal flora symbiotes. Said symbiote, the crysfortress shell, lives in a mutually beneficial relationship with its host - the walker gains protection and aid in its own respiration, while the shell receives excess nutrients from its host as well as a level of mobility unheard of in most crystal flora. This mutualism has allowed both species to flourish, and has given them a significant edge over most other similarly sized fauna such as the minikruggs.
Due to how cold the winters can get in Drake, in preparation for these colder months, this walker species will construct a burrow utilizing their specialized front limbs. Once they have created one of sufficient depth, typically about half a foot or so into the soil, they will wedge themselves with their symbiotic partner facing out. To most species, it would resemble any other species of crystal flora, thus it is camouflaged from hungry predators during the winter. The burrow is typically slanted just enough to prevent water from pooling directly beneath the walker - potentially drowning it - in case of an early thaw or unusually warm day were to melt the surrounding snow. Throughout this period, the walker enters a state of torpor and weathers out the coldest parts of the year, relying on stores of starches and its own small supplies of fat to keep it sustained until spring returns, upon which they will slowly free themselves from their winter homes and rise once more back onto the soil proper.
-- Diet --
While its ancestor relied upon the sap of its own symbiotic parter to survive, such a relationship was somewhat inefficient - if either partner became sickly, the other would suffer for it, which in turn would worsen the other. Such a feedback loop would often lead to the death of both partners, so to get around this, the crysfortress walker has evolved to instead feed upon the inner fluids of other crystal flora, which it detects via smells. Utilizing its mandibles, it bores a tiny hole into their sides near ground level, and it will then gorge upon their fluids until satiated. As they digest their prize, a portion of the nutrients obtained will be shared with their symbiotic shell, thus sustaining it as well. Besides this diet, the walker will also readily feed on small bits of detritus as well as scavenge off of any corpses it can find, which supply it with necessary proteins for egg development.
-- Reproduction --
Breeding behaviors typically start to occur somewhat late in the spring - right when the crysfortress walker’s fare options are at their most abundant and the climate is already fairly warm. Following a fresh molt, a time when its exoskeleton is still soft and has yet to harden, it will seek out member of the opposite sex that has also undergone this process. Pheromones' released in preparation to the molt help to facilitate this, thus reducing the chance of a missed opportunity. Once a mate has been discovered, both walkers will inspect one another, paying special attention to the size of both their partner and the health of their shell symbiote. Should they find each other acceptable, the mating process will begin. The male will leave a sperm packet, which the female will then walk over and collect. While the male walker will carry on as normal from this point forward, the female will begin to produce dozens upon dozens of sticky eggs which begin to amass along her underside - with aid from her hindmost limbs - where they will then be fertilized and carried until hatching, though this can take a day's worth of preparation, thus is typically done in a secluded, secure area. During this period, when the female is preparing to fertilize the eggs, the crystal symbiote itself will have already preemptively begun to release its own mobile spores - zoospores - which will make their way along the contours of the walker's exoskeleton following chemical trails until they reach the developing eggs. A similar process was undergone with the sperm package of the male, which is also coated in the zoospores of its symbiotic shell. Taking advantage of this brief opening when the otherwise impermeable eggshell has yet to develop, both zoospores unite and go on to "impregnate" themselves into the eggs, after which the egg will continue its development and await for the actual fertilization process to occur.
This cycle ensures that each juvenile walker has its symbiotic partner from birth, as opposed to their ancestors which relied on an eggshell coated in a layer in spores. Now that the spores are already present and developing within the egg, leeching off some of the excess reserves of nutrition intended for the developing newborn - though never enough to cause any serious harm - they can already begin to develop the future shell the walker will rely on. Aside from carrying the developing eggs with her rearmost legs, the mother walker invests no parental care otherwise, making both her and her shell r-strategists - producing numerous, usually independent offspring per breeding. The offspring crysfortress complexes will then part their own ways into a world teeming with beasts seeking to eat them, and conditions which will turn hostile in a matter of months. Of a single clutch of a hundred crysfortress complex eggs, few will survive to adulthood.
Once these egg hatch, typically after a few weeks, the tiny walker and its equally tiny crystal symbiote will begin their lives together. United via their ancestrally shared fungal-like growths, which in the walker extends from a specially formed seam between the chitinous segments of the exoskeleton, they will immediately begin to seek out nourishment. Provided with a level of protection greater than that of any of its distant, non-symbiotic cousins at this stage of development, they are able to deter all but the most determined of would-be predators. This extends even to when they must molt, as the crystal keeps them secure during those delicate few days of exposure, where else other distantly related species would need to seek out shelter. This advantage allows them to be active throughout most of warmer months, allowing them to fully exploit the natural resources they need in preparation for winter.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Dec 20 2021, 02:06 PM
Crysfortress Walker (Gemmacarus sucinipurpura)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Crystank Walker
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Drake Temperate Forest, Drake Rocky
Size: 5 cm long
Support: Chitinous Exoskeleton
Diet: Sapivore (Forest Venomerald, Pagoda Crystal, Towering Grovecrystal, Vesuvianite Tree, Frigid Vesuvianite, ) Detritivore, Scavenger
Respiration: Unknown, Passive (Symbiotic Gas Exchange with Crysfortress Shell)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Eggs parasitized by Symbiote's Spores
Splitting from its ancestor, the crysfortress walker has spread further throughout the central and southern boundaries of the continent of drake. Environmental pressures have encouraged this species to grow much smaller both to conserve energy and, by extent, reduce the size and thus weight of their crystal flora symbiotes. Said symbiote, the crysfortress shell, lives in a mutually beneficial relationship with its host - the walker gains protection and aid in its own respiration, while the shell receives excess nutrients from its host as well as a level of mobility unheard of in most crystal flora. This mutualism has allowed both species to flourish, and has given them a significant edge over most other similarly sized fauna such as the minikruggs.
Due to how cold the winters can get in Drake, in preparation for these colder months, this walker species will construct a burrow utilizing their specialized front limbs. Once they have created one of sufficient depth, typically about half a foot or so into the soil, they will wedge themselves with their symbiotic partner facing out. To most species, it would resemble any other species of crystal flora, thus it is camouflaged from hungry predators during the winter. The burrow is typically slanted just enough to prevent water from pooling directly beneath the walker - potentially drowning it - in case of an early thaw or unusually warm day were to melt the surrounding snow. Throughout this period, the walker enters a state of torpor and weathers out the coldest parts of the year, relying on stores of starches and its own small supplies of fat to keep it sustained until spring returns, upon which they will slowly free themselves from their winter homes and rise once more back onto the soil proper.
-- Diet --
While its ancestor relied upon the sap of its own symbiotic parter to survive, such a relationship was somewhat inefficient - if either partner became sickly, the other would suffer for it, which in turn would worsen the other. Such a feedback loop would often lead to the death of both partners, so to get around this, the crysfortress walker has evolved to instead feed upon the inner fluids of other crystal flora, which it detects via smells. Utilizing its mandibles, it bores a tiny hole into their sides near ground level, and it will then gorge upon their fluids until satiated. As they digest their prize, a portion of the nutrients obtained will be shared with their symbiotic shell, thus sustaining it as well. Besides this diet, the walker will also readily feed on small bits of detritus as well as scavenge off of any corpses it can find, which supply it with necessary proteins for egg development.
-- Reproduction --
Breeding behaviors typically start to occur somewhat late in the spring - right when the crysfortress walker’s fare options are at their most abundant and the climate is already fairly warm. Following a fresh molt, a time when its exoskeleton is still soft and has yet to harden, it will seek out member of the opposite sex that has also undergone this process. Pheromones' released in preparation to the molt help to facilitate this, thus reducing the chance of a missed opportunity. Once a mate has been discovered, both walkers will inspect one another, paying special attention to the size of both their partner and the health of their shell symbiote. Should they find each other acceptable, the mating process will begin. The male will leave a sperm packet, which the female will then walk over and collect. While the male walker will carry on as normal from this point forward, the female will begin to produce dozens upon dozens of sticky eggs which begin to amass along her underside - with aid from her hindmost limbs - where they will then be fertilized and carried until hatching, though this can take a day's worth of preparation, thus is typically done in a secluded, secure area. During this period, when the female is preparing to fertilize the eggs, the crystal symbiote itself will have already preemptively begun to release its own mobile spores - zoospores - which will make their way along the contours of the walker's exoskeleton following chemical trails until they reach the developing eggs. A similar process was undergone with the sperm package of the male, which is also coated in the zoospores of its symbiotic shell. Taking advantage of this brief opening when the otherwise impermeable eggshell has yet to develop, both zoospores unite and go on to "impregnate" themselves into the eggs, after which the egg will continue its development and await for the actual fertilization process to occur.
This cycle ensures that each juvenile walker has its symbiotic partner from birth, as opposed to their ancestors which relied on an eggshell coated in a layer in spores. Now that the spores are already present and developing within the egg, leeching off some of the excess reserves of nutrition intended for the developing newborn - though never enough to cause any serious harm - they can already begin to develop the future shell the walker will rely on. Aside from carrying the developing eggs with her rearmost legs, the mother walker invests no parental care otherwise, making both her and her shell r-strategists - producing numerous, usually independent offspring per breeding. The offspring crysfortress complexes will then part their own ways into a world teeming with beasts seeking to eat them, and conditions which will turn hostile in a matter of months. Of a single clutch of a hundred crysfortress complex eggs, few will survive to adulthood.
Once these egg hatch, typically after a few weeks, the tiny walker and its equally tiny crystal symbiote will begin their lives together. United via their ancestrally shared fungal-like growths, which in the walker extends from a specially formed seam between the chitinous segments of the exoskeleton, they will immediately begin to seek out nourishment. Provided with a level of protection greater than that of any of its distant, non-symbiotic cousins at this stage of development, they are able to deter all but the most determined of would-be predators. This extends even to when they must molt, as the crystal keeps them secure during those delicate few days of exposure, where else other distantly related species would need to seek out shelter. This advantage allows them to be active throughout most of warmer months, allowing them to fully exploit the natural resources they need in preparation for winter.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Dec 20 2021, 02:06 PM
(Swap with Nergali)
(all pics colored by Nergali)
Crysfortress Shell (Acarigemmus viridipurpura)
Creator: Sad-dingus
Ancestor: [[Crystank Shell]]
Habitat: [[Drake Boreal]] (south of Slarti Polar River), [[Drake Temperate Woodland]], [[Drake Rocky]]
Size: 6.25 cm wide
Support: Cell Wall (Chitin)
Diet: Photosynthesis, Hematophage (crystank walker split)
Respiration: Passive (stomata), Symbiotic Gas Exchange with [[Crysfortress Walker]]
Thermoregulation: Ectothermic
Reproduction: Sexual; gamete spores in host gamete packets and zygote spores inserted into host eggs
Background:
In the sheltered riparian zones of the Slarti watershed, the crystank complex had eked out a living. Many tens of millions of years have passed worth of climatic shifts, most crucially that the pleasant temperate climes of the Cheatsian Period have long since passed and in its place is are brisk, brutal winters and pitiful, fleeting summers - climatic patterns that persist throughout the Slarti watershed to this day. Throughout these times, the crystank complex and a handful of other otherwise-maladapted denizens of the watershed maintained populations just genetically diverse enough to persist without succumbing to inbreeding; but as the biosphere enters the Bonian Period, a combination of competitive pressures and the climate of the biome itself have driven the aged crystank complex closer to extinction than before.
Nonetheless, hope is not entirely lost for the old populations of Slarti. While much of the ancestral stock is indeed doomed, their respective lineages still have a window of carrying their evolutionary history beyond this proverbial deathtrap, either by way of exodus or developing adaptations beneficial in the watershed’s current conditions; in the case of the Crysfortress Walker and Shell, both a southward emigration and the appearance of adaptations to withstand the polar climates of north-central Drake have occurred.
General Adaptations:
Outwardly, the Crysfortress Shell hadn’t changed much from its ancestry, save for a more dome-like shape, shorter marginal crystallines, and overall smaller size; instead, much of the changes between it and the Crystank Shell have taken place inside:
In such high latitudes (and relative altitudes), reprieves of warmth during the summer are rather brief, and considering that winter days are dominated by frigid darkness with dim glows of sunlight interspersed, the ancestral evergreen of the Crystank Shell isn’t enough to withstand what the seasons bring. With the Crysfortress Shell however, it has become a more deciduous crystal flora, changing colors and internal functions as the seasons pass. With spring and summer, it is flush with bold green quite similar to its ancestral stock; but with the coming of autumn and the first telltale signs of winter, it takes on a yellow-gold hue and then to a bold red later into the fall, during which it stocks up on its overwinter supply of precious sugars. These pigment colors change in response to which wavelengths of light the crystal is exposed to during the days leading to winter. Once it has sufficiently stocked up on sugars (usually late into autumn), the crystal starts producing chemicals signaling its photosynthetic cells to cease all such reactions, resulting in the greater organism turning a gloomy gray-mauve - an eerie sight should one shove away the dense snow concealing it. Some of the stockpile sugars produced during the short autumn would be refined into antifreeze chemicals, further ensuring neither it or its intertwined walker host perish in the winter’s dark embrace. Only by the first thaw of spring does the crystal begin to regain its green pigment, and thereby its photosynthetic functions.
Notably, populations to the far south such as those found in Drake Temperate Woodland experience longer periods of photosynthetic function and somewhat shorter winters, and consequently, produce antifreeze compounds with much less frequency.
The dome-like silhouette of the Crysfortress Shell is also beneficial for when its native climes turn cold. As its shape has relatively little surface area, less heat would be dissipated out of the crystal, which does help with withstanding winter. The serrated array of crystallines rimming the crystal’s base provide both it and the walker host with defense. Should a predator of either the crystal or the walker encounter the complex (e.g. the [[Glowspike]]), the sharpness of the rim crystallines cut into soft flesh, making for an effective deterrent in any season.
Nonetheless, the Crysfortress Shell does retain much of its ancestral biology: it possesses a network of many specialized rhizoids, some tapping into the Crysfortress Walker’s digestive tract where its blood can carry and distribute the sugars its crystal host has produced, while others are integrated within the walker’s circulatory network - ferrying blood into the crystal’s own networks in which the nutrients the walker obtained are taken in by the crystal’s tissues. It is also worth noting that both the Crysfortress Shell and Walker readily exchange gases amongst each other via this intertwined network, with the walker supplying its shell with extra CO2, and the shell giving the walker some oxygen in return.
Other rhizoids still have intertwined with the walker’s nervous system; the crystal detects visual information via an array of photoreceptive chitinous lenses, and the walker processes and acts upon this sensory input, as it possesses very little sensory functions beyond a rudimentary chemoreceptive sense - integral for the crysfortress complex to move a more food-abundant or photosynthesis-friendly location or to escape predation; the shell can also secrete hormones to influence its walker host into certain actions and behaviors, most notably with reproductive functions.
Reproduction:
Breeding behaviors typically start to occur somewhat late in the spring - right when the Crysfortress Walker’s fare options are at their most abundant and the climate is already fairly warm. At some point after a fresh molt, the Crysfortress Shell secretes hormones into the host’s portion of the nervous complex, prompting it to actively seek a mate. Upon encountering another crysfortress complex, both the shell and walker are inspected for fitness via the input of that potential partner complex’s appearance and hormones. Should that partner be deemed of sufficiently fit genetics, the inspecting complex will deposit a packet containing both the walker’s and the shell’s sperm, which she will readily accept. With spermatocytes conjugated with their respective components’ gametes, these will develop into both the walker’s eggs and the shell’s zoospores.
The Crysfortress Shell’s gametophores are located on the end neighboring its host’s gonads, minimizing distance between reproductive vectors. This is significant as, unlike previous crystal-walker complexes, Crysfortress Shell spores bury themselves into host eggs, ensuring a greater form of host-symbiont integration. Zygote shell spores are of zoospore form, possessing robust flagella with which to crawl along their host’s surfaces. Keenly guided by particular chemical signatures, these zoospores make their march right into the oviduct, all within a critical period in which the eggs have not completely developed their outer shells; this is important as this is the only time when the zoospores can insert themselves into the eggs containing the host walker’s own zygotes.
Once the host’s eggs have been expelled, the spores begin to develop into new crystals themselves, fueling their growth by leeching off negligible shares of energy from the embryonic walker. Although seemingly separate at this state, as both embryos develop they will become increasingly interdependent with each other, with the nascent walker developing a seam of exposed tissue along its dorsal axis - right where the shell will intertwine its own immature tissues. Both the developing walker and shell will attain the same sex. Upon hatching, both shell and walker have become a single composite unit, complete with the full integration of circulatory and nervous tissues.
Aside from carrying the developing eggs with her rearmost legs, the mother walker invests no parental care otherwise, making both her and her shell r-strategists - producing numerous, usually independent offspring per breeding. The offspring crysfortress complexes will then part their own ways into a world teeming with beasts seeking to eat them, and conditions which will turn hostile in a matter of months. Of a single clutch of a hundred crysfortress complex eggs, few will survive to adulthood.
Relationships with Other Crystank Biota:
With the ancestral crystank complex, the walker and the crystal aren’t the only interacting organisms; also closely associated are the epiphytic [[Crystank Flasprout]] and the sporophagous [[Crystank Crystalworm]]. For one cause or another however, both lineages are absent with the crysfortress complex, whether due to changes in the complex’s biology or merely due to population drift.
The flasprout symbionts have diverged from life within the Crysfortress Shell some point before the ancestral population moved southward, thus these organisms are not present in this offshoot shell-walker complex, and the walker no longer manufactures the chemicals responsible for inducing its former symbionts to flash and reproduce en-masse.
The crystalworms likewise cannot feed on the spores of the Crysfortress Shell, as they now develop within the eggs of the Crysfortress Walker; thus the complex split is left ignored by the crystalworms.
Supplementary Images:
Autumnal colorations
This post has been edited by sad-dingus (chillypaz): Dec 1 2021, 10:41 AM
(all pics colored by Nergali)
Crysfortress Shell (Acarigemmus viridipurpura)
Creator: Sad-dingus
Ancestor: [[Crystank Shell]]
Habitat: [[Drake Boreal]] (south of Slarti Polar River), [[Drake Temperate Woodland]], [[Drake Rocky]]
Size: 6.25 cm wide
Support: Cell Wall (Chitin)
Diet: Photosynthesis, Hematophage (crystank walker split)
Respiration: Passive (stomata), Symbiotic Gas Exchange with [[Crysfortress Walker]]
Thermoregulation: Ectothermic
Reproduction: Sexual; gamete spores in host gamete packets and zygote spores inserted into host eggs
Background:
In the sheltered riparian zones of the Slarti watershed, the crystank complex had eked out a living. Many tens of millions of years have passed worth of climatic shifts, most crucially that the pleasant temperate climes of the Cheatsian Period have long since passed and in its place is are brisk, brutal winters and pitiful, fleeting summers - climatic patterns that persist throughout the Slarti watershed to this day. Throughout these times, the crystank complex and a handful of other otherwise-maladapted denizens of the watershed maintained populations just genetically diverse enough to persist without succumbing to inbreeding; but as the biosphere enters the Bonian Period, a combination of competitive pressures and the climate of the biome itself have driven the aged crystank complex closer to extinction than before.
Nonetheless, hope is not entirely lost for the old populations of Slarti. While much of the ancestral stock is indeed doomed, their respective lineages still have a window of carrying their evolutionary history beyond this proverbial deathtrap, either by way of exodus or developing adaptations beneficial in the watershed’s current conditions; in the case of the Crysfortress Walker and Shell, both a southward emigration and the appearance of adaptations to withstand the polar climates of north-central Drake have occurred.
General Adaptations:
Outwardly, the Crysfortress Shell hadn’t changed much from its ancestry, save for a more dome-like shape, shorter marginal crystallines, and overall smaller size; instead, much of the changes between it and the Crystank Shell have taken place inside:
In such high latitudes (and relative altitudes), reprieves of warmth during the summer are rather brief, and considering that winter days are dominated by frigid darkness with dim glows of sunlight interspersed, the ancestral evergreen of the Crystank Shell isn’t enough to withstand what the seasons bring. With the Crysfortress Shell however, it has become a more deciduous crystal flora, changing colors and internal functions as the seasons pass. With spring and summer, it is flush with bold green quite similar to its ancestral stock; but with the coming of autumn and the first telltale signs of winter, it takes on a yellow-gold hue and then to a bold red later into the fall, during which it stocks up on its overwinter supply of precious sugars. These pigment colors change in response to which wavelengths of light the crystal is exposed to during the days leading to winter. Once it has sufficiently stocked up on sugars (usually late into autumn), the crystal starts producing chemicals signaling its photosynthetic cells to cease all such reactions, resulting in the greater organism turning a gloomy gray-mauve - an eerie sight should one shove away the dense snow concealing it. Some of the stockpile sugars produced during the short autumn would be refined into antifreeze chemicals, further ensuring neither it or its intertwined walker host perish in the winter’s dark embrace. Only by the first thaw of spring does the crystal begin to regain its green pigment, and thereby its photosynthetic functions.
Notably, populations to the far south such as those found in Drake Temperate Woodland experience longer periods of photosynthetic function and somewhat shorter winters, and consequently, produce antifreeze compounds with much less frequency.
The dome-like silhouette of the Crysfortress Shell is also beneficial for when its native climes turn cold. As its shape has relatively little surface area, less heat would be dissipated out of the crystal, which does help with withstanding winter. The serrated array of crystallines rimming the crystal’s base provide both it and the walker host with defense. Should a predator of either the crystal or the walker encounter the complex (e.g. the [[Glowspike]]), the sharpness of the rim crystallines cut into soft flesh, making for an effective deterrent in any season.
Nonetheless, the Crysfortress Shell does retain much of its ancestral biology: it possesses a network of many specialized rhizoids, some tapping into the Crysfortress Walker’s digestive tract where its blood can carry and distribute the sugars its crystal host has produced, while others are integrated within the walker’s circulatory network - ferrying blood into the crystal’s own networks in which the nutrients the walker obtained are taken in by the crystal’s tissues. It is also worth noting that both the Crysfortress Shell and Walker readily exchange gases amongst each other via this intertwined network, with the walker supplying its shell with extra CO2, and the shell giving the walker some oxygen in return.
Other rhizoids still have intertwined with the walker’s nervous system; the crystal detects visual information via an array of photoreceptive chitinous lenses, and the walker processes and acts upon this sensory input, as it possesses very little sensory functions beyond a rudimentary chemoreceptive sense - integral for the crysfortress complex to move a more food-abundant or photosynthesis-friendly location or to escape predation; the shell can also secrete hormones to influence its walker host into certain actions and behaviors, most notably with reproductive functions.
Reproduction:
Breeding behaviors typically start to occur somewhat late in the spring - right when the Crysfortress Walker’s fare options are at their most abundant and the climate is already fairly warm. At some point after a fresh molt, the Crysfortress Shell secretes hormones into the host’s portion of the nervous complex, prompting it to actively seek a mate. Upon encountering another crysfortress complex, both the shell and walker are inspected for fitness via the input of that potential partner complex’s appearance and hormones. Should that partner be deemed of sufficiently fit genetics, the inspecting complex will deposit a packet containing both the walker’s and the shell’s sperm, which she will readily accept. With spermatocytes conjugated with their respective components’ gametes, these will develop into both the walker’s eggs and the shell’s zoospores.
The Crysfortress Shell’s gametophores are located on the end neighboring its host’s gonads, minimizing distance between reproductive vectors. This is significant as, unlike previous crystal-walker complexes, Crysfortress Shell spores bury themselves into host eggs, ensuring a greater form of host-symbiont integration. Zygote shell spores are of zoospore form, possessing robust flagella with which to crawl along their host’s surfaces. Keenly guided by particular chemical signatures, these zoospores make their march right into the oviduct, all within a critical period in which the eggs have not completely developed their outer shells; this is important as this is the only time when the zoospores can insert themselves into the eggs containing the host walker’s own zygotes.
Once the host’s eggs have been expelled, the spores begin to develop into new crystals themselves, fueling their growth by leeching off negligible shares of energy from the embryonic walker. Although seemingly separate at this state, as both embryos develop they will become increasingly interdependent with each other, with the nascent walker developing a seam of exposed tissue along its dorsal axis - right where the shell will intertwine its own immature tissues. Both the developing walker and shell will attain the same sex. Upon hatching, both shell and walker have become a single composite unit, complete with the full integration of circulatory and nervous tissues.
Aside from carrying the developing eggs with her rearmost legs, the mother walker invests no parental care otherwise, making both her and her shell r-strategists - producing numerous, usually independent offspring per breeding. The offspring crysfortress complexes will then part their own ways into a world teeming with beasts seeking to eat them, and conditions which will turn hostile in a matter of months. Of a single clutch of a hundred crysfortress complex eggs, few will survive to adulthood.
Relationships with Other Crystank Biota:
With the ancestral crystank complex, the walker and the crystal aren’t the only interacting organisms; also closely associated are the epiphytic [[Crystank Flasprout]] and the sporophagous [[Crystank Crystalworm]]. For one cause or another however, both lineages are absent with the crysfortress complex, whether due to changes in the complex’s biology or merely due to population drift.
The flasprout symbionts have diverged from life within the Crysfortress Shell some point before the ancestral population moved southward, thus these organisms are not present in this offshoot shell-walker complex, and the walker no longer manufactures the chemicals responsible for inducing its former symbionts to flash and reproduce en-masse.
The crystalworms likewise cannot feed on the spores of the Crysfortress Shell, as they now develop within the eggs of the Crysfortress Walker; thus the complex split is left ignored by the crystalworms.
Supplementary Images:
Autumnal colorations
This post has been edited by sad-dingus (chillypaz): Dec 1 2021, 10:41 AM
Purple Orbibom (Acininumerosus ostrinus)
Creator: SpeedTowel
Ancestor: Tundra Orbibom
Habitat: Drake Polar Scrub
Size: 30 cm tall
Support: Cell Wall (Cellulose)
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Berries and tiny seeds), Asexual
The purple orbibom split from its ancestor, the tundra orbibom. A group of tundra orbibom seeds managed to make it to Drake Polar Scrub. Initially, most specimens died, but a large amount thrived. Through this, an early generation triggered the original purple color of its ancient purple ancestors dating back to the Ladymian period. Their striped coloration dated back to the mimicking of the bombardier clipperkin of millions of years ago has persisted, albeit now in new colors, and its flowers have became thicker. The coloration has stayed this way to prevent herbivores from eating them. has become way smaller than its ancestor due to competition with other large flora in its area. Despite looking poisonous, if the sharp flowers are clipped and prepared correctly, the purple orbibom vaguely tastes like a mix between grapes and blueberries.
This post has been edited by SpeedTowel: Dec 8 2021, 01:00 PM
Dreaded Bugbear Foetormelis iocusvenini
Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Needlewing
Size: 40 cm Tall
Habitat: Ichthy Tropical Riparian, Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Vermees, Minikrugg, Silkrugg, Teacup Saucebacks, Neuks, Dartirs, Sapworms, Mikuks, Feluks, Berry Arbourshroom (berries)), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Pouch
The Dreaded Bugbear split from its ancestor, the Needlewing, and spread into the surrounding Boreal regions. They have taken on a semi-nocturnal method of living, typically active during dusk or sunset until midnight, disappearing in the early morning until next evening. Their visibly eyes are nearly all pupil, and their eyes have developed tapetum lucidum for increased ability to see in the dim light of the evening and night.
Hunting is perform mainly by scratching away at leaf litter with their feet and beak, and quickly slurping up prey with their tongue. They may pry open rotten logs, or poke around with their beak in deep leaf litter to search for prey as well. Prey may experience simple mastication toward the back of the beak, before being swallowed.
The skin of the Dreaded Bugbear is very wrinkly, it's a combination of fatty tissues and excess skin growth with some fluid underneath. This provides more energy reserve space and more malleable thicker skin less likely to take severe damage during an attack. It also replicates the skin of the poisonous Wood Wraith, though lacking any deadly poisons itself.
Mimicry has actually driven a lot of developments in their body. Their front limbs have become broad and paddle-like for the purpose of replicating ballooning limbs. The ends, however, lead to sharp hardened thorns used for defense as well as side swiping during jousting between combatants. Several parts of their body are marked with blue spots to further their caricature of a Wood Wraith, these markings are created using rayleigh scattering. The ends of their wings have blue as well, though this is a true pigment derived from chlorophyll. Their wings have fused their needles into thin green strips, with the supportive length thickening and becoming woody. Though they can be clacked together to make sound this isn't normally don't, and if it is there's no rhyme or reason to it.
The butt nostril is adorned with a handful of long needle sharp splinters of wood. These can number up to seven, fewer being more normal, and are individually shed and replaced over time. Behind the legs and beneath the butt nostril is a bump of tissue in which a concentration of gland-like tiny bladders may be found. They're similar to the deeper workings of the typical plent excretory pores, which can still be found throughout the skin of the Dreaded Bugbear, though these bladders are larger and more elongate.
The inner end of a bladder forms a small partial chamber, into which their nephrons lead. The tissue alongside the nephron contributes to the tube contents, seeping a cocktail of simple odorous lipids and thiols into the stream. This occurs to the other more typical nephrons, but at far lower activity. The outer end of the bladder forms the majority of the organ, a long barrel stuffed up against others, with the bundle wrapped with muscle. This muscle squeezes the entire structure to rapidly squirt out it's contents through multiple pores. This is unleashed on would-be predators or perceived dangers, including one unfortunate Naucean plent enthusiast.
Dreaded Bugbears have loose territories that they maintain for a few weeks to a year which they defend as mated pairs before abandoning it and ambling off to establish a new one. In these territories they will dig shallow burrows to sleep in during the day. If an intruder is discovered in their territory the pair will confront it aggressively. They will flash their large front limbs, displaying their thorns, coincidentally reminiscent of the displays performed by Wood Wraiths. If their threat isn't heeded they will rush their target and slash across them. The thick skin of the species gives some opportunity for the assaulted to escape without too serious of injury if taken early. If not then they may lose an eye, or the cuts will deepen.
They prefer residing near or in the territories of Wood Wraiths, being drawn into the area by the curious songs their relatives sing. However they take care to avoid the strange looking source, both due to the presence of a somewhat large and eerie looking competitor when they find it, and the very real aggression it displays for the same reason; a slightly smaller eerie looking intruder suddenly approaching them. This balancing act of proximity benefits the Dreaded Bugbear through furthering association by predators with what it mimicks.
Offspring are reared similarly to it's ancestor. Females continuing to carry their young in their pouch for a period of time, while the male collects food for both. After expulsion from the pouch the young will remain with their parents until next spring, at which point they will wander away in search of a mate to repeat the cycle with, or die.
This post has been edited by colddigger: Nov 16 2021, 09:00 PM
Prancerhorn (Trilophomancerixa xmaus)
Creator: Hydromancerx
Ancestor: Triplethorn Bounder
Habitat: Barlowe Temperate Rainforest
Size: 1 m Long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Herbivore (Sunstalks, Obsidibomb leaves, Obsiditall leaves)
Respiration: Active (Lungs).
Thermoregulation: Unknown
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Live Birth
The Prancerhorn split from its ancestor the Triplethorn Bounder. They have grown larger and has lost another butt-nostril to help it sing its own unique song to mates. They still use their echolocation at night and in the darkness of the canopy. Two of their horns now form antlers that males use to clash beaks to fight over females. Unlike their ancestor they tend to stride slower, but can bound away like their ancestor. When impressing a female they will prance around on their long legs and showing off their antler-like beak-horns (which don't shed).They are no longer migratory and stay in the Rainforest. Like their ancestor they have specialized in black flora. They are very skittish and tend to avoid Shrogre dwellings but for an unknown reason are attracted to Wolvershrogs. Their relatives the Pronghorn Strider live in the same biome. While it's possible for them to interbreed it is extremely rare due to their different mating rituals. Those that are born are sterile. Mixed herds of both are common and they tend to travel together in the rainforest. Prancerhorn's are slightly taller and as a result they tend to eat higher branches than their cousins.
This post has been edited by Hydromancerx: Jan 21 2022, 07:12 PM
Inzcrek (Floraphora insectamimus)
Creator: Solpimr
Ancestor: Crystank Walker
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky, Drake Temperate Woodland
Size: 35 cm long
Support: Exoskeleton
Diet: Scavenger, Detritivore, Herbivore (Snow Puff, Windbulb, Greater Lahn, Marbleflora, Larands), Symbiotic Photosynthesis (Croriss)
Respiration: Unknown, Passive (Symbiotic Gas Exchange with Croriss)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking, Insulating Shell)
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphrodite, Live birth)
The Inzcrek has split from its ancestor. It is descended from one of the relic populations of Crystank Walker trapped in small refugia along the length of Slarti riparian. The three leg bearing segments have fused into a single tagma (A fused grouping of segments into a functional whole). Unlike their ancestor this thorax is the only segment to have an opening for connection with their symbiont. Blood vessels and nerve bundles emerge from this opening and travel into the croriss. The largest of these is a nerve bundle connecting the optic center of the brain to the crorsiss’s eyes. The fusion of segments and consolidation of openings has improved the stability of the inzcrek’s exoskeleton, allowing it to support a larger symbiont. Like their ancestor inzcreks chemically control the growth of their symbiont to prevent it from overgrowing their ability to support.
Like their ancestor izcreks are eyeless and rely on their symbiont to see for them. While their optic nerves are homologous with those of other scuttlecrabs they do not directly sense light. Instead they sense the electrochemical signals produced by the crorsiss’s eyes in a form of secondhand sight.
The croriss extends approximately 2.5 cm beyond the body of the izcrek, forming a ‘skirt’ around it. This skirt also extends somewhat downward from the point of attachment, covering most of the izcrek’s body. During the winter inzcreks hibernate in shallow scrapes in the soil, hunkering down so that the edges of the crorsiss’s skirt are against the ground. The crorsiss will continue to photosynthesize until t is eventually covered in snow.
Inzcreks are hermaphrodites and practices mutual fertilization during mating. The long and highly flexible male reproductive organ transfers not only the izcrek’s sperm but also the crorsiss’s spores. These spores will bond with the reproductive roots of the mother's croriss and produce a pseudo-placenta. The young are nourished by this structure and gestated internally. After they are born it remains attached and matures into their croriss. They give birth to three to six young at a time depending on the size and age of the mother. The young are precocial and will follow their mother for the first few months of life.
This post has been edited by kopout: Dec 19 2021, 10:25 PM
Croriss (Aegiflora gigantus)
Creator: Solpimr
Ancestor: Crystank Shell
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky, Drake Temperate Woodland
Size: 40 cm long
Support: Cell Wall (Chitin), spongy interior structure
Diet: Photosynthesis, Sangruivore (Inzcrek)
Respiration: Passive (Stomata, Symbiotic Gas Exchange with Inzcrek)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking)
Reproduction: Sexual (Spores, Conjugation)
The croriss split from its ancestor and lives in close symbiosis with the inzcrek. The croriss is composed of a Shield-like base with leaf like needles extending upwards. The base is honeycombed with chambers and passages making it lighter than it may appear. Many of these cavities are filled with air, but some are home to vascularized tendrils of inzcrek flesh which act as an actively pumped circulatory system for the croriss. The croriss will take nutrients and carbon dioxide from the inzcrek's blood stream and release oxygen and excess sugars. The growth of these tendrils is directed to were it is most beneficial by hormonal signals from the croriss. The air trapped by this porous structure also makes the croriss a good insulator, allowing it to keep its symboint warm.
The roots of the croriss extend into the inzcrek’s body as well to both anchor itself and further integrate with the inzcrek. Notably, these roots extend into the inzcrek’s reproductive system were they terminate in spore-producing tissues alongside the male gonads. During the inzcrek’s mating theses spores will be released along with the sperm. Another set of roots extends into the uterus and the spores bond with these concurrently with the inzcrek’s eggs being fertilized. These roots engage in conjugation with the spores producing genetically distinct daughter cells which elongate into hair-like structures. These hairs then attach to the developing embryos and form a placental analog. This placenta-like structure will eventually detach from the parent and develop into the base of a new croriss.
The spread of the inzcrek and croriss has also lead to the spread of the crystank flasprout to Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky and Drake Temperate Woodland. In response to damage the croriss releases a chemical signal causing the crystank flasprouts near the injury to flash brightly in unison. This can startle a predator and give the inzcrek time to flee. The inzcrek’s tendrils are also sensitive to this distress signal, allowing it to feel when the croriss is damaged.
This post has been edited by kopout: Dec 19 2021, 11:13 PM
Name: Robust Chromanke (Trisimius hadrocrusa)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Chromanke (Trisimius plandigitus)
Habitat: Slarti Polar River, Slarti Polar Riparian, Drake Boreal
Size: 50 centimeters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Carnivore (Crystalworm, Crystank Crystalworm, Tonboswarmer, Krugg, Minikruggs, Xenobees, Xenowasps, Sapworms, Wub, Mini-Flower Ketter, Tufted Thermoworm, juvenile Uklunk, juvenile Bipedal Uktank, juvenile Scarlet Phlyer, juvenile Golden Phlyer, juvenile Azure Phlyer, Cobalt Lillyworm, Seaplane Tonboswarmer, Elahpekomlap Bubblehorn, Zurecorhiallo Bubblehorn, Grabbyswarmers, Miniswarmers, small Scuttlers, Larvaback, juvenile Rooteater Gilltail, Aphluks)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Frog-Like Eggs in Foam Nests)
While the chromanke did well enough within the Drake Boreal biome, their young were faring poorly in the Slarti Polar River as the cold winters were really bad for their ectothermic metabolisms. Those that would better resist the cold would prove more successful, which eventually led to the chromanke populations to become the robust chromanke, which ended up replacing their ancestral stock.
The adults have hardly changed at all from their ancestor, still living as an arboreal ambush predator that uses its broad and sticky toe pads along with a sticky prehensile tail to climb around. Their eyes still have limited mobility in a similar fashion to their ancestor, though they still help it focus in any direction without moving its head. The eyes can also look in multiple directions independently of one another, allowing some eyes to scan the area behind and above them for predators while others look forwards to look for potential prey.
The main differences in the adult forms from their ancestors is that the robust chromanke are noticeably larger and more stocky, their larger size meaning they can tackle slightly larger prey such as the young of certain phlyers. While the hindlimbs are still small, they are slightly larger than their ancestor’s hindlimbs and they are noticeably stockier. With the hindlimbs also assisting in moving around the branches, the robust chromanke can distribute its weight on more “limbs” which then means they can traverse on thinner branches than a scaled up version of their ancestor. Even with the usage of their hind legs, however, the larger size of the robust chromanke does still limit just where they can go so they tend to stick to thicker branches or tree trunks when possible.
When it does spot prey, the eyes of the robust chromanke will focus on it while the saganisuchian shoots out its long sticky tongue to ensnare the target so it can then be pulled back towards its mouth where the robust chromanke’s well-developed jaws can quickly dispatch it. It still can change the color of its skin pretty well, typically being a mixture of greens and yellows which in turn reflect the prominent crystal flora species in its range. The robust chromanke can still change their colors for communication as well, turning black to intimidate threats or potential rivals for space.
Reproduction starts off similarly to their ancestors, with the robust chromanke laying their eggs in foamy nests to keep their developing young moist until they hatch. After the nest is made, they will abandon the nest since they do not exhibit parental care. The tadpoles spend the warmer months of the year living like their ancestors, hunting aquatic and semi-aquatic prey as they grow quickly. By the time the cold from winter starts to arrive, they have front limbs developed well enough for them to dig into the side of the river. Within this burrow the tadpole will seal itself in and go into a state of torpor, relying on fat reserves gathered from their summer feasting and antifreeze proteins with its tissues to survive the winter. Once the warmth of spring arrives, it will emerge and continue growing, eventually being well-developed enough to leave the water and climb up into the trees before the next winter arrives.
Alright guys! Here is my second descendant of the Chromanke! I heard about these guys being on the chopping block due to the polar purge and wanted to save them. Do give your critiques on this organism!
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Dec 28 2021, 12:02 PM
Blind Volox (Nothogyrinus privaronem)
Creator: SpeedTowel
Ancestor: Cave Volox
Habitat: Ramul Water Table
Size: 25 cm long
Support: ?
Diet: Filter-Feeder, Detritivore
Respiration: ?
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, 2 Genders, Frog-like Eggs laid into Water
The blind volox has split from its ancestor, the cave volox. Without that much light in the water table, the blind volox lost its bioluminescence and sight, instead moving around in the bottom of the floor and sensing any detritus, reducing its size. It has lost its carnivorous diet and has taken up a large detritivore route. It now locates food using microscopic bristles located around its oversized mouth. They are used to sense where the nearest source is. They lay frog-like eggs into water, similar to its ancestor. It lives for a fairly short time, 5 weeks to 2 months. The body of the blind volox has also become larger to exploit the abundance of detritus in the water table. Other than these adaptations it is almost identical to its ancestor.
This post has been edited by SpeedTowel: Dec 20 2021, 12:05 PM
View Desktop Version | Disable Images in Posts
Powered by Invision Power Board (Jcink) © 2023 IPS, Inc.
Powered by Invision Power Board (Jcink) © 2023 IPS, Inc.