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Corvisnapper (Maineidrakon corvidmimus)

Creator: Hydromancerx
Ancestor: Mountsnapper
Habitat: Maineiac Boreal, Maineiac Polar Scrub, Maineiac Rocky, Maineiac Volcanic, Maineiac High Grassland
Size: 2 m Wingspan
Diet: Omnivore (Pedesorm, Armored Pedesorm, Harvester Pedesorm, Miner Pedesorm, Mountain Pedesorm, Giant Spiny Wrigum, Piloswrigum, Sapworms, Xenobees, Dartirs, Neuks, Teacup Saucebacks, Silkruggs, Vermees, Minikruggs, Pilunoroot, Pilokepderi, Four-Prongion, Brieneux, Sunstalks), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Downy Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual, 2 Genders, Hard Shelled Eggs

The Corvisnapper split from its ancestor the Mountsnappers. Like Earth's crows and ravens the Corvisnapper is an opportunistic generalist. It will scavenge on carrion as well as hunt for small prey. Their black color paired with their thick feathers help them in the cold of high elevations as well as polar biomes. Like their ancestor they have efficient lungs so as to cope with the lack of oxygen at high altitudes. Due to their now omnivorous diet, they have a variety of teeth with some sharp and suited for tearing flesh, and others peg-like for chewing on flora. The jaw shape is similar to that of Earth's insectivore birds.

Their claws help them grip cliffs and crags where they make their nests. Unlike their ancestors their wings are strong and larger than their ancestors were. In addition their tail rudder is more flat like a bird's tail feathers.So much so other feathers support the shape in a tail feather-like shape. This give them more control in how they fly. thus spending less energy when flying. Normally solitary, they tend to end up clustered around carrion resulting from other predators' kills. They are quite aggressive to each other and will fight for the scraps. They mate in the summer and will congregate in the hundreds.

The eggs normally take around two weeks to hatch, during which the mother shall not eat a thing and will simply stay with the egg, guarding it. After they hatch, they age rather quickly, reaching sexual maturity in just one and a half years and having an average lifespan of just 5. Their nests tend to be constructed on the side of cliffs, out of the way of predators, and are made from a mix of the stems and leaves of flora with own warm plumage.

This post has been edited by Hydromancerx: Apr 8 2021, 11:50 PM

Greater Lahn (Gramenovermis major)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Lahn
Habitat: Drake Plains, Drake High Grassland, Drake Chaparral, Drake Rocky, Drake High Desert, Mae Volcanic
Size: Male: 25 cm long; Female: 1.2 meters tall
Diet: Photosynthesis, Detritivore; Males Only: Herbivore (Supershrooms, Sunstalks, Cryobowls, Glaalgaes, Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Tepoflora, Fuzzweed)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking)
Reproduction: Sexual (Sequential Hermaphrodite, Eggs), Asexual (Parthenogenesis)

The Greater Lahn replaced its ancestor. The only “grass” in its environment, it was able to grow exponentially in height in an arms race with itself to become the tallest, outcompeting its ancestor in the process. It failed to outcompete the related Lahnworm, as the Lahnworm’s mobility meant it could simply get up and move to avoid the Greater Lahn. Its leaves now have chitinous cell walls, allowing them to grow taller without also needing to become thicker; in fact, its leaves are thinner than those of its ancestor, and they branch. Similar to its ancestor, males live as mobile fauna but become immobile plant-like females later in life. Unlike its ancestor, the Greater Lahn very easily crossed rivers by chance dispersal and walking right across fallen trees. It can also be found in the high desert, females living in clumps wherever conditions are right.

The Greater Lahn has lost its bioluminescence, as it cost too much energy to maintain. Males instead mate with any female they come across as long as they have the sperm to do so throughout their spring mating season, leaving the health of any offspring up to luck. The inexplicable behavior of males carrying the eggs has also been lost, as it actually put the eggs in a lot of danger. Instead, females retain the eggs themselves in a subterranean oviduct. Indeed, the entire cloacal opening is underground to protect it from trampling and predation, and as such the male must dig for it. This is done using a retractable shovel-like phallus derived from the skin and upper “beak” of the cloaca, which is absorbed during the transition to female. Females can also produce clonal offspring through parthenogenesis. When eggs hatch, the babies dig their way to the surface and begin their lives as males, but at a little over three years of age they will bury themselves and become female.

Unlike its ancestor, females of the Greater Lahn are completely submerged underground apart from their leaves. This allows them to avoid being trampled to death and makes them far more difficult to pull from the ground and devour. Like their ancestor they use branching root-like limbs to hold them in place and a complex branching network consisting of a root-like structure derived from the tongue and esophagus to collect water and nutrients from the ground. The leg-roots can tangle with those of neighboring individuals, keeping them stable as a group.

When dehydrated, the Greater Lahn’s leaves turn blue-violet and eventually fade to pale pink. This is the result of their blood; as the blue pigment fades, the red color from the iron-based blood underneath begins to show, and when the blood is removed to conserve water, all that is left is the pinkish natural color of the flesh.

This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Mar 23 2021, 08:31 PM

Sprawlaclaw (Brachionyx ofanii)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Taloned Phlyer
Habitat: Drake High Grassland, Drake Rocky, Mae Volcanic, Drake Plains, Drake Chaparral
Size: 2 meter wingspan, 90 cm long
Diet: Carnivore (Hopping Ketter, Desert Gossalizzard, Scarlet Phlyer, Azure Phlyer, Lizalagarto, Dwarf Pinyuk, Steppe Lizalope, Spitting Lizalagarto, Loafpick, Rosybeak Phlyer, Fuzzcoat, Tuskcoat, juvenile Strider Fuzzcoat, juvenile Lipped Sauceback, juvenile Pinyuk, juvenile Tree Pinyuk, juvenile Feral Tuskent, juvenile Ringtail Loafshell, juvenile Killcoat, juvenile Shaggy Glasseater), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth)

The sprawlaclaw split from its ancestor and left the tundra behind, moving into the milder temperate and montane plains and scrubland which bordered it. This phlyer-of-prey is named for the sprawled arrangement of its talons, which is optimal for capturing and killing prey. The hind claws are longer than the front ones and have the most force behind them, allowing them to stab and kill whatever it snatches. Its claws, as well as its beak, are thorn-like and made of wood; though somewhat fragile, they can regrow very quickly when damaged. It uses anthocyanins in its skin to make it appear bluish or blue-violet, allowing it to blend in with the greater lahns which cover the ground without disrupting photosynthesis.

The sprawlaclaw soars through the air watching for small prey on the ground. When it spots something that it can eat, it will swoop down and stab it with its talons, killing it. It then uses its hooked beak to tear into the flesh and eat its prey. It can be likened to a hawk or an eagle for this reason. It can soar for hours at a time when necessary. It is generally solitary outside of mating season, which occurs in the spring.

The sprawlaclaw’s tail is very short and it has lost its ancestral stabilizers; only the top one remains, serving to guard its butt nostril. Its hind pair of wings serve as stabilizers instead, acting like a bird’s pygostyle. Its tympanic ears are set in a short ear canal, reducing the perceived noise from air rushing around its head. It uses all four legs together to perch in trees, and when at rest it will fold its wings over its back like a Terran butterfly to expose the greener undersides to sunlight. It can also stand on the ground, but its talons make it a poor walker, so it prefers some kind of perch such as being atop a ferine.

Much like its ancestor, the sprawlaclaw gives live birth, so to avoid being weighed down during pregnancy it only has one baby at a time. However, to ensure reproductive success a single female can produce as many as 6 offspring in a single spring. Like most plents, the sprawlaclaw's reproductive organs are in its throat and it both mates and gives birth through its mouth. Both parents contribute to raising their offspring, taking turns bringing them pieces of their kills. Nestlings remain with their parents even after they have learned to fly, so that they may learn to hunt without risk of starvation if they don’t get it right away. Once they can hunt, the juveniles leave their parents’ care and live on their own. The parents, too, will separate, returning to a solitary lifestyle.

This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Mar 19 2021, 05:16 PM

Pandocrystal (Crystallumaetas pando)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Towering Grovecrystal
Habitat: Drake Taiga, Drake Polar Scrub
Size: 25 meters tall, no colony width limit
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Asexual (Budding)

The Pandocrystal split from its ancestor and moved into the polar regions. Similar to its cousins, the vesuvianite tree and the mangrove crystal, it has gained more branches. It has completely taken over Drake Taiga at the time of writing, growing very tall and producing a single sprawling clonal colony that spans the entire biome. This massive colony is the largest single organism on Sagan 4 at the time of evolution, exceeding the size of the orbit voltflora by at least several hundred fold. Smaller groves can also be found scattered about Drake Polar Scrub.

The Pandocrystal produces new branches as it grows taller and sheds old ones, leaving behind scars which may superficially resemble eyes. This is because newer branches cast shade on older ones, making them a useless burden. During the long polar winter nights, the crystal leaves turn orange and eventually red as the chlorophyll within fades and exposes the red pigmentation of the core, as there is no point in performing photosynthesis without light; the crystals return to their former green color once the sun returns. Fallen crystals are typically orange or red as a result of the chloroplasts within them dying.

The Pandocrystal can only reproduce asexually. This puts it at a severe competitive disadvantage in terms of genetic flexibility, however at the time of evolution it had no competition keeping it in check. Within a clonal colony, young trees are provided with nutrients by their neighbors so that they can reach the canopy and start collecting sunlight on their own.

==Notes==
Pandocrystal is named after a real individual plant named Pando. As such, “Pandocrystal” is a proper noun which should be capitalized.

This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Mar 19 2021, 05:06 PM

Mudplower (Plentceros lutotrulla)

Creator: Hydromancerx
Ancestor: Snowplower
Habitat: Always Tropical River, BioCat Tropical River, Blood Tropical River, Gec Tropical River, Glicker Tropical River, Ichthy Tropical River, Jeluki Tropical River, Kenotai Tropical River, Pipcard Tropical River, Terra Tropical River, Wright Tropical River, Always Tropical Riparian, BioCat Tropical Riparian, Blood Tropical Riparian, Gec Tropical Riparian, Glicker Tropical Riparian, Ichthy Tropical Riparian, Jeluki Tropical Riparian, Kenotai Tropical Riparian, Pipcard Tropical Riparian, Terra Tropical Riparian, Wright Tropical Riparian, Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Size: 360 cm Long
Diet: Herbivore (Leafy Plyentwort (leaves), Carnosprawl, Puff Reed, Mertiprongs, Cushprongs, Cocoprong, Gargantuan Obsiditree (saplings), Phoenix Grass, Ashkalatongrass, Harp-Hum, Carnurtain, Gouromb, Widilla, Sila, Sunstalks, Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Twinkiiros, Twinkorals, Luminus, Flashkelps), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endothermic
Reproduction Sexual, Two Genders, Live Birth

The Mudplower split from its ancestor the Snowplower. It has moved to the rivers in which it feeds on aquatic flora. It is larger than its ancestor and is adapted more to a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Its back feet have webbed toes and its front hooves have widened to help it not sink in the muddy banks. Its skeletal structure has changed to raise its "butt-nostil" can sit above the waterline when wading in the shallows. However it can seal shut when going deeper in the water. Like its ancestor it has thorns around the opening to help protect it. Its eyes also have developed see-through eyelids to help it see underwater.

Its photosynthetic plates are thicker and more woody. They are heavier so it can walk on the bottom of the river. Its body colors are either golden or white, depending upon the river they live in. The splotchy pasterns resemble the mud and help it keep camouflaged underwater.The photosynthetic plates help it get an energy boost from the sun during the day.

They use their beaks to push away the mud to uproot flora. It can also be used to clear snow or break ice like their ancestor. In higher elevations they will have thicker blubber like their ancestors did to help keep them warm. They will typically migrate upstream in the summer to cooler temperatures and then downsteam in the winter to warmer temperatures.

Like their ancestors males have pushing competitions where they try to push each other's plow-like beaks against each other. They live in large herds led by a dominant male. Males who are not dominant live in a bachelor herd and frequently challenge the alpha male for rights to take over the herd of females and juveniles. Females will make conical dirt nests on land in which they give birth to their 2 to 3 offspring in. After 2 to 3 months the offspring are old enough to leave the nest. The nesting grounds tend to be in Dixon-Darwin Boreal even if they normally live in other biomes.

The Pipcard River population have developed a mixed herd with the Chut Snorkpiper. Since they are larger than Chut Snorkpipers the beachmasters have little choice but to let them graze with them. Both species benefit from the extra eyes and ears around looking for predators.

Name: Racing Rainbowtail (Testudoraptor signumvenator)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Rainbowtail (Carpotherapodus iris)
Habitat: Drake Plains, Drake High Grassland
Size: 2 meters long
Diet: Carnivore (Gutsy Phlyer, Pinyuk, Lizalagarto, Fluneriga Juveniles, Strider Fuzzcoat, Dwarf Pinyuk, Steppe Lizalope, Fuzzcoat, Tuskcoat, Desert Gossalizard), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Mesotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Ovoviviparous

With the evolution of the bannertail, most of the rainbowtails were outcompeted and thus died out. The only exception was the small population out in the Drake Plains that were able to scrape out a meager existence, but they were not thriving by living only in the plains. The region had inconsistent amounts of rain, which was often not enough for their eggs and tadpoles to survive development. As such, the rainbowtail’s numbers dwindled with every passing decade as old individuals began to die and not enough young were surviving to adulthood and thus replace them. The future of the population looked grim, but this intense selective pressure also meant any adaptations that gave an individual an advantage over others in terms of reproduction would immediately be able to spread through the tiny population.

This presented itself with females who began to retain the eggs inside their bodies for longer and longer periods, while the eggs adapted to develop inside the mother. This got to the point where the mother never lays the eggs and they hatch within her body as small juveniles, having developed past the tadpole stage within their eggs before being born. Being born in their juvenile form, these youngsters would be able to survive without the need of spawning pools and thus cutting the population’s ties with spawning pools for good. By now, the rainbowtail was no more, the Drake Plains population having evolved into a new taxon. This new group of organisms are now known as the racing rainbowtail. The genetic bottleneck they went through has left its mark, however, as the racing rainbowtails have low genetic diversity as a consequence.

In many ways, the racing rainbowtails are similar to their ancestors except modified for pursuit hunting. In order to run for longer, the armor present on their backs has reduced in size, in order to lessen the amount of weight they need to carry. The legs, meanwhile, have elongated to increase their stride length, which increases the amount of ground they cover as they run compared to their ancestor. This all works into their hunting strategy, as they primarily hunt small to mid-sized herbivores by chasing them into exhaustion. The group will also use hunting tactics, with some lying up ahead in ambush while others chase prey towards them and cutting off any escape routes. Once they catch a victim, the pack will use their taloned hands, hooked beaks, and sharp teeth to take them down.

Much like their ancestors and close relatives, the racing rainbowtails are social animals, with pack life now being a critical part of rearing the young. These packs typically consist of three mating pairs and their young, though they can be larger depending on food availability. This social life comes into play once a female breeds, as retaining the eggs inside her for longer periods of time means extra weight for about 2 months. This limits her hunting prowess, and thus a female who can rely upon her mate and other members of the pack assisting the female capture prey has a better chance then a solitary individual who may fail more hunts than if they were not pregnant. Once it's time, the mother will give birth to 4-6 baby racing rainbowtails. When they are born, they already look like the juveniles of their ancestors but with several key differences, like a more blunt beak, under-developed armor, and only small teeth. This makes the process of giving birth less painful for the mother, but it also means they can’t hunt prey and survive on their own.

This results in the pack having one pair guard the young while the rest of them hunt more prey than normal to feed the juveniles. During times of hardship, the dominant pair will kill the offspring of the other mated pairs in the pack before feeding them to their own, as there is likely not enough food to feed them all and their young get priority. In the same vein, they are highly territorial during times when food is scarce, and will drive away the groups of other racing rainbowtails. Once the young grow in their teeth and the hook on their beak becomes larger, the pack can begin to take them on hunts though they will primarily hunt small game early on.

Due to the need for spawning pools being nonexistent, the need for constructing highly advanced materials like adobe was no longer needed as so this was lost overtime. This also resulted in a slight loss of intelligence, though they are not stupid by any means. Hunting in packs and the language of their tails along with caring for their young and digging caches to store food still requires a decent amount of brain power so the loss of intelligence is only minor.

Just like their ancestor, the racing rainbowtail uses their tail lights for communication and have specific meanings for each color they can use. Compared to their ancestors, however, their language is much simpler. Each of their colors is described as below:

Red=aggression
Blue=submission
Green=greetings
Purple=affection
Yellow=guidance(mainly used for youngsters to follow their mothers)
Orange=dominance/intimidation
White=alarm signal
Rapidly flashing all colors at once one after the other=mating display

Once the youngsters reach sexual maturity, they are old enough to fend for themselves and are kicked out of the pack to live on their own. Females often go alone for a while until they find a mate while a group of male racing rainbowtails that come from the same pack will stick together until they pair off with unrelated females. On certain occasions, however, racing rainbowtails that are brothers form a strong enough bond that they may stick together, even when one of them pairs up with a female. In these circumstances, the brother(s) will assist the mated pair with the care of the pair’s offspring as if they were their own.


A young racing rainbowtail, possibly only a few days old or younger.

Tada! How does the species look? Do point out any grammatical errors! Will say the Rainbowtail will become extinct once this and the Bannertail get accepted.

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Mar 31 2021, 09:45 PM

Twigfisher Shrog (Lutrasorex novipus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Seashrog
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Vivus Boreal, Vivus Rocky, Darwin Chaparral, Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Darwin Plains, Vivus High Grassland
Size: 1.5 meters long
Diet: Omnivore (Vermees, Gamergate Gundis, Minkruggs, Teacup Sauceback larvae, Grovecrystal crystals, Berry Arbourshroom berries, Crystal Brambley berries, Gecoba Tree fruit, Boreal Tubeplage fruit, Fruiting Grovecrystal crystals and fruit, Crystamble crystals, Tubeplage fruit, Scrubland Tubeplage fruit, Scrubland Quhft fruit, Fuzzpile berries, Bristlepile berries, Signpost Crystamboo crystals, Supershroom berries, Sapshroom berries)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Placental, Pouch and Milk)

Inevitably, some populations of the Seashrog would not remain tied to water and would instead move back inland. The Twigfisher Shrog split from its ancestor. With no piscine prey on land, it has exapted its tool use capability to fish for a different kind of prey--bugs and grubs.

The Twigfisher Shrog will find a stick that’s sufficiently long and flexible, or make one itself by lopping a branch off a tree with its tail. It will then cover the stick in its sticky saliva which it inherited from its ancestor before sticking the stick into a log or a hole in the ground. When it pulls the stick back out, it will be covered in vermees, minikruggs, gamergate gundis, teacup sauceback larvae, and other small burrowing critters. The Twigfisher Shrog will then eat these right off the stick. It will also readily consume crystals and fruit. It may carry an especially good stick with it wherever it goes, clutching with its thumb while it walks on the tips of its fingers.

Speaking of which, the forelimbs of the Twigfisher Shrog are quite strange compared to its ancestor’s. The thumb remains similar, however the rest of the digits have odd bunched knuckles, similar to those of a Terran dog. This allows this odd shrog to walk on its forelegs while grasping a tool at the same time, something the Seashrog couldn’t do. Interestingly, the final segment of each finger can be curled a full 180 degrees from its walking position, allowing it to use them to grasp when necessary while keeping them out of the way when walking.

Similar to its ancestor, the Twigfisher Shrog resides in crafted nests. Unlike its ancestor’s nests, which are roughly half-spheres with a flat deck, Twigfisher Shrog nests are cylindrical huts with a conical roof. Rather than wasting food using berries to glue it all together, it uses mud as the main adhesive. As mud needs to be exposed to the sun to dry properly, it only builds in clearings within the more forested parts of its range. The nests are also naturally held together by the tangle of branches coming off the sticks used, as the Twigfisher Shrog doesn’t bother to remove them. Though it can theoretically fell giant obsidoak trees with its tail, it usually just chops branches off small or young trees, as it is able to see that the giant obsidoaks have far more wood than it could ever need and it can be very difficult to extract its tail if it gets stuck under those literal tons of wood.

Like its ancestor, the Twigfisher Shrog’s facial osteoderms play a part in sexual selection, a neat “hairdo” without visible damage being preferred. Unlike its ancestor, it isn’t so strictly monogamous, as it has no need to be. It has a mating season mostly associated with fall in the southern hemisphere, and while there is a mating season every year, any twigfisher that mated the previous year will skip the next one. This is due in part to how long it takes for twigfisher joeys to develop enough to not need to be looked after constantly. It retains its ancestor’s gestation period of 4 months, though being smaller it actually gives birth to proportionally more developed young in this amount of time. Newborns stay in their mother’s pouch until their osteoderms start to grow in, at which point they are weaned. Both parents contribute to caring for their offspring for the first 18 months, which translates to when their offspring are about 14 months old and mostly dependent on their parents for protection, after which the father leaves and the mother will usually pick a different mate next mating season. Orphaned juveniles are able to survive in the wilderness as long as they can build a shelter and have already been taught how to forage for bugs, but when given a choice they stay with their mothers until they are at least 3 years old. It takes about 5 years for a Twigfisher Shrog to reach full size, and it can live as long as 40 years if it isn’t killed by predators or disease.

Living over a wide range across a supercontinent with varied soil color and flora cover, the Twigfisher Shrog comes in a handful of distinct color variants suited for specific regions. This includes obsidian for the forests, blond for blending in with rocks, and champagne for dry grass.

Blond:


Champagne:


This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Apr 5 2021, 02:24 PM

Wolvershrog (Lutrasorex frigora)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Seashrog
Habitat: North Jujubee Polar Ocean (Sunlight Zone), North LadyM Polar Ocean (Sunlight Zone), North Jujubee Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), North LadyM Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), Maineiac Polar Coast, Maineiac Polar Beach, Maineiac Temperate Coast, Maineiac Temperate Beach, Oz Temperate Coast, Oz Temperate Beach, Justin Polar Shallows, Bumpy Polar Coast, Drake Polar Beach, Soma Temperate Coast, Soma Temperate Beach, Ramul Temperate Beach, Drake Polar Scrub, Drake Taiga, Drake Temperate Woodland, Drake Chaparral, Drake Plains, Ramul Temperate Woodland, Barlowe Chaparral, Barlowe Temperate Woodland, Barlowe Temperate Rainforest, Maineiac Polar Scrub, Maineiac Volcanic, Maineiac Chaparral, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Maineiac Temperate Riparian, Yokto Temperate Riparian
Size: 3 meters long
Diet: Carnivore (Nonessie, Magnificent Slaesosaurus, Bejeweled Emperor Scylarian, Blueback Scylarian, Ocean Scorpodile, Migrating Glowsnapper, Emperor Seaswimmer, Terrorfang Hafgufa juveniles, Umbrascale Lyngbakr juveniles, Viridimaw Lyngbakr juveniles, Cruelfang Hafgufa juveniles, Delving Lyngbakr juveniles), Frugivore (Mainland Fuzzpalm, Fuzzpile, Pilonoroot, Pilunoroot, Beach Piloroot, Qupe Tree, Fuzzweed, Mangot, Stoutplage, Fruiting Glog, Crystalfir, Greatcap Baseejie, Cryobowls, Maineiac Glasstower, Prutabula, Prutarbor)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur, Thick Fat)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Placental, Pouch and Milk)

The Wolvershrog, sometimes also known as the Santa Claus Shrog, is a large shrog which resides in north temperate and polar waters. It is notable for its great strength, which allows it to catch massive prey, and the great size of its floating nest. In order to survive in polar environments where large flora can be rare, it has the intuition to travel further inland for wood and materials to construct and repair its nest, resulting in it being present in more biomes than one might expect. It also hunts much larger prey than its ancestor did. The Wolvershrog’s second common name, in addition to matching its fat and fluffy appearance, comes from its interspecific empathy. Occasionally, Seashrogs will be brought further north than they are normally capable of thriving by the ocean’s currents. When this occurs, especially during a harsh winter, Wolvershrogs will sometimes find them. The appearance of a Seashrog, even an adult one, activates a Wolvershrog’s parental instincts; though Wolvershrogs are fully aware that Seashrogs are a different species, they are nonetheless very relatable due to them being closely related. The Wolvershrogs will share some of their supplies with these lost Seashrogs, helping them survive long enough to drift back south.

The Wolvershrog’s nest is more complex than its ancestor’s. It is considerably larger, sometimes as great as 30 meters wide, in order to store large amounts of food to survive the winter, and the "hull" has two layers. Air becomes trapped between the two layers, helping to insulate the nest. The two layers also allow the nest to have a more complex structure, as the inner layer can be used to support additional beams without affecting the nest’s overall structural integrity. In fact, this is a necessary innovation for making the nests as large as they are; while the Seashrog only included additional support beams where the deck was weak or sagging, the Wolvershrog will place multiple sets of beams arranged in circles surrounding the center of the nest as support no matter what. In addition to keeping the nest from collapsing in on itself, these beams also serve to support additional floors, shelves, and various ramps that allow access to the entrances to the nest. Though this appears sophisticated, it is mostly further elaboration on instinctive behavior. The nest also has a compound structure and two decks, an upper one with a single entrance in the center used for lookout and a lower one with multiple entrances which is stood on while hunting. The shape of the nest, externally, could be described as a larger nest with a second, smaller nest resting on top supported by wooden pillars. With the massive size of the nest, the Wolvershrog is more tolerant of adult offspring and will allow them to stay in the nest as long as they assist in its maintenance, though many subadults will still leave to start their own families elsewhere.

Without access to fuzzpalm berries in the far north, and with the nest structure being so complex that berries and spit are not sufficient to hold it together, the Wolvershrog has, through imitation, borrowed ideas from the Maineiac Rivershrog, which it would occasionally encounter while searching for wood, and uses roots, other fibrous plant parts, and collagen pulled from prey and beached megafauna to tie the nest together. Construction of a Wolvershrog nest can take years, and in the meantime the shrog will be residing on the coast with its mate and cubs, living off of coastal fruit and fauna. However, once constructed, a single nest can last decades as long as it’s maintained by a Wolvershrog, often even outliving its original builders and being inherited by their descendants.

The Wolvershrog hunts in a similar way to its ancestor, thrusting wooden spears into piscine prey and wrestling it onto the nest. The spears are gnawed on near the tip to create a sort of barb so that they do not slide out of the prey’s flesh very easily. Often, an individual’s mate and adult offspring will assist in tackling especially large prey, thrusting in more spears and using their teeth and claws to hold on and pull the catch aboard. Sometimes, their prey will successfully knock a wolvershrog into the water, but wolvershrogs are strong swimmers and don’t freeze easily due to their thick fur and fat bodies. If possible, the prey’s skull or spine (or equivalent) will be crushed with a powerful bite to kill it, but if it’s too large a spear may be shoved into the brain instead, often through the eyes. Once it stops moving, the kill will be dismembered and meat will be torn from the bones. Some of the meat will be eaten immediately, but most will be splashed in seawater and left to dry, helping to preserve it. Nearly all hunting occurs in the summer, as this preservation method does not work during the winter, though Wolvershrogs will still hunt in the winter as well if they run low on food. The wolvershrog also readily consumes fruit while on land, as it is easy to digest.

The Wolvershrog’s vocalizations are similar to the Seashrog’s, though much deeper and breathier. Due to Wolvershrog family groups being far more cohesive than those of Seashrogs, name-barking has also become far more important; they have adopted “family names”, and no two Wolvershrogs in the same family group will have the same given name. When unrelated Wolvershrogs meet, they will even introduce themselves, tapping a paw to their snout and letting out two barks: first their family name, then their own. They may introduce friends or offspring in a similar manner, tapping their snout and barking. Family names seemingly originated as a way of distinguishing two cubs with the same name and different mothers by barking the mother’s name first followed by the cub’s, similar to the origins of human last names such as “Johnson”, and as such they are typically inherited maternally. Family names can also serve as inbreeding prevention; though instincts prevent Wolvershrogs from mating with siblings they were raised with, an estranged sibling or cousin they have never met will not trigger the anti-inbreeding instinct, so having the same family name can serve as an additional cultural deterrent.

Like its ancestor, the Wolvershrog is placental but retains a pouch. It typically mates during the fall, and gestation lasts about 6 months. Though they will certainly mate every year, hormonal cues will prevent them from being fertile some years to prevent overpopulation of the nest. 3-5 cubs are born per mating. Cubs are born blind and helpless, though they already have a soft coat of fur to protect them from harsh polar conditions once they’ve been licked dry. The cubs remain in the pouch for only a few weeks, rapidly outgrowing it. Juveniles can take as long as 10 years to reach full size, though they are capable of breeding by the age of 8. Adult offspring that stay in the nest, especially daughters, may be tightly monitored by their parents during breeding season, as when making landfall or passing other wolvershrog nests they will often sneak off to mate with strangers; though wolvershrogs are far from prudes and couldn’t care less about what their sons do, parents typically do not want their daughters to have cubs while still living with them due to all the extra mouths to feed. This is similar to the behavior of Terran wolves, which will try to prevent their daughters from mating for the same reason. Wolvershrogs can live as long as 60 years, though their health will usually start to fail in their early 40’s.

On dispersal, young wolvershrogs make a makeshift nest immediately upon landfall, though they may not stick to just one, as they must wander along the beach to find a mate. Although they are only fertile in the fall, they will still have the drive to seek out potential mates year-round so that they are not restricted to a small time window to find one, a necessary trait due to them not having a particularly high population density and the importance of having offspring capable of assisting in hunts and maintaining their massive nests. Mating rivalry occurs in both sexes and selection is mutual, both male and female wolvershrogs preferring strength and bulk, as these are necessary for successful hunting and nest construction. The osteoderms on their faces are used in intraspecific combat--the same head-wrestling their ancestors engaged in--which can reveal easily which of two potential mate options is stronger. The final stage of courtship, too, involves head-wrestling between the prospective lovers so they can feel one another’s strength for themselves. A roughly even match is generally preferred, as if one easily defeats the other, it indicates insufficient strength. Once they have chosen one another they will literally mate on the spot, often right in front of losing rivals, even if it is the wrong season. They mate belly-to-belly, as their back spikes and sharp tail make mounting too risky. The pair will begin construction of a seaworthy nest soon after their first mating, and they will often have already had multiple litters of cubs before they finish.

Homosexuality has been observed in Wolvershrogs, just as in Seashrogs. Male/male pairs are rarer, however female/female pairs are almost bizarrely common. In fact, it is not rare to see a nest populated exclusively by female wolvershrogs with no cubs. While some “lesbian” wolvershrogs will still mate with males they encounter as a reproductive outlet, the rise of family names and tolerance of living in groups has also created a concept of group identity, resulting in the appearance of large female-only groups which have no interest in strange males at all, only in one another. To keep their population up, they will invite young female wolvershrogs they find on beaches into their communal nest with mating calls; most will not accept, feeling no attraction to other females, but some will, keeping the group alive without reproduction.

The Wolvershrog has spread the Cleaner Borvermid and the False Cleaner Borvermid across its entire range. It has also spread the Shailnitor, however it can only actually obtain new Shailnitors from the temperate regions, as the little uktank cannot survive polar conditions and is completely dependent on the shrog nest microclimate this far north; therefore Shailnitors can only exist in the north polar biomes as long as the Wolvershrog or any other species capable of harboring them in the north is extant.

This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Apr 2 2021, 07:26 PM

Interbiat (Arthropterornitherium primus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Brighteyes
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Dixon Tropical Woodland, Dixon Tropical Scrub, Dixon Savanna, Javen Tropical Woodland, Javen Tropical Scrub, Darwin Savanna, North Darwin Tropical Scrub, North Darwin Tropical Woodland
Size: 40 cm long
Diet: Omnivore (Vermees, Whiskrugg, Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Gamergate Gundis, Teacup Sauceback larvae, Mikuks, Aphluks, Feluks, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Berry Arbourshroom, Tamed Berry Arbourshrooms, Kellace, Parasitic Floats, Boreal Tubeplage fruit, Gecoba Tree fruit, Tropical Gecoba Tree fruit, Bristlepile berries, Scrubland Tubeplage fruit, Cryobowl fruit, Hydrabowl fruit, Fuzzpile berries, Fruiting Grovecrystal fruit)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Bird-Like Eggs)

The Interbiat split from its ancestor. Though its ancestor was traditionally a glider, the fact that its wings were also its legs and the way it used them to parachute to some extent led to it developing a keel and powered flight. It has gotten smaller and therefore lighter, as it is still not yet a very strong flier. Its tail remains long, as shortening it would potentially mean reducing its lungs, which would be disadvantageous to flight. It uses both its tail and its ears as stabilizers in the air. Notably, to make it lighter, its pinnae are shorter; however, its hearing remains the same, as its ears now also have flight feathers on them which can funnel sound into its ears just as well.

The Interbiat is named for the fact that it has characteristics of all four lineages of Terran fauna which evolved flight: '''in'''sects, p'''ter'''osaurs, '''bi'''rds, and b'''at'''s. It has insect-like jaws and evolved from arthropod-like ancestors, it vaults from the ground and walks on erect wings like a pterosaur, it makes use of feathers instead of membranes like a bird, and it uses its ears as stabilizers and to generate lift like a bat.

Being able to see, the Interbiat’s echolocation ability has continued to diminish, though it is not yet completely lost, especially as the dark forests within its range can sometimes be difficult to navigate by sight alone. It can detect nine primary colors (six of them in the ultraviolet spectrum) andcan distinguish over 700 distinct mixed colors (including made-up ones comparable to magenta) using its “eyestrils”, as well as millions of colors in between. It uses flight to pursue prey and will fly up into trees to avoid predators. Though it doesn’t have proper grasping feet, it is able to balance on branches and rocks regardless using its hooves, similar to a Terran goat.

The Interbiat uses its beak-like jaws to consume various small organisms. It may rummage around in the dirt, grass, and leaf litter for vermees, kruggs, gundis, and teacup sauceback larvae, as well as gobble up shrooms and berries it finds around its range. It will also pick parasitic floats off of flora. When startled, it will leap into the air and take flight; it’s only about as good at flying as a chicken, so it can’t fly especially high or over long distances, but it can get into a tree fairly easily.

Like its ancestor, the Interbiat forms social groups that nest together. They nest on the ground, usually among trees or bushes where they are not too visible to predators, using leaves, twigs, feathers, and tufts of fur and plent cotton for warmth and comfort. Its leg feathers assist it in incubating its eggs and chicks. Like its ancestor, it lays hard-shelled eggs, but unlike its ancestor its babies do not hatch completely helpless; rather than larvae, they hatch as chicks covered in downy feathers which are already capable of running. This is because, being small and nesting on the ground, it is rather vulnerable to predation, so its babies must be able to run if they have to. This is similar to many Terran birds that nest on the ground such as chickens, geese, and ostriches.

The Interbiat takes on a dark coloration over most of its range due to the dominance of obsidian trees. However, there are subspecies which have lighter colors, such as yellow, to blend in with the ground in more open biomes.

Image caption: Yellow color variant


This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Apr 3 2021, 11:38 AM

Shimmering Marephasmatises (Marephasmatis spp.)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Rainbow Marephasmatis
Habitat: Global (Sagan 4)
Size: 1-4 cm long
Diet: Planktivore
Respiration: Passive (Diffusion Through Skin)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Broadcast Spawning)

Replacing the Krakow and Colddigger population of their ancestor, the Shimmering Marephasmatises are modern representatives of one of Sagan 4’s most ancient and elusive lineages, the Marephasmatises. Though this lineage has produced more complex descendants, such as filtersquids and teuthopins, the Shimmering Marephasmatises are far more basal. They are radially symmetric, have no blood, and most of their interior is filled with non-living jelly, similar to mesoglea, which is used as a hydrostatic skeleton. The gut is blind and filled with a sticky mucus used for capturing plankton. They have only two cell layers, the endoderm and ectoderm, and they have a tail which tapers into a nematocyst-lined tip for self defense.

Shimmering Marephasmatises can be found all over the ocean, mainly in the twilight zone and lower sunlight zone, but some species may also be found as deep as the midnight zone where they rely on marine snow for sustenance. They are bioluminescent, shining light through tiny, symbiotic, color-changing crystal flora unrelated to any modern crystal flora species. In fact, these endosymbiotes are more closely related to those that make up the bones and teeth of spondylozoans such as shrews and snappers than even to the Binucleus Crystal Shrub. The color-changing lights can be used to communicate and deter predators. Microscopic reflector eyes surround the mouth and are used to sense the glow of other individuals, so that they may approach one another to spawn. Species in higher population densities, however, don’t bother finding and meeting up with others of their kind to spawn, as there will usually be others spawning close by already. They spawn from gonads located under their upper ring of fins.

There are many species of Shimmering Marephasmatis. Some only use specific sets of colors in order to identify members of their own species. Those high in the water column feed on various phytoplankton, while those in deeper waters may depend more on marine snow. Though usually either male or female, in some species there is an unusually high frequency of hermaphroditism, where they have alternating male and female gonads around their circumference.

Ornate Gumjorn (Cultercucurbita gigafenestra)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Gumjorn
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Desert, Dixon-Darwin High Desert, Vivus High Desert, Dass Temperate Beach, Wind Temperate Beach
Size: 1 meter tall
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Asexual (Budding)

The Ornate Gumjorn split from its ancestor and moved inland. It has gained many chitinous spikes extending from its shell, which not only protect it from potential predators but are also used for dispersal. When a creature bumps or falls into it, the spikes of the stembuds on top will become lodged in its skin and break off of their parent, and even if the victim removes them on the spot the effort required to do so will result in the bud being flung far away. As the spikes reduce the need for extensive shell covering, the shell has become more of a frame covering the organism, giving it bigger “windows” and granting even more open space for photosynthesis.

Like its ancestor, the Ornate Gumjorn’s bulbous stem is filled with water. Mature individuals are also filled with natural gum which oozes out to seal wounds and prevent infection or water loss. The gum can also smother small fauna which try to nibble their way into the plant. It has lost its air pockets, as it doesn’t use water for dispersal anymore. In order to take root more quickly, the bottom ends of the stembuds are heavier, causing them to passively right themselves as they roll. To avoid wasting resources with the much larger size of their “windows”, and since they no longer need to suspend their metabolism for months at a time, they no longer form “lenses” to cover their photosynthetic parts early in life.

Shingo (Brachyukus liber)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Shailnitor
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank, Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank; Eggs and Juveniles Only: Driftwood Islands Tropical Lakes, Driftwood Islands Temperate Lakes, Driftwood Islands Tropical Shallows, Driftwood Islands Temperate Shallows
Size: 25 cm long
Diet: Omnivore (Opportunistic Predator (Plents, Ukfauna, Binucleid Worms, Anipedes, Tristages, Iron Fauna, and Carpofauna from 1 cm up to two-thirds its size), Raft-Building Cone Puffgrass, Pelagic Puffgrass, Mainland Fuzzpalm saplings and berries, Fuzzpile leaves and berries, Cocobarrage saplings and spore pods, Obsidibend saplings, Qupe Tree leaves saplings and fruit, Fuzzweed, Gumjorn stembuds, Baebula, Carnosprawl leaves and fruit), Scavenger, Detritivore, Coprovore
Respiration: Active (Lungs inside shell)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Eggs in Water)

In the newly-formed Driftwood Islands where there was little competition, the Shingo split from its ancestor, leaving the protection of the Seashrog. It has become the local opportunist, capable of feeding from a great variety of food sources in different circumstances. It has adopted a more strongly asymmetrical shell to place its hind leg further back, granting it a far more stable stance and gait. It island-hops through chance dispersal, as its eggs and aquatic juveniles are readily swept up and carried between islands by currents.

The Shingo has a long beak comparable to that of a generalistic bird such as a crow. It can use this to kill and eat small fauna, gobble up leaves and berries, and consume waste from other fauna such as dung. It readily eats carcasses and detritus, making its species the macro-level “clean-up crew” of this floating archipelago. It has a strong immune system to resist disease from eating dung and rotting meat. Though it might be regarded as a “dirty” creature due to its choice of food, it’s actually quite clean and doesn’t generally spread disease, even to other shailnitor species.

Like its ancestor and unlike most other uktanks, the Shingo does not depend on water to breathe and instead breathes air actively with lungs in its shell. It floats in water and can swim fairly well. It mates in the water and prefers to lay its eggs hidden among aquatic flora. It may lay eggs out in the open in the driftwood islands’ salt lakes, if there isn’t anything growing there for it to hide its eggs in. Juveniles gain terrestrial adaptations quickly and make landfall soon after, though some may be swept out to sea where they will drown or starve, assuming they are not eaten. Like its ancestor, the Shingo has a layer of dead skin cells filled with chitin to resist desiccation on land.

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MNIDJM I think the ecosystem page may still need to be updated with the driftwood islands biomes. This shows my intent with the ones that are split between tropical and temperate versions.

Floating Island Greatgrass (Magnopratum altus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Pelagic Puffgrass
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Tropical Lakes, Driftwood Islands Temperate Lakes
Size: 4 meters tall
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Spores, Cone, Airborne Eggs), Asexual (Budding)

The Floating Island Greatgrass replaced its ancestor and outcompeted the Raft-Building Cone Puffgrass in its range. Though the smaller grasses continue to contribute to the formation of new islands, once the islands have gotten large enough to support the greater biomes, the Floating Island Greatgrass can establish itself and quickly outshades the smaller grasses, leaving them to only exist on the banks. Evolving in an arms race with itself and with predators, it can grow very fast and very tall, reaching as great as 4 meters in height when not grazed lower. Its average height considering grazing as a factor is closer to just 1 meter. It can be likened to the Terran elephant grass, which is also very large but otherwise pretty traditionally grass-like. Similar to its cousin, the Raft-Building Cone Puffgrass, the Floating Island Greatgrass has gained the ability to reproduce asexually, but instead of using runners it buds new individuals from its roots. It can thrive even when submerged in the water of the salt lakes. It disperses between islands easily with its windborne spores.

Like its ancestor, the Floating Island Greatgrass is able to deal with excess salt by transporting it to specific leaves which are eventually shed. It mainly does this in and near the lakes. However, it is also able to function with higher salt content within its cells, reducing the need to shed such salty leaves. It is still capable of growing on driftwood, but it often overgrows and tips over into the ocean when it does so, preventing it from having an established oceanic population.

The Floating Island Greatgrass grows its cones very quickly despite their size and reproduces many times throughout a time corresponding to spring and summer in the southern hemisphere. The female cones are more complex and can open and close through nastic movement, allowing them to collect many spores and produce as many offspring as possible while also protecting developing offspring from the elements. The mother applies capsules of cellulose and starch around the zygotes while the zygotes themselves grow into embryos with long hairs which are caught by the wind. This is modified from their ancestor’s early germination strategy and has resulted in something resembling a puffy seed, except that morphologically it is in fact an egg and the puff is attached directly to the embryo instead of to the casing. The eggs are only a millimeter wide, while the hairs of the puff are usually 2-3 centimeters long. The puff catches wind, allowing the eggs to disperse. Only a small number will survive and reach maturity.

When dry, the Floating Island Greatgrass turns peach in color, and when it dies it turns brown. Its appearance when dry may encourage large fauna in the open biomes in its range to take on a peach or “champagne” coloration.

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An herbivore for this is also coming soon, just need to finish writing it

Adorned Tamow (Ornatotherium pascor)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Marine Tamow
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland
Size: 3 meters long
Diet: Herbivore (Floating Island Greatgrass)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Pouch and Milk)

The Adorned Tamow split from its ancestor and became the Driftwood Islands’ first large herbivore. It is a grazer, mowing down the grasses which cover the floating islands. It even grazes in the forests, as there are no shade trees to inhibit the growth of the grasses. In order to island hop, it retains its ancestor’s ability to swim and will regularly swim between islands, as, in a sense, it instinctively believes that the grass is "purpler" on the other side (that is, crossing water will lead it to better grass). This instinct can occasionally cause a single Adorned Tamow to swim back and forth between the same two islands every few hours until ocean currents push them too far apart. It has hoof-like nails to support its weight and uses fermentation with help from symbiotic microbes such as Guttoplaques to digest the large amount of grass it consumes daily.

The Adorned Tamow retains its ancestor’s flat tail. It can still use it to swim, but it also uses it to pat down mud so that it can walk across surfaces it would otherwise sink through. Its body is covered in keratinous armor, similar to its distant ancestor the Scaleback Tamow, making it difficult to attack. Though prolific, it is solitary, as having armor means it doesn’t benefit from living in herds, though a female’s offspring will follow her. Large and nomadic, it no longer constructs nests like its ancestor did.

Due to its large size, wide tail, and sharp armor plates, mating is an awkward and difficult process for the Adorned Tamow. Like its ancestor, it gives birth to helpless fetal young. Males do not participate in parental care at all. Joeys will live in their mother’s pouch and drink milk until they start to grow in their armor, at which point they leave the pouch already able to run from predators. They are fast as juveniles, but slow down considerably as they age and their armor finishes growing in. Juveniles will continue to suckle from their mother for up to a year after leaving the pouch before they are weaned and begin eating grass instead.

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I have a predator in progress for this too, just waiting on another herbivore...

This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Apr 2 2021, 04:09 PM

Name: Dragon Marephasmoids (Dracophasmatis spp.)
Ancestor: Rainbow Marephasmatis
Habitat: Global (Sagan 4)
Size: 1-4 cm long
Diet: Detritivore, Planktivore
Respiration: Passive (Diffusion Through Skin)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (spawning, 2 sexes)

After 500 million years of evolutionary dormancy, a relic population of rainbow marephasmatis experienced a sudden boom in diversity. Oddly enough, this genus of marephasmatis came into existence partially due to the actions of the seashrog, bringing massive amounts of microbe-riddled driftwood into the open ocean. Dragon Marephasmoids are opportunistic, feasting on almost any cloud of microbes or clump of dead tissue they come across. To aid in feeding, their sticky anterior digestive membrane has become a somewhat concave dome-shape, and is able to be everted in order to grab hold of larger objects. Four small knobs surround the “mouth”, acting as the main sites of chemoreception.

Dragon Marephasmoids aren’t particularly fast. However, they are not necessarily easy prey. They pulsate with vibrant colors to warn predators of their venomous sting, which is much more potent than it was in their ancient ancestors. The tail now also possesses four rows of smaller tentacles, which provide surface area for even more nematocysts.

While Dragon Marephasmoids don’t differ that much from their ancestors externally, they do possess a relatively significant internal innovation. A new type of tissue is now present in their bodies, the cells of which have a large and extensive extracellular membrane. This tissue, called Dracophasmatic Structural Tissue (DpST), is similar to cartilage in both structure and function, though it is a bit softer and much more flexible. DpST is derived from the inner edge of the ectoderm, growing just below the skin. Each of their 12 fins possesses an intricate structure of DpST fibers on its outer face; three large rods of DpST extend from the base to the tip of each fin, connected together by many smaller ones. The sturdiness of the DpST rods means that the fins don’t need to be quite as thick to have the same amount of strength and power. The tail is supported by four rods of DpST, which counterintuitively get thinner towards the base.

Dragon Marephasmoids are found in every ocean on Sagan 4, though they particularly favor tropical areas, being rare in polar waters. The webbing present between the fins is one of the more genetically variable structures, so every species of dragon marephasmoid has a slightly different way of swimming.

subcutaneous DpST structure in the fins.

This post has been edited by Cube67: Apr 2 2021, 11:38 AM