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I like the pattern on this creature, although I do think it's a little close to the wedgenose of beta as a result of the colors being based on the same animal.. I wonder why gazelles have that conspicuous side stripe, anyway?

It could probably be justified after the fact by consulting the various uses of melanin in tissues, although it's unclear exactly what pigmented plent "bark".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanin#Other_organisms

It's possible that, whatever benefit melanin gave its ancestor, camouflage was a superior benefit with its new lifestyle or size.
" it is retained as insulation, as its structure traps heat fairly well." That suggests it is useful, but it only lives in tropical environments. (Admittedly, subtropical habitats don't exist in Alpha yet, and having some insulation would probably help for those.) Do the small babies lose heat faster, especially in shaded environments, simply due to their small size, and the bark helps counteract that? If so, it's odd (but still excusable) it's not on the legs, since the legs would cool faster.

"Because it evolved its long legs so quickly," Can you elaborate? Did it not have much time to change up to this arbitrary point in time? Did it have a bunch of lucky, drastic leg-lengthening mutations spread rapidly through the population, rather than gradual, whole-limb transformations?

" to blend in with the dark trees." That suggests intention, which is okay for Shrogs making spears or other intelligent organisms, but not here.

I like the art and design.

This post has been edited by Coolsteph: May 15 2021, 10:50 AM

I mean, there can be evolutionary "intention" in that features tend to evolve for a reason. That's the case with shrogs being different colors too. I don't understand the point you're making with the wording.

Insulation can trap heat and it can block excess heat. I also imagined this being somewhat like an ostrich, which is also cursorial and has naked legs. I'll edit with some clarifications soon.

It is indeed rapid selection of long leg mutations. Had the assault of the argusraptors been slower, they could evolve more gradually, gain hooves, and lose toes along the way, reaching this form with legs better suited to running.

"Hunters wear camouflage to sneak up on deer" suggests purpose and intention. Hunters know they won't get spotted by deer, or at least not as quickly, if they wear camouflage. "Tigers evolved stripes to hide in grass" suggests tigers had purpose and intention and a choice in the matter, as if they all collectively directed their evolution by magical means or ensured the stripy individuals had the most babies. Intention and purpose through the course of evolution are common misconceptions in popular understandings of biology, although the stakes are admittedly low in a speculative evolution project like this. On a related note, with the surge of chimpanzee/corvid-level-using tool-using fauna lately, it may be especially useful to mark out when a behavior is deliberate and when it just appears to be deliberate, like bees making wax cells or spiders making webs. (Though that doesn't apply for this organism)

This post has been edited by Coolsteph: May 15 2021, 12:52 PM

But is the appearance of a trait for a reason really not in a sense intentional? Tigers evolved to have stripes so that they could blend in with (correction) branches and leaf litter. The trait became widespread in the population because it has a purpose. Meanwhile, "unintentional" evolutionary traits also exist--in some circumstances such as population bottlenecks, a freak mutation can become established in a species' population without any reason for it to have evolved, such as the loss of blood pigment, a reduction of the immune system, or a sudden doubling of the entire genome. And this isn't even getting into the bizarre way cephalopods evolve, which is literally goal-oriented evolution in real life. I've even seen so-called spec gods compare evolution and human society, noting that both show a pattern of testing new ideas and picking the best one, just one by mutation of a genome and the other by electrical signals in a brain.

Any more discussion needed?

Only if Coolsteph still wants me to change that line.

Well, yes, I do want you to change that line.

Approval Checklist:
Art:
Art Present?: Y
Art clear?: Y
Gen number?: Y
All limbs shown?: Y
Reasonably Comparable to Ancestor?: Y
Realistic additions?: Y

Name: Barkbuck
Binomial Taxonomic Name?: Cervolepus planilanx
Creator?: Disgustedorite

Ancestor: Scrub Barkback
Listed?: Y
What changes?:

• External?: Longer legs, colorful bark, shorter tail
• Internal?: N
• Behavioral/Mental?: Sprinting from predators ala Gazelles

Are Changes Realistic?: Y
New Genus Needed?: (If yes, list why) Already added

Habitat:
Type?: Tropical (1/2)
Flavor?: Woodland, Scrubland, Grassland (3/3)
Connected?: Y
Wildcard?: N

Size:
Same as Ancestor?: N
Within range?: Y
Exception?: N/A

Support: Jointed Wood
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N
Other?: N/A

Diet: Herbivore
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Transition Rule?: N/A
Reasonable changes (if any)?:

Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?:
Other?:

Thermoregulation: Mesotherm
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?:

Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Male and Female
Same as Ancestor?: Y
Does It Fit Habitat?: Y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: N/A
Other?:

Description:
Length?: Good
Capitalized correctly?: Y
Replace/Split from ancestor?: Split
Other?:

Status: Approved