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Quillmow (Susorex hystrix)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Marine Tamow
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank, Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank
Size: 1 meter long
Diet: Omnivore (Fuzzpile roots and berries, Mainland Fuzzpalm roots and berries, Fuzzweed berries, Qupe Tree roots and fruit, Carnosprawl roots and fruit, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Gamergate Gundis, Vermees, Teacup Sauceback larvae), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Pouch and Milk)

The Quillmow split from its ancestor. Its scales have thinned into many quills upon its back and tail, more like its distant ancestor the Whiskerpick. Unlike its large cousin the Adorned Tamow, which just eats boatloads of grass, the Quillmow seeks out high-quality food such as roots, shrooms, fruit, and berries. It will also consume small ground fauna to supplement this diet. Many tams, including its ancestor, have bulbous noses which rise above their snouts; the Quillmow has modified this into a hog-like nose, which it uses to help it find buried food. Though it no longer has the broad tail of its ancestor, the Quillmow retains webbed feet and it paddles between islands when food becomes scarce. It has taken on a champagne coloration to blend in with dry grass.

The Quillmow sleeps in roughly radial scrapes in the ground. It does not dig very deep, as much of the Driftwood Islands’ “land” is very close to sea level and it would quickly hit mud; if it sleeps in mud, harmful microbes may grow in its fur. These scrapes are generally well-hidden among flora. It will flee into tall grass to hide from predators, its spikes only being able to protect it from a direct, bodily attack.

The Quillmow is no longer strictly monogamous, and though social it will not usually congregate in large groups. Males will swing their heads to fight one another over mates with their long tusks, which are absent in the females. After mating, the male will stick around and guard the female, preventing other males from trying to mate with her, though this is not always successful. The male will leave about a week after the joeys are born. The joeys are born fetal and helpless after just 2 weeks, but take as long as 4 months to develop sufficiently to leave the pouch. Their mother may leave them in a nest scraped in the ground, returning to feed them a few times a day. The juveniles become independent at one year of age and are fully grown at 2.

This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Apr 2 2021, 05:34 PM

Tamwodjir (Remusorex truduntia)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Marine Tamow (Clavatherium aquaticus)
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank, Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank, Driftwood Islands Temperate Shallows, Driftwood Islands Tropical Shallows, Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland
Size: 2 meters long
Diet: Herbivore (Fuzztree, Raft-Building Cone Puffgrass, Pelagic Puffgrass, Cocobarrage, Obsidibend, Mainland Fuzzpalm, Gumjorn fruit, Fuzzweed, Carnosprawl, Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Snotflora), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders, Pouch and Milk

When the Marine Tamow arrived on the Driftwood Islands, there was very little competition present and thus allowed them the opportunity to diversify. While some species would become more terrestrial such as the Quillmow and Adorned Tamow, one lineage split off and became better adapted for an aquatic lifestyle. This would give rise to the Tamwodjir, a species of shrew adapted to swim pretty well.

Much like the Marine Tamow, the Tamwodjir’s tail is the main part of propulsion, beating in an up-and-down motion. The hind legs have, however, undergone some changes for an aquatic lifestyle as well, with the toes being elongated and the webbing between them much more extensive. They swim by beating their hindlimbs in conjunction with the tail, which gives them extra bursts of speed. The forelimbs, on the other hand, have gone the opposite direction and are better suited for terrestrial locomotion. This is because the Tamwodjir still spends a decent amount of time on land foraging for food. Their powerful teeth still aid in processing tough, woody vegetation though they eat soft plants as well and will supplement their diet with carrion to get extra protein

To lighten the load while swimming, the armor on the Tamwodjir has reduced in size, except for the second spike on their back which has become narrower and taller to act like a rudimentary dorsal fin. This means the Tamwodjir is at a higher risk when in the sea moving from one Island to another. To avoid falling prey to pelagic predators, the Tamwodjir takes advantage of other species when making these crossings. They often travel alongside migrating Adorned Tamow, whose large size and many osteoderms deter their predators. Additionally, they often climb onto the “rafts” made by Marine Tamow to rest during these trips and often steal food from their food stores while they are there. They do not, however, visit Seashrog rafts, as their spears could cause serious if not fatal injuries.
Like their ancestors, they are warm blooded and give birth to live young. These babies live in the warm pouch, which is adapted to close to the point where it forms a seal, allowing the Tamwodjir mother to swim underwater without her pups drowning. This however results in the pouch getting very little air when sealed, so the pups have adapted to survive in low-oxygen conditions by going into a semi-dormant state. The young will stay in the safety of the pouch until their scales become too large for the mother to comfortably carry. However they will still nurse milk from the mother for up to a year after birth even if they cannot fit in the pouch. Males will still protect the mother and pups from potential threats, despite the fact the species no longer lives on mats of vegetation.


A dorsal view of the Tamwodjir's tail.

Behold, my first furred shrew! Do give your thoughts guys!

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Apr 18 2021, 02:03 PM

Stegomizer (Stegochordus gigas)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Stowaway Harmbless (Mostli herbivorussinecrus)
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank, Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank, Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland
Size: 1 meter long
Diet: Herbivore (Snotflora, Marbleflora, Pioneeroots, Raft-Building Cone Puffgrass, Young Fuzzpiles, Gumjorns, Fuzzweeds, Carnosprawl), Detritivore (Driftwood, Nest Material)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Mesotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Viviparous

As Stowaway Harmbless ended up on the Driftwood Islands, predators were still infrequent and restricted to the beaches which presented them an opportunity to thrive and diversify. This would lead to them rapidly growing in size and giving rise to the Stegomizer. To avoid competition with the local shrews, the Stegomizer feeds almost exclusively on low-growing vegetation.

To help manipulate their food, the Stegomizer has turned the lobed lip of their ancestor into 8 distinct tentacles which are highly flexible. The cheek pouches have increased in size to store larger amounts of food, allowing them to stuff more food into their mouths before they need to stop gathering food to chew up what they have collected. They spend much of their time through the day either looking for food or eating said food.

Despite their relatively care-free lifestyle, they do have to worry about potential threats such as curious Quillmow or Seashrogs. Because of this, the species has developed larger amounts of armor covering their back and flanks and thus acting as a decent defense. If a potential threat does not go away, however, the 3 pairs of large spikes on the end of their tail can be swung towards them to cause damage.

When they occasionally leave their island to get to a new one, their exposed underbelly leaves them vulnerable to predators. To make these trips safer, they often travel alongside migrating Adorned Tamow. These large herbivores use their large size and thick armor to deter threats, which the Stegomizer’s use to their full advantage. Stegomizers will also occasionally go onto the rafts of Seashrogs and Marine Tamows, their thick armor meaning they can take the spears and teeth of the inhabitants while they rest and sometimes eat a little bit of the raft before continuing their migration to another island.

==Note==
Coloring by {{User|Disgustedorite}}.

And now the Stowaway Harmbless has a new descendant distinct from the Serpamanders! Credit to Dorite for the coloring of this artwork!

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Apr 3 2021, 08:23 PM

Sparkleshrog (Stellasorex canis)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Seashrog
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank, Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank
Size: 2 meters long
Diet: Carnivore (Quillmow, Marine Tamow, Tamwodjir, Adorned Tamow, Stegomizer)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Placental, Pouch, and Milk)

The Sparkleshrog split from its ancestor and became the first major predator on the Driftwood Islands. It is just as smart as its ancestor, but it has switched its hunting method to be based more on rushing towards its prey from cover. Its face is longer and dog-like, which helps it to bite and tear its prey apart. It retains tool use, but it focuses this ability largely on manipulating its environment. It contributes greatly to the integrity of the Driftwood Islands, as it will lay logs between floating islands to make bridges for easier travel between them. The Raft-Building Cone Puffgrass grows into the bridges and causes the colonies to merge into an even larger island. Doing this grants the Sparkleshrog easier access to prey and mates without having to swim between islands, though it will still do that as well. It still utilizes spears, though mainly as a means of controlling its armored prey without getting a torso full of spikes, as it mostly uses its jaws and occasionally tail to do the actual killing. It may go for the throat to cause its prey to bleed out, or for the belly to disembowel. It will sometimes hunt Stegomizers by flipping them over from a distance with a stick and lunging for the throat before they can recover, but they are not its preferred prey.

Normally, a large predator would have drab countershaded coloration in order to be better hidden from its prey. However, the Sparkleshrog visibly contradicts this tendency; its coat is shiny and reddish-black with white speckles all over, its nose and paw pads are blood-red, and its claws and osteoderms are iridescent blue. It looks more like a sparkledog fursona than like an apex predator. This is because it has found a way to camouflage itself far more effectively than what natural coloration could ever accomplish, and therefore has no need to look cryptic at all, instead opting for “beautiful” coloration that showcases its health to potential mates. The Sparkleshrog has has learned to use Mainland Fuzzpalm and Fuzzpile berries to glue clumps of flora, bark, and driftwood together to form artificial camouflage to use while hunting. This comes in the form of smaller mats draped over its back and larger “tents” which it waits under. It hides under the artificial camouflage it has created, either lying in wait or slowly sneaking up on a potential target, until it is close enough to burst out from under it and strike before its prey has a chance to react. This camouflage is so effective that occasionally, an herbivore will graze the flora used to construct it without even noticing the colorful Sparkleshrog underneath. Though it does not eat the berries at all, using them for these camouflaging covers has nonetheless made it one of the primary species distributing these flora throughout the Driftwood Islands.

The Sparkleshrog is mostly solitary in terms of living and hunting, though eating is somewhat of a social event when it takes down large prey. An individual’s hunting grounds is centered around a central dome-shaped den which is usually overgrown with grass. The den often contains extra spears, camouflaging materials, salt, and leftover food. The Sparkleshrog is able to preserve meat as jerky to feed on when food is scarce or when its island drifts into the temperate woodland region with harsher winters, using mineral sea salt which is readily available on the surface of the driftwood islands. This jerky-making behavior originated with the shrogs applying salt to meat for better taste. It prefers to stay on one island and expand it as it collides with others, but it can relocate and swim across stretches of water to reach new islands when necessary.

The Sparkleshrog is no longer monogamous, though it still lacks a breeding season and mates often. Females are almost always pregnant or nursing. A high birth rate is still required due to the frequency of islands breaking up and the inherent danger that comes from hunting. Males may still compete for mating rights by wrestling, but bright healthy colors are the main attraction, so to speak, for both sexes. Gestation lasts about four months, juveniles are independent at 3 years, and they’re fully grown at 6. Although solitary as mentioned before, Sparkleshrogs will watch out for and protect the juvenile offspring of their neighbors.

The Sparkleshrog has spread the Cleaner Borvermid and False Cleaner Borvermid “inland” by providing a nest microclimate for them.

This post has been edited by Disgustedorite: Apr 4 2021, 12:21 PM

Driftwood Dasher (Neodromuflora insulahastam)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Shorelance (Neodromuflora peregrinus)
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank, Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank, Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland
Size: 1.4 meters long
Diet: Carnivore (Stowaway Harmbless, Kakonats, Hockels, Cleaner Borvermids, False Cleaner Borvermids, Teacup Saucebacks, Shorelance), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Live Birth, Male and Female)

When Shorelances arrived on the Driftwood Islands, they came across a wide variety of small prey while competition was relatively small beyond the banks. The only prominent carnivore further inland is the Sparkleshrog, which specializes in hunting big game. This led to certain populations of Shorelances to abandon plant matter and focus entirely on the abundant small game, culminating to the point where they evolved into a distinct species.

The Driftwood Dasher has lost most of its ancestral coloration, as they now only make it stick out like a sore thumb in inland habitats. As such they have become primarily pink, which lets them blend in amongst the abundant purple flora while hunting. Males retain their ancestral coloration on their heads, however, which are used as a mating display to females. They hunt their prey at dawn and dusk in several distinct ways, like searching for Bovermids among the leaf litter before snatching them up with their long bill to be swallowed whole. For creatures like Kakonats, Hockels, and even Shorelances, however, the Driftwood Dasher uses their long legs to chase them down. Once they catch up to prey, they will knock them over by either using their head or feet and then pin the victim to the ground. Once it is subdued, the Driftwood Dasher will grab their prey, pick it up, and proceed to bash it violently into the dirt until it stops struggling. Once the animal ceases any sort of struggle, the Driftwood Dasher will swallow the meal whole. Their large size means they can eat creatures that are fairly large, but they are unable to tear off chunks of flesh efficiently and so can’t hunt big game. This allows them to avoid competition with the Sparkleshrogs, which only hunt the large species of fauna in the region.

Trying to devour Hockels with their two spines adapted to prevent them from getting swallowed does present some dangers for the Driftwood Dasher. When dealing with this specific species of prey, Driftwood Dashers will pin them down with their feet before gripping the spines with their bill and attempting to snap them off. Because they're not very precise, the spines snap off crudely into a size that may be small enough for them to safely swallow the Hockel. There are occasions where they do, however, end up getting the Hockel stuck in their throat and thus choke to death.

Due to living on a bunch of islands, the Driftwood Dasher has lost most of their migratory behaviors (although it is partially retained in their habits of island hopping) and are nowhere near as social as their ancestor. Driftwood Dashers are primarily solitary and pair up only when they rear offspring. Young Driftwood Dashers are born in the summer in pairs or trios, all of which usually reach adulthood due to their parents being the second largest carnivores in their home by the time they evolve. The biggest threat to juveniles are Sparkleshrogs, who will happily make a meal out of them and so mated pairs of Driftwood Dashers become extremely aggressive to anything that looks like a Sparkleshrog, including Seashrogs who do not pose a direct threat to the young. The parents will rear the babies until the winter months, by which point they are old enough to fend for themselves. Once the young leave, the two Driftwood Dasher parents will go their separate ways.

Driftwood Dashers are very poor swimmers, and so have to rely upon other methods of travel to get from one island to another. One main method of transport is the bridges Sparkleshrogs create to also get from one island to another, though this sometimes leads to the two species getting into confrontations. Another method of transport, however, is the various rafts made by either Seashrogs or Marine Tamows. On these rafts, Driftwood Dashers will prey upon the many small critters that live among the decaying foliage such as Stowaway Harmbless or Kakonats which have nowhere to run. Due to the fact the Seashrogs and Marine Tamows are too big for the Driftwood Dashers to eat, they primarily ignore their presence while on these rafts.

I wonder how the small animals of the Driftwood Islands will evolve in response to this boi.

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Apr 9 2021, 09:52 AM

Name: Argeiphlock (Micansihippus superesseraptor)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Striped Phlock (Atroxchalybs bronyus)
Habitat: Darwin Chaparral, Darwin Plains, Dixon-Darwin Desert, Dixon-Darwin High Desert, Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Vivus Rocky, Vivus High Desert
Size: 130 centimeters long
Diet: Herbivore (Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Sunstalks, Yuccagave, Tubeplage, Scrubland Tubeplage, Scrubland Quhft fruit, Boreal Tubeplage fruit, Arid Puffgrass, Puffgrass, Tropical Puffgrass, Quilbil, Gecoba Tree fruit, Fuzzpile fruit, Bristlepile fruit, Desert Carnofern fruit, Arid Plyent, Phalangrass, Crowned Kingrush, Quaxaca, Cragmyr fruit, Strangleroot, Fibreflora, Marblemelon, Bloodsap Melontree fruit, Quone nuts, Dixon Olshkra), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders

When the Argusraptor Complex evolved, they were extremely efficient predators. For the Striped Phlocks, their attempt at confusing them with their patterns not only proved ineffective, but also robbed them of any camouflage making them easy to spot. This proved to be too much, with the species dying out in much of their former range due to this new predator eating them out of existence in habitats where they coexisted with one another. This would drive the evolution of the Argeiphlock, which took on a completely different strategy to avoid predators.

An immediate difference from their ancestor is the large presence of anthocyanins within their tissues. This gives them a purplish coloration, which provides them better camouflage while out grazing. Speaking of them grazing, the Argeiphlock has become a more selective eater, primarily going after the young shoots of plants which are more nutritious than mature leaves. The Argeiphlock will also not pass up fruit if they come across it and often travel to thickets to find these delicious morsels. This behavior, however, brings them closer to potential predators lying in wait and so the herds rely on an advanced warning system to avoid becoming food.

This warning system is partially made up by their butt-nostrils, which still make a tooting sound to warn other members of the herd. Their primary warning system, however, comes from their wings which retain chlorophyll on their undersides which makes them light green. Normally they keep the wings tucked in, to avoid attracting the attention of the Argusraptor Complex and other predators. When an individual spots a predator but not vice-versa, they will briefly flash their wings several times which alerts the herd of the threat. Once the threat is spotted but it has not spotted them, the herd will move away while remaining as quiet as they can be without getting the predator’s attention. If an individual spots a predator stalking them, however, it will fully raise its wings and make its tooting sound as a full on alarm signal to the herd, telling them to run at full pelt. If the predators catch up to an individual while in the stampeding herd and try to aim for the butt-nostril thinking it's an obvious weak point, the Argeiphlock will kick them in the face with their hind limbs, which have developed a large wooden spur to deal lethal wounds to a pursuer.

Much like their ancient ancestor the Xeno Hookmouth Phlyer, the Argeiphlocks nest communally, producing many young to counter their high predation rates. While the females tend to their offspring, males will keep watch on full alert for danger.


An individual displaying the underside of their wings.

My first species for Darwin! Hopefully its good!

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Apr 4 2021, 11:46 PM

Name: Hornboss (Hexacerabos deinohabitus)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Scrubland Hornface (“Cornufaci” scrubus)
Habitat: Darwin Chaparral, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Darwin Plains, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Vivus High Grassland
Size: 3.6 meters long (female), 4 meters long (male)
Diet: Herbivore (Scrubland Tubeplage, Scrubland Tubeplage, Tubeplage, Yuccagave, Puffgrass, Arid Puffgrass, Tropical Puffgrass, Bristlepile, Quaxaca, Inda, Robust Arid Ferine, Snow Windbulb, Fuzzyfan, Sprawling Quillball, Phalangrass, Crowned Kingrush, Quilbil, Fuzzpile, Boreal Tubeplage), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders

One of the two big weaknesses of the Scrubland Hornface was their extremely long and thin “tail-nostril” which a predator could grab onto. The other was their green coloration, which had them stick out like a sore thumb in open habitats. This quickly led to the species declining rapidly once the Argusraptor Complex evolved and ate them into extinction within areas where they shared the same range. To survive, one lineage of Scrubland Hornfaces would split off to once again settle open habitats by developing several different adaptations that are both physical and behavioral. This would lead to the evolution of the Hornboss.

Much like their ancestor, the Hornboss travel in large herds though they are far bigger, with the herds ranging in size from 25 to 80 individuals. Much like before, they also have poor eyesight that only allows them to see with any great detail at close range, so the herd mainly honk from their “tail-nostril” to keep in touch with one another while they graze. From a distance the herd may be harder to spot than their ancestors, as their bodies have become purple in color due to abundant anthocyanins in their tissues which help them better blend in with the environment. Despite the difference in coloration, the anthocyanins present in the Hornboss do not interfere with their photosynthesis.

The herd, however, reacts very differently from their ancestor when faced with danger such as the Argusraptor Complex or Tigmadars. Rather than running away, the Hornboss herds will do one of two things depending on the situation. If they spot something that is not exactly too threatening, such as a small group of Tigmadar, then the Hornbosses will charge at the predators as a group until the threats run away. If they see something much more dangerous, such as a pair of Megajaws or a pack of Terrible Argusraptors, then the herd goes on the defensive. They gather together into a tightly packed unit, with the hornless juveniles protected in the center while the adults face outwards with their horns turned against the threat. To better defend themselves against predators, the two top horns bend downwards and then back up which forms a shape best adapted to gore anything trying to attack their front.
With defense becoming so necessary for the species, both sexes have large horns, although the males have slightly larger top horns than the females and are also larger in general size. The herds consist of a single alpha male along with a lot of females and their young. Rival males will challenge the alpha male for mating rights over the herd, which can lead to violent shoving contests or even full on duels. These fights can be brutal, and as such only the strongest and healthiest males usually mate with the females.

Not all males try to directly challenge the alpha, however, instead trying to lure a female away from the herd to breed with in secret. The alpha male will immediately chase off the suitor if the pair are spotted but with so many individuals in the herd keeping an eye on every individual is near impossible. Meanwhile, the constant battles over the herd means the alpha male will usually only dominate the herd for a certain period of time before his wounds gathered from previous fights result in him getting bested by a challenging bull that will then take his place.

Note: If the Hornboss gets accepted, the Scrubland Hornface should be also included in the genus Hexacerabos.

I've noticed a lot of my descriptions are generally than that of their ancestors. Anyways, thoughts on this species?

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Apr 9 2021, 10:42 PM

Underbelly Diaminet (Ventralinet lutovore)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Symbioraft Diaminet
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Underbelly, Jujubee Ocean Twilight Zone, North LadyM Ocean Twilight Zone, South LadyM Ocean Twilight Zone
Size: 6 meters wide
Diet: Detritivore, Dormant Photosynthesis; Sapling Only: Carnivore (Miniswarmers, Grabbyswarmers, Krillpedes, Shimmering Marephasmatises, Dragon Marephasmoids, Glowgill, Gillarill, Eusuckers)
Respiration: Passive
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphroditic, Waterborne Spores)

The Underbelly Diaminet split from its ancestor. It has taken the mostly unclaimed niche of feeding on organic matter on the “underbelly” of the Driftwood Islands, as such increasing significantly in size due to lack of competition. It no longer floats at the surface of the ocean, instead reaching buoyancy in the twilight zone. It naturally floats upside down as a “sapling”, its roots rising above instead of dragging below. After living as roughly 10 centimeter tall plankton for a time, it eventually takes root on the underside of a floating island, consuming any organic matter it can reach. Its waste is released into the ocean; this would seem to imply that its influence would make the islands shrink down and eventually sink, but on the contrary, it actually shifts the ratio of sinking and floating matter in favor of what can float. As it grows, the Underbelly Diaminet becomes less dense in order to push itself upwards and deeper into the underbelly, which makes it more difficult to dislodge and also helps keep the islands afloat. It is now hexaradial instead of tetraradial.

The Underbelly Diaminet no longer forms symbiosis with floating flora, as they cannot survive in the dark depths. It gets all the nitrogen it needs from its food instead. It is only a predator as a “sapling”, losing its numbing toxins in adulthood. Mature Underbelly Diaminets are connected to their neighbors by special roots which grow from their corners. They transfer nutrients throughout the colony, keeping all parts healthy so that they form an unbroken net supporting the entire island. In addition to this trait simply being inherited from their ancestor, they must do this to survive and keep their food source intact, as older, thicker islands may be dependent on the crystals to stay afloat. If a large portion of the colony dies off, it can destabilize the island and cause it to sink or break apart, which can wipe out the colony.

Like its ancestor, the Underbelly Diaminet reproduces using waterborne spores. Colonies are often genetically diverse and made up of many unrelated individuals, as it is very rare for an individual’s offspring to take root anywhere close to its parents. Saplings which are ready to take root will grow out their net-roots, “reaching” for established colonies. The sapling net roots are very long and can physically prevent it from settling in a location where it has no space to reach full size. Once the sapling takes root, the net-roots will connect with those of its neighbors, and unused ones will shorten and stiffen, only extending again if they touch a new neighbor’s net-root. The optimal colony would have all members arranged in a tessellating, honeycomb-like pattern, but this is very rare; most colonies just look like tangled messes. The shortening method for the net-roots can also be used with the feeding roots, allowing colonies to slowly rearrange into a more stable pattern by having the members move in certain directions based on hormonal cues.

In addition to growing on the Driftwood Islands Underbelly, the Underbelly Diaminet can also grow on the undersides of so-called “rogue islands”, giant floating islands which are not a part of the Driftwood Islands landmark. Though the climate on the surface of rogue islands is too variable to support permanent biota, even the grasses that built them swiftly dying off when they drift into polar waters, the temperature of the mostly twilight-depth underside remains the same, allowing the Underbelly Diaminet to survive and keep the island intact without its original builders being present.

==Notes==
Original concept by Hydromancerx.

Name: Cryptic Hornface (Hexacerabos livens)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Scrubland Hornface (“Cornufaci” scrubus)
Habitat: Darwin Temperate Woodland, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Rainforest, North Darwin Tropical Woodland, Vivus Temperate Rainforest
Size: 1.2 meters long
Diet: Herbivore (Quhft fruit, Scrubland Quhft fruit, Tropical Gecoba Tree fruit, Gecoba Tree fruit, Bloodsap Melontree fruit, Berry Arbourshroom, Fibreflora, Pioneeroots, Towering Qupe Tree fruit, Frayedspikes, Carnossamer, Thistle Puffgrass, Scrubland Tubeplage, Tubeplage, Puffgrass, Tropical Puffgrass, Quilbil, Fuzzpile, Boreal Tubeplage), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders

One of the two big weaknesses of the Scrubland Hornface was their extremely long and thin “tail-nostril” which a predator could grab onto. The other was their green coloration, which had them stick out like a sore thumb in open habitats. This quickly led to the species declining rapidly once the Argusraptor Complex evolved and ate them into extinction within areas where they shared the same range. To survive, one lineage of Scrubland Hornfaces would begin to live in dense forests, where they do not stick out as much as they do in open habitats. Overtime, this lineage would adapt further to living in forests and eventually become the Cryptic Hornface.

The Cryptic Hornface is very distinct from its ancestor in several ways, such as being smaller to better move around the dense forests without getting stuck on foliage. They also have much better vision, allowing them to better navigate around in the habitats they inhabit which are usually very dark due to the several species of Obsiditree that make up the canopy in the region. In these dark conditions, they have developed cryptic patterns of browns, purples, and dark blues to better hide from predators. The purple and dark blue patterns are due to the presence of abundant amounts of anthocyanin in their skin.

The Cryptic Hornface is much less social than its ancestors or relatives, living typically in groups of 5 to 15 individuals and hardly ever honking with their “tail-nostril”. To keep track of one another while also watching out for predators, they instead rely on their sharp vision and good sense of hearing while foraging for food. Speak of foraging, the Cryptic Hornface is much more generalistic than its ancestor or relatives, feeding on a variety of fruit and low-growing vegetation within the rainforests and woodlands the species inhabits.

If an individual spots danger, they will let out a loud honking sound from their “tail-nostril” which then alerts the rest of the group. As their horns are not really adapted for defending themselves against predators combined with their smaller size, the herd’s instinct regarding predators is to flee and rely on their camouflage to lose their pursuer.

Much like their ancestor, juvenile Cryptic Hornfaces lack horns and thus need to rely on the herd for protection. Females also have relatively small horns, as they do not serve much of a purpose and are more a hindrance in the dense foliage than anything else. Males on the other hand have very large horns on the top of their head which are mostly for display. The herd consists of a single alpha male guarding several females and their offspring. Any males that want breeding rights over the herd will have to challenge him, which they do by dancing around each other while showing their horns until one individual backs down. It’s usually the males with the largest horns that get to mate with the females.

==Note==
* Coloring by {{User|Disgustedorite}}.

* If the Cryptic Hornface gets accepted, the Scrubland Hornface should be also included in the genus Hexacerabos.

I find it quite interesting in how just a few minor changes of anatomy and behavior have resulted in the Hornboss and Cryptic Hornface becoming two very different species. Do give your thoughts on this guy!

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Apr 13 2021, 07:14 PM

Name: Spinebutt Plexo (Plenthexus occasus)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Plehexapod (Plenthexus neoplentus)
Habitat: Darwin Temperate Woodland, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Rainforest, North Darwin Tropical Woodland, Vivus Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Chaparral
Size: 70 centimeters long
Diet: Omnivore (Handlicker Dundi, Gamergate Gundis, Shrubrattus, Scrambled Shrew, Chasing Twintail, Vermees, Exoskelesor, Battalion Krugg larvae, Grub Krugg, Perfume Krugg, Whiskrugg, Grovecrystal Krugg, Bighorn Krugg larvae, Monostage Dirteater, Bloodback, Dungshell Fraboo larvae, Burrback Krugg, Phouka, Tropical Gecoba Tree fruit, Gecoba Tree, Tubeplage fruit, Boreal Tubeplage fruit, Bloodsap Melontree fruit, Scrubland Tubeplage fruit, Fuzzpile fruit, Yuccagave seeds, Bristlepile fruit, Thistle Puffgrass, Fibreflora, Berry Arbourshroom, Puffgrass, Tropical Puffgrass, Quilbil), Scavenger, Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders

When the argusraptor complex evolved, they were extremely efficient predators. This resulted in the local extinction of the plehexapod in areas where the two species coexisted due to sticking out like a sore thumb. However, populations of plehexapods would enter the Darwin Chaparral where these predators are absent. Over time those populations that entered this habitat would begin to rapidly adapt and soon became a distinct species known as the spinebutt plexos. From there, the species would spread further and diverge into two distinct subspecies.

Spinebutt plexos are generalistic in feeding habits, feeding on a wide variety of shrews, dundis, worms, and purpleflora. They often dig up their burrowing prey with their “wing-legs'', which have become thicker to better support their weight and assist with exposing prey hiding in burrows. The arms of the spinebutt plexos do still assist with digging, but primarily using them to instead help with manipulating food.

Spinebutt plexos still retain the waxy coat on their photosynthetic skin to avoid desiccation and provide insulation. Meanwhile, the thorns on the “tailstril” have become much bigger and more abundant to act as a better defense against most of its predators. Saucebacks, however, can pretty much ignore these spines and so the spinebutt plexos have to instead rely upon the spikes on their “wing-legs” to lash out at threats since they can’t outrun most of their predators.

The spinebutt plexos, however, only use these defenses as a last resort and instead primarily rely on their camouflage to avoid being detected by threats. This is where the main differences between the two subspecies present themselves. The golden spinebutt plexo (P. o. aurorus) is native exclusively to the Darwin Chaparral and as such carotenoids and anthocyanins are used to give them their gold and purple patterns to blend into their environment. They also have a slightly larger spike on their “wing-legs” and bigger head as they have less cover compared to the other subspecies and thus rely upon their defenses more often.

The second subspecies is the shadow spinebutt plexo (P. o. noctis), which despite appearing different at first glance are not too distinct from the golden spinebutt plexo. This is due to the subspecies having the majority of their populations being anthocyaninistic where they have an overabundance of anthocyanin in their tissues and thus have their patterns much darker. Due to these darker patterns, they’re able to do quite well in Darwin’s Woodlands and Rainforests and as such are much more widespread than the golden spinebutt plexo. Compared to the other subspecies, the shadow spinebutt plexo relies much more upon its camoflauge.

Just like their ancestor, both subspecies of spinebutt plexo have a large throat pouch where their offspring are retained where oxygen is brought in to help the young breath. These babies will poke their heads out of the female’s mouth and beg for food that the male spinebutt plexo brings. The entire time the female does not feed, relying on the fat reserves she built up from eating excessive amounts of food beforehand while the young are inside the pouch. Once the young start to become too big and unwieldy to safely carry, the mother will essentially vomit up the juvenile spinebutt plexos, her jaw being able to unhinge to make the task easier.


The Golden Spinebutt Plexo

Alright! Did a new species! Thoughts on it guys?

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Apr 9 2021, 09:49 AM

Branching Qupe Tree (Valadanis doummimus)

Creator: Hydromancerx
Ancestor: Towering Qupe Tree
Habitat: BigL Tropical Beach, Chum Tropical Beach, King Tropical Beach, Jlindy Tropical Beach, Clarke Temperate Beach, Dass Temperate Beach, Elerd Temperate Beach, Wind Temperate Beach, Always Salt Swamp, Bardic Salt Swamp, Biocat Salt Swamp, Blood Salt Swamp, Gec Salt Swamp, Glicker Salt Swamp, Itchy Salt Sawmp, Kenotai Salt Swamp, Pipcard Salt Swamp, Terra Salt Swamp, Wright Salt Swamp, Blocks Salt Marsh, Bone Salt Marsh, Irinya Salt Marsh, Jeluki Huggs Salt Marsh, Darwin Tropical Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Rainforest, Javen Tropical Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Javen Temperate Rainforest, Vivus Temperate Rainforest,
Size: 4 m Tall
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Fruit

The Branching Qupe Tree replaced its ancestor the Towering Qupe Tree. It has doubled in size and has developed branches. It has spread across the Dixon-Darwin-Vivus landmass. Like its ancestor it has pink fruit which help attract fauna to help spread its seeds. It has adapted to living in more sandy or salty environments like the beaches and wetlands as well as the poor soil of rainforests. Its towering branches compete with the other trees in the area by bending and growing around other trees. It also provides shelter and nesting sites for flying or climbing fauna. Like their ancestor their rubbery leaves can catch rainwater so fauna do not have to go to the ground or drink brackish water at the beach or salt wetlands. They take about a year to mature and will fruit every 4 months in the tropics. Their leaves are bitter but their fruit is sweet and tastes like mangoes. When in a salty environment they can store excess salt in a leaf and then have it fall off to prevent them from getting too much salt. Its trunk and branches are both flexible and strong, so much so that they can survive hurricanes.The leaves can grow back quickly after being blown off or eaten by herbivores. Its quick recovery is key to its success compared to larger trees which it must compete with.

This post has been edited by Hydromancerx: Apr 9 2021, 06:29 PM

Weird-Boned Twintail (Carcinosorex protocornibus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Chasing Twintail
Habitat: Javen Tropical Woodland, Javen Tropical Rainforest, Javen Temperate Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Woodland, Bardic Tropical Riparian, Kenotai Tropical Riparian, Pipcard Tropical Riparian, Wright Tropical Riparian, Ichthy Tropical Riparian
Size: 7.5 cm long
Diet: Carnivore (Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Vermees, Xenobees, Xenowasps, Sapworms, Whiskrugg, Dartirs, Mikuks, Feluks, Neuks, Clickworm, Teacup Saucebacks, Pewpa), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth, Pouch and Milk)

The genetic instability the [[Chasing Twintail]] inherited from its ancestor would continue to plague its descendants. The '''Weird-Boned Twintail''' split from its ancestor and developed perpetual bone cancer in its twin backbones. Though referred to as "cancer", they generally cannot grow large enough in an individual's lifespan to spread. Still, their position is rather precarious; it only survived this development because their placement caused the resulting growths to form upwards, creating irregular skin-covered neural spine-like structures rather than slowly paralyzing it. These proved to be fairly useful in deterring predators, however, and allowed the Weird-Boned Twintail to continue a trend towards smaller sizes.

The Weird-Boned Twintail didn’t continue its ancestor’s high-metabolism trend, however. The rise of [[Teacup Saucebacks]], which are cosmopolitan and fill a similar niche, made this problematic. The saucebacks were bipeds and used sonar, so they expended less energy looking for food than the quadrupedal, six-eyed twintail. So, the Weird-Boned Twintail had to evolve to expend less energy itself in order to compete. The giant obsiditrees in its environment naturally warmed the environment around them to thermoregulate and in turn also trapped heat with their dense canopies, and so the Weird-Boned Twintail opted to generate significantly less body heat when not actively chasing prey and instead depend mostly on its environment to do the work for it. This means that the Weird-Boned Twintail will no longer starve to death from just a few missed meals. The saucebacks remain a competitive problem, of course, especially with their rapid reproduction, but the Weird-Boned Twintail mitigates this by actively preying on them and their larvae, similar to how apex predators will sometimes prey on their competitors.

Like its ancestor, the Weird-Boned Twintail has a frankly rather excessive number of nipples, over 100 total. This allows it to have a very large number of offspring at a time. Its maximum breeding rate has gone up to about 12 times a year. Its gestation lasts mere days, the initially fetal offspring grow large enough to leave the pouch when they are only one week old, and they become independent at two. They initially live off of smaller prey such as tiny ukfauna, but slowly move on to bigger and faster prey until they are fully grown at 3 months. Though it can still burrow, its perpetual bone cancer makes subterranean life more difficult, so the Weird-Boned Twintail is more likely to repurpose burrows made by larger fauna.

Communal Janit (Vermimperium arcecimex)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Snowsculptor Janit
Habitat: Fermi Temperate Beach, Driftwood Island Temperate Bank, Driftwood Island Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Island Tropical Bank, Driftwood Island Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Island Chaparral, Hydro Tropical Beach, Oz Temperate Beach, Barlowe Temperate Woodland, Barlowe Chaparral, Maineiac Temperate Beach, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Maineiac Chaparral, Ramul Temperate Beach, Ramul Temperate Woodland, Soma Temperate Beach, Drake Temperate Woodlands, Drake Chaparral, Jlindy Tropical Beach, BigL Tropical Beach, King Tropical Beach, Chum Tropical Beach, Elerd Temperate Beach, Dixon Tropical Scrub, Dixon Tropical Woodland, Javen Tropical Woodland, Javen Tropical Scrub, Darwin Tropical Scrub, North Darwin Tropical Woodland, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Darwin Chaparral
Size: 4 cm long
Diet: Detritivore, Scavenger
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sequential Hermaphrodite, Eggs

Towards the end of the last glaciation period, the humble janits, once a rather diverse group that diverged from the mainline wingworms, were very nearly driven towards extinction. Only the snowsculptor janit had managed to survive, and even then just barely, with two remote populations currently known to exist separated from one another by a vast expanse of ocean. While those on Drake continue to eke out an existence relatively unchanged from that of their ancestors, those on Fermi found themselves faced with a rather different situation. Their island home offered up a far harsher existence, one plagued by a shrinking coastline and ever increasing desertification that had been going on for over the last several thousand years. Under such conditions, as the island of Fermi continues to erode away into the sea, life was difficult to say the least, even for those such as the janits which are so low on the food chain. As is often the case, though, under such conditions when the specter of adversity rears its ugly head, species are often forced to either adapt or, should they fail to do so, risk dying out. As they hailed from the highly adaptive wingworms, those snowsculptor janits of Fermi were able to do just that.

The communal janits are the end result of these evolutionary pressures. Forsaking the frozen shores of Fermi for its more temperate ones, they have split from their ancestors and no longer dwell within the more polar climes as they once did. While this change arose due to the more plentifulness of available food within warmer climes, it also provided them an unprecedented opportunity for expansion - the seashrogs. Or, to be more accurate, the seashrog’s nests. Unintentionally stowing away on bits of foliage as these clever shrews went about constructing their floating homes, they wound up being brought aboard, whereupon they could feast on decaying bits of flora and food. As local currents brought these nests away from Fermi, they would inevitably wind up upon the shores of the driftwood islands, a massive expanses of floating debris located in the Jujubee ocean. With vast fields of puffgrasses to hide within, a plethora of decaying matter from which they could gorge upon, and, at that point in time, little in the ways of competition from similarly sized fauna like minikruggs, this region would be as a paradise for them to flourish in. From here, the driftwood islands would serve as a “staging point” of sorts, allowing the communal janits to spread globally as the occasional shrog or tamow would cast off from that place in search of distant shores, all awhile unconcerned with the little janits which would infest their nests.

Evolutionary Adaptations
Notably smaller in size compared to that of their ancestors, this adaptation within the communal janit originally arose on Fermi island, though it would go on to prove just as beneficial upon the driftwood islands and other regions. A smaller size meant a reduced weight placed upon their wing-derived limbs, which in turn allowed them to more quickly move about compared to the somewhat plodding movements of their ancestors. A smaller size also allows them to avoid direct competition with various beach-dwelling minikruggs and surf-venturing scuttlers on Fermi, while on the driftwood islands it allowed them to more easily maneuver themselves through the blades of puffgrass. It also provided an advantage when it came to avoiding the watchful gazes of various potential predators, such as the spinebacked probefaces or shorelances.

Perhaps the most notable evolutionary adaptation in the communal janits is more social than physical, though aspects of the former do influence the latter. Unlike other janits that came before, this particular lineage has evolved a more communal lifestyle. Because of the difficulties they faced - finding food, a mate, and overall just surviving both the elements and predators - the communal janit has evolved to overcome these hurdles by essentially sharing their burdens, whereupon while an individual may be at risk as it gathers and builds for others, the overall health of its colony as a whole is greatly improved. Of course, the process that led to this change was a slow one, with various dead ends arising as it was not uncommon for early colonies to collapse as individuals changed sexes and thus roles within their respective colonies, with little heed for the needs of the group beyond their own desire to pass down their genes. While this may have been beneficial for the individual, it harmed the collective effort, and it was not until this species managed to evolve a means of regulating this ability that these communities to become significantly more efficient.

Like with the snowsculptor janit and its ancestors, the communal janits begin their lives as females and only after some period time has passed they might transform into males. They are able to maintain some degree of control over this irreversible transformation, and do so in order to maintain a stable female-to-male ratio, typically 1-to-1. What separates them from that came before, however, is that in the communal janits, this ratio has been discarded and an additional step has been added. While they still start out as females, the older individuals that serve as the original founders of their colonies are able to influence the sex of their offspring. These females produce pheromones that encourage the younger generations to transition to male fairly quickly and regardless of how many older females are already present. The benefit of this is that the original females are able to focus on egg production and juvenile care. The primarily male “workers”, meanwhile, can instead focus on expanding the nest, gathering resources, and defending their kin, all while not expending valuable resources on egg production.

Colony Life
A colony such as this begins with a group of several females, known as founding matrons, who begin to construct a simple nest from available building materials - various stems and leave held together with a mixture of saliva, partially digested cellulose, and fecal matter - consisting of a singular dome surrounded by several smaller chambers. Once it is completed, if no outside males show up, at least one of the original founding matrons will instead transform into a male and fertilize all the others, and it is typically the largest of them that does this. This only needs to occur once, for the females are able to store the excess sperm and remain perpetually pregnant for the entirety of their five year lifespans. The subsequent eggs they produce are tended and cared for, with the resulting newborns - pale, semitransparent versions of the adults - being fed partially digested plant matter, scavenged flesh, and various bits of detritus in order to encourage a rapid growth. During this time, these juveniles are exposed to the matron’s pheromones, and are already undergoing the transformation into males. Once they are old enough, they will begin to tend to the nest via building new tunnels and chambers deeper down, heading out and gathering food, and taking over the care of both eggs and juveniles. Those that help to construct and expand the nest are known as builders, while those that head out in search of resources to gather are known as gatherers - both utilize the chemosensory cells in their legs in order to follow trails, essentially forming chains as multiple individuals continue to utilize the same pathways and thus deepen their "scent" along them.

These colonies flourish, but eventually, like all things, change must occur. When the last of the founding matrons finally dies, so does their control via pheromones. Any eggs that hatch during this time will not immediately begin to turn into males, and will instead remain female. The first few to hatch tend to become the new matrons of their colonies, while those who hatch later will often group up and head off in the hopes of starting new ones. Some older males will also wander off as well at roughly the same time. They seek out these wandering bands of matrons for the chance to father the next generation.

This post has been edited by Nergali: Apr 15 2021, 07:58 PM

Name: Trailblazer (Curcumeuntibus ericicucimus)
Creator: Colddigger
Ancestor: Undergroundi
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin High Grasslands, Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Darwin Plains, Darwin Chaparral, Dixon Savannah, Dixon Tropical Scrub
Size: Queen 36 cm diameter, King/Forager/Nurse 2 cm body, Rickshaw 7 cm long, Quill can reach 12 cm spear tip to toes, Warrior 8 cm long
Diet: Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, 2 Genders, Live birth, Hive (1 Queen)

The Trailblazer has split from its ancestor the Undergroundi to form a more motile hive lifestyle.

Hives begin their existence similarly to their predecessor, as virgin Queens, similar in appearance to Nurse workers, accompanied by true workers, hiding in abandoned holes or nests. A wandering virgin King is captured from outside and brought to breed with the Queen, and the Queen shifts into reproduction mode.
The workers care for this first batch of brood, and from it their numbers quickly increase, as Foragers and Nurses. As the Queen enlarges and the number of its members increases the hive will out grow its adopted den.
The Queen herself begins atrophying her limbs



By now different castes have begun appearing, one of which being the Rickshaw. This caste is specialized for the sole purpose of granting mobility to the hive.
The hind body of this individual can be described as a muscular pillar, while the front a pair of tough posts. The hind limbs are very squat, and typically formed reminiscent of sirenomelia. The front limbs have formed large weight bearing structures extended from the second joint, or analogous elbow. With mobility occurring at the shoulder, the gait of this organism could be compared to a person walking with a pair of crutches, but with more bend along their torso. Moving objects with their strongest body parts, their front legs, while remaining quadrepedal meant using a spot higher than their toes or wrists to support themselves. Given the ancestral soldiers were akin to belly crawling anyway this freeing of the front claws for manipulation would be pretty easy. expansion of supporting structures from the upper limb would happen to make this lifestyle easier. These structures would elongate, and allow the creature to become more upright while freeing the front claws, resulting in elbow walking.

The ends of the front limbs have developed into single, long, shoehorn shaped wooden toenails used for shimming up and stabilizing the queen on top of themselves. Along the underside of its beak and throat a cushioned tissue is formed, on this the majority of the queens weight rests. A good number of this caste is used to support and move the Queen at her full size, 20 to 30 or so, but in the beginning six to ten are typically enough. Cross supporting each other’s heads with their nails increases stability while moving.
Upon this crosshatched throne the Queen will lay herself belly up, lifted by her back.



Moving around out in the open can be dangerous for a bulbous morsel; any larger predator could waltz up and devour it on its pedestal. A caste had to be developed to specialize in fending off such threats. The Quill is that individual. Its front limbs are elongated into sharp barbed spears with muscular arms for rapidly striking at danger. They’ve regained their ancestral trunk, albeit short, and fashioned it with a third spear. With their large eyes and ears they keep their weapons tuned toward movement of potential menaces. The hindquarters are underdeveloped, no need for regular movement in their position. The legs becoming little more than a collection of padded gripping toes, no nails.
If engaging an enemy then Quills will lash out and harpoon their target, often breaking their long thin weapons in the hide and teaching the attacker a painful lesson. Over time the spears will grow replacements. When the predator is more persistent, however, Quills must act in a more desperate manner. Harpooning themselves to the assailant they chew and tear a wound open, into which they invert their entire digestive system and force their large store of stomach acids and enzymes into the exposed tissue. This immediately kills the Quill; and with their bodies deeply imbedded and digesting whatever provoked them, should end the danger to the Queen. Often the predator runs off only to succumb later to their worsening wounds, whether due to infection or just the permanent damage.



Over time as the hive travels it establishes territory routes, often interconnecting hollows and ditches where it rests. These routes become sunken and defined trails as Foragers clear their way through the world. Resources such as long-term water, safe rest areas, and good foraging can be associated with well built routes. To a hive a good route is a resource in and of itself, especially when faced with potential scarcity. This means scouting someone else's route and taking it can be a shortcut to a stable livelihood. Of course, it also means defending your route from robbers as well.
A caste for fending off invading forces, the Warrior, arose from this need. These large, armored, members are used during both assault on enemy hives and defending against such actions. Their front is formed into a three-pronged crushing pincer, which is used to destroy and smash enemy hive members. As they age their armor increases, young warriors focus attack on worker castes, while older Warriors attack other soldier castes and clear the way to kill the defending Queen.
Warriors are also useful in defending the hive from predators, as coming upon a mass of armored claws can be an unappealing obstacle.



Foragers are the most common caste, with the highest day-to-day mortality. Their job is seeking and extracting resources. Their light built body dawns a cluster of sharp defensive needles on their rear, and long legs for covering ground fast. They have a simple hook toe on the end of each leg for gripping terrain, higher up on their front legs are mobile digits for aiding in carrying larger objects and various activities. Their skin is patterned to blend them into the ground and flora while running around and decrease predation. Their digestive system accommodates large amounts of storage, the contents of which are typically passed to the Nurse caste for distribution.
Finding things such as surface water, food sources, and abandoned holes or nooks to hide in is a continual task.



The Nurse caste plays a very large role in the hive. They clean and care for the Queen, brood, and Rickshaw and distribute food and water to nearly all members of the hive. Nurses also play a significant role in determining what the brood develops into.
Immature offspring are housed in the maw of the Queen upon birth, and trickle down the sides of her face to hang on the safe underside where the nursing caste may care for them, eventually dragging them away to be flung into their life roles.
Selecting an immature soldier and moving them to be positioned on the belly of the Queen exposes them to hormones secreted from her skin. This triggers their metamorphosis into Quills.
If they select a soldier larva and feed it secretions of their own it will form a Rickshaw member, while feeding a worker larva their secretions will form a Forager, which is sent off upon maturity.
Soldier larva not treated in either manner are lead off the Queen to develop into Warriors, and worker larva untreated become more Nurses.



Gestation is shorter in the Trailblazer than its ancestor, larvae are expelled to make room for more, and because of this upon birth they are less developed. As their ancestors did, the Queens contribute either worker or soldier offspring to the hive. With a simpler body, lacking hind legs and blind, they seep out from the Queens mouth and cluster underneath to hang on tightly with their front limbs.
At this point larval workers play a role as food and water storage, utilizing their large gut to hold excess for later use. Soldiers on the other hand focus all their energy on development, whatever pathway is selected for them.
The reproductive caste is unique in their development from this, as Kings and Queens gestate far longer and are birthed well formed. From that point they quickly mature to be able to venture off on their missions to start new hives. The stout virgin Queens accompanied by a mixture of Nurses and Foragers to find a hidey-hole, the virgin Kings wandering on solitary expeditions, typically hiding under protective flora.

Hives are omnivorous, taking advantage of carrion, decaying flora, or other edible things that Foragers can manage to pull pieces off of or gather up. Foragers can be found at any time day or night. While the Hive itself is typically most active at dusk and night, hiding from the heat of the day.
Every few days the hive travels from where it is hunkered down to a new location, and with it its range for resources shifts as well.

This post has been edited by MNIDJM: Apr 26 2021, 04:29 PM

Name: Infilt Pewpa (Odorwurmus liberoneratus)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Pewpa (Odorwurmus pewpus)
Habitat: Fermi Temperate Beach, Driftwood Island Temperate Bank, Driftwood Island Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Island Tropical Bank, Driftwood Island Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Island Chaparral, Hydro Tropical Beach, Oz Temperate Beach, Barlowe Temperate Woodland, Barlowe Chaparral, Maineiac Temperate Beach, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Maineiac Chaparral, Ramul Temperate Beach, Ramul Temperate Woodland, Soma Temperate Beach, Drake Temperate Woodlands, Drake Chaparral, Jlindy Tropical Beach, BigL Tropical Beach, King Tropical Beach, Chum Tropical Beach, Elerd Temperate Beach, Dixon Tropical Scrub, Dixon Tropical Woodland, Javen Tropical Woodland, Javen Tropical Scrub, Darwin Tropical Scrub, North Darwin Tropical Woodland, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Darwin Chaparral
Size: 10 centimeters long
Diet: Scavenger, Detritivore
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking)
Reproduction: Hermaphrodite, Sticky Eggs

The infilt pewpa is descended from populations of pewpa that learned to adapt to and take advantage of the communal janits, utilizing their colonies as a source of shelter for their own offspring. These juvenile pewpas are incredibly vulnerable at such an early age, as they lack the foul-smelling liquids which the adults utilize in order to deter their natural predators. This has resulted in the juveniles and adults having distinct morphs, which differs from their ancestors and relatives who have young emerge as miniature versions of the adults.

The juvenile infilt pewpa has adapted several bits of its anatomy to mimic the communal janits so they can travel among the colonies unnoticed and thus able to take advantage of the nests they create and feed on the food they collect using their ancestral leech-like mouths. This includes their four eyes being raised up on small ridges on their segments to mimic the short eyestalks while two small bumps have formed on the first segment that try to mimic the fifth eye and the front end of a communal janit. Additionally, their front pair of hollow tubes have moved forward and grown in size to the degree it resembles the forelimbs of the communal janits. This was selected for in the juveniles as those with these tubes fooled the communal janits more often and thus were not attacked. Meanwhile, the other two pairs of hollow tubes have shrunk in the juvenile forms along with two pairs of their legs which they now keep off of the ground. These, combined with their coloration and patterns, is enough to fool the communal janits to let them live in their colonies where the young infilt pewpas can spend the early parts of their lives as freeloaders.

Once the infilt pewpas begin to grow too large to effectively blend into the colony, at around 4 centimeters, they will leave the communal janits behind. Once this happens, the hindmost pair of limbs grows in size until they touch the ground for extra support while the other two pairs of hollow tubes grow at least 3 times their juvenile length. The infilt pewpas will also have a major change in coloration, shifting from colors that mimic the communal janits into their adult colors which are a variety of greens and yellows. These colors are quite similar to their ancestor and relatives, since it also acts as a warning coloration to predators since the adult infilt pewpas will still secret a foul-smelling liquid as a defense. They also have two large spikes on the first segment, which derived from the two small bumps the juveniles had to mimic communal janits that have then grown larger.

Being hermaphrodites, both infilt pewpas will mate with one another using their cloacas. After this occurs, both individuals will go their separate ways to find an ideal spot to lay their eggs. The infilt pewpa will seek out colonies of communal janits and then deposit their eggs by the roots of flora growing close to these colonies. Once they hatch, the infilt pewpa youngsters will already have the coloration and physical adaptations necessary to blend into the communal janit colony and repeat the cycle.

As the infilt pewpas start the first portion of their lives among the colonies of communal janits, the species will spread to any areas where the model species is present. As such, when the communal janits spread across Fermi and then got carried away on Seashrog and Marine Tamow rafts, populations of infilt pewpas would soon follow although they would get on the rafts much less often compared to the communal janits. Despite this, the infilt pewpas would nonetheless spread to most tropical and temperate habitats on Sagan 4.


A Juvenile Infilt Pewpa, with its appearance mimicking the communal janit.

Behold! My first species swap! This is for Nergali!

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Apr 15 2021, 07:23 AM