Songsauce Piper (Plumatibia caligo)
Creator: Papainmanis
Ancestor: Interbiat
Habitat: Dixon Tropical Rainforest, Javen Temperate Rainforest, Javen Tropical Rainforest, Javen Tropical Woodland, North Darwin Tropical Woodland, East Darwin Tropical Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Vivus Temperate Rainforest
Size: 30cm long
Diet: Omnivore (Neuks, Mikuks, Feluks, Aphluks, Hair Nimbuses, Krugg, Minikruggs, Bludblug, Silkruggs, Burrback Krugg, Leafcutter Krugg, Grovecrystal Krugg, Cloudswarmers, Mistswarmers, Xenobees, Xenowasps, Vermees, Teacup Saucebacks, Dartirs, Angel Dart, sapworm, Parasitic Floats, Cryobowls fruit, Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Glaalgaes, Larands, Keryhs, Chitjorns, Spore Towers, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Tamed Berry Arbourshrooms, Sappy Pinknose, Blastree seeds, Bangsticks seeds, Leafy Plyentwort seeds, Carnossamer fruit, Hydrabowl, Tlukvaequabora seeds, Twinkbora, Marblora, Larandbora, Penumbra Fuzzpalm berries, Mainland, Fuzzpalm berries, Frayedspikes seeds, Fuzzpile berries, Branching Qupe Tree fruit, Borinvermee, Phlice, Weird-Boned Twintail, Gundiseater, Grub Krugg, Gecoba Tree fruit, Tropical Gecoba Tree fruit, Tubeplage fruit, Quhft fruit, Scrubland Quhft fruit, Cup Qupe Fruit, Dungshell larva, Exoskelesor eggs, Perfume Krugg, Corkscrew Krugg, Whiskrugg, Carnofern Flugwurm, Clusterblades seeds, Olshkra, Osziza, Tusovinda seeds, Tlukvaequabora berries, Bora, Bloodsap Melontree seeds, Smirking Soriparasite, Lazarus, Soriparasite, Monostage Dirteater, Plumottle juveniles, Shrubrattus juveniles, Feroak fruit, Brutishelm Uksip juveniles, Berry Arbourshroom berries, Scrubland Tubeplage fruit, Communal Janit, Infilt Pewpa juveniles, Quilbil berries)
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Respiration: Active (Chambered through-Lung)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)
The Songsauce Piper has split from its ancestor, decreasing in stature and adapting to its aerial life by evolving a stockier fusiform like body. Like its ancestor, it is an omnivore, foraging on the ground for small animals, seeds and fruit, though they will occasionally be lucky and catch a young phlyer. It prefers warmer climate and will spread out it's territory seasonally around the continent. Like it's sausophrey cousin, it has fused the four micro-lungs it has on each side, but unlike it's cousin, the resulting through lungs maintain four distinct chambers providing continuous pumping from one chamber to the next. While the spiracles of the first back plate inhale air in and lead straight to the first lung chamber, the other 3 back plates are directly connected to one another, forming their own continuous sound chamber as air is exhaled from the last lung chamber. As each plate has its own spiracles and is shaped to potentially cover the spiracles of the plate behind it depending on the curve of the back, the spiracles act as the keys on a literal flute, and inspiring its common name.
They use their distinct musical calls to compete for mating rights, declare territory, guide juveniles and warn of incoming danger, forming a wide social network, a gala of Songsauce Pipers. While by no means a language, the musical calls are able to convey rich emotional overtones that would be instinctively understood, as well as provide identifying markers for both individuals and for the entire gala nesting together. Stranger still, the identifying markers seem to provide descriptive information matching with the unique fingerprint like pattern each individual has on its tail, suggesting some sort of consistent synesthesia in the way they process their sensory information, matching auditory and visual patterns. Along with social singing, they have also developed acute hearing, with ears that are extremely sensitive to vibrations on the ground or branch. The underside of their "neck" curves inwards around the base of the tongue, funneling sounds from bellow directly under their ears, much like the owl of another time and place. This in turn has increased the utility of their echolocation, which they will use not only to navigate but also to find small prey hiding under the ground or beneath the tree litter.
By extending the length of the outer hoof-toe and growing wing feathers directly from it, it was able to function as a flexible wingtip, forming elliptical wing proportions. As the toes maintain a mostly homologous relationship, growing a longer and thinner outer wingtip-toe has also resulted in a longer and thinner inner toe to walk on. While it will still run on its hooves, it will increasingly rely on a plantigrade pose in rest or when perching. With the main curve of the wing provided by the wingtip toe, the cannon bone extended further out while the tibia and femur shrunk, reducing the wing area under the knee but in turn allowing thick thigh muscles to stretch between the tibia and the femur, resulting in a slider-rocker linkage mechanism, creating a stout mascular limb portion out of the bicept fimoris that enable powerful and rapid hopping and launching.
The combination of sensitive hearing, elliptical wings attached to muscular slider-rocker mechanism results in extreme maneuverability, with a leg optimized for hopping on the ground, a wing optimized for short bursts of tightly controlled flight and a muscular thigh at its base able to quickly catapult it in a new direction, it is able to quickly take off the ground and disappear between the branches. No less important is their iridescent coloration, with structural colors that appear darker from the underside or in night time but will look shades of purple and indigo in light, they are able to appear black on the obsidian colored tree but purple when foraging between the bushes for food or nest construction material.
This post has been edited by Papainmanis: Jan 7 2022, 04:36 PM
Soricinus (Soricinus derpovampyrocastorops)
Creator: Giant Blue Anteater
Ancestor: Lazarus Soriparasite
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Dixon-Darwin High Grassland, Darwin Alpine, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Darwin Chapparal, North Dixon Alpine, South Dixon Alpine, Verserus Alpine, Raptor Volcanic
Size: 4 cm long females, 3 cm long males
Diet: Hematophage (Medium-to-large, endothermic or mesothermic carpozoans; Short-Necked Shrew, Neoshrew, Treehook Tamow, Pickaxe Tamow, Tigmow, Tigmadar, Stink Shrew, Montemsnapper, Twigfisher Shrog, Twineshrog, Skewer Shrog, Disasterxata, Mothhead, Valley Constrictor, Guangu, Long-Tailed Flunejaw, Dinotuga)
Respiration: Active (lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (basking, host's body heat)
Support: Endoskeleton (bone)
Reproduction: Sexual (male and female, live birth)
The soricinus split from its ancestor, the Lazarus soriparasite. At half the size of its ancestor, it has underwent a series of adaptations that improve this species's blood-sucking efficiency—with vampiric precision, and has made it the second-ever shrew species to forgo milkfeeding.
Instead of latching with teeth and scraping with a tongue, the soricinus now takes a modified pair of front teeth and punctures the site like a hypodermic needle, with the tongue then moving in and out to break the skin and create a draw into the mouth via capillary action with some aid of cheeks that cover the whole mouth, all made possible with the bottom lip in tandem with the puncturing teeth creating a tube. Much akin to its ancestors, analgesic saliva is utilized to avoid being felt by the host. As it enjoys its blood meal, the soricinus maintains its position on its host with wider, flatter feet and a flatter pad on the forelimb digit, which also now bears gekkotan setae, in tandem with the shorter but stronger and darker claw.
Once the more-elastic stomach, like a vampiric blood balloon, has fully inflated, the soricinus remains attached to the host until knocked off—if it wasn't devoured beforehand. In that situation, while buoyed by its gastric reserve of blood, it must still find a new host. As no amount of pain-soothing saliva is sufficient to avoid that of most small shrews like the opportunity shrew—which would doubtlessly seize the opportunity presented in such the soricinus bold or desperate enough to tackle hosts not much larger than itself—it obligately seeks out medium-sized to large carpozoan hosts. Proportionally larger eyes (and not to speak of the smaller two pairs having completely disappeared) help the soricinus resolve greater detail in discriminating host size. Aiding the endeavor of host-finding is an enhanced sense of smell, with the mucosal tissue of the nose lined with a multitude ridges through which air passes, giving this parasite a detailed olfactory picture of all the possible hosts nearby. As it targets mesothermic or, preferentially, endothermic hosts for warmth—especially vital for when it comes time to hibernate—a novel, heat-sensing pit that formed in the distal cleft of the nostrils had come to the assistance to ensure that this preference is satisfied to boost its metabolic performance and to ensure it doesn't freeze to death in the winter.
Elastic as the stomach is compared to the ancestral condition, it is even more elastic in females. So filled with blood the female becomes that her back begins to arch as the stomach starts to occupy up to a half of the body in order to satisfy the other half: an equally voluminous uterus carrying up to half a dozen embryos that gestate during the winter to be born in the spring. What makes the soricinus stands out from other soriparasites—and most shrews for that matter—is the fact that their offspring, born up to half a centimeter in length, emerge fully formed, ready for their first meal not of milk, but of blood—from the host. This newfound precociality has rendered mammary glands useless to the point of disappearing in this species, making this the second time ever in shrew evolutionary history in which lactation was lost.
NB: "Soricinus" is a blend of the root sori- and ricinus, Latin for "tick."
This post has been edited by Giant Blue Anteater: Nov 24 2021, 10:52 PM
Raptordrak (Pyschanthos raptorinus)
Creator: SpeedTowel
Ancestor: Glacialdrak
Habitat: Raptor Peak, Raptor Volcanic
Size: 60 cm tall
Support: ?
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: ?
Thermoregulation: ?
Reproduction: Sexual, 2 Genders (Airborne Spores)
The raptordrak replaced the glacialdrak in Raptor Peak and has spread to Raptor Volcanic. The move into volcanic soil was not that far of an achievement since the ancient razodrak had also done it. It is red-colored due to disulfide antifreeze-producing cells in its body. It grows throughout the peak and volcanic biomes. The raptordrak has also developed sexual reproduction, by releasing airborne spores into the air, similar to its ancestor. The new reproduction method was found to be much more successful and replaced the population in Raptor Peak. The raptordrak goes dormant in extremely cold conditions if needed.
This post has been edited by SpeedTowel: Dec 30 2021, 03:42 PM
Swap with OviraptorFan
Glittersprout (Ardensubluna haurientesabarbor)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Crystank Flasprout
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Mae Volcanic, Drake Polar Woodlands, Drake Temperate Woodlands, Drake Rocky
Size: 1 mm
Support: Unknown
Diet: Photosynthesis, Sapivore (Pagoda Crystal, Towering Grovecrystal, Vesuvianite Tree, Frigid Vesuvianite, Crystalfir, Emeraldfir, Pandocrystal, Greatcap Baseejie)
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Airborne Spores
Over the course of several million years, the crystank flasprout found themselves in what is generally referred to as an evolutionary bottleneck. Their hosts, the crystank shells, and their partners, the crystank walkers, once thrived in the temperate-to-tropical regions across many beaches and rivers of Sagan IV, and in doing so did the crystank flasprouts flourish as well. However, due to various events, they were eventually restricted to their last stronghold in the form of the riparian regions of the Great Slarti River. The polar conditions severely reduced the populations of their hosts and, by extension, those of the crystank flasprouts as well. With the onset of changing global climate, their evolutionary story would have almost certainly ended here had it not been for their hosts managing to migrate. This, however, came with its own problems.
Crystank walkers and shells were changing. As the evolutionary clock progressed ever onwards, these two species were evolving, and doing so into a direction that didn't involve the crystank flasprouts. Population drift was the primary cause of this, alongside evolving defenses against predation and parasitism, which in the end made their pores no longer hospitable. As such, the crystank flasprouts needed to adapt as well or else go extinct. Their salvation came in selection for their spores.
Now much more airborne and far-reaching, the spores allowed the crystank flasprouts to find new hosts in the form of the crystal flora that flourish in Drake, and in turn led to their eventual evolution into the glittersprouts. Slightly smaller and more adapted to parasitism, their collection of cellular appendages - occasionally referred to as roots - made them well suited for latching onto the chitinous surfaces of the crystal flora and securing themselves. If they cannot locate a pore on the surface of the crystal from where their spore lands, they will instead secure themselves further by secreting enzymes that dissolve chitin surrounding themselves - enzymes that are similar to the chitinase once used by the unrelated chitinbanes - until they create a microscopic hole, while their cellular appendages wedge themselves into the soft slurry of chitin before it can harden. They will only further release these enzymes from time to time when in need of nutrients to fuel their photosynthesis, though those that live in/near pores are less likely to do so.
Their chemical-induced flashing has been put to a new use. With no hosts to protect, the glittersprouts instead use their capacity to produce minute amounts of light in order to protect themselves now. When they detect a threat, the chemicals flood their body and trigger a flash, which in turn causes nearby members to flash as well. While less effective during the day, at night this can produce a small but noticeable "flash" of light as numerous individuals begin to do so in response to grazing or similar threats. Not unlike various deep sea organisms, this flash has the potential in signaling the predators of their own predators and thus give them away.
Reproduction is much the same as it was in their lineage, though there is one notable change. While both genders still look identical, and entire colonies still release theirs spores en masse to ensure that at least some survive, how they share their genetic material has now changed. As their cellular appendages burrow through chitinous shell of their host with the aid of their enzymes, they inevitably encounter those of another member. Should both be of opposite genders, or one is already in contact with a member of opposite gender, they will share their genetic material between the males and females. Not long after, the females will spawn, and the spores, now carried by the wind, will have to rely on their numbers so that at least a few of them will find a new host to make their home on. Given the sheer abundance of crystal flora on Drake, though, this is not that difficult a task to accomplish. Glittersprouts can spawn like this several times in their year-long lifespans.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Nov 30 2021, 01:35 PM
Glittersprout (Ardensubluna haurientesabarbor)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestor: Crystank Flasprout
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Mae Volcanic, Drake Polar Woodlands, Drake Temperate Woodlands, Drake Rocky
Size: 1 mm
Support: Unknown
Diet: Photosynthesis, Sapivore (Pagoda Crystal, Towering Grovecrystal, Vesuvianite Tree, Frigid Vesuvianite, Crystalfir, Emeraldfir, Pandocrystal, Greatcap Baseejie)
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Airborne Spores
Over the course of several million years, the crystank flasprout found themselves in what is generally referred to as an evolutionary bottleneck. Their hosts, the crystank shells, and their partners, the crystank walkers, once thrived in the temperate-to-tropical regions across many beaches and rivers of Sagan IV, and in doing so did the crystank flasprouts flourish as well. However, due to various events, they were eventually restricted to their last stronghold in the form of the riparian regions of the Great Slarti River. The polar conditions severely reduced the populations of their hosts and, by extension, those of the crystank flasprouts as well. With the onset of changing global climate, their evolutionary story would have almost certainly ended here had it not been for their hosts managing to migrate. This, however, came with its own problems.
Crystank walkers and shells were changing. As the evolutionary clock progressed ever onwards, these two species were evolving, and doing so into a direction that didn't involve the crystank flasprouts. Population drift was the primary cause of this, alongside evolving defenses against predation and parasitism, which in the end made their pores no longer hospitable. As such, the crystank flasprouts needed to adapt as well or else go extinct. Their salvation came in selection for their spores.
Now much more airborne and far-reaching, the spores allowed the crystank flasprouts to find new hosts in the form of the crystal flora that flourish in Drake, and in turn led to their eventual evolution into the glittersprouts. Slightly smaller and more adapted to parasitism, their collection of cellular appendages - occasionally referred to as roots - made them well suited for latching onto the chitinous surfaces of the crystal flora and securing themselves. If they cannot locate a pore on the surface of the crystal from where their spore lands, they will instead secure themselves further by secreting enzymes that dissolve chitin surrounding themselves - enzymes that are similar to the chitinase once used by the unrelated chitinbanes - until they create a microscopic hole, while their cellular appendages wedge themselves into the soft slurry of chitin before it can harden. They will only further release these enzymes from time to time when in need of nutrients to fuel their photosynthesis, though those that live in/near pores are less likely to do so.
Their chemical-induced flashing has been put to a new use. With no hosts to protect, the glittersprouts instead use their capacity to produce minute amounts of light in order to protect themselves now. When they detect a threat, the chemicals flood their body and trigger a flash, which in turn causes nearby members to flash as well. While less effective during the day, at night this can produce a small but noticeable "flash" of light as numerous individuals begin to do so in response to grazing or similar threats. Not unlike various deep sea organisms, this flash has the potential in signaling the predators of their own predators and thus give them away.
Reproduction is much the same as it was in their lineage, though there is one notable change. While both genders still look identical, and entire colonies still release theirs spores en masse to ensure that at least some survive, how they share their genetic material has now changed. As their cellular appendages burrow through chitinous shell of their host with the aid of their enzymes, they inevitably encounter those of another member. Should both be of opposite genders, or one is already in contact with a member of opposite gender, they will share their genetic material between the males and females. Not long after, the females will spawn, and the spores, now carried by the wind, will have to rely on their numbers so that at least a few of them will find a new host to make their home on. Given the sheer abundance of crystal flora on Drake, though, this is not that difficult a task to accomplish. Glittersprouts can spawn like this several times in their year-long lifespans.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Nov 30 2021, 01:35 PM
Name: Plowskunik (Fossorigenolepis aratriforma)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Flippskima (Catapultomancerxia catapultus)
Habitat: Drake Polar Woodland, Drake Rocky, Mae Volcanic, Drake Boreal, Drake Alpine, Drake High Grassland, Drake Polar Scrub
Size: 35 centimeters long
Support: Exoskeleton (Cellulose Scales)
Diet: Herbivore (Cryobowls, Marbleflora, Yule Hedgelog berries, Alpine Hedgelog berries, Alpine Cirrus, Larachoy, Toxplage fruit, Glountain fruit, Crystalfir fruit, Emeraldfir fruit, Windbulb, Snow Puff, Purple Poison Shrub fruit, Thorny Hedgelog fruit, Xidhorchia fruit, Pioneeroots), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Spawning, Two Genders
While the flippskimas had done alright on the beaches of Drake, some groups would begin to move inland, where they would come across a wider range of flora to feed upon. This led to them eventually splitting off into the Plowskunik, which has also developed additional adaptations to handle the cold in most of the areas it lives in.
The plowskunik still has large projections on its chin that are made up of giant scales, but these scales are broader and not as long, since they now assist more with digging than flinging competition away. That being said, the plowskunik can still use its chin to fling away competition such as kruggs from desired sources of food. Its long first pair of legs can still be used to push the skunik up into a vertical posture as it flings away the rival forager with the hind pairs of legs still positioned near the back to help support it when in this vertical pose.
Unlike its ancestor, however, the plowskunik spends a lot more of its time digging, whether that is to make a burrow or to uproot food. Their six legs still have the cellulose rings that provide structure and support, while not greatly sacrificing mobility. While this allows the plowskunik and its ancestor to pull off the ability to rapidly shift into a vertical posture to fling away competitors, the plowskunik also uses the limbs to dig. While the plowskunik mainly uses its chin to dislodge dirt, the front pair of legs partially assist in this as well with the gripping pads at the bottom having developed claw-like projections to help loosen dirt and kick it back. The hind pairs of legs help push dirt behind it, allowing them to kick dirt out of the burrow when digging. The improved circulatory system of their ancestor means the plowskunik can do periods of active digging before resting for a bit before starting to dig again.
While the cellulose scales of their ancestors only helped with giving them support and not drying out as well as performing photosynthesis, the plowskunik has started to use them for defense. The top three rows of cellulose scales have developed a sharp projection on each individual scale, which pricks predators that try to grab them and thus acts as a minor deterrent. The plowskunik has also developed coloration that helps them blend in with the soil of their environment, with most populations being brown, though those native to the Mae Volcanic biome are black to blend in with the volcanic soil prevalent within the area. This did result in the species losing the ability to photosynthesize with their scales, so only their scaleless faces are capable of getting energy from light.
Plowskuniks still have anti-freeze compounds in their tissues from their ancestors, which usually works well enough for the species in the warmer parts of their range along with resting in their burrows during the night in winter, the plowskunik is also capable of taking things up a notch when necessary. It first starts with the plowskunik detecting daylight changes, where it begins to spend more time in its burrow and is generally less active in general. When this is backed up by food being less common than usual and colder temperatures, the plowskunik will go into its burrow and seal itself off, where it will then go into a state of torpor and rely upon its anti-freeze compounds to survive while conserving energy until it gets warmer again. While all members of the species can do this if there is an unusually cold winter in their habitat, those that live in particularly cold environments like the Drake Alpine or Drake Polar Scrub rely on this ability to survive the winter months. To avoid becoming dehydrated when in torpor, since the plowskunik only breathes through their mouths like their ancestors, the organism slows down their breathing to conserve as much water as possible.
Once it becomes spring in the area, plowskuniks will begin to be more active and start searching for ponds. Here, they will release eggs or sperm from their mouth into the bodies of water which can then be fertilized and become the next generation.
Much like their ancestors, plowskuniks have their reproductive organs in their mouths, similarly to ambulatory plents. Unlike those kinds of plents but like their ancestors and relatives though, the plowskunik still has a through gut where waste is excreted at their back ends. Since it's not that well developed compared to something like a carpozoan and food is not digested as well, the plowskunik often seeks out high energy bits from flora like fruits or berries. Some of the most common low-growing flora with fruits in their range are species like the toxplage, which are highly toxic to most creatures that eat their fruits or other tissues. The transitional forms between the plowskunik and flippskima, however, developed an immunity to these flora over time as individuals who could survive the toxins would be able to feed on a relatively uncontested source of food. This accumulated into the plowskunik being able to freely feed on the toxic flora species, inadvertently spreading their food sources wherever they go through their poorly-digested excrement.
Due to consuming a wide range of low hanging berries or fruit as well as fallen fruit, the plowskunik is an important seed disperser since a lot of seeds and spores can make it past their digestive systems intact. This has allowed them to spread several different species of both flora and fauna to new biomes, even changing up entire floral communities in certain areas.
Alpine Hedgelog is spread into Mae Volcanic.
Toxplage is spread into Mae Volcanic.
Glountain is spread into Mae Volcanic.
Purple Poison Shrub is spread into Mae Volcanic.
Thorny Hedgelog is spread into Mae Volcanic.
Crystalfir is spread into Drake Boreal and Mae Volcanic.
Emeraldfir is spread into Drake Boreal.
Xidhorchia is spread into Drake Rocky and Mae Volcanic.
Windbulb is spread into the Mae Volcanic, Drake Rocky, Drake High Grassland, and Drake Alpine biomes via indirectly ingesting spores.
Snow Puff is spread into the Mae Volcanic, Drake High Grassland, and Drake Alpine biomes via indirectly ingesting spores.
Toxplage Ketter is spread into Mae Volcanic due to the spread of the Toxplage, which it pollinates.
Mini-Flower Ketter is spread into Drake Rocky and Mae Volcanic due to the spread of the Xidhorchia, which it pollinates.
Hopping Ketter is spread into Mae Volcanic due to the spread of the Thorny Hedgelog, which it pollinates. It also begins to feed upon the nectar of the closely related Alpine Hedgelog that was also spread into the area, which in turn means they pollinate the flora as well.
The local color variant of Plowskuniks native to the Mae Volcanic biome.
Alright, here is my swap with @Nergali! I was not expecting this species of skunik to spread so many species, but I find it pretty nice as it will help add some much needed diversity for things like flora. What do you guys think of the first species of skunik to be posted post-hiatus? Anything that needs to be changed?
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Jan 21 2022, 04:35 PM
Name: Vibrant Glitterworm (Crystallovermis venustapterus)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Crystank Crystalworm (Crystallovermis crystankus)
Habitat: Slarti Polar Riparian, Drake Boreal, Mae Volcanic, Drake Rocky
Size: 1 cm Wingspan, 1.5 centimeters long
Support: Unknown
Diet: Sporeivore (Crystank Flasprout spores, Glittersprout spores, Crystank Shell spores)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Heat from Muscle Activity)
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphrodite, Sticky Eggs)
Over time, some populations of crystank crystalworm began to shift away from consuming the spores of crystank shells, instead feeding on the spores produced by the flasprouts. Over time these groups would split off and become the vibrant glitterworm, which has mostly severed its ties with its ancestral relationship with the crystank species complex.
In a lot of ways, the vibrant glitterworm has not changed at all from its ancestor, with the holes in the vibrant glitterworm's first segment still helping the wingworm breath and smell out crystank flasprouts or the glittersprout. The adults will beat their 3 pairs of wings rapidly to lay a batch of their sticky eggs next to the glittersprouts or flasprouts before flying off to repeat this process. The young hatch from their eggs a few days before the glittersprouts release their spores enmasse or when the flasprouts and crystank shells will be soon releasing their own spores so that the young glitterworms can feed upon the spores produced. The crystank crystalworm’s sticky tongue still helps the vibrant glitterworm with licking up the spores to then be consumed as it flies around to collect them.
When they first hatch, the young vibrant glitterworms resemble their ancestor, the crystank crystalworm, which helps provide them camouflage of the crystal flora they live on at first. As they grow, however, these youngsters will begin to shift colors and develop patterns that help them stick out. At the same time, they become sexually mature and stop eating and focus entirely on finding mates. The prominent stripes on the organisms' wings and vibrant colors means vibrant glitterworms can find one another pretty easily and since they are hermaphrodites both individuals will exchange gametes before departing to mate with as many individuals as they can. While its vibrant colors do mean they get spotted by predators relatively easily, there are so many glitterworms flying around at the same time that a decent amount of them will survive long enough to breed. Once a vibrant glitterworm has laid all of its eggs, they often die soon after from exhaustion. This has proven beneficial for species like the inzcrek and crystank walker which feed upon the rotting corpses of the glitterworms once they have died. This means that, while the vibrant glitterworm has mostly moved away from the crystank species complex, they maintain a few tentative ties with it.
Alright, here is my first species of wingworm that can actually fly! How does it look? Anything I need to edit? As always, comments are highly appreciated!!
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Jan 14 2022, 10:25 AM
Creab Walker (Anoculocancer crystalphora)
Creator: Solpimr
Ancestor: Crystank Walker
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky, Drake Chaparral, Yokto Temperate Riparian, Drake Temperate Woodland
Size: 14 cm long
Diet: Herbivore (Towering Grovecrystal Leaves and Bark, Vesuvianite Tree Leaves, Frigid Vesuvianite Tree Leaves, Baseejie Leaves and Fruit, Greatcap Baseejie Leaves and Fruit), Detritivore, Symbiotic Photosynthesis (Creab Shell)
Respiration: Unknown, Passive (Stomata, Symbiotic Gas Exchange with Creab Shell)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking)
Support: Exoskeleton
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphrodite, Eggs Coated In Fruit Jelly)
The creab walker split from its ancestor. They are largely arboreal, spending most of their lives climbing about in the crystal trees and shrubs of Drake. Their mandibles are partially mineralized making them hard enough to gnaw on the leaves and occasionally bark of large crystal flora. This mineralization is especially prominent along the inner surface of the mandible. Like their ancestor they produce chemical signals which moderate the growth of their symbiont.
Unlike related species only the head and cloaca segment have openings in their exoskeleton for symbiont connections. Blood vessels leave the body through these openings to flow through the Creab Shell and the roots of the creab shell enter through the same holes. The opening in the head includes not only blood vessels leaving the body but also the optic nerves. These do not end in eyes of their own but instead sense the signals produced by the creab shell’s eyes. The optic nerves are branched, one branch of each traveling backwards to the rear cluster of eyes. Like in their cousin the inzcrek their sense of sight is purely second-hand.
After mating the hind shell produces a sugary gelatinous coating that covers their eggs. This jelly is similar to the ‘fruit’ of lurspires and many of the same species feed on both. The eggs of the creab walker are tiny and resilient enough to survive trips through the gut of most species that feed on the jelly. As a result theses frugivores actually spread the creab complex via their droppings.
During the winter creab walkers retreat into burrows. They do not dig these themselves but will move into abandoned burrows made by other species such as spineback ketters, marmokerds, or plowskuniks. If no such burrow is available they will bury themselves in the leaf litter instead.
Creab walker and shell living in symbiosis
This post has been edited by kopout: Dec 20 2021, 09:32 PM
Creab Shell (Duocrystalus bimorpha)
Creator: Solpimr
Ancestor: Crystank Shell
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky, Drake Chaparral, Yokto Temperate Riparian, Drake Temperate Woodland
Size: 4 cm long (external) 12.5 cm long (total)
Diet: Photosynthesis, Sangruivore (Creab Walker)
Respiration: Passive (Stomata, Symbiotic Gas Exchange with Creab Walker)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm (Basking)
Support: Cell Wall (Chitin)
Reproduction: Asexual (Spores), Sexual (Conjunction, Six Mating Types)
Creab shells have split from the crystank shell. They live in close symbiosis with the creab walker, which provides them with mobility and a source of nutrients. The two creab shells present on each creab walker are actually parts of a single organism. They are connected by thin root threads which weave through the creab walker’s body. The two shells are distinct in form and function, the head shell is the only one with eyes while the tail shell contains their reproductive system. Differentiation between head and tail shells is caused by chemical signals produced by the creab walker. In the absence of these signals they would form a simple shell lacking eyes or jelly production capabilities. Like their ancestor they have multiple simple eyes. These eyes produce electrochemical signals which are meaningless to the creab shells but are received and interpreted by the creab walker.
Creab shell’s reproduction is largely asexual. After their symbiont mates the creab shell will begin producing a gelatinous syrup laden with spores. This jelly is then spread across the freshly laid eggs. If nothing disturbs the eggs the spores will eventually germinate. Freshly germinated spores grow into a network of hyphae like roots which feed on the jelly. During this period if hyphae of different mating types meet they will fuse and undergo conjunction. Mating type is determined by a single gene with three codominant alleles resulting in six phenotypes. If the jelly mass has been eaten by a frugivore the spores can still germinate in the feces. This not only allows for greater dispersal but also increases the odds that spores of multiple mating types will be present in close proximity.
Eventually this mycelial mat will grow hyphae into the nearby creab walker eggs. These buds grow along the dorsal mid-line of the creab walker as a thin, root-like structure and detach from the main mass shortly before the eggs hatch. This central root will produce several side branches as it grows, the exact placement and size of which vary between individuals. Shortly after the creab walker hatches it will grow the two external shells out from the ready made openings in the walker's exoskeleton. As they age the shells will grow supplemental roots to further anchor themselves and facilitate nutrient transfer.
Creab walker and shell living in symbiosis
This post has been edited by kopout: Dec 20 2021, 09:03 PM
Ukrith (Uktocurro ossolacerti)
Creator: MNIDJM
Ancestor: Bipedal Uktank (Uktodromeus slarti)
Habitat: Drake Plains, Drake Chaparral, Drake High Grassland, Drake Rocky, Drake Volcanic, Slarti Polar Riparian Riparian, Yokto Temperate Riparian
Size: 40 cm Tall
Support: Internal (Muscular Hydrostats)
Diet: Adult: Herbivore (Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Snotflora)
Respiration: Active (Shell Gills)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Muscle-Generated Heat)
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Eggs
The Ukrith split from their ancestors and have adapted to life in the more temperate plains. Their largest adaptation is to their legs. Each of their legs has the ancestral vertical and horizontal ring-shaped muscles, which support its weight like stacking tires. These muscles have bands of tissue reinforced with calcium carbonate that help keep them upright, in a convergent adaptation with the uksapo. However they have also begun to develop a ball-and-socket like appendage to their legs. This newer addition to their leg anatomy is mostly made out of hardened, modified leg muscle, reinforced with calcium carbonate, and connecting to an undergirdle that is acting like a quasi-pelvis. While this in not as advanced as the analogs in carpozoa or other mancerexia, it is functional enough to give them a considerable advantage over the less specialized uktanks. Their back limb is further adapted to bipedalism, acting as a stabilizing rudder and as a counterbalance.
Due to the porous nature of their ancestors' skin, they have begun to develop adaptions to fend off frostbite during the colder months of the year. To combat this, they will regularly journey towards more temperate climates during the depths of winter in the northern latitudes, however this is not always enough. To combat this, the adults have evolved a thicker epidermis, allowing for greater water retention and less susceptibility to freezing. Their gas exchange holes on their shells have also migrated towards the crevices of the shell. Their upward direction make water retention in the shell easier.
While they spend much of their adult lives out of water, they still must return to shallow water to lay their eggs. They will lay their eggs directly into the water, where the young stay until they are large enough to survive on land. They prefer to lay their eggs in brackish to freshwater waterways, and will regularly journey to the riverbanks to lay their eggs. In a pinch, a pond or oasis will also work, though these don't always work out, as they have a habit of freezing over or drying out before the young are ready to leave the confines of their hatchery. Eggs that have frozen over have developed internal mechanisms that allow for limited protection from the cold. The developing embryos will slow their development until more favorable conditions allow for further progression. To ensure some survive, females will lay hundreds of thousands of eggs in multiple spots over a breeding season, increasing the likelihood that at least some will survive to adulthood. Of those hundreds of thousands, on average about 1 percent will survive to hatch, and of those, about 1 percent will survive to reproduce.
Shaggy Volleypom Corticihirsuti ignispilafrumenti
Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Obsidoak
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal, Vivus Boreal, Darwin Temperate Woodland, Darwin Chaparral, Dixon-Darwin Rocky, Vivus Rocky, Irinya Temperate Riparian, Dixon Temperate Rainforest, Darwin Temperate Rainforest, Vivus Temperate Rainforest
Size: 200 Meters Tall
Support: Lignified Cellulose Based Cell Walls
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Tracheal system in leaves, air labyrinth throughout tissue)
Thermoregulation: Heliothermy, black pigmentation
Reproduction: Sexual, hard shelled megaspores and airborne microspores
The Shaggy Volleypom split from its ancestor the Obsidoak and quadrupled in size to dominate the canopy. Reaching up to 200 meters tall, and bases of up to 18 meters across in truly ancient individuals, these behemoths of the forest are quite a remarkable sight. Supported by the massive trunk are similarly robust branches thick with dark leaves and sporangium.
Simplified cross section diagram of a Shaggy Volleypom leaf
The leaves of the Shaggy Volleypom have become more complex organs, with methods of dealing with heat. The supportive tracheal veins developed by it's distant ancestor, the Obsiditree, for the purpose of increasing CO2 access to the inner leaf, has gained greater branching directly into the surrounding spongy mesophyll. The entries to the tracheal system of each leaf can be found as a single pneumathode at the end of each major tracheal vein, across the edges and tip of the leaf. Each leafs tracheal system is isolated to that single leaf. There is no palisade mesophyll in the leaves, the task of photosynthesis is performed by cells throughout the spongy mesophyll. Like in it's ancestors the majority of vascular fiber and phloem in the leaf concentrates around the main tracheal veins, as the greatest rate of material exchange occurs in those regions of the mesophyll.
The movement of water is dictated, as it is throughout it's lineage leading all the way back to the Orange Spore Stalk, by guttation through its epidermis and evaporation across its surface. In the heat of the summer sunlight, far from their water source below, the rate of evaporation can become greater than it's vascular system can compensated for, so the Shaggy Volleypom has developed a couple solutions. The first solution is triggered when light intensity becomes too great for its tissues to handle, and it starts to heat up. This solution is to begin development of long pale trichomes, or hairs, that rise above the leaf and throw a shadow across its surface. It's a simple, but very effective, solution, and is triggered easily enough during springs and summers that the dense branches will be highlighted in a spotty manner with gray and white from the hairs reflecting and breaking up the pathway of light moving across them.
The second action for tissue preservation is triggered by rapid evaporation, this can be due to excess heat from surroundings, light heating the leaf, or just more wind than usual that year dragging across the leaves and stripping them of moisture. This second solution is the excretion of a thin layer of PHB, a bioplastic, across both the upper and lower surfaces of their leaves. This substance is not evenly coated, and cracks are typically left to allow for some degree of evaporation to continue. When this action is taken the leaves with it take on a glossy appearance, and generally the plastic remains for the duration of the leaf.
The pneumathode, or entrance to the tracheal system, remains fairly simple in structure, as a pore that passes through the epidermis and tracheal epithelium to allow direct gas exchange between the inside of the leaf and the outside world. However, the epidermis and tracheal epithelium do not directly join, there is a crevice that leads to the mesophyll which will expand open when in contact with water. The entrance of the pneumathode is shaped in a manner to lead rain droplets into itself, where they will be sucked up into the mesophyll through this crevice. Shortly behind this crevice as well are new tiny packets of tissue called rain bulbs, what they do is produce terpenes which seep out of the pneumathode and create aerosols in the air. Enough of this stuff will encourage the formation of rain clouds in the area over time.
Though the Shaggy Volleypom is technically "evergreen", like other black flora it takes advantage of it's pigmentation to warm up during the winter, it still has morphological differences between seasons. The summer leaves contain well developed tissue between each supportive vein, taking full advantage of the summer sun. As the year progresses these broad leaves are shed and replaced by narrower, more filamentous leaves. These leaves comprise mainly of support veins wrapped by a thin layer of mesophyll and vascularization. Their main purpose is prevention of snow build up on the more delicate portions of the branches, as the massive sudden weight addition would snap them. The leaves achieve this by simply shedding snow due to their structure not providing surface to hold it. Warming during the day also facilitates this process, and provides a little water for the leaf to absorb.
Simplified diagram of summer leaf growth on a Shaggy Volleypom with tracheal veins enlarged. Winter leaf is similar, but lacking significant tissue between secondary tracheal veins.
The majority of leaves can be found on young non-woody twigs and the continued growth of leaf spurs on newly woody twigs and young branches. The growth of a leaf begins with the continuation or creation of a leaf spur by the epidermis. A leaf spur is a slow growing nub of tissue that sits as a part of the epidermis, so that as the parachyma underneath grow and expands the leaf spur simply gets pushed outward. When bark develops around it the outer end of the leaf spur remains softer, photosynthetic, epidermis. However in time the bark will overtake it as the layer expands.
Off of the end of the leaf spur grows a tough and simple microphyll. This dark structure is dense with photosynthic cells that can be considered proto-spongy mesophyll. Once the microphyll is formed and functional the spur, if new, will stimulate the formation of vascular fiber offshoots from its supporting twig to grow and infiltrate it and the microphyll. The leaf spur will contain this vascular fiber for the rest of its time on the Shaggy Volleypom. Inside the spur the vascular fiber will develop normally, however in the microphyll it undergoes a different change.
The microphyll extends significantly in length, increasing it's available surface area. The vascular fiber inside expands a single chamber to increase in diameter and form a central support vein, like in the ancestral Obsidishrub, though with the more complex functionality of increased gas absorption like in it's ancestral Obsidian Tree with the formation of its primary pneumathode. The walls of the growing tracheal vein increase in thickness, multiplying the number of cells across the wall, while the cells themselves increase the rigidity of their cell walls with modest additions of lignin and other fibers. The length of the tracheal vein, and vascular fibers, continues to grow at this point and the leaf continues to grow with it.
The vascular fibers at this point begin separating from the tracheal vein, as it becomes a distinct structure and tissue. The cells along the dorsal and ventral sides of the tracheal vein remain steady in their number and growth, but the cells in the remaining two sides begin growing rapidly, once the vascular fibers break away, to start forming secondary tracheal veins. This growth pushes the tissue of the leaf outward and stimulates increased growth of mesophyll, in winter leaves this increased growth does not happen. Eventually the secondary veins mature and the leaf fully forms.
When the life of a leaf is over, the point of connection between it and the leaf spur is severed via apoptosis. The leaf falls away to join the forest litter beneath it, returning nutrients to the ground to be recycled. The leaf spur remains alive and well, rather than forming a scar at the point of severing it sheds any remaining dead tissue and fills in with fresh epidermis, increasing in length ever so slightly by a millimeter or two. Once completely repaired it proceeds to grow a new microphyll to repeat the process of creating a leaf.
The reproductive strategy of the Shaggy Volleypom has shifted from the usual method taken by most black flora. Most black flora release sexual or asexual spores into the air in huge plumes, with spores of those descending from the Salty Sunstalk combining in the air directly before falling to the ground to develop. The Shaggy Volleypom has differentiated it's sporangium, it has begun producing megaspores in megasporangium and microspores, which physiologically are more like traditional black flora spores, in microsporangium.
Field samples of Shaggy Volleypom sporangium structures displayed by proud Naucean researcher (from right to left); pair of drying open microsporangium, harvested immature cluster of microsporangium beginning to open due to desiccation, slice of partially mature megasporangium with developing megaspores exposed, loose megaspores, nearly mature megasporangium intact, labeled glass jar of mature microspores in liquid.
The megasporangium is a round trilobed structure with a diameter about 10-15cm at maturity, these grow in clusters ranging from 30cm to 90cm across. Their inside are densely packed with oval megaspores 1-2cm long which are arranged similarly to an Earth pomegranate. The three lobes are divided by crevices, ancestrally these are the points where a sporangium opens, but in the megasporangium These remain about 3mm in breadth and act as receiving channels for microspores. The clusters of megasporangium, once their cargo inside is mature, fall to the ground. The walls of the megasporangium are tough but papery, deforming on impact and scattering the thicker walled megaspores as they bounce and roll across the forest floor.
The microsporangium is a trilobed oblong structure 3-5cm long. These grow in large tight clusters ranging in size from 10cm to 120cm across. They function similarly to the ancestral sporangiums of their lineage, pumping out large amounts of orange spores into the air as they curl open like more typical black flora sporangiums. These microspores float about until they drift into the receiving channel of a megasporangium, at which point they fall in and stick to the inner surface or top of a megaspore. Once stuck to a megaspore the two will merge become a fertile megaspore, at which point the outer layer of the spore becomes a thickened wall of cellulose and lignin as armor to keep safe during falling.
Both structures are grown throughout the year, with megasporangium taking up to two years to fully mature. The scattered megaspores require either a stratification period of about 60 days minimum to break dormancy, or to remain in dormancy for two years without stratification before growing. The hardened shells meant to protect from falls perform a secondary function by preventing ease of consumption by fauna that may try to eat them, though persistence will still break them. They are commonly stashed away by creatures that horde food for storage.
Simplified illustrations of the formation of microspores (top), and megaspores(bottom), with gamete positions indicated via circles.
The core components of most sporangium are fairly basic, the wall, the supportive tapetum, and the productive "mother cell layer" or materchyma with all three arising roughly at the same time upon differentiation of the parent cell clump of parachyma. The walls of both the microsporangium and megasporangium of the Volleypom are fairly conservative to black flora. These walls are several cells thick and heavily photosynthetic, they are very water permeable and guttation occurs freely across them when immature and growing, an inheritance from the tiny ancestral stalks in which these structures were their highest point. Vascular tissue, such as vascular fibers and phloem, directly pass into this layer separate from the inner developing parts. This layer can be distinctly peeled away from the other parts if care is taken. The role of the wall is essentially to act as a barrier, separating the developing inner tissue from the outside world.
Tapetum makes up any inner tissue of the sporangium that does not directly give rise to the gamete cargo of a spore (or zygote cargo, in the asexual spores of other species). There are several different categories of tapetum, from tissue that seeps up nutrients and water from what little vascular tissue that reaches the inside of a sporangium, to tissues that surround and support the materchyma, to surface tapetum that build the spores themselves. Though these different functions occur in specific places with specific versions of tapetum cell, the different layers are not distinctly separated.
The materchyma, the "mother cell layer", is a strip of cells across the inner sporangium deeply imbedded in the tapetum. The two faces I this strip are distinct, with a flat face toward the wall comprised of young cells, and toward the center, where spores mature, the face is jagged with many thin tiny peaks of older cells reaching into the tapetum. These peaks break apart into individual cells that are pushed forward by a layer of tapetum growing alongside them.
As these individual parent cells drift away from the materchyma they begin to replicate, performing mitosis they cleave perpendicular to their path of motion, so one daughter cell is ahead of another. After this tapetum signaling induces meiotic cleavage, again perpendicular to their path of motion, first in the cell ahead and then in the one behind as it travels forward. These resultant germ cells travel ahead, single file while the tapetum feeds them and bulks them up. The tapetum surrounding the forwardmost germ cell begins to centralize a more distinct form around it, this form maintaining connection to those tapetum cells ahead and behind but separating from ones next to it. Nutrients passes into the structure from cells behind it, and through the structure to cells ahead of it.Among microspores, and most black flora, this structure continues moving forward and growing, eventually breaking free entirely and resting on the inner surface of the sporangium awaiting its release. Megaspores, on the other hand, stop moving at this point. The tapetum beneath them ceases its continual push forward, trapping the germ cells next in line from ever forming a spore. The megaspore remains attached to the tapetum underneath which feeds it. Tapetum next to it, unattached, continues to grow and fill the enlarging sporangium with cushy tissue, though it does not overtake the growth of the megaspore which would result in the spore structure becoming re-embedded. The materchyma continues to grow to no detriment to the rest of the tissues, though with no real contribution at this point.
Simplified cut away diagram of vascular fiber of black flora, and close up of vascular barrel system
The progression of xylem-esque tissue in black flora had been a fairly linear one. Beginning as individual freely growing open funnel-like tubes in the Bank Balgae. Transitioning to a more terrestrial life in the Orange Spore Sprout these tubes closed off and bundled together for durability and functionality, though the continual tube remained in the short statured flora which was a limiting characteristic. These tubes were cross joined by pores manned by a single central cell that formed a mesh of fibers to prevent cross contamination between tubes. Finally in the Orange Spore Stalk these hollow tubes pinched and formed staggered short cavities for passing water up the flora bodies, structurally convergent with the tracheid xylem structures of Earth, though created in the intercellular spaces of what were once hollow tubes rather than the cells themselves. The pores even developed a living version of a torus-margo system using their central mesh cell to prevent the spread of air, which would cause complete failure of the vascular system. In much of the descended lineages from that species this formation is conserved, most changes between upright species are cell wall composition rather than structure or arrangement regarding their vascular fibers.
Simplified cross section illustration of a recently barked twig. Displayed is a cross section of an infiltrating vascular fiber, two established phloem fibers, and an established lead vascular fiber with fibrous sheath visible.
How vascular tissue increases in number in a given part, such as a twig, branch, root, or even the trunk or stem, is via new infiltrating fibers. In Shaggy Volleypoms these fibers may begin their existence anywhere, but the majority arise in the lower trunk and base with their production stimulated by the increasing diameter and opportunity for expansion of the root system. Twigs and root tips extend with a lead vascular fiber powering behind them. Around this fiber parachyma will expand outward over time, and provide a medium for infiltrating fibers to grow into.
The vascular fiber begins life as a vascular disk, a ring of cells created by differentiating parachyma. Via tissue growth this disk rapidly elongates both upward and downward, or if in a horizontal branch or root it would be toward tip and base, as well as slowly grows in diameter. Shortly after a given section elongates the comprising cells adjust themselves to create long hollow tubes. As the ends of the fiber elongate they trigger parachyma ahead to begin differentiating, shifting to accommodate the upcoming structure. These differentiating cells send the signal along the pathway of growth ahead of them as well, creating a cascade of differentiating cells ahead of the fiber establishing a clear route to grow along. These routes will lead to various parts in need of increased vascular availability, such as leaves, widening twigs, and sporangium. Along this route secondary vascular disks will form, elongating and growing in a similar fashion to the primary fiber and following the already established path, ultimately these will join one another and become a part of the primary fiber themselves. In this way a route can be established in a grown Shaggy Volleypom in under 36 hours.
Phloem forms in a similar fashion, with the formation of a phloem disk consisting of a single broad flat cell. Rather than elongating, however, it sends a signal through the parachyma to create a route of growth, which then subsequently triggers the parachyma to convert to phloem cells. This results in a cord of phloem one cell thick. Phloem disks typically form in the upper new growth, such as twigs and spurs.
As the older portions of the new fibers, both primary and secondary, grow in diameter the surrounding parachyma become tougher sheath cells. This layer grows with the vascular fiber while also providing structural support and a layer of separation between its contents and the rest of the black flora body, similar in function to the casparian strip in Earth plants. Eventually once a section begins reaching a threshold diameter, typically around 0.3 - 1 millimeters, the long hollow tubes inside will start pinching to form staggered vascular barrels. This is the mature form of the vascular fiber, and at that point as the fiber continues to grow in diameter it will immediately include the additions of New vascular barrels with it. Barrels found in horizontal roots tend to be notably longer.
The formation of new twigs, which in turn give rise to branches, is triggered similarly to the formation of leaf spurs, however with a continual and comparably fast extension of the spur and parachyma rather than capping off with a microphyll. This developing twig normally recruits infiltrating vascular fibers to become its lead fibers, but in unusual cases can force side growth out of younger fibers if no infiltrating ones are available.
The branches and trunk of the Shaggy Volleypom have no distinct rings, they do not have a true cambium like many earth plants. Rather their growth is carried out by a mess of undifferentiated and secondarily undifferentiated cells throughout its width as tissue analogous to parachyma. This parachyma gives rise to vascular fibers and simple phloem dispersed throughout itself in no particular pattern other than age. The vascular fibers end up roughly numbering greatest toward the center of the trunk and older branches, as these large living structures continue to expand themselves as well as have their numbers multiplied by differentiating parachyma during the duration of the organism, while never being deconstructed. The walls of the cells of the vascular fibers are in multiple layers, some highly lignified and others not, these add structural support for the whole organism.The simple phloem, thick strands of fiber comprised of disk shaped cells stacked on one another, number greatly throughout the parachyma, sections being dismantled and replaced as damage occurs. The parachyma grows between these fibers, the tough and lignified vascular fibers acting as central points it pushes away from and the phloem gets moved about freely by this growth due to size and thinner cell walls.
As parachyma cells experience increased pressure between vascular fibers they develop greater and greater lignification in their cell walls. This process tends to start first with cells roughly toward the middle, where the pressures have existed longest and the vascular fibers are closest together, but can arise between close vascular fibers away from the center as well. Once fully enclosed by lignified parachyma a vascular fiber no longer can expand outward from its center and will stop expanding in that direction. Fibers found in the partially lignified areas tend to be largest, as they are the oldest fibers not yet enclosed in hard woody tissue. Those vascular fibers found in the soft undifferentiated parachyma are generally younger and smaller. The growing parachyma will treat the lignified parachyma similarly to vascular fiber, pushing off it, which increases pressure between it and any other unbudging structures, thus perpetuating The growth of lignified tissues. As phloem is pushed away from lignified areas by parachyma growth they gradually form clusters. Eventually these clusters will become trapped in wood tissue where they no longer can move around and over time may be crushed under pressure as the surrounding cell walls continue to thicken.
The parachyma experiences very slight disconnection between cells, allowing for extracellular spacing in which air may travel and gas exchange can occur, water in these spaces is generally soaked up by cells to keep them free from blockage and freighted toward vascular fibers for further use by the black flora. Other extracellular labyrinths, unconnected, do, however, allow water to traverse between cells. This allows cells to remain hydrated and is an artifact from various ancestors using guttation and evaporation through their stem and trunk surface to assist in the movement of water up their bodies.
Simplified cross section of a woody twig.
P1. Undifferentiated parachyma, P2. Partially lignified parachyma, P3. Fully lignified parachyma.
B1. Undifferentiated PCC, B2. Fibrous PCC, B3. Bark layer
The edge of the parachyma is ringed with a tissue reminiscent in function to a proto-cork cambium (PCC). At the boundary of the parachyma and proto-cork cambium the latter is broken apart by the growth of the former. Cells of PCC replicate here, always pushing outward from the parachyma. As observation travels further outward along the PCC the tissue becomes more uniform, vertically fibrous, and unbroken, with excepting to strips housing access to the inner air and water labyrinths. Further out still the access to the water labyrinths is severed, at this point the cells are tighter packed, and begin excretion of lignin and suberin into their extracellular matrix, or cell wall, making them more rigid and very waterproof. As these masses of cells are pushed out further by those behind them their layers fracture into macroscopic fibrous chunks that can measure up to 30cm in length. These chunks may curl slightly at their edges due to desiccation, though the cells inside at this point should all be dead and desiccated regardless. At this point it is the surface of the branch or trunk, and what remains is a flaky and fibrous, waterproof, layer that can be called a bark (though more specifically, periderm). This bark as it continues to be grown may end up several centimeters thick in older areas, and non-existent in new tissues where parachyma is directly exposed.
The roots of of the Shaggy Volleypom can reach very deep into the soil on their search to access groundwater. This helps prevent the massive organism from drying out. These organs can be as long as the organism itself, growing outward and downward. Their massive root nets higher up spread their base support and anchor them to the ground and other rooted flora, preventing wind storms from so easily uprooting them and knocking them over.
These deep roots also provide access to a range of otherwise locked away substances, including arsenic. This element when drawn up into the Shaggy Volleypom is not shed or excreted readily like other noxious chemicals found during extraction. Rather it is used in the formation of organic arsenic acids that accumulate in the leaves and new growth of the organism, though not the sporangiums. This substance deters and can even kill foraging herbivores, especially smaller ones with voracious appetites and inability to easily source other foods. As leaves are shed to the forest floor they increase the bioavailability of arsenic in their area, which will be drawn back up into the Shaggy Volleypom, but may also spread into other organisms as contamination.
simplified cross section of a growing roothair.
The structure and growth among the primary and lateral roots are fairly similar to the trunk and branches, playing a similar role of transporting water and nutrients. However a few differences are that the barrels of the vascular fibers are more elongate, the bark layer is very thin, and there is more storage specialization among their parachyma. The formation of roothair structures is similar to how vascular tissue arises from Volleypom embryonic cell mats. Epidermal cells trigger parachyma just beneath them to form vascular disks, albeit these consist of a single cell rather than a whole bead of tissue. This cell divides, then divides again to form four daughter cells which then begin growing a length of lumen tube that remains to be only four cells in perimeter. This lumen tube pushes through the epidermal layer directly into the surrounding soil where water and dissolved nutrients and salts may diffuse into the space of the tube. At the point of origin the four cells of the tube pinch the tube shut and multiply so this dead end fans open in shape. The cell walls between them fill with suberin, the same waterproof stuff in the Volleypom bark, and force any water or nutrients to actively pass through the cells rather than between. This way there is a checkpoint for anything entering the root where passage can be allowed or denied. Once through this cork water and nutrients is passed through parachyma on into the vascular fibers where it can rapidly travel further up the organism.
Simplified cross section diagram of a germinating megaspore, chronologically top to bottom.
The germination process of a megaspore differs somewhat from the typical black flora spore, allowed by its size. The inside of a fully mature megaspore is made up of many lobes of tissue, as well as a single massive yolk-like cell with a loose and cushy cell wall. This singular cell is the zygote. Surrounding it is a soft armor of cushion lobes to protect it from jostling or taking damage during falling. In front of it is a single lobe with the purpose of breaking through the germ pore during germination, after which it is absorbed by the growing organism. Behind the zygote are large storage lobes that provide energy and materials to the developing organism before leaving it's shell and during it's initial growth outside. The cushion lobes share this role after completing their main function. Toward the very back is a long lobe that takes on storage as a secondary function as well, the umbilicus lobe. This developed from a string of spore cells through which the parent Volleypom fed the rest of the growing spore tissue and was directly attached to the megasporangium.
Once dormancy is broken the zygote will begin rapidly dividing into smaller and smaller filamentous cells. These cells form a fibrous mat akin to the filamentous mats and films of other black flora during their early development, however this stage is able to occur entirely within the safety of the megaspore shell. Eventually the surrounding lobes are depleted and absorbed into the mat, at which point the front most lobe, or egg tooth lobe, breaks through the germ pore and surrounding shell. The cell mat grows through this new hole, spilling out as a ball of gray-black fuzz as its photosynthic pigments start being produced. Shortly after this the surface of the fuzz ball begins firming into a true epidermis and beneath this layer parachyma and prevascular disks begin forming.
Once the epidermis is complete the remainder of fibrous cell mat outside the megaspore shell is converted to parachyma. What's left of the mat inside the shell acts as a food source and depletes itself into the rest of the more defined body. The vascular disks beneath the epidermis begin developing further into true vascular fibers at this point. The largest and fastest growing one quickly becomes the dominant fiber, completely passing through the newly formed body creating a growing stalk and root. The many other vascular fibers cease their growth, essentially taking up the role of backup if the dominant fiber takes irreparable damage. If above ground they also can increase surface area for photosynthesis, and lean across the megaspore shell as a clear surface to perform this task.
Shaggy Volleypom sprouts.
This post has been edited by colddigger: Dec 19 2021, 10:34 AM
Caveside Stickyball (Calcarepalla hypermaceria)
Creator: SpeedTowel
Ancestor: Floating Stickyball
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Water Table
Size: 4 cm wide, 50 cm - 1 meter colonies
Support: ?
Diet: Detritivore, Filter-Feeder
Respiration: ?
Thermoregulation: ?
Reproduction: Asexual (Budding, Very Resillient Spores)
The caveside stickyball has split from its ancestor, the floating stickyball, and bunched up into large colonies forming on cave walls. It has pushed the subterradron population down considerably due to taking up space of cave rustmolds. They aren’t fixed to cave walls, leading to clingerpedes taking advantage of consumption of them and can grow onto fauna in the area. Whenever they reproduce, a new ball grows into a section of the colony, which can grow to 1 meter in size. Individuals live for 3 months. It is similar to its ancestor in many ways.
This post has been edited by SpeedTowel: Jan 6 2022, 04:43 PM
Saucebow (Maledictocurre arcus)
Creator: Papainmanis
Ancestor: Stride Sauceback
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Desert, Dass Temperate Beach, Jlindy Tropical Beach
Size: 90cm Long
Diet: Carnivore (Pickaxe Tamow, Desert Tilecorn, Undergroundi, Plehexapod, Striped Phlock, Desert Ukjaw, Briarback, Gulperskunik, Dardiwundi, Sabulyn, Argeiphlock, Xatakpa, Xatazelle, Xatashot, Tilecorn, Beach Cheekhorn, Tambuck, Hockel, Serpmander, Kakonat, Shailnitor, Shorelance, Grelag)
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs)
The Saucebow has split from its ancestor, further specializing as a cursorial pack hunter. The most critical adaptation to their immediate survival was it's increased heat sensitivity in the nerves around the nostrils, turning them into heat sensing pits. To be able to better distinguish the environmental heat of the desert sun from specific heat sources, they have moved their feather crest to shade their nostril pits to help cool them off. While quite useful, the heat vision is by no means a high resolution image, providing a nondescript directional compass of heat sources that requires smell and echolocation to form a complete picture. It is enough to compete for food, but not outright survive a violent encounter with an argusraptors, which still prevents them from any attempt to try and expand back into their ancestral habitats.
Through a cycle of pushing itself as a cursorial hunter and adapting to weather the consequences such as dislocation and injury, It was able to expand on the pillar erect posture common to all saucebacks, elongating the hip socket into a railing held by a wide web of ligaments just under the sauce, expanding the thigh to encompass the shifting of the femur along its internal rail. As it runs, it shifts the front most leg to the front of the rail, placing the thigh just underneath the edge of the sauce. The edges of the sauce itself intersect just over the railing, allowing the sauce to act as a spring and transfer the energy from the landing at the end of one step to the lift off at the beginning of the next, which in turn shifts the body forward along the railing.
They hunt in brigades of about a dozen members each. Their curled tusks have shifted sideways, which they will use to hook onto the side of their prey and isolate individuals from the herd. When they can't find an opening around the herd, they will try to leap onto the back of prey, biting with their long externalized teeth and using their sharp down facing tail flukes as anchors to try and stabilize themselves mid stampede. Once caught, they will use their tusks as crowbars against any armor pieces, tearing large chunks of flesh with their teeth, often without bothering to kill their prey first. They are rather egalitarian, sharing the meat among themselves and collecting chunks to bring back to their brigadier - their communal nest - where they share responsibility for their larva, elderly and injured, as well as adopting the offspring's of pack members who died in battle, a key to the near suicidal behavior of leaping over a stampede for the benefit of feeding the pack as a whole.
In rest, they will shift both their legs to the back end of the railing and let their body weight slouch down, appearing clumsy for the untrained eyestrill. They are otherwise similar in proportions to their ancestor, with a slightly taller "breathing fan" and a thicker muscular base for their tail. They reproduce sexually like their ancestors, producing hard shell eggs that hatch into larva.
This post has been edited by Papainmanis: Jan 15 2022, 02:04 PM
Twilight Echofin (Altumconus crepusculus)
Creator: Jvirus
Ancestor: Red Echofin
Habitat: Barlowe Twilight Floor, Maineiac Twilight Floor, Abello Twilight Sea Mount, Ittiz Twilight Sea Mount, Ovi Twilight Sea Mount, Penumbra Twilight Sea Mount, Putspooza Twilight Sea Mount, Russ Twilight Sea Mount, Solpimr Twilight Sea Mount, Sparks Twilight Sea Mount, Time Twilight Sea Mount, Dixon-Darwin Twilight Floor, Drake Twilight Floor, Flisch Twilight Sea Mount, Krakow Twilight Sea Mount, Jujubee Ocean Twilight Zone, North LadyM Ocean Twilight Zone, South LadyM Ocean Twilight Zone
Size: 26 cm long (males and females), 7 cm long (hormone carriers)
Support: Exoskeleton
Diet: Males and Females: Omnivore (Twilight Crystal, Shimmering Marephasmatises). Hormone Carriers: Haemotroph (Twilight Echofin Blood), Omnivore (Twilight Crystal, Shimmering Marephasmatises). Larvae: Carnivore (Shimmering Marephasmatises)
Respiration: Active (Gills with Hemocyanin)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: 3 Sexes (male, female, hormone carrier), Spores
Splitting from its descendant, isolated populations of Red Echofin found a new Binucleozoan food source, the Twilight Crystals, and descended deep into the Twilight Zone in order to feed on them. Here, they developed an unusual reproductive adaptation in order to survive and propagate in the deep sea.
Twilight Echofin begin their lives as larvae germinated from spores. The larvae are meroplankton, swimming in the water column of the twilight zone and travelling along deep sea currents. Larval Twilight Echofins feed upon Shimmering Marephasmatises, which are plentiful within the twilight zone, piercing their prey with a sharp four pronged jaw and devouring their insides. Larvae will often take on Marephasmatises larger than themselves, being careful to avoid their stinging thread. In order to survive off of a gelatinous food source, larvae must eat a large amount of Marephasmatises to survive.
When Twilight Echofin larvae grow large enough, they will be able to swim against the current using the many pairs of fins which appear on each of their segments. They usually swim in an undulating pattern to slowly move forward, but will move all of their fins in unison to achieve quick bursts of speed to escape predators.
Adult male and female Twilight Echofins will often settle down around twilight seafloors in order to find their favored food, Twilight Crystals. As their name suggests, Echofins use the cone around their heads to find their food using echolocation, and to avoid predators. After locating a Crystal, they will pierce through the red, fungi-like area and avoid the poisonous outer layer by boring holes into the Crystal. Between Crystals, the elongated forms of these Echofins allow them to easily drift in the current, expending little energy between food sources.
==Hormone Carrier Lifestyle==
The deep sea is a vast void where even finding a meal is a rare occurrence, let alone finding a mate. Echofins are particularly disadvantaged by this, as they require three separate sexes (male, female, and hormone carrier) in order to successfully reproduce. As such a meeting would be extremely rare in the deep sea, the hormone carriers have adapted in an extreme and unusual way to propagate in these isolated conditions.
Hormone carriers are dimorphic from the males and females, with adults being less than a third of the length of the two other sexes. The cone around their head is narrow, giving them tunnel vision but allowing them to fit into their lifestyle. Their jaws also differ from the others, being more stubby and diminutive, as hormone carriers feed by spitting out digestive enzymes instead of by piercing.
After reaching sexual maturity, males and females will create a constant clicking sound with their jaws, producing echolocation which the hormone carriers seek out. After locating their partner, the hormone carrier will insert themselves into their gills, aided by their small size and slim cone. Here, the carriers latch onto the inside of the gills, and will remain there for a majority of their lives.
The carrier will feed on the blood of their larger partner, only taking what it needs to survive by spitting a digestive enzyme around its mouth and slowly rasping at the flesh. Since these carriers are so inactive, barely ever moving, they need to take little to sustain themselves. The carriers will also occasionally dislodge themselves while their partner feeds on Crystals, supplementing their diet by feeding within the bore holes made by their larger partner. The partners will remain close to the carriers if they detach, waiting for them to finish feeding and reattach.
All of this is done so that when a sexually mature male and female Twilight Echofin meet, it is very likely that one will already have the carrier necessary for them to breed. The carrier will release hormones into the surrounding water as the male releases sperm and the female releases spores. With all its complexities, this reproductive adaptation makes it far simpler for Twilight Echofins to reproduce in a lonely void.
Hormone carrier & carrier latched onto partner's gills.
==Other Information==
Because of their food source, Twilight Echofins will often fall prey to Twilight Trapinouts due to their mimicry of Twilight Crystals. The Echofins may avoid this fate if they spot the Trapinouts which are less well hidden with their echolocation.
Though male and female Twilight Echofins mainly feed on Twilight Crystals, they will still occasionally eat Marephasmatises. This is a purely supplemental diet, and adults cannot survive on this prey exclusively. However, this allows the adults to travel along currents in the open water of the twilight zone, surviving off of Marephasmatises until they reach another twilight floor.
Most Twilight Echofin larvae are destined to become hormone carriers. A majority of these carriers will die before they can find a partner, either through predation due to their small size or the difficulty they have gaining nourishment without blood.
Though a single hormone carrier is not enough to harm their partner, if multiple attach to a single Echofin the increased blood drain will cause health problems. As such, male and female Echofins will often attack their smaller partners if more than one is present, persisting until one detaches.
This post has been edited by Jvirus: Jan 6 2022, 09:41 PM
Boreal Pop Sprout Fracticustodi silvestrumsinum
Creator: colddigger
Ancestor: Salt Sprout
Habitat: Dixon-Darwin Boreal
Size: 10 cmTall
Support: cellulose based cell walls
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: (air labyrinth throughout tissue)
Thermoregulation: Heliothermy, black pigmentation
Reproduction: Sexual, Airborne Cylindrical Spores Combining in Air, Asexual, Airborne Cylindrical Spores
The Boreal Pop Sprout split from its ancestor the Salt Sprout and spread into the waterways throughout the Dixon-Darwin Boreal. They can be found in seeps, creeks, bogs, and snow melts, pretty much any reliably moist area whether with surface water or not. They are a short lived perennial, surviving for about 5 years, and during which producing billions of hydrophobic airborne spores and potential progeny.
The Boreal Pop Sprout begins life in the air as either an asexual spore or fertilized spore in spring or summer. It will passively drift down to the ground, if lucky it will be a nice wet spot that the spore lands on. From that point the organism gets it's first footing in the world. Beginning as a tiny spore it starts off with very little material of it's own to work with and must immediately set out to gather nutrients and light to survive. There are not many options for the initial structure of something starting out as a spore, and the simple method is to begin life trying to achieve the form of a thin filamentous film of cells hardly bigger than half a centimeter across.
Once the film of cells begins passing the 5 mm mark for their diameter the organism will begin to thicken. As the body of the Boreal Pop Sprout gains mass it takes the rough shape of a ball, no bigger than a small Earth pea. The surface grows to be more tightly bound together, rather than a loose filamentous form, and three indentions appear giving away the mature trilobed form of the future. It's insides at this point move away from the filamentous form of the mat as well and take on a loose mash of undifferentiated parachyma, which continues to grow across the body with no defined growth layers. This tissue in turn organizes itself to form many choppy air labyrinths, unconnected to one another. This organization is a standard means of getting air to reach the deep tissue of its body. This maze of pockets can become water logged, and then must be cleared via uptake by the surrounding tissue. A preventative development against this is the growth of several layers of densely woven but porous hydrophobic fiber. However, regardless of these internal changes there remains to be no well developed phloem, nutrients and energy remain being passed cell to cell in a radiating manner from sources outward similarly to how it is in the mat stage.
Another shift the parachyma takes is the formation of roots and vascular fibers. Parachyma on the ventral side of the Boreal Pop Sprout, just behind the epidermal layer, arrange themselves in circles of four or six, which themselves are formed in large circular clusters of various number, but no fewer than 12. These tiny disks then begin to grow, both outward to push through the epidermal layer, and inward to push into the surrounding parachyma. The growth point pushing inward and upward stimulates parachyma to form a binding sheath one cell thick around it to act as a support and as a separating structure between the two tissues. The growth point pushing outward and downward enlisted several layers of parachyma cell sheaths, one layer of which continues a single strand of air labyrinth down the length of the root. a thin layer of epidermal cells for protection when growing out of the body is also brought along as the beginnings of a root develops.
Simplified diagram of the growth stages of root and vascular fibers.
Between these two growth points the cell ring formations begin to expand and hollow out. Each ring expands to form a tube with walls one cell thick, they are similarly continual hollow tubes like the individual "funnel-like hairs" of their ancestral Bank Balgae. However, unlike that relative lost in time, the vascular fibers grown by the Boreal Pop Sprout are bound together into stronger larger structures. The walls of each tube are butted up against one another, and tiny pores, filled with loose fibers, are formed between them so what they carry may be exchanged across tubes.
As the roots reach out into the wet soil they begin to drag water into themselves through the thin and porous epidermis, and across the several layers of filtering sheaths of parachyma, the final vascular sheath playing a role similar to the casparian strip on Earth, though less effective. The surface of these roots lack any roothair structure. Water fills the void growing in the vascular fibers and is drawn up the long tubes via capillary action and into the tissues of the body where it passively spreads through the intercellular spaces. Because water moves through the Boreal Pop Sprout so passively it can more easily desiccate than members of the related Orange Spore Stalk lineage, which instead actively take advantage of the evaporation process to move water up their bodies. This prevents them from spreading to drier areas, essentially they must remain in damp soil during their active periods, as water so easily passes back out of them either through evaporation. Their dark pigmentation can put any not submerged tissues at risk of drying out when exposed to direct sun for long periods, resigning their populations to shadier areas and dappled light.
Simplified cross section of nearly mature Boreal Pop Sprout displaying various distinct tissues.
With its body forming distinct tissues, and eventually a thick beard of roots digging into the soil, the Boreal Pop Sprout will be established well enough by the beginning of winter to survive the cold period using the dormancy behavior it inherited from its ancestor. Its dark pigments help lessen the chill effect from the air. During this first dormancy its sporangium begins maturing. The sporangium can take up to half the body mass of the Boreal Pop Sprout. The creases between the three lobes deepens, and the parachyma inside differentiates to cells that will give rise to spores as well as those tissues that support them during development. One thing that has changed is that the structure of the lobe has gained another layer across its inner surface, a bulwark membrane, so that spore development is not exposed if the sporangium opens prematurely.
When spring comes, and snow begins to melt, the sporangium will be dense with spores. The lobes will fill a length of tissue along the concave length of their curve with water resulting in expansion and the inversion of the lobe shape. This inversion movement splits the bulwark membrane down it's length, and after dying and drying the membrane gives in an instant and spores are released with a pop. Once popped open the tissues in the lobes will continue to produce spores for a few weeks, eventually petering out and closing beck up to heal and replenish their parachyma tissue for the winter. The first year spores released are always sexual spores, convergent in function and structure to those produced by the Salty Sunstalk lineage. Spores produced the following years will all be asexual.
Enlarged cross section diagram of an asexual spore and sexual spore.
The cylindrical, septatic or multicellular, asexual spores are roughly the same as ancestral asexual spores. Their inner portion comprises of a large zygote which is slightly off center, and smaller support cells. These perform various roles both during the true spore phase and the initial divisions of the zygote, including buffering from the environment as well as a food source. The outermost cells are flat, tight against each other forming a casing, and produces hydrophobic rodlets, convergent with earth fungi, across the surface of the spore to prevent clumping from water and granting them their orange color.
Sexual spores are more complex in structure, and convergent with the airborne sexual spores of the other black flora lineages. They share the characteristic support cells of the asexual spores, but rather than a zygote they carry a very large gamete. The gametes lack any sexual dimorphism, each contributing an equal portion of material to their resulting zygote. The gamete, like the zygote in the asexual spore, is off center, with the asymmetry distinguishing a top and bottom with distinct parts. The bottom contains aforementioned support cells. The top comprises of a cap, hooks, and retracting cells. The cap seals the top of the casing and prevents exposure to the elements during initial release from the sporangium. It also keeps the hooks inside and prevents immediate fusion with spores of the same sporangium before and during initial release, as there are no distinct mating types between gametes.
After a brief span of time in the air a ring of rodlet cells holding the cap in place dies and releases it, a set of cells underneath begin drying, their oblong shape retracting and unfurling the hook structures above them. These hooks, made of exposed support cells, slowly over the course of days thins and desiccates. This act of drying causes them to gradually curl more and more, increasing their hook structure and causing strain between them, the retracting cells underneath facilitate this movement as well. While airborne in this state the spore will mesh hooks with another spore, both of their hooks continuing to curl and shorten the distance between them. Eventually the tension across the top of the respective spores will be too great, and the germ pores in their centers will rupture to expose the gametes to one another at which point they will merge to form a zygote and develop a fibrous mat. However, if a spore reaches this state before latching onto another it will simply die.
This post has been edited by colddigger: Dec 14 2021, 01:15 PM
Name: Slurpabill (Slurparynchos characostega)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Billdeka (Latifossorisaurus psy)
Habitat: Fermi Desert, Fermi Temperate Beach
Size: 1.4 meters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Bone)
Diet: Herbivore (Greyblades roots, Umbrosa roots, Dalmatian Spinetower roots, Candletower roots, Greysnip roots, Saturntower roots, Bonespire sapling roots, Razorbark roots, Branching Bonespire sapling roots, Bangsticks roots, Piperoot Colonystalk, Cocobarrage sapling roots, Obsidibend roots, Mainland Fuzzpalm berries and sapling roots, Fuzzpile berries and sapling roots, Bonegrove roots, Qupe Tree sapling roots, Fuzzweed, Baebula sapling roots, Carnosprawl, Mangot fruit-leaves and sapling roots)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, (Soft-shelled Eggs)
The slurpabill split from their ancestor when some billdeka groups tried to live within the Fermi Desert, avoiding competition from species like the whiskerback by becoming giants. This left them more vulnerable to predators, so they ended up evolving a variety of defenses to survive.
The slurpabill spends its time digging up the roots of flora such as purple flora and melanophytes with its horny bill. The lower jaw has also developed a hornlike tip to help the upper jaw grind up its food while the teeth in the back do relatively minimal chewing. The upper bill is still constantly growing as it experiences a lot of wear and tear from digging. While the roots of flora do make up a large portion of their diet, the populations of slurpabill on the Fermi Temperate Beach will also supplement their diet with fruits and berries when the opportunity presents itself. While phytids are still irritating for the slurpabill, their large size means they can usually take the spores long enough to rip out a piece and retreat to eat said piece from a safe distance.
The ancestral thorns of the billdeka have become large osteoderms all over the slurpabill’s body, which give it good protection against attackers. If something like a shantak or a snapperky persists, the slurpabill will use its mace-like tail to smack the threat. The large, sharp osteoderms on the tail deal a lot of blunt-force damage and puncture the skin and thus can be quite painful for whatever gets smacked by it. While the beak of the slurpabill is primarily used for digging and feeding, it can also be used as an offensive weapon and deal a rather nasty bite. With all of these defensive adaptations, slurpabills are often pretty safe from threats when fully grown. While the color-changing skin patches on their cheeks are usually green, the slurpabill can change them to more vibrant colors like red or pink as a visual warning to threats.
Unlike their ancestors, the slurpabill no longer spawns and instead lays soft-shelled eggs. While this meant the eggs don’t need to be laid into water or cryobowls, they would still desiccate within the desert heat. Because of this, slurpabills will dig out a burrow to lay their eggs. Then, the female will seal herself within the burrow and go into a state of torpor. By sealing the eggs in, they are kept cool and moist which allows them to develop. Once the eggs hatch and the young begin to crawl about, the mother will wake up and dig her way out of the burrow with the youngsters following her. If, for some reason, the mother does not dig herself out the youngsters are capable of digging themselves out but the chances of them suffocating become higher. Once the young are out in the world, they are on their own.
Alright! Here is my swap with @[Jlind11]!! Hope they enjoy it! How does the thornback look overall?
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Dec 28 2021, 09:00 AM
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