Topship Fuzzpalm (Umbravellopalma navemfurem)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Mainland Fuzzpalm
Habitat: Jujubee Tropical Ocean (Sunlight Zone), North Jujubee Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), South Jujubee Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), LadyM Tropical Ocean (Sunlight Zone), North LadyM Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), South LadyM Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), Soma Temperate Coast, Maineiac Temperate Coast, Oz Temperate Coast, Hydro Tropical Coast, Fly Tropical Shallows, King Tropical Coast, Chum Tropical Coast, Jlindy Tropical Coast, BigL Tropical Coast, Dass Temperate Coast, Wind Temperate Coast, Clarke Temperate Coast, Elerd Temperate Coast, Fermi Temperate Coast, Soma Temperate Beach, Maineiac Temperate Beach, Oz Temperate Beach, Hydro Tropical Beach, King Tropical Beach, Chum Tropical Beach, Jlindy Tropical Beach, BigL Tropical Beach, Dass Temperate Beach, Wind Temperate Beach, Clarke Temperate Beach, Elerd Temperate Beach, Fermi Temperate Beach, Ramul Temperate Beach
Size: 9 meters tall, 1 cm wide berry
Support: Cell Wall (Cellulose), Woody Trunk
Diet: Photosynthesis, Detritivore (Shrog nest material)
Respiration: Passive (Stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Puffy Spores, Berries, Seeds, Pollination by Xenobees
The "lids" of shrog nests were regularly lost, tossed overboard in storms or blown away by a strong wind, which would allow light in. Sometimes, this light would shine on trampled mainland fuzzpalm berries inside, encouraging the seeds within to sprout. Though the mainland fuzzpalm's adaptive trunk would allow these to grow towards the light, more often than not even if they survived predation by the nest's inhabitants, the nest provided very little support for them and would break apart before they reached full size, either from the shrog inhabitants dying and leaving the nest in disrepair or the tree and its roots aiding in destroying the logs that served as the nest's main support. Eventually, however, a new kind of fuzzpalm appeared that did not destroy the nest it grew in. The topship fuzzpalm split from its ancestor.
The topship fuzzpalm has adaptive woody roots which wrap around, "consume" (or, more accurately, take nutrients from as it naturally decomposes), and ultimately replace dead wood. This allows it to take over shrog nests, stealing their shape so that it may float like a boat. This has the side effect of turning it into a pleuston without having any adaptations for floating. Its name comes from the end result; as its adaptive trunk makes it grow out of the nest entrance in the center and a cowlick of fleshy roots at the bottom can create a point, a mature topship without its leaves has a shape vaguely similar to that of a spinning top. Its leaves are longer, though equally fuzzy, allowing it to absorb considerably more light than its ancestor. It commonly has "tufts" of leaves growing on its exposed roots as well. As it has such a rare, specialized habitat, the topship fuzzpalm can live for centuries, maximizing its chances of successfully reproducing at least once. It is able to absorb nutrients from the ocean to fuel its growth.
Topship fuzzpalms are common in "ghost nests", that is, shrog nests where the shrogs inside have died. This is for two main reasons; first, the topship takes a few years to grow and lives much longer than a shrog does, and second, ghost nests usually lose their lids very quickly without them being replaced, so the interior is lit up considerably better. If the original inhabitant of the ghost nest is still inside, the topship will grow its roots through its carcass for the calcium in its bones, creating a tangle of interior roots shaped disturbingly like a shrog. If one grows in a nest that has not been abandoned, however, the conversion of the nest into living material actually benefits the shrog, as a living nest can heal from breaches, resists shrogsnapper attacks, is inedible to pirate waxfaces, and requires considerably less maintenance, though the shrogs must regularly clear out the fleshy aerial roots that start to fill the space so that the tree does not consume their tools and food stores. The leaves also obscure the "deck", so flying predators such as the stonebeak phlyer will not see the shrog on board.
The topship fuzzpalm can sprout on ordinary driftwood, but without the boat shape created by shrogs, it will become top-heavy and eventually fall over. If it survives this and does not simply sink, the adaptive trunk will try to turn back upwards, shifting its center of gravity and causing it to rotate again, creating a feedback loop that causes it to take on a corkscrew shape. When a topship fuzzpalm dies, it itself becomes driftwood and will usually not be taken over by another of its species; when this occurs, it contributes to the floating islands made by raft-building cone puffgrasses, giving back more driftwood than it "stole" by existing.
The topship fuzzpalm has evolved xenobee pollination. It is pollinated (or rather, if such a term exists, sporinated) by xenobees nesting on floating flora, which have learned to recognize a fluffy purple tree in the middle of the ocean as a potential source of nectar. It has no flowers, as its lineage has never evolved anything of the sort, and depends entirely on the co-evolving xenobees having some instinctive understanding of its anatomy. Fortunately, this is very simple, as its reproductive organs are simply located beneath where its leaves grow. Its berries are now yellow, a change which exists to benefit another, much larger co-evolving species...
Topship Shrog (Lutrasorex reticularius)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Seashrog
Habitat: Jujubee Tropical Ocean (Sunlight Zone), North Jujubee Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), South Jujubee Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), LadyM Tropical Ocean (Sunlight Zone), North LadyM Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), South LadyM Temperate Ocean (Sunlight Zone), Soma Temperate Coast, Maineiac Temperate Coast, Oz Temperate Coast, Hydro Tropical Coast, Fly Tropical Shallows, King Tropical Coast, Chum Tropical Coast, Jlindy Tropical Coast, BigL Tropical Coast, Dass Temperate Coast, Wind Temperate Coast, Clarke Temperate Coast, Elerd Temperate Coast, Fermi Temperate Coast, Soma Temperate Beach, Maineiac Temperate Beach, Oz Temperate Beach, Hydro Tropical Beach, King Tropical Beach, Chum Tropical Beach, Jlindy Tropical Beach, BigL Tropical Beach, Dass Temperate Beach, Wind Temperate Beach, Clarke Temperate Beach, Elerd Temperate Beach, Fermi Temperate Beach, Ramul Temperate Beach
Size: 2 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Omnivore (Topship Fuzzpalm berries, Mainland Fuzzpalm berries, Miniswarmers, Squidwhals, Common Gilltails, Larvaback, Marbleflora, Chainswarmers, Pioneer Raftballs, Colonial Bobiiro, Diamond Pumpgill, Floating Pumpgill, South Polar Shardgill, Metamorph Spinderorm)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fur)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Placental, Pouch, Milk)
The topship shrog split from its ancestor. It purposefully exploits topship fuzzpalms to construct sturdy nests capable of lasting multiple generations. It identifies topship berries by their yellow color and extracts the seeds found inside. It plants these in its nest during construction and defends the sapling from predators as it grows, purposefully allowing them to take over the nest. This results in a living nest which requires very little maintenance, resists attack from shrogsnappers, and even has built in shade and sugary snacks. Topship shrog nests are often considerably wider than seashrog nests, sometimes measuring a whopping 30 meters in width and containing up to a dozen topship fuzzpalms, as they do not need to depend on finding trees that grow tall enough to make sufficiently large ribs for support. Their nests last multiple generations and they rarely construct new ones as a result; the learned skills have gradually fallen away and they rely more on instinct and intuition to make new nests when they need to do so.
Unlike the seashrog, which hunts large prey using spears, the topship shrog utilizes nets to catch considerably smaller creatures. These nets are made from excess topship fuzzpalm roots which grow inside the nest and are put together using a weaving instinct present in most tamjacks. Spears are still used for self-defense. When hauling an especially large catch on board, topship shrogs may drape the net over their head and shoulders, effectively gripping with their osteoderms and allowing them to use the strength of all four limbs to drag it aboard. Though their prey is smaller, this hunting method allows them to reap massive rewards--a single catch can include hundreds of gilltails or swarmers and can easily feed a large family. Leftovers are not stored except to feed the topship fuzzpalms, as they rarely fail to catch any food at all in a day. A net can also be cast over small floating flora to satisfy their other nutritional needs.
Because it can obtain so much more food at once and can make such large nests, topship shrogs live in fairly large groups, sometimes containing multiple families. They spend much of the day relaxing and socializing, though they watch the sky for predators as they do so. Obesity is common in topship shrogs, and individuals that are not at least fairly chubby compared to other warm-climate shrog species are rare. Solitary topship shrogs and smaller families also exist, usually found in former seashrog ghost nests which they took over and repurposed. They have similar vocalizations and facial expressions to seashrogs.
Topship shrog nests, being alive, keep themselves fairly clean. This has resulted in the nest being rather hostile to various species that usually inhabit shrog nests, as many of them rely on the presence of large amounts of waste and detritus. Most notably, shailnitors are absent. Kakonats, on the other hand, thrive in the larger topship shrog nests far better than they do in seashrog nests, nibbling at the nest's roots, snatching newly caught prey from the pile, and rarely even swarming and devouring baby topship shrogs.
The topship shrog has a smaller tail saw than its ancestor, as it does not need to use very high-quality wood to make a nest (even a rotting log would suffice) and therefore it uses its tail considerably less. Its tail wears down quickly, unlike the tails of other tamjacks which are fairly resistant to wear, and it grows back slowly. Like most shrogs, the topship shrog has 4 digits on each limb. The innermost digit of each forelimb is opposable and used to grasp tools.
Topship shrogs are somewhat less monogamous than seashrogs, due in part to living in larger groups, but generally still stick to a single partner. The osteoderms on their faces are attractive and they perform a sort of ritual combat where they use them to "head-wrestle". They have no breeding season and females are almost always pregnant or nursing. They gestate for 4 1/2 months and give birth to 2-4 offspring at a time. Newborns live in a pouch and drink milk until their osteoderms start to grow in, at which point they are weaned. They take as long as 6 years to reach full size, but they can live independently as young as 3. They will disperse on beaches upon landfall and set out in search of a mate and a new community to join; it is very rare for a mated pair to start a nest alone, instead finding others of their kind which are either making landfall for their own dispersal or searching for material to build a new nest.
Blowtongue (Cestrolingua phractiglosus)
Creator: Papainmanis
Ancestor: Bashercoat
Habitat: Bumpy Polar Coast, Drake Polar Beach, Drake Polar Scrub
Size: 80cm long (Adult)
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Carnivore (Vermees, Frabukis, Krugg, Leafcutter Krugg, Egg Krugg, Drake Uktank (young), Pudgy Ketter, Rolling Flune, Drakescooter)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Cotton)
Reproduction: Sexual (Live Birth, Two Genders)
Replacing their ancestors wherever their respective territories overlapped, the blowtongue has begun to spread further inland upon the continent of Drake. Having evolved to specialize in hunting and capturing small prey, their tongues have further specialized to aid them in this task. They are capable of both expanding and contracting the end of the cuticle-covered tongue into a caved-in inversion that ends over a hollowed up hydrostatic muscle at the edge of the muscular appendage. Once a prey item is secured within this tongue-trap, it is then smashed and bashed about until it is reduced to little more than a fine, meaty pulp prime for consumption.
The evolution of it's tongue trap has affected reproductive behavior, rather than transferring gametes mouth to mouth as their ancestors did, males will catch a tasty treat in their tongue-traps, roll in their tongues to cover it with gametes and offer it to the female as a nuptial gift. Within a banquet of blowtongues, sometimes comprising dozens of individuals, females might have many male pursuers offering such nuptial gifts and trying to increase the chance that her brood will be theirs, while successful males will pursue many females to increase their chances. Males will mostly compete by trying to get better nuptial gifts, but when that doesn't work they will also try to compete directly. Rather than head bashing, conflicts between competing males will be resolved by bashing each other tongue to tongue, trying to inflict a strong enough hit to get the competition to release the nuptial gift from their rivals grip.
As skullcaps are no longer a significant part of the competition for mates, they have flattened and decreased in size. In spring time, as coats are shed and the brooding period starts, no one is particularly certain who's the father, with successful females sharing the bounty of many males and males splitting their support between the females that accepted their mating gifts. Males during this time will have a peaceful and cooperative demeanor with the other males in the banquet, as it's safe to assume that at least some of the other potential fathers around are helping to feed their own brood.
The fangs, no longer taking part of the killing or biting, have specialized in cleaning their tongue. Shortening and facing towards each other over the tongue to help pull chunks stuck between the cuticles, collecting leftovers and helping prevent future infections from rotten food that can potentially damage the nuptial gifts health or lead to rejection.
Their hearing has evolved to accommodate their specialized diet, splitting their tympanic membrane into a medium frequency lower section used to hear each other and navigate the environment in the larger scale, and a low pitch high frequency upper section used to hear the sounds and movements of animals much smaller than itself. The area around the ears has curved inwards to focus that sound, not unlike the owl of another time and place.
This post has been edited by Papainmanis: Dec 20 2021, 07:49 PM
Name: Driftwood Gumjorn (Peposoci fluitolignum)
Creator: Cube67
Ancestor: Gumjorn
Habitat: Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank, Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank, Driftwood Islands Tropical Woodland, Driftwood Islands Temperate Woodland, Driftwood Islands Chaparral
Size: 70 cm tall
Support: Chitinous shell, hydrostatic pressure
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Asexual (budding)
The driftwood gumjorn split from its ancestor and adapted to life on the strange and ever-changing driftwood islands. This unique flora possesses a variety of adaptations to suit its new environment.
In order to obtain more energy from the sunlight which it requires to live, the driftwood gumjorn’s ‘windows’ have expanded similarly to those of its relative, the ornate gumjorn. This makes it easier for the driftwood gumjorn to photosynthesize but sacrifices some of the strength its chitinous shell would otherwise provide. Not only do these larger windows help to fuel growth, they also make the driftwood gumjorn more shade-tolerant, expanding its range into the wooded areas of the islands. In order to conceal itself from predators a little better, the driftwood gumjorn’s chitinous frame has become a more dark and muted shade of brown, mimicking the color of mud and rotting plant matter.
To compensate for the somewhat extreme environment in which it lives, the driftwood gumjorn has evolved to produce more offspring at a time. These ‘stembuds’, as they are called, are each homologous to the gumjorn’s basal segment, but have a different aspect ratio and lack the deep grooves found on the mature flora. Strangely, every driftwood gumjorn can actually produce two types of offspring, the differences between the two types being regulated by just a couple of genes that control important aspects of the gumjorn’s growth and development. The usual type of offspring, as depicted in the main image, is somewhat elongate and egg-shaped, with only a small amount of salt being transferred to them during their development. However, if the driftwood gumjorn accumulates too much salt, it will grow a degenerate, spherical stembud about one third of the length of the regular type and with no windows. This type of growth, called a saltbud, has a large amount of saline diverted to it during its development. At the end of the saltbud’s development, most of the water is pumped back out using transport proteins, and the salty husk detaches and is left to die. This is a highly effective osmoregulatory system, as the driftwood gumjorn can grow both types of stembud at the same time, the proportion of the two types depending on how much salt is currently present in the gumjorn’s system.
Driftwood gumjorns, while not having as extensive a root system as some other flora, do have long and fibrous roots that radiate outwards horizontally. These thin and tangled roots help to hold the driftwood soil together.
This post has been edited by Cube67: Dec 12 2021, 03:34 PM
Crawling Meiouk (Benthomeioukus perrepo)
Creator: SpeedTowel
Ancestor: Meiouks
Habitat: Elerd Temperate Coast
Size: 1 mm long
Diet: Filter-Feeder (1-500 μm), detritivore
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Support: Soft-Bodied (Hydrostatic Skeleton)
Reproduction: Sexual (male and female, eggs in water)
The crawling meiouk split from its ancestor and adapted to a benthic lifestyle. The species solely lives in Elerd Temperate Coast and has gained a new adaptation, transforming their lower limbs into legs that help them crawl across the ground. This helps it consume more microbes at the bottom of the coast's floor. The species most of the time consumes microorganisms but also consumes detritus. Their whip-like tails are not used in locomotion but instead for stability.. Crawling meiouks are not good at crawling across the sediment and will often fall over, but use their whip-like tails to balance themselves getting back up. The species still reproduces sexually and is externally similar to its ancestor.
This post has been edited by SpeedTowel: Nov 7 2021, 08:17 AM
Colonial Bubblgea (Polybullaphyta sartus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Southern Bubblgea
Habitat: South LadyM Temperate Ocean, South Jujubee Temperate Ocean, Jujubee Tropical Ocean, LadyM Tropical Ocean, North LadyM Temperate Ocean, North Jujubee Temperate Ocean, Fermi Temperate Coast, Wind Temperate Coast, Dass Temperate Coast, Jlindy Tropical Coast, BigL Tropical Coast, Clarke Temperate Coast, King Tropical Coast, Chum Tropical Coast, Elerd Temperate Coast, Soma Temperate Coast, Fly Tropical Shallows, Hydro Tropical Coast, Oz Temperate Coast, Maineiac Temperate Coast, Blocks Salt Marsh, Bone Salt Marsh, Huggs Salt Marsh, Irinya Salt Marsh, Yokto Salt Marsh, Maineiac Salt Marsh, Always Salt Swamp, Bardic Salt Swamp, BioCat Salt Swamp, Blood Salt Swamp, Gec Salt Swamp, Glicker Salt Swamp, Ichthy Salt Swamp, Jeluki Salt Swamp, Kenotai Salt Swamp, Pipcard Salt Swamp, Terra Salt Swamp, Wright Salt Swamp, Driftwood Islands Tropical Shallows, Driftwood Islands Temperate Shallows
Size: 20 cm wide, 40 cm tall
Support: Cell Wall (Cellulose), Air Bubble
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Diffusion)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Sexual Budding), Asexual (Normal Budding)
The colonial bubblgea split from its ancestor, returning north. But while from its ancestor it was merely a split, this species rapidly outcompeted all other descendants of the bubble droopgea in its range. There were multiple factors that allowed this to occur.
First and most importantly, the colonial bubblgea has gained sexual reproduction. Through a mutation, it evolved to produce external, largely unformed buds on its roots, which contain half of their parent's genetic material. These detach themselves during development when they consist of only a few cells and fuse with those of other colonial bubblgeas they encounter suspended in the water, producing offspring with the complete genomes of both. No longer attaching to the seabed, they instead become buoyant very quickly and float throughout their life. Early in its evolution, before it evolved meiosis, their sexual buds contained their parents' full genetic material; as a result, the colonial bubblgea's genome grew over 100 times its previous size, giving it a lot more genetic material to work with to evolve further. This also automatically made it inherently healthier and better at evolving than any other species.
Second, the colonial bubblgea no longer dies to produce young asexually. Instead, the buds produced in its leaves grow to adult size while still attached to their parent. In fact, they never detach at all except when broken off by waves or predators. This has caused the colonial bubblgea to be able to reproduce rapidly and cover the sea, physically crowding out other species in the process. Asexual budding occurs from its leaves, and the connecting stem leads from the parent's leaf to the underside of the offspring's bubble.
Third, the colonial bubblgea has formed a symbiosis with a species of swarmerking. This species, ''Colonimanxerxia polybullaphyta'', is shade-tolerant and clings to the colonial bubblgea's submerged parts, providing excess ammonium through its waste in exchange for shelter from predators and something to cling to. This allows the colonial bubblgea to grow considerably faster than any other species, reaching full size in just 1 week under optimal conditions.
No droopgea commensals or predators were harmed by this rapid change. The colonial bubblgea provides considerable amounts of shelter for small fauna such as common gilltails, squidwhals, krillpedes, and miniswarmers to hide from predators on the open sea. It also provides transport for small terrestrial fauna, aiding in keeping global genus groups global. In fact, the colonial bubblgea has facilitated the spread of the gamergate gundis genus group to Hydro-Barlowe through a rafting event.
Large mats of colonial bubblgea, due to their dark coloration absorbing so much sunlight, create thermals directly over them. These thermals usually generate a cloud. The thermals provide lift to various flying organisms, and the clouds provide extra habitat to sky organisms. The colonial bubblgea does not overheat in warm weather, as the thermal it generates is literally made of excess heat which is drawn up and away from it by the laws of physics. Because of this, it is not harmed by retaining a very dark coloration.
Koddembula (Neobubbleweed rigidus)
Creator: SpeedTowel
Ancestor: Baebula
Habitat: Maineiac Volcanic, Maineiac Temperate Woodland
Size: 3.2 meters tall
Support: Cellulose (Cell Wall)
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (stomata)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Asexual (hydrogen-filled seed bubbles)
The koddembula has split from its ancestor the baebula. Somewhat convergently to its cousin the prutabula, they have thickened their bodies. Its ancestor's branches occasionally were being knocked down, no longer leaving the branches floating. It has grown smaller and still can survive in both the soils of the woodland and the volcanic biomes on Maineiac Island. The bubble leaves are anchored to the tree and can no longer float. Some of the branches of the koddembula may be drooping when formed, causing a light fire hazard to any herbivores or nearby flora. Like its ancestor, it produces hydrogen-filled bubble-seeds that explode. The bubble seeds are no longer dispersed by wind and just fall to the ground. It grows at a fast speed and is still vulnerable to falling over in extreme weather. The hydrogen bubble seeds taste somewhat like onions to ward off small herbivores, but larger species are used to the taste. The bubble seeds are dispersed every summer.
This post has been edited by SpeedTowel: Dec 28 2021, 07:22 AM
Hang-Gliding Pinyuk (Tympaniyakus conscendus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Tree Pinyuk
Habitat: South LadyM Temperate Ocean, South Jujubee Temperate Ocean, Jujubee Tropical Ocean, LadyM Tropical Ocean, North LadyM Temperate Ocean, North Jujubee Temperate Ocean, Fermi Temperate Coast, Wind Temperate Coast, Dass Temperate Coast, Jlindy Tropical Coast, BigL Tropical Coast, Clarke Temperate Coast, King Tropical Coast, Chum Tropical Coast, Elerd Temperate Coast, Soma Temperate Coast, Fly Tropical Shallows, Hydro Tropical Coast, Oz Temperate Coast, Maineiac Temperate Coast, Blocks Salt Marsh, Bone Salt Marsh, Huggs Salt Marsh, Irinya Salt Marsh, Yokto Salt Marsh, Maineiac Salt Marsh, Always Salt Swamp, Bardic Salt Swamp, BioCat Salt Swamp, Blood Salt Swamp, Gec Salt Swamp, Glicker Salt Swamp, Ichthy Salt Swamp, Jeluki Salt Swamp, Kenotai Salt Swamp, Pipcard Salt Swamp, Terra Salt Swamp, Wright Salt Swamp, Driftwood Islands Tropical Shallows, Driftwood Islands Temperate Shallows, Driftwood Islands Tropical Bank, Driftwood Islands Temperate Bank
Size: 35 cm long, 70 cm "wingspan"
Support: Endoskeleton (Hollow Bone)
Diet: Herbivore (Mangrovecrystal crystals, Topship Fuzzpalm leaves, Tlukvaequabora leaves, Bonegrove leaves, Mainland Fuzzpalm leaves, Fuzzpile leaves)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)
The hang-gliding pinyuk split from its ancestor, becoming a living oxymoron. Somehow, this 5-legged superficially goat-like creature has unlocked the secrets of soaring without having powered flight, nor even being capable of evolving it from its current gliding method, and gone straight from life as an arboreal parachuter in the forest to gliding as high as 2 kilometers above the open ocean. This brings up a very important question: How on Sagan 4 did that happen?
This transition began when tree pinyuks in Yokto Temperate Riparian migrated south to Yokto Salt Marsh. There, they used mangrovecrystals the same way they used vesuvianite trees, climbing them like a Terran goat would. They began to eat the crystals from these trees more often than anything else, and they gained longer flank feathers and hollow bones so that they could leap between trees without falling into the wet marsh below. This was aided in part by the thermals generated by colonial bubblgea, and they learned to glide towards those to get a significant upwards boost. They became smaller to suit this lifestyle more and more, gradually becoming more feather than pinyuk, as it both made them lighter and allowed them to climb through denser branches.
Over time, these transitional forms got so good at gliding that they could travel between the more scattered mangroves in the coastal areas further south, in Soma Temperate Coast. Their flank feathers functioning like the numerous airfoils of slotted wings, they were able to glide very far--in fact, when they took advantage of thermals, they could gain height and glide indefinitely. This is similar to how Terran humans can gain height when using unpowered gliders. As they could reach cloud height by gliding in a circle within the thermal, they could very easily scan for mangroves and floating flora over hundreds of kilometers without traveling far from home. As a result of this, combined with regular dispersal caused by mangrovecrystals breaking away from the seabed, they rapidly dispersed all over the ocean.
Image Caption: Underside of female showing full breadth of flank feathers
Image Caption: Flank feathers removed to show anatomy
The hang-gliding pinyuk's hindquarters are very unusual in that they have seemingly moved from its back end to its midsection. This was able to occur because of a lesser-known detail of the anatomy of terrestrial spondylozoans; despite their tetrapod-like appearance, they actually lack a true pelvis and, by default, the hind legs are supported solely by a muscular sling, similar to the forelegs. This means that, at least in species with primitive hindlimb anatomy such as pinyuks, they can relatively easily have their position shifted, though this is not usually selected for because the support they provide for the rear end is very useful and shifting them forward makes mating somewhat more difficult for males because their own legs get in the way. In this case, however, doing so shifted the hang-gliding pinyuk's center of gravity forward, which in turn makes it far more balanced and stable in the air, as it is no longer back-heavy. This has had the side effect of making "hexapod" mutations--where the tail limb branches at the base--no longer automatically crippling, though 6-legged individuals usually do not survive to adulthood; while they are able to run and glide just as well as their 5-legged siblings, the reduced left-right flexibility of the tail limb makes them poor climbers.
The hang-gliding pinyuk's ears have fully disconnected from its eyes and the cartilage "ribbing" which crossed the tympanum is now absent. This grants it even better hearing than its ancestor (and once again better than any other "dweller" thus far), despite no longer having a "mammal-eared" silhouette. The hang-gliding pinyuk lives in and feeds from various tall flora, both floating in the open sea and forming mangroves in coasts and estuaries, and constructs its nests from fallen leaves, twigs, roots, and smaller floating flora it gathers from nearby, as well as its own shed feathers. Its feathers are not waterproof, so after swimming around to forage for floating nest material, it must bask to dry off. When at rest, its flank feathers splay outwards at an angle, but they can also be pulled up or flattened against its side. They are attached to its ribs and tail leg bones, preventing them from being torn out by rough winds.
Like its ancestor, the hang-gliding pinyuk is sexually dimorphic, with males (pictured) having an orange crest which is completely absent in females. Though it lives in smaller groups than before (though groups of 40 are still possible, they are limited by the size and number of trees nearby), it is still polygamous, and males fight one another ritualistically for the right to mate. Using its passive flight ability, males from other trees or mangroves may migrate from afar to mate with unrelated females. As mentioned previously, the change to the hindlimbs makes mating more difficult; to solve this, the male will mount the female diagonally instead of straight from behind and rest one of his hindlimbs on her back to keep it out of the way. With somewhat fewer current predators and less livable space in its chosen environment, it only lays 16-24 eggs at a time.
The hang-gliding pinyuk is a common sight aboard topship shrog nests, due to the large number of trees together on a single platform encouraging it to land there when dispersing. Topship shrogs are generally tolerant of hang-gliding pinyuks, as while they eat the leaves from the trees making up their nest, they are generally harmless in small numbers.
Swap with Disgustedorite��.
Mudslider Teuthopin (Turgidusalolligo terrafodiens)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Ice Teuthopin
Habitat: Darwin Alpine, Verserus Alpine, South Dixon Alpine, North Dixon Alpine, Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Size: 40 cm long
Support: Soft Bodied (Muscular Hydrostat)
Diet: Carnivore (Minikruggs, Teacup Saucebacks, Vermees, Neuks, Climber Crystalkrugg, Grovecrystal Krugg, Bloodback, Common Fraboo, Scrambled Shrew, Barkback, Thorny Toadtuga, Spineless Toadtuga, juvenile Gnarbolonks); Ovivore (Gnarblunter eggs, Brighteyes' eggs, Long-Tailed Flunejaw eggs, Montemsnapper eggs)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endothermic (Blubber), Basking
Reproduction: Sexual, Two "Genders" (Hermaphrodite and Carrier), Ovoviviparous
Millions of years ago, when the global climate began to warm and the continents shifted towards their current positions, the mighty glaciers that once spanned nearly the entire globe were forced to retreat towards the distant poles of Sagan IV. This situation left one of the major predators native to them, the ice teuthopins, in a predicament. With several populations now isolated on the various peaks across the globe, it was only a matter of time before genetic drift would lead to the appearance of new species. The mudslider teuthopin is one such example. Descended from populations located on Verserus peak that had - as a result of overpopulation - descended into the surrounding alpine regions, they have since split from their ancestors and spread throughout the interior regions of the Dixon-Darwin supercontinent. The average lifespan of a mudslider teuthopin is roughly fifteen years, though with the threat of predation many don't live to see beyond five.
Compared to its ancestor, the mudslider teuthopin has expanded upon its habit of both tunneling through and expanding the passageways of its favored prey items. Now entirely fossorial, they have adapted to this lifestyle in several ways. The most prominent of these adaptation are their more pronounced claws, which are both longer and broader, and perfect for tearing through soil and snow with ease. Their beaks have also elongated, and will also aid in the digging process with the aid of repetitive, upwards/downwards motions as they shove loosened earth out of the way. Their breathing holes, now more pronounced, face backwards in order to prevent dirt from clogging them. As for their vocal sacs, which dominate the tops of their bodies, they are now covered in a layer of skin and blubber that both protects them from damage as well as reduced the amount of heat that would otherwise be lost through what was, in the ancestors, fairly exposed. Their ancestor's "tails" are longer, fatter, and slightly more flexible, and serve as storage for the majority of the calories these teuthopins take in on a daily basis. Compared to their ancestors, a lifetime of tunneling has reducing their capacity to change color - with one notable exception - though they are still capable of darkening and lightening their pigmentation when needed, such as when sunning themselves or attempting to communicate with one another.
When not basking in the sun during the early morning, this species burrows through loose earth and snow. During the warmer parts of the year, they will manage to dig vast tunnels in both the search of prey and the avoidance of predators. They are incredibly ravenous, gorging themselves upon almost anything moving that can fit into their beaks, and for good reason. It is during these times of warmth and plenty when they must maintain their blubber stores, for when winter comes, they will need to rely upon metabolizing it to survive. If they fail to prepare properly, they are likely to freeze to death or even be too weak to unearth themselves by the time spring returns.
As the first chill of winter arrives near the end of fall, the mudslider teuthopin will dig out an earthen chamber only slightly larger than itself and proceed to fill it with bits of small flora, such as pioneer quillballs, as well as the branches of larger ones, such as the lacy-leaf obsiditree. Once its den is snug and secure, the mudslider teuthopin will enter a state of torpor as it winters through the colder months, relying on the stores of fat it accumulated from the gorging it underwent prior to its slumber. During this period of time, a healthy adult can lose nearly a quarter of its bodyweight as its body continues to perform the bare necessity of functions needed to maintain life. It is only when warmth returns to the land and the first flaw begins to soak these underground burrows will the teuthopins stir once more, and once they do so they will seek the surface so that they may bask in the suns rays in preparation for filling their empty bellies. It is these first spring ventures, when the teuthopins emerge in mass while the land is wet with melting snow and fresh mud - inevitably leading to them covered in the later - that has led to their namesake.
Specimen displaying mating colors.
-- Mating & Reproduction --
Mating occurs in early fall. In preparation for this, healthy specimens will over the course of a week take on a rich, vibrant teal color - not that unlike the favored camouflaged of the ice teuthopin - in the attempt to attract a mate. They will surface and find a secluded, open spot, whereupon they will repeatedly release a heavy thrumming sound as they rapidly vibrate their vocal sacs. While there is great risk in doing so, the desire to mate overwhelms this, and as such they may do this for hours at a time. Should they attract another of their kind, and should it show interest in mating by already having taken on the same color patterns, both will engage in a mock fight, which involves smacking their beaks together and slapping each other with their tentacles. Once the fight is over, the winner will impregnate the loser, who will then keep the eggs in their pouch until they hatch, and eventually return to normal color patterns. The winner, meanwhile, can continue to attract new mates/challengers until either the mating season ends, they themselves become impregnated, or a predator should stumble upon them.
Indeed, the two gendered system of their ancestors, which for reasons unknown required three members to complete - two hermaphrodites to impregnate one another, and then a non-fertile carrier to carry the eggs - has essentially been reduced due to how inefficient it was. Now only two specimens are needed, and while though bother are hermaphroditic, only one becomes pregnant - the new carrier "gender" - as the resources involved in producing and caring for the resulting eggs can be costly. With only one becoming pregnant, the other has the potential to continue breeding many more times and, if its success in combat is any indication, pass on its healthy genes to future generations.
The hundred or so eggs, once they have hatch around the beginning of spring, are shown no parental care. The young must head out into the world by themselves, guided only by their natural instincts, and begin to hunt within hours of their "birth". They put on weight rapidly during this time, and for good reason. With the colder winter months approaching, they need all the blubber they can accumulate, else they risk dying from the cold. Many will not survive, with over 90% succumbing to the elements, predators, and on very rare occasions, even outright cannibalism by older, larger individuals. Those that do survive, though, will reach sexual maturity towards the end of their second year of life, thus giving them a chance to mate themselves.
-- Interactions with other Species --
The constant burrowing and tunneling of the mudslider teuthopins inevitably brought them into contact with another fossorial species, the gnarbolonks. While not above hunting the occasional isolated offspring should a teuthopin be particularly desperate, their interactions otherwise are fairly amicable. Both help to expand and maintain the tunnels of the other, and the teuthopins will even clear out verminous species that would otherwise steal from the gnarbolonk's larder. This relationship has proven so beneficial that the latter have managed to spread to all regions the teuthopins now inhabit.
The mudslider teuthopins also comes into contact with one of the local major predators of the regions they inhabit, the long-tailed flunejaw, though their relationship in this case is not so positive. The flunejaws are likely to kill a teuthopin should they come across one, and for good reason. The teuthopins, much like the flunejaws, rely on sensing vibrations in order to sense the world around them - especially when underground where eyes are basically useless. As such, they can exploit many of the tricks the flunejaws use, especially their habit of burying stockpiles of incapacitated kruggs in the soil. Sensing the vibrations of the crippled prey, the teuthopins will gladly help themselves to the feast. This ability works both ways, however, and the flunejaws are more than capable of detecting - and inevitably reaching - teuthopins communicating with one another under but a few feet of snow and/or soil.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Nov 9 2021, 03:43 PM
Mudslider Teuthopin (Turgidusalolligo terrafodiens)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Ice Teuthopin
Habitat: Darwin Alpine, Verserus Alpine, South Dixon Alpine, North Dixon Alpine, Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Size: 40 cm long
Support: Soft Bodied (Muscular Hydrostat)
Diet: Carnivore (Minikruggs, Teacup Saucebacks, Vermees, Neuks, Climber Crystalkrugg, Grovecrystal Krugg, Bloodback, Common Fraboo, Scrambled Shrew, Barkback, Thorny Toadtuga, Spineless Toadtuga, juvenile Gnarbolonks); Ovivore (Gnarblunter eggs, Brighteyes' eggs, Long-Tailed Flunejaw eggs, Montemsnapper eggs)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endothermic (Blubber), Basking
Reproduction: Sexual, Two "Genders" (Hermaphrodite and Carrier), Ovoviviparous
Millions of years ago, when the global climate began to warm and the continents shifted towards their current positions, the mighty glaciers that once spanned nearly the entire globe were forced to retreat towards the distant poles of Sagan IV. This situation left one of the major predators native to them, the ice teuthopins, in a predicament. With several populations now isolated on the various peaks across the globe, it was only a matter of time before genetic drift would lead to the appearance of new species. The mudslider teuthopin is one such example. Descended from populations located on Verserus peak that had - as a result of overpopulation - descended into the surrounding alpine regions, they have since split from their ancestors and spread throughout the interior regions of the Dixon-Darwin supercontinent. The average lifespan of a mudslider teuthopin is roughly fifteen years, though with the threat of predation many don't live to see beyond five.
Compared to its ancestor, the mudslider teuthopin has expanded upon its habit of both tunneling through and expanding the passageways of its favored prey items. Now entirely fossorial, they have adapted to this lifestyle in several ways. The most prominent of these adaptation are their more pronounced claws, which are both longer and broader, and perfect for tearing through soil and snow with ease. Their beaks have also elongated, and will also aid in the digging process with the aid of repetitive, upwards/downwards motions as they shove loosened earth out of the way. Their breathing holes, now more pronounced, face backwards in order to prevent dirt from clogging them. As for their vocal sacs, which dominate the tops of their bodies, they are now covered in a layer of skin and blubber that both protects them from damage as well as reduced the amount of heat that would otherwise be lost through what was, in the ancestors, fairly exposed. Their ancestor's "tails" are longer, fatter, and slightly more flexible, and serve as storage for the majority of the calories these teuthopins take in on a daily basis. Compared to their ancestors, a lifetime of tunneling has reducing their capacity to change color - with one notable exception - though they are still capable of darkening and lightening their pigmentation when needed, such as when sunning themselves or attempting to communicate with one another.
When not basking in the sun during the early morning, this species burrows through loose earth and snow. During the warmer parts of the year, they will manage to dig vast tunnels in both the search of prey and the avoidance of predators. They are incredibly ravenous, gorging themselves upon almost anything moving that can fit into their beaks, and for good reason. It is during these times of warmth and plenty when they must maintain their blubber stores, for when winter comes, they will need to rely upon metabolizing it to survive. If they fail to prepare properly, they are likely to freeze to death or even be too weak to unearth themselves by the time spring returns.
As the first chill of winter arrives near the end of fall, the mudslider teuthopin will dig out an earthen chamber only slightly larger than itself and proceed to fill it with bits of small flora, such as pioneer quillballs, as well as the branches of larger ones, such as the lacy-leaf obsiditree. Once its den is snug and secure, the mudslider teuthopin will enter a state of torpor as it winters through the colder months, relying on the stores of fat it accumulated from the gorging it underwent prior to its slumber. During this period of time, a healthy adult can lose nearly a quarter of its bodyweight as its body continues to perform the bare necessity of functions needed to maintain life. It is only when warmth returns to the land and the first flaw begins to soak these underground burrows will the teuthopins stir once more, and once they do so they will seek the surface so that they may bask in the suns rays in preparation for filling their empty bellies. It is these first spring ventures, when the teuthopins emerge in mass while the land is wet with melting snow and fresh mud - inevitably leading to them covered in the later - that has led to their namesake.
Specimen displaying mating colors.
-- Mating & Reproduction --
Mating occurs in early fall. In preparation for this, healthy specimens will over the course of a week take on a rich, vibrant teal color - not that unlike the favored camouflaged of the ice teuthopin - in the attempt to attract a mate. They will surface and find a secluded, open spot, whereupon they will repeatedly release a heavy thrumming sound as they rapidly vibrate their vocal sacs. While there is great risk in doing so, the desire to mate overwhelms this, and as such they may do this for hours at a time. Should they attract another of their kind, and should it show interest in mating by already having taken on the same color patterns, both will engage in a mock fight, which involves smacking their beaks together and slapping each other with their tentacles. Once the fight is over, the winner will impregnate the loser, who will then keep the eggs in their pouch until they hatch, and eventually return to normal color patterns. The winner, meanwhile, can continue to attract new mates/challengers until either the mating season ends, they themselves become impregnated, or a predator should stumble upon them.
Indeed, the two gendered system of their ancestors, which for reasons unknown required three members to complete - two hermaphrodites to impregnate one another, and then a non-fertile carrier to carry the eggs - has essentially been reduced due to how inefficient it was. Now only two specimens are needed, and while though bother are hermaphroditic, only one becomes pregnant - the new carrier "gender" - as the resources involved in producing and caring for the resulting eggs can be costly. With only one becoming pregnant, the other has the potential to continue breeding many more times and, if its success in combat is any indication, pass on its healthy genes to future generations.
The hundred or so eggs, once they have hatch around the beginning of spring, are shown no parental care. The young must head out into the world by themselves, guided only by their natural instincts, and begin to hunt within hours of their "birth". They put on weight rapidly during this time, and for good reason. With the colder winter months approaching, they need all the blubber they can accumulate, else they risk dying from the cold. Many will not survive, with over 90% succumbing to the elements, predators, and on very rare occasions, even outright cannibalism by older, larger individuals. Those that do survive, though, will reach sexual maturity towards the end of their second year of life, thus giving them a chance to mate themselves.
-- Interactions with other Species --
The constant burrowing and tunneling of the mudslider teuthopins inevitably brought them into contact with another fossorial species, the gnarbolonks. While not above hunting the occasional isolated offspring should a teuthopin be particularly desperate, their interactions otherwise are fairly amicable. Both help to expand and maintain the tunnels of the other, and the teuthopins will even clear out verminous species that would otherwise steal from the gnarbolonk's larder. This relationship has proven so beneficial that the latter have managed to spread to all regions the teuthopins now inhabit.
The mudslider teuthopins also comes into contact with one of the local major predators of the regions they inhabit, the long-tailed flunejaw, though their relationship in this case is not so positive. The flunejaws are likely to kill a teuthopin should they come across one, and for good reason. The teuthopins, much like the flunejaws, rely on sensing vibrations in order to sense the world around them - especially when underground where eyes are basically useless. As such, they can exploit many of the tricks the flunejaws use, especially their habit of burying stockpiles of incapacitated kruggs in the soil. Sensing the vibrations of the crippled prey, the teuthopins will gladly help themselves to the feast. This ability works both ways, however, and the flunejaws are more than capable of detecting - and inevitably reaching - teuthopins communicating with one another under but a few feet of snow and/or soil.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Nov 9 2021, 03:43 PM
Maulwart (Darthus spinosus)
Ancestor: Razorbark
Habitat: Fermi Temperate Beach, Fermi Desert
Size: 70 cm tall
Support: Cellulose Walls, Wood
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Unknown
Reproduction: Sexual, Isogamous Spores Carried by Small Fauna, Self-Fertilization, Wind-Borne Germinating Spores
Maulworts, which split from their ancestor, are a slow-growing species that live on the back dunes of Fermi Temperate Beach and into the outer edges of Fermi Desert. They are very tough, prickly, and bad-tasting due to multiple defensive chemicals, and slightly poisonous if eaten in excess.
---
==General Physiology==
Maulwarts have very thick stems, studded with small, sharp, prickly leaves. These leaves are somewhat similar to thorns on grapefruit trees, although harder and sharper. As in its ancestor, the leaves are high in oxalic acid, making them unpleasantly sour or even toxic to would-be herbivores, deterring even those herbivores that specialize in sharp leaves, like curazzopes. A mature Maulwart has a woody stem, but younger individuals are merely crunchy and carrot-like. Most of their tissues taste like ashes and salt, but the younger, tenderer specimens are especially bad-tasting, compensating for their otherwise appealing tissue.
The stem is covered in thick, deeply fissured bark. In wetter seasons, they shed flat chunks of bark intermittently, leaving puzzle-piece-like patterns on the stem. New chunks of thick bark quickly regrow, but for a few days, it is vulnerable to sapworms and other fauna that can pierce somewhat surface tissues. As fog or dew covers the flora, moisture accumulates in its fissures, condensing into trickles of water it can then absorb.
The terrible taste comes from a combination of chlorogenic acid (the same compound that makes coffee bitter), oxalic acid, tannins, and a few other chemicals. The lectins in various tissues, including its nectar, can cause stomach upset in some fauna if eaten to excess, but the biggest part of its toxicity comes from wisterin, a toxic glycoside. Wisterin exists in its tissues at much lower concentrations than lectin, and is concentrated in the flower.
==Reproduction, Flowering, and Pollination==
Remarkably among its kin of the time, it reproduces sexually. However, unlike many flora, it reproduces in an isogamous way, with just one mating type, rather than "male" or "female". Reproducing sexually and using pollinators capable of flight has allowed advantageous gene variants to spread rapidly through populations, even away from high Maulwart concentrations, and more importantly, for sets of variants adapted to multiple stressors. Maulwarts withstand not only low moisture levels, but also fairly high salt levels in the soil or water, and even hot days (though it’s a rare concern in its habitats’ latitude).
Rather than having specialized male and female cells of drastically different shapes and behaviors, it has a plus strain and a minus strain. Each individual Maulwart produces only one strain, making it impossible for its gametes to fuse with each other. The gametes produced meet, fuse, and undergo nuclear fusion, forming spores which are distributed on the wind, much like flowers drying up and making wind-borne seeds.
Due to the sheer volume of gametes it makes, though, occasionally a few gametes end up as the other strain of the rest. Each gamete has identifying proteins on its surface. During the initial meeting of the cells, if the cells do
In harsh conditions, which are fairly common in its dry habitat, it may produce only a single flower. In better conditions, it can produce 3 or 4 flowers. Though the flower is fleshy and somewhat high in moisture, would-be herbivores are usually deterred by its bitter, ashy, salty taste. Out of all its parts, it is the most loaded with feeding deterrents. In excess, the chemicals of the flower interfere with digestion and cause stomach upset.
Its moist, fleshy, weakly scented black flowers, flourlike, sticky yellow-orange spores, and bitter, coffee-flavored nectar fairly high in minerals gives it an unusual set of pollinators. Its ancestor’s biggest pest, a tiny, short-lived sapworm species that sucked the sap from its spore chambers, co-evolved with it, yielding a specialist pollinator, the Ephemeral Sporeworm. At time of evolution, 50% of its pollinators by number are Ephemeral Sporeworms, with another 15% being other sapworm species, 18% Xenowasps (an unusual percentage of which are at least partly blood-drinkers), 10% Minikruggs, 4% Nectarworms and just 3% Xenobees.
After its eggs cells are fertilized, the fleshy structure dries up, forming a new, vaguely mushroom-like structure that spreads fertilized spores to the wind.
==Other Details==
Compared to its ancestor, it has a stronger root system, with various thick, almost artery-like major roots growing out within a few centimeters of the soil line. Its primary pollinator species sucks sap from its upper roots and the base of its stem for a few days as larvae. Having a few major roots be fairly vulnerable to Ephemeral Sapworm larvae during the wet season ensures a reliable supply of high-fidelity pollinators. They specialize in areas that are generally poor for tree-sized flora. They rarely occur in bonespire-dominated oases, and are generally found in mixed-species thickets.
Ephemeral Sapworm (Ephemeralis darthus)
Creator: Coolsteph
Ancestor: Sapworms
Habitat: Fermi Temperate Beach, Fermi Desert
Size: 1 cm long
Support: Exoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Sapivore: Maulwarts (nectar, sap), Razorbarks (sap)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Heat from Muscle Activity)
Reproduction: Hermaphrodite, Sticky Eggs
Ephemeral Sapworms, which split from their ancestor, live only during wetter seasons. Like houseflies, their lives are short: it takes 4-6 days for an egg to grow to an adult, with a maximum lifespan of about 23 days, though most are eaten by predators or mangled by flying accidents before then.
Ephemeral Sapworms are most active at dawn and dusk, primarily in the morning hours. They become active after sunrise, generally hiding and resting after 10:00 AM. They may rest on the trunks of blackflora or within the blooms of Maulwarts, and occasionally the spore chambers or blooms of other blackflora of similar size. Ephemeral Sapworms exist in smaller swarms in Fermi Desert, due to the lower density of its hosts there.
Because they have co-evolved with Maulwarts to drink their sap-like nectar, the adults' diets have less sap. The tongues of adults are not as sharp as most Sapworms, for lack of need to puncture bark and suck sap. Where Maulwarts are scarcer, they may suck sap from Razorbark spore chambers. However, this puts them into competition with their better-adapted ancestors, and only their slightly keener senses for sniffing out Razorbark (and descendants') spore chambers and more specific feeding times with more vigorous activity makes this viable.
Ephemeral Sapworms mate in swarms around clusters of Maulwarts. Unusually for Sapworms, they have some reproductive differentiation: especially well-fed Ephemeral Sapworms have longer cloacal segments, helping them lay eggs deeper into the soil. Ephemeral Sapworms can detect longer cloacal segments while mating and choose to fertilize more of their eggs accordingly. After mating, they all lay eggs (for they are hermaphrodites).Ephemeral Sapworms then investigate Maulwart hosts, tapping at fissures in the host flora’s bark with their tongues and inspecting density of litter on the ground before laying eggs. Ephemeral Sapworms have a lifetime egg output of 180-220 eggs, and lay them in clusters. The eggs, each about 0.1 mm long, are laid underneath 5 mm to 1 cm of floral material, depending on local litter and soil conditions. Usually, the eggs are laid under Maulwart bark pieces, which are hard, bitter, and unappealing to most detritivores until heavily decayed, reducing likelihood of disturbance. Because the eggs are laid under floral material and the larvae remain just slightly underground, predators of their eggs and larvae are different from most sapworms.
Ephemeral Sapworm eggs can exist in a dormant state for months. Seasonal changes and rain prompt the eggs to hatch. Early on, the larvae feed on sap from the Maulwart's major surface-level roots, before quickly sucking out sap from the base of the stem. At this time, Maulwarts usually shed their bark, making it easier to suck sap from the bases of the flora. They only become largely crepescular as adults, feeding almost constantly unless it gets too hot.
Like Sapworms in general, Ephemeral Sapworms need little water. They get most of what they need from a diet of sap, but occasionally suck up dew that has accumulated in the fissures of its host's bark.
Ephemeral Sapworms taste conspicuously different from other sapworms, due to accumulating the taste of the coffee-flavored nectar that is most of their diet. Most predators find them less appealing to eat than their relatives, and the smaller ones more easily poisoned by them may leave them half-eaten or let them go. Some of the smaller Silkrugg species with better vision just let them go, without even a bite, once they’re close enough to distinguish them from their similar-looking relatives, Nectarworms. Ephemeral Sapworms are nonetheless commonly eaten, especially by large fauna that need to eat many Ephemeral Sapworms at once to suffer ill effect. Egg-specialist Minikruggs are a major threat to their eggs, and one species isn’t deterred at all by the coffee-like taste of the eggs.
Although they look superficially similar to Nectarworms, they're actually less related than lions and tigers are to each other, and utterly incapable of hybridizing. Its mostly unremarkable ancestor started on a path towards specializing in the spore chambers of the Razorbark, Maulwarts' ancestor, several million years before Nectarworms' appearance, and Nectarworms genetically diverged still further from blackflora-specialist sapworms. Their mouthparts, reproductive habits and physiology, diets, life histories, and even predators of their eggs and young vary significantly.
Floraverms Floraverm ssp.
Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Vermees
Habitat: Global
Size: 1mm - 5 cm long
Support: unknown
Diet: Herbivore, Detritivore
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Hermaphrodite (Live Young)
The Floraverm split from its ancestor the Vermees and spread across the globe in much the same way as it. They've specialized further into the niche of consuming flora detritus, as well as consuming fresh flora tissues. The majority of the species lean toward 1 centimeter or less in size, though there are many goliaths in the genus reaching up to 5 centimeters. The majority of small species can complete their lifecycle in a matter of weeks, the smallest being 1 millimeter reaching maturity in 10 days under optimal conditions. As ectotherms their activity is reliant on heat availability in their environment, tropical species during both night and day are common while temperate regions are dominated by diurnal species with few nocturnal forms. In places with cold seasons hibernation must be practiced.
Just like the rest of the lineage they belong to, they inherited a radula-like spine-covered inverted mouth to scrape up food, from the Clear-Wing Worm. The Floraverm group enlarged this mouth to take in larger amounts of food and further pulverize it. Their first segment has diminished, with their inverting mouth leading directly into a crop-like first segment of their intestine. This intestine makes up the majority of their biomass, allowing them to rapidly extract nutrients from what they eat, while continuously shoving more food into it.
Floraverms have simplified their segmentation with the expansion of their intestine, with each segment, with exception to their first one, now bearing roughly the same external traits.
Their chitinous segments have been thinned to the point of being virtually non-existent, with the thickest portion being a supportive ring which each of their eyes sits upon. On the ventral side of the segment chitinous hooks have developed to allow better grip when climbing or crawling around.
The entrance holes to their simple tracheal system are concentrated between their first and second segments, the exit holes between their last segment and the one prior. Their single chambered pump for this system sits a quarter of the way down their body from the head. It is supported by internal structures and uses muscle both for inflating and deflating. Their hemoglobin-containing blood allows these tubes to remain relatively simple compared to other tracheal systems. The looped branching of the trachea tubes could be considered reminiscent of a unidirectional lung, if the lung were spread down the length of the organism. To maintain the unidirectional nature of this system pieces of tracheal tubing are fused in such a manner as to create a tesla valve, this distinct fusion can be found at both the front and back ends of the tracheal system.
The majority of herbivorous species specializes in their own particular handful of flora, and even then particular parts of said flora. Some stick to leaves, some burrow into soft stems, roots, and new growth, while others even specialize in infesting fruits and sporangium. Their need for regular regularly available food, and their style of mouthparts, limits them from bothering to consume tougher parts of flora such as wood, thick chitin, tough seeds, or bark. Some will specialize in Plent lineages, but most prefer purple or black flora as hosts. Others will specialize in crystal or even worm flora, though avoiding the thick chitin. Flora with chemical weaponry to deter herbivores are left alone in favor of easier food. There are various forms, typically more basal, that survive in leaf litter and detritus, however this niche is far more dominated by their ancestor the Vermees.
Commonly they can be found stuck to the undersides or edges of leaves they're eating, or inside the soft tissued stems they're hollowing out. A Floraverm can easily spend its entire life on a single host. One large Obsidoak could hold generations before they skeletonize it and disperse into the forest for new hosts.
Larger ones tend to be solitary, but a common lifestyle among Floraverms is existing in tight clusters that move together. This can startle predators into thinking they're confronted with a body much larger than an individual Floraverm. Few members of the genus are found living amphibious lives, scooting around the beds of rivers and streams, or the intertidal zones of beaches. All require terrestrial access for air since they cannot swim, with a very small handful managing to spread among the Driftwood Islands, and none are truly pelagic.
This post has been edited by colddigger: Jan 7 2022, 12:58 AM
Squeaky Gremlin (Pipulumatestudo purpuraconcha)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Rolling Flune
Habitat: Elerd Temperate Beach, Chum Tropical Beach, King Tropical Beach, Clarke Temperate Beach, BigL Tropical Beach, Jlindy Tropical Beach, Dass Temperate Coast
Size: 25 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton
Diet: Herbivore (Marbleflora, Pioneeroots, Fuzzweed, Pinprong, Pioneer Fuzzballs, Beach Puffgrass leaves, Carnurtain leaves, Crowned Kingrush stems), Frugivore (Quhft, Mainland Fuzzpalm, Qupe Tree, Fuzzpile, Branching Qupe Tree)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectothermic, Basking
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Frog-like eggs
As the global climate continues to change, many species are forced to adapt or otherwise risk extinction. The rolling flunes are one such example. Without any adaptations towards the chilling temperatures of the polar regions they inhabit, the populations of these ectothermic snappers have been steadily dwindling. Fewer batches of eggs are surviving each year, even despite the parental care showed to them in regards to the males carrying them about within a special indentation underneath their shells. Unlike other species with frog-like eggs which take advantage of the snowmelts of spring, the rolling flune had not, thus its eggs were ever at risk of desiccation. Even adults aren't safe, for even with their partially-hollow shells providing them with some degree of insulation, the same cannot be said for the rest of its body, and its exposed limbs and bellies have difficulty warming up. Combined with a lack of insulation or even size necessary to promote warmth through gigantothermy, winters and early frosts can be deadly to flunes. All of this has caused a sharp increase in the mortality rates of adults and especially juveniles. Faced with imminent extinction, the rolling flunes were forced into a difficult situation, one where they would need to either evolve adaptations towards the cold, or migrate and adapt towards living in a warmer climate.
The squeaky gremlin is the end result of the choice, descended from rolling flunes native to Colddigger Polar Beach which migrated from those colder regions towards the neighboring temperate ones. There they flourished and grew in numbers, and with time they went on to spread into more tropical beaches as well, eventually coming to inhabit most of the beaches of the Dixon-Darwin supercontinent. While their ancestor had grown larger as an attempt to combat the cold, the squeaky gremlin no longer needs too, and as such it has instead grown smaller. They have developed a distinct pinkish/purplish coloration that helps them to hide amongst the purple flora whose leaves and fallen fruit they gorge upon, thus they are no longer wholly reliant on their shells for defense - why risk holding out against a predator when one can instead avoid them altogether?
-- Defenses --
The most prominent of the squeaky gremlin's defenses, beyond bite from its beak or a scratch from its claws, is the hard, segmented shell that adorns its backs. While the segments that made of the shell were uniform both in shape and spacing in its ancestor, evolutionary pressures have seen to change that. The shell segments now vary in size, with the front-most pair and trio of middle segments being noticeably smaller compared to the third and final ones. This overlap, compared with their ancestral capacity to somewhat flatten themselves into their shells, allows them to more effectively curl up into a protective ball. However, unlike most other flunes, the squeaky gremlin has lost the capacity to roll about. It is not a major loss for them, for most flunes cannot see where they are going while rolled up into an armored sphere, but it is a loss nonetheless. The spines that adorn their shell segments have reduced in both size and number, as for the most part they simply made easier gripping points for smaller, more dexterous predators, as well as the fact they had a habit of getting them stuck in foliage.
The second most prominent defense of the squeaky gremlin, and the source of their namesake, only becomes apparent when they are under distress. When grabbed, snatched, picked up, bitten down upon, and all other manner of rough handlings, the squeaky gremlins will squeeze tightly into their durable shells and release sharp, high pitched squeaks in rapid secession. They produce this sound not with vocal cords - which they, like their kin, lack - but by taking in and then violently forcing out air from their lungs. While it is certainly an exhausting and terrifying experience for them to undergo, the sudden cries are often enough to startle most predators and curious juveniles into releasing them. Less common, there is even a chance that the distress calls might attract another predator that can distract their assailant long enough for the squeaky gremlin to make a relatively speedy getaway into the underbrush. The few predators this tactic won't work against, though, would be flunejaws. While encounters with them are rare, they - like their cousins the squeaky gremlins - are deaf and don't even possess ears, instead relying on detecting vibrations. Combined with their powerful, crushing jaws, they tend to be the few predators very well - if unintentionally - adapted to hunting and consuming this species.
-- Reproduction --
Mating in the squeaky gremlin has not changed in any significant way from that of their ancestors, the rolling flunes, primarily due to a lack of evolutionary pressure making it disadvantageous. What has changed, however, is what follows. While the males still carry the sticky eggs underneath their shells, the warmer climate means that permanent freshwater sources are available year-round, thus they are able to submerge their lower halves from time to time. A combination of warmer temperatures and access to clean water encourages a faster development, and the eggs will often hatch within just two weeks rather than three. When the time approaches and the eggs do finally hatch, they drop off their father's shell and into the moist sand beneath, whereupon with a series of twists and wriggles they burrow down about a foot deep. Their newly formed beaks, more of a sheath around their mouths, help to prevent them from accidently swallowing down grains of sand and other potentially hazardous materials. Down in the darkness they will remain for about a months, gnawing and rasping upon the roots of flora as they slowly begin to undergo metamorphosis, growing first hind then forelimbs, followed by a more distinct head and beak. The shell is the last part to form, and once it does, they will emerge from the sand as miniature versions of the adults.
Should they manage to survive, they will be fully capable of breeding within two years, and capable of living over nearly thirty should they successfully avoid succumbing to predation or disease.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Nov 16 2021, 02:01 PM
Leaping Soriparasite (Saliensorex longacrura)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Lazarus Soriparasite
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Darwin Chaparral, Darwin Plains, Vivus Boreal, Vivus Rocky, Vivus High Grassland, Vivus Volcanic, Vivus Alpine, Raptor Volcanic, South Dixon Alpine, Verserus Alpine, North Dixon Alpine, Darwin Alpine
Size: 2 cm long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Hematophage (Swiftsnapper, Montemsnapper, Westward Haglox, Opportunity Shrew, Short-Necked Shrew, Treehook Tamow, Argusraptor Complex, Stink Shrew, Twigfisher Shrog, Interbiat, Kuraimingaku, Twineshrog, Brighteyes, Skewer Shrog, Tigmow, Nightsnapper, Cardicracker, Sausophrey, Haglox, Pickaxe Tamow, Tigmadar, Shepherd Harnessback, Coastwoodufo, Woodsalcon, Underswooper, Mothhead (rarely))
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Host's Body Heat, Basking)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Pouch, Milk, and Placental Nourishment After Birth)
The leaping soriparasite split from its ancestor. It is named for its very long hind legs, which allow it to quickly leap away from scratching claws, preening tusks, and other threats. It also has smaller, more strongly hooked foreclaws which allow it to cling to hair and feathers more easily when its host is on the move. It can now feed from saucebacks, which have similar blood to carpozoans, and on shrews, which have joined the local ecosystem since its ancestor's evolution. Under significant pressure as an obligate parasite, it has shrunken to only a quarter of its ancestor's size, and multiple leaping soriparasites can exist on a single host. It has lost its vestigial second and third pairs of eyes, leaving it with only a single pair which has been enlarged. Its "hairy" toe pads have given way to thick rubbery scaleless skin, which provides much better traction for leaping. Its grey coloration makes it cryptic in the shadows of even ground-level flora across almost its entire range, though in some biomes "throwback" golden mutations are common.
Like other living soriparasites, the leaping soriparasite has a short toothless lower jaw and a very large lower lip. Its blood-sucking method is unchanged: First, it grabs hold of its host's skin using the teeth on its upper jaw. Anesthetic compounds in its saliva prevent its host from feeling a thing as it proceeds to use its barbed tongue to lick the skin raw, drawing blood. It then wraps its enlarged lower lip around the skin it has grabbed and begins to gulp, creating suction which pulls blood from the wound. It can detach quickly if needed, and it does not spread disease very easily despite its parasitic nature.
Unlike its ancestor, the leaping soriparasite spends more time on hosts than away from them and will leap between them directly. It will even mate and give birth on hosts. When it is separated from a host, however, it does not travel in search of a new one. Instead, it waits in the soil or leaf litter, conserving energy until a new host passes by, at which point it uses its long legs to leap into its pelt. In the coldest parts of its range, it will freeze to death overnight if it does not find a new host, as it lacks any form of biological antifreeze.
The leaping soriparasite reproduces more often than its ancestor because of a few innovations. It has more nipples so that its offspring do not need to spend energy taking turns suckling, and can now have as many as 6 babies at a time. In order for them to grow quickly, it has made a bizarre innovation. It has a placenta, though it is nowhere near as developed as that of the distantly related tamjacks, and it gestates for 3 days. When it gives birth, the umbilical cord is not broken; instead, its offspring remain attached to and nourished by the placenta after birth even as they are simultaneously also nourished by milk. The umbilical cord appears as a red thread stretched between the baby and its mother's cloaca. This allows them to develop rapidly and be weaned as independent miniature adults after only 7 days. It has a poorly formed pouch on its underbelly serving as a guard against oils, microbes, and irritants present on the skin of its hosts, though it is not homologous with the pouch of other shrews and is instead a completely novel structure. It reaches full size in 2 weeks and can begin breeding immediately. As long as mates are available, it can breed every 7 days, giving birth to the next litter as the previous one is weaned.
Name: Drakoniskian Bjournaratta (Ursifelimys oravenator)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Fishing Grasper (Ursifelimys piscator)
Habitat: Slarti Salt Bog, Soma Temperate Beach, Drake Temperate Woodland
Size: 1.2 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Charybdis, juvenile Marsh Loafshell, Leafy Thermoworm, Ivy Thermoworm, Bipedal Uktank, Rooteater Gilltail, Cobalt Lillyworm, Swamplent, Ocean Tristage, Swamp Douostage, Drake Uktank, Qupe Tree fruit, Drakescooter, Painted Uksor, Treeneer, Elahpekomlap Bubblehorn, Swaggersnapper, Plains Uktank, Festive Uktank, Lurpincer nectar, Stowaway Harmbless, Carnosprawl fruit, Mainland Fuzzpalm fruit, Mangot fruit-leaves, Flippskima, Kakonat, Scalescooter, Shailnitor, Fuzzpile fruit, Communal Janit, Infilt Pewpa juveniles, Beach Bean, Tonbodiver, Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Larvaback, Scuttlers, Frabukis, Squidwhals, Swarmerweed, Common Gilltails, Teacup Saucebacks, Sunstalks, Neuks, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Sapworms, Uklunk, Sailmail tadpoles, Okagouti, Syrup Ferine berries, Sleeve Ferine berries), Scavenger
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Fat)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Live Birth)
While the Drake Tundra proved to be a safe haven for the last populations of fishing grasper, the only member of the greeper lineage to have made it past the Bloodian, the warming climate trends for the last several periods has presented the species with the opportunity to move out into new areas. This would lead some populations to split off from their ancestors as they moved south and became the drakoniskian bjournaratta.
The drakoniskian bjournaratta has grown to double the size of their ancestors, which allows them to better retain heat in the colder parts of their range. It also allows them to take advantage of a wide range of foods, which coincides with the species shifting away from being obligate carnivores and now being on the more omnivorous side of the spectrum in terms of diet. While the drakoniskian bjournaratta does still consume a lot of meat, which it usually catches either in or near waterways, they will also feed on various species of flora. In particular, the populations found in the more temperate parts of their range have a particular taste for fruits and berries from purple flora like the fuzzpile or carnosprawl. In comparison, the populations found in the Slarti Salt Bog are more carnivorous in habits since the biome has less flora in general that would be worth eating. Much like their ancestors, the drakoniskian bjournaratta has a layer of fat in their skin that provides some minor insulation, with the fatty hump on the shoulders also being present though the hump functions more as an energy reserve when food becomes scarce for one reason or another.
Much like their ancestor, the drakoniskian bjournaratta’s index finger is opposable and helps with manipulating food. While this originally helped with snatching aquatic prey like gilltails or larvabacks from the water, the drakoniskian bjournaratta will also use the appendage to get fruit and berries or to tussle with larger game such as small ukfauna or small plent species. The nodent indeed often preys upon the local species of uktank, with some individuals feeding on little else, due to how easy it is for them to restrain the critters. When they come across an uktank, a drakoniskian bjournaratta will grab one of the ukfauna’s legs and yank them into the air, causing the uktank to fall over which then makes pinning them down and dispatching them much easier. Any bits of food the drakoniskian bjournaratta obtains will be first processed by their two buck teeth, which slide against each other and help slice their food into smaller pieces which can then be further processed by their molar-like back teeth. Only once the food has been turned into a gooey mush, does the nodent proceed to swallow it.
The long limbs of their ancestor allow the drakoniskian bjournaratta to wade in relatively deep water, whether this is in a river or in the intertidal zone of the beach. They also allow the nodent to cover more distance in each stride meaning they can cover a lot of ground pretty quickly. The drakoniskian bjournaratta can also rear up onto its hind legs for short periods which can be useful for intimidation, accessing food in higher up spots, or for gaining height to see farther away.
Drakoniskian bjournarattas are territorial, with the species aggressively defending their turf from other drakoniskian bjournaratta that are in the area. This habit is similar to their ancestor, but one big difference is that the drakoniskian bjournaratta will pair for life, with the male and female sharing the same territory even if they forage separately. The time the male and female come together is when they rear their young, with their litters consisting of 2-4 pups at a time. The pair will take turns guarding the pups and foraging for food to bring back to the den they have dug out to raise the litter. The parents will act aggressively towards any perceived threats that are present in the area when rearing young, since species such as the bannertail, drakeshrog, and marsh loafshell will eat their young if given the chance. It can take the pups about 3 months to reach maturity, after which they will leave their parents to establish territories of their own.
A Drakoniskian Bjournaratta with its mouth open, displaying its dentition.
A Drakoniskian Bjournaratta rearing up onto its hind legs.
Alright, here is my descendant of the Fishing Grasper! I find it amazing that this group of neonodent relatives is still alive in modern times! Lets hope they stick around for a while!
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Nov 12 2021, 02:20 PM
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