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Tetrabrachs (Tetrabrachipropagum spp.)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Four-Prongion
Habitat: Lamarck
Size: 8-20 meters tall (base to branch-tip)
Support: Cell Wall (Cellulose), Woody Trunk
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: ?
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual and Asexual (Hardy Spores)

Tetrabrachs split from their ancestor and diversified into a genus of trees and shrubs found all over Lamarck and the surrounding islands. Resembling some sort of hybrid between a fern and a pine tree, these hardy everpinks survive just about everywhere in their range from the frigid boreal forests to the warmer temperate shrublands and even the wetlands and beaches, and they even dot the plains.

The many tetrabrach species vary primarily in size and the degree of “spread” or “sprawl” of their four prongs. Woodlands and rainforests are populated by two main morphs, those with thinner, more flexible prongs sticking straight up and those with thicker, diagonal prongs mostly supported by loosely interlocking with one another. The two morphs will usually co-exist in the same area, with the diagonal morphs catching the light which passes the narrow profile of the vertical morphs. This duality is also observed in old growth shrubland, though shrubland species are typically much smaller than woodland ones. In the dry open plains, most local species are small and vertical and are only found in isolation or in small clusters around bodies of water. Vertical morphs are also more common in the mountains. Part of the reason for this is because the flexible vertical morphs are more wind-resistant than their less flexible diagonal counterparts. However, the diagonal morphs dominate in wetlands, palus, beaches, and tiny islands in the mangals, as they are more stable on the soft ground. Some wetland species have a sprawl so great they might even be better described as horizontal than diagonal. The two morphs readily evolve into one another, and can even exist in a single species.

The branches along the prongs are flexible and will readily bend when laden with snow, causing it to slide off. The bristle-like leaves are resistant to water loss, which helps the species thrive in both very cold and very dry environments. The prongs and branches can support small fauna and can bend under their weight, though only the diagonal morphs can support larger creatures without snapping. They can regrow after a prong is broken, and in some cases they will fork after such injuries.

Like their ancestor, tetrabrachs can reproduce either sexually or asexually with either gamete spores or clonal spores, respectively, which grow from the ends of their branches. They are dependent on water to bring their spores together, generally making use of rain or snowmelt. During development, they are initially skinny and only their trunks have heartwood until they reach their full trunk-level height, at which point the interior of the prongs lignify for support as they grow longer and thicker. Larger species can take decades to reach full size.

Bristlekrugg (Parvokruggus Orvillus)
Creator: HethrJarrod
Ancestor: Minikrugg
Habitat: Abello Temperate Rainforest Archipelago
Size: 13mm long (including fluffy projections)
Support: Exoskeleton (chitin)
Diet: Detrivore
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Snail-like Eggs

Bristlekruggs split from their ancestor, the Minikruggs when they became isolated on the Abello Temperate Rainforest Archipelago. Due to the isolation, they became smaller in size.

The Bristlekrugg is an organism that has many fluffy bristles extending out from its body, making them resemble another organism of Sagan 4, the Nimbuses. Bristlekruggs have inward facing mandibles that allow them to pick and clean their bristles of food material. It is important for them to keep their bristles clean because of their second use. The bristles are many times the size of the main body, which allow the Bristlekrugg to catch the wind and drift along air currents for short distances.

Social Behavior in Bristlekruggs

Bristlekruggs do not form colonies, like ants or termites, because of their drifting nature. However, they do exhibit a rare social behavior: grooming. Bristlekruggs will groom the bristles of other bristlekruggs, eating whatever was caught in their bristles and sharing it with each other.

After drifting for periods of time, Bristlekruggs are sometimes drawn toward certain spots. Bristlekruggs are attracted to these spots by a chemical given off by female bristlekruggs about to lay eggs. At these spots, the bristlekruggs will clean each other's bristles as they wait for the young bristlekruggs to hatch. Because of the wet, warm conditions of the archipelago, Bristlekrugg eggs only take a few days to hatch. They will feed the new bristlekruggs a decent first meal, and then all of them will disperse with the wind. This helps ensure the survival of the young.

This post has been edited by HethrJarrod: Oct 14 2022, 03:37 AM

Ballshrog Vulpeluptra ballusshrogus
Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Maineiac Rivershrog
Size: 80 cm long
Habitat: Maineiac Bush
Diet: Carnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Minikruggs, Vermees, Sapworms, Silkruggs)
Support: Endoskeleton (bone)
Respiration: Active (lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth, Milk)





The ballshrog split from its ancestor the Maineiac Rivershrog and moved away from the river in order to colonize the sparse and flat Maineiac Bush. They live in family units based around a dominant mating pair, with several generations of their litters living alongside them sharing in the rearing of their younger siblings.
Their nests have returned to a spherical shape, simplifying to have a single Central chamber comprising essentially the entire nest. The nest is made from thin strips of wood as well as more flexible thin dry pieces of Flora weaved together to create a lightweight, insulating, and durable wall. The walls of these nests are woven in such a manner that there are quite a few points of visibility through it that can be closed off if needed but typically left open. Within this wall various shaped pieces of wood can be stored for example extra pieces for patching damage, as well as storage for hunting spears, or short prying pieces of wood and clubs; both of which are used for food processing.

The nest itself is mobile across the ground, the entire family acting as a unit to move it comparable to the movement of a hamster ball. On either side of this unit, during mobilization, each parent will be placed, and the term for each of them will be used to decide the direction that the family will begin moving the ball.
If one of the members spots an object of interest while the ball is in motion it will begin to bark out the name of the parent in the direction that it believes the nest should be moving, the orientation of its somewhat ornate head will cause other members to look and try to observe its focus of interest. If they find the decision agreeable they will join in barking the parents name and when a majority consensus is agreed upon then the mass will drift in that direction and shift the movement of the nest.

Hunting is often performed inside the nest itself just jabbing a thin spear through its wall when a prey item is spotted, impaling it and then quickly pulling it in to be eaten, shared, or stored in the nest walls. Running over prey items using the nest itself to squash and trample, while simultaneously impaling with thin Spears, is also a method of hunting, though more often used on larger or opportunistic prey that may be more avoidant or difficult to subdue. Food that is stored is either smashed flat, spatchcocked, or turned into strips that are then stashed into the inner walls to dry or ferment.

Venturing outside of the nest for hunting is less common but does occur if the nest is not in movement and no prey can be found for a period of time. More typically if a member is outside of the nest it's either to deal with bodily waste or to obtain water.

The ballshrog reaches maturity after about 5 years although offspring often stay twice as long in a nest to aid in rearing their younger siblings. After that time they will leave the nest to search for a mate in the wild, this being the most dangerous point in their life purely due to exposure to the elements and potential to quickly run out of resources. If a mate is found and is agreeable with them then they will both work together to build a simple nest to protect them from the elements. They will, as a pair, work together to move the nest around, hiding and hunting in it, until their first litter is large enough to be able to move on their own and help move the nest. As their family grows the nest will expand with it to accommodate.

During a wildfire in the dry bush The first reaction that the ballshrog has is to flee while within their nest, if they're able to determine that it's far away then they continue as the normally do but in the opposite direction. If the wildfire is encroaching rapidly enough to cause major turn to them then often one of the parents will abandon the nest first and quickly the rest of the family will follow. As a group they will flee the wildfire on foot, their nest is generally made of very good kindling and it's safer for them to escape without it. If they manage to survive the wildfire then they will wander as a group until they come across a source of building material that they can use to begin rebuilding there nest. This period of time is of course dangerous for them because they lack any protection from the elements, as well as having lost any spears that they would use for hunting.

As the days grow shorter, and the onset of winter is imminent, the nest increases its food storage as well as the thickness of its walls so the central chamber begins to fill in with insulating fluff and dry flora. Once the walls become so thick that the inside of the nest has become too cramped for comfort the ballshrogs stop moving their nest and hunker down.

They begin to build over the nest further increasing the thickness of the walls from the outside using thatching and send pieces of wood, essentially building a second nest wall unattached to the original nest. The secondary wall has little organization to it compared to the primary wall of the nest, the main structure to it is essentially thin strips of wood and a pocket of air directly above the primary wall in order to wick away water from entering the core of the nest from above, as well as a few basic ventilation shafts and a single inconspicuous entry point.

This very thick double layered nest allows them to stay well insulated from the cold of the outside world, the secondary wall also provides heat through its own decomposition well the primary wall experiences far less decomposition, though it still experiences some and must be cleaned up in spring. Once winter passes then the wet and decomposing pile that remains of the secondary wall is pushed aside and the ball-shaped nest is removed from the center, spruced up, patched and is brought back into commission.

Getting enough food in this biome can be rough. Sometimes the best source of food turns out to be another nest. Although nests will completely ignore any lone ballshrog wandering around, often being a venturing virgin off to build their own nest, if instead another nest is spotted then it's free game. Nests that appear to have been recently abandoned are preferable due to the sheer lack of danger, they do tend to be less bountiful and stored food, and active nests can be profitable targets especially in late summer, if care is taken.

If a nest decides to attempt a raid on another that is active it will approach its target while sizing it up, a smaller nest means there are fewer members to deal with. It's rare that a nest is actually able to sneak up on another, and a chase is almost sure to occur. The pursuing nest will attempt to flank it's target and force several spears between them to lock them together and cease the motion. These spears are broken their the back end which prevents their ease of removal by the assailed nest members.

Once locked together a pathway between both walls begins to quickly be opened, this is the most dangerous point during the boarding as the nest being raided will very actively fight back using their own spears, luckily for the raiders this spearing blindly through two walls can be difficult, all of the raiders really need to do is avoid being stabbed and grasp the first spear that they can and yank it away. Eventually their target will run out of spears and become all the more helpless.

As the danger of weapons with reach is removed and the raiding party is able to board the targeted nest with clubs, normally used for food processing, they beat the other disarmed nest members and chase them out of their home. Now free to do as they wish they strip the inner walls of all its food and quickly stash it into their own nest. This process is done with little concern for the nest being raided, and can be quite messy, however their goal is not the destruction of the nest but rather to simply take its resources. Once all the food is gone they simply patch up the passageway in their own wall and leave. The members of the raided nest return to there now empty and somewhat disheveled home, defeated and in dire need of repairing their only safety from the world. Luckily it's rare that the major wooden structures of the nest are disturbed, more typically it's the smaller structures and thatched weaving that is destroyed.

Although leaving ones own nest to another with the intent to steal is less noticeable to a target, even if a raiding party were to attempt to emulate a solitary virgin drifter, if they were to start just scratching at the outer wall of a nest to access the inner wall where the food is stored they would quickly draw attention to themselves and put themselves in far more immediate danger than if they were to attempt the more typical boarding process inside their own home. This choice of action would immediately be responded to with the standard rapid stabbing action of multiple spears toward them, a behavior taken up when the nest is under attack by any outside source of danger tearing at their walls.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Sep 5 2022, 07:11 AM

Gosh it’s wild that only now am I making a Plent. This is for a species swap with @OviraptorFan, let me know if something is amiss. And as always for all of y’all, let me know if something in this formatting is done in error.

Cotton Candy Phlyer (Erithacomancerxia dulcis)
Creator: Changeling
Ancestor: Pink Phlyer
Habitat: Drake Steppe, Drake Prairie (migrating)
Size: 80 cm wingspan, 20 cm length
Diet: Photosynthesis, Frugivore (Glassleaf, Glountain, Xidhorcia) Detritivore
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Support: Endoskeleton (Unjointed Wood)
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders

Food could be scare in the tundra and barrens of Drake, especially for a plent that only eats one kind of fruit. Many Polar Spade-Leaves would be picked clean, causing a large number of Pink Phlyers to go hungry. For this reason a population of them were often forced to feed on other species of fruiting plants, to not compete with their more successful kin. Some were forced to eat spoiled fruit to survive. This population passed on traits letting its descendants eat more kinds of fruits and digest decaying material, letting them switch their diet and split from the Pink Phlyers.

As they evolved they adopted a mostly cyan color, the pink in their color diminishing to better camouflage with the Glassleaf, one of their new sources of food. Their butt nostrils and tail fins have also developed blue stripes, to better blend into the leaves of the Glassleaf. Similarly though, their total wingspan is the same size their wings are proportionally longer to their torso, as their bodies are a bit smaller to fit atop a Glassleaf. As the Pink Phlyers had bigger bodies, this new species was easily scared off by their ancestor and continued to leave Polar Spade-Leaves alone.

This group of Phlyers also had traits that gave them a smaller size, and with their small stature and large bat-like wings they struggled to survive the cold of the north. Because of the limitations of their bodies to produce heat they were pushed ever southward of the barrens and tundra, accidentally bringing the Glassleaf to the steppe. Some of these new Phlyers however moved farther south to the prairie, where they switched to feeding and nesting on the fruits of the Glountain. Even those of the steppe however will migrate to the prairie in the winter, as again their ability to withstand the cold is too limited.

One of their strategies for the cold is to huddle together in their family group, the young kept in the middle with their two parents wrapping their wings around them. Adult Cotton Candy Phlyers still mate for life, choosing their mates based off the toots they make. Like their ancestor, the mother will give birth to two to three young at a time, but now the mated pair will make crude nests made of bits of soft plant material on top of either a Glassleaf or a Glountain, keeping them away from more predators. On fairer weather, only one parent will typically bask at the nest at a time, while the other will fly away to search for fruits. As their nest trees naturally produce fruit, adolescent Phlyers can feed themselves at a younger age than their ancestors. However, climbing on the ends of a Glassleaf’s leaves can cause them to fall to the ground. If a young Phlyer falls from the nest before they are ready to leave, their large wings will let them glide safely to the ground. When they land they will toot out to signal to their parent to rescue them. Falling is not uncommon, and can give them experience for flying as an adult.

A large portion of a Cotton Candy Phlyer’s time on sunny days is spent basking with their large wings, both to warm their small bodies up and to photosynthesize. They have developed the ability to store this sugar as the antifreeze sugar compound xylomannan, which helps prevent damage from ice forming on their wings. Their basking behavior was partly what led to their immigration to the steppe and prairie, as they were driven to nest farther south to have better access to sunlight.

This post has been edited by Changeling: Oct 26 2022, 07:17 PM

Red Rivershrog (Vulpelutra rufus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Maineiac Rivershrog
Habitat: Maineiac Temperate Riparian, Maineiac Montane Riparian, Maineiac Temperate Palus, Maineiac Lake, Maineiac Temperate River, Maineiac Montane River, Maineiac Marsh, Maineiac Temperate Mudflat
Size: 1 meter long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Carnivore (Scorpodile, Riparian Scorpodile, Maineiac Shocker, Srugeing, Dwarf Maineiac Gilltail, Red-Eye Seaswimmer, Miniswarmers, Grabbyswarmers, Larvaback, Flashfin Gilltail, Scraperbeak Gilltail, Pruning Gilltail, Minnosparrow larvae, Scaled Srugeing larvae, Srugeing-of-Paradise larvae, Aossi larvae, Finback)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth, Milk)

As the course of the Maineiac river changed, it no longer crossed the forests from which Maineiac rivershrogs sourced much of their wood, forcing them to adapt. This produced the red rivershrog, which replaced its ancestor.

The red rivershrog is very similar to its ancestor, at least physically, outside of its shorter, redder fur and longer facial osteoderms. The main difference that sets it apart is in its nests. Without a near-infinite supply of wood, the iconic “villages” of elaborate compound nests that its ancestor built were unsustainable. This is not to say that the red rivershrog no longer makes elaborate nests, but it is far more comfortable in close quarters than its ancestor, so many shrogs will inhabit a single structure. The nests themselves also differ considerably, no longer made only of wood and instead including a significant amount of mud and thatch in their structure. They better resemble elevated beaver lodges than shrog nests, which also helps to make them less conspicuous, especially as flora such as vingrasions--which, coincidentally, help hold them together due to their net-like colony structure--more readily grow on them.

The nests are generally constructed on overlapping clusters of diagonal tetrabrachs that grow along the river and lake, which by their shape naturally hold them up. Though these shrubs don’t support heavy weight further along their length, close to their base they are very strong, which makes them useful for this purpose. This is more efficient and stable, and less labor-intensive, than using stilts and beams made from dead wood which has been artificially introduced by the shrog, though prongs from smaller tetrabrachs and saplings will still often be incorporated into the nest. The prongs themselves eliminate the need to construct bridges and ramps to different nodes of the nest. This makes the red rivershrog semi-arboreal, though it is hard to say when in its evolution this happened, as its ancestor already lived in elevated nests.

The red rivershrog no longer fells huge trees for wood. As such, the osteoderms along its tail have vanished. Its tail saw has taken on an axe-like shape, suited to cutting down young trees and lopping off the flexible prongs of tetrabrach shrubs. Ossified tendons keep it straight, making it more effective and less prone to injury, like the tail of a terran ankylosaur.

Semi-arboreality is somewhat integrated into the red rivershrog’s hunting strategy, though not always. Like its ancestor, it lives mainly along slow-moving ponds and tributaries and uses pieces of meat as bait to attract larger aquatic creatures, which it then ambushes as a mob and kills using simple wooden spears. Some populations along the lakeside and swamp make use of extremely horizontal tetrabrachs to take this to the deeper waters, where their prey will be less wary, and prod the resulting carcass with spears to get it to shore. This does present the potential problem of falling into the water, which could lead to drowning or predation by larger fauna, so only smaller mobs that can stay stable on the bending horizontal prong are likely to do this. Individuals and juveniles may also climb along the prong to hunt smaller fauna, such as gilltails and swarmers, even if the particular population won’t hunt large creatures this way.

In general, the red rivershrog is more socially coordinated than its ancestor, though it rarely lives in groups of more than 15. Groups will often have a leader whose judgment they trust. Cultural “words” for cardinal directions based on the flow of the river still exist mostly unchanged, though they differ somewhat in lakeside populations to instead refer to the direction relative only to the water’s edge, as they never cross the lake. However, as they no longer form “villages”, they no longer have a word that can be used to point out a specific nest, leaving them with only 4 common words. The key word is “common”, however, as occasionally, new local words will pop up to refer to landmarks. Red rivershrogs are instinctively capable of recognizing one another by their horns, but much like a human seeing a face in a random blob, this can lead to them seeing a set of horns in, say, a tree stump, a rock, or a pile of sticks. After hearing too many inquisitive trills from others wondering “who” it is, one rivershrog might finally decide to assign it a name-bark, turning it into a named landmark. Otherwise, the red rivershrog’s vocalizations and body language are the same as its ancestor’s.

Like its ancestor, the red rivershrog has a mating season in the late fall, and multiple neighboring groups will come together in the same place along the river to ensure genetic diversity. It uses its horns as a health indicator when selecting a mate. Males often have larger horns than females, though not as a rule. It settles disputes over mating competition through ritual clashing and raking of horns. The loss of its tail osteoderms means that it no longer has to mate belly-to-belly, as the remaining osteoderms on its back are not very sharp and serve more as armor. This makes mating quicker and easier, reducing the chances that they might be interrupted by a threat such as a predator. Similar to its ancestor, the red rivershrog is polygamous and exhibits bisexual mating behavior, where they will mate with both the same and opposite sex.

The red rivershrog gestates for 3 months and gives birth in early spring. Newborns are naked and helpless, but well-developed, and live in their mother’s pouch. They grow and develop enough to be weaned in a matter of weeks, and they take about 4½ years to reach maturity. Some will stay in their home when they mature, but most will disperse, joining other communities and ensuring genetic diversity. The red rivershrog can live as long as 30 years, should it not die from disease or predation.

The red rivershrog retains all of its ancestor’s relationships with other species. Maineiac shailnitors keep their nests clean by eating feces and rotten meat, and red rivershrogs, despite finding them cute, will still sometimes kill them for bait if there are too many of them. Despite there being fewer nests, the Maineiac shailnitor maintains the same population and reproductive rate as before, as more shrogs in a single nest produce more waste for the shailnitors to eat. The red rivershrog also only exists in the less brackish parts of the marsh close to the river, as the Maineiac shailnitor will die if the water is too salty and the red rivershrog is dependent on it to keep its nests clean. The nests are also populated by cleaner borvermids and false cleaner borvermids.

Wingless Florasnapper (Pseudornithischia pascor) (grazing pseudo-ornithischian)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Snowy Florasnapper
Habitat: Lamarck Lowboreal, Lamarck Temperate Woodland, Lamarck Temperate Rainforest, Lamarck Highboreal, Lamarck Rocky, Maineiac Bush, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Maineiac Volcanic
Size: 1.5 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Hollow Bone)
Diet: Herbivore (Vingrasions, Octovinbion, Polyprong Orbush)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Downy Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)

The wingless florasnapper split from its ancestor. It has completely lost flight via deletion of its wing finger, as it rarely flew and the wing was often torn as it used its forelimbs for other things. This deletion was caused by a change in morphogen levels, similar to that which handles the number of digits on the limbs of Terran vertebrates, which resulted in the last finger simply never developing at all. It is a grazing herbivore which lives over much of Lamarck, mostly eating vingrasions and related flora which it clips using its beak and chews using its teeth. It is able to exist as a grazer in the woodlands due to Lamarck’s trees not providing significant shade, thus allowing a lush undergrowth to thrive. It has developed a tympanic ear which allows it to listen for danger. As it lives in generally warmer climates than its ancestor, its plumage is shorter and its tail has returned to a greater length for better balance. Northern populations have longer, shaggier plumage, however, and southern populations have a longer winter coat. Over the winter, the wingless florasnapper survives by using its clawed forelimbs to uncover the prongs of dormant vingrasions for sustenance.

Much like its ancestor, the wingless florasnapper lays hard-shelled eggs. In the northern part of its range, it must take advantage of the short subpolar summer and nest as early as possible, while further south its nesting season is a little bit more relaxed, spanning late spring and early summer. It nests hidden among shrubs such as tetrabrachs, and both parents watch over the nest and incubate the eggs. They will brutally attack anything that even looks like it might be a predator, ensuring their young are safe. Chicks are fully feathered and able to run very soon after hatching, allowing them to follow their parents and flee from danger. Wingless florasnappers reach maturity in one year and can live for up to nine.

Tyrannical Corvisnapper (Tyrannocorvus lisafrankii) (Lisa Frank’s tyrant-raven)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Corvisnapper
Habitat: Lamarck Lowboreal, Lamarck Temperate Woodland, Lamarck Temperate Rainforest, Lamarck Highboreal, Lamarck Rocky, Maineiac Bush, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Maineiac Volcanic
Size: 2 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Hollow Bone)
Diet: Carnivore (Wingless Florasnapper, Pebbleback, Logcrusher, Ballshrog, Fruitsnapper, Camoback, Violet Kitshrox, Crowned Treeshrog, Frosty Sauceback, Maineiac Uktank, Corvisnapper, Sormsnapper, Mountsnapper, Sormlicker Sauceback, Teacup Saucebacks, cannibal of unrelated chicks), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Downy Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)

The tyrannical corvisnapper split from its ancestor. It is much larger than its ancestor and completely carnivorous. It is a ground hunter which chases down prey on foot and latches on with its hooked wing claws, but it incorporates flight to cross uneven terrain that its prey has to slow down to navigate around on foot. Alone, it usually hunts small prey, but it is also capable of taking down larger prey by hunting as a mob. In addition to grappling with prey, it also uses its claws to attempt to tear open the nests of ballshrogs to access the shrogs hidden inside.

The tyrannical corvisnapper is not especially social, but it would be inaccurate to call it completely asocial. As mentioned previously, it is capable of mob-hunting to take down larger prey. It is not especially territorial, but when two have their eyes on the same prey, they might fight over it. In general though, tyrannical corvisnappers have a silent agreement with one another to not steal one another’s prey and to keep a respectful distance if they happen to cross paths. When food is plentiful, there is no need to fight.

The tyrannical corvisnapper mates in the early summer and nests in elevated locations, such as on cliffs or atop boulders. The hatchlings are altricial and eat food which is brought to them by their parents. They become fledglings capable of leaving the nest within 3 weeks, but continue to be cared for by one or both parents for the first several months of their lives. Juveniles are generally better fliers than adults due to their smaller size, and will often use their wing claws to scale trees where they are safe from their own predators, including unrelated adults of their own species. At one year of age, they are independent and primarily scavengers, but will also hunt for small fauna. They reach sexual maturity in 2 years and can live for up to a decade.

Name: Purotora (Niphadobates trichiophorus)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Snowprint (Elurerraketa polaris)
Habitat: Drake Barrens, Drake Tundra, Drake Steppe, Drake Badlands, Drake Highvelt, Drake Polar Scrub, Drake Rocky, Drake Alpine (uncommon)
Size: 1.5 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Carnivore (Grazing Gossalizard, Steppe Lizalope, Lumbering Pasakerd, Candy Cotten Phlyer, Fishing Grasper, Pink Phlyer, Snohawkworm, Warf Gossalizard, Burroskunik, Helmethead Uksip, Woollycoat, Uksor, Crested King Limbless, Scaled Diveskunik, Fuzzcoat, Needlewing, Rosybeak Phyler, Feral Tuskent, Shortface Sauceback, young Shaggy Glasseater, Gutsy Phlyer, Bipedal Uktank, Snowprint, Desert Gossalizard, Pinyuk, Lizalagarto, Plains Uktank, Strider Fuzzcoat, Scalescooter, Dwarf Pinyuk, Cobalt Lillyworm, Switchfang, Ukrith, Shaggycoat, Tuskcoat, Plowskunik, Loafpick, Lipped Sauceback, Marmokerd, Blowtongue, Wutuu, Ringtail Loafshell, young Falseglox, young Running Secretmaw), Scavenger, Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Trichomes)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Live Birth

Bearhogs have had a hard time: at around the beginning of the ice age, many species lost their habitat and died out. Though many lineages did take to various cave systems for refuge, most would only then succumb to various diseases like the golden plague. In the end, only the blind hoofplent would eventually return to the surface world and diversify into a wide range of species. Despite this, it's not the only surviving lineage of bearhog, with one other group having made it through. That lineage comes from the snowprint, the only species of bearhog to have survived by not taking to caves, instead surviving by toughing it out on the surface world and adapting to live in the tundra. Having lived as a kleptoparasitic scavenger, the snowprint did fairly well for itself, until the solar flare occurred. After that, virtually all of the megafauna had gone completely extinct, including both predators and prey. In this time frame, the snowprint suddenly found itself being the largest carnivore in the region, but there was also not that much large carrion being provided by very large carnivores anymore. As a result, this forced the snowprints to mostly abandon their ancestral lifestyle and switch to actively hunting down whatever game they came across. Over many millions of years, these snowprints would split off and give rise to a whole new species, known as the purotora.

The purotora and its direct ancestor are the only living bearhogs that have never once been herbivores, having at most been generalistic omnivores and primarily having had a diet of only meat throughout their history. As such, the purotora’s dentition is well suited for shearing meat and crushing bone, with well defined carnassials of calcified wood that slide against each other, which means they can self-sharpen and remain in prime condition. These adaptations still suit the purotora well with processing every part of a carcass, which the bearhog can still track down using the barbels on its snout to pick up any odor trails from the wind. While the ancestral snowprints that share some of the same areas as the purotora strictly rely on this, the purotora will often not sit and wait for something to die. Instead, the purotora primarily gets its meat by actively hunting down prey, using its coloration and patterns to remain camouflaged against the snow as it stalks potential prey. When they get close to something like a cottencoat or lizardworm, the purotora will then quickly rise up and sprint towards the target. This is where the smaller feet come into use, as while they are still large enough to spread its weight out when walking on snow to not sink in, they are small enough that the purotora will not trip on itself when chasing after prey. If the purotora catches up to its target, the bearhog will try to knock it down using its own bodyweight before then moving in to deliver a killing bite to the head or spine.

The larger size of the purotora not only allows it to tackle larger prey, but it also helps it better retain body heat compared to the smaller snowprint. This is further assisted by a particularly important adaptation to its cold climate, a coat of trichomes which in turn traps air against the skin and keeps the purotora warm. The trichomes are absent between the hindlegs below the butt nostril, as that is where the bearhog will urinate through its skin. A larger size additionally helps the purotora with scaring smaller carnivores off of a kill, such as sprinting bubbleskins and flunerigas, though it will back down if it comes face to face with predators such as the snow baron. If it is threatened by such large carnivores, the purotora can certainly get into a brawl, however it will first try to intimidate its opponent. For this, the creature will unfurl its pair of sails, which normally lie flat against its back to reduce exposure to the chilly winds. The wood spine of their ancestors is now fully encased within the flesh of the sail minus the very tip. Helping act as attachment points for strong muscles, the wood spines help the sails open up and display the large and vibrant patterns, which are useful in intimidating threats or competition. The species can also still rely on photosynthesis for some energy through these sails, allowing them to effectively fast for periods of time until they smell the scent of carrion or detect prey. The purotora still has a powerful immune system to deal with any potential diseases it might contract from consuming carrion.
When it comes to reproduction, the puratora has little to no mating ritual during their breeding season (which occurs when the winter comes to an end in the areas they live). A male will seek out a female and track her down, after which the two will immediately get into combat. In this duel, the female is testing the male’s fitness and if he is a willing partner. If he is deemed so, she will begin to act receptive and cease her fight with copulation occurring soon afterwards. After that, the two will go their separate ways. The female will give birth to about one or two offspring at a time, which she will guard and rear for about two years before forcing them away. By that point the young are well developed and experienced enough to strike it out on their own.

Here is a species I am really excited about! When I found out the snowprint was actually still around, I immediately wanted to do a descendant of it! What do you guys think of this species?

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Oct 20 2022, 06:55 AM

Flesh Fairy (Quattuorgnathus invisibilismordere)
Creator: Rhinobot
Ancestor: Fourmaw Sauceback
Habitat: Barlowe Temperate Woodland, Barlowe Temperate Rainforest
Size: 7.5 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Adult: Carnivore (Logworm Sauceback larvae, Teacup Sauceback larvae, Vermees, Floraverm, Sansheh larvae, Megalosheh Larvae, occasional cannibalism of larvae), Scavenger; Juvenile: Detritivore (Wood, Chitin)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Adult: Endotherm (Feathers), Ectotherm (Hibernation) over winter; Larvae: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Eggs and Larvae)

The Flesh Fairy split from its ancestor. Along with a slightly larger range of prey species in its diet, it has also developed the ability to scavenge corpses of larger local fauna species. Physically, the Flesh Fairy is bigger and swifter in comparison to its ancestor. The facial muscles around its enlarged scent pores have strengthened which gives it an enhanced ability to smell. This allows the Flesh Fairy to actively take in and expel air around it instead of passive air flow. The ears of the Flesh Fairy have grown allowing more sound capture for its advanced echolocation-level hearing. The microlungs lining the tail have increased in size greatly which helps support routine sprinting. The feathers around its face have receded which reduces infection from poking its head into corpses and live prey. The teeth have elongated and developed a series of denticles.

The Flesh Fairies begin their lives as larvae that burrow in local flora while feeding on the flora. The larvae continue this for six months then metamorphosize into adults. This usually aligns with winter. The life of an adult consists of foraging for small unthreatening prey such as small saucback larvae and vermees, but upon being alerted to large targets, such as the larvae of sansheh and megalosheh or a corpse, they immediately focus on the target and go full speed ahead. The result of this is almost always a non-social swarm around the particular food source. At these events, most of the Flesh Fairies are busy gorging on meat. There would be a few Flesh Fairies attempting to mate. Of course, the feasts that feature live prey often do not end with the death of the prey, being that the prey is guarded by their parents. The Flesh Fairies flee at the first sign of danger, either directly or after observing the reactions of other members of the feast. The Flesh Fairy’s relentless nature causes most of them to return to the food. This behavior increases during fall in preparation for winter hibernation. Except during the winter, Flesh Fairies are fertile year-round. Mating happens randomly when Flesh Fairies cross paths. Fighting occurs due to the male entering an elevated agitated state because of a flux of hormones. The fights are either with females that reject the male or with other males that seek to mate with the female themselves. After the actual mating and the development of the eggs, the female will lay the clutch of 250 eggs in an acceptable flora which will be the larvae's first source of food.

This post has been edited by Rhinobot: Oct 31 2022, 01:55 PM

Atholat (Atholus atholus) (domeless domeless)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Kakonat
Habitat: Maineiac Bush, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Lamarck Temperate Woodland, Lamarck Highboreal, Lamarck Rocky, Maineiac Volcanic, Maineiac Plains, Lamarck Highvelt, Lamarck Alpine, Lamarck Lowboreal, Lamarck Prairie, Lamarck Steppe
Size: 25 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Herbivore (Vingrasions, Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Octovinbion, Brieneux, Polyprong Orbush, Sappy Pinknose, Mainestalk, Pilunoroot, Pilokepderi, Fuzzpile leaves, Tepoflora, Larands, Sunstalks, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Hair Nimbuses, Parasitic Floats), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Cotton)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth)

The atholat split from its ancestor and moved inland, finding success all over the Lamarck landmass. Much like its ancestor, it makes use of its mobile mineralized fangs to snip food into bite-sized pieces, and it has taken almost entirely to herbivory, though it is not opposed to nibbling on the occasional carcass. Its coat color varies from reddish to black depending on its environment and it has a longer, denser winter coat.

The atholat uses its tongue, which has a hand at the end, to pull flora into its mouth, and then it cuts it with its fangs. It then places the cut piece into a pouch beneath its tongue and repeats the process. The pouch allows it to carry food back to its den for storage or to feed to its offspring if it happens to have any. Lacking anything that can be easily modified into grinding teeth, the atholat makes use of gastroliths embedded in a specialized pair of pads in its stomach to grind up plant matter. Like most plents, it has a blind gut and must eventually regurgitate its waste.

As the atholat is now herbivorous, it no longer expends electricity stunning prey. Instead, it stores that electricity so that it may discharge it in self-defense. When facing a predator, if the atholat cannot flee on foot, it will stand its ground and wave around its tongue as a warning. The green color makes it highly visible next to the purple flora and reddish or black soil in its environment. If the predator does not back off, it will grab at it with its tongue and discharge the stored electricity. This can outright kill smaller predators, while larger ones will be stunned long enough for the atholat to flee. The atholat cannot limit how much it discharges and needs to recharge before it can do this again, during which time it is vulnerable to predation. However, its predators might not know that and can still be deterred by its warning. Regardless, if it is caught by surprise, it may not be able to react in time before it is killed, so the atholat is far from immune to predators.

As the atholat has no claws, it does not burrow, but it does live in dens where food is stored and which it can flee into when threatened. These are usually either the abandoned burrows of other species, hollow logs, tree hollows that are accessible close to ground level, or under the remains of an abandoned shrog nest. A large amount of food is stored in these dens so that the atholat can stay healthy even during harsh winters where less flora is available.

The atholat has no breeding season and mates many times a year. It no longer noisily bonks heads over mating rights like its ancestors, thus it no longer has a dome on its head. Its lower jaw, quite flexible thanks to its wooden makeup and lack of teeth, easily bends to accommodate the birth of 2-3 babies each roughly the size of its head. Only the mother takes a part in raising the young. Babies are fed softer flora until they have their fangs and their stomachs can handle gastroliths, at which point they are able to start eating tougher and more abrasive flora. The atholat reaches maturity in about 3 months.

Lunging Camoback (Saliensaurus longicollum) (long-necked leaping-lizard)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Camoback
Habitat: Maineiac Bush, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Lamarck Temperate Woodland, Lamarck Highboreal, Lamarck Rocky, Maineiac Volcanic, Maineiac Plains, Lamarck Highvelt, Lamarck Alpine, Lamarck Lowboreal, Lamarck Prairie, Lamarck Steppe
Size: 1 meter long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Adult: Carnivore (juvenile Wingless Florasnapper, juvenile Tyrannical Corvisnapper, juvenile Pebbleback, Harvester Pedesorm, Fruitsnapper, juvenile Logcrusher, Violet Kitshrox, Atholat, Crowned Treeshrog, Sormlicker Sauceback, Corvisnapper, juvenile Snowy Florasnapper, Snow Corvisnapper, Scaled Diveskunik, Frosty Sauceback, Sormsnapper, Mountsnapper, Teacup Saucebacks); Juvenile: Omnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Harvester Pedesorm, Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Scaled Diveskunik, Marbleflora, Sapshrooms, Supershrooms)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)

The lunging camoback replaced its ancestor. As an ectotherm in a cold climate, it was naturally unsuited to the role of apex predator in an environment containing many insulated endotherms. It was especially unsuited to being a pursuit predator, as it could only keep up on hot summer days. So, it shrunk in size and began ambushing smaller prey instead.

The lunging camoback’s hind legs are much longer than its forelegs. Instead of propelling it in a sprint, these launch it forward in a pounce. Should it miss, it will swing its long neck around to try and grab the now-fleeing prey in its mouth. Its fangs and beak allow it to easily get a secure grip. Once it has caught its prey, if it’s small it will eat it whole, but if it’s larger it will tear it to pieces, holding it down with its claws and pulling with its mouth, and chew with its meat-slicing teeth if necessary. It has lost its tail so that it won’t be in the way of its legs.

The lunging camoback is solitary and territorial. It advertises its health with its color-changing dewlap, intimidating rivals with a vibrant green or, when the season is right, impressing potential mates with rainbows and contrasting colors. In territory disputes, if neither backs down, they will fight until one submits. Injuries sustained in such fights can be fatal, but it usually doesn’t come to that.

The lunging camoback, as an ectotherm, is incapable of surviving awake over winter. Because of this, it hibernates in burrows deep underground, like many temperate-climate reptiles on Earth. It makes use of antifreeze proteins to survive even subpolar winters.

Like its ancestor, the lunging camoback lays hard-shelled eggs. It buries these underground where they will be safe from most potential predators and offers no further parental care. It mates and lays its eggs in the early summer. About a month later, they hatch into small omnivorous juveniles, which supplement a diet of small creatures with marbleflora and shrooms. The juveniles, like the adults, must hibernate. This results in them taking at least 6 years to reach full size in the subpolar biomes, but only 2 or 3 in the temperate regions, as their growth is dependent on food and environmental factors.

Name: Cicatrizargo (Rigidirostrum violensortus)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Terrorbeak (Diatrymamimus wilsonus)
Habitat: Raptor Tropical Rainforest, West Wallace Tropical Woodland, Dixon Subtropical Woodland, Dixon Subtropical Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Woodland
Size: 2.8 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Carnivore (Rainforest Buttpiper, Tilecorn, Tamhook, Terrorbeak, Terronooga, Harnejak, Tarawaka, Ballichehara, Passarurso, Ambrosiaraptor, Vibrant Manestrider, Coastwoodufo, Xatadeega, Opportunity Shrew, Argusraptor Complex, Stink Shrew, Interbiat, Disasterxata, Dinotuga, Twineshrog, Dixon Hookphlyer, Phlice, Umbral Sphinx, Snapperbeak Hookphlyer, Tileobsidian, Shadow Buttpiper, Gnawsferatu, Tierracolmillos), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders

When the Argusraptor Complex evolved in the mid Bononian, they were a super effective group of predators, outcompeting most other carnivores in the areas they shared. Most of the predators that responded adapted by changing their lifestyles to avoid competition, such as the Passarurso or Kuraimingaku. For one group of Terrorbeak, however, they would respond to the ecological pressures put upon them by the argusraptors by stepping up their own game. Overtime, they would split off and become a distinct group of highly effective predators known as the Cicatrizargo.

At a casual glance, the Cicatrizargo resembles the Terrorbeaks they descended from, retaining much of their ancestral anatomy. This is because many of those traits still suit them well, like the long legs that allow them to cover a large amount of ground in a single stride. The long butt nostril still helps with balance, which is quite helpful for when the Cicatrizargo is in pursuit of prey. Their coloration is quite helpful for blending in within the mixed woodlands and closed rainforests the Cicatrizargo dwells in. The species will use their excellent vision and good sense of hearing to find potential prey.

While the species is still territorial, they are no longer solitary since the highly competitive argusraptors naturally have an advantage over solitary hunters. As such, the Cicatrizargo is now quite social, sharing its territory with many others of its kind. This all comes into play with a unique hunting strategy possessed by the taxon, where they hunt for small game alone but are always within eyeshot or earshot of another member of the group who is also foraging. By hunting for small game, they remain in good condition for when they come across either larger prey that is not in peak condition or other predators that have made a kill. If they spot either, the Cicatrizargo will let out a low rumble as it approaches. This notifies other members of its group that it has found potential food while also not alerting the target of its presence. This quickly leads to a chain reaction where what starts out as one Cicatrizargo hunting the compromised prey or showing up at the carcass to challenge the predators currently there will then become five and then twenty. In certain cases as many as thirty-five individuals will arrive on the scene to take advantage of the same food source, which makes taking them on a daunting task for whatever is their chosen target or an obstacle of said chosen target. The beak and teeth of the Cicatrizargo have become calcified to provide further strength and durability, allowing them to better tackle large game and fight with rival carnivores. If they do take down the prey or drive the predators away from their kill, the Cicatrizargos will then jostle amongst one another for choice pieces of the carcass, with the larger and more aggressive individuals usually coming out on top.

Cicatrizargos will regularly hunt other predators, since this removes potential competition while also granting them a meal. Usually, this is when they catch other predators off guard and ambush them, but there are also situations where they will gather together to attack them head-on. This mainly is when individuals detect the presence of Twineshrogs, since these plents have wised up to the traps made by such shrogs and will scan the ground for any hints that something might be wrong while foraging. If a nest of such shrogs is found, Cicatrizargos will gather together to break in and kill the shrogs living inside. As such, twineshrogs are no longer as common as they used to be in areas where Cicatrizargos share their range.

Because their beaks and teeth are fully calcified, they are not very flexible at all which means it was hard for mothers to give birth to large and well developed young. This would in turn result in young that found other ways to get out being selected for, which culminated in the one or two young born at a time tearing their way out of the mother’s throat. Being plents, who do not have a windpipe within this area, this was not fatal for the mother, and the Cicatrizargo has developed a particularly strong immune system and blood that clots quickly so that the throat can recover as quickly as possible and only leave behind scars. With this reproductive strategy, young Cicatrizargo are able to be born well developed and fairly large, meaning they can fend for themselves almost immediately. They will still follow their mother around for a few months, since not many potential predators would dare come close to an adult Cicatrizargo. They do still need to get their own food, however, and they are at the very bottom of the pecking order when it comes to a large carcass, which in turn means after a couple years the youngsters will often leave behind their family’s territory to join with other groups or establish their own territories.

Alright guys! Here is a new descendant of the Terrorbeak! Thoughts on this one species?

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Aug 24 2022, 08:18 PM

Name: Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope (Alloarietes gracilis)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Steppe Lizalope (Alloarietes currenstilios)
Habitat: Drake Steppe, Drake Highvelt, Drake Rocky, Drake Prairie, Drake Mamut
Size: 60 centimeters long
Support: Exoskeleton (Chitin), Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Herbivore (Suncatcher Plyent, Thorny Hedgelog, Botryrophis, Eastward Luroot, Greater Lahn, Fuzzweed, Arid Ferine leaves and berries, Yule Hedgelog, Qudokus, Windbulb, Snow Puff, Forest Quone, Toxplage, Purple Poison Shrub, Alpine Hedgelog, Xidhorchia, Glountain fruit, Crystalfir fruit, Emeraldfir fruit, Purple Orbibom, Pioneeroots, Sunstalks, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Glaalgaes)
Respiration: ?
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Setae)
Reproduction: Sexual, Hermaphrodites, Lays Brood of Eggs in mounds

As Steppe Lizalopes relied on running away from threats, it made perfect sense that they would further specialize for running faster and longer until they would split off and become a distinct taxon in their own right. Known as the Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope, this species has longer legs, which in turn give it a much greater stride than their ancestor, which compliments their slightly larger size as this means it covers larger amounts of ground and is thus faster when fleeing from predators. This was particularly important for the species since they had to contend with predators that keep up a pursuit such as the Racing Rainbowtail and predators that attack from the air like the Sprawlaclaw. If something is getting too close, the Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope can utilize its agility to dodge and jinx a pursuer, relying upon their slightly longer tail for balance to make these sharp turns.

The Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope still travels in small groups, which means the chances of a single individual being singled out by a predator goes down since they are more likely to target other members of the group. In these groups, Turquoise-Helmed Lizalopes are always on the move, feeding on what vegetation they can before moving on to another area. They do occasionally travel alongside larger herbivores for the indirect protection given by their presence. The long legs of the Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope do also provide another advantage in the form of them being able to look over taller flora to better scan their surroundings for threats, going back to foraging if they do not see any. Like their ancestors, the Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope will use their forelimbs to dig up nutritious roots and tubers, with the fangs being no longer visible when the mouth is closed and being pretty much identical to the other teeth in their mouths.

In colder parts of their range, the Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope can still remain warm, as it retains a fuzzy coat of setae to trap air against their skin, though it's not as dense as their ancestor (who lives in even colder areas).

Much like their ancestor, the Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope will only dig a mound for their eggs, adding vegetation to keep the eggs warm through their decomposition. After the eggs have been laid and the nest is fully complete, the mother will abandon the eggs to their fate. When the young eat their way out of their egg casings and dig their way out of the mound in about 10 or so minutes, they are capable of fending for themselves from the get-go. These young Turquoise-Helmed Lizalopes will travel together, relying on their numbers in a similar fashion to the adults. If they come across an adult herd, these youngsters will tag along and settle into the herd, as the larger adults do deter some of the predators that would try to tackle the young, but they won’t go out of their way to actively protect them.

As they ate a wide variety of flora, the Turquoise-Helmed Lizalopes would in turn spread about several kinds of flora and have them colonize new areas. This included a few species colonizing the mamut biomes of the continent, which beforehand was only home to genus groups. As such, the flora that colonized this biome would proceed to flourish and become highly numerous.

List of species spread by Turquoise-Helmed Lisalope:
Snow Puff is spread into Drake Steppe and Drake Mamut
Windbulb is spread into Drake Steppe and Drake Mamut
Arid Ferine is spread into Drake Steppe and Drake Mamut

Alright! Here is a new species of Lizalope! Do give your thoughts on how the species looks overall if you can!

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Sep 9 2022, 10:26 PM

Contorted Volleypom Natarenux contorta
Ancestor: Shaggy Volleypom
Creator: colddigger
Diet: Photosynthesis
Habitat: Martyk Temperate Woodland Archipelago, Iiteum Plains Archipelago, Iiteum Temperate Beach, Martyk Temperate Beach, South Darwin Plains, Koseman Temperate Woodland
Height: 30 m Tall
Thermoregulation: Heliothermy (Black Pigmentation)
Support: Cellulose, Lignin (Cell Walls)
Respiration: Passive (Tracheal system in leaves, air labyrinth throughout tissue)
Reproduction: Sexual, Hard Shelled Megaspores, Airborne Microspores

The Contorted Volleypom split from its ancestor in Martyk Temperate Woodland Archipelago, shrank considerably, and spread throughout the coastlines of Martyk Temperate Sea.
The majority of their populations hug the coastal edges of their given biomes, getting windswept and contorted as they grow. Though they are unable to survive on seawater they will grow, albeit stunted to only 3 meters, in the dunes behind the high tide mark of beaches and growing along tops of cliffs. Their large bases attach to broad root systems that work quite well at preventing erosion in their otherwise dynamically changing environment.

Both summer and winter leaves have become narrower to prevent dessication from the constant ocean breeze and have a near constant PHB bioplastic coating as a response to the salt in the air and wind. Populations further inland or protected from sea winds do not have this constant layer. The winter leaf has simplified further to only have a single pneumathode on the tip to minimize its surface. Trichomes are commonly found in varying degrees similarly, and for similar reason, to its ancestor. That is, light intensity dictates if a particular surface develops them and how much or how long they are.

The clusters of microsporangia are smaller, individuals being about 2-3 cm long in clusters only 40 cm long. Individuals are less tightly grown together compared to those of it's ancestor, the sporangiums may even be without contact between each other once mature. The megasporangium grow in small clusters of up to three, but more often are lone individuals. These 10 cm papery structures form fewer, and larger, megaspores inside themselves. Sprouts grow at a rate of about 1 meter a year, and begin to reproduce at about 4 years old, producing microsporangium in small numbers, with megasporangium appearing a few years later.

A new feature to the megasporangium of the Contorted Volleypom that can be attributed to its success is the formation of an air pocket at its base as it matures. This pocket is a result of both water being moved from the surrounding tissue into the large megaspores, as well as increased dessication from coastal winds. These pockets are smaller among inland populations due to lack of environmental influence. As fallen megasporangium get moved around their environment, by wind or rain or other organisms, many of these crinkly structures make it into the surrounding saltwaters. Without the air pocket they would sink a short while after entering the water, their heavy megaspore cargo dragging them down. But the air pocket instead allows them to bob slightly at the surface and either wash back to shore from where they came or to new shores to give the young they carry a second chance.

The bark of the Contorted Volleypom is a little smoother with much wider sheets that develop in comparison to its ancestor the [[Shaggy Volleypom]]. This change helps protect it from climbing herbivores that may otherwise find footholds along the surface. Dead twigs, killed from environmental stresses, can be common in their canopy. Most other characteristics are fairly similar to their ancestor.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Jan 1 2023, 11:44 AM

Auger-Prongion (Tetracaulophorus helix)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Four-Prongion
Habitat: Lamarck Temperate Woodland, Lamarck Temperate Rainforest, Lamarck Subtropical Rainforest, Lamarck Highboreal, Lamarck Rocky, Maineiac Bush, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Clayren Temperate Rainforest Archipelago, Ittiz Temperate Rainforest Archipelago
Size: 20 meters tall
Support: Cell Wall (Cellulose), Woody Trunk
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: ?
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual and Asexual (Hardy Spores)

The auger-prongion split from its ancestor. All four prongs wind around an imaginary axis which is centered through the trunk somewhat like an auger. Now all the leaves get more sunlight, allowing it to photosynthesize more efficiently. When a prong snaps, it regrows into the same curved shape, though it may fork in the process and create a tangle.

Like its ancestor, the auger-prongion can take around 30 years to reach full size and can live for centuries. It rarely reaches full size in the shrublands, except when it happens to be near water, due to periodic fire. It can support small fauna in its prongs, but they will snap if anything too heavy--say, bigger than a large dog--tries to climb. It produces both sexual and asexual spores, which are dispersed by wind allowing it to populate nearby islands.

--

Is basically plagiarizing the first 3 sentences of the auger plent too much? I've seen people just paste parts of other species' descriptions before (including mine), but not usually for this much of the text.