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Snowtunnel Shrew (Geminatisorex glaciperfossor)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Pikashrew
Habitat: Vivus Tundra, Vivus Polar Scrub, Vivus Polar Woodland
Size: 13 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Herbivore (Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Glaalgaes, Cryobowls, Tepoflora, Tepoguin, Slumbering Kingrush, Strangleroot, Aloeberabub, Fibrillius, Snow Windbulb)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (male and female, live birth, pouch and milk)

The snowtunnel shrew split from its ancestor. It is named for its habit of burrowing under the snow, which allows it to forage over the long polar winter. This allows it to live in the tundra, which its ancestor was absent from. It is pure white for most of the year, but turns black in the short polar summer. Its fur is so long that its display tufts, while still technically there, are completely hidden. When exposed above ground in the summer, it can still scramble about wildly to evade predators.

The snowtunnel shrew is more social than its ancestor, a consequence of tunneling in snow for food; encountering others of its kind is simply unavoidable, so it tolerates them. It breeds up to 4 times a year and has 5-12 joeys at a time. Its offspring are born helpless, living off of milk in their mother's pouch for the first few weeks of their lives.

Name: Ornamented Hoby (Agrisaurulus actastellios)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Farmphibian (Agrisaurulus fermi)
Habitat: Fermi Temperate Beach
Size: 20 centimeters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Herbivore (Marbleflora, Pioneeroots, Sapshrooms, Supershrooms, Mainland Fuzzpalm berries, Fuzzweed, Carnosprawl fruit, Fuzzpile berries), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Frog-like Eggs laid into burrow

When some farmphibians entered the Fermi Temperate Beach, the warmer conditions meant they were not required to live within hollowdomes. The higher number of predators did mean the farmphibians needed to find shelter, so they began to dig burrows in the beach. Among a variety of other changes, these groups eventually split off from their ancestors and became the ornamented hoby.

Ornamented hobies live within burrows, which they dig out with their claws and faces. These burrows provide the ornamented hoby a useful shelter from potential predators such as velocidohves. The rim of the ornamented hoby’s mouth is coated in a keratinous sheath, which helps with the wear and tear the critter experiences when pushing aside dirt to maintain its burrow. This “beak” also provides help with snipping off bits of food for their teeth to then crush into an easy to swallow mush. Females obtain food only by going out to forage, while whether males forage varies depending on the status of its particular burrow. While their ancestor did have a row of spines on its back, the spines that cover the ornamented hoby’s back are more abundant and cover the flanks which resulted in it being more difficult for predators to grab them as they forage for food on the beaches.

For female ornamented hobies and younger/less successful males, this is pretty standard behavior. Mature males, however, live their lives a bit differently since they use their burrows to breed and attract mates. They dig out large chambers in their burrows that get saturated with water while another chamber above is where they bring in scraps of food and store it so it then feeds a species of supershroom that acts as a crop. These require a bit of maintenance and not all males make these burrows themselves, some instead forcing the males that originally made these out and taking it for themselves. These result in clashes between the owner and an interloper, where they bob their heads and flash bright and aggressive colors from their color-changing skin patches on the cheeks. If neither backs down from the display, they will butt heads and push each other in a test of strength. The victor of these scuffles will evict the loser from the burrow.

During the warmer summer months on Fermi, male ornamented hobbies will try to lure females into its burrow by flashing vibrant colors on their cheeks to catch their attention. These color changing patches on the cheeks, alongside the rows of spots on their faces can be pretty dazzling and if it works a female will enter the burrow. The water at the bottom of the burrow makes a pretty good nursery, with the female depositing the eggs there while the male fertilizes them as well as guarding them. When they hatch, the male provides them small bits of food from their supershroom crop which allows them to grow quickly until they can leave the burrow to start lives of their own.


A female Ornamented Hoby

Alright! Here is my submission for a swap with @Irinya! Do give your thoughts on this guy! Anyone else have any plans for the Farmphibian? It's going to be going extinct by the end of the generation.

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Oct 27 2021, 02:19 PM

Brookside Leisterpom Piscanturhastae odiosimalum


Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Needlewing
Habitat: Ichthy Salt Swamp, Ichthy Riparian, Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Size: 40 cm Tall
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Carnivore (Common Gilltails, Larvaback, River Scrambler, Miniswarmers) , Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Pouch


The Leisterpom split from its ancestor the Needlewing to take on a more specialized niche. They've spread into the Dixon-Darwin Boreal, settling along the edges of waterways, tarns, and marshes. Taking advantage of the abundant aquatic prey around them they became more piscivorous in nature. Lacking a significant neck, and preferring not to lunge face first into the water, they've taken on attacking prey with their foot. Initially it was a matter of waiting and scooping out tiny items that came too near. Gradually those with longer claws we're better able to scoop prey, since they had further reach and a larger tool. This is still the go-to method for smaller prey that can be dispatched easily, but the long straight claws became good weapons for spearing larger fauna, similar in use to a pronged fishing spear. Typically they are "right footed".

Their skin is striped with yellows and purples to break up their appearance on the water's edge. They bob as they move during hunting to prevent things in the water from noticing them. Leisterpom have kept their front limbs and developed them into simple balance organs, adjusting their position constantly while standing on one leg. The posterior spines have been lost: they rely on their long legs to sprint away from danger and hide. Their wings have simplified into counterbalances and became more flexible. Tension can be applied by muscular contraction that causes them to curl or straighten and shift their center of gravity. They can also be pivoted at their base for less fine adjustments. This is most useful when the Leisterpom needs to handle proportionally heavy prey, or when skewered items are held far from the body.

Offspring are reared similarly to their ancestor: with the females holding their young in a pouch to allow for further development, a and their mate bringing them food. Females can still hunt during the early period of this, but as the young grow they become more cumbersome, and reliance on her mate increases until their brood is expelled.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Nov 7 2021, 07:26 AM

Falcophreys (Falcotherium (Falcotherium) spp.)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Sausophrey
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin, Vivus
Size: 60-100 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Carnivore
Respiration: Active (Unidirectional Macrolung)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)

Following its evolution, the sausophrey radiated outwards into new biomes, producing many new species which are nearly identical apart from local adaptations. These are known as falcophreys. They are flying mesopredators comparable to eagles or hawks, which see any small fauna not in flight as potential food.

Falcophreys have slotted wings, allowing them to soar without needing long legs and allowing them to take advantage of thermals while scanning the ground for potential prey. They are generally diurnal, though they may hunt in the early morning or late evening as well, allowing them to hunt some nocturnal creatures. As they lack talons, they catch and kill prey by swooping down and snatching them with their sideways beak-like jaws. These can bypass woody armor and short spikes. They cannot taste garlic and can tolerate the taste of ammonia, allowing them to consume certain strongly-flavored nodents. They have very good color vision, particularly in the ultraviolet spectrum, which is very helpful for identifying prey.

Falcophreys are poor climbers and nest communally on the ground, usually in the shelter of shrubs or rocks. Quite unlike the birds of prey they resemble, their young are able to run soon after birth, allowing them to escape from predators, though they cannot yet fly. They perform parental care, feeding their chicks fresh kills. Outside of breeding season, falcophreys are largely solitary and territorial.

Falcophreys have “tail crests”, which serve both as rudders for flight and as communication devices. These can be hidden by folding their tail feathers up against them. The tail crests are always colorful, but not always to the naked eye; they commonly utilize colors outside of the visible spectrum, so they may not appear distinct to anything that is not a jewel-eyed sauceback.

==Species==
===Sansaws===

(Falcotherium deserta)
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Desert, Dixon-Darwin High Desert, Vivus High Desert, Dass Temperate Beach, Wind Temperate Beach
Size: 80 cm long
Diet: Carnivore (Xatakpa, Sabulyn, Teacup Saucebacks, Lizatokage, Egg Lizatokage, Serpmander, Stowaway Harmbless, Kakonat, Shorelance, Pirate Waxface larvae and juveniles, juvenile Harnessback, juvenile Seashrog, juvenile Tilecorn, juvenile Roofback, juvenile Frilled Greenscale, juvenile Mothhead, juvenile Skewer Shrog, juvenile Xatazelle, juvenile Pickaxe Tamow, juvenile Stride Sauceback, juvenile Plehexapod, juvenile Desert Ukjaw)

The sansaws is very similar to the sausophrey, but it hunts in the southern desert and bordering beaches. Its lighter coloration helps reflect heat and sunlight off of its body as it hunts throughout the day. It has been known to swipe baby pirate waxfaces right from the tails of their mothers. It nests among small flora and shrubs found in the desert, such as coastal goth trees, bristlepiles, and arid puffgrasses, where its eggs and juveniles are well-hidden.

The light spots on the sansaws' tail glow pink under ultraviolet light. They appear as a color unperceivable to the human eye to other jewel-eyed saucebacks.

===Faxon==

(Falcotherium dixonensis)
Habitat: Dixon Savanna, Dixon Tropical Scrub, Dixon Dunes
Size: 80 cm long
Diet: Carnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Interbiat, Pink Scrambler, juvenile Rainforest Buttpiper, juvenile Opportunity Shrew, juvenile Stink Shrew, juvenile Grassland Lizatokage, juvenile Varant, juvenile Xatagolin, juvenile Xatazelle)

The faxon resides in western Dixon and is closely related to the Sansaws. It has a pinkish coloration so that it remains hidden against dry grass. It finds tall grass, as well as larger flora such as fuzzpiles and young ferines, to be suitable hiding places for its nests. Its tail glows with contrasting blue and orange stripes under ultraviolet light, despite its drab appearance in the visible spectrum.

===Snawler===

(Falcotherium vivusensis)
Habitat: Vivus Polar Woodland, Vivus Polar Scrub, Vivus Tundra
Size: 1 meter long
Diet: Carnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Kehaida, Pikashrew, Snowtunnel Shrew, Sabulyn, juvenile Proto-Tejdaw, juvenile Rainbow Phlock, Stretchskunik)

The snawler is the largest of the falcophreys. Its large size can be attributed to its choice of habitat in Vivus’ polar region, where being larger is better for holding in heat. Being white in color with black spots of varying density causes it to resemble a pile of dirty snow while on the ground. Its spiracles are mostly obscured by the long feathers on its back.

The snawler breeds in the short polar summer. It rarely breeds in the tundra, as its chances of survival are much higher in the milder scrub and polar woodland. Stoutplage and dense thickets of tripcrystals and hedgecrystals provide adequate protection for its eggs and young. Its irridescent tail appears to other jewel-eyed saucebacks as a shifting rainbow of the entire (for them) visible spectrum.

===Woodsalcon===

(Falcotherium parvus)
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Vivus Boreal, Vivus Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Javen Temperate Rainforest, Irinya Temperate Riparian, Bone Temperate Riparian, Huggs Temperate Riparian
Size: 60 cm long
Diet: Carnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Swiftsnapper, Montemsnapper, juvenile Treehook Tamow, Interbiat, Kuraimingaku, juvenile Flunezen, Kehaida, Dracisketter, Gryphler, Ringtailed Ketter, juvenile Velocitoon, Quail Raptor)

The woodsalcon is one of the smaller of the falcophreys. It lives above temperate and montane obsidian forests, feeding from the canopy or from the ground in areas where the trees are sparser. Its smaller size can be attributed to its choice of tree-dwelling prey, which in turn require it to be able to extract itself when a failed hunt results in it being caught among the branches. It cannot always bring its prey into the air; if it must dive too deep into branches to exit immediately, it will fold its wings shortly before impact to avoid damaging them on the branches.

The woodsalcon's coloration allows it to blend in with obsidian leaf litter when it nests on the ground. It always nests near a clearing or at the forest's edge so that it may enter and exit its nesting area freely. Juvenile obsiditrees make up most of its nest protection deep in the forest itself, but near the edges and in patches clear of obsiditrees, it may live among tubeplages and thickets of crystal brambley. Its tail bears unseen stripes inside the "slots" of the visible pink marking that glow green in ultraviolet light.

===Coastwoodufo===

(Falcotherium sheatherii)
Habitat: Dixon Tropical Woodland, Dixon Tropical Rainforest, Javen Temperate Rainforest, Javen Tropical Rainforest, Javen Tropical Woodland, Jlindy Tropical Beach, BigL Tropical Beach, Clarke Temperate Beach, King Tropical Beach Chum Tropical Beach, Elerd Temperate Beach, North Darwin Tropical Woodland, Darwin Tropical Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Vivus Temperate Rainforest
Size: 70 cm long
Diet: Carnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Beachcomber Snoot, Burrowed Snatching Boble, Quail Raptor, Kakonat, Dixon Hookphlyer, juvenile Opportunity Shrew, Umbral Sphinx, juvenile Stink Shrew, Interbiat, Stowaway Harmbless, Harnejak, Chasing Twintail, juvenile Vibrant Manestrider, Gundiseater, Hikahoe, Montemsnapper, Twinpaw Twintail, juvenile Shadow Buttpiper, Vivusian Barkback, juvenile Fat Lizatokage, Scrambled Shrew, Kehaida, Jongfoll, Burrsnapper, Shrubrattus, Barkback, Vermisnapper, Scrub Barkback, Robynsnapper, juvenile Barkbuck, Eggslurping Sorite, Roofback, Snapperbeak Hookphlyer, juvenile Phlice, Serpungo, juvenile Sealyn, Fansnapper)

The coastwoodufo hunts over forest clearings and flies along beaches bordering forested biomes, scanning for prey that expose themselves in these areas. It has blond, champagne, and black color variants across its range.

The dark stripes on the coastwoodufo's tail glow vividly teal under ultraviolet light. To the eyes of a jewel-eyed sauceback, the green stripes are actually the darker ones. The coastwoodufo nests under juvenile obsiditres within the forests and among fuzzpiles, puffgrasses, and coastal goth trees along the coast.

(Scientific name note: Named after Sheather because he suggested calling this lineage “flying saucers” and this one is a ufo)

==Underswooper==

(Falcotherium megalotis)
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Vivus Boreal, Vivus Alpine, Darwin Alpine, South Dixon Alpine, Verserus Alpine, North Dixon Alpine
Size: 80 cm long
Diet: Carnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Hikahoe, Gnarbolonk, Quail Raptor, juvenile Neoshrew, Grovecrystal Krugg, Bloodback, Swiftsnapper, Barkback, Shrubrattus, juvenile Oviaudiator, Spineless Toadtuga, juvenile River Hikahoe, Montemsnapper, juvenile Opportunity Shrew, Nectarsnapper, Scrambled Shrew, Phouka, Chasing Twintail, Gryphler, River Scrambler, Interbiat, Eggslurping Sorite, Twinpaw Twintail, Kuraimingaku, Burrowyrm, Kehaida, Vivusian Barkback, Pikashrew, Brookside Leisterpom)

The underswooper takes advantage of the wide spacing of trees in the obsidian forests to hunt prey on the forest floor. It also hunts in the alpine tundra, a biome not occupied by other falcophreys. It has very large ears so that it can hear its prey. Its dark coloration allows it to blend in among obsidian flora and leaf litter. The underswooper is a better twilight and masonlight hunter than other falcophreys, as it can see better in the dark.

The underswooper's tail is just green and has no ultraviolet markings. It nests among fallen branches and under juvenile obsiditrees.

----

Behold, an absolute monster of a submission. This generation is so big in part because there needs to be space to break stuff like this up should things not work out.

Squirrelly Dufftrout Silvatructa sciurus

Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Needlewing
Habitat: Jeluki Salt Swamp, Jeluki Riparian, Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Size: 40 cm Tall
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore(Minikruggs, Vermees, Silkruggs, Teacup Saucebacks, Neuks, Dartirs, Sapworms, Interbiat (chicks), Chasing Twintail, Orbibom (fruit and seeds), Berry Arbourshroom (berries) Feroak (berries) Gecoba Tree (fruit), Bloodsap Melontree (fruit and seeds), Hengende (fruit), Cragmyr (fruit), Eggslurping Sorite), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Pouch


The squirrelly Dufftrout split from its ancestor the Needlewing and spread into the surrounding Boreal regions. They have strong legs that briskly carry the solitary opportunists as they roam across the forest floor. Their front limbs have hardened and lengthened into sharp spines which are used as highly mobile defense. Their wings have become more robust, with strong musculature at their base and their length hardening and ending in a spine. The needles growing off have become long and filament-like, increasing the surface of the wing. Though their primary purpose is photosynthesis they double as decoys and if damaged they're very easy to regrow. The posterior spines have multiplied and lengthened to increase their defensive ability. Their skin has become patterned to better break up their appearance against the forest floor.

They have a diverse diet, and will attempt to eat anything smaller than themselves that could be food. Typical hunting involves scratching through leaf litter or poking around in burrows and underbrush. However they won't stray from chasing down small prey, including lost Interbiat chicks. Fruit and seeds are pulled from low-growing flora, though more often simply found on the ground. Though preferring to live alone when scouring the duff or feasting on fallen fruit, they can be found basking in small groups under breaks in the canopy enjoying the sunbeams.


Though capable of digging they more often live in burrows or hollows that they find instead. They adjust these homes by carrying in and lining them with large amounts of dried leaf litter until they are very well insulated. A new behavior they've developed dealing with winters is hoarding. They are semi-scatter hoarders, usually creating a small handful of larders throughout the summer filled mainly with seeds and smaller dried fruits.
Unlike it's ancestor the Dufftrout has well developed pouches in both females and males. These pouches are not used for carrying brood. Instead they are meant for holding large amounts of material at once, whether it is stuffing them full of berries and seeds for larders, or full of leaves for their dens. Females have shifted back to the using the anatomy of their earlier ancestor, the Bipedal Baghopper, inflating their birth canal to continue holding their brood for a longer period rather than in their pouch like their direct ancestor. Mating is performed early in the year. Males may offer food to their mate during the brood holding period, though they are rather unreliable and tend to drift away before the period ends. Females are fully capable of feeding themselves and their young however. Food is either immediately eaten by her, or stored in the pouch and rationed to the offspring. Once fully birthed, mid to late spring the babies will continue to follow and learn from their mother. By the end of early summer they will have begun creating their own stashes of food and drift apart from their family group. By winter they are sexually mature, their first brood numbering 1-3, though later broods can number up to 10. They can live for up to 30 years.

During winter their wing needles are shed and only the tough spine of the wing remains. Much of this season is spent hiding out in their nest, feeding on food stored in their pouch. Routinely they will interrupt their shut-in life to raid one of their hidden stores in the woods and refill their pouch.



simplified diagram of the pouch and female reproductive system of a Dufftrout.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Dec 3 2021, 01:33 PM

Hairy Sky Phlyer (Angeliflora pilosus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Soaring Phlyer
Habitat: Atmosphere (Troposphere); Mating Only: LadyM Tropical Ocean, Jujubee Tropical Ocean
Size: 2 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Unjointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Tropoworm, Herbivorous Tropoworm, Cloudbubble Tropoworm, Tropofly, Cloudbubble,Cloudgrass, Nimbuses, Hair Nimbuses, Leafy Plyentwort seeds, Parasitic Floats, Mistswarmers), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Regional Heterotherm (Wings, Insulating Trichomes)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth)

The hairy sky phlyer split from its ancestor. It is named for its integument; convergent with the unrelated gryphler, it has produced an indumentum of trichomes derived from skin cells. Unlike the unicellular trichomes of the gryphler, the hairy sky phlyer's trichomes are multicellular and branching. They die after forming, leaving behind their cellulose cell walls. The trichomes are transparent, allowing light to pass through for photosynthesis, but they appear white due to subsurface scattering. They insulate its wing muscles so that they may remain warm enough to function. It is considerably larger than its ancestor, using its broad bill to catch large amounts of flying organisms. It mainly flies around the equator, where the constant humidity and storms encourage large amounts of aeroplankton production. It may soar close to the sea, allowing it to feed on mistswarmers and thus bring new nutrients from the ocean to the sky was well.

The hairy sky phlyer no longer nests and it can sleep on the wing, so it usually only lands to mate. It lands in the ocean and takes off by flapping against the water. The reason it was able to make this innovation is because, as a plent, it gives live birth through its mouth. Its babies are born very well developed, albeit small, and will spend a few minutes to an hour inside their mother's mouth to gather their bearings. They will then leap out and begin to soar on their own. If they don't leave, their mother will push them out with her tongue so that she may eat again. The hairy sky phlyer offers no parental care.

Although the hairy sky phlyer gets some of its energy from photosynthesis, it does not consume most of the sugar it produces. Instead, it stores massive amounts of sugar to use as antifreeze to prevent its wings from freezing and breaking off in the cold atmosphere. All four wings are used in soaring, though the lower pair may rest at an angle. As the skeletal portion of the wing is woody, it holds itself up while still being able to be bent to flap, making it cost less energy to soar than it would for, say, a skysnapper or a flying sauceback.

The hairy sky phlyer's legs have been reduced to only their woody nails, which resemble hooves protruding directly from its torso and serve to guard its underside in the event of a crash. Crashes are usually fatal, but when they aren't, it's because the nails held it off the ground just enough to prevent its abdomen from being torn open as it slid across the ground.

In order to urinate through its integument, the hairy sky phlyer has a patch on its underbelly where all liquid waste is sweated out and removed over time by shedding or by incidental bathing while in water. This causes the trichomes on its underside to be discolored. Its trichomes often remain in the sky after shedding, contributing some nitrogenous compounds and cellulose fiber to the aeroplankton population.

Ascendophrey (Falcotherium ferocior)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Sausophrey
Habitat: Atmosphere (Troposphere), Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Vivus Rocky, Vivus High Grassland, Vivus Alpine, Darwin Alpine, South Dixon Alpine, Verserus Alpine, North Dixon Alpine
Size: 1.6 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Carnivore (Soaring Phlyer, Hairy Sky Phlyer, Sausophrey, Faxon, Sansaws, Woodsalcon, Coastwoodufo, Fansnapper, Snapperbeak Hookphlyer, Dixon Hookphlyer; Juveniles: Rosybeak Phyler, Nightsnapper, Robynsnapper, Nectarsnapper, Gryphler, Interbiat, Montemsnapper, Xenobees, Xenowasps), Occasional Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Unidirectional Macrolungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)

The ascendophrey split from its ancestor. It has turned its attention skyward and begun to feed on flying prey. Taking advantage of thermals and utilizing its advanced respiratory system, it is able to soar as high as 10 km above the ground, which is higher than most other species are even capable of breathing, let alone flying. Its largest pair of eyes have been specialized, no longer open to air and bearing a more complex retinal structure to greatly improve its image-forming ability. It soars over a myriad of different biomes in search of food, but nests among rocks in various open montane biomes. It cannot fly forever and must eventually land; however, it is easily able to fly far enough to cross biomes it would never sleep or nest in within a single day, owing in part to the supercontinent's strange shape and narrow biomes. This has allowed it to nest in several disconnected mountain biomes.

The ascendophrey has two main methods of killing its prey. One is to swoop down and snatch it with its jaws. However, the ascendophrey also hunts prey which is too large to carry. To kill these, it utilizes a new trick: diving hooves-first directly into the head, smashing its prey's brain with so much force that it is instantly converted to mush and may even be ejected out the mouth. It will then follow the resulting carcass to the ground to eat. When hunting its fellow flying saucebacks, it instead aims for the sauce plate to the same effect.

As an adult, the ascendophrey preys almost exclusively on other soaring creatures. All species which soar effectively enter the "troposphere" biome for hours on end, which allows it to feed on species that are not technically listed as sharing its range when it flies above their native biomes. When hunting large prey, it can employ mob hunting tactics, but it otherwise usually hunts alone. It generally stays close to one of the biomes it can nest in, but because the supercontinent is so weirdly shaped and the non-montane biomes are so narrow, it has access to the tropical and temperate skies above nearly all biomes.

The ascendophrey nests communally among rocks in the mountains in warm months, as it is a poor climber and cannot nest in trees. Early on, it regurgitates meat for its chicks to eat, but once they are able to fly they leave their parents' care to hunt on their own. Independent juveniles are generally more solitary, though as they grow older they will begin practicing mob hunting, and they eat smaller flighted prey close to the ground for the first year of their lives. Very few survive to adulthood, as they are vulnerable to predation early in life.

Abyssaluki (Cornumagnus profundum)
Creator: Jvirus
Ancestor: Phantomuki
Habitat: Adults: Jujubee Ocean Trench Floor, Jujubee Ocean Abyss Floor, Jujubee Ocean Abyss Slope, Barlowe Midnight Floor, Maineiac Midnight Floor, Barlowe Midnight Slope, Maineiac Midnight Slope, Abello Midnight Sea Mount, Ethos Midnight Sea Mount, Ittiz Midnight Sea Mount, Ovi Midnight Sea Mount, Penumbra Midnight Sea Mount, Putspooza Midnight Sea Mount, Russ Midnight Sea Mount, Solpimr Midnight Sea Mount, Sparks Midnight Sea Mount, Time Midnight Sea Mount, Truteal Midnight Sea Mount, Xeno Midnight Sea Mount, LadyM Ocean Trench Floor, North LadyM Ocean Abyss Floor, South LadyM Ocean Abyss Floor, North LadyM Ocean Abyss Slope, South LadyM Ocean Abyss Slope, Drake Midnight Floor, Dixon-Darwin Midnight Floor, Drake Midnight Slope, Dixon-Darwin Midnight Slope, Fermi Midnight Sea Mount, Young: Jujubee Ocean Trench Zone, Jujubee Ocean Abyss Zone, Jujubee Ocean Midnight Zone, LadyM Ocean Trench Zone, North LadyM Ocean Abyss Zone, South LadyM Ocean Abyss Zone
Size: 1.5 meters long
Support: Exoskeleton
Diet: Detritivore, Scavenger, Planktivore (Young)
Respiration: Active (Gills Between Segments)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphrodite, Eggs on gills)

Splitting from its ancestors, Phantomukis living in the deep trenches of Sagan 4’s oceans were subject to the effects of deep sea gigantism. This was caused by their environment having few predators, and their size allowing for more efficient respiration.

The Abyssaluki are sluggish detritivores which live at the bottom of Sagan 4’s twin oceans. Their lower tentacles have expanded, giving them a similar appearance to the horns of Fraboos. These horns are used to comb through the seafloor for edible detritus and marine snow, using tiny hairs along them to pick up and pull food towards the mouth. Abyssaluki can also use their mouths to scavenge upon the sunken carcasses of pelagic fauna, such as Lyngbakrs and Hafgufas.

Because of their large size and chitin-armored bodies, adult Abyssaluki have very few predators. However, predatory swarmers, like the Mortusyte, will attempt to bypass the Abyssaluki’s armor by attacking their soft gills. In order to defend themselves, Abyssaluki can retract their gills and pull their chitin segments together, blocking off access to all but the most persistent predators. Their horns remain exposed to attack, but are able to heal quickly from injury. Raised horns can be used to scare off potential predators, making the creature seem larger than it already is.

Possessing smell receptors along their mouths and horns, Abyssaluki can detect sunken carcasses and potential mates from miles away. They have adapted a hermaphroditic reproductive system due to their vast environment and relatively small population size. When two Abyssaluki encounter each other, the two individuals will spar with their horns, and the individual with the larger horns will be the winner. The winner will fertilize the loser's eggs, who will then deposit them along the winner’s gills. The winner will then defend the eggs until they hatch by pulling them in with their gills when attacked by predators, scaring them off with their large horns.

Once the eggs hatch, the young Abyssaluki will enter their first stage of life. Possessing a small body, they are very lightweight and can float in the deep sea water column while navigating by flapping their disproportionately long horns. Young Abyssaluki horns are soft and flexible, and are used to filter plankton from the water. They will live like this for several months, but over time their bodies will grow and begin to become heavier while their horns will become more rigid. Eventually, they will become so heavy that they will slowly sink to the ocean floor. This lifestyle has allowed Abyssalukis to spread wherever deep ocean currents carry their young, scouring the lightless abyssal plains throughout Sagan’s oceans.


A young Abyssaluki floating in the water column.

This post has been edited by Jvirus: Dec 28 2021, 09:36 PM

Blood Tropofly (Retrocapillum sanguivore)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Tropofly
Habitat: Atmosphere (Troposphere)
Size: 4 cm long
Support: Exoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Omnivore (Soaring Phlyer blood, Hairy Sky Phlyer blood and trichomes, Cloudgrass)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking)
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphrodite, Eggs)

The blood tropofly split from its ancestor. It has claimed the untaken niche of feasting on the blood of sky-dwelling phlyers. As this requires exposing itself more to travel between food sources, it has become considerably smaller so that it can grow quickly and spend more energy on reproducing as much as possible. It still feeds on cloudgrass, but it gets much of the same nutrients and more from eating the trichomes of hairy sky phlyers. Like its ancestor it can rest on cloudgrass, but it will also rest among hairy sky phlyer trichomes, holding on using its antennae and tails.

Unlike its ancestor, the blood tropofly lays its eggs on fauna as well as flora. Its favorite host is the hairy sky phlyer, as its trichomes prevent the eggs from falling out. Larvae feed on blood, skin, and trichomes. They reach full size in just a few weeks and fly off to mate and lay eggs of their own, continuing to feed on blood all the while.

The blood tropofly is a necessary component to the sky ecosystem. This is because it brings nutrients from flying creatures to sky flora which consume the fly. Though the phlyers eat other sky organisms and don't bring much nutrients into the sky themselves, much of the nutrients are ultimately lost when they defecate; the blood tropofly slows this process. As a result of its contribution, the sky ecosystem has become more stable, though it has a long way to go before it can become as lush and diverse as its predecessors.

Drinking Cloudgrass (Nimbaphyta vergo)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Cloudgrass
Habitat: Atmosphere (Troposphere), LadyM Tropical Ocean, Jujubee Tropical Ocean, Chum Tropical Coast, King Tropical Coast, BigL Tropical Coast, Jlindy Tropical Coast, Fly Tropical Shallows, Hydro Tropical Coast
Size: 2 meter wide bubble
Support: Cell Wall (Cellulose), Flotation Sac (Hydrogen)
Diet: Photosynthesis, Aeroplanktivore (<2 cm), Oceanic Planktivore (<2 cm)
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Spores), Asexual (Macroscopic Binary Fission)

The drinking cloudgrass split from its ancestor. With the absence of any medium-sized sky flora to compete with, it grew 10 times its ancestor's size. Like its ancestor, it is bilaterally symmetric, however its bubble is more spherical and it floats with its leaf-covered end tilted upwards. It bears a "skirt" of sticky tendrils which surround its root tendrils. It is named for the behavior these changes evolved to support: instead of living "attached" to clouds, it floats freely by day and drifts downwards to "drink" from the ocean by night. In addition to drinking, its sticky tendrils also capture plankton from the water. This is a much better food source than aeroplankton and allows the drinking cloudgrass to grow and reproduce considerably faster than other sky flora, even reaching full size faster than its smaller ancestor.

The drinking cloudgrass's sponge tissue only extends one centimeter past its membrane. This makes it very lightweight and therefore have considerably more lifting power, at the cost that much shallower wounds are sufficient to pop it. However, being able to survive floating on the ocean's surface also gives it time to heal from such wounds and re-inflate. Metals within its membrane such as magnesium prevent hydrogen from leaking out of its bubble.

Like its ancestor, the drinking cloudgrass reproduces sexually using spores. It produces millions of spores per day using the nutrients it gains from the ocean overnight, creating a consistent ocean-to-sky transfer of nutrients which allows other sky flora to grow and reproduce more quickly. Fertilized spores germinate inside clouds and fall as raindrops. Juveniles float at the surface of the ocean, using macroscopic binary fission to rapidly bud new individuals and growing quickly using oceanic nutrients. They utilize cloudbubble cryoutine symbiotes to convert large amounts of water into hydrogen to form their bubbles. Once they reach about half their full size, they are able to float out of the ocean and begin their daily migrations between sea and sky. Very few survive to adulthood, as they are extremely vulnerable to predation early in life.

Giant Rojoko (Effero gigantus)

Creator Hydromancerx
Ancestor: Rojoko
Habitat: Jujubee Ocean (Midnight Zone), Jujubee Ocean (Abyss Zone)
Size: 2 m Long
Support: Unknown
Diet: Planktivore, Detritivore
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (One Gender), Live Birth

The Giant Rojoko split from their ancestor and went deeper down into the depths of Jujubee Ocean. There it grew much larger than its ancestor due to abyssal gigantism. it lost most of its pigment due to it being far from the sunlight above. it is neutrally buoyant in the water and spends time using the least amount of energy that it can. Its 6 flippers beat slowly in the waters, propelling it forward gulping up water and filtering out plankton and other organic particles. They still travel in schools and will use their weak electromagnetic sense to keep them together as well as tiny fibers all over their bodies that help direct them. Some of the tiny fibers around their mouth have become the baleen-like structures that catch the plankton. Their bellies can stretch to hold more water and then push it back out. Once prey is trapped they can close their mouths to swallow their catch. Their bodies are hydrodynamic to help them slide through the water with ease. Even the shell on their back is now smooth. They keep their young in their central chamber as they develop. Once released, the young will stay close to the adults, often using their fins to attach themselves to the shell of the elders.

Sky Bloodbee (Xenoapis aerosanguis)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Xenobees
Habitat: Atmosphere (Troposphere)
Size: 2.5 cm long
Support: Exoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Parasite (Blood, trichomes, mucus, and urine of Soaring Phlyer and Hairy Sky Phlyer)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphrodite, Eggs)

The sky bloodbee split from its ancestor, a small bloodbee-like xenobee, and ascended into the sky. It feeds on the mucus, blood, urine-sweat, and other fluids of high-soaring phlyers and nests within the leaves of sky flora. To drink blood, as it cannot create wounds on its own, it takes advantage of pre-existing wounds created by blood tropoflies and sucks the blood out with its suction cup-like mouth. It is able to keep up with the eternally-flying plents by catching and flying inside of their slipstream. It only feeds for a short time before returning to its nest so that it does not become separated from its social group and offspring. As its eyes are on its abdomen, it flies backwards.

The sky bloodbee nests communally. It uses silk to tie many small flying plants such as cloudgrasses and young grumps to one another and utilizes a mixture of silk and cloudgrump leaves for support and insulation. It is a hermaphrodite and mates via cloacal kiss. It performs parental care, regurgitating partially digested blood, mucus, urine, and trichomes for its larvae to consume.

Submission for the Wayne Barlowe contest. Thanks to the taxonomy group for help with the genus/scientific name.


Prickly Plyent (Principalispinus regalis)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Crown-of-Thorns Plyent
Habitat: Javen Tropical Woodland, Javen Tropical Rainforest, Javen Temperate Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Rainforest, Dixon Tropical Woodland
Size: 90 cm tall
Support: Unknown
Diet: Photosynthesis, Scavenger
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Spores, Thorny Pods)

Splitting from its ancestor, the prickly plyent has spread throughout the tropical and temperate forests of the supercontinent of Dixon-Darwin. Larger and more robust, they nonetheless moves delicately through the forest foliage as go about their lives. Solitary by nature, the sheer lack of predators they possess has resulted in them still becoming a somewhat common sight. Individuals treading through the undergrowth tend to prefer walking along certain routes that they become accustomed to, and over time these cause them to develop - albeit unintentionally - barren desire paths. These "roads" through the forests are utilized by a wide variety of species, either for easier navigation by larger ones or as potential spots for ambushes by the various predators hunting the former. It is in this way the prickly plyents shape the world around them, not unlike how their ancestors did when they trudged their way through ancient crystamboo forests.

Anatomy

Anatomy-wise, the prickly plyent is very similar to other species of plyent both externally and internally. They posses a trunk-like main body supported by three legs, a pair of large leaves for performing photosynthesis, and an all-purpose orifice at the top. Where it differs from them, however, is in the details. Like its ancestor, it possess a ring of spines - a crown as it is known - surrounding its orifice, though where in the crown-of-thorns plyent they were tiny and offered little in the means of defense, in the prickly plyent they have grown huge and imposing. Another prominent difference from them is the evolution of many rows of thorns that cover the main body, as well as an increase in the size of the thorns that cover the legs, which in turn are surrounding by many thin, needle-like thorns that easily detach.

A prominent change can be observed in the feet. On either side of their hooves, two toe-like structures are readably observable. Despite their appearance, though, these are not true toes, as they only briefly come in contact with the ground and are incapable of supporting any weight. Bearing only the simplest internal structures that allow for some mild flexibility, what they are instead filled with reveals their true purpose - taste buds. These specialized foot structures serve to help the prickly plyent to taste the world around them, allowing them to detect chemical trails, determine whether or not something might be edible, and even the salinity of a local water source. They are also coated delicate fibers that are sensitive to pressure, thus the prickly plyent is able to avoid walking into potentially dangerous objects or trees. However, this is not the only way this species is able to detect the world around it.

The wing-like leaves that the prickly plyent possess- which bear a passing resemblance to those of the ancestral river plyent - are unique amongst other plyents for the presence of tiny, delicate patches of photosensitive cells along their rims. Sensitive enough to determine whether or not the plyent is standing in the light or in darkness, they help to guide them in their search for better spots to photosynthesize as the sun moves throughout the day. If damaged, the leaves will tend to regrow within the span of a week. To avoid this, these plyents will fold them tight along their sides the moment they detect a potential threat, such as a sudden shadow passing overhead. Several patches will need to detect the sudden change, though, for them to react in this way.

If knocked prone, prickly plyents are more than capable of righting themselves back up, utilizing a combination of oral spines, wing-like leaves, and their legs in order to do so, though such a process tends to take several minutes to accomplish.

Toxins

The prickly plyent has a secret when it comes to its biological defenses. Unlike any other plyent, this species is capable of producing toxins in its flesh. Thorns alone would not deter most predators, so to bolster them, each one is connected directly to a store of poison loc. Bright colors help to advertise this to would-be predators, many of which have learned the hard way from past mistakes in their youth of what happens should they be pierced by one of these thorns. Small creatures are oftentimes debilitated outright by the toxins, though larger ones - typically a meter or over - tend to instead suffer a mild sense of euphoria and drowsiness, alongside an easily irritated skin rash around the sight of injection. While far from deadly, such an effect helps to deter

Diet

Like most of its family, the prickly plyent relies primarily on the photosynthesis performed by its wing-like leaves in order to supply itself with energy. They supplement this with carrion, which they detect with their taste buds. Once they have located a suitably sized piece of carrion, they will awkwardly bend forward - typically resting their main body on one leg - and utilize the spines around their orifice to manipulate it into a position in which it can be eaten. As they cannot chew, and the fact that their gut is fairly simple - as a whole, plyents have mostly given up feeding through their mouths once they have achieved adulthood, though some species have taken to feeding on small flying fauna - the food must be small indeed in order to be swallowed and processed quickly, otherwise it risks the chance of becoming stuck or even rotting before it can be fully digested. Once food is pulled inside, digestive enzymes are secreted and the food is immersed, dissolved, and eventually has its nutrients absorbed. Whatever is not fully digested is coughed back up. On occasion, small flying scavengers such as localized dartirs may be attracted to the food they consume, and become trapped inside their maws by accident and thus consumed. This is not intentional, and such "prey" are not considered to be an average part of the prickly plyent's diet.

In regards to acquiring water, this species relies on morning dew and rain for the most part, though every few weeks they will approach a larger body of water in order to partially submerge themselves in order to drink large quantities of water. Their thick, waxy skin helps to reduce water loss, so ventures such as this aren't needed that often. This is especially helpful given the risks involved approaching large bodies, for should they be knocked prone, their incredibly poor swimming skills may prove their doom and result in a drowning.

Reproduction & Early Childhood

The reproductive method of the prickly plyent begins with a male specimen seeking out a member of the opposite sex, typically by tasting for chemical trails left in hoofprints. Once it has found a trail and followed it to its source, the male will proceed to release an incredibly pungent cocktail of pheromones' into the air in order to display his physical fitness to his opposite - a healthy individual is able to produce a stronger stench, and vice versa for a sickly one. If the female is impressed, she will reciprocate his gesture and open her crown wide, exposing her all-purpose orifice within. At this point the male will approach and proceed to "cough" up a cloud of airborne spores, a multitude of which will inevitably manage to enter the orifice and, in time, begin the fertilization process. No further interactions between the two will occur at this point, and both individuals will go their own ways - the male in search of other potential mates, and the female in search of nourishment in order to sustain her future brood.

After a week has passed, the female is ready to release her offspring. While she will show them no parental care beyond this point, she will at least attempt to find a suitable clearing in the forest. Typically such locations are to be found higher up in the foothills of the various mountainous peaks that make up the interior of the supercontinent. Once such a spot has been found, the female, just as the male had done before, will begin to "cough" as well. Instead of producing spores, however, she releases intermittent clouds of tiny pods into the air. She will do this for over the course of an hour, during which she may release up to several hundred of these, before she will eventually cease and return to forests

Each pod - little more than half a centimeter in length - contains a single developing plyent and a store of fatty oils that supply it with nutrients during this brief period of external development. Similarly to those of its cousin, the leafy plyentworth, each pod has a tiny puff of feathery fibers. However, while those of its cousin allow for an extended period of being airborne, in the prickly plyent they only allow for an initial rise during the "birthing" process, followed almost immediately by a slow descent back to the ground. Because of this, they have needed to adapt, and as such they have evolved to have tiny barbed hooks coating the exterior of the pod. These hooks are excellent at getting caught in both fur and feathers, which in turn allows for the pods to be transported much greater distances than they otherwise would be able to by just wind alone, as well as providing them some degree of protection. While not all will accomplish this and instead land directly on the ground, where their chances of survival are much lower, the sheer amount of them that are produced ensure at several dozen from each back of pods are able to find a host to carry them.

After several days, the prickly plyents will have finished developing upon using up the nutrient reserves of their mobile homes and proceed to wriggle violently. These repetitive motions serve to weaken the silk-like support structures of the pods, eventually resulting in them falling apart. Now free, the juveniles will proceed to leap off from their hosts. Regardless of the height - such as if the host were airborne, for example - the tiny size of these newborns prevents the fall from causing any manner of damage. This is helped by the fact that the juveniles instinctively flap their wings in order to reduce the rate at which they fall as they flutter downwards to the forest floor below. Immediately upon landing, they will seek out the nearest shelter they can detect, relying on the photosensitive patches of cells on their wings in order to determine if they are surrounded by shade or are exposed.

Though the vast majority of juveniles will be picked off by predators or succumb to the elements, enough are produced to ensure at least some will survive to adulthood, whereupon few, if any, predators will bother them.


Juvenile & Pod

This post has been edited by Nergali: Nov 26 2021, 11:51 AM

Wood Wraith Luxexspiravit nigrumnemorim

Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Needlewing
Habitat: Ichthy Tropical Riparian, Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Size: 50 cm
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Vermees, Minikrugg, Silkrugg, Teacup Saucebacks, Neuks, Dartirs, Sapworms, Mikuks, Feluks, Poisonous Chickenpear, Berry Arbourshroom (berries)) Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Pouch


The Wood Wraith split from its ancestor the Needlewing and took on a nocturnal role in the environment. This allowed them to avoid diurnal predators, as well as Daytime competition. Their eyes have enlarged for greater light sensitivity. Their pupils can nearly take up the entire visible surface area of each of their eyeballs. The back of the eye holds a large reflective surface, or tapetum lucidum, which increases their light sensitivity at night.

Their standard method of hunting is poking and sifting through leaf litter and loose soil with their down-turned beaks, either nabbing food right there or feeling vibrations of prey fleeing in the leaf litter. Once captured, the food is swallowed whole. Larger prey items that are found outside of the leaf litter may be ambushed in the dark before being dispatched with a few jabs and kicks.

The skin on much of the body has become thicker and wrinkled, these excessive wrinkles are caused by the formation of a mucus environment to suspend accumulated poisons from their diet. The most notable poison is the arsenic based compound obtained from hunting Poisonous Chickenpear chicks. The youngest chicks have very little poison in them, while the difficult to eat larger chicks have more. This results in poison having to be collected over time, and its availability to be somewhat seasonal, which means their own concentration can fluctuate if without a source for long enough.

The Wood Wraith is territorial and polyandrous in habit, with multiple male territories residing within a massive female territory. Each individual is solitary within their own border, heavily competing with their respective sexes. Territorial disputes and courtship are both performed with specialized display organs derived from a melding of their pouch and front limbs. The hollow of their pouch extended under the skin into the lengths of their front limbs, which allowed an individual to appear overall larger to their opponent. The success of this spurred the elongation of the limbs and formation of inflatable sacs within them. These sacs are inflated by squeezing the pouch to force air inside up into the balloons. The tubing that allows this action remains directly under the skin as an artifact of its origin. Spotted across the surface of the display organs in the skin are clusters of blueish reflective guanine crystals. Competitive displays are highly confrontational, facing directly toward one another with ballooned limbs extended fully out from their sides, usually circling one another to size up the rival or find a weak point. Courtship displays of both sexes are more complex, involving flaring of their limbs, shaking, and bowing. The combination of the guanine crystals waving on extending limbs next to a pair of large illuminated eyes in moonlight can have a very eerie appearance to an onlooker.

That visual form of display, however, is reserved for close proximity interactions. General announcements of presence is done via their wings, which have been specialized into wooden clappers. The sound produced is similar to the musical instrument the hyoshigi. During their rounds patrolling their territory, when not hunting, they will periodically clap them together to create unique songs. These clappers are formed from lignification of the needles of the wings, which are also fused. The majority of the tissue dies and dries, with a remaining tough stand of living tissue along their outer face supporting them. The dead tissue is shed and replaced by a new batch of fused needles every three or more years.

If a confrontation is not resolved via sound or sight, by song or vivid display, then rivals will resort to violence. Their heads have a tough skin stretched across a thick and hardened skull, which they use to bash into one another. The sides of their skull have ridges that flare out to protect the more delicate tubing and front limbs from immediate assault. If head bashing continues without retreat, and one opponent gains the upper hand and flanks the other, they will attempt to claw or gouge at their enemy's sides, which can cause real damage. Most confrontations end long before this point.

As Wood Wraiths are a polyandrous species their breeding season is very long. A female will breed with as many males as she can hold in her territory, storing sperm from each of them for use. She will briefly gestate multiple small batches of young with this mix, then pass each batch off to a male upon meeting. The male will store the mixed young in his pouch, feeding them the majority of what he catches. During this period the male is unable to use his display sacs, otherwise, the air in his pouch will be drawn out and the cargo he was entrusted with will perish. During this time his territory will shrink as other males move into the area, they too becoming available for the reigning female.

The territory structure in this breeding system has certain trade-offs. For males having a greater range of territory within a female's territory means a larger percentage of her sperm storage will be his, more of the resulting offspring being direct from his line. However, taking up more of her territory means fewer available males to carry his offspring, other than himself. As his territory shrinks after taking on a batch of young, new males coming in means new bodies to carry his young. However, it also means the percentage of young directly from him decreased, and continues to decrease as the breeding season goes on.
For females, having as large a territory as possible means as many males to carry her young as possible. However too large and other females will be able to overlap into her territory and even possibly secure one of her males for themselves. Younger females without territory frequently do this, attempting to butt in and capture at least one mate. However, it can take some time before being accepted, with likely likelihood of acceptance becoming less and less as the breeding season goes on. A new female, or wandering female not from the area could mean that whatever offspring she's carrying, if any, aren't sired from the male of that territory and that could result in no chance of him carrying even one of his own that year. Inexperienced females possibly being ousted by the established one before she can pass his young off to him, in which case she will continue to wander and may not even find a male that year, or an invading female may just pass someone else's young off to him with any genetic contributions he makes being statistically null.

Males may be able to carry two batches of young in a breeding season, a given batch comprising of one to three chicks. The chicks will follow him for much of the remaining breeding season, learning basics on how to do things, shortly after their expulsion from the pouch the reigning female will refill it. Both sexes will reach sexual maturity after about five to six years, and are capable of surviving for up to 300 years.

This post has been edited by colddigger: Nov 22 2021, 10:16 PM

Vultoph (Cadaveroraptor longidigitus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Sausophrey
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Dixon-Darwin High Desert, Dixon-Darwin Desert, Darwin Plains, Darwin Chaparral, Vivus Rocky, Vivus High Grassland, Vivus High Desert, Vivus Volcanic, Raptor Volcanic
Size: 1.2 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Scavenger, Carnivore (Teacup Saucebacks, Pink Scrambler, Gryphler, Barkback, Tasermane, Handlicker Dundi, Dundigger, Sabulyn, Lizatokage, Xatakpa, Neoshrew)
Respiration: Active (Unidirectional Macrolungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)

The vultoph split from its ancestor. As there were no large flying scavengers, it has taken upon itself to fill the vulture-shaped void in Sagan 4's ecosystem, now feeding primarily on organisms which are already dead. It is able to live primarily on carrion despite being a large endotherm because it can soar over long distances in search of food, covering a vast range in a very short amount of time. Like most large scavengers, it will still hunt small prey to supplement its diet.

To adapt for a diet of carrion, the vultoph has undergone a few physical changes. Its walking toe is very long, keeping its flight feathers clear of rotting flesh. Its head and neck are almost completely featherless apart from its ears, discouraging decomposers from infesting its skin through its feathers, and its eyes are set very far back, preventing rotting material from entering them and causing infection. To avoid being poisoned by rotting meat, it has a very strong immune system and an extremely acidic stomach.

Unlike other ophreys, the vultoph is not territorial. A single carcass of something especially large can feed many, so there is no use fighting over it. It is common to see so many vultophs feeding from one carcass that the carcass isn't even visible beneath the writhing sea of wings and mandibles. They commonly follow predators on their hunts, hoping to eat whatever is left over once the predators have had their fill. They will also circle above creatures that appear to be dying, waiting until it's finally time to swoop in and commence their feast.

Like its ancestor, the vultoph has unidirectional macrolungs, two pairs of spiracles, and slotted wings. This allows it to soar very high in the air with little energy and without suffocating. Its skin is dark to help it resist increased exposure to ultraviolet light in the upper atmosphere. Its feather color always depends on the color of rocks in the biome it resides in with spots or stripes to blend with low-growing flora. Its "tail crest" is colorful to communicate with others of its kind and can be hidden under its tail feathers while on the ground.

The vultoph nests on the ground; like most flying saucebacks it is already ironically very poor at climbing or perching, and having such long stilt-like toes only makes it worse. It nests communally among rocks or shrubs, where it will be well-hidden. Their chicks can run soon after hatching, but cannot yet fly and must be brought food by their parents. As their stomachs are weaker and their immune systems not quite as developed, hatchlings must eat fresher meat.

As its head is mostly naked, the vultoph is one of the few descendants of the interbiat to have the short skin-based portion of its pinnae visible. The flight feathers remain in place on the ear, providing lift in flight and aiding in directing sound into the ear canal.