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Name: Cobalt Lillyworm (Neosolartoda lilium)
Creator: Clayren
Ancestor: Leafy Thermoworm (Neosolartoda artichokus)
Habitat: Slarti Salt Bog, Yokto Salt Marsh, lakes and ponds in Drake Plains, Drake Chapparal, Drake Temperate Woodland, Drake Boreal
Size: 20 cm long (main body), 45 cm wide (wing-leaf to wing-leaf)
Support: ?
Diet: Detritivore, Scavenger, Photosynthesis
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking)
Reproduction: Hermaphrodite (Eggs)

The Cobalt Lillyworm split from its ancestor in the Slarti Salt Bog. Competition for sunlight both on the ground and treetops drove the evolution of the Cobalt Lillyworm. Its wing-leaves have fused into two very large, very thin appendages which allow the organism to float in still waters. This gives the organism a superficial resemblance to the long extinct Lillypalm.

In the water there is far less competition for sunlight and the Cobalt Lillyworm’s wing-leaves have grown a dark blue-black color that is able to take in more energy from the sun. This is similar to the process by which organisms of the Melanophyta kingdom gained their coloration. Much like these plants the dark coloration of the Cobalt Lillyworm creates a danger of excess heat. The Lillyworm is therefor restricted to life on the water during the day, where it can stay cool. With no predators the Lillyworm needs only to keep its head and tracheae above the water and occasionally use its stubby legs to paddle it back near the shoreline.

At night the Cobalt Lillyworm returns to dry land to feed on dead and decaying matter. These organisms lay large numbers of eggs on rotting corpses, especially those near the edges of ponds, lakes, swamps and bogs. When the eggs hatch the larva will devour the carcass and move on. With a lack of predators and ample sunlight the Cobalt Lillyworm has spread to much of southern Drake. Wherever there is a patch of permanent water the Lillyworm can be found in great numbers. In places where the water freezes during the colder months they will wrap their wing-leaves around their bodies during the day and stay on land, creating a sort of tent. This helps them preserve their body heat and maximize what little sunlight they get.

Name: Feroakage (Loricamanicasaurus cryptis)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Fat Lizatokage (Hadrotegulasaurus obesus)
Habitat: Vivus Rocky, Vivus Volcanic, Vivus High Grassland, Vivus Boreal
Size: 80 centimeters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Herbivore (Feroak berries and leaves, Gecoba Tree fruit and leaves, Bloodsap Melontree fruit, Hengende, Crystalpine, Phalangrass, Strangleroot, Fibreflora, Bristlepile berries and leaves, Robust Arid Ferine berries and leaves, Snow Windbulb, Yuccagave, Marblemelon, Cliff Bristler)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Soft Shelled Eggs Laid in Soil

As competition began to intensify at ground level, some populations of fat lizatokage would begin to turn their attention to the berries and fruit hanging on trees such as the feroak. While the berries and fruit provide a good amount of nutrients, getting to them proved to be more challenging. This would lead to several different adaptations that would lead to these populations splitting off and becoming the feroakage.

The first major differences appear in the limbs, with all four legs being longer than their ancestors and bearing large claws which help it dig into tree bark. The forelimbs also have much more flexible joints, granting the feroakage a much larger range of motion than its ancestor to help climb trees. Meanwhile, the feroakage is covered in a dense covering of osteoderms on the face, limbs, and flanks to help protect the skin from being pricked by the sharp thorns of the feroak. The feroakage still retains moderate amounts of fat to store energy for lean times, although its sources of food are relatively abundant so the feroakage does not have as much fat as its ancestor.

The feroakage primarily relies on its senses of smell and eyesight, and have retained their large nostrils in order to detect the scent of food, potential mates, or even potential predators. The osteoderms on its body provide decent protection from carnivorous fauna attempting to prey on it while the large claws can be used to swipe at attackers. The feroakage, however, relies more on its camouflage to not be spotted by its potential predators in the first place as well, along with mainly staying in the trees where most of its food is. While they don't change their colors to show their general needs and emotions since they are generally solitary, the feroakage can still do a basic shift in their color palette from dark brown to light yellow which covers the majority of the bark or substrate the species is found on. The bright colored dewlap is used to attract mates or intimidate rivals off of sources of food .

Much like its ancestors, the feroakage lays soft-shelled eggs which must be laid on the ground. When a female is close to ovulating, the feroakage will descend down from the trees and seek out cover such as under rocks or abandoned burrows. Once she finds a secluded spot, she will dig a shallow pit to lay her eggs in before covering it up and abandoning them. Once the young hatch out of the eggs, they are already capable of climbing trees and living on their own.

Through their generalistic feeding habits, the feroakage often devours fruits and berries with minimal damage to seeds which allows them to safely pass through its digestive tract. This has allowed them to spread several different species of flora to new biomes.

* Bristlepile is spread into the Vivus Volcanic biome
* Feroak is spread into the Vivus Volcanic biome
* Hengende is spread into the Vivus Volcanic
* Robust Arid Ferine is spread into the Vivus High Grassland and Vivus Volcanic biomes
* Snow Windbulb is spread into the Vivus High Grassland and Vivus Volcanic biomes via indirectly ingesting spores
* Strangleroot is spread into the Vivus Boreal biome via indirectly ingesting spores
* Yuccagave is spread into both the Vivus High Grassland and Vivus Volcanic biomes via indirectly ingesting spores

Here you guys go! The cryptic Feroakage! This guy originated as a typo on the week 26 ecosystem page that dates back to gen 162, I saw it enough times that I decided to make it a real creature! Do give your thoughts on it guys!!

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Jun 30 2021, 12:18 AM

Beach Thumbwalker (Xenochiros litus)
Creator: Solpimr
Ancestor: Thumbwalker
Habitat: Fermi Temperate Coast, Fermi Temperate Beach
Size: 50 cm long
Diet: Adults; Omnivore (Sapworms, Vermees, Sapshrooms, Minikruggs, Parasitic Floats, Silkruggs, Nectarworm, Coastal Nectarworm), Frugivore (Branching Bonespire nuts, Mainland Fuzzpalm berries, Fuzzpile berries, Qupe Tree fruit), Larva; Omnivore (Grabbyswarmers, Miniwhorls, Minifee, Marbleflora, Redmosses, Orangemosses, Testudiatoms)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Frog-like Eggs Laid into the sea

The beach thumbwalker has split from its ancestor, and moved onto the temperate beach and coastal regions of Fermi. Unlike their ancestor, they lay their eggs directly into the sea rather than into cryobowls. Newly hatched larva feed on microflora such as redmosses, orangemosses, and testudiatoms. As they age they feed on progressively larger food. Although they aren't as closely associated with the beach colonystalks as their ancestors were with the original colonystalks, they retain the ability to safely enter the colonies to feed and take shelter from predators.

Beach thumbwalkers are semi-arboreal, climbing large flora in search of food. Like their ancestor, they have an unusual arrangement of fingers with the outer digit being larger and facing inwards which lets them grasp the stalks of large flora.

While they are most common on the beach they are also present in the coast itself, where the adults climb on the bonegroves. Thick skin on the inner surface of their outer grasping fingers allows them to climb the bonegroves in spite of their defensive spines. They also occasionally dwell in mangrovecrystal colonies, but they are less common there as their camouflage is ineffective against the red roots and yellowish bark.

This post has been edited by kopout: Jun 30 2021, 07:16 PM

Name: Clusterback (Shinglesaurus blandureptillis)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Tileback (Shinglesaurus generalis)
Habitat: Colddigger Polar Beach, Vivus Polar Scrub, Vivus Polar Woodland, Vivus Boreal, Vivus Volcanic, Vivus Rocky
Size: 140 centimeters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Herbivore (Cryobowls, Sunstalks, Fat Korystal, Fruiting Glog, Stoutplage, Cryocanon, Dome Crystal, Polar Quilbil, Slumbering Kingrush, Thornmound, Segmented Carnofern, Strangleroot, Tepoguin, Aloeberabub, Hedgecrystal, Fibrillius, Fibreflora, Gecoba Tree fruit, Bloodsap Melontree fruit, Twin-Tail Orbibom, Boreal Tubeplage, Crystal Swordgrass, Kory Claw, Pagoda Crystal, Mountain Pagoda Crystal, Aloeberacteus, Phalangrass, Marblemelon, Bristlepile, Robust Arid Ferine, Snow Windbulb, Yuccagave, Quone)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Ovoviviparous

As the tilebacks were being restricted to cold climates, being ectothermic proved to be disadvantageous as they struggled to survive the winter months. Thus, in order to survive, the tilebacks of Vivus began to enter a state of torpor and sleep in tightly-knit groups during the winter months. These behavioral adaptations, among some physical changes, would lead to these Vivus populations evolving into a new species.

Clusterbacks are very generalistic herbivores, eating almost any kind of vegetation they can reach within their environment, using their keratinized nose spikes to help grab and pull off chunks of flora which are then chewed up a little bit by their toothed jaws into bits small enough to be swallowed. Two smaller nose spikes have developed along the sides of the main one, allowing the clustback to apply multiple points of pressure on crystal flora and glass flora to break them open. The clusterback has become more robust than its ancestor, with large claws that help them with digging up roots and tubers for them to also feed on. The clusterbacks have also become more heavily armored to give them some minor protection against local predators such as bubbleskins. They also have patterns to help blend in with the soil of the areas they inhabit, which means predators may sometimes not notice them.

While the clusterbacks live in groups to protect themselves from predators, they also have started using them to protect them from the elements. In the winter months in places like the Vivus Boreal biome, clusterbacks will dig out large communal burrows that they will then share with several dozen individuals. By sharing body warmth, the clusterbacks are able to be more active during the winter months compared to other ectotherms in the area and thus forage for food more efficiently. In the colder parts of their range such as the Vivus Polar Scrub or Colddigger Polar Beach, on the other hand, huddling together is not enough to survive the long and bitterly cold winter months. While their ability to huddle together to share body warmth allows them to be active much longer than other ectotherms in the area, the clusterbacks have to rely on other adaptations once it becomes too cold for them to remain active at all. Once this happens, the clusterbacks separate and rest inside of individual burrows where they will then lower their metabolisms, effectively going into a state of torpor. In this state, the clusterbacks rely on anti-freezing proteins within their cells to prevent ice crystals of fatal size forming. Once the winter passes by and the environment begins to warm up, the clusterbacks will leave their state of torpor and leave the burrow to go back to foraging.

Unlike their ancestors, who simply laid their spawn within the ocean coast, the clusterbacks will retain their frog-like eggs within their own bodies. After males attract females with their colorful dewlaps(which are still used for communication between both sexes), they will employ a cloacal kiss to internally fertilize the eggs. The eggs take longer to develop compared to their ancestor, and so have a larger egg yolk to last them through their development. When the youngsters hatch from their eggs and are then born, they look like smaller versions of the adults except with slightly underdeveloped armor and legs.

While the clusterback uses their keratinized spines to crack open the shells of crystal flora and glass flora, their molar teeth do not have the same crushing capabilities and so are mostly used to help process softer foods into chunks that are easier to swallow. Because of this, the seeds and spores of many flora species are able to safely pass through their guts and get deposited elsewhere through their dung. As a direct result, the cluster back has spread several different species of flora to new biomes.

* Cryocanon is spread into the Vivus Polar Woodland and Vivus Polar Scrub biomes
* Stoutplage is spread into the Vivus Polar Woodland, Vivus Boreal, and Vivus Volcanic biomes
* Snow Windbulb is spread into the Vivus Polar Scrub biome via indirectly ingesting spores
* Mountain Pagoda Crystal is spread into the Vivus Rocky and Polar Scrub biomes via indirectly ingesting spores
* Pagoda Crystal is spread into the Vivus Rocky biome via indirectly ingesting spores
* Kory Claw is spread into the Vivus Rocky biome via indirectly ingesting spores


A group of Clusterbacks huddling together to retain body heat.

Alright, so I did a swap with Cheatsy and this is my end of the swap! Do give your thoughts on it guys! Does this look plausible for an ectotherm that lives in cold climates?

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Jul 9 2021, 08:20 PM

Taserflame (Ignifulgur coquus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Fuzzcoat
Habitat: Drake Rocky, Drake Boreal, Drake Temperate Woodland, Drake Chaparral
Size: 50 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Hopping Ketter, Mini-Flower Ketter, Toxplage Ketter, poisonous Minikruggs, Scarlethorn, Thorny Hedgelog fruit, Alpine Hedgelog fruit, Xidhorchia leaves and fruit, Purple Poison Shrub leaves and fruit, Toxplage leaves and fruit, poisonous Marbleflora, Vesuvianite Tree crystals, Baseejie crystals, Towering Grovecrystal crystals, Greatcap Baseejie crystals, Pagoda Crystal, Forest Venomerald, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Arid Ferine leaves and berries, Brickbark Ferine leaves and berries, Wafflebark Ferine leaves and berries, Syrup Ferine leaves and berries, Sleeve Ferine leaves and berries, Forest Quone), Scavenger (Fresh Meat)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Cotton)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth)

The taserflame split from its ancestor. It has taken on a preference for tougher and potentially toxic food, but rather than investing in a larger gut or poison resistance, it has taken a different, less energy-intensive approach. This creature has learned to make and control fire, which it uses to cook its food. This has allowed it to consume organisms which it normally would not be able to due to its small size and lack of teeth. The behavior has its roots in accidental fire-starting, which can happen to any tasertongue, and gradually became favorable both by them as individuals because it made food taste better and evolutionarily because it allowed them to eat things they couldn’t previously. The current form of the cooking behavior came about from roughly 200 thousand years of optimization.

The appearance of a tasertongue which uses fire to cook its food may immediately bring back memories of the extinct [[sagon]], a sophont which was tragically wiped out by the expansion of endless ice and tundra which defined the Bloodian period. The taserflame is no sophont, however--indeed, it’s on the lower end of the intelligence spectrum among living tasertongues due to its ancestor going through a period of having no predators to keep up with. This is not to say it isn’t smart, of course, as it’s very difficult for the sister lineage of a sophont to lose it all even over tens of millions of years. But the emergence of fire usage is not directly connected to intellectual ability or tool use at all--rather, it is rooted in biology. Like all tasertongues, the taserflame can produce an electrical shock using its tongue. This can create a spark, which in turn can potentially set dry plant material on fire. Unlike other organisms which can only create fire using incredibly advanced tool use, the taserflame can quite literally grab some kindling and will it to be set ablaze.

Taserflames can build fires wherever they please using piles of wood, but these are only used for warmth. Their tool use is overall limited; in fact, depending on one’s definition of tool use, one could argue that they can’t use tools at all, as they do not use objects as extensions of their bodies. As such, they cannot hold sticks with a food item attached to the end over a fire like they’re roasting marshmallows, so to cook, they must instead use a fire pit with sticks laid over it like a grill to suspend their food. They do not make their own fire pits, instead using natural dips in the ground or repurposing abandoned bannertail spawning pools. Dry wood, plent bones, or dung gathered from their surroundings is used as fuel, and, using their electric tongues, kindling such as dry leaves or plent cotton is set ablaze and immediately dropped in the pit. Over a scaffolding of sticks laid across the pit they place fresh meat, crystal branches, and various leaves, fruits, and small fauna which would otherwise be toxic to them. The process of cooking neutralizes toxins, kills harmful microbes, and increases the amount of bioavailable nutrients by breaking down cell walls and complex tissues, and tough leaves which would normally prick their mouths soften into something far more edible. This is especially valuable because, like most plents, the taserflame has a blind gut and as such can only digest one meal at a time; making food more nutritious and easier to digest allows it to get more out of that one meal before it regurgitates it to eat something else.

Like their ancestor, taserflames live in groups, though they rarely exceed 50 members. A group of taserflames is called a mob. They do not migrate, instead preferring to inhabit a specific area which is not likely to be burned down by their use of fire, such as a collection of small caves or an abandoned bannertail-drakeshrog “village”. Unlike other tasertongues, which often violently smash their heads together over disputes or mating rights, taserflames are largely more social and friendly with one another and all headbutting is comparatively gentle and ritual, more comparable to goats than, say, pachycephalosaurs; as a result, their skull caps are smaller. Their small body size makes them vulnerable to predation, but at the same time, they can also easily duck into small hiding spots which their predators may struggle to extract them from. Though taserflames do not instinctively use tools, their reflexes to avoid burning themselves will sometimes result in them chucking a burning pile of leaves straight ahead; some individuals may do this intentionally to scare away predators after previously doing so on accident, though it can backfire if there’s a lot of flammable material around.

Taserflames often split up into smaller bands of 3-8 to forage and hunt. In addition to collecting their usual diet of toxic and hard-to-digest flora and fauna, they regularly follow large predators on hunts and use their knife-like fangs to cut slabs of meat (or, more rarely, entire limbs) from fresh kills. Due to their small size, they are usually ignored when they do this and are only rarely picked off as food. Pack-hunters, especially multi-species packs such as those of bannertails and drakeshrogs, may even make room for the taserflames while eating due to their instincts to share.

Like their ancestor, and like most terrestrial plents, taserflames mate mouth to mouth and give live birth. Unlike their ancestor, female taserflames do not stay in one place while pregnant. However, they do still stay relatively close to home to avoid endangering their unborn offspring. Pregnant females stand slightly upright during late pregnancy to avoid tipping over. They give birth inside dens, which are usually made from natural caves, hollow logs, or abandoned nests or burrows of other creatures. Their offspring are semi-precocial, already fluffy and able to move around on their own but largely helpless, somewhat like toddlers. They reach full size in less than a year due to their highly nutritious diet. Notably, while adults can still digest raw meat if they need to, juveniles cannot.

In addition to behavioral changes, the taserflame has some body changes. Its butt nostril is bisected, granting redundancy that protects it from suffocation. The skin on its tongue is more calloused and pigmented to protect it from its own flame as well as from accidentally absorbing uncooked toxins, and as a result, it can no longer smell using it; however, this is not a problem, because like all plenthogs it has been able to smell using its barbels (which its fangs are set on) all along for hundreds of millions of years and never actually needed to smell with its tongue in the first place. Its fangs are more knife-like and are used to cut its food, particularly to remove thorns and spikes and chop up larger pieces of meat, like a built-in version of its extinct sophont relative’s butchering tools. Its tympanic ears are set deeper into its head, making them less vulnerable to damage. The rise of cooking and the need to run from predators has resulted in taserflames generally taking on a leaner build.

----

I was originally planning on making a shrog that uses fire...then I realized the level of tool use needed was a little bit too brain. Then I realized that tasertongues don't need tool use at all to make fire. So, this happened.
Also, a fun little unofficial caption for the main artwork: Reflexive fireball toss in 3...2...

Name: Pronghorn Strider (Decemnaris ramosus)
Creator: Clayren
Ancestor: Triplethorn Bounder (Volanspedis hexanasalus)
Habitat: Barlowe Temperate Woodland, Barlowe Temperate Rainforest
Size: 85 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed wood)
Diet: Herbivore (Sunstalks, Obsidian Shrub, Obsidibarrage, small Obsiditall, Fuzzpile)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Live Birth

The Pronghorn Strider split from its ancestor on the island of Barlowe. The population of Triplethorn Bounders on Barlowe shrank as most of its habitat was claimed by rising ocean levels. The remaining population lives in the far north of the island, among the shrubbery and grasses of the Barlowe Chaparral. Under pressure some Triplethorn Bounders spread south, into the temperate forests and jungles of Barlowe. In the warmer parts of the island the Triplethorn’s main food, Sunstalks, struggle to thrive. These regions are dominated by larger black fauna like the Obsidian Shrub and Obsidibarrage. The Pronghorn Strider can better access low branches and leaves as its front limbs have grown longer. Food is plentiful in the jungle and forest and the Pronghorn has grown larger as a result. Its coloration is likewise adapted to the forested environment, its rust-red belly and dappled black body perfectly blending in among the groves of Obsiditall.

Along with most of its range the Triplethorn Bounder lost nearly all of its natural predators on Barlowe. The primary exception is the Great Leotam, a large ambush predator and the apex predator of the island. The longer forward limbs of the Pronghorn Strider can be used as a second pair of legs when a Great Leotam is sighted near the herd. The slimmer tail of the Pronghorn strider is also of use as it is more aerodynamic than that of its ancestor and keeps the vulnerable tail nostrils further away from the clawed thumbs of pursuing Great Leotams. The five back nostrils of the Pronghorn Strider have split into five pairs of two and shrunk in size, while the rear-facing nostril has disappeared entirely.

The horns of a Pronghorn Strider are used by males to display their age and health. As they grow older the top horn on males grow longer and gain additional prongs. A young adult pronghorn will have a single prong, while an old and successful male can have as many as seven. Female Pronghorn Striders look for mates that have lived a long life and therefor been successful. On females the top horn is much shorter, lacks prongs and does not grow after adulthood. Another difference between females and males is the shape of their beaks. The female Pronghorn Strider has a triangular beak, while males have a beak that is larger at the end. This larger portion is used by males to ram into competing males during mating season. Young males hoping to compete with older foes that have more prongs will try to chase them off by repeatedly ramming their sides with their beaks. More gentle ramming is done to females during mating seasons to show off the strength of a suitors beak.

Pronghorn Striders are highly social animals and live in herds of up to twenty members. These members communicate with each other by complex patterns of whistles and honks which they create with their tail nostrils. Each herd has its own unique combination which is used as a greeting and to keep the members together when mixed in with multiple other herds. With its powerful ears and noisome nostrils, the Pronghorn Strider is capable of a weak sort of echolocation at night. The organism also makes use of elaborate songs to find and attract mates.

While still capable of traveling in bounding leaps the Pronghorn Strider generally walks on its rear limbs in heavily forested areas and only bounds in more open terrain. This is because its larger size and the thicker vegetation makes such travel less efficient.



This post has been edited by Clayren2:Electric Boogaloo: Jul 7 2021, 05:20 PM

A swap with oviraptor
WIP





Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Morphous Swampbean
Habitat: Soma Temperate Coast, Bumpy Polar Coast, Ramul Temperate Beach, Soma Temperate Beach, Drake Polar Beach
Size: 10 cm (colony) microscopic cell clusters
Support: Hdydrostatic
Diet: Detritivore
Respiration: Passive
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Binary fission, budding

The Beach Bean split from its ancestor and spread to inhabit the coastal waters that its originating river spilled into, forming swathes of colonies in the shallower zones. They cover rocks in the tidal zones of the coasts and beaches, forming slippery films. In areas without significant rock surfaces they can be found clumping together the sandy surface in their biofilm.
They've developed a greater resistance to temperature fluctuations, producing antifreeze compounds in their cytoplasm when exposed to freezing temperatures on polar beaches increasing their survivability in such cold areas.

Their life cycle has gained a more distinct stage for sexual reproduction.
Life works much like its ancestor, a solitary bean that elongates and splits into an affixed base and free-floating ball. The separated base of the elongated bean continues following much the same route as the ancestor, spreading outward and producing five buds in pentagonal symmetry and eventually dying on the maturity of the buds, which then repeat the cycle.
What has changed is that the floating ball has taken up the role of specializing for genetic exchange.
It is important to note that the standard somatic cell of the Beach Bean is haploid.
Much of its biomass goes into the production of a pair of very large cells that it carries inside a protective single cell layer. When two meet their protective layerings are undone at the point of contact and the inner cells merge with one another to form two diploid cells. These diploid cells promptly perform meiosis to create four unique haploid cells.
At this point the protective layer dissipates and the haploid cells float and divide into new beans which eventually sink to the ground and set their lifecycle in motion again.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Aug 8 2021, 09:20 PM

Reapermaw Hafgufa (Baulhveli viditirursus)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Cruelfang Hafgufa
Habitat: Jujubee Ocean Twilight Zone, North Jujubee Temperate Ocean Sunlight Zone, North Jujubee Polar Ocean Sunlight Zone
Size: 35 m long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Adult: Carnivore (Umbrascale Lyngbakr, Viridimaw Lyngbakr, Delving Lyngbakr, Terrorfang Hafgufa, Galleon Lyngbakr); Juvenile: Carnivore (Outtablue Scylarian, Bargeskin, Bejeweled Emperor Scylarian, Bigmouth Strainerbeak, Nonessie, Ocean Scorpodile, Seashrog, Wolvershrog, Pirate Waxface)
Respiration: Active (Gills)
Thermoregulation: Gigantotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, 2 Genders

Descended from the cruelfang hafgufa, the more hydrodynamic body plan of the '''reapermaw hafgufa''' has allowed it to replace its ancestor throughout wherever their two ranges would have intersected. Such a thing was inevitable, of course, as two large apex predators sharing a similar, limited food source - in this case the lynbakrs - would inevitably compete with one another until eventually only one would come out on top and be left to remain. Now without their ancestors to compete with them, they could afford to grow even larger and hunt down their prey who have, in turn, been evolving towards larger sizes as a means of defense. Bearing an impressively sized maw to match their own increased size, they has been able to overcome this defense of the lyngbakrs and continue to further specialize in hunting them down as well as other large marine fauna. With the evolution of their lunate tails, they are capable of achieving brief bursts of speed, allowing them to deliver crippling blows that shatter bones, shear flesh, and rupture organs all in one bite. It would seem that in this age, the reapermaw hafgufa have taken on the title of topmost predator throughout all the seas of Sagan IV.

Perhaps the most remarkable evolutionary adaptation, even more so than the continued streamlining of their bodies, is what has occurred to their respiratory systems. While the utilization of ram gills has existed since the most ancient of snarks, it has never been the most efficient of systems for them, especially when it comes to larger species. The reapermaw hafgufa has developed a solution to this. Unlike other scylarians, water only enters through the first gill opening. Because of a chamber beneath it, it can even forcefully suck in water, allowing it to be further forced through the body. As it makes its way towards the second gill opening, it passes alongside numerous specialized blood vessels, which pull the oxygen out of it. As the water is finally pushed out the rear gill opening, veins located there in turn expel CO2 so that it may be removed from the body. This transformation of their respiratory system has led to the success of the reapermaw hafgufa, allowing it to maintain its title of apex predator throughout the regions it inhabits. With improved respiration comes increased size, and with increased sizes comes - just as with many other similarly huge species - an increased resilience to cancer. Numerous tumor-suppressing genes help them in regard, which not only limit the growth and size of potential tumors, but even aid in killing them off before they can potentially become a metastasizing threat. Of course, with age comes a reduction in the production of these genes, and those that begin to reach the ripe old age of around 200 will begin to suffer from a worsening in their health in regards to cancer and similar issues.

Capable of diving deep in the pursuit of lyngbakrs, the reapermaw hafgua can reach depths of nearly 2,000 meters, which just skirts the edge of the midnight zone. The delving lyngbakrs are the primary prey they hunt down in these sunless depths, though the presence of other species do round out their diets. They will also dive deep when hunting lyngbakrs that are higher up in the water column, as this gives them the element of surprise as well as time to build up momentum when charging their unaware prey. Their dark hues help them to blend in down in the dark, and their enlarged chin-strips help them to sense prey from further away. Said chin-strips are also more flattened overall, and rest easily against the sides of their heads in order to reduce drag while swimming.

Reproduction occurs year round, though most often during the times when lyngbakrs are plentiful, and tend to be brief if violent affairs. Prone to nipping at the fins of one another, the pair of hafgufa will swim alongside one another for several hours as a form of courtship before engaging in mating. Once the deed is done, they go their separate ways, for at that point they merely see one another as competition within their respective territories. The young - anywhere between 4 to 5 pups known as "nippers" due to their hunting habits - will develop over the course of almost two years within the wombs of their mothers. Once they are large enough, the mother will give birth and then show them no further parental care. Already almost 5 meters long, the young will go off into the world and begin their solitary lives as hunters. While they are too small for such prey as lyngbakrs, they can hunt down various scylarians, gilltails, and even aquatic shrews, quickly cementing their future status as apex predators. With the only threat to their existence being other, larger hafgufas and the occasional spear-fishing shrog, they are seemingly ruthless hunters, though in truth they gorge themselves in order to fuel their initial impressive growth rate. Reaching nearly 7 meters in length by the end of their first year, they will reach around 15 meters in 8 years, after which their growth rate will begin to slow down. They will reach sexual maturity around this point, though tend to only produce a single nipper or two, and their fertility will improve with age. Should they survive predation, starvation, and all other manners of early death, they will reach their full size within 30 years.

This post has been edited by Nergali: Jul 13 2021, 05:50 PM

Name: Tonbodiver (Funeyanma tribuosii)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Seaplane Tonboswarmer ("Armigepennipotens" tabula)
Habitat: Bumpy Polar Coast, Soma Temperate Coast, Soma Temperate Beach, Drake Polar Beach, Ramul Temperate Beach
Size: 10 centimeters long
Support: Exoskeleton (Cellulose)
Diet: Larvae: Photosynthesis, Filter-Feeder; Adult: Photosynthesis, Herbivore (Cryobowl fruit, Mainland Fuzzpalm berries, Carnosprawl fruit, Fuzzweed fruit and leaves, Stoutplage fruit, Colonial Calmstrum, Ouchiiro, Stalk Rastum, Pioneer Raftballs, Darwinian Diaminet, Pelagic Puffgrass, Symboather, Crastrum, Squarenet Crastrum, Cleaner Crastrum, Disorderly Gelatin, Marine Droopgea, Marine Mine Layer)
Respiration: ?
Thermoregulation: Adult: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat); Larvae: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Spawning in Water, Two Genders, Metamorphosis (Lava, Adult)

As the climate change and the waters they inhabited became colder and colder, the seaplane tonboswarmer began to struggle. Those that moved out of the colder and colder rivers and into the more temperate coasts did better. These populations would eventually give rise to a new species, known as the tonbodiver.

While the wings do not help the tonbodiver with flight, they are used in a more active manner than the seaplane tonboswarmer. The first pair of wings act almost like they would be in flight, except to beat through water rather than through air. The second pair of wings, which were once used to sit on top of the water surface(which they can still technically do, but rarely need too because of their different lifestyle), are now used to help the tonbodiver steer where they can be adjusted to help change direction. The tail also performs a similar function to the second pair of wings in that the fin helps steer, though it can also be used for quick bursts of speed in a pinch for when the tonbodiver needs to evade a predator.

While they will spend most of their time in water, tonbodivers can move on land, though they are not exactly competent on substrate. This occurs on beaches, where a tonboswarmer is usually moving from one tidepool to another at low tide, or perhaps taking advantage of vegetation laying around on the beach. When they move on land, they prop themselves up with their second pair of wings while using the first pair to push them forward, not too different from how the terran mudskippers move.

While the tonbodiver adults eat a wider variety of soft vegetation, the larvae of this species more closely resemble typical swarmers and are filter feeders. As they grow, they develop their armor and the second pair of fins buds out. By the time they grow into their mature adult form, they have developed sex organs and thus begin their search for potential mates.

While the tonbodiver primarily inhabits warm coastal areas, they also live in the Bumpy Polar Coast and go onto the Drake Polar Beach. Because of the cooler temperatures, however, the tonbodivers do not fare as well as they do in temperate waters, and so are restricted to the southernmost parts of these two biomes.


The larval form of the Tonbodiver.


Note: If the Tonbodiver gets accepted, the Seaplane Tonboswarmer should be also included in the genus Funeyanma. The Tonboswarmer could also potentially be in this genus, though it could be a different genus.

Alright, here is my swap with Colddigger! Had to look at Cloudswarmers for a reference regarding the larvae. Im not entierly sure if the genus name Pterocimex fits this species, if you guys have an alternate genus name, im all ears! Edit: The genus name has been replaced with Funeyanma, thanks to chilly and nergali for helping me come up with a better genus name!

Gruesloo (Cornutamandua indigo)

Creator: Giant Blue Anteater
Ancestor: Snoofloo
Habitat: Darwin Plains, Darwin Chapparal, Darwin Temperate Forest
Size: 1.8 m long
Diet: Insectivore (Trailblazer, Gamergate Gundis, Treedundi, Whiskrugg, Vermees, larvae and honey of Xenobees), Frugivore (fruit of Fruiting Grovecrystal, Quhft, Scrubland Quhft, Tubeplage, Scrubland Tubeplage, Boreal Tubeplage, Feroak, Hengende, Fuzzpile, Quilbil, Gecoba Tree, Bristlepile), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Unknown
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders

The Gruesloo has split from the Snoofloo and has spread to the Darwin Temperate Forest. Aside from being twice the size of its ancestor, it has changed its color from a bright, conspicuous green to a darker, subdued indigo that matches with its surroundings, making it harder to spot by predators. These bluish pigments overlay their chlorophyll, which is still capable of photosynthesis, but to a lesser degree.

In the event it is spotted and approached, the Gruesloo brandishes its claws, which have become larger and sharper and can inflict grevious wounds on the aggressor if it refuses to back down. The claws' sharpness is maintained by the fact that it no longer walks on its palms, but on its knuckles. Of course, this would mainly benefit their primary function: tearing deep into the nests of Trailblazers, Gamergate Gundis, and Treedundis, as well as the logs and wooden flora where they may reside.

To seek them out, the tip of its sticky green tongue sticks out, seeking chemical cues for its favored eusocial prey. Since they lack teeth, gastroliths are present in the stomach to break down its meal as the stomach churns. But this species's diet is by no means limited to insectivory, for they can also eat the fruits of various species of flora, such as the Fruiting Grovecrystal, whose polygonal fruits it breaks open with its claws to then lap up the sweet, soft, spory innards. However, these supplement its primary diet, as the majority of its protein intake comes from its faunal prey.

The antlers above the eyes grow even larger in males, whose function is solely for advertising fitness. Males, therefore, do not butt heads with these. Instead, they battle against each other much more brutally: they rear up and attempt to break the antlers off each other's heads, for females will refuse to mate with those without. Countering this are large, forward-pointing cheek horns that cut into the arms of both contestants, making their struggle for dominance a test of not only strength but also the endurance of pain and injury. The winner of this duel will have access to the local herd of females. The hornless loser will have to wait for his horns to grow back, for if he insists on mating a female anyway, her reception will be as clear as the sharpness of her claws.

The Gruesloo no longer digs burrows, and instead rests in the foliage it can blend in with. The males lord over small, loose herds of females who sleep together, but are otherwise solitary.

This post has been edited by Giant Blue Anteater: Aug 7 2021, 12:05 AM

Violet Kitshrox (Hastalopex petrocauda)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Maineiac Rivershrog
Habitat: Maineiac Boreal, Maineiac Rocky, Maineiac Alpine, Maineiac High Grassland, Maineiac Chaparral, Maineiac Temperate Woodland, Maineiac Volcanic
Size: 70 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Omnivore (Pedesorm, Armored Pedesorm, Mountain Pedesorm, Harvester Pedesorm, Miner Pedesorm, Srugeing, Aossi, Scaled Srugeing, Metamorphling Gilltail, Communal Janit, juvenile Roaming Oropede, Karybdos, Gliding Gushstrider, Gushitos, Frosty Sauceback larvae, Sormlicker Sauceback larvae, Prutabula fruit, Prutarbor fruit, Fuzzpile berries, Pilunoroot fruit, Cloudswarmers, Hair Nimbus colonies, Pionferruses, Parasitic Floats, Teacup Saucebacks, Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Xenobees, Xenowasps, Dartirs, Sapworms, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, fruit of Cryobowls), Ovivore (Logcrusher, Corvisnapper, Camoback, Fruitsnapper, Sormsnapper, Mountsnapper), Scavenger, Kleptoparasite
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth, Placental, Milk)

The violet kitshrox split from its ancestor and moved away from the rivers. It has lost most of its osteoderms, as it isn't at nearly the same risk of predation across its whole range as its ancestor was, and its tail saw has turned into a rough gritty lump with a sandpaper-like texture. Its horn has been replaced with a short, rough, cornified boss. As nest-making is highly strenuous, it has shifted away from the elaborate nests its ancestor constructed, no longer cutting down trees and instead focusing on using its rough tail cap to carve fine tools out of sticks and bones. Its diet has expanded to include flora once again and it has become a prominent opportunist across Maineiac.

The violet kitshrox’s intelligence is not wasted in its new niche. Convergent with the only somewhat related twigfisher shrog, it has shifted towards greater dexterity with smaller tools. Picks, hooks, wedges, knives, and more are carved from wood or bone and used to obtain food which would normally be inaccessible to a creature of its size. For example, a common obstacle to obtaining food might be that it’s out of reach, such as being at the bottom of a deep hole or stuck between two fallen logs; a violet kitshrox faced with such an obstacle will modify a stick to have a hook or barb at the end and proceed to use it to fish out the morsel. Broad shaping is done using its tail cap, while fine details are done using its teeth.

The violet kitshrox is capable of eating a wide variety of different things in its environment, such as small fauna, eggs, fruit, shrooms, and carrion. Its diet includes some iron fauna and flora, and as a result its dung is rich in iron. It will often steal eggs from right under their parents using complicated and varied tactics for distraction and deception.

Violet kitshrox behavior when interacting with non-prey organisms can be likened to that of a typical anthropomorphic fox. They are quite cunning and often steal food from other species, using similar strategies to the ones they use to steal eggs. They will sometimes repeatedly steal from the same individual dozens of times by coming up with different tactics for distracting or deceiving them. They are very playful and mischievous even when there might not be an immediate or obvious reward for bothering another creature, actively occupying their fairly large brains with trouble-making to stave off boredom while alone.

Trouble-making does not end when a violet kitshrox is with its social group, called a skulk. Though still far from hyper-social, violet kitshroxes have begun to construct somewhat of a social hierarchy, which is based primarily on how good they are at tricking one another. The best trickster, called a jester, is not necessarily a good leader; however, the jester usually has greater reproductive success, as the most impressive feats of trickery indicate great dexterity and problem-solving skills, which are useful for survival and therefore considered attractive. A good jester cannot go too far with its tricks, however; trickery is only regarded as "good" as long as it isn't drawn out and any stolen items are promptly returned, and constant or poorly-timed deception is generally not favored. A kitshrox that doesn’t know when to stop will ultimately cause the rest of the skulk to become frustrated and eventually chase it out. Kitshrox trickery, and all the subtleties to doing it right, can be likened to the primate concept of humor, though it is not identical.

Violet kitshroxes are somewhat more comfortable with close quarters than most shrogs. A collection of natural caves, hollow logs, and basket-like nests made of tree branches scattered across a region no more than 100 meters wide houses the entire skulk, which can have as many as 30 members. However, they usually travel alone or in pairs when searching for food, and if they have no offspring to attend to they may even sleep out in the wilderness and not return home for days or weeks at a time. The area is most likely to be at its maximum occupancy during the summer, when food is plentiful and traveling further out in search of something to eat isn’t necessary.

The violet kitshrox has similar instinctive vocalizations to its ancestor. When excited, however, it makes a sound eerily similar to a human cackle. Its non-instinctive vocalizations, its name-barking and “language”, are only mildly more complex; without a river to define cardinal directions, dozens of “words” can be used to describe a location. This is primarily used to inform--or misinform--other kitshroxes of the location of a new food source. Their body language is also typical for shrogs, though their smile-analogous expression is somewhat exaggerated with the corners of the mouth pulled back into a weirdly smirk-like appearance.

The violet kitshrox no longer mates belly-to-belly, as there are no spikes necessitating such a vulnerable position. Otherwise, its reproduction is largely unchanged. Though kitshroxes will generally mate with those they already found attractive beforehand, mating rivalry will still often come up, leading to shoving matches using the armor on their noses, males fighting over females and females fighting over males. Gestation lasts 3 months and they give birth to naked and helpless young, which live in a pouch and suckle milk. As the violet kitshrox is placental, its offspring are already fairly developed at birth and leave the pouch in just over 2 weeks, though they will continue to suckle until they are about 5 weeks old. Their growth rate is slow compared to the speed at which they wean, as having a large brain limits how quickly they can mature. A violet kitshrox is fully grown at 4 years of age. The maximum lifespan of the violet kitshrox is only 20 years, as by chance they were descended from a population of their ancestor which had a shortened lifespan as a consequence of regularly dying young, and their life expectancy when excluding infant death is still 15 years.

----

This species cannot be approved until my retconned description for Seashrog, which has just been sitting there in the revisions thread, is reviewed/approved, as it mentions a feature which is added in the altered description.

Piperoot Colonystalk (Eusociolphyte plumba)
Creator: Solpimr
Ancestor: Beach Colonystalks
Habitat: Fermi Temperate Beach, Fermi Desert
Size: Defense Phytids 50 cm Tall, Synthetic Phytids 1 m Wide, Storage Phytids 70 cm Wide, Spore Phytids 1 m Tall, Desalination Phytids 10 cm Wide
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Support: Cell Wall (Cellulose)
Reproduction: Asexual, Stoloniferous Budding and Airborne Cylindrical Spores

Piperoot Colonystalks have replaced their ancestor in Fermi temperate beach. While all collonystalks share water and nutrients between members of the colony through their shared root system, the piperoot colonystalk takes this further than its relatives. The storage phytids produce specialized roots known as “piperoots”. These roots contain hollow tubules filled with water. These roots then link up with other storage phytids or desalination phytids. New phytids most often form by budding off these piperoots, giving them a source of water and nutrients while they develop.

A colonies life begins when an airborne spore lands and germinates into a synthetic phytid. Once it matures this founder phytid will then produce a storage phytid. The storage phytid in turn will grow the pieproots and begin budding off new phytids. Should a spore land within an existing colony, or near the edge of one its life cycle is somewhat different. Instead of the new grown synthetic phytid producing its own storage phytid the taproot will instead grow towards the nearest piperoot and eventually link with it. This is possible because, like the root caps of many earth plants, the tip of the root is sensitive to chemical cues in the soil. In a sense they “sniff out” the location of the nearest piperoot.

Established colonies will also link up to each other, forming massive mega-colonies. These can stretch as much as eight kilometers inland from the beach, well into the desert itself. This colonization of the desert is made possible by the cooperative nature of the mega-colonies and their effect as ecosystem engineers. Their root system stabilized the soil and the piperoots which extend out of the colony provided hospitable places for new phytids to grow. The water used by these desert dwelling members of the mega-colonies is mostly former sea water desalinated by coastal desalination phytids. Further inland colonies are small, rare, and centered around oases such as those stabilized by bonespires.

A colonies composition is determined by environmental factors. While all colonies have defensive phytids(1), synthetic phytids(2), spore phytids(3) and storage phytids(4) only those on the beach have desalination phytids(not pictured). This is because the formation of desalination phytids is triggered by groundwater salinity. In mega-colonies the edge facing the sea will have a higher density of desalination phytids because the desert dwelling portions make the colony as a whole “thirstier”.
Defense phytids are concentrated near the edge of the colony and are relatively short lived. As a colony expand the majority of defense phytids within central region will die off and be replaced by synthetic phytids. Significant and repeated damage to other phytids however can lead to the colony growing more defense phytids within its interior however. Rather than being permanently bent like those of their ancestor the defense phytids of the piperoot colonystalk are flexible. If they are touched, such as by a parasite or a passing herbivore they bend towards the stimulus and release a puff of their irritating defense powder.

Tidal Shrubite (Australospira amphibia)

Creator: Giant Blue Anteater
Ancestor: Wind Shrubite
Habitat: Fermi Polar Beach, Fermi Temperate Beach
Size: 30 cm to 160 cm tall
Support: Silica and calcium carbonate shell
Diet: Planktovore
Respiration: Passive (via pores on the top and bottom sections)
Thermoregulation: Unknown
Reproduction: Sexual, haploid airborne spores, one gender; fragmentation

The tidal shrubite has replaced the Wind shrubite in the Fermi Contienent and thanks to its novel mode of reproduction and more flexible, amphibious lifestyle, it has spread to the temperate regions as well. Instead of the fragmentary budding of the narrow top section from its ancestor, it has not only regained the ability to produce proto-spores, but also produces them such that they are haploid, and must combine with another haploid proto-spore to form a new individual. These proto-spores shall be termed haplospores.

This reproductive innovation, in addition to increasing their range, has resulted in favorable traits becoming distributed throughout the populations of this species, rapidly speeding up evolutionary change versus its asexual ancestor. Among these: its body is now divided into three sections: the broad, porous lower base that collects microbes during high tide (consumed via phagocytosis); a solid, narrower middle section; and a narrower still, porous upper section where haplospores are released into the wind. The pores of both the top and bottom sections are capable of gas exchange.

As the water has proven to be a more reliable source of food as opposed to the air, the tidal shrubite has taken advantage of this fact by specializing in feeding only on microplankton that washes up against its feeding base. The size of the organism is dependent on how closely it has settled to the water in its littoral habitat, with the result being that larger organisms collect more microplankton during high tide than smaller ones. These individuals also need to be able to release haplospores above the water, as they do not travel as far submerged.

Due to the new mechanism of feeding, it no longer encases its prey in its shell to grow, and instead grows out from the center from the day of its conception, distributing shell-building materials throughout its body as it grows, ensuring it not only receives a constant supply of food and other nutrients whenever available, but also gasses. It incorporates both silica and calcium carbonate into its shell.

Like its ancestor, the tidal shrubite still has an end-summer mating season where the haplospores are released, followed later by a long winter hibernation period. To avoid freezing to death, it utilizes an antifreeze protein that keeps the cytoplasm of its cells fluid even while surrounded by rock-solid ice, ensuring the organism's survival through the long polar winter.

This post has been edited by Giant Blue Anteater: Aug 21 2021, 08:57 PM

Guangu (Ungulasaurus protoruminans)

Creator: TheBigDeepC
Ancestor: Fat Lizatokage
Habitat: Vivus Volcanic, Vivus Rocky, Vivus High Grassland, Darwin Chaparral, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Dixon-Darwin Rocky
Size: 90 cm Long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Herbivore (Cryobowls, Glaalgaes, Phalangrass, Strangleroot, Aloberacteus, Inda, Crystal Brambley, Arid Puffgrass, Crystal Swordgrass, Snow Windbulb, Fuzzyfan, Fibreflora shoots, Crowned Kingrush shoots, Crystamble shoots, Robust Arid Ferine Berries, Coniflor Berries, Cragmyr Berries, Feroak Berries, Gecoba Tree Fruit)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Mesotherm (Basking)
Reproduction: Sexual, Soft-Shelled Eggs Laid in Mound Nest, Male and Female

A passable evolutionary design can only go for so long, especially when it is easily preyed upon by most predators. The final straw that triggered the fat lizatokage’s replacement was the arrival of the agropspyt, which made it harder for it to acquire enough food for itself. At that point, it had to evolve into the guangu.

One of the first adaptations that the guangu went through was its coloration changing due to their ancestor’s original green coloration making it stick out like a sore thumb against the purple flora and various colors of dirt, which constantly put the fat lizatokage’s entire population under threat of extinction. Instead, the guangu has purple stripes on its lower half and its entire skin is colored like the soil it lives around; guangus living in the Vivus region have a more black-colored skin to blend in with the volcanic terrain, while those in the Dixon-Darwin region have golden skin. This type of coloration helps the guangu blend in with its environment, providing a small amount of protection that the fat lizatokage lacked.

Along with coloration, the guangu enhanced its speed with several small adaptations. The first of these is that the guangu takes on a semi-sprawling stance, which gives it a speed advantage over sprawling organisms. To further enhance this stance, the guangu’s feet are raised further up than its ancestor’s, helping it pick up speed at a quicker rate compared to several of its relatives, including its ancestor. It is not only capable bursts of speed, but it is also capable of galloping similarly to a terran freshwater crocodile. Lastly, to help protect its limbs from injury, the guangu has evolved osteoderms on its forelimbs; these are white on the Dixon-Darwin guangus, while they are a dark gray on the Vivus guangus.

In the events it is otherwise unable to escape from predators, the guangu has evolved the capability of autotomy. Autotomy allows the guangu to separate itself from its tail to make a quick getaway. However, this method is not only costly in terms of needing more food to restore its tail back, but it also makes it trickier to gallop without the tail to help balance it, and it can only do this once; therefore, this defense mechanism is only used as a last resort.

The last, but most important, adaptation that the guangu made is that its stomach is divided into two chambers to help it extract as many nutrients from its food as possible, even if it is considered inadequate for most other herbivorous organisms. The first chamber is a hot-spot for microbes that help with fermenting the chewed up vegetation and breaking down the cellulose further. After this fermentation process, the food is regurgitated, chewed again, then swallowed once more, where it goes into the second chamber. The second chamber acts similarly to the average stomach by digesting the heavily-broken-down food, saliva, and microbes and providing the guangu its required nourishment. This allows the guangu to feed on all kinds of plants that the agropspyt would hardly ever bother feeding on, though even the guangu will feed on fallen fruit sometimes. However, in order for the microbes to thrive properly, the guangu is a mesotherm, which helps it maintain a minimum body temperature, making it easier for it to raise its body temperature compared to an ectotherm.

To defend itself, the guangu does the following; first, it will hide among the dirt, rocks, and flora with its rudimentary camouflage. If this fails, it swipes its tail tipped in sharp osteoderms and gallop away from the predator. If the predator persists, it will try to flee into coarse vegetation that can protect it or deliver a nasty kick covered in sharp osteoderms. But if it finds itself in a near-hopeless situation, it will detach its tail as mentioned earlier.

Similarly to its ancestor, the guangu still smell to watch out for predators and find food. The guangu also utilizes its fat storages for energy during leaner times, which gives it an advantage against those desperately seeking food during times of famine. The guangu also uses its colorful dewlap to express general needs and emotions, though its patterns are less elaborate compared to the fat lizatokage’s. The guangu typically has its dewlap as a lighter shade of its skin color, but when excited or attracting mates, the dewlap becomes a brilliant lemon-lime color and it bobs its head up and down in a nodding motion; when angered or heavily distressed, its dewlap becomes an unmistakable hot pink color and it holds its head up high. During mating season, guangus gather in territories and males compete by flaunting their dewlaps to gather as many females as possible. If tension between the males arises, they bite one another, and occasionally swipe their tails at one another until the other relents. Once mating is successful, the females gather leaf litter to lay their eggs in mound-nests similar to those of terran alligators and guard them from egg-eating predators. Once the young hatch, the females do guard their young until they have grown to be 30 centimeters long. Once this occurs, the females no longer raise their young as their parental instincts go no further than that; fortunately, the young are capable of taking care of themselves at this point. Finally, guangus can live up to 15 to 20 years.

Cryobowler Srugeing (Scaphiumphilus ephermeralus)
Creator: Oofle
Ancestor: Srugeing
Habitat: Maineiac Temperate Riparian, Maineiac Temperate Beach, Maineiac Polar Beach.
Size: 20 cm Wingspan (Adult)
Diet: Adult: (N/A) Larvae: (Carnivore, Cloudswarmers, Minikruggs (Fallen Into Cryobowls),Kleptoparasite (Prey Caught by Carnivorous Cryobowls), Planktivore, Cryoutines.)
Respiration: Juvenile: Semi-active (Gill); Adult: Semi-active (Lung-like gill)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Muscle Activity)
Support: ?

Reproduction: Sexual, Spawning in Water, Two Genders

As the Srugeing continued to live about in the way they do, with large flights of short-lived adults spawning long-lived larvae, most of which wouldn’t survive to adulthood, specialization was inevitable.

The Cryobowler Srugeing has split off from its ancestor and is specialized to spawn within cryobowls. This has come with a suite of adaptations to avoid predation from the very flora it is spawning in, and to ensure its larvae are able to fit in the (admittedly small) cryobowls. The first of such adaptations is the bright colors of the adult. Though at first they may seem random and nonsensically vibrant, are actually good for blending in with cryobowls from above, the pink and purple mottling mostly matching the fluid contained within the cryobowls. Also, similarly to their relative the Snowmelt Srugeing, Cryobowler Srugeings have internalized their ‘lung bumps’, which serves as a way to protect them and to increase how aerodynamic the Cryobowler Srugeing is.

Adult Cryobowler Srugeings do not eat. Although they retain a functional jaw and digestive system they mostly live off of fat reserves accumulated from their larval diet, which is mainly comprised of symbiotic cryoutines within the cryobowl, and also includes some small fauna.

Cryobowler Srugeings have little way to tell apart carnivorous cryobowls and non-carnivorous ones, but the eggs and larvae are able to release a protein that ’gums up’ the enzymes produced in these bowls. Although unable to protect the larvae from particularly caustic species, it is able to prevent most carnivorous cryobowls from digesting them.

Cryobowler Srugeings technically gain the ability to fly before true adulthood, since they are already born with large fins, the larvae are often pushed by their small birthplaces to take some adventurous first glides out. This is the reason why they do not lose their digestive system, as though it burns fat to fly, cryobowls often do not contain enough food or space for near-adult individuals. Thus, while for most of their larval stage they remain in the bowl, during the last few weeks individuals gain full flight, and it is during these last few weeks they experience most major changes as well. To be specific: they go through a small growth spurt, the upper, dorsal and abdominal fins atrophy while the lower tailfin lengthens (for aerodynamics) and the gonads mature.

Finally, in a synchronized event, these mature individuals stop eating for good and focus exclusively on mating, relying only on their sheer numbers to prevent predators from eating them all during the search for a cryobowl. This frantic final week is where females and males alike fly long distances to find suitably inhabited cryobowls to spawn within. Yet, by the end of the ~7 day period (the specific timing of this period tends to fluctuate a little bit depending on availability of food and predation rates), those same adults that had frantically fluttered with the utmost energy all the other days, are laying dead or dying on the ground or in the very cryobowls they spawned in.
Though the lung of a Cryobowler Srugeing needs to be kept moist to function, mature Cryobowler Srugeings do not moisturize it, as by the time it dries out in their native cool climates they’ll likely already have burnt most of their fat reserves in flight.