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Poisonous Chickenpear Perpinguis pullumpirum



Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Needlewing
Habitat: Ichthy Tropical Riparian, Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Size: 60 cm Tall
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Vermees, Minikrugg, Silkrugg, Teacup Saucebacks, Neuks, Dartirs, Sapworms, Mikuks, Feluks, Pioneeroots, Sunstalks, Gecoba Tree (fruit), Twintail Orbibom, Common Fraboo, Shrubrattus), Scavenger (carrion), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Pouch

The Chickenpear split from its ancestor, the Needlewing, and took on a more biennial niche. The first and second stages are specialized for their own notably unique roles in the environment.

A young Chickenpear will leave its mother with a body size of about 5 mm to 2 cm depending on how much energy it had obtained during its initial growth period inside her. During this early time in its existence it will scour the environment for various life forms smaller than it usually going after Minikrugg and Vermees found in forest floor litter. These tiny solitary hunters must take care when searching for prey lest they run into a larger member of their own species, they may become prey themselves as the species is enthusiastically cannibalistic during their early days.

The skin of a young Chickenpear is patterned to blend into the soil, underbrush, and shadows around them. During this period of time when they're very small they will hide directly in the leaf litter, underneath the debris and often ambushing prey when it walks across or hiding from predators in it. Their specialized wings are lifted away from the body and shaped in a manner so that if a potential predator does spy them then they are more likely to go after this body part and allow the actual young chick to flee the scene relatively unscathed. In the beginning it will be fairly gangly in appearance, being far more leg and odd looking wing than anything else, but as it ages through the year it rapidly increases in size to become more proportional.

As the young Chickenpear grows in size, its diet will become more diverse, expanding from hunting strictly tiny fauna, like Mikuks and smaller Minikruggs, to also include small flora and carrion. They will begin to seek out fruits of flora that have fallen onto the ground, and even begin to hunt larger prey including the Shrubrattus and Common Fraboo. They will become too large to hide directly in the leaf litter and begin using the underbrush: it won't be quite as effective at completely covering their bodies but the skin markings will still do their job. In addition to this they will begin to develop their more mature defense mechanism, which is a very toxic arsenic based poison throughout their tissues, one of the main components involving arsine. This gradually builds up as higher and higher concentrations in their tissues as they age, and gradually their camouflage pattern gives way to a more plain green coloration both as a minor source of photosynthesis as well as a warning to many predators that this is a potentially poisonous organism. The rate of this accumulation is reliant on the available arsenic in their local environment, this leads to variations in how toxic the species is from population to population. However, their accumulation of the element leads to an increase of bioavailable arsenic in the area for future generations as they die or shed it back into the top layers of the soil.
The mechanism through which this poison interacts with its victim is to bond with hemoglobin in the blood to denature it, deform and destroy blood cells, and rapidly cause coagulation and blood clotting.
However to another member of the Plent kingdom the poison just tastes rather rancid or unpleasant due to the high arsenic content, the compound not being capable of fully taking advantage of the unique form of oxygen carrying pigments in Plent blood.

Their population covers multiple latitudes spanning from subtropics to temperate regions, the majority of their population being found in the subtropical regions. In the colder areas they tend to travel to lowlands and if they do end up stuck in an area that gets covered in snow they will burrow down into the leaf litter of the forest floor and wait it out in a lower metabolic state. This results in those living in temperate regions to generally be smaller in stature than those found in subtropical regions.

After a year, they will have reached mature size and will begin seeking a mate. Once found males will approach with care and they will couple, after which the male will attempt to flee, though often the female is able to out maneuver and devour it. For a short while the female will continue to have a hunter scavenger lifestyle, but then it will switch to a sedentary lifestyle staying in place, usually after finding a semi-protected area from the elements.

The embryos of this species have developed a few changes from more traditional embryo behaviors. The embryo has developed a period in its early stages where aggressive polyembryony is the standard. Its chemical signaling to the mother's body has increased focus on lowering metabolic rate earlier on, minimizing the amount of nutrients being spent by the mother. This signaling ceases digestive activity as well and fatigues the muscles.

Loose embryonic cells will fill the reproductive tract of the Chickenpear, spilling out and spreading along the inside cavities of the body. They will colonize the lining of the stomach as well as the more traditional brooding pouch. As this large population of developing young fight among themselves to be able to embed further and spread their placental tissue into the organ linings of their home many will fail to find a spot to plant themselves and perish.

As the thousand or so embryos establish themselves and begin drawing nutrients from their mother's tissues one of the first things to wither away are her legs. No longer being useful, the body responds to the sudden drop in viable energy by drawing as much substance from the limbs as possible. They shrivel away into thin twigs that eventually snap off and disappear in time.

Over the next handful of weeks, the developing offspring will compete further with one another as their placental tissues continue to infiltrate their environment and meet. At this point they will directly parasitize one another, and a second wave of losses will occur as the largest ones consume those who had not implanted themselves quickly enough or in areas with poorer blood circulation. Often a quarter to a third of their population will have succumbed to this form of cannibalization.

Eventually, the mother's body will begin to mummify alive as the hundreds of developing fetuses draw liquid out from her tissue in order to bulk their own. At this point the chemical signals from the developing Young will have brought her personal metabolism so low that she's almost able to sustain cellular activity via her photosynthesis. However she still needs to tap into energy reserves from her time as an active hunter, however meager they've become.

At some point eventually, the mother's body fails, a dried husk of what it once was. The lungs have stopped, the heart has ceased, and the green in the skin and wings become nothing more than decoration. From here many of the infants should be developed enough to be able to take care of themselves, and they begin to leave their home, in various sizes dependent on how they've passed their first trial in life.

Falseglox (Patientia hagloxmimus)
Creator: Coolsteph
Ancestor: Lipped Sauceback
Habitat: Drake Boreal (4.6 km up) Drake Alpine
Size: 3 m long
Diet: Herbivore (Frigid Vesuvianites leaves, saplings and inner tissue, Vesuvianite Tree leaves, saplings and inner tissue, Towering Grovecrystal leaves, saplings and inner tissue, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Lurcreeper (most tissues) Xidhorchia (leaves, most tissues), Snow Puff (leaves, stems) Forest Venomerald, Windulb leaves and bulbs, Alpine Hedgelog leaves, twigs, shoots, and berries, Toxplage leaves and fruits, Sunstalks, Parasitic Floats, Hair Nimbuses, Alpine Cirruses, Larachoys, Larands)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Eggs)

Falsegloxes' size, torso shape, tail curvature, fuzziness and fuzz pattern, dark, solid-colored coat and fairly long, fleshy snout make them resemble a juvenile Haglox in poor lighting, hence the name. The difference becomes still closer when purplish juvenile Falsegloxes dust-bathe and coat their bodies in dark brown particles. In good lighting, however, it is clear Falsegloxes are quite a different sort of Sauceback, such as from its lack of tusks, fewer toes, eyestrils, sauce shapes, and color.

The species has thick, shaggy feathery coats, which become still longer as winter approaches. Its chest is deeper than its ancestor's, allowing greater capacity for its intestines, and therefore the ability to extract nutrition from even tough flora material. Its feathers are longer and shaggier around its neck and chest, exaggerating its slightly top-heavy proportions.

Falsegloxes will eat almost any kind of flora tissue, even if it's thorny, tough, acidic, bitter, odd-tasting, or mildly poisonous. The acidic taste of Alpine Hedglog fruits do not deter it at all, and it simply ignores any dermatitis from the rare snack of Alpine Cirruses, like a human eating fresh pineapple ignoring the sting of the fruit's enzymes. Oddly, it has no interest in eating Pagoda Crystals. Their appetites are so broad they will happily eat Supershrooms or Sapshrooms, although they rarely comprise a significant part of its diet because of its sheer size and those species not as common and easy to acquire as other flora. Falsegloxes eat twigs, shoots, and saplings of Alpine Hedgelogs, Frigid Vesuvianites, Vesuvanite trees, and Towering Grovecrystals. In the winter, Falsegloxes will even gnaw on the trunks of its chosen boreal tree species to access more tender layers inside. Much like Earth's deer, it can girdle trees in this way, seriously hindering their survival. In leaner years, the effects of Falsegloxes are obvious in the early spring: nearly all the trees growing in the upper altitudes of Drake Boreal are girdled, killed, or look chewed on up to a certain height, except for Pagoda Crystals. Were it not for their reduced appetites during the first two weeks of laying eggs, incubating young, and feeding their offspring, their appetites might be a bigger threat to Alpine Hedgelogs, a necessary shelter for their young.

==Reproduction & Maturation==

Though there is less food in the alpine regions, they nearly always (barring travel delays) lay their eggs and brood their young in Drake Alpine, beyond the reach of its predators. If there are weather delays, however, it will locate a hard-to-access rocky area with several Alpine Hedgelogs. They breed mainly in a somewhat lower, flatter part of Drake Alpine to the east and northeast, since it has Alpine Hedgelogs. They lay eggs and incubate their young among Alpine Hedgelog “hedges”. Falsegloxes lay 1-3 soft-shelled eggs at a time.

The young are more strongly purplish, and don’t stray far from the Alpine Hedgelogs. Similarly to Hagloxes, the larval stage is short, lasting about three weeks until it changes into its juvenile shape. The larvae hatch with a thick fuzzy coat and tend to look scruffy, their fuzz sticking out like Alpine Hedgelog twigs. Most of its pre-adult life stage is spent in the juvenile shape, which resembles, if imprecisely, smaller versions of the adults.

Similarly to a distantly-related lineage of saucebacks, waxfaces, it feeds its young “crop milk”. Unlike waxfaces, this substance is secreted from its esophagus, not a crop. They accumulate fairly large stores of fat in the months before the breeding season, allowing them to feed their young fatty crop milk.

As Falsegloxes mature, their feathers change to a dull purplish color, although some brighter coloration remains along the spine, and especially the upper neck and the top of the head. A curly tuft on its head, like the forelock of a horse, is almost universal in the species. Some individuals also keep “sideburns” of purple coloration below their ears for much of their lives.

==Anti-Predator Adaptations==

As a large herbivore, it is unable to limit itself only to habitats dominated by particular flora. Consequently, its dark grey coat is a compromise between its habitat’s frozen brown soil, dark bluish-green and very dark green Larachoys, dark purple Alpine Hedgelogs, and dark brown Alpine Cirruses.
Their thick feathers and the layer of fat along their "necks" (technically sensory proboscises) and chests offer a degree of protection against shallow injuries to these vulnerable locations.

They often migrate between Drake Alpine and the upper reaches of Drake Boreal, near the treeline. Some migrate into lower altitudes on an almost nightly basis. Although Drake Alpine has none of its predators at time of evolution, a herbivore of its size cannot sustain itself on only the small, hardy flora there or Alpine Hedgelog bushes.They are more skittish in Drake Boreal, and more inclined to live in groups there. During the winter, when there's even less food and harsher weather in Drake Alpine, they are more commonly found in the lower limits of their altitude range in Drake Boreal. Much like the bighorn sheep of Earth, they keep close to escape routes of steep, rocky terrain, which they can handle better than their major predators, Drakeshrog-Bannertail packs, and especially Drakeshrogs.

Up to a point, they become bolder in their foraging on colder days, when Drakeshrog-Bannertail packs are comparatively poorly-equipped, especially for its Bannertails. Yet, even deep in winter, they are not entirely safe: Falsejaw Sauceback packs are even more cold-adapted than they are.

Its thick, fuzzy footpads protect it from the rashes caused by Alpine Cirruses, which are a nuisance to various would-be pursuers, though the hooved Falsejaw Saucebacks are one notable exception.

Unlike the Double-Lipped Sauceback, another large herbivore in the area, it is largely nocturnal, which helps it avoid predators. It has only blurry greyscale vision. Since colors are much harder to distinguish at night, the fact its coat doesn’t really match the local flora isn’t as much of an issue. Though it stands out against the trunks of much-lighter Vesuvianite trees, most of the time they are big enough to cast a lot of shade, flattening the already-small color differences at night.

Name: Aardoorn (Tamadonyx serratascapula)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Thumbwalker (Xenochiros oveocephalus)
Habitat: Fermi Temperate Beach, Fermi Desert
Size: 2 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Omnivore (Nectarworm, Coastal Nectarworm, Flamboyant Fan Bloister, Hockel larvae, Communal Janit, Infilt Pewpa, Xenobees, Minikruggs, Cloudswarmers, Vermees, Silkruggs, Xenowasps, Neuks, Dartirs, Sapworms, Cleaner Borvermid (occasionally), False Cleaner Borvermid (occasionally), Mainland Fuzzpalm berries, Fuzzpile berries)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Ovoviviparous

Being poorly adapted for cold temperatures, populations of thumbwalkers would gradually get pushed northwards into warmer latitudes such as the beaches and deserts. Some populations that arrived on the beaches went on to become the semi-aquatic beach thumbwalker, but those that settled the deserts would become a different species, known as the aardoorn.

The aardoorn still retains several features with their ancestors, like the sphincters within their nostrils to keep their airways clear and translucent eyelids to protect their sensitive eyes from irritants produced by colonystalks. While they do wander into these flora to find food, they no longer live only among them and instead spend a lot of their time wandering around large territories searching for their main food sources.

Much like their ancestors, a large portion of the aardoorn’s diet consists of small insect-like fauna such as sapworms or vermees. Much of their prey either live on tall flora or within burrows, so the forelimbs of the aardoorn have become very different from their ancestor. Firstly, the weight bearing digit has become longer while the nail on said digit has become shorter and more hoof-like. While the main reason such changes occurred was for stability, it also helped with digging out small burrowing prey like certain minikrugg species. While the species no longer climbs trees to get prey, the large second digit still retains adaptations for grappling tree bark and has even become better adapted to do such a thing by being longer and bearing a hooked claw. This large digit helps grab onto a trunk when the aardoorn rears up onto its hindlimbs and tail(which has become longer to help provide support), which increases the range of where the aardoorn can reach prey.

Unlike its ancestor, the aardoorn’s tongue is extremely long and flexible which further increases their feeding range. This tongue is also covered in small amounts of mucus that helps lap up its insect-like prey to then be pulled into the mouth. Once in the mouth, the back teeth of the aardoorn helps process its food before it gets swallowed. Though most of what the aardoorn feeds on are small fauna, populations that live along Fermi’s temperate beach will also take advantage of berries grown by purple flora such as mainland fuzzpalms.

While its larger size does give the aardoorn some degrees of protection, they were still vulnerable to the largest carnivores in the area like the shantak. While their dark coloration does hide them during the day as it blends in with the black sand around them, this alone is not enough to protect them. This has resulted in the aardoorn evolving more extensive armor from its ancestral thorns, with those around the shoulder region being large spikes that can poke anything that tries to attack the aardoorn’s flank. While the osteoderms do give the aardoorn some degree of protection, it also responds to predators in a similar fashion to a Terran sloth bear, where its best chances of survival are to turn the tables on an attacker as quickly and violently as possible. Fully grown aardoorns will almost never flee when attacked, instead they will viciously attack their assailant with their shoulder spikes and long forelimbs. The color changing skin patches of their ancestor also help deter threats, flashing an assortment of bright colors like yellow or red as a visual warning to predators.

These skin patches are also useful for communication, displaying their general condition and emotions to others of their kind in a similar fashion to the ancient tileback. These structures are especially useful for sexual displays, where males will flash various colors to attract females. Since water is fairly scarce in parts of their range and primarily salty in other parts of it, the aardoorn has adapted to retain their eggs within the body cavity. By the time the several youngsters are born, they have already developed past the tadpole stage and thus do not need water for respiration. The youngsters resemble miniature adults but with a few differences, with the remnants of a tail fin that gets absorbed in a few days and underdeveloped armor. The underdeveloped armor does mean the youngsters rely much more on camouflage and will prefer to run instead of fight, which is different from the adults.


An aardoorn with its tongue fully extended.

Alright, here is my species of Thumbwalker! Hopefully this adds some variety for the Xenocheirids, being a completely new genus and all that. Do give your critiques on the species!

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Nov 7 2021, 07:49 AM

Lesser Bloisters (Parvitrullapectin ssp.)


Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Bloister
Habitat: Global (Sagan 4)
Size: 10-20cm Long
Support: Exoskeleton
Diet: planktivore, detritivore, Scavenger
Respiration:
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Spores, 1 Gender mating types

The Lesser Bloisters split from their ancestor the Bloister and greatly diversified in species filling many available niches of short-lived scavengers, Planktivores, and Detritivores on the the ocean floor and in intertidal zones. The the most diversity can be found in neritic zone where sunlight can reach the ocean floor.

Some standard shared traits of this group are having a head segment comprising 15% to 50% of the body length dependent on what their preferred food source is, and six shorter segments following that. A single pair of antennae jut out from their heads roughly from the top center and point back toward their posterior end over their bodies. Six legs with two segments all attaching between the third and fourth body segment, all their legs twist so that their ends to some degree face toward the anterior of the body, and the final pair of legs are roughly half the length of the first two pairs. A single set of manipulating arms attaches to the front of the first segment, the arm is comprised of three mobile segments, with the final segment being a scoop shape. The first segment of the manipulating arm from the body typically provides the majority of the length of this limb with the second segment typically being shortened into nothing more but a pivoting point for their scoop.

This scoop has been altered in length and width depending on its use in the decisive niches of each kind of Little Bloister. Those that collect sand to sift for debris have wide scoops, others have longer stronger scoops that are more dagger-like for dividing up and tearing into dead bodies, and even some have vestigial scoops and rely on lifestyles of sifting open waters.
Accompanying these scoops in all species are sifting feather-like structures, much like their ancestral bloister, which again like the scoop has been changed to match necessary uses in their various ways of survival. Large fan like structures for sifting open water, stouter tougher forms for pairing with the scoops in sifting sand, vestigial forms in order to stay out of the way of scoops meant for more direct brute force interactions with their food.

Their colors vary wildly depending on where the various members can be found. Those living in open films will match color of the sands that they're walking on, burying into the sand when in danger. Others will live on the rocks and slip underneath, replicating the colors of the small rocks around them. And still there are those that live on flora or near them and match their coloration climbing up among fronds and blending in to hide from predators.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Oct 13 2021, 08:10 PM

Quail Raptor (Cortuniraptor nychocauda)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Interbiat
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Vivus Boreal, Vivus Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Huggs Temperate Riparian, Bone Temperate Riparian, Irinya Temperate Riparian, Javen Temperate Rainforest
Size: 20 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Omnivore (Vermees, Teacup Sauceback larvae, Gamergate Gundis, Mikuks, Aphluks, Feluks, Neuks, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Parasitic Floats, Bristlepile Berries, Grub Krugg, Whiskrugg, Hair Nimbuses, Silkruggs, Minikruggs)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs in Nests)

The quail raptor split from its ancestor. It can be thought of as a miniature version of the interbiat, as it has a similar diet and feeding habits; it is to the interbiat as a quail is to a chicken. However, it has undergone some physical changes which serve to optimize it in its environment.

The quail raptor's internal teeth are very small and more numerous, serving more as oral spines which prevent food from falling from its mouth, a necessity given its jaws open sideways rather than up and down. It does not use them to process food at all, though they remain mobile, if only because the same muscles that move them are also used to swallow food. The increased number of teeth is reflected in its increased number of eyestrils, as they are developmentally tied to the teeth; in order to fit so many eyestrils on its face, the scent line is wavy instead of straight or slightly curved as it is on other saucebacks. The reduplicate eyestrils also allow it to see better in the darkness of the obsidian forests.

The quail raptor has narrow, slightly upturned mandibles compared to its ancestor. This makes it better at rummaging through soil and leaf litter for food. It usually eats small things, though occasionally it might dig up a mature teacup sauceback larva (at the "fat hairy sausage" stage); when this happens, it does not hesitate to try to devour it, even if it's half its own length, because the mature larva is helpless to stop it and is effectively a free sauceback nugget. It also consumes berries and shrooms when they're available.

The quail raptor also bears a pair of slightly mobile spikes on either side of its tail. These are actually true branches of its tail, produced by a similar mutation to that which created the namesake of the extinct two-tailed saucebacks. When a quail raptor flees upwards into a tree, the spikes dig into the bark, allowing it to cling to the trunk more easily than it can using only its wings. They can also assist in stability while mating, which is an awkward ordeal in flying saucebacks due to their long wing feathers getting in the way.

Like its ancestor, the quail raptor is still capable of echolocating, an ability which it uses to help it navigate the dark forests. When frightened, it goes completely silent and sits still, waiting for any potential danger to pass. Its dark coloration is cryptic among the dark leaf litter, not only to us but to jewel-eyed sauceback predators such as young argusraptors, as it has many ultraviolet spots which match the hues reflected by leaves. Like its ancestor it can fly; its wings are larger than they appear when it is on the ground because the feathers are pulled upwards to keep them clear of the ground, and when unfurled they are broad and round.

The quail raptor nests on the ground, though it no longer does so communally to reduce the chances that its nest will be discovered. It prefers to nest somewhere where it won't be seen, such as in a hollow log, a small natural cave, or in an abandoned burrow left by another species. The nest includes leaves, twigs, feathers, and tufts of fur and plent cotton as bedding for comfort and warmth. It mates in the spring and both parents watch over the eggs, and once the chicks hatch they follow their parents around much like many Terran ground birds.

Image Caption: False color showing ultraviolet markings in red and yellow


Image Caption: Head from above


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I chose the name "quail raptor" because I thought it would be really funny if its future descendants are just called quails forever the way even super derived shrews are still called shrews because they're descended from the shrew lizard. I will change it only if you insist very strongly.

Argantua (Gigargus rugosus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Argusraptor Complex
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Javen Temperate Rainforest, Vivus Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Vivus Boreal, Vivus Volcanic (uncommon)
Size: 6.4 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Carnivore (Adults: Haglox, Westward Haglox; Juveniles: juvenile Haglox, juvenile Westward Haglox, Rainforest Phlock, Tileobsidian, Ouranocorn, Darth Shroom Herder, Hornboss, Gruesloo, Greater Plentshirshu, Goliath Flunejaw, Scrubland Hornface)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Adults: insulated by size; Juveniles: feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Bird-Like Eggs)

With Dixon-Darwin Boreal mostly devoid of large carnivores, some argusraptors turned their attention to the westward haglox, as there were no carnivores specializing in it. These argusraptors grew larger and larger, hunting older and older hagloxes, until they became large enough to take on adults. This produced the argantua, which split from its ancestor and grew considerably in size. After evolving in the mountains, it also expanded its range to include all other biomes which are home to hagloxes, though it is uncommon in the sparse Vivus Volcanic.

Argantuas generally hunt in pairs and will stalk their prey from some distance before ambushing them. They are not mated pairs, but rather siblings or unrelated friends that have known one another from a young age and are of the same sex. When hunting hagloxes, one draws its attention so that the other can rush in and bite at its neck, chest, or limbs without risk of being struck by their prey's powerful tail. Argantua mandibles are serrated like steak knives, so when the haglox struggles, it unintentionally aids them in cutting through its flesh and severing major arteries, causing the haglox to bleed to death. Similar strategies are used by juveniles hunting other species, but juveniles are also more cursorial and may chase down some prey instead of ambushing it.

As an adult, the argantua is largely featherless, apart from tufts along its legs and on the tip of its tail. Most of its body is covered in tiny chitinous scales, which are in reality formed from suppressed feathers. This gives its skin a leathery appearance and texture. Juveniles retain a covering of downy feathers, but these are shed as they grow older. Normally, in a temperate or montane region and especially one that is forested, fibrous integument would be retained in such large creatures, however the black trees absorb so much heat during the day that temperatures below the canopy in the dead of winter are more comparable to early fall at their worst, so a fully-feathered adult argantua would overheat for most of the year except in some high altitudes.

Adult female and juvenile argantuas are generally a similar color to the rocks found in their environment, so they may be mistaken for boulders. Adult males, however, are brightly colored all over, displaying their health and fitness to females. This is unusual for a superpredator, but a variety of factors have come together to allow for this vibrant sexual dimorphism. Adult argantuas only eat hagloxes, which are completely blind, thus there is no need to have camouflaged coloration to hunt them. An adult argantua is also so large and dangerous that their primary threat is other argantuas, rather than other species. The only notable predator they do have as adults, the twineshrog, uses pitfall traps instead of actively hunting, so their coloration does not increase the chances that they will be killed. The bright coloration begins to develop long before adulthood, but is initially restricted to the face and tail and spreads over the body over the course of 2 years. Old layers of chitin on the mandibles, shells, tail spike, and hooves peel away, causing them to fade towards the bright adult coloration. Though the full-body color transformation takes a lot of energy, the fact that a male stayed in good health and developed these bright colors is plainly visible proof of fitness, as disease and malnourishment during the color transformation is reflected by patches of grey or brown.

Image Caption: Adult Male


Argantuas mate once a year when it's warm enough, which translates to early or mid spring in the temperate regions. As they travel and hunt in pairs of the same sex, in general they mate pair to pair; a pair of males, after impressing a pair of females, will take turns mating with both of them. As a result, a single clutch of argantua eggs will usually have two fathers. The pair of males take no part in raising their young, as their bright coloration would draw attention to the nest, thus the pair of females raise them instead. They use their leg feathers and wing toes (which in males only serve for health indication) to incubate the eggs without crushing them. The babies are already half a meter long at hatching and follow their mothers around early in life. They hunt small prey on their own but stay close to their mother until they find a hunting partner, at which point they leave, however if they reach half their adult size before finding one they will be chased away.

The argantua is aggressive towards rival species, and it is the natural enemy of the twineshrog where their ranges overlap. When it discovers a twineshrog nest, it will immediately kick it to splinters with its hooves, and if the twineshrog within tries to flee, it will chase it down and stomp it to death. This is because twineshrogs are a major threat to the argantua, as falling into the pitfalls they dig is a guaranteed death sentence. When the argantua expanded its range beyond Dixon-Darwin Boreal, it also displaced some of the existing large carnivores in the Darwin-Vivus area. They completely wiped out the megajaw and the shikaaree in their range, and they have put considerable pressure on the bubblewraptor. Juveniles, which hunt smaller prey, have also caused the extinction of the scrubland hornface in their range by eating them all.

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This came out way prettier than I intended, I hope it still counts - I tried to echo the Barlowe style by making it very large, ugly, slightly shrinkwrapped, and covered in wrinkles.

Dune Goth Tree Creperum littori

Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Coastal Goth Tree
Size 2 Meters Tall
Habitat: Dass Temperate Beach, Jlindi Tropical Beach, BigL Tropical Beach, Clarke Temperate Beach
Support: Weight Bearing Cellulose Intracellular Matrix
Respiration: Passive (stomata)
Diet: Photosynthesis
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Gliding Berries and Puffy Spores), Asexual



The dune goth tree split from its ancestor the coastal goth tree and became a population that permanently and specifically resides on the upper portions of beaches. They have quadrupled in size to 2 m tall and wide. Often they grow in a sprawling manner with multiple main stems toward one side merely as a result of their own body weight. Their bodies above ground grow in repeating segments with stems that support leaves growing in an alternate manner up the main stem. After reaching roughly their mature height, an individual main stem will terminate in a fruiting body, elongating into a very narrow growth draped with blue fruits.

Their segmented body is very waxy and resistant to desiccation. If a section of stem is broken or buried then it will attempt to root at the base of the segments touching the ground. During the day their leaves are opened as is typical of their line of flora, during the night they close up at a hinge point as well. As is common among flora that lives in dunes and beach environments the taproot of the Dune Goth Tree is quite long to reach out and find nutrients and water.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Nov 18 2021, 10:43 PM

Beachcomber Snoot Inquisinasum littori

Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Needlewing
Habitat: Ichthy Salt Swamp, Ichthy Riparian, King Tropical Beach, Clarke Temperate Beach
Size: 40 cm Tall
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Carnivore (Vermees, Minikrugg, Scuttlers, Frabukis, Burraroms), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Pouch

The Beachcomber Snoot split from its ancestor the Needlewing and took on a niche of scouring in debris and loose soil or sand for food. Their typical method of seeking out prey is either visually finding a small burrow and chasing after its denizens with their beak, or sticking their beak into the ground and tasting for any signs of prey items. They live in loose groups, members numbering from tens to hundreds depending on the quality of the environment that they find themselves in.

Like several other relatives of it it has lost its front limbs entirely. It's hind legs have elongated thus giving it a wider stride, and it uses these legs to rapidly cover ground as it moves about. The wings on its back have narrowed notably, and are used as a single unit flicking up and down to communicate with one another. They also as a side effect act as a display of emotional states, periodic flicking up and down is a signal of being calm. Rapid flicking signifying interest or curiosity. Standing erect represents alertness and the main purpose is to make others aware that they need to be paying attention. Being lowered signifying fear, derived from hiding among things.They have lost their spines around their nostril due to increased reliance on fleeing and hiding from predators.

Although most descendents of the Needlewing have a well developed pouch for carrying young in the females only, with their males developing only a vestigial narrow cavity, the Beachcomber Snoot has the pouch fully developed in the male as well. During their breeding season two individuals will pair up and copulate, the female briefly holding the developing embryos in herself until they reach a point at which they are able to be transferred to a pouch. From there she will meet with her mate and rather than transferring them into her own pouch, she will transfer them into his instead. From this point the female will abandon her mate and find another unpaired male.

The developmental period for the embryo inside the female is a rather short one relative to the developmental time that they spend inside their sires pouch. Because of this, females are able to breed with multiple partners and produce multiple clutches of offspring. While males, on the other hand, are only really able to produce one clutch of offspring during a breeding season.

The carrying male will provide the majority of catches to the offspring being carried, relying mainly on energy stores and minor sugar production from photosynthesis. Once they are developed enough and large enough to be able to move around the offspring will be evicted from their father's pouch. They will follow him, both relying on him for safety as well as learning to refine the behaviors typical of their species. Once fully grown, which takes about a year, they will leave their little family cluster in order to be a member of the larger group. They can live for about 7 years.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Nov 7 2021, 07:56 AM

(colors by Cube67)

Goldilackaruck (Laciyennasalta chrysoporphyrus)
Creator: Sad-Dingus
Ancestor: [[Lacrimuck]]
Habitat: [[Oz Temperate Coast]], [[Hydro Tropical Coast]], [[Fly Tropical Shallows]], [[Maineiac Temperate Coast]], [[Jindy Tropical Coast]], [[BigL Tropical Coast]], [[King Tropical Coast]],
Size: 4 m tall
Support: Cell Wall (cellulose)
Diet: Photosynthesis (carotenoid accessory pigments)
Respiration: Passive (diffusion)
Thermoregulatuon: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (spores), Asexual (fragmentation)

At first glance, the Goldilackaruck seems virtually indistinguishable from the ancestral Lacrimuck apart from average size - an unassuming alga from the obscure [[phoenoplastid]] division of [[Vandruoria]], notable for being saved from certain doom by the majestic groves of [[Tlukvaequabora]]. Indeed these similarities are quite apparent: like other vandruorians, this flora utilizes a carotenoid accessory pigment in its photosynthetic functions, giving it a distinctly golden coloration in its blades. It possesses gas-filled bladders with which to hoist its blades up into the water column, while a network of creeping, radiating holdfasts secure it a surface, substrate or bare rock alike. However, one must look a little closer to recognize that the Goldilackaruck is quite distinct from its ancestry: it is one of the few descendants of the [[Vandriswoop]] to utilize sexual reproduction.

For an entire floral division that has persisted for so long utilizing asexual reproduction almost exclusively, it is puzzling that Muller’s Ratchet hadn’t seized the clade sooner; in fact, for the Lacrimuck alone, this presence was likely a major contributor to its current reduction in range. Nevertheless, this relict population remained just healthy enough to circumvent the ratchet. Between the bladder and the stipe lie a ring of fine sporangia where spores are expelled and received. The spores themselves - inherited from the Vandriswoop - have been modified for the purpose of promoting genetic diversity. The hexagonal spores now serve as the gametes - sent into the water column, these drift about until reaching a receptive sporangium in which it conjugates with receptive gamete spores; upon this exchange, a pennant-shaped zygote spore, complete with recombinated genes from its parents, is formed, and is once more sent into the water column, hopefully to settle and become a new flora. With the ability to produce genetically distinct offspring, advantageous traits are able to be spread faster with successive generations, contributing to genetically healthier populations.

Zygote spores can be carried far from parent groves, often riding on marine currents until eventually settling on a surface. A notable vector of mass-dispersal are powerful storms which rip up the coastlines they cruise over, not only slinging spores far, but also fragmented mature Goldilackaruck stipes, which too can grow into mature flora upon settling; parent stipes are sturdy near the base to ensure that, while their branches are carried away by storms, they themselves remain to regenerate new blade-tipped branches. Occasionally spores and fragments alike may hitchhike on the nests of [[Marine Tamow]]-descended shrews; for some species like the [[Seashrog]], they may procure such flora from their floats and cache it within storage compartments, or simply pluck it off the float should they deem the added weight to be especially compromising. In the latter case and that of storm surges, these means alike have contributed greatly to the spread of the Goldilackaruck throughout much of Sagan 4’s northern temperate and near-equatorial coastlines.

Much of the coastlines the Goldilackaruck inhabits are surprisingly lacking in tall, kelp-like flora, especially in zones where the growth of these flora would be especially hospitable (e.g. near a nutrient-rich upwelling). Once more the flora’s distinctive accessory pigments come into play here; optimizing in the absorption of different light wavelengths than the puffgrasses which cluster upon dense clusters of driftwood, the Goldilackaruck can avoid being outshaded in areas where the two floral species meet. Perhaps as a consequence of utilizing these carotenoids and the absence of competition, these flora can often grow quite tall, up to four meters in height - and to fuel and sustain this growth, Goldilackaruck stipes can be quite profuse in their branching, considerably increasing the surface area and therefore photosynthetic productivity of their blades.

Should Goldilackaruck groves become prolific enough, they can provide essential habitat for a wealth of smaller fauna and other motile biota seeking shelter or a reliable source of food. [[Miniswarmers]], [[Krillpedes]], [[Rainbow Marephasmites]] and [[Miniwhorls]] - among others - can eke out among the golden-and-magenta thickets in decent security. Critters such as [[Frabukis]], [[Scuttlers]], and [[Brushrums]] can sometimes be found crawling along the fuchsia holdfast beds in search of fallen detritus - or to nibble at the flora itself. Meanwhile predators like [[Squidwhals]], and the [[Snatcherswarmer]] (in coastal Oz and Maineiac for the latter) can remain out of sight of unassuming prey while avoiding predators of their own.

Goldilackaruck stipe tissue sports a fine taste that blends together sweet and salty qualities. The golden blade tissue is slightly more bitter, and can easily be made into a chewy, yet savory nori.

As the niches of the Goldilackaruck and the Lacrimuck differ somewhat, the flora was not able to completely replace its ancestry even with its innovation of sexual reproduction; nonetheless, Lacrimuck populations continue to grow steadily more rare.



Supplementary Images:



(An alternate growth form of the Goldilackaruck. In dense groves of conspecifics, these flora incentivize on growing taller than wider to minimize crowding.)



(Figures of the sporangia - located directly under the floatation bladder - and the two types of spores, both modified from their distant ancestor, the Vandriswoop.)

This post has been edited by sad-dingus (chillypaz): Oct 20 2021, 07:13 AM

Woodland Watergherkin Aquacucumis Silvis

Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Pioneeroots
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal (waterways)
Size: 40 cm Tall
Diet: Photosynthesis
Support: Weight Bearing Cellulose Intracellular Matrix
Respiration: Passive
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (waterborne spores), Asexual (airborne spores), Asexual (rapid budding)

The Woodland Watergherkin split from its ancestral group the Pioneeroots. They settled into seeps, snow melt marshes, bogs, ponds, and other standing or slow flowing bodies of water. They elongated upward for better light access, and their root systems became more robust and fibrous to help hold them in the mud.

They are fast growing annuals. Their success is largely due to their multiple ways of colonizing areas, through both sexual and asexual means. They've inherited their ancestors' fast budding, with which an individual can colonize a notable area within a year, with idividuals growing off from the base of the Watergherkin and pushing out via growth.
They've also developed a spore forming structure that shares origin with their method of budding. Rather than forming a wholly new individual, the growth remains connected by a tough umbilical. What is formed is a wavy dish that fills with haploid spores until rain washes them all out at once. In the water the spores knock into one another, merging and resting into the mud. Those formed during spring or early summer will grow immediately, while those formed later will go dormant until winter transitioning into next spring triggers them to activate.
Finally, they have airborne spores that are formed on their upper surface and readily released into wind or onto passing fauna. These spores always immediately activate once settled into a wet area.

As true annuals at the onset of winter all mature individuals perish. However the spores they leave in their stead will flourish next year, a testament to their success in establishing long-term residence in an area.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Nov 19 2021, 08:31 AM

Switchfang (Mobidenrattus miraculum)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Fishing Grasper
Habitat: Drake Plains, Drake Chaparral, Drake Temperate Woodland, Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky, Drake High Grassland, Drake Alpine, Drake Volcanic
Size: 30 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Vermees, Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Teacup Sauceback larvae, Marbleflora, Pioneeroots, Tepoflora, Mikuks, Aphluks, Feluks, Hair Nimbuses, Cryobowls, Glaalgaes, Larands, Larachoy, Chitjorns, Sunstalks, Supershrooms, Fuzzweed, Botryrophis, Communal Janit, Wub, juvenile Infilt Pewpa, juvenile Greater Lahn, Suncatcher Plyent saplings, Umbrella Plyent saplings, Lurcup seeds, Eastward Luroot seeds, Brickbark Ferine berries, Wafflebark Ferine berries, Bangsticks seeds, Arid Ferine berries, Fuzzpile berries, Lurtress seeds, Lurspire seeds, Lurcreeper seeds, Syrup Ferine berries, Sleeve Ferine berries), steals cooked food from taserflames
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Shivering, Fat)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth)

The switchfang split from its ancestor. A member of an ancient lineage of nodent which is only found in drake, it has returned to its generalist roots and become an omnivore. Its most notable feature, and its namesake, is its mobile upper incisor. Rather than clipping flora like ancient nice and modern neonodents, the switchfang uses its upper incisor like a toothpick or a tiny shovel to scrape and dig at food. This is more effective than what its more distant ancestors did, given that wooden teeth, especially in a creature so small, cannot cut and slice as easily as keratinous or enamel teeth do. The tooth can be rotated back down to its original position as well, allowing it to be used like a normal incisor. It has prominent cheeks which prevent food from falling out of its mouth as it mashes it up with its woody molars, and it can carry food in "cheek pouches", the entrances to which are hidden by its jowls.

The switchfang is an endotherm. Its naked skin loses heat easily; however, it compensates for this by sleeping in burrows at night and hibernating over winter. On a cool day, it warms up by shivering and holds in some heat using a layer of fat, but it prefers to just stay in its burrow and eat stored food. It may also take advantage of fires built by taserflames for warmth, but taserflames generally chase them away, as switchfangs often steal food from them.

The switchfang is a burrower. It digs deep tunnels which insulate it from harsh conditions. It gathers more food than it can eat in a day and stores it in a chamber deep underground, allowing it to consume it later when it's too cold or there isn't as much food available outside. Multiple switchfangs and their offspring may share a burrow, as it is a social creature. In addition to squeaking, it can communicate by scent, and it will wave its fang to waft air over its tongue to smell pheromones and food.

The switchfang, like other plents, mates and gives birth through its mouth. It is placental, breeds several times per year, and can have 6-8 babies at a time. Gestation lasts for 3 1/2 weeks and the babies are born small but developed; unlike real rats, they do not produce milk, so juveniles must be more developed than a baby rat would be in order to eat. Juveniles follow their mother in a line, each gripping the tail of the one in front of them; their tail tip is light as to be easier for them to see, much like the white tail tip of Terran foxes. They generally eat fresh food that is easier to digest, such as berries, shoots, and tender meat. They reach maturity in only 5 weeks.

The switchfang retains many ancestral characteristics. When frightened, it bows and inhales deeply to inflate its rump. Two or three pairs of white rings on its back mimic the eyes of predators, so this gesture can scare away potential attackers. It can produce squeaks and hisses from its butt nostril, though these have a metallic sound to them compared to those of other living nodents. Its innermost digits on its forefeet are opposable, allowing it to grasp food to eat it like it's a sandwich. It has a longer tail than its ancestor, more similar to that of more basal nice, helping it keep its balance as it runs and hops through its environment. However, the most important ancestral characteristics it retains are that it can feel happiness and that it is capable of being ticklish.

--

And this is why Cheatsy made a vulgar rat meme. The ecosystem page isn't updated yet but the ancestor survives in Drake Tundra. Drake is a basal nodent refugium let's goooooo

(Given basal nodents were originally killed off out of hate, I think it was kinda inevitable that one would be found to have been wrongly wiped lol)

Frostmelter (Vitreflora utilis)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Burncumference
Habitat: Drake Tundra, Drake Polar Scrub, Drake Polar Woodland, Drake Boreal, Drake Alpine
Size: 10 cm tall
Support: Cell Wall (Chitin)
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: ?
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Lenses)
Reproduction: Asexual (Budding); Sexual (Sporophyte and Gametophyte, Spores)

The frostmelter replaced its ancestor and spread throughout the frigid biomes of Drake. It uses special reflectors and lenses made of chitin to warm itself in the sunlight and set surrounding flora on fire. Burning its surroundings did not destroy competition, as melting permafrost creates wet muddy marshes, which prevent the uncontrollable spread of wildfires. The frostmelter's light-focusing ability does set surrounding flora on fire, which in turn generates more heat than it can on its own, which hastens the melting of frozen soil. This makes it an important component in the ecosystem, as it regulates the permafrost level, which in turn allows more flora to grow. Its ancestor actually did this as well, but the burning aspect had been heavily over-exaggerated with misleading or outright false claims about its destructive capabilities.

Melting frozen soil with fire frees up nitrogen which would otherwise be locked in permafrost, which the frostmelter takes advantage of to grow and bud quickly so that it may produce a large number of spores. It has gained an alternation of generations between haploid and diploid forms, allowing greater genetic diversity. The diploid generation produces haploid sexual spores, and if they do not merge with another haploid spore, they will germinate into a haploid frostmelter which in turn produces more haploid spores. It grows, reproduces, and dies very quickly several times throughout the short summer in the coldest parts of its range, and exists only as spores other the winter, making it a sort of annual plant. Spores will germinate when the soil thaws after freezing, regardless of the time of year.

Megaborvermid (Megaborvermus navigandus)
Creator: Jvirus
Ancestor: False Cleaner Borvermid
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Chaparral, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank, Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank
Size: 40 cm long
Support: Segmented Exoskeleton (Chitinous Plates)
Diet: Carnivore (Kakonat, Shailnitor, Stowaway Harmbless, Shingo, Young Stegomizer, Infilt Pewpa, Teacup Saucebacks, Minikruggs, Silkruggs), Detritivore (Young)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Hermaphrodite (Live Young)

Having been spread to the Driftwood Islands by the Seashrog, False Cleaner Borvermids were introduced to a developing ecosystem with many unoccupied niches available for the taking. Populations could spread throughout the islands while facing little competition, slowly becoming bolder feeders every night and growing larger than ever before.

Megaborvermids split from their ancestors and were subject to the phenomenon of island gigantism, filling the niche of a relatively small inland nocturnal predator on the floating islands. During the day, Megaborvermids sleep beneath logs and foliage, becoming active as night falls. They will boldly slither through the undergrowth in search of prey, using their extendable eyestalks to peer over obstacles without revealing themselves.

While small prey is easily dispatched by the Megaborvermid's pointed jaws, the worms have developed a particular hunting strategy when dealing with larger targets. Using the night to their advantage, Megaborvermids prey upon larger fauna which are either sleeping or drowsy, giving them the upper hand in a struggle. The worms will quickly wrap themselves around their prey to prevent its escape while puncturing it with their jaws. The anticoagulants in the saliva of their ancestors are still used, now causing their prey to gradually bleed out. Megaborvermids have a larger appetite than their ancestors, and will consume most of their prey's carcass.

Megaborvermids breed during new moons, coming out of the undergrowth in large numbers. Each mated individual will give birth to around a dozen live offspring, with each being 8 inches in length at birth. These young are detritivores and are coated with a sticky mucus, allowing them to adhere to various flora. This allows young Megaborvermids to travel between islands by sticking to driftwood, floating across long stretches of sea while feeding on various organic materials. After several months, the young will grow much larger and develop pointed jaws, allowing them to become predators.

This post has been edited by Jvirus: Nov 3 2021, 10:04 AM

Sruglettes (Muscacetus sp.) (Winged-fish form)
Creator: Oofle
Ancestor: Cryobowler Srugeing
Habitat: Global (Sagan IV)
Size: 8-17 cm long (beak to tail-tip, excluding fins)
Support: N/A
Diet: Adult: Omnivore (Mistswarmers, Sapworms, Xenobees, Xenowasps, Cloudswarmers, Gushitos, Dartirs, (When perched in obvious position): Parasitic floats (rarely), Hair nimbuses (non-atmospheric species, rarely) Silkruggs, Minikruggs, Feluks)
Larvae: Indiscriminate filter feeder (both water column or substrate depending on species) , 10 micrometers to 1 centimeter, Detritivore, Carnivore (Krillpedes, Miniswarmers, Belumbias, Burraroms, Keryhs, Shelpads, Grabbyswarmers, Miniwhorls (shallow water species), Eusuckers, Brushrums, Minifee, Shimmering Marephasmatises, Dragon Marephasmoids, Larvabacks, Scuttlers, Frabukis, Squidwhals (only smaller individuals or if the predating species is fairly large), Common Gilltails (only smaller individuals or if the predating species is fairly large)) Herbivore (floral matter is consumed wholly indiscriminately)
Respiration: Juvenile: Semi-active or Active (Gill or Lung-like Gill depending on species) Adult: Semi-active or Active (Lung-like Gill).
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Muscle Vibration)
Reproduction: Sexual, Spawning in Water, Two Genders.

Descending from the cryobowler srugeing, these gilltails are surprisingly generalist considering their ancestor, but there’s good reason for this. The cryobowler srugeing’s adaptations to surviving in cryobowls for its larval stage precluded the ability for this genus to take advantage of nearly any body of water it could find.

Sruglettes are a global genus, this is facilitated not only by their generalist habits, but also the rapid adaptation of coastal species to brackish and then full-strength saltwater, this is a partially atavistic trait reactivated from their somewhat distant marine ancestor the surge gilltail, and means they may breed even in the open ocean to spread from continent to continent. The adults are also behaviorally neotenous, being more equivalent to adolescent cryobowler srugeings than to the actual adults as they consume prey, they are highly indiscriminate and will consume whatever looks suitable for consumption, they prefer flying prey though will catch prey that’s perching on the ends of flora, this does result in the accidental consumption of flora that naturally attaches to the tips of other flora such as Parasitic Floats and non-atmospheric Hair Nimbuses. These accidental consumptions are usually not harmful however and in some species these flora are sought out to obtain nutrients or pigments not available in an exclusively carnivorous diet as adults.

Sruglettes are unable to hover and cannot move on the ground, and though some can perch upon it or may lay on it, a large majority of the species cannot land on the ground whatsoever and spend their lives constantly in flight. Most species are fairly short-lived and only last a few months at most as adults due to this constant burning of energy to remain in flight. None of these such species sleep and instead flutter in a straight line repeatedly or in tight circles, as if they fall to the ground they will be unable to take off again easily and may fall easy prey to various predators. Species that are able to land however will sit on the ground or sufficiently large objects at night and often live for at least a few years as they are able to rest for prolonged periods without becoming highly vulnerable when exhausted.
Sruglings spawn in the water and can take advantage of a variety of such sources, like vernal pools, lakes, rivers, tidepools, the ocean, stagnant puddles, water collected within foliage, and swamps. The biggest example of this generalist spawning selection is the subgenus Protopulmonis (Early lung) (this is also the subgenus the larva shown in the image is from). Marked by the larvae developing their lung before they even hatch, though this means it is necessary for them to breathe air and renders them unable to stay underwater for long periods of time, it allows them to spawn in deoxygenated water. A valuable trait for survival in harsh environments where sufficiently oxygenated water may be rare or absent.

Spawning in landing-incompetent species is usually done from the air by flinging eggs and sperm into the water, at the surface of the water where both partners will skim beside eachother and release their gametes, or underwater, where the sruglings can swim (albeit badly) around to find suitable positions (they are limited to shallow waters however as they are holding their breath the entire time). Species that can perch on surfaces tend to sit next to eachother on the edge of a body of water and release their gametes from there. Almost all of these are very vulnerable positions for the sruglings and thus mate choice is intensive, depending heavily on coloration, fitness, and size, both mates judge eachother based on their potential partner’s health and their own health, unhealthy specimens will be less picky knowing their chances are low much like how Terran stickleback mate selection operates.

All sruglette species have developed mucus glands in their lungs, which removes the need to moisturize the lung by skimming the surface of the water. In turn the need to place themselves at risk to underwater predators and allowing them to live in places without large stretches of water long-term such as forests and even deserts (desert species, and indeed species in arid places in general are few and far between and always have convoluted ways to find water to spawn in).
The larvae resemble the adults with highly underdeveloped pectorals and with most other fins well-developed. Their bristled beak is perfect for filtering through the water or mud for food particles but also allows them to hunt down live prey and tear apart soft foliage. Some species are able to incorporate toxins from their larval diet into the adult form for protection against predators.
In summary, sruglettes are the extremely generalist descendants of the cryobowler srugeing that have spread across the globe due to their ability to spawn just about anywhere, including the ocean, and the removal of the need to moisturize their lungs with water. They coexist with their ancestor due to the fact that they have lost the proteins to disable carnivorous cryobowl enzymes and the annuality of the cryobowler’s adult life.

This post has been edited by Oofle: Dec 18 2021, 07:26 PM

Pink Scrambler (Geminatisorex roseus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Scrambled Shrew
Habitat: Dixon Savanna, Dixon Tropical Scrub, Dixon Dunes, Dixon-Darwin Desert, Darwin Plains, Darwin Chaparral
Size: 25 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Omnivore (Pioneeroots, Fuzzyplate, Marbleflora, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Sapworms, Vermees, Minikruggs, Neuks, Mikuks, Aphluks, Feluks, Chitjorns, Teacup Sauceback larvae, Cleaner Borvermid, False Cleaner Borvermid, Tamed Berry Arbourshrooms, Gamergate Gundis, Dardiwundi, Undergroundi, Communal Janit, Trailblazer, Quassagule, Quaxaca, Puffgrass, Arid Puffgrass, Tropical Puffgrass, Crystamble crystals, Desert Carnofern berries, Sandy Orbibom seeds, Coastal Goth Tree berries, Yuccagave seeds, Bristlepile berries, Bangsticks seeds, Cragmyr berries, Robust Arid Ferine berries, Scrubland Tubeplage fruit, Scrubland Quhft fruit, Tubeplage fruit, Cliff Bristler berries), Ovivore (Grassland Lizatokage, Argusraptor Complex, Interbiat, Disasterxata, Cardicracker, Xatazelle, Xatagolin, Sausophrey, Gulperskunik, Hearthead, Xatakpa, Stride Sauceback, Desert Ukjaw, Dinotuga, Guangu), Scavenger, steals from shrog nests
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (male and female, live birth, pouch and milk)

The pink scrambler split from its ancestor. It is a nocturnal burrowing generalist. It is named for the peculiar champagne coloration of its western population, which allows it to blend in with pale soil and dry grass. Its eastern population is golden yellow in color, more like its ancestor, but the name remains the same.

The pink scrambler is more genetically stable than its ancestor, as its duplicate genes have been gradually repurposed. For example, the extra copies of genes controlling development have been altered so that they activate when a body part is lost or severely damaged, allowing it to regrow. If a body part is partially detached but still intact, a new one may still grow, resulting in some pink scramblers growing extra tails and limbs. This differs from the duplicate paws and tails of some of their relatives in that these are traits acquired throughout their lives, rather than ones that they are born with; therefore, they are not passed down to their offspring. "Scrambling" mutations are nearly nonexistent. Accessory organs still appear with some frequency, and accessory lungs are generally more functional than they were in its ancestor.

The pink scrambler sometimes inhabits the nests of shrogs, as shrog food stores are like an all-you-can-eat buffet to the smaller shrew. As it breeds frequently--as often as 6 times a year--populations inside shrog nests can grow rapidly and make it unlivable to the shrogs inside, causing them to ultimately abandon the nest if they cannot find a way to remove the scramblers.

The pink scrambler is generally solitary. Like its ancestor, it has marsupial-like reproduction. It breeds 6 times a year and gives birth to 5-12 joeys at a time. Newborns are helpless and spend the first few weeks of their lives in a pouch.

The pink scrambler caused some flora to spread into Dixon Dunes. Flora not well-adapted for shifting sands make their homes in small patches of stability, such as near oases. The flora that have been spread are the Desert Carnofern, the Sandy Orbibom, the Coastal Goth Tree, the Yuccagave, and the Bristlepile. It also indirectly spread the Arid Plyent due to spores landing on its fur; the Arid Plyent then further also spread itself to Blood Tropical Riparian. Certain predators of these species, in turn, also spread; this includes the Xatazelle, the Pickaxe Tamow, the Desert Tilecorn, the Undergroundi, the Briarback, the Sabulyn, the Mothhead, the Skewer Shrog, and the Argeiphlock.