Rockshorian (Lapiscator armis)
Creator: Papainmanis
Ancestor: Roofback
Habitat: BigL tropical beach, Jlindy Tropical Beach, Clarke Temperate Beach, Dass Temperate Beach, Wind Temperate Beach
Size: 120cm Long
Diet: Carnivore (Camouflage Foi, Clarke Cleaner Echofin, Common Oceanscooter, cuttleball Gillfin, Diamond Pumpgill, Dixon Finback, Dunki, Finback, Floating Pumpgill, Follower Gilltail, Gillarill, Grabbyswarmers, Gulperpump, Krillpedes, Left-Right Scalucker, Luminus, Miniswarmers, Nerius, Padlers, Raq Urpoi, Ray Flat Swarmer, Rojerius, Royal Scylarian, Seafin, Seamaster Seaswimmer, Serpungo, Shardscale, South Polar Shardgill, Southern Gillfin, Southern Strainerbeak, Speckled Pumpgill, Strainerbeak, Sucker Swarmer, Swarmerscooter, Twinkiiro Gilltail)
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Eggs)
The rockshorian has split from its ancestor, specializing as a piscivore and spreading along the coasts of the Dixon peninsula, where it stands still over the water waiting, pretending to be a rock. The shell-like extension of the sauce has taken a rock like shape externally, growing layer by layer with tiny gaps in between from the inside out, letting erosion and cracks form on the surface and result in a rocky surface. Likewise the tail plate has evolved to complete the camouflage with a rocky club. The raised spiracles have flattened laterally, creating a fan shape that allows the spiracles to be raised between the rocky shell and tail club with minimum disturbance to the illusion.
Adapting to handle the heavy salt content of its diet, the kidney equivalent within its digestive system has evolved to excrete salt in large quantities, even allowing it to quench it's thirst with saltwater. It is stockier overall, with a relatively shorter tail and most its weight placed directly over the legs, but its neck is longer, allowing it to catch prey out of the water and even raise its head to sniff around for danger without moving its body. A series of flexer tendons extend between the bones, allowing them to stay still for hours while exherting minimal effort, turning their waiting pose into a resting pose. Its feather whiskers touch the water waiting for any sign of motion, and concentrations of facial muscles around its mouth allow it to suck in and temporarily hold onto water without oral respiration, thus not losing their prey.
Rather than building nests, the female's shell curves inwards along the edges, where she will spit out a sticky mucus and stick her eggs, using her lips and long neck to capture each egg directly from her cloaca. Juveniles hatch with claws to hang to the feathery lining of the shell, and the exoskeleton covering of the palm of the claw has grown to create an opposable thumb for the claws to close onto. She will place food on the inner curve of the shell for her larva, and older juveniles will use it as a deck from which to start practicing and seeking prey from the water themselves.
Rockshorians live in outcrops of 6 to 12 adult females and their juveniles. Losing their nomadic lifestyle has come with a cost of genetic diversity and intermingling, so to avoid inbreeding, males reaching puberty will be expelled from the outcrop to roam as bulls, competing with other males through tail bashing and seeking female outcrops to breed with. While they do have a sturdier shell and slightly longer tails, most males die due to predation before getting to compete, so the gender dimorphic pressure isn't very strong.
This post has been edited by Papainmanis: Jan 23 2022, 05:05 PM
Alshamite (Spinacarus cerovum)
Creator: TheBigDeepCheatsy
Ancestor: Climbing Korrybug
Habitat: Fermi Polar Beach, Fermi Tundra, Fermi Desert
Size: 2 cm Long
Support: Exoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Nectarivore, Palynivore, Frugivore (Beach Carnofern, Sunleaf, Pilonoroot, Beach Piloroot, Polar Quilbil, Stoutplage, Fruiting Glog, Segmented Carnofern)
Respiration: ???
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking and Abdomen Shivering)
Reproduction: Sexual, Eggs in Ootheca, Hermaphrodite
The alshamite split from its ancestor, the climbing korrybug, and has spread out through the entire inland region of Fermi Island. Due to insular dwarfism, the alshamite shrank down to a measly 2 centimeters in length, making it harder for the bigger predators to catch and feed on it compared to its larger and heftier ancestor. The alshamite's spines further cover its back to protect it from the remaining predators that could possibly feed on it. Unlike its ancestor, the alshamite travels across the ground thanks to its longer legs; but because of it travelling more, the alshamite had to evolve a darker exoskeleton. This darker exoskeleton not only hides it in the black terrain, but it also helps heat up quicker than its krugg relatives, giving it a boost of energy and a head start for the day. To further help alshamites deal with colder temperatures, the muscles in their abdomens have gotten larger and are able to twitch rapidly, allowing the alshamite to shiver. Furthermore, alshamites are more sociable than their ancestor and tolerate each other's presence, which makes it easier for them to gather underground during colder times. Because the alshamite is a heterotherm, it does not need to feed as often as an endotherm, thus allowing it to last for a while with little to no food.
The alshamite feeds primarily on nectar and spores of purple flora and black flora with the recently evolved bristles on its mandibles. This specific diet also makes the alshamite something of a pollinator when it gets spores stuck on its exoskeleton that end up travelling with the alshamite as it visits other flora or the spores fall off onto the ground after a given moment of time.
Due to the alshamite's pollinating habits, it has inadvertently brought the following flora with it to the Fermi inland areas
- Beach Carnofern to Fermi Tundra and Fermi Desert
- Sunleaf to Fermi Desert
- Pilonoroot to Fermi Tundra
- Beach Piloroot to Fermi Tundra and Fermi Desert
- Polar Quilbil to Fermi Tundra
- Stoutplage to Fermi Tundra
- Fruiting Glog to Fermi Tundra and Fermi Desert
- Segmented Carnofern to Fermi Tundra
- Pudglyn to Fermi Tundra
- Pudgy Ketter to Fermi Tundra
- Ringtailed Ketter to Fermi Tundra
- Leafcutter Krugg to Fermi Tundra and Fermi Desert
- Blubber Flapper to Fermi Tundra and Fermi Desert
An image of the Alshamite's waxy ootheca, which is how it gets its name.
Name Origin: "alshamae" (Arabic for wax) + mite
Slicewing (Alatus lumbricus)
Creator: Nergali
Ancestors: Violet Cadovermi, Flugwurm
Habitat: Fermi Polar Beach, Fermi Temperate Beach, Fermi Desert, Fermi Tundra (warmer months)
Size: 10 cm long
Support: Unknown
Diet: Carnivore (Vermees, Xenobees, Minikruggs, Cloudswarmers, Silkruggs, Xenowasps, Teacup Saucebacks, Neuks, Sapworms, Nectarworm, Leafcutter Krugg, Spiked Krugg, Egg Krugg, Iron Siever, Shieldworm, Lickworm, Flugwurm, Pewpa, Communal Janit, Infilt Pewpa), Frugivore (Qupe Tree, Fuzzweed, Fruiting Glog)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Heat from Muscle Activity), Torpor
Reproduction: Sexual, Hermaphrodite, Ovoviviparity
As the island of Fermi grew steadily cooler over the past several million years as the climate continued to change, the world grew perilous for some of its smallest inhabitants. While various vermees have managed to survive by remaining small and burrowing underground, some of their larger relatives still needed to surface from time-to-time in order to warm themselves. The violet cadovermi was one such species, and it suffered for it. While the rays of the sun would warm its body, the bone-chilling wind would sap away even more quickly, as its ectothermic nature had little means of retaining body heat. As such, many of these violet cadovermi would die after repeated exposure if they didn't retreat back into the tunnels of the uksors in time.
Evolutionary change would come about due to chance encounters between violet cadovermi and their kin, the flugwurms, during the beginning of the warmer periods of the year. While mating attempts between the two species were relatively rare, and successful fertilizations even more so, all that was required was a few a year. This is because such events typically produced dozens of offspring that hatch from their eggs while still inside their mother. Given their hermaphroditic nature, these offspring would themselves be able to quite quickly reproduce on their own and carve out their own niche. Their rapid success has even caused the populations of flugwurms to drop due to these hybrids - known as slicewings - having no need for the complicated lifestyles of them and instead producing live, miniature versions of themselves that are capable of taking flight within a few short hours.
Morphologically, the presence of wings and legs make the sliceworms more visibly similar to the flugwurms. The enlarged chitinous "pseudo-teeth", however, are definitely derived from their violet cadovermi ancestry. While in said ancestor only the largest pair were slightly mobile in order to aid in digging, in the slicewing all now bear increased muscular attachments to allow a limited capacity to move. The largest pair have furthered this to where they can bring them together almost like a pair of scissors, allowing them to secure prey for the smaller "pseudo-teeth" to chew up. These specialized "pseudo-teeth" can also be utilized for grasping and carrying small objects.
As winter approaches, the slicewings prepare to slumber away the colder months, and construct subterranean nests to do so. They combine the silk production of the flugwurms with the vile-tasting proto-silk goo of the violet cadovermi in order to construct winding tunnels that keep the slicewings safe and secure. While they will dig out these tunnels headfirst, once they have finished the construction they will reenter them backwards so as to present their impressive maws against any would-be intruders. Once the cold of winter ends and warmth briefly returns to the land, the slicewings will emerge from their tunnels and take flight once more, taking advantage of the abundant prey that is similarly awaking at this time.
This post has been edited by Nergali: Dec 31 2021, 05:42 PM
Gut Anemoweeds (Fabacaudamancerxia spp.)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Swarmerweed
Habitat: Global (Marine)
Size: 10-20 cm tall zoon, 100-500 micrometer zooids
Support: Soft-Bodied (Hydrostatic Skeleton)
Diet: Omnivore (Microbial mats, fleshy flora, eggs, and some slow-moving fauna), Scavenger, Detritivore, Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Diffusion), Aided by Photosynthesis
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Spawning, Eggs)
Gut anemoweeds split from their ancestor and continued their trend towards greater colony complexity. Zooids are now completely incapable of free-living, and thus the zoon is considered a true individual organism. Gut anemoweeds are far more active than their ancestor; though they are capable of long periods of inactivity where they cling to a rock, plant, nest, or driftwood island and behave like flora, they also regularly traverse the seafloor like starfish or limpets or "swim" about like some anemones in search of food. They are opportunists which can feed from a variety of food sources as long as it's slow or sessile. They are very common in a variety of sunlit undersea communities such as reefs, forests, and meadows, and being planimals they are usually found alone and don't form ground cover.
Gut anemoweeds are named for the presence of a mouth and blind gut organone derived from the holdfast. As the holdfast already ate whatever was on the surface of what they clung to, it easily shifted into a mouth-like structure and eventually a gut. The gut is lined with completely unrecognizably derived zooids, digestive zooids, which are almost completely inside-out--their endoderm is entirely exposed so that digestive enzymes may be released directly into the gut of the zoon. The liquified meals are then absorbed and the nutrients distributed through the zoon by the shared circulatory system. The mouth itself is formed from bundled lobes of the original holdfast and is roughly radially symmetric. Its shape grants stability on the seafloor and can wrap around food to pull it into the stomach.
On the opposite end from the mouth, gut anemoweeds branch considerably. Their branches no longer break off as buds, making them distinct body parts now. Each branch ends in a lobe, which is roughly spherical. Though these lobes resemble leaves, it would be more accurate to call them gonad organones. The previous method of releasing gametes has been optimized into these individual pods, which fill with gametes and then eventually burst open. The gonad zooids of female gut anemoweeds are larger than those of males so that they may produce large eggs with considerable yolk content, but the gonad organones are still the same size; as a result, females produce fewer gametes than males. After fertilization, the embryo forms an embryonic zoon before it even hatches, allowing it to already have the benefit of organones upon hatching. This also means that gut anemoweeds do not form mosaic individuals anymore, as the life phase where unrelated individuals could stick together now only occurs inside an egg. In addition to yolk, unhatched individuals also gain a considerable amount of energy from photosynthesis compared to adults.
The inside of a gut anemoweed includes a large inner cavity. This is filled with fluid and serves as a hydrostatic skeleton. On dissection, a new zooid type becomes visible from the inner surface: a stem zooid. Stem zooids are embryonic and derived not from gathering zooids, but from founders, and they serve to ensure that there is always a zooid which can become any other kind of zooid available at any point of the zoon's body. Though gatherer zooids can still produce different types of zooid, they are less efficient at doing so due to their more mature state and will only do so if there is, for whatever reason, no stem zooid nearby. Stem zooids are also able to break off into the inner cavity and reattach at different points; this may happen if a large number of stem zooids die, such as from a disease which targets them, requiring them to be redistributed so that the zoon may recover more quickly.
Most of the zooids of gut anemoweeds that are shared with their ancestor behave similarly to their ancestral counterparts. Gatherer zooids no longer filter feed, instead focusing primarily on photosynthesizing and observing their surroundings, saving a lot of energy. Like their ancestor, gut anemoweeds have an awareness of their body shape which is used to coordinate growth and healing.
There are many species of gut anemoweed--and many morphologies found in each species as well. As the arrangement of zooids is controlled by the nervous system instead of directly by genetics, though important body features are maintained well by instincts, their exact size and arrangement is prone to massive differences between individuals--even ones that are genetically identical--due to the influence of their environment and (very limited) capacity for learning. Species can only be identified for certain through genetic testing. Still, some species do trend towards more or less branching, larger or smaller mouths, and longer or shorter bodies. They are very rare in polar biomes, but a few polar species do exist nonetheless.
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Drew traditionally this time because I've been having technical issues. Said technical issues are unrelated to my recent inactivity; my recent inactivity is because I re-discovered my love for Homestuck while researching for a Sagan 4 / Homestuck crossover fanfiction idea I had, which this species also happens to play into. You know how it is
Nectar Crystalworm (Crystallovermis nectraphilis)
Creator: Solpimr
Ancestor: Crystank Crystalworm
Habitat: Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky, Drake Chaparral, Yokto Temperate Riparian, Drake Temperate Woodland
Size: 2.5 cm long
Diet: Frugavore (Creab Shell jelly, Lurspire fruit), Nectivore (Baseejie, Greatcap Baseejie), Pollenivore (Vesuvianite Tree, Frigid Vesuvianite)
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Heterotherm (Basking, Heat from Muscle Activity)
Support: Exoskeleton
Reproduction: Hermaphrodite, Sticky Eggs
The nectar crystalworm split from its ancestor and has spread to the woodlands and scrublands of southern and central Drake. Like their ancestor they use the holes on their head segment to smell and take in air for their tracheal system. They are hermaphrodites: after mating both individuals will fly off to lay eggs on the leaves of crystal flora. They can live up to a year and mate two to three times during that period, producing up to two hundred eggs each time. The eggs can remain dormant for months and survive freezing temperatures in this state. They only hatch when temperatures remain above freezing for several consecutive days. Hatchlings are well developed and capable of flight within hours.
They have long slightly sticky tongues which allow them to feed on the spores of spore-producing crystal trees as well as the nectar of Baseejies. They are avid consumers of creab jelly and an important means of dispersal for the creab complex. Lurspire fruit makes up a fairly small portion of their diet as they are poorly camouflaged against the lurspire’s foliage.
Name: Tunnelglutt Cadoverm (Cadovermis inferis)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Violet Cadovermi (Cadovermis prime)
Habitat: Drake Polar Beach, Drake Tundra
Size: 20 centimeters long
Support: Unknown
Diet: Omnivore (leftovers from Uksor caretakers(Testudiatoms, Thornshell, Fruiting Glog, Vermees, Krugg, Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Sapworms, Lickworm, Snowsculptor Janit, Flugwurm, Pewpa, Acid Pewpa, Larands, Marbleflora, Pioneeroots)), Scavenger, Detritivore
Respiration: Semi-Active (Unidirectional Tracheae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Hermaphrodite, Live Birth
As the relationship between the violet cadovermi and uksor grew over time, the populations of violet cadovermi living on drake would eventually give rise to the tunnelglutt cadoverm. These cadoverms ended up replacing their ancestors in the area, and are entirely reliant upon the uksors for their survival.
Million of years of mutualism has resulted in the uksors native to Drake being different in habits as well. Since these cadoverms no longer come out onto the surface, the local uksors can merely bring their scraps of food to them. Anything the uksors do not finish eating gets eaten by the cadoverms, who will also feed upon their waste for nutrients. Not only does it mean the tunnelglutt cadoverm acts as a cleanup crew that ensures there will be little to attract scavengers like certain vermees species, but it also results in the cadoverms becoming large and plump.
Much like their ancestors, the tunnelglutt cadoverms sit in a specialized chamber within the nests and will secrete a sap-like substance when stimulated. While it is still bitter-tasting to predators that get into the tunnels, uksors still find it delicious. When an individual gets really old and is no longer able to feed itself properly, uksors will shepherd it away from the others and butcher it as a food source. After the uksors eat what they can from the carcass, any scraps are given to the other tunnelglutt cadoverms as they will not turn down bits of food. Uksors will also butcher tunnelglutt cadoverms if they become too great in number and require more resources then the uksors can provide.
While the efficient respiratory system of their ancestors allows them to get as much oxygen as they can from the tunnels, living underground their whole lives means they have no need to see. Due to this, while their eyes can technically still work, they are functionally vestigial in their day-to-day lives within the tunnels. With coloration not being important to these cadoverms at all, their bodies have paled and most of their patterns have disappeared. The bottom two “teeth” are still mobile but have flattened to act like scoops, which helps the tunnelglutt cadoverm to shovel food into their mouths.
Alright! Here is my attempt at the Violet Cadovermi and a descendant for it! How does it look? Does its relationship with it and the uksors look good?
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Jan 14 2022, 10:31 AM
Name: Ikasaru (Ikasaru limacocauda)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Ice Teuthopin (Cryoteuthus bobsledus)
Habitat: Drake Rocky, Mae Volcanic, Drake Boreal, Drake Chaparral, Drake Temperate Woodland
Size: 50 centimeters long
Support: Soft Bodied (Muscular Hydrostat)
Diet: Omnivore (Minikruggs, Vermees, Neuks, Lurtress nectar, Cryobowls, Pioneeroots, Glaalgaes, Lurspire fruit, Lurcreeper nectar, Towering Grovecrystal, Wub, Baseejie, Syrup Ferine berries, Sleeve Ferine berries, Greatcap Baseejie, Fuzzpile berries, Vesuvianite Tree, Pagoda Crystal, Ivy Thermoworm, Umbrella Plyent, Forest Quone, Forest Venomerald, Arid Ferine, Rosybeak Phyler, Suncatcher Plyent, Frigid Vesuvianite, Lurcup nectar, Brickbark Ferine berries, Wafflebark Ferine berries, Tree Pinyuk juveniles, Glountain fruit, Mini-Flower Ketter, Crystalfir fruit, Emeraldfir fruit, Creab Walker, Creab Shell)
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endothermic (Blubber), Basking
Reproduction: Sexual, Two "Genders" (Hermaphrodite and Carrier), Ovoviviparous
As the world around them changed, the populations of ice teuthopin found on Drake had to change as well. This led to certain groups descending down from the frozen peaks and into the surrounding areas. Living on the ground proved dangerous, with the wide range of predators that exist in the area. The trees, meanwhile, were relatively free of dangers and had plenty of opportunities for these teuthopins which would tempt these groups to specialize for an arboreal existence. This would then lead to them splitting off into the ikasaru, an arboreal omnivore with herbivorous tendencies.
Much like their ancestors, the ikasaru is capable of changing colors to blend in with their environment, which allows them to avoid being detected by predators and prey. Since they no longer live on a glacier or mountain peaks, however, the color changing abilities are much more dynamic. Since the range of the ikasaru has various kinds of purple flora and crystal flora, they often have to change colors to match the specific kinds of flora they are clambering upon. When it comes to moving upon the flora themselves, their two hind pairs of limbs are wide and flattened so they can act as muscular clamps. This helps maintain their grip on the branches so they do not fall off, though they do not allow for quick movement.
The first pair of limbs, meanwhile, are used for a wider variety of tasks. For example, the Ikasaru uses these to pull itself forward and to reach food items which would otherwise be too far away. The claws on the ends of these limbs can dig into bark or wrap around objects, and are strong enough that they can hang from a branch using these appendages, though this gets tiring and they will almost always go for using their “clamps” instead.
The ikasaru spends most of the time up in the trees, often clambering among the branches for bits of food. Sometimes it can use its coloration to avoid small prey such as a krugg detecting it. As prey moves towards it, the eyestalks of the ikasaru can swivel in place to track the movements of their prey while they can pick up vibrations from the branches on the movements of the target although this only works at close range. Once a small critter gets close enough, the ikasaru will snatch the prey with their forelimbs and then bring them into their mouth. The short and robust beak can crush the victim, but it also is used to break open the shells of crystal flora leaves or rip into berries and fruit. This serves the ikasaru well, as it is primarily herbivorous with a taste for fruit since such food items do not flee or fight back. In certain areas, the ikasaru lives alongside the forest venomerald, but has evolved an immunity to the tetrodotoxin produced by the flora which allows them to take advantage of a food source few other species take advantage of.
While they are solitary like their ancestors, the ikasaru is not territorial. Indeed, during times where a large amount of food is in one place, multiple ikasaru will come to take advantage of it and ignore other individuals unless they are fighting over choice pieces of food. If they do have some kind of dispute, the two ikasaru will use their vocal sacs to create vibrations. This will go on until one gives up and retreats.
The one time where the ikasaru is social is when it comes to mating, which occurs in autumn as the majority of flora produce large amounts of fruits and berries at around this time. This naturally causes ikasaru to come together in large congregations, which only makes it easier for an individual to find a mate. Their reproduction has made a few changes from their ancestor, being somewhat akin to that of the related mudslider teuthopin, where the “carrier” being a third individual has been completely lost. Instead, two individuals will use their vocal sacs to create vibrations much like if they were fighting over food. Unlike those instances, however, the two ikasaru will escalate this scuffle by changing in a series of vibrant colors and smacking eachother with their first pair of limbs. Once one of them gives up in the fight, copulation occurs with the loser getting impregnated who then move on to take care of their young while the winner will continue to battle with other individuals until it gets impregnated, runs out of potential mates to breed with, or gets caught by some predator.
The ones who get impregnated will retain the eggs within their pouch for long periods of time while the eggs incubate for about 4 months. The longer incubation means the resulting young are better developed and thus can survive outside the pouch once they hatch. Once they do emerge from the pouch, the young are capable of living on their own and are abandoned by their parent.
Due to consuming a wide range of fruits and berries alongside indirectly ingesting spores, the ikasaru is a major disperser of several different flora groups and have spread various species to new habitats. This in turn affected local herbivore species as they followed the vegetation. Here is a list of the various species ended up getting spread by the ikasaru, whether directly or indirectly:
Vesuvianite Tree is spread into Mae Volcanic via indirectly ingesting spores.
Frigid Vesuvianite is spread into Mae Volcanic via indirectly ingesting spores.
Forest Venomerald is spread into Mae Volcanic via indirectly ingesting spores.
Lurtress is spread into Drake Boreal via indirectly ingesting their seeds.
Lurcup is spread into Drake Rocky and Mae Volcanic via indirectly ingesting their seeds.
Arid Ferine is spread into Mae Volcanic.
Syrup Ferine is spread into Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky, Drake Chaparral, and Mae Volcanic.
Brickbark Ferine is spread into Drake Rocky and Mae Volcanic.
Wafflebark Ferine is spread into Drake Rocky, Drake Boreal, Drake Temperate Woodland, and Mae Volcanic.
Greatcap Baseejie is spread into Drake Boreal, Drake Rocky, Drake Chaparral, and Mae Volcanic.
Glountain is spread into Drake Rocky.
Crystalfir is spread into Drake Rocky.
Emeraldfir is spread into Drake Rocky and Mae Volcanic.
Double-Lipped Sauceback is spread into Mae Volcanic due to the Vesuvianite Tree, which it eats, being also spread into the biome.
Quilled Pinyuk is spread into Mae Volcanic due to several of the flora species that are in its diet being spread there.
Glowspike is spread into Mae Volcanic due to the Forest Venomerald being spread there while other kinds of flora in their diet are already resident to the area. It also begins to feed upon the Crystalfir and Emeraldfir.
Wutuu is spread into Mae Volcanic due to the Arid Ferine, which it eats, being also spread into the biome. It also begins feeding upon the berries of the Syrup Ferine, Brickbark Ferine, Sleeve Ferine, and Wafflebark Ferine.
Here is the Ikasaru! I do think the reproduction section I did could use some work so any critiques are appreciated! Also this guy ended up spreading a TON of species! Makes me wonder what the ecosystem will look like if both this and the Plowskunik get approved!
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Jan 22 2022, 10:33 AM
Lungworm Clogmane (Circulus plenus)
Creator: Papainmanis, Colddigger, Chillypaz, Kopout, Oofle
Ancestor: Logworm Sauceback
Habitat: Barlowe Temperate Rainforest, Barlowe Temperate Woodland, Oz Temperate Beach
Size: 3cm Long
Diet: Adult: None; Larvae: Carnivore (Coastrunner Bandersnatch, Cockatwice, Doboor, Dusty Spelunkhoe, Kakonat, Pronghorn Strider, Spectresnatch, Split-Tongue Jabberwocky, Stubhead Bounder, Tappipper, Terrestrial Emulsecho, Tusked Grassblaster)
Support: Endoskeleton (Chitin)
Respiration: Active (Microlungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm (Feathers)
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Eggs)
The Lungworm Clogmane has split from its ancestor, making the transition from feeding it's larvae on the wood of flora to feeding on the woody tissues of plents, and any other tissue that will stand in their way. While their early ancestors took advantage of plent carcasses, whose wooden remains were as fitting for their diet as the wood of any flora, by expanding their diet into living plents they no longer have to compete with vermees and other detritivores.
Much like its ancestor, they do not eat as adults, instead building up their nutritional reserves as larvae, stuffing themselves into a fatty sausage form before undergoing metamorphosis into a adults. Unlike its ancestor, they are no longer annual, but opportunistic. While the males are identical to the ancestor, the female has taken on a mane of her own with barbed feathers that end in sharp quills. Once mated, she will seek out a plent, dead or alive, plug herself in its butt-nostril and expand her mane to lodge into place while she lays her spiky eggs into the lung to lodge themselves into the lung walls.
Sometimes the plent will suffocate, but in the vast majority of cases it will merely experience a decrease in oxygen while being eaten from the inside. As the larva chew through the skeleton and other wooden tissues, they will pierce holes in the plent's epidermis and turn around to seek more wood, creating random holes all over the plent's limbs and supportive structures that happen to air out the tunnels.
In either case, eventually a plent falls down, and once the larva have had their fill they will burry themselves underground in a bed of holes just under the carcass, where they will take about 6 weeks to undergo metamorphosis, though the process slows down to a halt during the colder periods of the year. Once done, a large clog of adult clogmanes emerge from the underground bed, ready to seek new mates and new plents to settle in.
This post has been edited by Papainmanis: Jan 15 2022, 02:02 PM
Name: Rackettoon (Glossoprocyon ferminensis)
Creator: OviraptorFan
Ancestor: Ringtailed Ketter (Glossoprocyon ringus)
Habitat: Fermi Polar Beach, Fermi Tundra, Fermi Temperate Beach
Size: 30 centimeters long
Support: Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood)
Diet: Omnivore (Marbleflora, Pioneeroots, Fermi Sunstalk, Sunion, Giant Hollowdome, Farmphibian, Fat Korystal, Climbing Korrybug, Cryocanon, Stoutplage, Pudgy Ketter, Polar Quilbil, Segmented Carnofern, Krugg, Helmethead Uksip, Uksor, Dome Crystal, Fruiting Glog, Violet Cadovermi, Leafcutter Krugg, Spiked Krugg, Egg Krugg, Scaled Diveskunik, Polar Orbion, Shellear, Beach Piloroot, Talfuzz, Pilonoroot, Shieldworm, Iron Siever, Spiny Wrigum, Dry Gelatin, Gushlych, Retigroenx, Fuzzy Beachballs, Beach Carnofern, Polar Cellulosebane, Polarblades, Lickworm, Polar Ukback, Snowsculptor Janit, Flugwurm, Pewpa, Sunleaf, Teacup Saucebacks, young Umbrosa, Tilepillar eggs, Flamboyant Fan Bloister, Nectarworm, Cleaner Borvermid, False Cleaner Borvermid, Stowaway Harmbless, Mainland Fuzzpalm, Fuzzweed, Carnosprawl, Kakonat, Shailnitor, Coastal Nectarworm, Fuzzpile, Communal Janit, Infilt Pewpa, Xenobees, Minikruggs, Cryobowls, Cloudswarmers, Vermees, Glaalgaes, Larands, Silkruggs, Xenowasps, Gushitos, Sunstalks, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Dartirs, Sapworms, Alshamite, Slicewing, Lesser Bloisters), Scavenger, Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Two Genders, Live Birth
The rackettoon evolved from ringtailed ketters that shifted towards a more generalistic diet, as well as developing several different behaviors to survive on Fermi, eventually splitting off into a new taxon.
Much like its ancestor, the rackettoon uses its large back leaf for photosynthesis but this alone is not enough to meet its energetic requirements so it spends a good amount of its time scrounging for food. Its long tongue can be used to lick up small flora and fauna to then be brought to the mouth where their back teeth can crush and chew it up into small, manageable pieces to then be swallowed. It does not limit its diet with small organisms, however, as it will also feed on a wide range of fauna, often eating with the sides of their mouths to crunch through the hard shells of crystal flora and glass flora or to chew on purple flora and black flora. To deal with this much rougher diet, rackettoons with harder teeth ended up doing better than those who did not, which culminated with rackettoons having calcified teeth.
Finding all of this food while avoiding predators meant the rackettoon’s senses had to be sharp. It can often direct its sense of smell towards finding food, while its sense of hearing is directed towards detecting potential threats, while the rackettoon’s vision does a mixture of both. Since most of the other creatures in the area (thornbacks and other snappers specifically) are deaf, the ability to hear gives the rackettoon a competitive advantage. This adaptation, alongside its generalistic diet and endothermic metabolism, allows the rackettoon to thrive on Fermi living in every habitat, except for the Fermi Desert where food and water is too infrequent for it to make a living.
Living within the colder areas like the tundra and polar beach, however, did provide some challenges. With its lack of insulation from fur, feathers, or some other kind of integument, the cold winters can prove fatal for the rackettoon if it remained active on the surface for long periods of time. Additionally, food becomes harder to find at this time of year due to the cold conditions, which is why the rackettoon no longer is active during the winter months. While their ancestors did burrow with their wooden claws, the rackettoon uses these burrows to go into hibernation. In these burrows, they curl up and lower their body temperature while their heart rate and breathing slows. In this period of time, the rackettoon will rely upon the fat reserves they built up before the winter when they ate as much as they could. While a rackettoon usually does make its own burrows, they will happily use the burrows of hornsniffers or krotezurucks for suitable shelter as well. While they do hibernate, rackettoons are capable of rousing themselves pretty quickly if disturbed, in a similar fashion to Terran bears.
One additional defense against the cold the rackettoons utilize is packing the entrances of their burrows—whether made by themselves or originally created by something else—with various bits of roughage and vegetation. All of these materials are collected about a month or two before the racketton goes into hibernation, where they will collect as much stuff as they can to bring into their burrows for insulations. What exactly a rackettoon uses for their specific burrow can vary on what is available. Those within the tundra use things like talfuzz fuzz and the feathers of both weavesnappers and snapperkies; meanwhile those of the polar beach use things like brushrums, beach snapper down, beach piloroot leaf-fur, pilonoroot leaf-fur, fuzzy beachballs, and talfuzz fuzz (though they will also use dry gelatin, polarblades, and segmented carnofern leaves if left with few other options). The populations of rackettoons at the temperate beach of Fermi will use a wide range of materials for their burrows, when they do hibernate at least, using everything from the fur of shrogs and the feathers of waxfaces or skysnappers, to the fuzz of various flora species and even things like brushrums.
While all populations of rackettoon are capable of hibernation, those that live at Fermi Temperate Beach do not need to hibernate because of the milder temperatures. The two exceptions are either an unusually cold winter, or the rackettoon is a pregnant female. This is because the female has 2 babies at a time. The young spend a longer period of time growing than their ancestors, which means they are better developed and thus more capable of survival when they are born. This does however mean that giving birth to them is a bit of a challenge for the mother due to their size, and so giving birth to them can be a laborious process. Once they are born, the young will stay with their mother for about a year or two, following her around and learning essential life skills such as what kinds of food are available and how they can get it. For those that live at the Fermi Temperate Beach, they will learn what kinds of food are available throughout the year since the mother no longer needs to hibernate once the youngsters are born. Those that live on the polar beach and tundra of Fermi, however, will join their mother in hibernation once winter arrives and will repeat this if they stay for a second year. The mother will also breed by the second year, and as such will drive her previous litter away if they stick around by the start of the third year since she will need to dedicate her time towards her newest litter. Mother rackettoons are very protective of their young, alerting them of danger with a toot of her butt nostril which is also a signal for the young to hide. If a predator is near, then the mother will approach the threat and use herself as bait in order to lure it away from her vulnerable young. In total, a rackettoon can live for up to 10 years, though the life of a rackettooon is often shorter due to predation or the elements.
When it comes to finding a mate, rackettoons are quite vocal, with males utilizing various grunts, squeals, toots, and rumbles in a sort of song while dancing around a female and wiggling their tails. If a female shows interest, she will return his signals by also dancing and singing with copulation then occurring soon after.
Due to their generalistic feeding habits, rackettoons often ingest a wide range of seeds and spores from the flora they eat which they then eventually regurgitate somewhere else. This resulted in them spreading several different species of flora to other biomes. This would then result in the spread of several different species of fauna.
Cryocanon is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach.
Segmented Carnofern is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach.
Fruiting Glog is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach.
Beach Piloroot is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach.
Beach Carnofern is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach.
Talfuzz is spread into Fermi Tundra and Fermi Temperate Beach.
Polarblades are spread into Fermi Temperate Beach.
Fat Korystal is spread into Fermi Tundra via indirectly ingesting spores.
Dome Crystal is spread into Fermi Tundra and Fermi Temperate Beach via indirectly ingesting spores.
Polar Orbion is spread into Fermi Tundra via indirectly ingesting spores.
Fuzzy Beachballs is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach via indirectly ingesting spores.
Sunleaf is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach via indirectly ingesting spores.
Retigroenx is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to fragmented pieces being dropped and growing into new individuals.
Spiny Wrigum is spread into Fermi Tundra due to the Polar Orbion, which they feed upon, being also spread there.
Climbing Korrybug is spread into Fermi Tundra due to the Fat Korystal, which they feed upon, being also spread there.
Krugg is spread into Fermi Tundra due to the Fat Korystal, which they feed upon, being also spread there.
Helmethead Uksip is spread into Fermi Tundra due to the Talfuzz, which they feed upon, being also spread there.
Tileback is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the Cryocanon, which they feed upon, being also spread there. They also begin breeding within the Fermi Temperate Coast.
Shellear is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the Beach Piloroot and Talfuzz, which they feed upon, being also spread there. They also begin breeding within the Fermi Temperate Coast.
Flugwurm is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the Beach Carnofern, which they feed upon, being also spread there.
Ringtailed Ketter is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the Segmented Carnofern, which they feed upon, being also spread there.
Billdeka is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the Sunleaf, which they feed upon, being also spread there. They were also able to make a living here due to the absence of the Whiskerback which kept them out of the Fermi Desert by directly competing with them.
Rolling Flune is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the Beach Carnofern, which they feed upon, being also spread there.
Uksor is spread into Fermi Tundra due to several species of both flora and fauna species that are in their diet being spread there.
Violet Cadovermi is spread into Fermi Tundra due to their relationship with the Uksor, who was also spread there.
Egg Krugg is spread into Fermi Tundra due to several species whose eggs they feed upon being also spread there.
Gushlych is spread into Fermi Tundra due to several species they feed upon being also spread there.
Weavesnapper is spread into Fermi Tundra due to several species they feed upon being also spread there.
Squat Limbless is spread into Fermi Tundra due to several species they feed upon being also spread there.
Ringtail Limbless is spread into Fermi Tundra due to several species they feed upon being also spread there.
Bloodskin Skywatcher is spread into Fermi Tundra due to several species they feed upon being also spread there.
Jaydohve is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the Shellear, which it feeds upon, being also spread there. It also settled the Fermi Polar Beach and Fermi Temperate Coast.
Seamaster Seaswimmer is spread into Fermi Temperate Coast due to the Jaydohve, which it feeds upon, being also spread there.
Grubnub is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the spread of several species of decently large fauna being spread there, in turn leaving decent amounts of carrion for it to feed upon.
Pewpa is spread into Fermi Tundra due to the spread of several species of decently large fauna being spread there, in turn leaving decent amounts of carrion and dung for it to feed upon.
Hornsniffer is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to the spread of several species of decently large fauna being spread there, in turn leaving decent amounts of carrion and dung for it to feed upon.
Lickworm is spread into Fermi Temperate Beach due to their symbiosis with the Hornsniffer.
A Rackettoon with its mouth open, displaying their tounge and dentiton.
Here is what I got so far for the Rackettoon! I got more to add but any critiques as of right now are appreciated! Im surprised no one has done anything with the ketters since the revival(minus my Okagouti).
This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Jan 21 2022, 09:18 PM
Ramulbane (Lutrasorectonum hedera)
Creator: MNIDJM
Ancestor: Eeyore Stalks (Negrosolis eeyorei)
Habitat: Ramul Temperate Woodland, Ramul Temperate Beach
Size: 50 cm Tall (Individual), 3 m Tall (Boosted height)
Support:
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Passive (Stoma)
Thermoregulation: Ectothermic
Reproduction: Asexual, Airborne "Twinkoid" Spores
The ramulbane replaced it's ancestor, having fully adapted to life on their new home of Ramul. They grow in thick "vines" on the every surface they can get purchase on, and like their ancestors have a high tolerance for shade, allowing them to grow well even in thicker forest areas. Beside their size, their more notable adaptation is that they have intensified their deterrent properties. Their cells contain a higher concentration of calcium oxalate, which when damaged either by a bite or when struck by a shrog tail, will cause a sharp burning sensation. The ramulbane spores are also thick with the substance, and if the time of year is right they will release a cloud of them on any attacker. This generally results in not only the victim being coated in the burning chemical, but they have a high likelihood of inhaling it, which can cause pulmonary and oral irritation and in some cases death by asphyxiation, though this is less common. This tends to work in the benefit of the flora, as victims struck by this will typically attempt to relieve the burning by aggressively rubbing against surfaces like rocks or other flora, giving the ramulbane spores a new place to implant. In the more uncommon cases where this is fatal, the ramulbane spores can use the corpse as nutrients. Organisms with more porous skin can be particularly negatively affected, such as local [[scooters]] and [[Uksapo|uktank]] species, with symptoms lasting for days to even weeks. As a result, the local populations of soft skinned species have learned to avoid thickets near their sporing seasons. Shrog species on the island have seen a dramatic drop in their ability to survive, as it can be difficult to find enough wood not currently hosting ramulbane, and many individuals end up trapped on the island and starve.
Wading Phlock (Salopabulator fermindiges)
Creator: MNIDJM
Ancestor: Purple Phlock
Habitat : [[Fermi Polar Beach]], [[Fermi Temperate Beach]], [[Fermi Temperate Coast]], [[Fermi Polar Coast]]
Size: 1.4 m Long
Support: Unknown
Diet: Herbivore ([[Colonialballs]], [[Pioneeroots]], [[Marbleflora]], [[Snotflora]]), Photosynthesis
Respiration: Active (Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Endotherm
Reproduction: Sexual, Live Birth, Two Genders
The '''wading phlock''' are the descendants of the [[Purple Phlock|purple phlock]] native to Fermi. Their evolution was driven mainly as a response to predation of species on the island and increasing competition driving them to more extreme niches. They have begun inhabiting the intertidal zones of Fermi, wading out into the water to feed on purple flora out in the surf. Over time, only those filling this niche were successful in reproducing, leading to the local extinction of its ancestor.
They are very social and travel in large herds grazing on the fast-growing purple flora. They spend their days moving in herds, feeding on flora both on the beach and in the water. This resource has proved beneficial, as the flora on the beaches of Fermi have strong competition, especially in the winter when growth slows. Despite their lifestyle they are not strong swimmers, instead walking across the seabed as they graze relying on their bulk to keep them planted. Their slow moving pace allows some plankton and mesofauna to grow on their skin, which can help assist in camouflaging them in the water. out of the water their dark blue coloration works to blend them into the black sands of the coast and beach. If strong currents sweep them out into deeper waters their blubber provides some assistance in swimming, though generally they will drown.
The surf also provides protection from predators such as the [[Snowstalker Tuskent|snowstalker tuskent]]. If sighted they will warn others by making a tooting sound from their butt-nostrils. They do not have many defenses other than raising up their wing-leaves to try to scare away predators. Failing this they will flee into the ocean hoping the predators will avoid them. During colder months they will migrate up north to the temperate coastal areas in search of food and warmth.
Males have developed display growths on their wings which grow in every mating season to attract females. These displays are dangerous for the males, as they make them stand out even more and put them at risk of predation. Females mate with those with the most elaborate displays, as they increase in complexity with age and vitality, ensuring they have the healthiest offspring with the fittest males. Once mating season ends the displays will fall off and be consumed by the males or pregnant females to make use of the expended resources. These horn-like displays will litter the beach and surf and become a readily available source of scavengeable food. They reproduce frequently and with many offspring, usually mating in the winter months so their young will be born in mid-spring when food is plentiful. They nest on the beaches near outcrops to protect the young. While the females tend to their offspring, males will keep watch for predators.
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