tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53002603825862437392024-03-19T03:40:25.033-07:00XenosuliaKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-15264043256113589112021-12-15T12:17:00.000-08:002021-12-15T12:17:58.761-08:00Akasaran Desert <p> <span style="font-family: arial;">East of the mountain range separating most of Mesogea from
Occimesogea – the continent’s western “horn” – is a large, seemingly unending
region of arid desert, splitting northern and southern Mesogea in half. The
mountain range is one of the largest on the planet, forming only relatively
recently following the collision of Occimesogea with the mainland. Normally,
mountains don’t last as long as they do on Earth, with the more acidic rain
eroding them away quicker. Although the greater level of tectonic and volcanic
activity – a result of the tidal influences the planet is subjected to – makes
up for this to an extent.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">With moist air from the tropical west blocked by mountains, and
the cooler, drier prevailing winds from the east travelling over much land and
a few low-lying volcanic mountains before reaching this region, the Akasara
Desert is one of the driest places on the planet’s dayside. Most of the rock
and sand in the desert is a reddish-orange colour, composed largely of
iron-oxide. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Akasaran
Coneback</span></span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Pikonu conoton)</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXk9Q3CQ5dPnYy13ysm-ss8FKJqJQBtsrW_DzmezYr4yj7l72HrN6ASnbtQLk3L4VtvwKWF03w97ZcNd4ukthB1_PmHJISU-kgw_-IuOsYKVaJRLGik6asW4KiG6R0MXKAm-PHP7WKdvl5rHxvPKREMuWT-DDU7B8uazhLIJLpOyhfx51Ax6XuzYDn9w=s3900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2828" data-original-width="3900" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXk9Q3CQ5dPnYy13ysm-ss8FKJqJQBtsrW_DzmezYr4yj7l72HrN6ASnbtQLk3L4VtvwKWF03w97ZcNd4ukthB1_PmHJISU-kgw_-IuOsYKVaJRLGik6asW4KiG6R0MXKAm-PHP7WKdvl5rHxvPKREMuWT-DDU7B8uazhLIJLpOyhfx51Ax6XuzYDn9w=w603-h438" width="603" /></a></i></b></div><b><i><br /></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: Males; 1.1 –
1.4 meters in height, 1.7 – 2.2 meters in length. Females: 1.4 – 1.8 meters in
height, 2 – 2.5 meters in length</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk90477239;">Diet: desert shrubs,
roots </span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk90477239;"><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk90477239;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: desert<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk90477239;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: Protandrous
sequential hermaphroditism. Lays large, hard-shelled eggs, from which
undeveloped larvae hatch <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk90477239;"></span>
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">With the prevalence of open, flat plains on Xenosulia, hopping
is far from an uncommon means of locomotion, especially among cursorial
herbivores. One group of tariforms, the pikonids, or “tribbits”, specialises
for this. While most animals that incorporate hopping into their movement are
relatively small, this family contains among the largest of hopers, rivalling
cavids in terms of size, although smaller species do exist. The Akasaran
coneback is one of the larger members of the group, as well as being among the
largest animals in Akasaran Desert. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">By storing energy in their tendons, these tribbits are able
to reach high speeds while expanding comparatively little energy, an invaluable
adaptation in the energy poor environment they inhabit. They tend to live in
small herds for protection for help finding food, with predators picking out
only the slowest among them. These predators almost always consist of the East
Lituan kipon and other related species, as well as some smaller desert-dwelling
onychodons and other dromeiforms to a lesser extent. Also, Lophopteryx, while
primarily scavengers, have also been known to take down larger tribbits
occasionally. But in general, there are few predators large enough to hunt them,
with the desert unable to support many large carnivores.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While not as good at conserving moisture as laminites, the
coneback is able to survive long periods of time subsisting only on the water contained
in their food. Many of the hardy plants found in the Akasaran Desert store
large quantities of water to get them through drier periods, which are often
found in bulbous growths underground. These animals will use their dextrous proboscis
to dig these growths out of the ground, favouring these parts of the plant.
With a thin body, loose skin, and large ears, they are also very good at
loosing heat, the constant desert day giving them no reprieve. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<a name="_Hlk90477449"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u></span></a><br /><a name="_Hlk90479743"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade:</i><span style="font-family: arial;">
Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Tariformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Pikonidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Pikonu</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">P.</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">conoton</i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk90479743;"></span>
</span>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk90477449;"></span>
</span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">East Lituan
Kipon</span></b><b style="font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Kubu lituensis)</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7bqKf6bwg4v4fREjqFylxXDfeHG_T8O251LBrTSjg8ntrjr74-liE8Y64zsRKn4Et8d0spZbpznx9gp9amov5Jjl7NHNk1JG5bSesn4vjsvUKNqZhQfYMhE87he-WqFI6PfaMT-w8lwpXCz_USvCJn-tx9gNBD8XT_0ckwThlsAvVkczFMOKAUqZdWQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7bqKf6bwg4v4fREjqFylxXDfeHG_T8O251LBrTSjg8ntrjr74-liE8Y64zsRKn4Et8d0spZbpznx9gp9amov5Jjl7NHNk1JG5bSesn4vjsvUKNqZhQfYMhE87he-WqFI6PfaMT-w8lwpXCz_USvCJn-tx9gNBD8XT_0ckwThlsAvVkczFMOKAUqZdWQ=w612-h458" width="612" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 0.9 – 1.2 meters in height, 1 – 1.3 meters in length</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: meat, primarily medium to large herbivores and filter
feeders<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: desert, shrubland<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous sequential hermaphroditism <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The armoured laminites are especially successful in desert
environments, able to more effectively conserve moisture than the sucoderms due
to a variety of factors. While in most parts of the mainlands, they are limited
to relatively small and inactive carnivores and omnivores, much larger species
can be found in the Akasaran Desert, less limited by competition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The order Kiponiformes constitutes some of the largest and
most active laminites. While most laminites adopt a sprawling posture,
kiponiforms hold their limbs erect benefit them. Most, including <i>Kubu
lituensis</i>, are predatory, preferring tripodans over the spherozoans and
cardozoans most other laminite clades focus on. With the difficulties of hiding
in the open landscape they inhabit, at least at their size, they are primarily
pursuit predators, eschewing the sit and wait tactics of their smaller
relatives. Their front limbs are used for holding down prey, and the inner
claws are especially sharp, held up above the ground to protect them from being
blunted from walking. The killing blow is usually dealt with a bite, however.</span></p>
<u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Laminita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Kiponiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Kubidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Kubu</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">K. lituensis</i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sponge
Bison</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a name="_Hlk90478338"><i>Oocephalus rhisopus</i></a><i>)</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0ZkNsemfMsFC_zTZPktEdQFf36Dm5AKIyPvUNewZN_j-Cb9TXHHWV-Vvakxg3xEOUrJSygP3bbBX_geHEIRX696N-3EZHRHPqYO1Ht58OIGg0K0qXIOD3HMNlUsZ3fTRf4pSaSz-Gl46kRcovMnD6aWPDIoZTOOTzfckAXs-eaa7Y21LqUmQb_S3Mvw=s3424" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3292" data-original-width="3424" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0ZkNsemfMsFC_zTZPktEdQFf36Dm5AKIyPvUNewZN_j-Cb9TXHHWV-Vvakxg3xEOUrJSygP3bbBX_geHEIRX696N-3EZHRHPqYO1Ht58OIGg0K0qXIOD3HMNlUsZ3fTRf4pSaSz-Gl46kRcovMnD6aWPDIoZTOOTzfckAXs-eaa7Y21LqUmQb_S3Mvw=w619-h596" width="619" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male sponge bison</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: Males; 2.5 – 3 meters in height. Females: 2 – 4 meters
starting at the ground <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: aeroplankton <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: desert<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protandrous hermaphroditism, with individuals
born as male and becoming sedentary hermaphrodites. They give birth to live
young that crawl out of their mother <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While aerobic filter feeders are common in most open places,
the winds can get especially strong in the desert, facilitating this lifestyle.
However, like plants, the sedentary xenospongozoans do not grow as well as they
do in grasslands, with less water available to them. This provides filter
feeding animals with less competition, with sitostome species especially prevalent
here. While the lack of water poses and issue for them, they’re able to occupy
a greater variety of niches, with a large assortment of different mouth
structures found here specialised for catching different aeroplankton and algae
species. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">With aeroplankton providing a plentiful source of food,
sitostomes are less limited in size than most of the desert’s inhabitants. Among
the largest of the Akasaran sitostomes is <i>Oocephalus rhisopus</i>, their
herds found roaming the deserts in large numbers. While they do face some risk
of predation from some of the desert’s larger carnivores, predators generally
ignore older individuals in favour of smaller prey like pikonids. Their size
provides them with plenty of protection, so they tend to be slow moving, with
little else in the way of defence. For greater stability, their bodies are
compact, their legs roughly forming an equilateral triangle, at least during
the male phase. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Like most sitostomes, they are protandrous, becoming
hermaphroditic later in age. In the hermaphroditic life stage, among those who
live long enough, they grow much larger, burying themselves half in the ground
and becoming sedentary. This way, the niche they inhabit is similar to that of
large xenospongozoans in other areas. In the desert, the sponges tend to be
smaller, and much less numerous, so they don’t face too much competition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The sedentary hermaphrodites are visited frequently by herds
of males, who provide them with water in exchange for injecting male
gametozoans. With the specialised structure of their oral proboscis, using this
to mate is impractical, with the males’ tentacles used to deposit gametozoans
instead, after extracting them from the proboscis. During the process of
mating, the larger hermaphrodites will also leave gametozoans on the males,
which will remain until they journey to another hermaphrodite. This allows the
hermaphrodites to mate with each other despite being sedentary, the males
acting as pollinators. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn5nKI9ureFT9ue2_fTbAZcdgWBJf9B3nCVbZK68AB5I2ImFP-bVeYcjdDSXvODXiQnNxcVsIVAMYoifYiIDVRGx_Q7hin1vIzO9Pv-x_taIlJifmHklRIBWYufdrvKpTeLImUHg0KrAiSEX24YEqhpVtLHhc4oFVEU9wyCSHVQRalFUKOrAqPGY6TRQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn5nKI9ureFT9ue2_fTbAZcdgWBJf9B3nCVbZK68AB5I2ImFP-bVeYcjdDSXvODXiQnNxcVsIVAMYoifYiIDVRGx_Q7hin1vIzO9Pv-x_taIlJifmHklRIBWYufdrvKpTeLImUHg0KrAiSEX24YEqhpVtLHhc4oFVEU9wyCSHVQRalFUKOrAqPGY6TRQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermaphroditic sponge bison</td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>
<u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade</i><span style="font-family: arial;">: Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Sitostomatiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Ooglossidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Oocephalus</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">O. rhisopus</i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Akasaran
Crestbird</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Lophopteryx psammus)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRl67dNjrYC4JC2Z7JJoLM_DvYOQT0AhcH_j4y53z11wMskF7HLk1qPX5fBnwCaQJFLGUI557bMMUDZPam1ebSURqjfJHwWYPfcEc_z7Fou113oJAWX-HhJrb_L4fVwIr5UVSF562wzT6YXh4rLmkEehRwy7HkxEuisUGt6PxeFJvZrTHWGSnq6o3UuQ=s4020" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3368" data-original-width="4020" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRl67dNjrYC4JC2Z7JJoLM_DvYOQT0AhcH_j4y53z11wMskF7HLk1qPX5fBnwCaQJFLGUI557bMMUDZPam1ebSURqjfJHwWYPfcEc_z7Fou113oJAWX-HhJrb_L4fVwIr5UVSF562wzT6YXh4rLmkEehRwy7HkxEuisUGt6PxeFJvZrTHWGSnq6o3UuQ=w555-h465" width="555" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 1 – 1.2 meters in height (not including crest or
wings), 5.9 – 6.4 meter wingspan <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: carrion <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: desert<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: individuals are female most of the time with
seasonal maleing<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The flying entomopterites are a diverse group, and can be
found throughout the world in almost every biome and habitat. The order
Asikapteriformes includes many larger and often carnivorous species, which,
while not particularly agile in air or able to take flight quickly, are
specialised for low energy soaring. With a six meter wingspan, the crestbird is
larger in size than most other bugbirds. But it’s far from the largest, and
actually on the smaller end when it comes to asikapteriforms. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While many asikapteriforms are predatory, <i>Lophopteryx</i>
gets most of its food through scavenging, spending long stretches of time
souring over the desert in search of carrion. They able to search for food more
effectively this way than many other scavengers, especially in the Akasaran
Desert where food is rare, so they dominate this niche. Still, their beaks
aren’t able to bite into some of the harder parts like bone, which are picked
off by more specialised scavengers, especially some of the smaller tusk-dog
species that inhabit the area. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While it is common for entomopterites to become colourful
during maleing, there are some bugbird species that remain colourful all the
time. The Akasaran crestbird is easily identified by its green or green-blue
hue, as well as the head crest. While attracting a mate and enhancing social
status may play a factor, identifying other members of the same species may
also be important. Not facing much predation, being easy to spot by other
individuals may be more of a priority, especially considering their tendency to
fly in flocks when searching for food. This increases their chances finding carrion,
and also means that each individual doesn’t need to put as much effort into the
search. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite being colourful even outside of the mating “season”,
crestbirds do undergo some changes during maleing. Being on of the few
Xenosulian species able to see blue (although this isn’t that rare among
entomopterites) these changes include the changing of the wing membrane to a
bright bluer colour and the development of blue stripes and spots in some
individuals. Also, in near infrared the difference between individuals who have
undergone maleing and those that remain female is more apparent. <o:p></o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinCdc8uzg0lLioeInhsZKxKZjAXfUM5uylggDBpGalCpYcFOHPt-ZVr8-5yi1_QRb3snhKFnD-rMPjG6iT_i_1nRVsGSkYsQaY81j3NYBsZJSQWEma6aiKfy5xuNQleoe-nnMBCgmmsDcansDcRN8GojlfcsIY1tpMnFHoORM-bExLTall7C65-cdqrw=s11232" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3400" data-original-width="11232" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinCdc8uzg0lLioeInhsZKxKZjAXfUM5uylggDBpGalCpYcFOHPt-ZVr8-5yi1_QRb3snhKFnD-rMPjG6iT_i_1nRVsGSkYsQaY81j3NYBsZJSQWEma6aiKfy5xuNQleoe-nnMBCgmmsDcansDcRN8GojlfcsIY1tpMnFHoORM-bExLTall7C65-cdqrw=w687-h209" width="687" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top-down view of a crestbird in flight</td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade:</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Entomopterita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Asikapteriformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Lophopterygidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Lophopteryx</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">L. psammus</i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sand Chilu</span><u style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a name="_Hlk90478624">Pisozumi </a><a name="_Hlk90478637">michiku</a>)</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguwxarqkYP2xGKV_-knLh1tKeuZFOVDTZk6CFwfcPy3VYnKOlHEPieREfFBlOgstS150NyhCB61LTbfeh1wibNm4etQ5ZtLUJpeTVKrrR9avilOnn-uGS1oKssfH7CE1bKrzERGXU6GWL_xqrjnyR7SeMNMGEKE2ZvdQVbdC1Pfd68-DNb-BQWvls26A=s7244" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="7244" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguwxarqkYP2xGKV_-knLh1tKeuZFOVDTZk6CFwfcPy3VYnKOlHEPieREfFBlOgstS150NyhCB61LTbfeh1wibNm4etQ5ZtLUJpeTVKrrR9avilOnn-uGS1oKssfH7CE1bKrzERGXU6GWL_xqrjnyR7SeMNMGEKE2ZvdQVbdC1Pfd68-DNb-BQWvls26A=w665-h105" width="665" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 30 – 60 cm in length <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: small animals<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: desert<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: simultaneous hermaphrodites <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of the numerous laminite lineages to lose their limbs, the
polyplaciforms are by far the most widespread and diverse. Their greatly
elongated bodies, providing them with a cryptic form, is ideal for hiding from
predators and prey alike. This serves the sit-and-wait hunting tactics of most
species well. Although they do run into competition from many of the smaller,
similarly sized trignathites, namely the serpentiforms, they do tend to go
after much smaller prey due to their inability to open their jaws as wide. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Desert dwelling polyplaciforms like the sand chilu tend to
live in the sandier areas, spending hours or even days hiding beneath the sand
and waiting for their moment to strike. Finding a good place to hide can be
difficult in such an open space, so they’re not really left with many options
other than burying themselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Laminita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Polyplaciformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Ammophidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Pisozumi</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">P. michiku</i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bristletoothed
Horseshell</span></span></b><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a name="_Hlk90478943">Hippocelyphus tracheodus</a>)</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq3-2sryPNIhyPwcueF6p38PKpWymZ2rq5ZT5rvxAtwxWltLdNeadKNzNKMw4dXWlf08h3Nbe97vXPaz7VOH5bxsUWdMBi7_KsQMDMzBW6mL62--gOM4Xi7ODAXwVViRwINhWtFmTD0FyZEcVwzggG0W4LBJ3DPbOvRZo_xpbJSThyMbg7heAmEC1zLw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq3-2sryPNIhyPwcueF6p38PKpWymZ2rq5ZT5rvxAtwxWltLdNeadKNzNKMw4dXWlf08h3Nbe97vXPaz7VOH5bxsUWdMBi7_KsQMDMzBW6mL62--gOM4Xi7ODAXwVViRwINhWtFmTD0FyZEcVwzggG0W4LBJ3DPbOvRZo_xpbJSThyMbg7heAmEC1zLw=w550-h732" width="550" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 40 – 60 cm in length, 50 – 75 cm long proboscis<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: detritus<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: desert<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous, with females capable of parthenogenesis
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Detritus from aeroplankton is an abundant source of food in
most open biomes, deserts being no exception. With the lack of as much plant or
animal life, many species are forced to make greater use of this. Countless
flat-bodied pulusiform species roam the Akasaran desert, but there are many
other animals that have developed a similar diet, given the greater
evolutionary pressures to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The chilipiforms, a sister clade to the pulusiforms, are
characterised primarily by the hardened, segmented plates on their backs, and
share the muscular foot of their relatives. While the majority are herbivorous
or sometimes omnivorous, mainly eating still-living plant matter, some like the
horseshell, have convergently evolved to be more like pulusiforms. In addition
to having a diet primarily consisting of detritus, their bodies are also a bit
more flattened than other chilipiforms, making them better suited for roaming
open and windy landscapes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unlike their pulusiform relatives, the bristlestoothed
horseshell has a far longer oral proboscis, allowing them to sweep a wide area
for biomatter while moving comparatively little. This method of feeding is
especially useful in a desert where conserving energy is important. Although
the proboscis is too large to be retracted, for protection they’re able to pull
it underneath their body, lifting themselves up with their two legs to make
room while doing so. They usually only do this when they feel threatened,
assuming this defensive posture when they spot potential predators approaching,
although they do also sleep in this position. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Their leaf-shaped radula, which can’t be retracted into the
proboscis, has teeth specialised for sweeping up different types of detritus of
a different size than most pulusiforms, preventing them from running into too
much competition except when resources are scarce. They also tend to inhabit
areas where predators are more common, their armoured bodies providing them
with a greater deal of protection. While the majority of their diet does
consist of detritus, like other chilipiforms they will eat vegetation when its
available. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">For protection, in addition to their shell, their compound eye
is also greatly hardened, a feature they have in common with other <a name="_Hlk90478985">chilipiforms</a>. The lenses, rather than consisting of a more
transparent cupitin variant as in most hydratozoans, actually consist of
silicate, like their bones. This quartz compound eye is almost as resistant to
damage as the shell, meaning the only real weak spots are the oral proboscis
and the underside. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Xenosquamita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Chilipiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Hippocelyphidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Hippocelyphus</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">H. tracheodus</i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Thorny
Springhopper<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a name="_Hlk90479125"><i>Acanthopus sunaziensis</i></a><i>)</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicuEyQ9LiQBNT3dfuqKDS_4X8V07LuchTFU6fHfg6PQRk-IA1WEcN-tgZKYBR6ZmvSk_41roD0lOAlgj1eZdI0gbJ7qD_Drakdsddc_T1xJc2AuUWqo1TwIEmFDHsO4jADqbk8W-G4QJ2mLVf3JW1_bA7mFbtZJgDIbLUD-ed7WMGIeVp7tMWKa3ut5w=s3988" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="3988" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicuEyQ9LiQBNT3dfuqKDS_4X8V07LuchTFU6fHfg6PQRk-IA1WEcN-tgZKYBR6ZmvSk_41roD0lOAlgj1eZdI0gbJ7qD_Drakdsddc_T1xJc2AuUWqo1TwIEmFDHsO4jADqbk8W-G4QJ2mLVf3JW1_bA7mFbtZJgDIbLUD-ed7WMGIeVp7tMWKa3ut5w=w638-h245" width="638" /></a></span></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 20 – 30 cm long <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: hingeflies, occasionally spherozoans or small
tripodans <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: desert<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous sequential hermaphroditism <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sulaciforms are an order of laminites specialised for
preying on the small flying cardozoans, or “hingeflies”. Their hopping movement
serves them well for this, allowing them to move quickly in short bursts to
catch their rapidly moving prey. Their long, extendible tongue has a sticky pad
at the end, although once caught they will usually need to bite into the hingefly
to break open their hard wing-shell with their strong jaws. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Desert dwelling species like tend to be more heavily
armoured, with the thorny springhopper having a number of spines and horns
growing out of the exoskeleton. Despite this, the exoskeleton is also thinner
than normal to more efficiently disperse heat. The shape of their exoskeleton
is still enough to make them unpleasant to eat, in spite of it being softer, and
they are slightly poisonous. Although they’re not toxic enough to kill most
species, many predators will still avoid them for this reason. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Laminita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Sulaciformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Acanthopodidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Acanthopus</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">A. sunaziensis</i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Drylands
Microtribbit</span><u style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a name="_Hlk90479467">Puliki akasarensis</a>) </span></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></i></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBLwjoEcvgGu2nzgbsSRX0kt6MxK9kVEoJUtLv7p6SpsjYoGi2jZV8B6eGr-Fqx-kQnldMc4Vg2w9rAXFZRiyImm4yGd3sWcZ48ngD-bBy2Wpiv2bfHJncxCsxtvAWTMxk-J0FW2BH_bfu0eggYVxWCzaUI-R2MFwvEHDTHZT181V9W0-2c-vv5SazVw=s3884" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2708" data-original-width="3884" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBLwjoEcvgGu2nzgbsSRX0kt6MxK9kVEoJUtLv7p6SpsjYoGi2jZV8B6eGr-Fqx-kQnldMc4Vg2w9rAXFZRiyImm4yGd3sWcZ48ngD-bBy2Wpiv2bfHJncxCsxtvAWTMxk-J0FW2BH_bfu0eggYVxWCzaUI-R2MFwvEHDTHZT181V9W0-2c-vv5SazVw=w547-h381" width="547" /></a></i></b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: Males; 20 – 30 cm in height, 30 – 40 cm in length.
Females; 50 – 70 cm in height, 60 – 80 cm in length<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: shrubs <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: deserts, shrublands<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protandrous sequential hermaphroditism. Lays
large, hard-shelled eggs which larvae hatch from <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Smaller pikonids are far more common than larger ones like the
coneback. While most species are found in grassland, focusing on different plants
and plant parts to avoid competition with the larger tariforms, desert dwelling
species do exist including the drylands microtribbit. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Regulating their body temperature isn’t as much of an issue
as it is for their larger relatives, with their body size providing them with a
high surface area to volume ratio. Still, they do have a number of adaptations to
deal with the heat, like a thinner body than most other pikonids of similar
size, and they loose most of their heat through their thin oral proboscis. Their
elongated dermal spines provide them with a great deal of defence from
predation, making them less pleasant to consume. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Tariformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Pikonidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Puliki</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">P. akasarensis</i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-44066668163079281892021-10-26T10:13:00.001-07:002021-11-20T09:28:35.614-08:00Mesogean Forests<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The forests of Mesogea are much like those of Arunia, with
similar plant life and found primarily near the eastern, windward coast.
However, since forests are more isolated on Xenosulia, there is more difference
in the fauna than you’d usually find in the grasslands of these continents. Much
of the forest-dwelling fauna that developed in Arunia was unable to migrate
across the vast open savannas separating the two forested regions. Still, there
are similarities, and many of the same taxa can be found in both places. Some
species are similar enough to the ones in Arunia that they don’t need to be
covered here, but the more noteworthy wildlife is discussed here.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are some environmental differences; the forests here
tend to be colder, and since they’re further from the sub-stellar point, they receive
less sunlight. The forests here tend not to be as dense as a result. The
terrain is also generally flatter in this part of Mesogea, so the forests here
can get swampy in some places.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hump-sailed
Wormdeer </span></span></b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a name="_Hlk86067555"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">(</span>Kumatu fulakatu)</span></i></b></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86067555;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZR4mfi1tuOvmCNhq8S_VTZkR6MoC8kkEbzRJylMMUerIIPfs6dIVXHX3l-480W6Sd6ZMMBqE8Ft0JqvCj5bHz8sUma3mv3_l6sNK8Y9s4kGADnOLzIj5GBMFNn42_o6FOvlJVKj2AEDVFL8VU24PK3VK_QcYB-Qj_hp8zb6Kz17F4zq_ymgDV2Ccvdg=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="2048" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZR4mfi1tuOvmCNhq8S_VTZkR6MoC8kkEbzRJylMMUerIIPfs6dIVXHX3l-480W6Sd6ZMMBqE8Ft0JqvCj5bHz8sUma3mv3_l6sNK8Y9s4kGADnOLzIj5GBMFNn42_o6FOvlJVKj2AEDVFL8VU24PK3VK_QcYB-Qj_hp8zb6Kz17F4zq_ymgDV2Ccvdg=w604-h371" width="604" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: Males; 1.3 –
1.6 meters up to the tip of the hump. Females; 1.6 – 2.0 meters to the tip of
the hump </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86067555;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: leaves, seeds<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86067555;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: temperate forests
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86067555;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protandrous
sequential hermaphroditism, with females much larger than males, young hatch as
undeveloped larvae<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86067555;"></span>
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The hump-sailed wormdeer is much more similar to fin-backed
taruses than other polycuphid species, convergently developing a similar social
structure. Herds consist of a single dominant female, much larger than the
others, and numerous males, although herds do tend to be smaller than those of
fin-backed tarus species. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The flap of skin between their oral proboscis and back is
used for display, and is only present in males. Their large hump serves to
raise this flap and likely reached its current size due to sexual selection.
Unlike taruses, this hump isn’t to accommodate their hydraulic pump, which is
no larger than that of other polycuphids. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">They share other features common to polycuphids in general,
such as the five balancing tentacles, shortened body compared to other
tariforms, and the positioning of the oral proboscis higher on the head. In
addition, they have digestive systems well adapted for processing the leaves of
cardiophytes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a name="_Hlk86133983"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />
Superclass: Tripoda<br />
<i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br />
Order: Tariformes<br />
Family: Polycuphidae<br />
Genus: <i>Kumatu</i> <br />
Species: </a><a name="_Hlk86135290"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86133983;"><i>K.
fulakat</i></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Staghorn
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">(Lanucerus hippoelaphus)</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaGo24hl5BQjHVc1uemZtRRvlYc0Zpp_OfQHSRBdo-JXIvQuZia4-0HdU_3dOI7y6ItaGjLBqtK6E48ZhAI_FI5a7eRBY9NKr-PSr9frSCPm9_0nPkQCEIShz2f4ULGzmb6wuZyohJq2GsdFkde7v7F9at3qoyqBTjHaIBY1k6z9vThMTyFEv5mjExzA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaGo24hl5BQjHVc1uemZtRRvlYc0Zpp_OfQHSRBdo-JXIvQuZia4-0HdU_3dOI7y6ItaGjLBqtK6E48ZhAI_FI5a7eRBY9NKr-PSr9frSCPm9_0nPkQCEIShz2f4ULGzmb6wuZyohJq2GsdFkde7v7F9at3qoyqBTjHaIBY1k6z9vThMTyFEv5mjExzA=w623-h468" width="623" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: Males; 1.2 – 1.6 meters high (not including hump or
spines). Females; 1.6 – 2 meters high<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: leaves, seeds, iculophyte vegetation <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: open woodland, forest outskirts<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protandrous sequential hermaphroditism, young
hatch as undeveloped larvae <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While most members of the family Cavidae are primarily grassland-dwelling
grazers, there are some groups that have evolved to take advantage of other
niches, such as the forest dwelling staghorn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although their primary hydraulic pump isn’t as well
developed as that of <i>Tilusu</i> species, they are still relatively fast and
agile runners. One of their main defining features is the nose horn’s branching
structure; this horn, present only in mature males, is used primarily for
display purposes. They have a similar social structure to other related
taruses, with groups consisting of a large dominant female and multiple males. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Their diet primarily consists of browsing low vegetation
from trees and bushes, as well as occasionally grass. Iculophyte grass and
bushes are very different to the leaves of cardiophyte trees, and require a
different set of adaptations to digest, so the transition from focusing on one
to the other is difficult. Because of this, the larger iculophytes that grow in
the forests make up a large portion of their diet. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />
Superclass: Tripoda<br />
<i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br />
Order: Tariformes<br />
Family: Cavidae<br />
Genus: <i>Lanucerus</i> <br />
Species: <a name="_Hlk86135340"><i>L. hippoelaphus</i></a><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mesogean
Whiteflower Buzzer </span></span></b><b style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Albifloriphilus
nudirinus)</span></span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUWs9b3o5BAA1NSFp_g5CAcXZEqC1yQpdEIy1Dmktes6FLXuRpcSyRKEifdjBum16BlSAxqXdevu-AjmPpDrwWfAUtxEtIzoduyZQUIrm2uwu5yZrfjocLSJ8UQjUrXM5YN-KLjG6YRW_icp3ZgWEC_Bg7U1rsLcN3Adqk415W7qW9tMJbLdp0xgzuvg=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUWs9b3o5BAA1NSFp_g5CAcXZEqC1yQpdEIy1Dmktes6FLXuRpcSyRKEifdjBum16BlSAxqXdevu-AjmPpDrwWfAUtxEtIzoduyZQUIrm2uwu5yZrfjocLSJ8UQjUrXM5YN-KLjG6YRW_icp3ZgWEC_Bg7U1rsLcN3Adqk415W7qW9tMJbLdp0xgzuvg=w548-h412" width="548" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 7 – 9 cm long</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: nectar <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: temperate forests<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: sequential hermaphrodites with temporary
seasonal “maleing” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the most prevalent, and perhaps most diverse, groups
of entomopterites found in the mainland forests are members of the clade Leptoglossidae,
known colloquially as buzzers. They consist of a large range of specialised nectivores,
which play an major role in the reproduction of many plants. Their importance in
this regard is second only to the tripterans, which aren’t as common in the
colder parts of Mesogea, reducing competition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Their wings beat rapidly, allowing them to hover for long
periods of time; as a result of spending so much time in the air, they are much
less adapted for walking than other bugbirds, and they have lost the soft
walking pads on their wings. They have a very high metabolic rate, since flying
this much requires a lot of energy, which is obtained from the energy-rich
nectar they feed on. Their diet is very inflexible, and most species, like <i>Albifloriphilus
nudirinus</i>, rely on specific tree species for food. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />
Superclass: Tripoda<br />
<i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Entomopterita<br />
Order: Dimutliformes <br />
Family: Leptoglossidae<br />
Genus: <a name="_Hlk86152392"><i>Albifloriphilus</i></a><br />
Species: <i>A. nudirinus</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wetland
Slug</span><u style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">(Molaratus bulu)</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW_CuUFiAWcA_19iiCfGF7gyki7M15FzDQ7QrxIeNa2X11WHdgvY9wxp4aWu_g3x8GfL9hinrvzTeBVQj71MuOJWKgqyKpQHrKzNtBxcVC_8e5ojbTjQRyHqUIEsnjjiyrASZv7A0n6RcgcykrwOXyrtxPMHbZQoXpPkJsisDQTuK5R-QJ9yh2j27NgQ=s2987" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="2987" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW_CuUFiAWcA_19iiCfGF7gyki7M15FzDQ7QrxIeNa2X11WHdgvY9wxp4aWu_g3x8GfL9hinrvzTeBVQj71MuOJWKgqyKpQHrKzNtBxcVC_8e5ojbTjQRyHqUIEsnjjiyrASZv7A0n6RcgcykrwOXyrtxPMHbZQoXpPkJsisDQTuK5R-QJ9yh2j27NgQ=w663-h234" width="663" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 60 – 80 cm long main body, 110 – 150 cm length
including tail <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: small tripodans, fish<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: temperate forests <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: hermaphroditic <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The order Vyrmiformes is a diverse one, consisting not just
of the large leopardsnakes but also smaller carnivores too, including molaratids
like <i>Molaratus bulu</i>. Colloquially known as slugs (salac in Occasian Gontanic),
due to their resemblance to their namesakes on Earth, molaratids have similar
sit-and-wait hunting tactics as other vyrmiforms. Their smaller size and the
forested environment they inhabit serve them well, affording them better
opportunities to hide. They spend a lot of their time resting between meals or
roaming the forest floor in search of food.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Molaratids have a number of anatomical features that set
them apart from other vyrmiformes. One obvious distinction is the presence of a
muscular, lubricant-secreting foot under their body, which is used in
locomotion rather than the wave like movements leoserpentids engage in. This
means they usually move quite slowly, but their leaping bladders are well
developed, allowing them to quickly lunge at prey when necessary. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">A particularly significant adaptation in this family is the
presence of carnassial molars along their mandibles, developed from a hardened
and ossified edge of the limb. These assist in their meat eating, making them
especially well-suited to carnivory compared to the often jawless wildlife of
Xenosulia. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Molaratids are intelligent compared to other vyrmiforms, and
especially so when compared to trignathites in general. Since the genus <i>Molaratus</i>
is more sociable than other molaratids, who tend to be solitary, they were relatively
easy to domesticate. As a result, they are popular pets, owning in large part
to their similar behaviour to that of cats, in spite of their radically
different appearance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a name="_Hlk86145632"></a><a name="_Hlk86146528"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86145632;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />
Superclass: Tripoda<br />
<i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Trignathita</span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86145632;"><br />
Order:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vyrmiformes<br />
Family: Molaratidae<br />
Genus: <a name="_Hlk86152824"><i>Molaratus</i></a><br />
Species: <i>M. bulu</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Zebra Tusk-dog
</span><u style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Zebracyon
striatus)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBrtLHZndffjyooMfe-tgZ40tALhaLcbFDf_HOTFQFmAp_OxW6cJFAH9q9_97XycSaBNZXr82AZ21lujKLq8W83mFGgSOLe1XgzriYfE8RqegAntAMgbT4VqQnVdXs8NG7vS2sthkb_g4XLd1OxGZL5HpxpqzWwUdNqQme_S1vocX5wgSJsdGDQ95PkA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBrtLHZndffjyooMfe-tgZ40tALhaLcbFDf_HOTFQFmAp_OxW6cJFAH9q9_97XycSaBNZXr82AZ21lujKLq8W83mFGgSOLe1XgzriYfE8RqegAntAMgbT4VqQnVdXs8NG7vS2sthkb_g4XLd1OxGZL5HpxpqzWwUdNqQme_S1vocX5wgSJsdGDQ95PkA=w608-h456" width="608" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 100 – 130 cm in height, 120 – 150 cm long <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: medium-sized herbivores <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: temperate forests <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: become male or female upon reaching sexual
maturity, undeveloped larvae hatch from eggs<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While this is perhaps the most common feeding strategy, not
all tusk-dogs are scavengers. The group consists of very few fast-moving
pursuit predators, but there is still some variety in how they obtain their
meat. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Zebracyon striatus</i> sits in wait, their striped body
providing them plenty of camouflage against the off-white exoskeleton of the
surrounding trees, striking when their prey come near. Lacking the molars and cheeks
of the osteovorids, they do a bad job of grinding the harder parts of their
kills, leaving plenty of remains behind for the numerous scavengers that also
inhabit the forests. Flesh is primarily cut up with their claws, with their
teeth mainly used for taking down prey. Like other tusk-dogs, they use the horn
at the end of their oral probiscis for spearing smaller targets. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">They are territorial animals, and in addition to marking their
territory by placing the inedible remains of their prey out in the open <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– something that also has the side effect of
making things easier for scavengers – they mark their territory with scent. The
tentacles at the backs of each leg secrete a liquid that drips down onto the
ground as they walk, and they can often be seen intentionally rubbing them on
things. Other tusk-dogs will smell this and avoid the area. They tend to place prey
remains around the perimeter of their range, so they’re not left too close to
where they hunt and alert prey, arranging them in an almost artistic manner. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk86146161"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />
Superclass: Tripoda<br />
<i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br />
Order: Culodontiformes<br />
Family: Bifidae<br />
Genus: <i>Zebracyon</i><br />
Species: <i>Z. striatus</i></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kiran Ypsop</span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">H. telmatus</span></span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeLRsR2JGT0GER41FkuZeczanHHuN9XTUFzTuavp7D3M8A8BoNDrp0b6fUSBpDqV52a_sNflC4HQVpbcnYkIGSjcV_U3zHuXdXFisKr1-ShET5iUF18-JqjsvFibgTVRqkA-GNotz96IBExl_jxGRfKwFfsBMdXYdbqYQFHufxcSs3vFzprgGqsrIBfw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeLRsR2JGT0GER41FkuZeczanHHuN9XTUFzTuavp7D3M8A8BoNDrp0b6fUSBpDqV52a_sNflC4HQVpbcnYkIGSjcV_U3zHuXdXFisKr1-ShET5iUF18-JqjsvFibgTVRqkA-GNotz96IBExl_jxGRfKwFfsBMdXYdbqYQFHufxcSs3vFzprgGqsrIBfw=w690-h518" width="690" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 2.3 – 2.9 meters in height, females tend to be a bit bigger
on average<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: aquatic iculophytes <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: rivers or lakes in forested swamps and wetlands <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protandrous, undeveloped larvae hatch from
eggs<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">These animals belong to a group of large-bodied,
semi-aquatic tariforms called hypsopids. The Kiran ypsop can be found
throughout the wetlands of Mesogea, feeding on aquatic plants as well as some
surface vegetation. One of their most notable features is their compound eye
splitting in four, with the upper pair raised on stalks to see above water, and
the lower pair positioned to allow them to see underwater when wading through rivers
and lakes. The common name, ypsop, comes from the pronunciation of the genus in
Occasian Gontanic, with “Kiran” referring to the Kira River where many can be
found. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />
Superclass: Tripoda<br />
<i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br />
Order: Tariformes<br />
Family: Hypsopidae<br />
Genus: <i>Hypsops</i><br />
Species: <a name="_Hlk86146382"><i>H. telmatus</i></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mesogean
Forest Knucker </span><u style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">(Helophus</span></i></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <i>kirensis)</i></span></b></span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjylQPTHCXKBloRCo-vCCLsNxmU9jzw6JdhO05MbDXJcrhjn2udLJ-zyU8Z1FsWSrDlhNXVGfv5JSClaSa4kfoQ-8LfpMraWqxc7Z28eGDGyTMiUrvHT2H1pSmZHoa30h-Erikm2I_aAdwyksVoqmlPOkIljqAR0Suki8b08mEnsyomobNaIdmW3BhEnw=s3580" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="3580" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjylQPTHCXKBloRCo-vCCLsNxmU9jzw6JdhO05MbDXJcrhjn2udLJ-zyU8Z1FsWSrDlhNXVGfv5JSClaSa4kfoQ-8LfpMraWqxc7Z28eGDGyTMiUrvHT2H1pSmZHoa30h-Erikm2I_aAdwyksVoqmlPOkIljqAR0Suki8b08mEnsyomobNaIdmW3BhEnw=w681-h168" width="681" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 2 – 3 meters in length<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: entomopterite bugbirds, fish, occasionally larger
animals<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: bodies of freshwater in forested wetlands<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: hermaphroditic <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Helophus kirensis</i> belongs to a group of aquatic
trignathites called Nuceriformes, characterised by the presence of long fins on
either side of their body as well as a rigid and hardened, toothy beak. They
live near lakes and rivers, but are able to move on both land and underwater,
moving across land in the legless snake-like manner of other trignathites. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">They spend long periods of time lying in wait partially
submerged, with their second and third eye pair raised above water to watch for
prey. With only their eyes and breathing spiracles above the water, they are
difficult to spot, especially with their red colouration allowing them to blend
in with the surrounding aquatic iculophyte species. When an animal comes near to
drink, they are able to jump out at alarming speed, biting them with their
powerful beaks. Their biting strength is incredibly strong, supported by a
series of anchor points inside their head, with the brain moved further back to
facilitate this. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While this hunting strategy is typical of nuceriforms,
different species go after different prey, with the shape of the beak
facilitating this. The elongated beak of the Mesogean forest knucker is well
suited for catching bugbirds and fish. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a name="_Hlk86147472"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic
classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br /></span></a><a name="_Hlk86147472"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br /></span></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Trignathita<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Order:
Nuceriformes<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Family:
Helophidae<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus:
</span><i style="font-family: arial;">Helophus<br /></i><span style="font-family: arial;">Species:
</span><a name="_Hlk86147434" style="font-family: arial;"><i>H.</i> <i>kirensis</i></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blue
Tree Lyndworm</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-decoration-line: underline;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Fituli
maximus)</span></span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEj8Rhaj4Uf2uo1pno3MURwIPvyvc84BsG6ODpGEbAA9A0v-VQqpR9Qoe0FBvIUXR8nYPIBZh8FGqC_dzWDPM6Qn2qpQ_yO1aIp-_J-cpkpPWWX1T0F3uROPqFQBt0MX-PjrDQwarqapuD-CwYjkBbWiQNOkW_DKhC7HxKlqPlTB9_6OBMCbTAt-q5Hg=s3112" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="3112" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEj8Rhaj4Uf2uo1pno3MURwIPvyvc84BsG6ODpGEbAA9A0v-VQqpR9Qoe0FBvIUXR8nYPIBZh8FGqC_dzWDPM6Qn2qpQ_yO1aIp-_J-cpkpPWWX1T0F3uROPqFQBt0MX-PjrDQwarqapuD-CwYjkBbWiQNOkW_DKhC7HxKlqPlTB9_6OBMCbTAt-q5Hg=w651-h211" width="651" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 40 – 70 cm in length<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: gyrinozoans (tiny tadpole-like animals), aquatic
plants, seeds, spherozoans<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: ponds, lakes, and rivers in heavily forested areas,
trees<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: hermaphroditic, release gametozoans into water<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Like laminites, polypalites belong to a separate branch of
tripodans than the sucoderms. This third major branch is primarily
characterised by the presence of multiple digits both on the front limbs and
rear foot or tail, which tend to be webbed. These digits developed from the fin
supports of their fish-like ancestors, which weren’t retained in other tripodan
lineages. Having multiple webbed fingers aids in swimming, and polypalites are
Xenosulia’s closest equivalent to the amphibians of Earth. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While it isn’t particularly big by the standards of some
other groups, the blue tree lyndworm is larger in size than many other
laminites, inhabiting the rivers and lakes of the forested wetlands of Mesogea.
For safety, they often climb trees, using the opposable thumbs of their front
limbs and hand-like rear foot to aid them. Another tactic to avoid predators is
the presence of toxins in their blood, with bright colours serving as a
warning. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rather than mating directly, most polypalites reproduce by
releasing gametozoans into bodies of water. Their gametozoans have one extended,
tail-like arm that allows them to swim effectively and search for a mate, after
which they’ll burrow into the earth to give the polypalite larvae a chance to
grow. Larvae are small and worm-like, and usually fully aquatic. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />
Superclass: Tripoda<br />
Class: Polypalita<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Phylluriformes<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Fitulidae<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Fituli<br /></i><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><a name="_Hlk86158080" style="font-family: arial;"><i>F.
maximus</i></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Common
Drill-rabbit </span><u style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a name="_Hlk86067588"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Dendrovorus usu)</span></span></i></b></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86067588;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs1YOt5dE9DOoJ2vHsVzYLr37UGhLiajyGkg2pJHg79nTu-WEFNUbyW5ZvLzieU8K9cJvRHcjIi5VDUgCI6WjXvz-HqSCL05ERL5Tp_P1V8nfqrKmymVYRCMIIY1Rhim468MwF7jfyv7xYH423eJC7ItZ3mmiED137gtNp_IbvTGadfUH7BtQWWiMUvQ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs1YOt5dE9DOoJ2vHsVzYLr37UGhLiajyGkg2pJHg79nTu-WEFNUbyW5ZvLzieU8K9cJvRHcjIi5VDUgCI6WjXvz-HqSCL05ERL5Tp_P1V8nfqrKmymVYRCMIIY1Rhim468MwF7jfyv7xYH423eJC7ItZ3mmiED137gtNp_IbvTGadfUH7BtQWWiMUvQ=w566-h425" width="566" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk86067588;"></span>
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 25 – 30 cm in height <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: soft tissue of cardiophytes, mycozoan fungi,
iculophytes <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: forests <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: hermaphroditic <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In contrast to Earth, where trees are supported by trunks
made of fibrous wood, the trees on Xenosulia are soft on the inside, surrounded
by a harder exoskeleton. The inner flesh is a rich source of nutrients,
although since it’s hard to get to few animals make use of this food source. Among
those that feed on this tissue is the common drill-rabbit from a group of
polylutiforms called dendrovorids. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">These small herbivores use their drill like tooth to make a
hole in the exoskeleton of trees, at which point they will begin pulling the
softer tissue out with their front claws for consumption. Although the noise
this produces can make hiding difficult, as polylutiforms they have ear pinnae
which gives them good hearing for avoiding predators. Their primarily hydraulic
pump is enlarged similarly to many taruses, which aids in the hopping
locomotion they favour, another means of quickly evading predation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />
Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />
Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />
Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />
Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />
Superclass: Tripoda<br />
<i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Polylutiformes<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Dendrovoridae<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Dendrovorus<br /></i><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">D. usu</span></i></p>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-23065085830399996502021-09-14T05:57:00.001-07:002021-10-08T02:35:43.663-07:00Arunian Temperate Forests<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Southern Mesogea, most of Occasia, and eastern Arunia tend
to have a similar assortment of biomes. Much of these areas are temperate
savannas and steppes, largely because the planet’s strong winds interfere with
the growth of vegetation. However, forests do exist in these places, but only
in areas particularly conductive to the growth of plants. In such areas, an
outer layer of especially wind-tolerant plants protects those deeper in the
forest from the wind, with vegetation gradually getting denser towards the
centre of the woodland as more wind is diverted.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Arunia, temperate forests can be found near the eastern
coast, where the prevailing winds carry moisture that facilitates plant growth.
They are especially common near the rivers of this region, although not every
area suitable for forests necessarily has them; the appearance of forests is
largely due to positive feedback loops of forest growth facilitating more
forest growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The temperate forests in the east of Arunia are very similar
to those of Occasia and southern Mesogea, with many of the same plant and
animal taxa, although there are differences in the specific species found in
these places. The fauna varies more in forests than they do in grasslands, since
forests tend to be more isolated whereas most of the grasslands are
interconnected. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Deep inside the forests, trees tend to be more radially
symmetrical, since there’s a lot of light being blocked by and reflecting off
of other trees. Light doesn’t dependably come from the same direction in the
same way it does in more open areas. Essentially, trees focus on optimising
surface area in all directions rather than just along a single plane. Trees
here also have more branches; because of this, animals can climb them more
easily than trees in other places, greatly benefiting arboreal life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Striped
Arunian Tailbeak</span><u style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Sutidu
pulusa)</span></span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1nN-0O2JCNz0_6qcSPT_L-W4Yz5qAp7ReGFUQwMX8zWw-t__GQ8O9eDnk6RwvOUQGn5Ac5RDTmaw8pTHP23DLpLC0iCXZ4TyhbRrcp56kvxIdheWEeqDg5awOEq6TARDQirge0_Ox9Xh/s2048/Striped+Tailbeak.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1nN-0O2JCNz0_6qcSPT_L-W4Yz5qAp7ReGFUQwMX8zWw-t__GQ8O9eDnk6RwvOUQGn5Ac5RDTmaw8pTHP23DLpLC0iCXZ4TyhbRrcp56kvxIdheWEeqDg5awOEq6TARDQirge0_Ox9Xh/w639-h480/Striped+Tailbeak.JPG" width="639" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: females; 1.5 – 2 meters tall, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">males; 1.75 – 2.5 meters tall, not including tail,
with legs bent</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: seeds, fruit<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: open woodland <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous sequential hermaphroditism, with
much larger males that mate with multiple females<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The absence of jaws in the herbivorous tariform lineages can
prove to be an obstacle in the consumption of certain vegetation. While it
causes few problems for them when it comes to gathering grass and leaves, many
of the fruit-like and nut-like growths of plants have hard shells. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the order <a name="_Hlk64900408">Noculiformes</a>, a jaw
of sorts has developed from the rear-leg claw, with a second cupitinous
outgrowth giving the digit something to push against. This “beak” is effective
at crushing the hard seeds found among the trees, which are consumed by the
oral proboscis after being gathered and crushed by the foot. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Locomotion<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The striped Arunian tailbeak is known for being a fast and
fairly agile runner, and they tend to live in the more open outskirts of
forests or in forest clearings. As with most noculiforms, with their rear leg
dedicated to food gathering they are entirely bipedal, with their two extremely
muscular front legs making up a large portion of their body volume. Their
enlarged hydraulic pumps create a noticeable bulge on their backs, which given
their unusual body plan can be seen on the front of the animals. In addition to
running, the strength of their legs allows them to leap great distances if
necessary. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Defence<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While they depend largely on their speed to escape
predators, they are able to fight back if the need arises, kicking with their
powerful legs. They can be quite aggressive when they feel threatened and
unable to escape, and there are even cases of them fighting humans, few of
which remained conscious even after a single kick. They likely would have died
then and there if it wasn’t for modern medical technology. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In addition to this, living in groups provides them with a
greater degree of protection, and although large they’re adequately camouflaged
that they will often escape the notice of predators. Their compound eye wraps
around in such a way that they’re afforded 360 degree peripheral vision along a
horizontal plane, and it bulges out enough that they even have a wide angle of
view above and below themselves. Because of this, it’s difficult for predators
to sneak up on them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Feeding<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The “beak” is the primary means by which fruit and seeds are
gathered, although the oral proboscis is used for more than simply ingesting
food gathered by the beak. Drinking, obviously, is done with the proboscis
rather than the beak, and as food is being gathered from trees these tailbeaks
can also often be seen picking food up off the ground with their true mouths,
mainly “fungi” (mycozoans).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While other noculiforms have different body arrangements,
the striped Arunian tailbeak and most other megalochenids have their tail
positioned above their heads, almost as if they’re doing a handstand. This
trait has actually been gained and lost numerous times within the order, and
allows the animals to browse higher branches. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In addition to the hairs at the tip of the oral proboscis,
which is found in many other groups, there are numerous long sensory hairs at
the end of the tail near the beak. These hairs are not only sensitive to touch,
but have been found to have also developed taste receptors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Social structure and reproduction <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Like many other tailbeaks, the striped Arunian lives in
herds centred around one male and numerous females. The male mates with all the
fertile females of the heard, who look after their young until they’re old
enough to find their own herd. All individuals are born female, and once they
reach sexual maturity they find other females to form a herd with and will mate
with the dominant male of that herd. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Individuals become male later in life, once they reach a
larger size. When this happens, they will either become the herd’s new male if
there isn’t already one present, or leave the herd in search of their own
mates. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although females outnumber males, there are still a number
of males that haven’t managed to gather a herd of females yet; these males
typically group together with other such males for safety. They can get quite
competitive with each other whenever they come across females, and violence
within such all-male herds is common. Because of the relative rarity of males,
all-male herds tend to be smaller than female ones, and they don’t last as
long. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Males in these herds still have strategies for reproducing,
even if they don’t have a female herd of their own yet. Fertile gametozoans
will be sent out to infiltrate a herd, where the tiny animals will find a
suitable female to crawl into and fertilise. Females have measures in place to
prevent fertilisation in such cases, so this isn’t always successful; namely,
the reproductive ducts in their oral proboscis are filled with chemicals
hostile to gametozoans, and a substance is released to neutralise these toxins
when mating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Noculiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: </span><a name="_Hlk82347182" style="font-family: arial;">Megalochenidae</a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Sutidu</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">S. pulusa</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Western
Wormdeer</span><u style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Polycuphu
haploderma)</span></span></span></i></b></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mfgdxJzOvZan0Jz-8epRFCsou5zu0h7gsbOnZ2FAarGkTBcA1uJGowdQj7rD6POc1qT-vIU0C2wjzuZPJggrodYC-9vDzTbb7pAyFJViyFR1KbUrDcTR31EjSBjzlptKqvi68WZv98Bm/s2048/Wormdeer.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1302" data-original-width="2048" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mfgdxJzOvZan0Jz-8epRFCsou5zu0h7gsbOnZ2FAarGkTBcA1uJGowdQj7rD6POc1qT-vIU0C2wjzuZPJggrodYC-9vDzTbb7pAyFJViyFR1KbUrDcTR31EjSBjzlptKqvi68WZv98Bm/w596-h378/Wormdeer.JPG" width="596" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 0.9
– 1.1 meters at the shoulder</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: leaves, seeds, mycozoan “fungi” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: forests<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protandrous sequential hermaphroditism. Lays
large, hard-shelled eggs, from which undeveloped larvae are hatched. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As very successful large herbivores, different tariform
lineages can be found in a wide range of environments, adapted to exploit
different niches. While large grazers are a common sight in the open plains, <i>Polycuphu
haploderma</i> belongs to a family primarily consisting of more gracile
browsers known as polycuphids. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Polycuphids<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This herbivorous lineage is characterised primarily by the
presence of multiple tentacles – or “tails” – for balancing, in addition to a
digestive system more suited for the breaking down of leaves. Many species have
green, yellow or off-white colouration to better blend in with the surrounding
vegetation (off-white colouration allows them to blend in against tree-exoskeleton),
and some are known to be covered in stripes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another feature of many members of this group is the
positioning of the oral proboscis higher on the head, which allows them to
reach high vegetation with greater ease. They also usually hold their head in a
high posture which allows them to more easily detect predators with their
well-developed oral eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk82346260"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Polycuphu haploderma<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></a></p>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk82346260;"></span>
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This species is fairly typical of polycuphids, and was among
the first to be extensively studied following the reindustrialisation of Occasia.
While many other polycuphid species exist in the forests of Arunia, each
inhabiting a slightly different niche, <i>P. haploderma</i> is by far the most
prevalent. They’re smaller than the dominant polycuphid of Occasia, and since
they’re easier to tame and less afraid of humans, research has been a lot
easier before probes and more advanced long-range 3D imagining technology meant
coming so close to them wasn’t as necessary. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, there are certain features that sets it apart from
many other polycuphids, such as smaller oral eyes – likely due to Arunia’s
greater proximity to the sub-stellar point – and a greater density of leg
spines. In many related species spines are absent below the knees to reduce
drag, since this is the part of the body typically subjected to the most. It’s
unknown why <i>Polycuphu haploderma</i> has such an unusually high density of
spines here, but fossil evidence suggests this is the ancestral state of Polycuphidae,
with many lineages developing bare skin here independently. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As tripedal animals, balance is more of an issue in longer
bodied organisms than it is for quadrupeds, with the ideal body shape being one
that allows the feet to form an equilateral triangle arrangement. This provides
the most stability, but at the cost of needing a more compact body. The body of
<i>Polycuphu haploderma</i> is shorter than that of some other tariforms that
inhabit the open planes, such as the fin-backed tarus. A more elongated body
plan seems to benefit the galloping, rear leg pushing off movement of these
animals more than a more stable body plan would, whereas <i>Polycuphu</i>, which
is unable to build up as much unidirectional speed in its environment, opts for
stability. While other polycuphids do tend to have shorter bodies than most taruses,
there is a great deal of variation among species. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Reproduction</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While <i>Polycuphu</i> has a social structure roughly
similar to that of many other taruses, it tends to live in smaller groups. Each
group is led by a dominant female, a small number of reproductive males, and
many younger infertile males. While the females are larger than the males are,
and hold onto more body fat, there is nowhere near as much sexual dimorphism as
in many other tarus species like <i>Tilusa nusulu</i>. In fact, males and
females can be difficult to tell apart by the untrained eye.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Tariformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Polycuphidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Polycuphu</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">P. haploderma</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Western
Tusked Kaloc</span><u style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Distorthunx
maximus)</span></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk60568466"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcf4btt-wIE5HRdO7xDs08VSfP9pvPdfKPQqQB_D5Bf6ys-vzGAPwTpJQ0moz1yD-PFVKg0GLB9MZ1S-WgjIFLr73UG2qB54IuL4ydnukKPSuAX0xBw2avgstlmYh_1As5CJuIzpQKHnm/s2048/Kaloc.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="463" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcf4btt-wIE5HRdO7xDs08VSfP9pvPdfKPQqQB_D5Bf6ys-vzGAPwTpJQ0moz1yD-PFVKg0GLB9MZ1S-WgjIFLr73UG2qB54IuL4ydnukKPSuAX0xBw2avgstlmYh_1As5CJuIzpQKHnm/w617-h463/Kaloc.JPG" width="617" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 1.75 – 2.25 meters in height<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk60568466;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: seeds,
mycozoan “fungi”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk60568466;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: open
woodland <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk60568466;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This more heavily armoured relative of <i>Sutidu pulusa</i> specialises
in browsing from lower vegetation, so the two species run into little
competition. They eat a different selection of seeds too, and rarely eat the
larger more fruit-like growths that are found higher up. A difference in body
structure has resulted; while the tails of <i>S. pulusa</i> are stretched out
above them, <i>Distorthunx maximus</i> keeps their tail between their legs,
reaching forward gather food in front of them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As relatively poorer runners, they opt for a different
strategy of defence. Ridges of hardened plates line their backs, providing them
with protection from predators. This, coupled with their size, means many
predators ignore them in favour of smaller prey, but this isn’t to say they’re
entirely safe from predation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Just like their relatives, they live in herds to increase
their changes of survival. However, there is more intraspecific conflict, especially
among the males, who use the two horny growths on their lower face to fight each
other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Noculiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Clovoxidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Distorthunx</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">D. maximus</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Arunian
Daymoth </span><u style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Dimutili
aruniensis)</span></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviwdVhdB1ECBRy7PBlkqra1m_uto4d7EL1V0vKc6LE_Wbe4DiTPAsjJArNE6sHc71TRRpMEnQL0y00pH0IuWj4IxRB319MYhuFovn4NCqf9eQnj4CnbTUYFXjcZPMQj4s1USZGt43bdWW/s2048/Dimutili+aruniensis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviwdVhdB1ECBRy7PBlkqra1m_uto4d7EL1V0vKc6LE_Wbe4DiTPAsjJArNE6sHc71TRRpMEnQL0y00pH0IuWj4IxRB319MYhuFovn4NCqf9eQnj4CnbTUYFXjcZPMQj4s1USZGt43bdWW/w569-h427/Dimutili+aruniensis.jpg" width="569" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 15 – 20 cm length, 20 – 30 cm wingspan<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: fruit<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: trees<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous with temporary “maleing” in some
individuals during mating season</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">These small entomopterites belong to the order Dimutiliformes,
also known as daymoths, and differ from other bugbirds in a number of respects.
Most of these features are a result of their adaptation to dayside forests. The
large number of dimutiliform species can be found in a wide variety of places
from the temperate forests of <i>Dimutili aruniensis</i>, to tropical rainforests,
and even cooler montane woodland. Some varieties can be found in open planes,
and occasionally twilight forests. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Anatomy<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Existing almost entirely on the planet’s day side, and
rarely entering caves or other dark areas, they have lost their frontal sonar
spiracles, relying more on their well-developed sight. While other members of
the order have retained them, their echolocation capabilities are rarely ever
strong. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Other features present in this species, and typical of other
dimutiliforms, are the low aspect ratio wings, as well as the retention of wing
claws – these claws have since developed a similar locking mechanism to that of
the rear foot. These adaptations make them well suited to their lifestyle as
largely forest dwelling frugivores. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The diet of the Arunian daymoth largely consists of what
Xenosulia’s locals refer to as fruit – that is, the hard, nutrient-filled “eggs”
of the motile larvae of certain alloradiopsid plants. The radula-beaks of these
bugbirds is well adapted to breaking into the shells of this fruit. Rather than
biting them open, they usually bore a smaller hole into the fruit, before
entering the hole with their proboscis and emptying it of its contents. As a
result, their beaks are not only strong, but elongated too, although short
enough that they can be retracted into the oral proboscis. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some plants make use of this diet, relying on the various
dimutiliform species to spread their seeds. The fruit of such plants have
softer shells, and the seeds have smaller and weaker legs, although they’re
still functional to an extent. The seeds also resist digestion better, with
tougher shells that aren’t as easily broken down by the sulphuric acid of a
bugbird’s stomach. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As entomopterites, the daymoth is female most of the time,
only ever becoming male during the mating season. The mating season usually
begins in response to changes in the surrounding plant life rather than
changing temperatures. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many trees undergo changes in preparation for solar winters
or solar summers, and some schedule their reproductive cycles around these
seemingly random events. So they can be used as a good sign for future changes
in temperature. Because of seasonal lag, there’s usually some gap between the
sun becoming brighter or dimmer and the weather becoming hotter or colder, so
they can be used to predict these changes in advance. As such, it’s common for
entomopterites like the daymoth to make use of this, especially those living in
forests. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unlike most other bugbirds, <i>Dimutili aruniensis </i>isn’t
limited to the option of undergoing maleing or remaining female during the
mating season. Some also become simultaneous hermaphrodites, usually when the
success they’d have with a male or female reproductive strategy are similar, or
it’s unclear which will work better. This leaves the option open for both, at
the expense of specialisation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Entomopterita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Dimutiliformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Dimutilidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Dimutili</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">D. aruniensis</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Banded
Hooksnake</span><u style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Dumuchi
ribulatu)</span></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0B4PlIYZ7esgNc5v3VKOqS2D70GolDgoRW3WW9Hb9g7VdHUR9LGUegwJb83XJmRZl3aq7FU4fd5IJzFTxzgyYdiHuYb9IsBpwetLz1zCyeDJntla1EjkWBaA5YBC-cIJ1CpGJNF6DKcJ/s2558/Kudophid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="2558" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0B4PlIYZ7esgNc5v3VKOqS2D70GolDgoRW3WW9Hb9g7VdHUR9LGUegwJb83XJmRZl3aq7FU4fd5IJzFTxzgyYdiHuYb9IsBpwetLz1zCyeDJntla1EjkWBaA5YBC-cIJ1CpGJNF6DKcJ/w620-h299/Kudophid.jpg" width="620" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 0.8 – 1.1 meters in length<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: small animals <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: trees<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: hermaphroditic</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">These vyrmiform trignathites are more arboreal than most,
spending the majority of their time in trees. Similar species can be found in
the forests all across Mesogea, Occasia and Arunia, and while they’re not as
large as many other vermiforms like leopard-snakes, they are far more widespread
and diverse. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Anatomy and locomotion<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of their most distinctive features is their
inchworm-like means of locomotion, using the long claws that line either side
of their bodies to grip onto the exoskeleton’s of trees. These claws –
extensions of the rib cage within a cupitinous sheath – can move slightly at
the base, grabbing tightly onto a surface before pulling themselves forwards or
up. Their body is very flexible in the middle, able to bend to a far greater
extent than either the front or rearmost portion of the body, facilitating this
way of moving. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The claws are very sharp and curved at the tips, able to
easily dig into trees. To keep them sharp, the outer sheath is constantly shed,
exposing a new sharper layer underneath. The old layer is usually broken off by
normal climbing, but the animals can also be observed scratching trees, rocks
or other surfaces to keep their claws in good shape. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet and hunting<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Their diet primarily consists of small tripodans, usually
tree dwelling animals, and they will sometimes go after bugbirds. Their biting
strength is strong, so once they’ve got their grasp on their prey the prey
rarely ever survives. In fact, it’s strong enough that they’ll eat animals that
many other predators will avoid eating, such as the armoured laminites. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As ambush rather than pursuit predators, they are far better
when it comes to quick bursts of speed than endurance. They’re solitary
hunters, with a strategy consists largely of ambushing prey, and the trees
provide them with plenty of places to hide. When their suitable prey comes near
they use their hydraulic pumps to spring forwards towards it, piercing their
flesh with their powerful jaws. Like other vyrmiforms they’re incredibly adept
at leaping, and even outside of hunting they can be observed jumping between
trees. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While most of their jumping ability comes from features they
share with other vyrmiformes in general, there are some differences. Of
particular note, there is a tube attached to the primary hydraulic pump that
extends into the flexible mid-section of the body, straightening it out when
filled with pressurised fluids. This likely developed from an extension of the
primary hydraulic pump. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Social structure<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Banded hooksnakes tend to be quite solitary, although they
aren’t particularly territorial. However, interpersonal conflicts do occur,
which are usually settled by fighting. Their claws are used a great deal in
these fights, something they rarely do when hunting, where they prefer to use
their powerful jaws. Using their claws probably prevents fatality, with most
fights ending with one side forfeiting. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite being fine on their own they will occasionally form
small groups, especially among multiple pregnant or child rearing individuals. Groups
can also form among individuals that are quite young, or when they’re old and
infirm. In each of these cases, this is likely done for protection. Also, the
fact they tend to spend most of their time alone doesn’t mean interactions with
other members of their species are uncommon. They usually make an effort to
form good relationships with those who live nearby, to ensure they’re aware of
each other’s boundaries and are unlikely to run into conflict with each other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Trignathita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Vyrmiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Kudophidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Dumuchi</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">D. ribulatu</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">East-Arunian
Hook-clawed Onychodon</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a name="_Hlk82348166">Ancistrosaurus</a> lunatipus)</span></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oUo5CYFrXWg5nbUBiiXutBRGvTPjG686sX5DVLL286Z4wjmupA6iZSTEIF5AMoPX8pCsbaEKBhmhTzBr4Ik9OCgYqEe4YCoCWKSZJLEFt0ftrOqfL_SoVyT97ua8SoSkw7ouam6X8ekR/s2048/Forest+onychodon.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="2048" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oUo5CYFrXWg5nbUBiiXutBRGvTPjG686sX5DVLL286Z4wjmupA6iZSTEIF5AMoPX8pCsbaEKBhmhTzBr4Ik9OCgYqEe4YCoCWKSZJLEFt0ftrOqfL_SoVyT97ua8SoSkw7ouam6X8ekR/w605-h376/Forest+onychodon.JPG" width="605" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 1.3 – 1.6 meters in height, 2 – 2.5 meters in length<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: larger animals, including tailbeaks and polycuphids<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: forests, open woodland<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dromeisaurids are widespread throughout the mainlands of
Xenosulia as the dominant pursuit predators. They owe their success in large
part due to their running ability, but also their intelligence and ability to
hunt cooperatively. In addition to the species that inhabit the more abundant
open plains, there are also forest species, such as <i>Ancistrosaurus
lunatipus,</i> built more for agility just running speed alone. Forest species
tend to be smaller than their plains dwelling counterparts, but are no less
efficient hunters. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">They are well known for their large claws, which are an
important part of their hunting strategy when going after larger prey. Once
they come close enough to their target, they lunge at it, piercing its vitals
with their claw. Because of this they’re less reliant on the use of spears than
other species, although they do still engage in a great extent of tool use.
After their prey is killed they use their claws to cut up their flesh, lacking
any kind of teeth or jaws; it’s for this reason that they were originally named
<i>Onychodon</i> <i>lunatipus</i>, although they have since been moved into the
same genus as their similar Mesogean relatives. The name onychodon has caught
on in popular culture, however, a label people apply to all large dromeiforms. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Smaller prey are also caught. A large part of the diet <i>Ancistrosaurus</i>
consists of bugbirds and other small animals, which they catch using their
quick oral proboscis, constricting them to death. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Dromeiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Dromeisauridae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Ancistrosaurus</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">A. lunatipus</i><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Arunian
Kibadu</span><span style="font-size: medium; text-decoration-line: underline;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">(Kibadu
</span></i></b><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">sukachutu)</span></i></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWm2GSyEnWCr7tV9IhXdUwHPVuoixwUotzGo3a7VKYMjkulQVkaCsFRN84cYKMwJTv9_2l3BSqOHvgbaVpvCpmV_VDbInT4w1opAMOmc1sb1ot-e3Crw97MX08D84ME1zESl_qpRqCrjI/s2048/Xenocarnivoran.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWm2GSyEnWCr7tV9IhXdUwHPVuoixwUotzGo3a7VKYMjkulQVkaCsFRN84cYKMwJTv9_2l3BSqOHvgbaVpvCpmV_VDbInT4w1opAMOmc1sb1ot-e3Crw97MX08D84ME1zESl_qpRqCrjI/w528-h397/Xenocarnivoran.jpg" width="528" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 70 – 100 cm in length, 50 – 70 cm in height <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: small animals<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: forests <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although dromeiforms are the most successful order of the
clade Xenocarnivora, a previously much more diverse group, they’re not the only
xenocarnivorans to survive to the present. <i>Kibadu sukachutu</i> is a small, tripedal
relative of the dromeiformes, roaming the forest floor in search of small
prey. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The most immediately obvious features they have in common with
their more successful relatives is the splitting-in-two of the compound eye, as
well as the enlargement of a pair of simple eyes. Perhaps more significant,
however, are various features of their digestive system related to the
processing of meat, which don’t make themselves apparent at a glance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Kibadu does differ from the ancestors of dromeiformes,
however, with a number of derived traits. They have long claws they’re able to
keep tucked to their body, and their oral proboscis is shorter than that of
most spinoptilites, but able to stretch to considerably greater lengths. In
addition, while the pointed shape of their faces might resemble that of
onychodons, fossil evidence reveals the ancestors of modern dromeiforms to have
a more rounded face like tackypods. It seems likely this shape developed
independently to increase aerodynamics.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade:</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> Xenocarnivora</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Kibadiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Kibadidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Kibadu</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><a name="_Hlk82349147" style="font-family: arial;"><i>K. </i></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>sukachutu</i></span><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Eastern
Anteater Sloth</span><u style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Mulafi
lifini)</span></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Z_SA5mJ9eVOOLKK_vIxMo2Ci-AmX6043sb-NnM6rYGxCb_dsBHsUPZ1Wf3BL-Fnd-CWh_sPCm4FGVZlro2rz_kQIVurTLQ85JNc9BuBxviyk8d-ogNtL7Xwfkdpb0F40tJQkbX-1lvwn/s2048/IMG_0328+-+a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Z_SA5mJ9eVOOLKK_vIxMo2Ci-AmX6043sb-NnM6rYGxCb_dsBHsUPZ1Wf3BL-Fnd-CWh_sPCm4FGVZlro2rz_kQIVurTLQ85JNc9BuBxviyk8d-ogNtL7Xwfkdpb0F40tJQkbX-1lvwn/w497-h373/IMG_0328+-+a.JPG" width="497" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 50 – 80 cm in length <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: spherebugs, seeds<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: trees<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: simultaneous hermaphrodites</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The tiny spherozoans are one of the most successful phyla on
Xenosulia. With such a high abundance in virtually every location on the planet,
it’s no wonder that a large number of clades have become specialised to take
advantage of this rich and plentiful energy source. The spinoptilite order Dendroglossiformes
is one such group, and this specialisation can be most clearly seen in the very
derived structure of their oral proboscis. With numerous branched tentacles at
the tip, rich in sensory hairs, they are particularly adept at catching tiny
and fast-moving prey, and can extract them from small spaces. Dendroglossiformes
is a very speciose group, with the large number of spherozoan species allowing
for a wide range of specialised diets. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The anteater sloth focuses on arboreal spherozoans, using
its branched proboscis to search for them among the feathery leaves. They also
supplement their diet with vegetation such as seeds, although most of their
energy comes from spherebugs, with seeds mainly providing nutrients they can’t
get elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydrozoan</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Dendroglossiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Dipilosanidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Mulafi</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species:</span><i style="font-family: arial;"> M. lifini</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hedgehog
Mole</span><u style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Rutu
tulaluku)</span></span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-lt6foB2V546XjyGHLq_KDV_4IjlY8nZksAhIl0MMa8KFQoYUtMMIFW3_7h5mCFZXSYSHOcnYQatlXCS546Ej_KUNYP4Q9z8Qm7FfxKQu_D9TY9nlOYq2SPONMX_oP2Gxn2QJS3Quf-y/s2923/mole.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="2923" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-lt6foB2V546XjyGHLq_KDV_4IjlY8nZksAhIl0MMa8KFQoYUtMMIFW3_7h5mCFZXSYSHOcnYQatlXCS546Ej_KUNYP4Q9z8Qm7FfxKQu_D9TY9nlOYq2SPONMX_oP2Gxn2QJS3Quf-y/w537-h198/mole.JPG" width="537" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 25 – 40 cm in length<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: spherebugs<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: burrows in forests <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: simultaneous hermaphrodites</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dendroglossiformes is a very large order, comprising
countless different families and genera filling a diverse array of ecological
niches. The hedgehog mole differs greatly from anteater sloths, adapted to a
fossorial lifestyle rather than tree dwelling. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">They exhibit remarkable convergent evolution with Earth
moles, with short limbs, reduced eyesight, and a compact cylindrical body. The
single claw on each of their front limbs is enlarged and spade-like, suited for
excavation, and they have a well developed sense of smell. <i>Rutu tulaluku</i> has
lost the primary compound eye, as well as most secondary eyes, retaining only
one lenseless pair.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Spinoptilita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Dendroglossiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Ericitalpidae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Rutu</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">R. tulaluku</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Arboreal
Beakuana</span><u style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Kufonu
dumandanensis)</span></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_y50eM8pV980YeLRiA2gLW6sv2CVCUr_tiSTBBSp7wgU1wz6NfEzaL5vx625lzvtdFUuNghwiiNXFxVof2Mvf4c0W3GItn7C6TgWlC26-s6iV8RQSI7N_jkncPhyOoFE6Kjoy7H6oK8FP/s2048/lzzrd+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="2048" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_y50eM8pV980YeLRiA2gLW6sv2CVCUr_tiSTBBSp7wgU1wz6NfEzaL5vx625lzvtdFUuNghwiiNXFxVof2Mvf4c0W3GItn7C6TgWlC26-s6iV8RQSI7N_jkncPhyOoFE6Kjoy7H6oK8FP/w584-h348/lzzrd+-+Copy.JPG" width="584" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 20 – 35 cm in length, not counting tail and neck <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: fruit <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: trees<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: start off as simultaneous hermaphrodites but
become specialised as male or female later on</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet another example of the independent development of jaws
among hydratozoans, the beaks of kuluiforms make them very successful
frugivores. While they can be found in a large variety of habitats, filling
various different niches, most are herbivorous, although there are some that
specialise for eating eggs or hard-shelled animals. <i>Kufonu dumandensis</i> inhabits
trees deep in the eastern Arunian forests, but it is far from the only
kuluiform species that can be found in these woodlands. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Anatomy<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The lower jaw is an actually an enlarged and hardened
radula, with the individual teeth becoming indistinct, and the upper jaw is a
cupitinous extension of the head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
necks are elongated, allowing them to reach fruit from nearby branches with
little exertion. While this would ordinarily be a weak spot, an extension of
the shoulders shields it when the neck is tucked away. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">They are effective climbers, griping onto the branch with a
prehensile tail at one end, and their two front limbs at the other. Not only is
the single digit on each leg strong and lengthy, but there is also an extension
of the wrist bone serving as a kind of thumb. As they move along a tree branch,
they walk along with their front limbs, periodically loosening their grip with
their tail to move it forwards. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><i style="font-family: arial;">Clade: </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Sucodermata</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Xenosquamita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Kuluiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: Suchilidae</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Kufonu</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">K. dunamdanensis</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Longclaw
Laminite<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Dilidu
lituturi)</span></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-FMd8skVRbYqe4TDpa0q-xW7X11ZERrqzyC2Shxe85uZ5q1x4rXLag0G4YO2LVZl4gMVAAOr__hnYn9YJ5cKdToCfuqQ9bNCT5CfIG8JNNOZLW641OzGuyrRaLJlX9b1NtM0bPMMBKMF/s3312/fossoral+herpetiform.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="3312" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-FMd8skVRbYqe4TDpa0q-xW7X11ZERrqzyC2Shxe85uZ5q1x4rXLag0G4YO2LVZl4gMVAAOr__hnYn9YJ5cKdToCfuqQ9bNCT5CfIG8JNNOZLW641OzGuyrRaLJlX9b1NtM0bPMMBKMF/w596-h171/fossoral+herpetiform.jpg" width="596" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Size: 15 – 35 cm in length, from “nose” to the tip of the
rear leg <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: spherebugs <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: burrows in forests <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous sequential hermaphrodites</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Most herpetiforms are small, cold blooded spherovores,
making them analogous to lizards on Earth. They belong to a separate tripodan branch
than sucoderms do; the laminites. Laminites have a hard jointed exoskeleton, in
addition to their endoskeleton, protecting them from desiccation. In those with
harder exoskeletons they serve as defence against predators. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The oral proboscis of herpetiforms, and most laminites in
general, is completely retractable and plays a minimal role in digestion. Hydraulic
pressure allows them to shoot their proboscis out rapidly, catching fast-moving
spherozoans, and a pair of well-developed oral eyes assists in their aim. Most
herpetiforms have a sticky pad at the end of their proboscis to aid in catching
their prey. Their hunting strategy is primarily sit-and-wait, with the majority
of their time spent relatively inactive. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dilidu lituturi</i> is specialised for burrowing, with
two elongated, spade-like claws on either of its front limbs. Although
laminites do only have a single digit on each limb (or what is typically
regarded as a digit on Xenosulia), as is the norm for tripodans, each finger
has retained a second claw lost in the majority of sucoderms. They mainly hunt
for prey on land, using their burrows to lay their eggs and as protection
against predators, although they may also use their burrows to hide as they
wait for spherebugs to come near. They are more social than most herpetiforms,
who are mostly solitary, living in large groups and sharing their burrows with
a number of other individuals. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While most laminites are simultaneous hermaphrodites, the
longclaw engages in the sequential hermaphroditism more common in “higher”
tripodans. They’re protogynous, and males are much larger than females and
possess enlarged claws on one arm, usually the left. This claw only appears
periodically when the male is ready to mate, and is shed after mating a few
times. Competition between males is common, and females show a strong
preference for males with larger claws. Since it interferes with tunnelling,
males in heat rely on burrows they’ve dug prior to their claw growing or those
made by other individuals. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Taxonomic classification</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Domain: Rhytocaryota</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingdom: Xenosulizoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylum: Hydratozoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Superclass: Tripoda</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Class: Laminita</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Order: Herpetiformes</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Family: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Dulididae</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Genus: </span><a name="_Hlk82354884" style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dulidu</i></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">D. lituturi</i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-23214925698783310572021-01-16T13:19:00.006-08:002021-01-23T06:46:45.221-08:00Mesogean Grasslands<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the south of Mesogea is a large area of open, red
coloured grassland. Forests are prevented from growing here not only because of
the drier air further from the coasts, but also the planet’s strong winds.
Forests do exist, but only in places especially conductive to the growth of
plants; here, forests can more easily develop a protective outer layer of
especially wind resistant trees. Open grassland is far more common a biome,
however, especially far from the sub-stellar point.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Almost all of Mesogea is on the planet’s day side, and
certainly the entirety of the area of grassland being discussed. The sun hangs
low on the horizon, however, the region permanently stuck in late afternoon. The
trees scattered across the area all face towards the near-motionless sun.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> This region of grassland isn’t completely monotonous. There
are areas of savanna as it transitions towards forest, and towards the
continent’s central desert in the north it gradually gets drier, making way to
shrubland. The savanna is where animals are most abundant, which consists of
the usual red grass in addition to feathery trees. Terrestrial sponges are
common too, and the trees aren’t large enough or densely packed enough to form
a canopy overhead. Wind is less of an issue here since it’s obstructed by the
trees and sponges over long distances, but further north the winds get much
more intense. Winds become especially strong in flat plains, since even in open
steps the wind can be obstructed by hills.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The savanna and grassland of southern Mesogea is regularly
plagued by sandstorms from the large Akasara Desert to the north, blanketing
the sky in the red sand of that region. <br /><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Fin-backed
Tarus</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(Tilusa
nusulu)</span></b></span></i></div><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-NLWQuVzALWLH-u2_3eUisj4D6dhFs_hN3NKO_wAGhFERoovqh9hMastB5bo56mqZHGMVbX4IUxzXtsaq5_XDGrOsm8AfxKFt8SdfulCbIhP8WGuHFKQt2cfpUEHX90QpgXBzxsdnqBu/s2048/Tilusa+nusulu.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1310" data-original-width="2048" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-NLWQuVzALWLH-u2_3eUisj4D6dhFs_hN3NKO_wAGhFERoovqh9hMastB5bo56mqZHGMVbX4IUxzXtsaq5_XDGrOsm8AfxKFt8SdfulCbIhP8WGuHFKQt2cfpUEHX90QpgXBzxsdnqBu/w578-h370/Tilusa+nusulu.JPG" width="578" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><a name="_Hlk60568466">Size: Males; 1.4 – 1.8 meters up to
their back (not including their dorsal fan), 1.8 – 2.5 meters in length. Females;
2.2 – 2.8 meters up to their back, 2.8 – 3.5 meters in length<br /></a><br /></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: Spiky grass (iculophytes),
will supplement their diet with small amounts of fruit and other more
nutrient-dense sessile food<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: Savannahs
and steppes<br /> <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: Sequential
hermaphroditism; the fin-backed tarus is protandrous, with all individuals being
born male and becoming female if they’re the largest member of a herd. Large,
hard-shelled eggs are laid from which small larvae emerge, undergoing
metamorphosis into their adult form over time. Young are cared for.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The herbivorous tariforms are common throughout the
mainlands of Xenosulia, dominating their niche as large herbivores. Of
particular note are the species of fin-backed tarus, of the genus <i>Tilusu</i>,
which can be found in large numbers in the savannahs and open planes of
Mesogea, Arunia and Occasia. As an order, tariforms are mainly characterised by
the presence of an enlarged anterior stomach in their oral proboscis, and a
horny protrusion at the end of their proboscis to aid in cutting vegetation. Perhaps
more importantly, the gizzard, more commonly located in the proboscis, is
pulled back into the head. Here, the muscles can push back against the skull to
generate more force, allowing for the grinding of tougher vegetation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The Mesogean fin-backed tarus, <i>Tilusu nusulu</i>, is
fairly typical of the genus, and was the first to be extensively studied after
the arrival of the initial colony ships. The name “tarus” itself comes from a
contraction of the Gontanic term “<i>tari us</i>”, meaning “three horse”; early
colonists often compared them to tripedal horses. This comparison isn’t far
off, as tariforms do consist of a great number of cursorial herbivores,
although the fin-backed tarus is less energetic than many other taruses,
relying more on its greater size for defence. The term “tarus” typically only
refers to larger species of tariform, although in a scientific context it is
often used to describe the order as a whole.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> In common with many other tariforms, they assume an
unguligrade stance, supporting their weight on the tips of their toes. Each
claw has developed into a protective hoof. When walking slowly, they only lift
one leg off the ground at a time, but when running the two front legs act
together while the powerful rear leg works to push them off. Their legs are
made all the more powerful by a greatly enlarged hydraulic pump, giving their
back a visible hump.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <b>Reproduction and social structure</b><br />Characteristic of the genus is the presence of a dorsal fan
which, along with the single nasal horn, is used for sexual display. Males use
their horns to fight each other, and when they do so will often attempt to
damage each other’s fans. Herds tend to consist of a single dominant female,
far larger than the others, and numerous smaller males. All individuals start
off as male, at least after their larval stage. Juvenile males will remain in
the same herd as their mother, leaving to find another herd upon sexual
maturity in the hopes of gaining mating rights from this herd’s female. The
dominant female mates with a limited number of the herd’s fertile males,
choosing those with the most impressive dorsal fans and horns; there is usually
a single male the female mates with far more than any others.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />If the female dies she will be replaced by the largest male;
this is often, but not always, her preferred mate. Upon changing sex the new dominant
female of the herd will shed her horn and dorsal fan in addition to drastically
growing in size. Sometimes, more than one individual will change sex and
compete for the position of dominant female, although this rarely lasts long;
females tend to be hostile with each other and will even engage in infanticide
if the competing female gets the chance to mate.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The female is provided with a great deal of food by the
fertile males in addition to that which it obtains through grazing, aiding in
her ability to grow as large as she does. Since she needs to lay enough eggs to
sustain the herd, a large size is an invaluable advantage. Once the female’s
eggs hatch, the males collectively care for the larvae, providing them with
food and good soil to live in as well as protecting them from predators.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <u>Taxonomic classification</u><br /><a name="_Hlk60827012">Tree: Xenosulivitae<br /></a>Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />Class: Spinoptilita<br />Superorder: Cerostomata<br />Order: Tariformes<br /> Family: Cavidae<br />Genus: <i>Tilusa<br /></i>Species: <i>T. nusulu<br /></i><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Red
Mesogean Horseshoe</span></b></div></o:p><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>(Finusoma
erythronoton)</b></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></i></div></i></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiw-vu0xO3A1Nb9V3m6UR4EXJ6xSyAYATgv8ZaIkxEHWdh-xtobOCnZwZeRwaiyExWwPLOQgrNvUnzRlM2yyfWbjzjotiWI9l-bhyphenhyphenCO3tmhMEMTo0oUaPB9AFyjg-HhzTiPSo6PA8MWh6/s2048/IMG_033366t.JPG" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiw-vu0xO3A1Nb9V3m6UR4EXJ6xSyAYATgv8ZaIkxEHWdh-xtobOCnZwZeRwaiyExWwPLOQgrNvUnzRlM2yyfWbjzjotiWI9l-bhyphenhyphenCO3tmhMEMTo0oUaPB9AFyjg-HhzTiPSo6PA8MWh6/w515-h386/IMG_033366t.JPG" width="515" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span>Size: 30 – 50 cm in length</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Diet: dead biomatter particles from algae and aeroplankton<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: dry open steppes<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous, females capable of
parthenogenesis, lay hundreds of eggs a year<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>With air algae abundant in the atmosphere, the ground inevitably
receives detritus from the metabolic activities and death of these organisms.
As such, many species have adapted to take advantage of this. This detritus is
especially common in open plains, where countless species within the order
pulusiformes can be found in abundance, grazing on it. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Pulusiforms make common pets, kept in tanks in many people’s
homes. Food for them, made from processed algae, can be bought at most stores,
which is sprinkled onto the floor of their habitat.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Wind tolerance</b><br />In wide open grasslands they are subjected to strong winds, so
to aid in their tolerance of this their bodies are flattened against the
ground, reducing air resistance and allowing the wind to pass right over them
with little trouble. Unlike many larger species, they’re unable to use their
weight to stay grounded, and they tend to live in areas too windy for most
other animals. Even plants taller than grass struggle in these places.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Their scales further protect them from the wind, preventing
their skin from getting damaged by the abrasion of any particles caught up in
the air. A muscular “foot” on their tail, similar to the underside of Earth
gastropods, in addition to aiding on locomotion, also allows them to grasp
firmly onto the ground if the winds get too intense.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The eastern winds, coming from the planet’s dark side, can
be very cold, and are often the strongest and most prevalent of winds. This
poses a challenge for animals living in open and windy areas, with the winds
chilling them to the bone. As such, pulusiforms have a very good cold tolerance
in spite of being cold blooded, and are even known to survive being frozen.
They usually deal with cold weather by entering a state of torpor rather than
putting too much effort into remaining warm.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Feeding</b><br />Unlike spinoptilites, the oral proboscis can be fully
retracted into the head, with the relatively undeveloped digestive organs of
the proboscis allowing for this. On the inside of the proboscis’s mouth is a
radula, with the brush-like teeth specifically designed to pick up detritus off
of the grass.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Although they are typically slow movers, they spend most of
the day inching across the grasslands, covering a great distance over time.
They stay in a single place until they’ve exhausted all usable detritus, before
moving on to a different spot and scrapping the grass for more food. Although
it’s not the most energy-rich food, it is plentiful, so little effort is spent
searching for food.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Defence</b><br />One of the most recognisable features of pulusiforms, shared
by most species, is the horseshoe shaped compound eye, providing the animal
with good peripheral vision. Since they’re quite small, they’re a common target
of predators, although their preferred defence tactic is keeping still in the
hopes they aren’t noticed. Since they’re usually well camouflaged this often
works, although they can be fast if they need to be, and many species possess
poisons.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Although poisonous pulusiforms are common, <i>Finusoma
erythronoton</i> lacks any such poisons. However, its red scales provide it
with good camouflage against the red grass in its natural habitat. The animal
can also move more quickly than many other pulusiforms, with reasonably long
front limbs and claws that allow it to grip the ground. They’re quite common in
the drier parts of the grasslands of Mesogea, and relatives of this species can
be found in savannas and the outskirts of the deserts.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Reproduction</b><br />Pulusiforms are known for their fast breeding rate, <i>Finusoma
erythronoton</i> being no exception. They’re able to lay hundreds of eggs in a
year, each of which a hatchling resembling a miniature adult emerges from, very
few of which survive to adulthood. They do very little to look after their
young, instead relying on producing large numbers of offspring.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Most pulusiforms are capable of both sexual and asexual
reproduction, which will vary depending on conditions. At low population
densities, all individuals will remain female throughout their life and
regularly produce countless offspring without the need for fertilisation. When
populations are higher, or resources scarcer, they have comparatively fewer
offspring, most of which are produced sexually. In these conditions, around
half of all individuals become male.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><u> Taxonomic classification</u><br />Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br /> Class: Xenosquamita<br /> Order: Pulusiformes<br />Family: Finusomidae<br />Genus: <i>Finusoma<br /></i>Species: <i>F. erythronoton<br /></i><o:p> <br /></o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Tackypod</span></b></div></o:p></span><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(Kottos
kottos)</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIlqzcaLbn65nWMX1w7xHRMvYJndrF9DOfK2xePyPFRuiFJCea6jhM7QgFcEZNXAsLKn-mS7R146zZQ7KJ1mX5ztfp8nC0qsdNKgxgXlpEi30ZxxKngwbUZtITCUbrUIUleFuJ4eAdSwN/s2048/IMG_0208+-+Copy+-+b+-+Ci.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1890" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIlqzcaLbn65nWMX1w7xHRMvYJndrF9DOfK2xePyPFRuiFJCea6jhM7QgFcEZNXAsLKn-mS7R146zZQ7KJ1mX5ztfp8nC0qsdNKgxgXlpEi30ZxxKngwbUZtITCUbrUIUleFuJ4eAdSwN/w511-h554/IMG_0208+-+Copy+-+b+-+Ci.JPG" width="511" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div></i>Size: 70 – 110 cm up to the top of their hump<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: small animals<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: savannah<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous; individuals are born female, and
become male as they grow larger<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On Xenosulia, bipedalism has evolved from initially tripedal
ancestors numerous times. The predatory dromeiforms are one such group. As fast
moving carnivores, they dominate the Xenosulian mainlands as apex predators,
filling numerous different predatory niches. Most dromeiforms are pursuit
predators, although some members of the clade do employ other strategies.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Dromeiforms</b><br />Characteristic of the group is the greatly reduced rear-leg,
the splitting of the single compound eye into two separate eyes, greatly
enlarged secondary eyes at the front of the face, an elongated – often
tail-like – rear, and two lateral tentacles to aid in balance. Having flexible
skin with a layer of sub-dermal hydraulic muscle underneath, tentacles evolve
fairly easily, supported entirely by hydrostatic pressure. This is far from the
only time such an innovation has occurred in sucoderms.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> It seems likely that the spitting-in-two of the compound eye
occurred in order to allow the dorsal ocelli to move forward; while the
compound eyes are used primarily for peripheral vision, the simple eyes’
ability to detect faster movement makes them more useful than compound eyes for
catching prey. These eyes are actually able to resolve images, unlike the
secondary eyes of most other animals, although their colour vision is much more
limited than that of the compound eyes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Members of this group are commonly referred to as tackypods
in Gontanic, referencing the resemblance of some species to birds (or at least
their legs to those of birds). This term is usually only reserved for smaller
species, however.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><i><b>Kottos kottos</b><br /></i>Although dromeiforms comprise the largest of land predators,
there are many smaller species in this group too, such as <i>Kottos kottos</i>.
They mainly prey on smaller animals, including entomopterite “bugbirds”,
catching them with their rapid moving oral proboscises. Lacking any kind of
teeth, much less jaws, they kill their prey by constriction, using their acidic
saliva to dissolve their prey once they’re dead. Their clawed feet can also be
used to assist in the cutting up of prey once it begins corroding, and are
sometimes used to catch slower moving or unwary prey.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <a name="_Hlk60830006"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br /></a>Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br />Order: Dromeiformes<br />Family: Kottidae<br />Genus: <i>Kottos<br /><o:p></o:p></i>Species: <i>K. kottos<br /></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Onychodon</span></b></div></o:p></span><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a name="_Hlk60656161">Terraculi mesogensis</a>)</span></b></span></i></div></i><o:p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA__10OfVhY2ZvV4pPIxCYEuqNQWc5g4af-gswk-0UHpxuKwDuoFlQEagc66nD4sgkqnwwu0-4njLH2JTmkepuSs0oMV29UcSRmWJ_sMzOB1BkWnLbrKtyhcJanGMfvGbVrEyk_Z9caLk6/s2048/Dromeiform.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA__10OfVhY2ZvV4pPIxCYEuqNQWc5g4af-gswk-0UHpxuKwDuoFlQEagc66nD4sgkqnwwu0-4njLH2JTmkepuSs0oMV29UcSRmWJ_sMzOB1BkWnLbrKtyhcJanGMfvGbVrEyk_Z9caLk6/w565-h424/Dromeiform.JPG" width="565" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p>Size: 1.2 – 1.6 meters in height, 2.3 – 3 meters in length
(from nose to tail tip)<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: smaller taruses, bugbirds, small but fast-moving
animals; will also hunt larger animals with the use of tools<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: savannahs and grasslands<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: protogynous; individuals are born female, and
become male as they grow larger<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>A much larger dromeiform species is <i>Terraculi mesogensis</i>,
a successful pursuit predator and the main threat to fast moving herbivores.
The animal’s speed provides it with an adequate means of catching such prey, which
includes many of the more cursorial taruses, although because of its method of
killing – constriction – it also hunts prey quite a bit smaller than itself. Constricting
larger prey is difficult, and although they have been known to pierce them in
vital areas with their claws, this requires a lot of precision. <i>Terraculi
mesogensis</i> will also catch entomopterites, typically larger species than
the smaller tackypods prefer.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The anatomy and behaviour of <i>T. mesogensis</i> is fairly
typical of the family it belongs to, Dromeisauridae. Dromeisaurids are
typically colloquially referred to as onychodons, which was originally the name
of a now defunct dromeisaurid genus. The term onychodon may also refer to other
large dromeiforms, and is often used interchangeably with the term “landshark”.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>
Intelligence</b><br /> Perhaps because of the difficulties they face in catching
larger prey, they are very social animals. They are known to hunt in packs,
exhibiting cunning tactics, although solitary hunting has been observed too –
especially when hunting bugbirds.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> They are also known to fashion simple spears out of tree
exoskeleton or animal bone, but based on the wealth of cognitive studies
performed on them there is little evidence they’re much more intelligent than
Earth’s reptiles. Or, perhaps, certain cephalopods. They show little innovation
in their toolmaking, and efforts to teach them new techniques have proven
unsuccessful; it seems they mostly rely on instinct, much like a bird building
a nest, or bees building a hive. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Still, they exhibit much greater cognitive abilities than
most other animals native to Xenosulia. One should keep in mind that both
reptiles and cephalopods have since been shown to be far more intelligent than
assumed in the early 21<sup>st</sup> Century, so the comparison isn’t to say
they’re <i>that</i> unintelligent – just less so than mammals in many respects.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>
Physical adaptations</b><br /><a name="_Hlk60656187"><i>Terraculi mesogensis</i></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>possesses many adaptations for running that smaller
dromeiform species lack. Their bodies are elongated and aerodynamic, and to
reduce drag their spines have been lost. Their balancing tentacles have been
elongated, and are a bit thicker than in smaller species, improving their
balance and allowing them to manoeuvre with more dexterity.<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They have good senses, too, with their two largest secondary
eyes greatly enlarged even for dromeiforms, almost looking like a second pair
of compound eyes. The compound eyes are elongated for better peripheral vision,
allowing the animal to scan its surroundings for potential prey. At the same
time, the two enlarged simple eyes give good depth perception for successful
grabbing of prey for constriction. Or, as is often the case, accurate spear
strikes. The two lowest pair of dorsal eyes are sensitive to long-wave infrared
radiation, which have lost their lenses; the cupitin their lenses are made from
blocks such light. These heat pits are useful for locating well-hidden prey by
detecting their body heat, although the sense organs are far more developed in
related species that live closer to – or past – the day-night terminator line,
where it provides an advantage in these darker environments.<br /> <a name="_Hlk60830152"><br /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;"><a name="_Hlk60830152">T</a></span><a name="_Hlk60830152" style="font-family: arial;">axonomic classification</a></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br />Order: Dromeiformes<br />Family: Dromeisauridae<br />Genus: <i>Terraculi<br /> <o:p></o:p></i>Species:<i> T. mesogensis<br /></i><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Spotted
Leopard-snake</span></b></div></o:p><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>(Leoserpens
coccinus)</b></span></span></i></div></i><o:p> <br /></o:p><br /><o:p> </o:p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpz3UD4QI8RxkTgFS1728VMiCFfZo3p_DOUUK7hsCa24cIN3q_ETOwhhb8sR73ddbEKMcu3BlA41DCRUSoUsTKna7FP_MfXbc1XSIjCFshZBWYYFztkofyuvRN3pljkaLiagyUCurRZpt/s3123/IMG_0276ww.JPG" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="3123" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpz3UD4QI8RxkTgFS1728VMiCFfZo3p_DOUUK7hsCa24cIN3q_ETOwhhb8sR73ddbEKMcu3BlA41DCRUSoUsTKna7FP_MfXbc1XSIjCFshZBWYYFztkofyuvRN3pljkaLiagyUCurRZpt/w616-h198/IMG_0276ww.JPG" width="616" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>Size: 1.5 – 2.1 meters in length<br /></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: Medium to large taruses, as well as hard-bodied
animals. Also eats fruit, nuts and seeds<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: savannah; can also be found in the outskirts of
woodland areas<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: remain hermaphroditic throughout their life,
lays eggs<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Although tripods basally lack any kind of jaw, they have
been developed independently in multiple different groups. Trignathites are one
such clade to develop jaws. The jaws being repurposed from their front limb
pair, trignathites are forced to move around on their belies like a snake, with
the rear leg greatly reduced. This is a worthwhile trade off, as the biting
strength this gives them allows them to excel as predators. Their lack of legs
also provides an advantage in open spaces where animals are exposed to more
winds, as this means their body is closer to the ground and has less wind
resistance.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Since they’re unable to run great distances, most rely on
ambushing their prey. Compound eyes aren’t well-suited for this purpose, so
have been lost, with the simple eyes offering far more visual clarity than they
do in other groups. In the case of the order Vermiformes, which <i>Leoserpens
coccinus</i> belongs to, one pair of these eyes is situated on a pair of
tentacles. This allows the animal to see above grass and other plant life as it
hides in wait for prey.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> As a member of the family leoserpentidae, <i>Leoserpens
coccinus</i> is larger than other trignathites, and is partially omnivorous.
They live in groups – often referred to as herds, in spite of the animals being
predatory – both for protection from predators and for hunting, and spend a
great deal of their time either resting or waiting for prey to fall into their
traps.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Hunting and feeding</b><br />Herds of <a name="_Hlk60656301"><i>Leoserpens coccinus</i></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk60656301;"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>catch food by strategically positioning themselves as
they hide in wait, so that if one individual misses their target this opens up
the opportunity for another to catch it. As such they are one of the few ambush
predators on the planet that hunt cooperatively. Whoever does end up catching
the prey will always share it among the other members of the group, although
the amount an individual is given depends on their position within the group
hierarchy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> When not resting or hunting, <i>L. coccinus</i> can be found
foraging for food, which largely consists of seeds and nut-like fruit and other
easy to digest vegetation, usually from bushes and other plants that can be
found in the savanna. Their jaws allow them to easily bite into such food,
making them well suited to such a diet – especially when compared to the
countless jawless animals they share their habitat with.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The jaws of <i>L. coccinus</i> are exceptionally strong even
for trignathites, due to a certain adaptations shared with other members of
their order. On either side of the body, close to the head (although
technically inside the “skull”), are two large hollows – usually large enough
to create bulges on either side of the body – which house muscle dedicated
solely to jaw movement. Since their jaws are comparatively short, this gives an
immense mechanical advantage, allowing them to bite down with virtually
unrivalled strength. This makes them especially suited for hunting laminite
prey, as well as the shelled relatives of pulusiforms. However, they do also
take down larger animals by aiming for vital areas – often tearing out vital
blood vessels.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Leaping</b><br />Another feature shared by other members of their order is
the presence of long bladders stretched along their bodies, which extend under
hydraulic pressure. Their spine is able to extend a bit, allowing vermiforms to
use these hydraulic pistons to stretch their bodies forward suddenly and leap. Catching
prey would be a lot more difficult without this adaptation, since their
ordinary means of locomotion is much slower. They’re not able to leap like this
outside of sudden bursts (hence their preference for sit-and-wait ambush
tactics), as it takes time for them to build up the necessary pressure. Because
of their dependence on hydraulics, the primary hydraulic pump of vermiforms is
greatly enlarged in many species, creating a visible bulge in <i>Leoserpens
coccinus.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br />Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br /> Class: Trignathita<br />Order: Vyrmiformes<br />Family: Leoserpentidae<br />Genus: <i>Leoserpens<br /></i>Species: <i>L. coccinus<br /><o:p></o:p></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Northern
Tusk-dog</span></b></div></o:p></span><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(Osteovorus
savanna)</span></b></span></i></div></i><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dNdBiaNEapcSRJoYjoRQE14dcB_gYRzxJw_3LSE-gxSZ5nYMA1S3ASEzowj2gN8sZrfwvvX_qbfsW8cu6VWBB34kD6mrXLpd2L1LHcLZGh6LlW0yUjfEfLOfgHnqUkKAp646s4wMwU9B/s2048/99969.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dNdBiaNEapcSRJoYjoRQE14dcB_gYRzxJw_3LSE-gxSZ5nYMA1S3ASEzowj2gN8sZrfwvvX_qbfsW8cu6VWBB34kD6mrXLpd2L1LHcLZGh6LlW0yUjfEfLOfgHnqUkKAp646s4wMwU9B/w572-h429/99969.JPG" width="572" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p>Size: 90 – 120 cm high, 100 – 140 cm long</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: carryon, especially tougher flesh and the contents of
bones</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Habitat: savannah, steppes, shrubland</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Reproduction: become male or female upon reaching sexual
maturity, remain that sex throughout their life. Lays eggs, from which larvae
hatch, and they care for their young.<br /> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span>Culodonts are another clade to develop a jaw of sorts, although
in the case of this order, despite the jaws originating from the front limbs as
they do in trignathites, these limbs are still used for locomotion. They’re
usually only used for shearing flesh once an animal is already taken down, so
the inherent inefficiency doesn’t pose much of an issue.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Jaw anatomy</b><br />Basally, culodonts have four horns or “teeth” used for
biting, which are actually highly developed dermal spines that have become
ossified and gained attachments to the skeleton. There is one pair on either
leg, just above the knee, and two under the head behind the oral proboscis. Most
species also have a webbing of skin between the head and knee, and between both
legs down to the knee, which function as cheeks. Such species also have hard
growths on the upper legs and underside of the head that act as molars. This
condition is now known to have evolved independently more than once, rather than
representing a single clade. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>Feeding</b><br />While some culodont species have developed various means of
taking down larger animals, such as using the upper pair of horn-teeth to
pierce into their prey, <i>Osteovorus savanna</i><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>exists largely as a scavenger. They still do hunt,
but will only catch smaller animals, using the horn on their proboscis to spear
pulusiforms as well as other similarly sized prey. A larger portion of their
diet consists of carryon, mostly large animals like taruses. The presence of their
carnassial molars allows them to chew through tougher meat than most other
scavengers would be able to, so that’s what they tend to focus on, and they’re
even able to break open bones to consume the energy-dense starch stored within.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>
Social structure</b><br />While some individuals are solitary, many live in small
groups of two to five to increase their odds of finding food. Tusk-dogs are
often territorial, especially the males, and will mark their territory with infertile
gametozoans. These gametozoans will defend the tusk-dog’s territory, stinging
intruders, and although more of a nuisance than anything else they’re willing
to fight to the death. Tusk-dogs will rarely tolerate another male in their
group. Although all tusk-dogs are born hermaphroditic, they will become either male
or female upon reaching sexual maturity based on their size, with larger
individuals being male. Growth typically stops at adulthood, and males
generally see more reproductive success at a larger size than they would if
they were smaller.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><a name="_Hlk60831119">Taxonomic classification<br /></a>Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br />Order: Culodontiformes<br />Family: Osteovoridae<br />Genus: <i>Osteovorus<br /></i>Species: <i>O.</i> <i>savanna<br /><o:p></o:p></i><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Crested
Screambird</b></div></o:p><a name="_Hlk60401331"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a name="_Hlk60401331"></a><a name="_Hlk60401331"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>(Acopti kibiatu)</b></span></span></i></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p><br /><o:p> </o:p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yC2HHvXtx37Ec8wxCWlgFYya7Nyt6t2ZOMsT-o3-57P0kl-m3W6kdqHu92U_V6BGwdqM_-M-PNvmiXjLg2vW9u1m4OvqGPk6ODnY86lRYhbVCD79RjtA8xXTI1aNC5LFdievOTm_B4cj/s2593/Acopti+kibiatu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="2593" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yC2HHvXtx37Ec8wxCWlgFYya7Nyt6t2ZOMsT-o3-57P0kl-m3W6kdqHu92U_V6BGwdqM_-M-PNvmiXjLg2vW9u1m4OvqGPk6ODnY86lRYhbVCD79RjtA8xXTI1aNC5LFdievOTm_B4cj/w623-h292/Acopti+kibiatu.jpg" width="623" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p>Size: 60 – 90 cm
wingspan, 30 – 45 cm from toe to head with rear leg outstretched (may be
smaller in some urban areas)<br /></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: seeds, tiny
animals (spherozoans, cardozoans and various worm-like organisms), occasionally
fish and other forms of food<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: savannah<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: <a name="_Hlk60659106">sequential hermaphrodites; all individuals are born female,
and will either remain female or temporarily become male during breeding
periods. Lays eggs, and cares for their young.<br /> <o:p></o:p></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i>Acopti kibiatu </i>belongs to the order Acoptiformes, a
group of very proficient long-distance fliers. They are commonly known as the
crested screambird; so named for its distinctive echolocative screech. To
further aid in echolocation, they have an extra pair of spiracles specialised
for that purpose, rather than the usual two in most entomopterites.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> They are more generalist than many other acoptiforms, and
can flourish in a wider range of environments. This is perhaps one of the
reasons they’re so prevalent in human settlements, in addition to their already
existing abundance. Their adaptability means they have little difficulty
figuring out what waste is edible to them, and they’re intelligent and
resourceful enough to find their way into buildings if they need to. The
tendency for people to feed them certainly helps increase their numbers in
cities.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Flight</b><br />As is common for acoptiforms, the crested screambirds
migrates great distances towards and away from the sub-stellar point in
response to changes in the sun’s temperature, often going to more tropical
areas during solar winters. They depend heavily on soaring flight during their long
migrations. The presence of magnetoreceptors in their beak, characteristic of
their order, allows them to navigate very well; coupled with the fact the sun’s
always in the same place, they’re able to determine both latitude and longitude
most of the time. This magnetoreceptor is formed from the build-up of iron from
the blood in the beak.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Because of ability to travel great distances, acoptiform
species can be found in virtually every part of the world. <i>Acopti kibiatu</i>
itself can be found all over Mesogea, Arunia, and Occasia. They are even
present in Silidia and Zephyria, though their numbers aren’t as great here. Although
there are some differences between the populations in each of these areas,
they’re all classified as the same species, and the changes are so gradual that
dividing them into subspecies is difficult. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The hip processes of <a name="_Hlk60398091"><i>Acopti
kibiatu</i> </a>is much longer than in many other entomopterites, giving them a
much large range of control over the aspect ratio of their wings. This allows
them to broaden their wings for more controlled flight or narrow them for
soaring.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Reproduction</b><br />It is common for entomopterites to exhibit a kind of
sequential hermaphroditism where the birds are born female and remain female
most of the time, with some individuals temporarily becoming male during the
breeding season. The crested screambird is no exception. Since Xenosulia has a
year too short to have any significant annual seasonal cycle – with a year lasting
about a week – they depend on the less predictable changes in stellar
temperature instead. As a variable star, Zhimuchua 23 subjects Xenosulia to
colder “solar winters” during periods when the star is covered with more sunspots
than usual.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Screambirds will prepare to mate when the sun starts to get
brighter during a solar winter, indicating it may be over soon. However, some
winters can last particularly long, so screambirds will mate anyway after a
certain amount of time has passed since the last mating season. Without doing
so, they may risk dying before they get a chance to mate. While it is best to
mate as a solar winter comes to an end to ensure eggs are laid at the start of
the summer – which means their young will spend as much time as possible in
warmer weather – if things seem unlikely to change soon it’s worth risking laying
eggs in sub-optimal conditions. This waiting period is longer during winters
than during summers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The breeding season typically occurs at around the same time
for all screambirds in a single area. This is despite the fact the exact
thresholds for deciding to start mating can vary between individuals; chemical
signifiers are used to trigger mating season behaviours in other birds. Whether
an individual becomes male (known as “maleing”) or remains female will depend
on which mating strategy is optimal. If an individual is able to consume enough
high-calorie food to put on the weight needed to bear offspring, but hasn’t
been able to consume many plants with the pigments males need for their vibrant
colouration, then this individual is much more likely to have success mating as
a female than a male. However, an individual with a fairly low body weight that
has consumed a plentiful amount of plant pigments will see more success as a
male. The conditions for maleing within <i>Acopti kibiatu </i>is fairly typical
of entomopterites, although they do differ in some species.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> When undergoing maleing, an individual’s skin changes to
green, their crest becomes larger and purple, and they develop vibrant patterns
on their wing membranes. This makes them a lot easier for predators to spot,
but this is a worthwhile trade-off to attract a mate. As alluded to above, the
pigments for this colouration are obtained from plants; screambirds are
incapable of synthesizing the necessary pigments themselves.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRQ2LZvtWKL9JycBxCTO_iuhw_LleT6R_vLayzCBupui2iedo3ZZkh_rKgTD5bcMJpix5xHx3agqXYX8L1gvkTFmB_my3oDuE7sq5LU-oMkSMH2h5msmEWyAoip1ilQvZJdppNkMhzckX/s2593/Acopti+kibiatu+%2528male%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="2593" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRQ2LZvtWKL9JycBxCTO_iuhw_LleT6R_vLayzCBupui2iedo3ZZkh_rKgTD5bcMJpix5xHx3agqXYX8L1gvkTFmB_my3oDuE7sq5LU-oMkSMH2h5msmEWyAoip1ilQvZJdppNkMhzckX/w573-h269/Acopti+kibiatu+%2528male%2529.jpg" width="573" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crested screambird after undergoing maleing</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><u> Taxonomic classification</u><br />Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br /> Class: Entomopterita<br />Order: Acoptiformes<br />Family: Acoptidae<br />Genus: <i>Acopti<br /></i>Species: <i>A. kibiatu<br /></i><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Green-breasted
Lutoraptor</span></b></div></o:p><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(Microfalcon
sucu)</span></b></span></i></div></i><o:p> <br /></o:p><br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSh1AE8U-6plq-8DFb4pgSdVRroWmGzBG_EePkCJrSEq5SQv5U0QcobUJ8n-b4taQP7Ouu-ljD64Bh7Y-djnzwxrU6hY5mlwpnvAegI8dH3IfMRafTWXaqL0F0X_AQl1jl6bryv36tiFxc/s2048/Lutoraptor.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1950" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSh1AE8U-6plq-8DFb4pgSdVRroWmGzBG_EePkCJrSEq5SQv5U0QcobUJ8n-b4taQP7Ouu-ljD64Bh7Y-djnzwxrU6hY5mlwpnvAegI8dH3IfMRafTWXaqL0F0X_AQl1jl6bryv36tiFxc/w545-h572/Lutoraptor.JPG" width="545" /></a></div><br /> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Size: 50 – 60 cm
wingspan, 22 – 28 cm long (from toe to nose, with rear leg outstretched)<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: small animals, primarily other bugbirds, also eats
carrion and fish<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: savannahs and open plains<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: sequential hermaphrodites; all individuals are
born female, and will either remain female or temporarily become male during
breeding periods. Lays eggs, and cares for their young.<br /> <o:p> </o:p><o:p><br /></o:p>Specialised as a predator, <i>Microfalcon sucu</i> is a
fairly typical lutoraptor, well adapted to its lifestyle as a bird of prey. They
can be found all over the Mesogean plains, where the open landscape allows them
to easily spot potential targets from a great distance away. Although they’re smaller
than some of their larger relatives, the green-breasted lutoraptor is far more
common, and has little difficulty taking down prey larger than itself. Its
common name comes from the colour of their chest during maleing, although most
of the time they are only shades of pale red.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Feeding</b><br />While they focus mainly on other bugbirds, they also eat
terrestrial species and sometimes fish. Most of their food is obtained through
hunting, but they will also consume carrion when it’s available.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Prey is killed primarily by spearing them with their sharp
beak. Although their rear-leg claw is capable of grasping, with only one digit
this is hardly effective and is only used to grab smaller prey.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The proboscis curls differently to other entomopterites,
allowing the beak to spring straight forward rather than taking a curved path
as it does when other bugbirds uncurl their proboscis. Hydraulic pressure is used
to shoot the beak out more rapidly, and they have good enough aim to
consistently hit vital areas.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Once prey is killed, it is ripped up with the beak, a
process that takes much longer than the rapid act of hunting itself. They focus
mainly on the softer tissues, leaving behind the bones and tougher flesh for
animals better suited for scavenging; among them certain related lutoraptors.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Anatomy</b><br />In addition to the atypical way the proboscis curls,
lutoraptors have a number of other features that distinguish them as a group. While
their compound eyes are outstretched and on the sides of their head to give
them a wide field of view, they have two enlarged simple eyes, similar to those
of dromeiformes, that provide them with good depth perception. This is
essential in making precise strikes with their beak, and without this
adaptation they’d frequently miss. They also have a pair of simple eyes adapted
for heat detection, which can be useful for locating well-hidden prey.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The hip spurs are more typical of entomopterites than those
of <i>Acopti kibiatu</i>, much smaller in size, although they do possess a
joint at the base as well as muscles specialising for the repositioning of the appendage.
This gives them slightly more control in flight than they would have otherwise.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><u>
Taxonomic classification</u><br />Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br /> Class: Entomopterita<br />Order: Lutoraptoriformes<br />Family: Lutoraptoridae<br />Genus: <i>Microfalcon<br /></i>Species: <i>M. sucu<br /></i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sufi</span></b></div></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(Sufi vulgaris)</span></b></span></i></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ClQba_ndM7HNrtZsBrYJKID2CmJciFb0IkwENtFmX_3-xI5fsrWoScAmV3-usyN4FPswzp6x6vyzgtOz1QBSuWZE1QFJDY35N_P2kgMyDOFyJaoL-xK1kzgXMdqloKUeUZu9S3D5ENFO/s2048/IMG_0334+-+Copy+-+a+-+Copy.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ClQba_ndM7HNrtZsBrYJKID2CmJciFb0IkwENtFmX_3-xI5fsrWoScAmV3-usyN4FPswzp6x6vyzgtOz1QBSuWZE1QFJDY35N_P2kgMyDOFyJaoL-xK1kzgXMdqloKUeUZu9S3D5ENFO/w578-h433/IMG_0334+-+Copy+-+a+-+Copy.JPG" width="578" /></a></div></o:p></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>Size: 1.0 – 1.4 m high, 1.3 – 1.9 m long<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: aeroplankton, supplements their diet with
vegetation <br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: open steppes, shrubland<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: start off as male, but become hermaphroditic
as they grow larger, gaining the ability to lay eggs<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>With the planet’s strong winds and abundant aeroplankton and
airborne algae, filter feeding is common on the surface. Although the most
widespread terrestrial filter feeders are the large sedentary members of the
phylum Xenospongozoa, more active filter feeders do also exist. One such group
to specialise in terrestrial filter feeding are the sitostomes, characterised
primarily by their grossly enlarged oral proboscis, which can sometimes take up
more volume than the body itself. Sitostomes are especially common in the
planet’s open plains, where winds are strong.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <i>Sufi vulgaris</i> is a fairly small sitostome that also
supliments its diet with plants. Like most sitostomes it fairly slow moving, spending
a lot of its time standing still and facing the wind. For protection, they live
in herds, just like many of the plain’s herbivores. Specialised hairs are used
to detect the wind direction, and <i>Sufi vulgaris</i> has holes at the side of
its proboscis to allow air to pass back out.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><u> Taxonomic classification</u><br />Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br /> Class: Spinoptilita<br />Order: Sitostomatiformes<br />Family: Sufidae<br />Genus: <i>Sufi<br /></i>Species: <i>S. vulgaris<br /></i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Southern
Mesogean Mac</span></b></div></o:p></span><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(Macrocephalus
australis)</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div></i><o:p> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfG7hP85n09GlwfMVJIo0hkCEyiIqYTRI5r35ZMnNUaUW0zhoUv-bKrknehlFf-3kCOJ1EoKZ-D-iRpOx_PlAhY6YF_h9lh23uljiAgX5fKNGbGJdgSjG11KVmzgFGrAtbrGLKtT5ZOgI/s2048/Macrocephalus.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfG7hP85n09GlwfMVJIo0hkCEyiIqYTRI5r35ZMnNUaUW0zhoUv-bKrknehlFf-3kCOJ1EoKZ-D-iRpOx_PlAhY6YF_h9lh23uljiAgX5fKNGbGJdgSjG11KVmzgFGrAtbrGLKtT5ZOgI/w578-h434/Macrocephalus.JPG" width="578" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Size: 1.8 – 2.5 meters high, 2.6 – 3.6 meters long</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: aeroplankton</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Habitat: open steppes, shrubland</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Reproduction: start off as male, but become hermaphroditic
as they grow larger, gaining the ability to lay eggs. Mating occurs by allowing
gametozoans to be blown in the wind; their sensory hairs are greatly elongated
to allow for this<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><i>Macrocephalus australis</i> is a much larger sitostome, and
is far more specialised towards filter feeding than <i>Sufi vulgaris</i>.
However, they lack the side holes of the smaller relatives, instead employing a
different method of filter feeding; facing towards the wind, they hold their
mouth wide open, allowing air as well as smaller particles to enter. Then, they
close their mouth, leaving it open just enough that only the numerous spines
and hairs that line their lips block the passage. Forcing air out, small
particles that can’t fit through the gaps between the hairs get stuck.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> As a larger animal that depends more on filter feeding, <i>Macrocephalus
</i>is even more slow moving, and their proboscis is far more enlarged,
almost unnaturally so.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <a name="_Hlk60831323"><u>Taxonomic classification</u><br /></a>Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br />
Class: Spinoptilita<br />Order: Sitostomatiformes<br />Family: Macrocephalidae<br />Genus: <i>Macrocephalus<br /></i>Species: <i>M. australis</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Common
Field Oc</span></b></div></o:p></span><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a name="_Hlk60656881">Acanthonota maximus</a>)</span></b></span></i></div></i><o:p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3Tm_oNHXYmxB_JRkggObsQ-w_TRBS6M6xFfMxveMivniWbVrftEdPPGosYk8-SiJDRzEhENQNmC_iaFSqV0p_njb2PvEbjaZe_KeCT926j93KuKM4UQTvnpsS4PkFS7lYaimAZkHMpV-/s2048/Field+Oclin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3Tm_oNHXYmxB_JRkggObsQ-w_TRBS6M6xFfMxveMivniWbVrftEdPPGosYk8-SiJDRzEhENQNmC_iaFSqV0p_njb2PvEbjaZe_KeCT926j93KuKM4UQTvnpsS4PkFS7lYaimAZkHMpV-/w584-h438/Field+Oclin.jpg" width="584" /></a></div><br /><o:p> </o:p>Size: 20 – 30 cm long, 10 – 15 cm high (up to the highest
point of the back)<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Diet: seeds, fruit, grass<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habitat: grassland and savannah<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reproduction: remains hermaphroditic throughout their life,
breeds at a rapid rate.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><i>Acanthonota maximus</i> belongs to a group of
spinoptilites called polylutiforms, so named for their tendency to shed through
multiple “tongues”. In actuality, it’s just the hard outer layer that’s shed,
rather than the radula itself. Members of the family Ancanthonotidae are
colloquially referred to as “ocs” or “oclins”, a Gontanic term originally
referring to the hedgehogs of Earth in certain dialects.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The main defining characteristic of the group is the
hardened radula; rather than consisting of soft tissue with cupitinous teeth,
the entire radula has become covered in a layer of hard cupitin, the whole
organ acting as a single spiny tooth. This is shed and replaced by the layer beneath
at a rate rapid enough to compensate for the constant erosion of the tooth. This
tooth tends to be enlarged compared to the radulae of other groups, and while
they’re often inflexible, in the case of the field oc the cupitin layer is thin
enough that it can be flexed to an extent.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Defence</b><br />The oclin is a small animal, although its small size is
typical of polylutiforms. While far larger species have existed in the past,
they have since been outcompeted by more modern herbivore groups like taruses.
As such, it depends largely on its small size and ability to hide to avoid
predators.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />While their small
size allows them to hide well, and they have sharp enough senses to be quickly
alerted to danger, <i>Acanthonota maximus</i> is able to use its spines for
defence if this fails. With the spines it shares with other spinoptilites
concentrated on its back, the animal is very uncomfortable to attempt to catch.
This is made worse when these spikes are made to stand erect. What’s less
obvious at a glance is the fact these spines broaden at the base and are wide
enough that they interlink, forming a thin shell under the spines. This shell
offers a degree of further protection, and it’s flexible enough not to
interfere too much with movement. <br />Another feature that allows them to avoid predation is the
elongated compound eye band, which stretches all the way around the head from
one shoulder to the other. This offers them a wide field of view, and in
addition to the compound eye, two of their simple eyes are enlarged and
specialised for detecting predators.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> They don’t depend solely on sight, though, and have well
developed hearing too. Unlike many other spinoptilites, the lower pair of ears
have been retained in polylutiforms; both pairs possess an external pinna to
filter sound, developed independently from the pinnae of taruses. Those of <i>Acanthonota</i>
in particular are greatly enlarged. These aren’t their only hearing organs;
they are also able to detect vibrations in the ground via sensory organs in
their feet, which is much more useful whenever it’s too windy for the air to
transmit sound very well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Although their limbs aren’t specialised for digging, they do
have a limited ability to dig and prefer to sleep in burrows for safety. Often
they will take up residence in abandoned burrows dug by more proficient
burrowers. If they are close enough to their burrow when a predator is near,
they prefer hiding underground to anything else.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Wind avoidance</b><br />Unlike pulusiforms, who have adapted to be able to tolerate
strong winds, <i>Acanthonota maximus</i> tends to avoid it entirely. They have
well developed sensory hairs, similar to those of sitostomes, that allow them
to detect changes in the wind. The animal seems to be able to predict when the
wind will increase, hiding in a burrow until the weather is tolerable again.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b> Reproduction</b><br />While not nearly to the same extent as pulusiforms, these
animals are fast breeders, allowing them to spread rapidly. Unlike pulusiforms,
they do care for their young, although they’re not very selective in who they
mate with. All individuals are hermaphroditic, and if they’re unable to find other
individuals to mate with soon after they enter heat, they will release male
gametozoans into the grass which will go looking for an individual to
inseminate.<br /><br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Interaction with humans</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Acanthonota maximus</i> and other oclins have quite
adaptable diets, and as such are one of the groups to take advantage of the
recent arrival of humans on the planet. Their fast breeding rate only makes
things worse, to the extent that they’re considered a pest by many. They have a
tendency to dig small burrows underneath people’s houses, only coming up when
people are sleeping or away to steal whatever food is edible to them. Although they’re
unused to daily cycles as inhabitants of a tidally locked planet, they seem to
have quickly learned the cyclic patterns of human behaviour. In spite of this,
they are also common pets, perhaps because their small size means they require
little space to look after.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><u> Taxonomic classification</u><br />Tree: Xenosulivitae<br />Domain: Rhytocaryota<br />Kingdom: Xenosulizoa<br />Phylum: Hydratozoa<br />Superclass: Tripoda<br /><i>Clade: </i>Sucodermata<br /> Class: Spinoptilita<br />Order: Polylutiformes<br />Family: Acanthonotidae<br />Genus: <i>Acanthonota<br /></i>Species: <i>A. maximus</i></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-71052606545483376592021-01-16T09:06:00.007-08:002022-08-19T14:40:24.513-07:00Other Phyla <div style="text-align: left;">In addition to hydratozoans, there are numerous other animal phyla that inhabit Xenosulia. Most animals have a similar optic nervous system as hydratozoans, in addition to similar pneumatic muscle tissue, which they likely inherited from a common ancestor (in fact, in most cases genetic evidence confirms this). However, hydraulic muscles are rare in non-hydratozoans, and those on land tend to be much smaller, lacking good skeletal support.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <br />This is far from a comprehensive list; there are countless animal phyla on the planet, far too many to cover here. This includes the various worm-like phyla, in addition to a great number of aquatic animals. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Mycozoans</h3></div><div style="text-align: left;">These organisms resemble the fungi of Earth, and are often referred to as such. Despite belonging to Xenosulia’s animal kingdom, they lack any muscles or a nervous system; evidence shows they branched off before these were developed, rather than having lost these features. <br />Mycozoans are detrivores, feeding off decaying organic matter, and are especially common on the planet’s night side. On the night side, they are able to feed off of dead air-algae that has been blown over from the day side and fallen to the ground, giving them an ample supply of food. <br />Like hydratozoans, mycozoans have separate diploid and haploid generations; this is believed to have been an ancestral trait of animal life and has been retained by almost all groups. The diploid generation is the primary generation, with the haploid generation only consisting of microscopic – but still multicellular – spores that are spread by wind dispersal. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Xenospongozoa</h3>These large sponge-like organisms are similar to the sponges of Earth, sedentary filter-feeders, but unlike the sponges of Earth there are many terrestrial linages. Wind passing through their pores can leave various particles behind, including the nutrient rich air algae. They can grow to large sizes, and are a common sight in the open savannas of Xenosulia, where they can often be almost as common as trees. Xenospongozoans are abundant on both the day and night sides of the planet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Like mycozoans, they reproduce by wind dispersal, releasing tiny haploid spores into the air. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Spherozoans</h3>Spherozoans are tiny animals who basally have spherical symmetry, but some groups have become radially symmetrical. The most “primitive” spherozoans have a body plan consisting of a central sphere with numerous equally-spaced legs sticking out in all dimensions for locomotion and the gathering of food. Their legs are typically arranged in a polyhedral formation. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />This body plan has been retained by many slow-moving aquatic groups, where distinction between directions isn’t really relevant. However, most terrestrial lineages have developed a distinct top and bottom, with the lower legs adapted for locomotion and the upper legs specialised for food gathering. This has happened in multiple different orders independently, most notably in hexahedrites and octohedrites. Sight has also developed in these groups, with eyes at the ends of the feeding limbs. <br />Food is eaten through mouths in the arms, which enters the main body through an oesophagus running the length of the appendage. In most radial terrestrial lineages, only the upper limbs have retained this function, although some groups graze with their feet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />They are covered by a flexible outer cuticle, protecting them from desiccation. There is an air filled layer beneath this cuticle, allowing oxygen to be absorbed directly into the more permeable skin underneath; holes in the cuticle – usually three per segment – allow for passage of air in and out of this layer. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Air absorbed by the inner skin enters the circulatory system; this is an open circulatory system, in which the body cavity is filled with hemolymph rather than contained entirely in blood vessels. Suspended in the hemolymph is the oxygen carrier hemoflavin, a protein unknown on Earth that, like hemerythrin, is immune to carbon monoxide poisoning. However, it is susceptible to hydrogen poisoning. Hemoflavin is yellow in colour in both its oxygenated and deoxygenated state, and although its oxygen carrier is iron the protein’s colour comes from its structure and not the metal. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Without a hard skeleton, the body of a spherozoan is supported entirely from the hydrostatic pressure of the hemolymph. There is a layer of muscle under the inner skin which can increase internal pressure by contracting against the hemolymph, making the animal much more rigid. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />There are countless different species of spherozoan, greatly exceeding the total number of hydratozoan species, and they occupy a niche similar to the arthropods of Earth. However, unlike many insects, no spherozoans are capable of flight. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Unlike hydratozoans, although spherozoans have both a diploid and haploid generation, it is only the haploid generation that are motile. The haploid generation is also far more longer-lived than the relatively short diploid generation. The diploid generation are fungus-like in appearance, spawning numerous spherozoans from tiny holes before dying, and in some spherozoan taxa the haploids may produce numerous diploid “fungus” in their lifetime. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Cardozoans</h3>These organisms consist of a rigid external shell that bends in the middle, the two halves of the body joined by a “hinge”. The subphylum, Cardoptera, is an example of one of the handful of times in which flight has evolved. All cardozoans outside of this subphylum are aquatic, and it seems likely that cardopterans developed flight straight out of the water, with an intermediary surfacing and gliding stage. The flight of cardopterans is similar to the swimming of aquatic cardozoans, involving the flapping of both halves of the body. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Cardozoans are known as “hingeflies”, due to the appearance of their entire body consisting of just two wings joined together at a hinge. However, this is just their outer shell, and their anatomy is actually more complicated than this. Inside the shell is an – often tentacled – worm-like organism, parts of which emerge for the purposes of feeding and mating. The eyes themselves are often attached to eye-holes in the shell itself, right at the hinge, although in the class Maculocardita there are also eyes distributed across the wings. They may have additional sensory organs that can be retracted, such as tentacles covered in taste receptors or a stalk eye, but all the senses needed for flight are available to the hingefly while its safely retracted inside its shell. The shell itself consists of a woody material, made of a substance similar to cellulose or chitin. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Terrestrial cardozoans are usually small in size, due to limitations of their respiratory system, and show an even greater range of diversity than spherozoans. They fill a similar niche as flying insects do on Earth. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Like spherozoans, only the haploid generation of cardozoans are motile, and the diploid generation is typically shorter lived. Diploid cardozoans appear like a woody branching fungus, often red in colour, on which growing cardozoans are often seen hanging from. Usually cardozoans are folded up at this stage of development, and may resemble seeds. They can typically fly immediately upon detaching from this branching structure. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-81271151997644491732021-01-16T07:35:00.001-08:002021-01-19T01:58:44.302-08:00Hydratozoans<div>The planet’s largest animals, especially on land, belong to the phylum Hydratozoa. While most higher groups have become bilateral, they basal body plan is radially symmetric, with the most obvious trait shared by such primitive hydratozoans being the compound eye ring surrounding the mouth. They usually also have multiple togues for catching food, and their mouth is positioned at the top of the body with an anus underneath. They have a water-vascular system somewhat similar to those of the echinoderms of Earth, which functions as both a respiratory and circulatory system as well as aiding in movement. They’re boneless, supported entirely by hydrostatic pressure, but more advanced groups have developed skeletal supports. </div><div><br />The first bilaterally symmetric hydratozoans looked something like a slug or sea cucumber, with their bilateral symmetry coming from the fact that one half of their body is adapted to sitting on the ground. Many such hydratozoans still exist today. A specific clade of these slug-like hydratozoans with an endoskeleton – mainly used for protection – eventually gave rise to more fish-like organisms capable of swimming, which later moved onto land. </div><div><br />The majority of terrestrial hydratozoans belong to the clade Tripoda. Although some of the more slug-like hydratozoans also moved onto land, most are very small and unable to compete for the same niches as tripods. Tripods descended from “fish” with only two paired fins, and as such there are no tripod species with four or more limbs. However, the tail has developed into a third limb, allowing them to have up to three legs – although there are many bipedal, legless, and even monopodal taxa. The first members of the clade are believed to have been tripedal, hence the name, although the line between a third leg and a heavily specialised tail can be very blurred. </div><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Spinoptilite anatomy</h2></div><div><br /></div><div>Spinoptilita is a very successful group of tripod, with an active lifestyle, erect limb posture, and a type of warm-bloodedness that allows them to keep different parts of their body at different temperatures. Many of the features of spinoptilites are shared by other tripods, so this should give a good idea of general tripod biology. </div><div><br />Spinoptilites belong to a large clade called Sucodermata, characterised by thick skin protecting them from desiccation. This allows them to live further from bodies of water, although more basal groups still depend on water for reproduction. Most tripods outside of this group dry out very easily, and will shrivel up and die in contact with salt similarly to a slug. The vast majority of fully terrestrial hydratozoans belong to this clade. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfZ8yzQR_3ozsTpXUyISKMG7QjyBhDZ8goLa7pKBFuzzwO64i5pKg535Z-aJH6GAvkoOlm6PDcwIoiSdUcVAP02Tz9JMgx6mljrVRXY3ugWCbpEfj1NAIwXeLDpGTTRCO2HFt-kAyapog/s2048/IMG_0260.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfZ8yzQR_3ozsTpXUyISKMG7QjyBhDZ8goLa7pKBFuzzwO64i5pKg535Z-aJH6GAvkoOlm6PDcwIoiSdUcVAP02Tz9JMgx6mljrVRXY3ugWCbpEfj1NAIwXeLDpGTTRCO2HFt-kAyapog/w567-h425/IMG_0260.JPG" width="567" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Internal anatomy of a spinoptilite. The species pictured is the Occasian fin-backed tarus (<i>Tilusa nusulu</i>).</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Skin</h3></div><div>The most obvious defining trait of spinoptilites is the presence of spiny integument on their bodies. These spines can vary in length, density, and distribution, and serve a number of functions. Defence was likely the original reason these spines evolved, but they serve a very limited defensive purpose in most groups. They also break up an animal’s silhouette, helping them escape the notice of predators or prey more effectively; this is especially true of species with longer spines. The least obvious but perhaps most common function they serve is in temperature regulation; each spine has a large blood vessel, and increasing the flow of blood into the spine can help cool the animal by allowing heat to pass out. Spines are usually thinner on one side to allow more heat out, which actually limits their defensive ability. <br /><br /></div><div>As sucoderms, the skin of spinoptilites is thick and very good at holding in moisture. It is also very flexible, and contains a layer of muscle underneath that allows it to change shape slightly or tense up. These muscles aren’t attached to the skeleton, and only seem to serve a role in changing skin texture or shape for better camouflage, as well as protecting the animal. It can also help an animal balance by changing the distribution of muscular fluids throughout the body, modifying the centre of gravity. <br />This layer of muscle means that developing tentacles isn’t that hard along fairly short evolutionary timescales, and they have evolved many times among tripods as a whole. </div><div><br />The skin of all tripods consists primarily of a protein that has been labelled by human researchers as cupitin. The properties of cupitin are similar to that of keratin, but it’s quite different in structure. The skin consists of outer layers of cells whose cell walls consist of the protein, underneath which is tissue consisting of wall-less cells. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Skeletal system</h3></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFNj5JGzGevL5H6mpfw4jXO9F9tWps88QRd_lpaSoKkeA1X2UoEz_6rxuptHxtCpgwbXnofQjrv8SyTqfnqLvzKbawwNw_vuMluglNAcqhLFCeYiUt16xxOgncPjDJBIpkUgwDklPyiDp/s2048/IMG_0286.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFNj5JGzGevL5H6mpfw4jXO9F9tWps88QRd_lpaSoKkeA1X2UoEz_6rxuptHxtCpgwbXnofQjrv8SyTqfnqLvzKbawwNw_vuMluglNAcqhLFCeYiUt16xxOgncPjDJBIpkUgwDklPyiDp/w558-h418/IMG_0286.JPG" width="558" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Skeleton of the fin-backed tarus</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Tripod bones consist largely of silica, rather than the calcium phosphate of vertebrate bones, and tend to be much stronger. Rather than possessing any bone marrow equivalent, that function is instead taken up by a specific organ, with the hollow interior of bones being used as a long-term energy store in the form of starch. Other than these differences, the bone tissue of tripods is very similar to that of vertebrates in terms of structure and function. </div><div><br />Their skeletal structure differs from a vertebrate’s in a number of ways. The first hydratozoan skeletons consisted of a internal “shell” with a number of interlocking plates, which was very effective at protecting the internal organs. However, in larger and more active animals such a skeleton can weigh them down, so many groups have developed a lighter skeleton with more gaps and holes. </div><div><br />In most sucoderms the skeletal plates of the torso have developed into thinner “ribs”, but have maintained triangular processes that interlock with the rib behind it to provide the skeleton with more strength than it would have otherwise. These processes have roughly triangular holes in them to reduce weight without sacrificing strength too much. The fossil record shows that rather than developing from projections growing from a more vertebrate-like rib, the processes are actually what remained of the broader skeletal plate as it lost bone. The ribs attach to a spinal column running underneath the body, rather than the back as in vertebrates. </div><div><br />The bones of what can be considered the skull have retained their ancestral shape, however, offering the brain a greater degree of protection. The front legs attach to the skull onto a specialised “shoulder blade” plate. The skull lacks any kind of jaw, with a mere opening for the oral proboscis. <br />The rear leg is quite different anatomically from the front pair. While the muscle is on the outside of the front legs, the rear leg has much broader hollow bones with space inside for digestive organs, muscle, and other tissues typically found in the torso. This is due to its development from the rear of the animal, with each rear-leg bone being homologous to the skeletal plates or ribs of the torso and skull. </div><div><br />The skeleton pictured is of a fin-backed tarus, which bears a number of distinctions from other spinoptilites. Two of the dermal spines have become ossified, and have attachment points on the skeleton, which can be seen in the image. They also have a horn at the tip of the skull, and the processes of the rear ribs have been greatly extended to protect and support the enlarged primary hydraulic pump.</div><div> <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Nervous system</h3></div><div>The nervous system of hydratozoans, and most animals on Xenosulia in fact, is bioluminescent rather than electrochemical. This is far from uncommon on other planets; however, whereas most bioluminescent nervous systems encountered elsewhere involve the production of light at one end of the nerve, which is transferred across a kind of biological optical fibre, the nervous system of hydratozoans works differently. Instead, there is a kind of relay system where light is sequentially produced across the nerve. </div><div><br />Hydratozoan nerves are filled with photosensitive light releasing chemicals. When light is produced in one part of a nerve, it stimulates the release of the same chemical compounds further down the nerve; this bioluminescence only lasts for a brief period, which is followed by that part of the nerve becoming fatigued, unable to light up again until it’s recovered. This way, the part of the nerve that’s lit up is prevented from moving in reverse. Instead, it will continue to trigger the next portion of the nerve fibre to light up until the signal has run across the whole length. </div><div><br />More primitive animals have to rely on the diffusion of chemical signals throughout the body; these chemicals are similar to the bioluminescent chemicals in hydratozoan nerves, which they’re likely ancestral to. </div><div><br />The central nervous system consists of a brain at the front of the body and a nerve cord running through the middle. Since it’s located deeper within the body than the spinal cords of Earth’s vertebrates, it doesn’t need as much protection, with a flexible sheath covering it. Nerves branch from the primary nerve cord to the rest of the body, although the oral proboscis has its own distinct nerve cord. At the end of the oral proboscis is the oral ganglion, used for processing sensory information from the proboscis. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Muscular system </h3></div><div>On a basic level, the muscles of hydratozoans work in a superficially similar way, contracting to generate force. However, at a closer look the way this is accomplished can be seen to be quite different. Rather than fibres of myosin and actin sliding together as in Earth animals, the muscle cells of hydratozoans and many other Xenosulian animal phyla are pneumatic. They work by increasing internal pressure, forcing the stretched-out cells to become more spherical and contract. On larger scales this looks similar to vertebrate muscles, with contracting muscle tissue becoming shorter along one axis but swelling in others. </div><div><br />The increase in pressure is caused by a release of gasses, mainly oxygen, from a protein contained within specialised organelles found in muscle cells, which forms bubbles. This realise is triggered by the same chemicals used in conveying nerve signals, and muscle cells are in fact homologous to nerve fibres and able to transmit light in the same way. The gas molecules bind back to the protein soon afterwards, reducing cell pressure again and allowing muscles to stretch. </div><div><br />While the above is true of the majority of motile animal life on Xenosulia, the muscular system of advanced hydratozoans has a number of features that sets it apart. Most notably is a system of hydraulic pumps adapted from the ancestral water-vascular system, which is linked to the cardiovascular system. The muscles themselves have both parallel and traverse fibres, allowing them to both contract and elongate. The pumps increase the fluid pressure in the muscles, which allows them to elongate even more forcefully. There is a hydraulic pump for each leg, as well as a primary hydraulic pump larger in size than the rest; this primary hydraulic pump is supplied with deoxygenated blood from the veins. This hydraulic muscular system gives tripods more strength than would otherwise be possible, but it can’t be used as dependably over long periods as normal contraction because of the need to build up pressure. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Circulatory and respiratory systems</h3></div><div>The circulatory system of all “higher” hydratozoans is derived from the ancestral water-vascular system, as is the respiratory system. They have a closed circulatory system, with the blood contained in veins and arteries that branch and deliver blood to all the body’s tissues. The lung, as well as the hearts, are derived from the water-vascular system’s muscular pumps, just as the hydraulic pumps are. Unlike the water-vascular system, the circulatory system is closed off from the surrounding water (or air) in the outside environment, and contains fluid quite different in composition rather than just consisting of the surrounding seawater. </div><div><br />The single lung is derived from the gill pump of the more fish-like ancestors of tripods, and is located in the animal’s back. Numerous paired spiracles on the animals back are used for breathing, and while breathing in is generally passive (although some derived groups employ active inhalation), exhaling air is an active process. This is accomplished by the contraction of a wall of muscle that surrounds the lungs, forcing air out. </div><div><br />Each trachea has a sphincter at the base that allows for the control of airflow, and many groups have an additional set of sphincters at the spiracles, especially aquatic groups that might want to prevent the trachea from filling with water. In spinoptilites, there are also vocal folds present in the trachea, allowing for the production of sound. Many other groups have developed similar mechanisms of vocalisation independently. </div><div><br />There are numerous hearts, most often small, located throughout the body, but they fit into three main groups. One group, the arterial hearts, are located ventrally, along the animal’s chest and abdomen, and encased within the spinal column for protection. The arterial hearts are responsible for pumping oxygenated blood from the lungs. These are usually the smallest hearts, and are the reason why some vertebrae are larger than the others (since those are the vertebrae which contain a heart). The arterial hearts can number anywhere from seven to twenty, occasionally even more, and there are usually twice as many vertebrae as there are such hearts. </div><div><br />To pump blood, the arterial hearts successively contract in waves, from front to back. Each arterial heart is single chambered, so they depend on this sequential worming motion to work effectively. The arterial hearts of tripods and other “advanced” hydratozoans are derived from the major ventral artery of the more primitive slug-like hydratozoans, which pumped blood through similar waves of contraction. This blood vessel developed areas where muscles were more concentrated which over time became a long chain of hearts.</div><div><br />A second group of hearts, the lung hearts, pump deoxygenated blood through the blood vessels that branch through the lung, increasing the efficiency in which oxygen is taken up by the blood. The two lung hearts are located just behind the lung and act together as a single two-chambered heart. They are often, but not always, larger in size than the arterial hearts, likely because there are less of them – although in terms of total muscle mass they are collectively smaller. </div><div><br />Unique to spinoptilites and entomopterites are the cranial hearts, which are responsible for pumping oxygenated blood directly to the brain. These are located just below and behind the brain, and like the lung hearts they consist of a pair of single chambered hearts that act together to pump blood. <br />The blood itself contains pellet-shaped blood cells which use the protein hemerythrin to transport oxygen. It’s likely that hemerythrin outcompeted other oxygen binding proteins, such as the hemoglobin used by vertibrates, due to its immunity to carbon monoxide poisoning. Not only are levels of carbon monoxide higher on Xenosulia than on Earth, but the geological record indicates it was far higher at certain points in the past. Hemerythrin isn’t the only oxygen binding protein used, however; chlorocruorin is also suspended directly in the blood, with most tripods having a dual system of both proteins, although many groups have lost either one or the other. Blood cells are produced in a specialised organ, rather than from bone marrow, which also plays a role in the immune system. </div><div><br />Hemerythrin gives the blood of most tripods a purplish colour when oxygenated, although blood colour can vary depending on the varying levels of hemerythrin and chlorocruorin. Those with low or no hemerythrin typically have green blood, and the brightest purples are seen in blood lacking chlorocruorin. <br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Digestive system</h3>The digestive system begins at the oral probiscis, present in almost all tripods, used for the gathering of food. In spinoptilites, much digestion takes place within the proboscis itself, but in many other groups these digestive organs are greatly reduced and the proboscis can be retracted into the head. The skin of the proboscis is generally more elastic than in other parts of the body, allowing it to stretch in length for more efficient food gathering. The presence of such a proboscis is likely why so few tripods have developed necks, in addition to the wide field of view the compound eye band offers. </div><div><br />In side the mouth of the proboscis is a tooth covered radula, although this is lost in one of the two main spinoptilite branches. This tongue-like radula, present in almost all non-spinoptilites, is used to scrape up food matter through an abrasive “licking” motion. There is also a salivary gland, which is capable of producing very acidic secretions; this secretion is especially concentrated in the spinoptilite clade lacking a radula. In such spinoptilites, feeding is accomplished by first spitting acid onto their food, and then consuming the partially liquified biomatter. A dependence on this method of feeding is likely what led to the loss of the radula. Tripods basally lack any kind of jaw, spinoptilites included, and liquivory was developed to make up for this – however, jaws were developed independently in multiple tripod taxa. </div><div><br />Once food has left the mouth it enters the oesophagus, which leads to a muscular gizzard. This organ is lined with tough cupitinous teeth and grinds up food through a series of contractions, although there are certain groups that lack such teeth and need to swallow stones. The gizzard is usually located near the mouth of the proboscis, but in the animal pictured above, the fin-backed tarus, it has been pulled back into the skull. </div><div><br />At the base of the proboscis is an anterior stomach, which releases enzymes involved in the breakdown of food and plays a role in the absorption of water into the blood. After it has been processed by this stomach food enters the crop which stores food; it is also involved in fermentation in many herbivorous species. </div><div><br />The crops leads to the posterior stomach, where sulphuric acid is released for the breakdown of food. There are also enzymes involved, but many of the enzymes found in the anterior stomach can only survive in the presence of the weaker acid present there. </div><div><br />Beyond the stomach is the intestines, which absorb nutrients as well as playing a role in the further breaking-down of food, which leads to a tube known as the cnemic passage which makes its way through the rear leg. In most groups the cnemic passage is straight, but in many herbivorous groups like that fin backed tarus pictured above, this has developed into a secondary intestinal tract for the further breakdown and absorption of food. The cnemic passage leads to an anus at the back of the foot, where waste is excreted. This waste tends to be quite dry, with most excess water excreted out of the oral proboscis. </div><div><br />Nitrogenous waste is extracted from the blood by a kidney-like organ, where it is collected and stored in a specialised sac. When an individual is low on nitrogen, this storage organ releases some of its contents back into the blood. If this organ exceeds its capacity, these nitrogenous compounds enter a passage to the intestines where they’re excreted as solid yellowish crystals. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Senses</h3>The majority of sense organs are distributed towards the front of the body, as well as the tip of the proboscis. These sense organs provide many of the same senses as those seen in the vertibrates of Earth, including sight, sound, olfaction, and taste. In addition to the specialised sense organs described below, pressure, pain, and temperature receptors and distributed throughout the skin. Pressure receptors are especially densely concentrated on the oral proboscis. </div><div><br /><u>Compound eye</u><br />At the front of the body is a large compound eye band; in spite of most spinoptilites having just one such eye, the fact it’s a compound eye in addition to its shape offers it a great degree of peripheral vision. </div><div><br />Like the compound eyes found in the arthropods of Earth, this eye consists of numerous small lenses that focus light on photoreceptor cells, with each unit unable to resolve images on their own. However, together they are able to form a mosaic of the animal’s surroundings. Compound eyes typically have a poorer resolution than the eyes of many vertebrates; however, spinoptilites and other tripods have numerous means of improving their vision. The most significant is their ability to quickly vibrate their eyes, which is accomplished by quick sub-dermal muscular movements. These vibrations are actually fast paced scans that allow the eye to pick up more visual data; visual data from each position in the scan is put together to make an even more detailed mosaic than would otherwise be possible. </div><div><br />Some of the other means by which vision is improved also depend on subtle movements of the eye. The compound eye is able to bend, so sub-dermal muscle can flatten the eye in certain areas so a specific object the animal is focusing on comes into better focus. The greater number of ommatidia directed towards the object allows it to be viewed with far greater clarity. </div><div><br />The compound eye has very good colour vision, especially the compound eyes of spinoptilites, with most spinoptilites being hexachromatic. However, these colours tend to be shifted to the red end of the spectrum since the planet orbits a red dwarf. It’s rare for an animal to be able to detect blue light, but they’re very sensitive to red light and most species can see well into the near-infrared. Although Xenosulia seems slightly dimmer than Earth to most humans, it actually receives the same amount of light because of its close distance, with a large part of that light being in the infrared and therefore invisible to humans. To an animal native to the planet, it looks much brighter, at least on the day side. <br />Simple eyes</div><div><br />In addition to the compound eye, there are numerous smaller single-lensed ocelli surrounding it. The ocelli of the head are divided into two groups; the lateral ocelli and the dorsal ocelli. These eyes evolved separately from the compound eyes, and are present in most tripods, although the ocelli of the first tripods lacked lenses. The ocelli of spinoptilites, however, do have lenses, which are primarily composed of hard and transparent cupitin. They lack the ability to resolve images, but have advantages over the compound eye such as a greater ability to sense changes in light and dark. They’re also much faster acting than the compound eye, since the neurons at the base of the compound eye photoreceptors have an inefficient mechanism for transmitting information, something that’s difficult for evolution to work around. Also, the compound eyes, while able to distinguish colour, have a comparatively poor ability to distinguish light intensity. </div><div><br /><u>Sound</u><br />Sense of sound is complicated on Xenosulia by the strong winds. Sound travels more dependably through the ground, however, so more basal tripods with a sprawling posture have developed a pair of ears at the bottom of their body to pick up such sounds. There are periods of stiller weather, however, and areas more protected from the winds, so sensitivity to airborne sound isn’t useless. The ears under the body aren’t in an optimal position for picking up airborne sound; because of this, there is a second pair of ears, higher up, that serve this purpose. </div><div><br />Standing with a more erect posture, most spinoptilites have lost this lower ear pair, retaining only the upper ears. Raised off the ground, the lower ears serve little purpose, although in certain groups they have been repurposed for the detection of airborne sound. Because the need to detect vibrations in the ground still exists, spinoptilites have developed a secondary set of hearing organs in the feet, characteristic of the group. </div><div><br /><u>Smell</u><br />While the oral proboscis, mentioned below, is able smell and taste at short distances, spinoptilites can pick up smells at much further distances using other sensory organs. Namely, olfactory receptors located inside the respiratory spiracles are used, this being an ideal location due to the rapid movement of air into and out of this part of the body. These sense organs are especially developed in certain predatory groups, where they can be used to aid in the location of prey. </div><div><br /><u>Sensory organs of the proboscis</u></div><div>At the tip of the proboscis there are a number of sense organs too, assisting in the location of food. Numerous sensory hairs project from the tip, which not only help tactile detection but are also lined with taste receptors. The proboscis can smell, too, with olfactory slits near the mouth that are able to draw in air with the help of small internal bladders. These slits aren’t able to smell very well beyond short distances, but it is only used for finding food at a close range anyway. There are taste receptors on the inside of proboscis, too, right near the opening of the mouth. </div><div><br />The oral proboscis also has eyes near the end, similar in structure as the dorsal and lateral ocelli, but specialised for short range vision. Although the oral eyes of many spinoptilites lack lenses, in those where they are present these lenses are made of hardened cupitin. In spite of these lenses these oral eyes have a similar inability to resolve clear images as the ocelli do, although they’re able to see colour and in many species can make out rough shapes. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Reproductive system </h3></div><div>Reproduction is accomplished via specialised organs in the oral proboscis. There are numerous glands near the mouth, capable of producing either male or female gametozoans; a Xenosulian term for the animal equivalent of gametophytes. These gametozoans are distinct organisms, representing the haploid generation. What is usually thought of as the actual animal is the diploid generation; in fact, all the anatomy described above applies only to them. The much larger diploid animals have cells with paired chromosomes, whereas the chromosomes of gametozoans are unpaired. </div><div><br />The gametozoans of most tripods are motile and radially symmetrical, with six legs covered in sensory hairs. Although tiny, they are usually macroscopic in size. However, female gamatozoans of many taxa have lost their legs and ability to move, instead remaining within the diploid parent. This is the case in spinoptilites, where mating usually consists of simply linking the oral proboscises together and allowing the male gametozoans to crawl in to the other animal and mate with it. </div><div><br />Soon after a male and female gametozoan mate, they die, the materials of their body being used in the initial growth of a new diploid organism with genetic material from both parents. In spinoptilites and most other sucoderms, the developing embryos migrate to a uterus in the skull. </div><div><br />The diploid generation of most tripods are hermaphroditic, and sequential hermaphroditism is common, especially in spinoptilites. The gametozoan producing organs in the mouth can easily change over time to be female producing or male producing, and there is nothing stopping an individual from having some produce male gametozoans and others produce females. </div><div><br />One feature that distinguishes spinoptilites from most other tripods is the phenomenon of eusociality with regards to the gametozoans. In addition to fertile males and females, spinoptilites also prouduce infertile males gametozoans; these infertile males play no role in reproduction, instead assisting the animal in various ways like worker ants in an ant colony. These infertile males are produced by separate specialised gametozoan glands, which are present in both male and female diploids. </div><div><br />Infertile gametozoans assist in numerous ways, such as cleaning the animal, distributing various oils across the body, and even serve a sensory function by probing the ground or objects. Gametozoans can also be used for defensive purposes, attacking other animals with toxins. Many live inside the parent animal as well as crawling along the skin, and early explorers initially believed spinoptilites were covered in unrelated bug-like organisms, presumed to be parasites of some kind. </div><div><br />Spinoptilites are oviparous, laying large hard-shelled eggs. These eggs are grown in the uterus and laid through the oral proboscis, which acts as an ovipositor. Each egg contains multiple larvae, and is lined with groves along the surface; these gaps in the shell allow air to reach the membrane below, where there are numerous stomata that are able to open and close depending on humidity. This provides the developing larvae with a steady source of oxygen. The egg’s groves gives the shell a cracked appearance, and coupled with its round shape this can lead it to resemble certain icy planets or moons like Europa or Oculia. </div><div><br />Spinoptilite larvae are tiny and less developed than the young of other sucoderms, lacking bones or the legs that will appear later in life. However, they do have numerous paired tube legs, supported entirely by hydrostatic pressure; these aren’t homologous to the legs of adults. Most spinoptilites care for their young. </div><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Entomopterites</h2></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuxx_Qi603LYS38veeHjTL8xsmTniLotOISpHKdQwpyB5YW3IFBubcK7aRv5IP6eXDWlnsP70i6Uv6TfkAyMo1BPRM9CxgG3M5q3M6gdd19Vqtf2jlOBdOXdLMyHYwmYqNjMkNVa213fw/s2824/birb.bmp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="2824" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuxx_Qi603LYS38veeHjTL8xsmTniLotOISpHKdQwpyB5YW3IFBubcK7aRv5IP6eXDWlnsP70i6Uv6TfkAyMo1BPRM9CxgG3M5q3M6gdd19Vqtf2jlOBdOXdLMyHYwmYqNjMkNVa213fw/w607-h239/birb.bmp" width="607" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The entomopterite pictured is the field daymoth (<i>Dimutili occasiensis</i>), a fairly small fruit-eating animal - on the left is the top-down view, on the right is the underside</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Powered flight has evolved multiple times on Xenosulia, with the planet’s strong winds and high oxygen content making for ideal conditions for the development of flying animals, in spite of the thinner atmosphere. The most diverse clade of large flyers are the entomopterites – colloquially called bugbirds, batbugs, or sometimes just birds – exceeded only by the much smaller cardozoans in number of species. </div><div><br />This group is closely related to spinoptilites, likely a sister clade, and like spinoptilites they produce infertile gametozoans that aid in cleaning as well as other purposes. Where they differ, apart from the lack of spines, is mainly due to the presence of adaptations for flight. <br /><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Entomopterite wings</h3><div>The most obvious characteristic of entomopterites is their wings, formed by the presence of a membrane of skin between each front limb and the side of the torso, with the finger of each wing greatly elongated to provide the animal with a larger wingspan. There are pads just at the base of the finger, used for walking on, with most entomopterites assuming a tripedal stance when walking on land. The wing membranes are supported by enlarged and partially stiffened blood vessels, often forming complex cross-linking patterns that divide the wing into various cells. These blood vessels can be made to become more rigid by increase their blood pressure, allowing bugbirds to stiffen their wings while in flight, and then make them more pliable to fold them up. </div><div><br />In most species there are horny processes on each hip supporting the wings. This allow the bugbirds to have wings with a greater variety of aspect ratios than they would if the membranes attached directly to the end of the rear leg. There are species lacking this feature that have narrower wings, but this results in the loss of the tail membrane, a trade-off that need not apply with the hip processes present to support more complex wing and tail membrane structures. Although they were initially believed to have originated as extensions of the hip, fossil evidence suggests they’re actually ossified wing veins. In many groups, development of the dermal muscle surrounding the hip spurs as well as more flexible attachments of the spurs to the skeleton allows them to actually move position, something that provides them with a greater ability to modify their wing shape. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Entomopterite senses</h3>Their compound eye has split in two, both of which are usually fairly round, and often large in proportion to their body. This eye splitting likely occurred to allow their dorsal simple eyes to move further to the front of the head, similar to certain spinoptilites such as the dromeiforms. The secondary eyes are mainly used for stability, working in tandem with their balancing organs to correct for any changes in orientation. While their vision is well developed, they are also able to use echolocation, making vocalisations or clicks with their two frontmost spiracles which have become specialised for this purpose. This is used far more on the planet’s dark side, but is still a valuable sense for purely dayside birds as it can provide them with sensory information they might not get from their compound eyes; while their sonar is more limited in range, it is better at picking up fine details, as well as sensing the texture and density of objects. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Entomopterite mouth parts</h3>The oral proboscis is small, and curls up when not in use to reduce drag. Because of its reduced size, it plays less significant a role in digestion than in spinoptilites, with the organs inside the main body doing more to compensate. The radula of bugbirds has hardened and developed a bend in the middle, giving them a kind of beak at the end of their proboscis. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Roosting</h3>With only one rear leg, and most entomopterites lacking wing claws, perching on a branch is impractical. Instead, entomopterites hang upside-down by their rear leg, roosting like Earth’s bats. Their foot has a locking mechanism that allows them to do this without exerting much strength, so they prefer resting this way than landing to rest – they’re much safer from predators than when resting on the ground. <br /></div><p><br /></p>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-17587451474363302002021-01-16T02:47:00.001-08:002021-12-24T01:58:54.094-08:00Xenosuliphytes and Other Plant Life<div style="text-align: left;"> Most photosynthetic life on Xenosulia belongs to the kingdom Xenosuliphyta, which most notably includes the divisions Cardiophyta, characterised by the presence of muscular hearts, and Iculophyta, which most grass-like plants belong too. There are also numerous groups of algae, including air algae, although there are also numerous algae taxa outside of this kingdom. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Cardiophytes</h3></div><div style="text-align: left;">Cardiophytes are divided into multiple different taxa, with most tree-like cardiophytes belonging to the clade Pilophyta. The defining features of this clade are the presence of exoskeletons, red, yellow or yellow-green feathery leaves, and motile larvae with bilateral symmetry. Like other cardiophytes, larvae have exoskeletons, but they have moved away from their ancestral pentaradial symmetry as they became more active. Muscles are retained in adults, which in addition to powering their hearts allow the organisms to curl up their leaves and branches to avoid heavy winds; this can also be used to protect against predation, but it’s hardly an effective strategy. The presence of an exoskeleton provides support that allows them to grow taller than other plants, allowing pilophytes to dominate the “tree” niche on Xenosulia. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Due to the unchanging position of the sun, many pilophytes have developed bilaterial symmetry. Since light can dependably come from the same direction, a bilateral body plan maximises surface area facing the sun, with trees flattened in the sunward direction. This is more common further from the sub-stellar point, where the sun is lower on the horizon; in places where the sun is directly overhead, plants tend to be tall and have broad leaves concentrated at the top. It is also less common in more forested areas, where there isn’t always such a direct path from the sun; here, it is advantageous to gather light from every direction. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Among the most successful bilateral pilophytes are the Arthroales, owning their success to their flexible trunks. This allows them to tolerate stronger winds much better, since they flex rather than snap, with jointed overlapping exoskeleton plates that can slide over each other, rather than the single solid shell present in most groups. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Iculophytes</h3></div><div style="text-align: left;">Icolophytes consist of small needle-like structures and are usually dark red in colour, serving the role of the planet’s grass, although some form larger bushes. Unlike cardiophytes, they only retain their muscles as larvae, losing the ability to move in their photosynthetic stage. Their larvae consist of a seed-like shell with a worm-like structure inside, used to move the organism to a suitable location to grow. Compared to cardiophytes the larval phase takes up a much smaller fraction of the plant’s total lifespan, and some larvae have developed a much smaller size and start off as aerial plankton. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Air algae</h3></div><div style="text-align: left;">Xenosulia is noteworthy for the abundance of air algae, which is likely facilitated by the strong winds and high carbon dioxide concentrations. Not all air algae are xenosuliphytes, with a large portion of air algae belonging to the kingdom Allophyta (from the domain Allocaryota). Patches of the sky are often coloured by high concentrations of algae, which can vary in colour but are often purple, leading to the appearance of coloured clouds. Certain species use bioluminescence to signal to each other and form colonies, which can result in a phenomenon resembling the northern or southern lights, especially near the sub-stellar point where air algae is more common. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-89914506066049828892021-01-15T13:28:00.004-08:002021-01-15T13:29:23.386-08:00Domains and Kingdoms<h2 style="text-align: left;">Domains</h2><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Life on Xenosulia is divided into three main branches, with the taxonomic rank of domain. <br /><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Xenosulibacteria</h4><div style="text-align: left;">Xenosulibacteria are simple organisms, similar to the bacteria or archaea of Earth. It is likely that this group is paraphyletic, being ancestral to the other two domains. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Rytocaryota</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rytocaryotes are far more complex, with the vast majority of macroscopic organisms fitting into this domain. They are usually seen as the Xenosulian equivalent of eucaryotes, although there are a number of differences. Firstly, they lack mitochondria, with the role being assumed by a wrinkled structure around the nucleus. The cell is also divided into an inner and outer section, separated by a cellular membrane similar in structure to the membrane on the outside of the cell; most organelles are on the outer section, and the outer section has its own genes but lacks a nucleus. The vast majority of genetic information is stored in the inner cell’s nucleus. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Allocaryota</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">This group has cells as complex as those of rytocaryotes, although different enough that it’s obvious they developed independently. Genetic evidence confirms this. This domain includes multicellular organisms, most notably the plant-like allophytes, although rytocaryotes are far more common.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Kingdoms</h2></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />There are four main rytocaryote kingdoms, although there are many simple organisms that don’t fit into any of these groups. Still, most large multi-celled life belongs to one of these kingdoms. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Xenosuliphyta</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">This kingdom comprises the majority of the planet’s plantlife; the term “plant” being expanded to include photosynthesising life outside of the kingdom Plantae. Like the plants on Earth, they use carbon dioxide as a carbon source, something that has proven to be far from universal (with methane being a common alternative; in fact, many allocaryotes do use methane, and generate most of the hydrogen present in the atmosphere), although many plants do also use carbon monoxide too. Xenosuliphytes are responsible for much of the planet’s oxygen, with allophytes and chemotrophians also contributing. They possess cell walls, often composed of various different sugars, although the cell walls can also be mineralised. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Xenosulizoa</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">These organisms don’t photosynthesise, and many can be quite active. They are very similar to the animals of Earth, and are referred to as such. Differences from Earth animals include the presence of cell walls, which can be composed of various different proteins and, like xenosuliphytes, may be mineralised. However, in more active groups the cell walls of many tissues may be greatly reduced or absent. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Chemotrophia</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">As the name suggests chemotrophians are chemotrophic organisms, which along with xenosuliphytes act as primary producers. They are especially common on the planet’s dark side where photosynthesis is more difficult, using the methane, hydrogen sulphide and hydrogen present in the atmosphere as a source of energy. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Kinetotrophia</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">Members of this kingdom gain energy from motion, changes in heat, and receiving impact forces. Wind is a large source of energy, although the movement of animals also contributes. They are especially common on the planet’s night side where they face little competition for nutrients from plants. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-4627835851277446532021-01-15T13:22:00.002-08:002021-01-15T13:33:04.253-08:00Xenosulia and Humans <div>The majority of humans on Xenosulia are descended from those who arrived on colony ships around 200 years ago. The humans that settled Xenosulia were from 38th and 39th Century Earth, a society that had only relatively recently rebuilt itself since civilisation slowly collapsed over the 22nd Century; this collapse was caused by a number of factors, mainly wanning resources and climate change. <br /><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Language and taxonomic nomenclature</h3><div><br /></div><div>In 38th and 39th Century biological taxonomy, as with other areas of science during this time period, extensive use is made of Sukian words in the nomenclature. The Suki people had done a great deal of work recovering ancient technology before the expansion of the Gontanic Empire. After the empire began incorporating Sukian research into their technology, it was only natural they’d borrow words from Sukian for concepts that were at the time new to them. This habit persisted to the extent that when the Gontans made further technological developments, they’d often use Sukian as a source language to create new terms. This continued long after the Gontanic Empire fractured and the fragments became nations in their own right. The Sukian language is one of the many languages descended from Russian, although it has arguably changed the most, with the complete attrition of consonant clusters, simplification of the vowel inventory, and simplification of grammar. </div><div><br />Latin and Greek are also used in science, just as they were before the 22nd Century collapse. This is mainly because a lot of scientific advancement early on depended on searching for old records from before the collapse. This is especially true of taxonomy, since clades that had already been named pre-collapse were usually given the same name if that name could be recovered. </div><div><br />One of the most common languages during the 38th and 39th Centuries was Gontanic due to the prominence of the Gontanic Empire prior to re-industrialisation. The Gontanic language is descended from English, although it is incomprehensible to English speakers due to the sheer amount of time that had passed. It’s far from the only language descended from English, but it has by far more speakers than any other descendent of the language. </div><div><br />After the discovery of complex life on other planets, there were a few changes in taxonomic conventions to better facilitate this, such as the addition of a rank at the very top to reflect the taxonomic tree as a whole, with all Earth-life belonging to the group Terravitae. </div><div><br />In addition to this, a taxon only needs to be given a unique name within a planet, and can share a name with other taxa on other planets or moons. This applies to any taxonomic rank except for the name for the taxonomic tree itself. This is mainly for practicality, since communication delays are so long at the distances between stars that not all taxonomists are going to have records of all taxa that currently exist. If this wasn’t the case, taxonomic groups would be forced to change names all the time as new updates are received from other planets.</div><div><br />There is already precedent for this in the past, prior to the 22nd Century collapse; although names must be unique within the purview of a nomenclatural code, there are many instances of duplicate names occurring between plant and animal genera. In fact, the rules on duplicate naming is more restrictive than it used to be. </div><div><br />There is a common tendency to Latinise taxonomic names from other languages like Sukian, at least in terms of spelling, for example by replacing k with c. Contractions are also more common than in pre-collapse taxonomic nomenclature, likely because of the heavy use of Sukian words, which tend to be long and vowel-heavy. </div><div><br />Following the colonisation of other star systems, there was a tendency to refer to the Solar System as the “Helios System”, and the Sun as Helios. The term “sun” was often applied to the local star of whatever system one was in, and while inaccurate by previous definitions, the term “solar system” came to be used for any planetary system. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Timeline prior to settlement</h3></div><div><br /></div><div>During the 3700s, small translucent-white orbs were discovered, presumed to be naturally occurring, which consisted of an outer shell of matter with antihydrogen contained within. This discovery of “antimatter pearls” spurred an increased interest in colonising interstellar space. </div><div><br />The Zhimuchua Space Telescope Array was one of numerous enormous telescopes built around this time, built from carved out asteroids, which began making more detailed observations of exoplanets than was previously possible. The Zhimuchua Telescopes in particular consisted of multiple large asteroid telescopes sharing a wide orbit around the sun, with the asteroids spread out evenly within this orbit. They were initially stabilised with nuclear propulsion, since the technology to utilise antimatter pearls for energy hadn’t been developed yet. </div><div><br />The name “Zhimuchua” came from the Sukian word for “pearl”, referencing antimatter pearls, since it was believed they’d allow passage to the worlds being observed. </div><div><br />It was in 3738 that the telescope array turned its attention to the Limax System, designated by the researchers working on the telescopes as Zhimuchua 23. It wasn’t long afterwards that it became clear Zhimuchua 23 d should be a prime target for settlement; not only was it shown to have an atmosphere mostly breathable to humans, with comfortable temperatures and pressures, but there were also strong indications of life. Since astrobiological research had previously been limited to just the Helios System, at the time people were only aware of the presence of single-celled and pre-cellular extra-terrestrial life. So this was worth investigating. It was far from the first exoplanet to show such definitive evidence of life, but so far humanity had been unable to directly observe the organisms on any of these planets. However, Zhimuchua 23 c and e, previous candidates for habitability, showed disappointingly little evidence of life. </div><div><br />With the research into antimatter pearls making frustratingly little progress, while significant progress was also made into more efficient use of nuclear power, there had already been a few colony ships sent out to other stars. Most colonists were researchers and their relatives, travelling only to study new alien worlds, but because of the time it would take to reach these planets the only practical option would be for the researchers to permanently settle there. There were very few volunteers outside of this group, since few people would want to leave the comfort of the almost utopian society that existed in the 38th Century. Although, with a looming energy crisis (one of the reasons motivating the development of more efficient nuclear power), there were a few individuals who were worried this may change. </div><div><br />It was as early as 3742 that the first colony ship was sent to Xenosulia. It used nuclear propulsion, and possessed large retractable sails that allowed it to be sped up further by powerful lasers outside the ship. These sails were also used to decelerate the ship as it neared the Limax System. The ship would take 83 years to traverse the 16 light years between the Solar System and Zhimuchua 23. However, technology allowed the researchers and their family to hibernate for most of the duration, with a comparatively small rotating crew outside of hibernation to perform maintenance tasks. </div><div><br />Even as early as the 3700s, the technology existed to make Xenosulia more hospitable to humans. In addition to some genetic modification – which included the ability to naturally have offspring (technology was such that it was usually easier to artificially grow children) – there were nanoparticles placed in the colonists’ blood that would bind to carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide to prevent too much of the toxins from building up. </div><div><br />It wasn’t until 3820 that the first antimatter ships were sent out to Xenosulia. Society was very different by then, and although advances in technology since the early to mid-3700s allowed for unrivalled levels of luxury, the world as a whole had gotten increasingly authoritarian and militaristic. This was in addition to the fact the existence of antimatter technology meant an interstellar war could end up destroying all life on Earth. This resulted in a lot more motivation to leave Earth so, coupled with the far shorter journey length, there were no shortage of volunteers. It was even possible to make a return trip, although the journey there and back would take up many years of one’s life. </div><div><br />The antimatter ships used antimatter pearls as a fuel source, and accelerated at a constant rate of around 1g, although some ships that travelled longer distances couldn’t sustain this acceleration. Antimatter fuel took up a large portion of a ship’s mass, with extremely strong metamaterials allowing such a large hollow shell to support itself. </div><div><br />The first nuclear fusion ships didn’t arrive on Xenosulia until 3825, when the researchers immediately began sending information back to Earth. This was only twelve years before the arrival of the more numerous antimatter ships, in 3837. Although the antimatter ships took over 17 years to reach the planet, because of time dilation it only felt like five years from the perspective of the passengers on board. </div><div><br />It wasn’t until much later that the messages sent from the first colonists reached Earth, and even later still until Xenosulia’s new inhabitants heard a response. They had already begun hearing signals from Earth before this, but not from an Earth that was yet able to analyse any of the data Xenosulia’s researchers had gathered – or even knew the colonisation efforts were a success. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Timeline following settlement</h3></div><div><br /></div><div>Since few resources were brought with the colonists and the planet lacked any infrastructure, people were forced to rely less on technology than they had done in the past. </div><div><br />People were at least able to rely on the cybernetics they had prior to arriving on Xenosulia, and they were able to bring a few of the “houses” people lived in back on Earth. </div><div><br />These cubes were fairly small but possessed technology that was able to cater to the inhabitants’ every need, and the use of 3D screens (in addition to the ocular implants everyone had) meant the place could feel much bigger than it actually was. Although they were mobile on Earth, the lack of magnetic infrastructure meant that it was difficult to move any of the cubes brought to Xenosulia. </div><div><br />A few of the earliest settlements were build by assembling buildings with such cubes, although as the population grew a smaller and smaller fraction of the population was able to inhabit them. Eventually, inhabitation of these buildings was mostly limited to the ruling castes of the new cultures that emerged. <br /><br /></div><div>Civilisation on Earth collapsed towards the end of the 39th Century due to conflicts that arose in response wanning deposits of antimatter pearls, which Earth had since grown to rely on. This meant communication between the two worlds was essentially shut off around this time, although they still did receive the odd message after 3900. However, these became less frequent over time, and Xenosulia hasn’t heard from Earth since the 3950s. Ships continued to arrive from Earth after this point, but they usually contained passengers in hibernation who had escaped in slower ships during the conflicts of the late 3800s. </div><div><br />In general, the inhabitants of Xenosulia lost much of the knowledge from Earth over time, and became largely agrarian, growing genetically modified crops that had been brought from Earth. Sometimes, they would also grow native plant-life, if they could find parts of the plant with usable nutrients. There were even a few hunter-gather tribes that appeared and had learned to survive on just the native life.</div><div> <br />The plan was originally for the colonists to build the necessary infrastructure to re-build society on another planet, which was expected to take a great deal of time. It was impractical to take all the resources needed to do this on the colony ships, so this was a necessity. However, it took so long and with so little initial pay-off that people began to lose interest, and these efforts eventually stopped entirely. People were more concerned with day-to-day survival on a strange new planet than building a future they might not even see in their own lifetime. </div><div><br />There were a few small robot-build cities that were constructed after some of the later antimatter ships arrived, but continuing to build cities like this was hardly sustainable with the resources available. Although the machines largely made use of the materials found on the planet to make these cities, it was a very energy intensive process and it was difficult to gather the necessary nuclear or antimatter fuels. Because of this there are only a few such cities, some of which were abandoned only decades after they were constructed. The designers of these cities had intended for more to be built this way, once the inhabitants of the first cities had used the technology and infrastructure the cities provided to gather more resources. But this didn’t end up happening. These difficulties existed in spite of the cities being far more primitive than those available on Earth in the 3800s. <br /><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Recovery of Earth technology</h3><div><br /></div><div>There was a period of re-industrialisation, however, starting in the 3990s in the continent of Occasia. This was mainly spurred by the recovery of Earth technology from whatever records were still available, and by searching abandoned robot-built cities and ships. This was mainly done by the TSO Republic, a nation that originally formed from the unification of various city-states, as well as the Irushi Empire to the north and various smaller nations and kingdoms to the south. Zoological and botanical research resumed after the establishment of the TSO Institute of Science, leading to further developments in people’s understanding of life on Xenosulia. </div><div><br />Technology continued to develop on Occasia, and spread to the nearby Arunia and the southern parts of Mesogea. By the “present” date of 4052, this eventually led to the development of personal transport in the form of fossil fuel vehicles, advanced computers, personal 3D printers in most homes (including food printing), advanced robotics and even limited continental internets. A limited space program is established, although travel outside of the Limax System remains virtually impossible.</div><div> <br />A few efforts are made to make contact with other colony planets, although this proves difficult. Although there is nothing but silence from many of the systems that records show to have been colonised, there does seem to be a specific region of space with a lot of activity. Earth itself, however, remains silent. </div><div><br />There were other places on Xenosulia where Earth technology was recovered independently, but I’ll initially be focusing on the research done by the inhabitants of the three mentioned continents. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-42043545175572057172021-01-15T11:14:00.003-08:002021-01-16T02:48:48.877-08:00Limax System<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf3OjovHCCOUgAaggSUHKV4Pz7UrhyTOaXHH_JwxNmqIIgIR9A4M3y3ioIjBvljEV7ZJfF8fx3a6jpdNtLhz887rzuAnLY1oWWYVZq7tSAYq4NQgRx3NOFiFR7YzXIMNFEvrmTN978cFm/s3054/Limax+system+-+Copy+%2528jpg%2529+-+Copy.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="3054" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf3OjovHCCOUgAaggSUHKV4Pz7UrhyTOaXHH_JwxNmqIIgIR9A4M3y3ioIjBvljEV7ZJfF8fx3a6jpdNtLhz887rzuAnLY1oWWYVZq7tSAYq4NQgRx3NOFiFR7YzXIMNFEvrmTN978cFm/w587-h198/Limax+system+-+Copy+%2528jpg%2529+-+Copy.jpg" width="587" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The Limax System consists of one central red dwarf star and six terrestrial planets, the fourth of which is Xenosulia. There are no gas giants in the planetary system, and all planets are so close to the central star that tidal effects prevent them from having moons or rings. </div><div><br />The first five planets exhibit orbital resonance with each other. This has a stabilising effect, but also causes some of the planets to have less circular orbits than they’d have otherwise (since planets always tug at them at certain points in their orbit). The orbital resonance is 1:2:3:6:12. </div><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">Zhimuchua 23 A (Limax)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYwjmRrl-EJu1OyZLNNtjHOZuYmdNxOMdkW3o-bPVSkQQgov3yCLA75EH2tapXGGBSt3GSbgwIPhE6OE_hL28y8IizmxwNWnE7YDpxe5xvQ-HTRjppp1Nrpe12WK7DV8CjA0jqNaFagrf/s2624/Limax.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="2624" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYwjmRrl-EJu1OyZLNNtjHOZuYmdNxOMdkW3o-bPVSkQQgov3yCLA75EH2tapXGGBSt3GSbgwIPhE6OE_hL28y8IizmxwNWnE7YDpxe5xvQ-HTRjppp1Nrpe12WK7DV8CjA0jqNaFagrf/w565-h238/Limax.bmp" width="565" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Formally designated Zhimuchua 23 by Earth astronomers, the star is often referred to as Limax by Xenosulia’s inhabitants or just “the Sun” (sedu in Occassian Gontanic). It is a small, relatively inactive red dwarf star located just 16 light years from Earth. </div></div><div><br />Although flares are much rarer now, when the star was younger it was quite volatile. <br />The name “Limax” comes from the Latin word for slug, limax. This is in reference to Xenosulia’s name (see the section on Xenosulia below). </div><div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Properties</h4><u>Physical</u><br />Type: Main sequence red dwarf<br />Stellar classification: M4.5V<br />Mass: 0.16 <i>M</i><a name="_Hlk61625984"><sub><span face=""Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">☉</span></sub></a><br />Luminosity (bolometric): 0.0012 <i>L</i><a name="_Hlk61625984"><sub><span face=""Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">☉</span></sub></a><br />Visual luminosity: 0.00018 <i>L</i><a name="_Hlk61625984"><sub><span face=""Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">☉</span></sub></a><br />Temperature: 2,700 K <br />Radius: 0.16 <i>R</i><a name="_Hlk61625984"><sub><span face=""Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">☉</span></sub></a><br /><u><br /></u></div><div><u>Observational (from Xenosulia)</u><br />Angular size: 2.22 degrees<br />Apparent magnitude (visual): -24.5 <br /><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">Zhimuchua 23 f (Vulcanus)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5UT2MgTOBdSgbZrHi4RZSuL54IFahLVFHHv_uB2umSRhrqgKJ9eEMLKie5AR-KDobMKZExrvi9i6_FNulNAUiyK5mtLJvsYVPzQZiSsl0c6DALRXvucplujgJYiqHsL2VTqPHKHWtykq/s1920/Vulcanus.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1920" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5UT2MgTOBdSgbZrHi4RZSuL54IFahLVFHHv_uB2umSRhrqgKJ9eEMLKie5AR-KDobMKZExrvi9i6_FNulNAUiyK5mtLJvsYVPzQZiSsl0c6DALRXvucplujgJYiqHsL2VTqPHKHWtykq/w482-h251/Vulcanus.bmp" width="482" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Vulcanus is the closest planet to the star Limax, and has an orbital period not much longer than a day. While incredibly hot, not all of the heat it receives is from stellar radiation, as it experiences a considerable amount of tidal heating. As such much of the surface is molten, and the planet is incredibly volcanically active. It is the smallest planet in the Limax System in terms of volume, and the second least massive. Because of its low gravity and exposure to stellar radiation, the atmosphere is a near-vacuum. </div><div><br />Vulcanus is named after the Roman god of fire and the forge, Vulcanus, in reference to the planet’s temperature and vulcanism. </div><div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Properties</h4><u>Orbital</u><br />Semimajor axis: 1.74 million km<br />Orbital period: 1.15 days<br />Rotational period: synchronous </div><div><br /><u>Physical</u><br />Mass: 0.20 <i>M</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Radius: 0.55 <i>R</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Density: 6.5 g/cm<sup><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3</span></sup><br />Escape velocity: 6.7 km/s<br />Surface gravity: 0.65<i>g</i><br /><br /></div><div><u>Observational</u><br />Largest apparent size: 6.0 minutes<br />Smallest apparent size: 3.2 minutes<br />Maximum apparent magnitude: -6.8 (superior conjunction) </div><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">Zhimuchua 23 b (Hermes)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxW27WAp4LPZhJxp01uyP-94apRTCn4XTUu8gWnBSMGl1415WZDjvTcoL9fMhZ9XbpPYN8Pt94bm01yY2qWHkCibfe0ZTZV1iA2qiRAZaIIbCZ3BjSTKGmUYUNvnRh7EblRjbbiMDdDTF/s1920/Hermes.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1920" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxW27WAp4LPZhJxp01uyP-94apRTCn4XTUu8gWnBSMGl1415WZDjvTcoL9fMhZ9XbpPYN8Pt94bm01yY2qWHkCibfe0ZTZV1iA2qiRAZaIIbCZ3BjSTKGmUYUNvnRh7EblRjbbiMDdDTF/w591-h307/Hermes.bmp" width="591" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Hermes is the second planet from the star and the most massive, over five times the mass of the Earth. Although large, the planet largely consists of rock, although it does have a very dense atmosphere. Hermes is incredibly volcanically active which, in addition to its high gravity, likely contributes to the density of the atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses are so high that the surface is hot enough to glow red. This can only be seen when viewed from the planet’s surface; from space, the surface is obscured by a layer of organic haze.</div><div><br />Hermes is close enough to Xenosulia that it appears like a small moon when viewed from the planet’s surface, about two-thirds as big as the Moon when it’s near its closest approach during its crescent phase. </div><div><br />The planet was named after the Greek god Hermes. The planet was often compared to Mercury due to its fast motion close to Limax, so it made sense to name it after the Greek equivalent. <br /><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Properties</h4><div><u>Orbital</u><br />Semimajor axis: 2.77 million km<br />Orbital period: 2.31 days<br />Rotational period: synchronous <br /><br /></div><div><u>Physical</u><br />Mass: 5.4 <i>M</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Radius: 1.6 <i>R</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Density: 7.4 g/cm<sup><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3</span></sup><br />Escape velocity: 21 km/s<br />Surface gravity: 2.1<i>g</i><br /><br /></div><div><u>Observational</u><br />Largest apparent size: 23 minutes<br />Smallest apparent size: 8.2 minutes<br />Maximum apparent magnitude: -9.6<br />Apparent magnitude at superior conjunction: -9.3<br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">Zhimuchua 23 c (Siluna)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMdNaVlAEpXMZT_g0XqUSE5spSpTvp6tQYk2amNWyfrCOM8KuRIqXhFPapptwStu2cnboOL4GKBxenO4DzprlDQNZX-uiJC5H5mOBpW1XA1fTO1VMAAH628dm8-x1tvBpqXCs1gzxJHbN/s1920/Siluna.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1920" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMdNaVlAEpXMZT_g0XqUSE5spSpTvp6tQYk2amNWyfrCOM8KuRIqXhFPapptwStu2cnboOL4GKBxenO4DzprlDQNZX-uiJC5H5mOBpW1XA1fTO1VMAAH628dm8-x1tvBpqXCs1gzxJHbN/w558-h290/Siluna.bmp" width="558" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>The third planet from Limax, Siluna, is a desert-like planet slightly smaller than Earth. An initial lack of water prevented it from undergoing a similar run-away greenhouse effect as Venus; this lack of water was likely due to bombardment from UV radiation during the initial flare stage of Limax, before the star calmed down. Water in the upper atmosphere was split into hydrogen and oxygen during such flares, with hydrogen escaping into space and the oxygen combining with various minerals. </div><div><br />Because it’s tidally locked, and without oceans or a dense enough atmosphere to distribute heat, the temperature gradient is far greater than on Xenosulia. Most of the carbon dioxide originally in the atmosphere has frozen on the planet’s night side, leaving behind a very thin nitrogen atmosphere. Because this process resulted in the thinning of the atmosphere, which in turn increased the planet’s temperature gradient, there was a positive feedback effect where only a slight initial tendency for CO2 to snow down on the Siluna’s night side eventually led to the state it is in today. </div><div><br />Like Hermes, Siluna is close enough to Xenosulia that it appears like a moon from the planet’s surface. From Xenosulia, the planet appears about as large as the Moon from Earth at its closest approach, where it appears as a crescent when it’s lit enough to be visible. Its apparent size varies dramatically, however, and it can appear far smaller when it’s fuller and further away from the planet. Because of Siluna’s intense winds, sandstorms are common, and global sandstorms can occasionally be seen obscuring the surface. The CO2 ice cap is never visible, since it’s always on the planet’s dark side. As an inferior planet, closer to Limax than Xenosulia, it – along with Hermes – is impossible to observe too far from the planet’s day side. </div><div><br />Unlike Vulcanus and Hermes, Siluna isn’t named after a deity. The name actually comes from the Sukian phrase si luna, meaning “cheese moon”; this is a reference to its yellowish colour and the fact it looks like a moon from the surface of Xenosulia. It also alludes to myths of the Moon being made of cheese. No authority gave it this name, and it’s unknown who coined it; it’s just a term that grew in prominence in colloquial speech in the early days of human settlement, and eventually became accepted. <br /><br /></div><div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Properties</h4><u>Orbital</u><br />Semimajor axis: 4.42 million km<br />Orbital period: 4.61 days<br />Rotational period: synchronous </div><div><br /><u>Physical</u><br />Mass: 0.70 <i>M</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Radius: 0.91 <i>R</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Density: 5.0 g/cm<sup><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3</span></sup><br />Escape velocity: 9.8 km/s<br />Surface gravity: 0.83<i>g</i><br /><br /></div><div><u>Observational</u><br />Largest apparent size: 30 minutes<br />Smallest apparent size: 3.9 minutes<br />Maximum apparent magnitude: -9.8<br />Apparent magnitude at superior conjunction: -7.5</div><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">Zhimuchua 23 d (Xenosulia)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjww53RpQbPCvhnJxC0VGp9RMEvGUO1WokjeeChg4As2jwM2JUjS8Q6fQAVce0kbtItm0D3HW4fiSWGl3yBHrWuO-9dSvBfFP8WGikUjyZ-BAkZYwy2_26PIMHZKWVAnyVzhbqPRmHmdb/s2048/Xenosulia.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjww53RpQbPCvhnJxC0VGp9RMEvGUO1WokjeeChg4As2jwM2JUjS8Q6fQAVce0kbtItm0D3HW4fiSWGl3yBHrWuO-9dSvBfFP8WGikUjyZ-BAkZYwy2_26PIMHZKWVAnyVzhbqPRmHmdb/w575-h309/Xenosulia.bmp" width="575" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Xenosulia is the fourth closest planet to Limax, and it is on the inner edge of the habitable zone by most 21st Century definitions. The planet is about twice the mass of Earth and has liquid water on the surface, in addition to an atmosphere high in oxygen and with enough carbon dioxide to support plant life. While Earth-like, differences from Earth include the fact it’s tidally locked, the stronger winds, greater volcanic activity, and its larger size. </div><div><br />Its orbit is more circular than Siluna or Oculia; since they make their closest approach to Xenosulia at the same point in Xenosulia’s orbit, but from different sides of the planet, their effects are cancelled out over time to an extent. However, Siluna’s gravitational influence on Xenosulia is greater than Oculia’s, which is enough to keep its orbit slightly eccentric. </div><div><br />Unlike Siluna, it’s likely that its oceans were saved by the presence of a thick layer of hydrocarbons in its upper atmosphere early in its history. There’s evidence that the atmosphere had higher concentrations of methane in the past, which, under the influence of UV radiation from flares, would have formed larger molecules in the upper atmosphere. This organic haze would have blocked much of the star’s ultraviolet radiation and protected water vapour from photodissociation. </div><div><br />In the initial years of human settlement, there was a convention of referring to the native life as “Xenosulians”, or at least those belonging to the phylum Hydratozoa. Since it was some time before taxonomical groupings were formalised, the term was used for convenience, and “Xenosulia” came to be used to refer to the planet itself as a back-formation. The term “Xenosulian” comes from the Greek word “xenos”, meaning alien or strange, and Sukian “suli”, meaning “slug”. This is likely a reference to the resemblance some of the legless lineages have to slugs, or the “squishy” feeling that even legged animals often have, somewhat reminiscent of the texture of a slug. In fact, there’s a great deal of evidence in the casual writings of early researchers that many thought of the Xenosulian fauna as “slugs with legs”. Once people began referring to the planet as “Xenosulia” the term ended up sticking, despite other names being suggested in the past. </div><div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Properties</h4><u>Orbital</u><br />Semimajor axis: 5.96 million km<br />Orbital period: 6.92 days<br />Rotational period: synchronous </div><div><br /><u>Physical</u><br />Mass: 2.2 <i>M</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Radius: 1.2 <i>R</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Density: 6.7 g/cm<sup><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3</span></sup><br />Escape velocity: 15 km/s<br />Surface gravity: 1.5<i>g</i><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">Zhimuchua 23 e (Oculia)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7SvsPfTFxzoQgmUa1sE0EePyZZNitKnJvovNe3xBh8T5ekrXGq2gusZ3TBTAro5ezVD21D0YjCqyAYCjJVE_yR_EesyN18qDIhuUmAVdam-SRuJ40PAsh-trWqcnK2T4UlJZVNot7GxR/s1920/Occulia.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1920" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7SvsPfTFxzoQgmUa1sE0EePyZZNitKnJvovNe3xBh8T5ekrXGq2gusZ3TBTAro5ezVD21D0YjCqyAYCjJVE_yR_EesyN18qDIhuUmAVdam-SRuJ40PAsh-trWqcnK2T4UlJZVNot7GxR/w555-h288/Occulia.bmp" width="555" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Oculia is the second largest planet in the Limax system, and fifth in orbit from the central star. Although it has a rocky core, a large portion of the planet’s volume is made up of ice. The surface of the planet is mostly frozen, with a small liquid sea on the sunward side, although the planet does have an enormous sub-surface ocean. Lower down, pressures are high enough that the water is compressed into exotic forms of ice. The planet’s icy crust is thin enough that there are cracks on the surface, forming a similar criss-cross pattern as those seen on some icy moons like Europa. Due to tidal influences from Limax, exacerbated by its eccentric orbit, the planet experiences frequent cryovolcanism. This keeps the surface young since it’s regularly replenished, which gives Oculia its bright reflective surface. </div><div> <br />The planet appears similar in size to Hermes during its closest approach, and can be viewed from anywhere on the planet at least some of the time. Since it’s further from Limax than Xenosulia, it always appears full or gibbous, although it still changes drastically in size. It plays a significant role for Xenosulian life, as it acts as a light source for animals on the night side when it’s close to the planet, serving a similar role as the Moon does on Earth. In the visual range of Xenosulia’s native life, it can appear as bright as the full Moon. </div><div><br />The name “Oculia” comes from the Latin word oculus, meaning “eye”, with the suffix -ia, used to form feminine adjectives from nouns. This is in reference to its resemblance to a human eye – the sub stellar sea being perceived as an iris – and the fact it’s often colloquially referred to as “the eye”. <br /><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Properties</h4><div><u>Orbital</u><br />Semimajor axis: 9.14 million km<br />Orbital period: 13.8 days<br />Rotational period: synchronous </div><div><br /><u>Physical</u><br />Mass: 3.6 <i>M</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Radius: 1.8 <i>R</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Density: 3.4 g/cm<sup><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3</span></sup><br />Escape velocity: 16 km/s<br />Surface gravity: 1.1<i>g</i></div><div><br /><u>Observational</u><br />Largest apparent size: 23 minutes<br />Smallest apparent size: 8.2 minutes<br />Maximum apparent magnitude: -10.4<br />Apparent magnitude at conjunction: -7.3<br /><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">Zhimuchua 23 g (Tuka)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrY0s0owLghyphenhyphenDys2Skb-7EqjXrMrS2SWKz95rh63h2F4ftdzQ4UevVDsyOl-FL8z2xjsJOkdRxF_bi_46AxmracLh_DfEHeomyrrm1U-eSG9ig_tDVOyguSzDJCtjRz4o9P6KhJLjPgdSn/s1920/Tuka.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1920" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrY0s0owLghyphenhyphenDys2Skb-7EqjXrMrS2SWKz95rh63h2F4ftdzQ4UevVDsyOl-FL8z2xjsJOkdRxF_bi_46AxmracLh_DfEHeomyrrm1U-eSG9ig_tDVOyguSzDJCtjRz4o9P6KhJLjPgdSn/w553-h287/Tuka.bmp" width="553" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Tuka is the furthest planet from Limax, although it would be well within the orbit of Mercury if it was in the Solar System. It sits outside a small, tenuous asteroid belt outside Oculia’s orbit. Tuka doesn’t mark the edge of the Limax System; beyond it, there are numerous comets and asteroids, although since the parent star is a red dwarf the system is still quite a small one. </div><div><br />Tuka is a small, icy world with a tenuous atmosphere, almost as thin as that of Vulcanus. Its surface appears pinkish or reddish in colour due to the presence of numerous different hydrocarbons, formed from the interaction of solar radiation with smaller molecules like methane. </div><div><br />It covers about two minutes of an arc when viewed from Xenosulia, which is theoretically just about big enough to make out a disk, but it’s still difficult to distinguish it from a star. </div><div><br />While all other planets in the Limax System experience 1:1 tidal locking, Tuka actually has a 3:2 spin-orbit resonance, similar to Mercury. As such it is the only planet in the system to experience a day-night cycle. Since it lacks an atmosphere and days are extremely long, temperatures can vary drastically between day and night. </div><div><br />The name “Tuka” comes from the Sukian word for dot. This reflects the colloquial name for the planet settlers initially used, calling it “the dot” in Gontanic or their respective languages. This is due to its small apparent size when compared to other planets. </div><div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Properties</h4><u>Orbital</u><br />Semimajor axis: 21.2 million km<br />Orbital period: 48.9 days<br />Rotational period: 32.6 days<br />Synodic day: 97.8 days <br /><u><br /></u></div><div><u>Physical</u><br />Mass: 0.11 <i>M</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Radius: 0.66 <i>R</i><a name="_Hlk61626099"><sub><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">⊕</span></sub></a><br />Density: 2.0 g/cm<sup><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3</span></sup><br />Escape velocity: 4.5 km/s<br />Surface gravity: 0.24<i>g</i><br /><u><br /></u></div><div><u>Observational</u><br />Largest apparent size: 1.9 minutes<br />Smallest apparent size: 1.1 minutes<br />Maximum apparent magnitude: -2.8<br />Apparent magnitude at conjunction: -1.6</div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300260382586243739.post-59818765239197412552021-01-15T09:20:00.000-08:002021-01-15T09:20:26.552-08:00Xenosulia<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG0QvG7n5lKq4DbjJmNZauzyUrRrlLA_kAaU4oFayvETO_E2lNveqF82vKwPdRDfZp5PhxQob95fN21fZJsKtzyBh0jfm1pF1-6Ntn8pP168ZfAtNHnRkL4dvkqQEfztXShnldEzI_Qwc/s1329/Xenosulia.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Xenosulia" border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1329" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG0QvG7n5lKq4DbjJmNZauzyUrRrlLA_kAaU4oFayvETO_E2lNveqF82vKwPdRDfZp5PhxQob95fN21fZJsKtzyBh0jfm1pF1-6Ntn8pP168ZfAtNHnRkL4dvkqQEfztXShnldEzI_Qwc/w400-h334/Xenosulia.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xenosulia</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Xenosulia is the fourth planet in orbit around a small red dwarf star around 16 light years from Earth. Its formal designation, originally given to it by Earth based astronomers in the 38th Century, is Zhimuchua 23 d; the name “Xenosulia” wasn’t used until after settlement of the planet had begun. The planet has oceans of liquid water and abundant life. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Habitability to humans</h4>The planet was known to lie in the habitable zone and possess large amounts of atmospheric oxygen since the 21st Century, although this knowledge was lost until more recently. It was for this reason that it was chosen as a prime target for colonisation; this is in addition to more advanced observation methods leading to almost conclusive proof of the existence of life on this planet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The planet isn’t perfectly suited for human habitation, however; small amounts of sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide exist in the atmosphere, in high enough concentrations to cause problems over long periods of time. Carbon monoxide levels are also high enough to cause mild carbon monoxide poisoning, and even the high oxygen concentration can prove to be an issue. Other than the atmospheric composition, temperatures and pressures are comfortable to humans, and solar flares are relatively rare compared to other red dwarf stars. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The atmospheric problems can be fairly easily overcome with the technology that was available on Earth when the first colony ships were sent out. The high gravity is another barrier to human settlement, but it poses little difficulty to people born on the planet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Tidal effects </h4>Because of its proximity to its parent star, Xenosulia is tidally locked, so the sun appears virtually frozen in the sky. While for some planets this would lead to a much greater temperature difference between the day and night sides, deep oceans – covering most of the surface – mitigate this effect. The Neopacific is especially important in regulating the planet’s temperature, as it provides a wide area for ocean currents to transfer heat between the day and night side, uninterrupted by continental masses. However, this is far from necessary in maintaining habitability, and due to tectonic movements there have been points in the planet’s history where such a large ocean didn’t exist. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />In fact, observation of other tidally locked planets has shown that atmospheric circulation alone is usually enough to prevent run-away ocean boiling near the substellar point, as long as the air isn’t too thin. While Xenosulia does have an atmosphere somewhat thinner than Earth’s, it is thick enough that, when coupled with the planet’s oceans, the entirety of the day side is hospitable – as well as most of the night side. While the furthest parts of the planet’s night side are too cold for humans to live comfortably without heavy reliance on technology, it isn’t that much worse than Antarctica on Earth was before the 22nd Century. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Still, the temperature gradient between the day and night sides is greater than the temperature variation on Earth, so the planet experiences stronger winds in an attempt to equalise this. These winds are exacerbated by the tidal influences of nearby planets – much more closely packed than in the Solar System – in addition to the presence of large oceans that allow for the build-up of wind speed uninterrupted by land. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The tidal effects of Xenosulia’s parent star also lead it to be more volcanically active, which is one of the primary sources of the planet’s atmospheric sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Life</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">The life found on Xenosulia is as varied as the life on Earth, with a wide range of different taxa exploiting almost every possible niche the planet offers. At the most fundamental level, the life on Xenosulia is quite similar to life on Earth, being carbon based and using liquid water as a solvent. While all life encountered by humans so far has used carbon based chemistry, the use of water as a solvent has proven to be far from universal. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Looking deeper, however, reveals a number of differences. They don’t have DNA, instead using a different macromolecule previously unknown to humans known as PDP (polyanelous dimorphic polythioethers). One noteworthy difference of this DNA analogue is that it has a like-attracts-like system, as opposed to the complimentary pairs of DNA. PDP has little preference for the production of either right handed or left handed molecules, although it uses molecules of different chirality for different purposes. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Life on Xenosulia incorporates sulphur far more in their chemistry, and phosphorus is less important than it is in Earth life. The other main elements used are the same; nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen. In spite of their radically different means of encoding genetic information, they have independently developed many of the same proteins, sugars and other biomolecules as life on Earth. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Because of differences in biochemistry between Earth life and Xenosulian life, most organisms on the planet provide very little nutrition. Many of the amino acids used to build proteins on Xenosulia aren’t found on Earth, but because there’s some overlap it’s possible to find food that can be safely eaten. However, humans have had to mostly rely on growing food introduced from Earth. <br />Effects of orbiting a variable star</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The red dwarf Xenosulia orbits is less active than many other red dwarfs, with flares not being much of an issue. In fact, this was one of the reasons Xenosulia was selected for colonisation. Nevertheless, it is a variable star, with frequent changes in stellar output over long spans of time. This leads to long “winter” periods where the planet is far colder than usual, which occur seemingly randomly. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Physical properties </h4>Mass: 2.17 Earth masses<br />Radius: 7735 km<br />Density: 6.687 g/cm3<br />Surface gravity: 1.47g<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">Motion</h4>Semi-major axis: 5.960 million km<br />Orbital period: 6.915 Earth days <br />Rotational period: Synchronous <br />Axial tilt: Negligible<br />Eccentricity: 0.0058<br />Orbital inclination: 14 degrees<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">Atmosphere </h4><u>Dry composition</u><br />Oxygen: 82.8%<br />Carbon dioxide: 14.9 %<br />Nitrogen: 1.9%<br />Argon: 0.4%<br />Methane: 0.035%<br />Carbon monoxide: 0.023% <br />Hydrogen: 0.006%<br />Sulphur dioxide: 0.002%<br />Hydrogen sulphide: 0.001%<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Atmospheric pressure: 0.64 bar<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Surface temperature: 40 degrees Celsius at sub-stellar point, -50 degrees at counter-stellar point, around 18 degrees at twilight. This varies from time to time depending on the quantity of sunspots on Zhimuchua 23, with frequent “winters”. </div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5VjiKldZnzpZAA9KLW1GjdPesNTNh-3TlBpy7oNd26LcX3-bm2X-7FKk-KmiYEyBeRuqB5lyGcTMKYU-vlL9-Sy4w2fGJ0rkusWGngpIu4NDP0Mo2HW2vx4yjl_bWV93OvG1sxssjMgP/s2513/Map+of+Xenosulia1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="World Map of Xenosulia" border="0" data-original-height="1251" data-original-width="2513" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5VjiKldZnzpZAA9KLW1GjdPesNTNh-3TlBpy7oNd26LcX3-bm2X-7FKk-KmiYEyBeRuqB5lyGcTMKYU-vlL9-Sy4w2fGJ0rkusWGngpIu4NDP0Mo2HW2vx4yjl_bWV93OvG1sxssjMgP/w608-h302/Map+of+Xenosulia1.jpg" title="World Map of Xenosulia" width="608" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World Map of Xenosulia <br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">note; the circular lines represent separation from the sub-stellar point in 15 degree intervals. The day side is to the left of the central line, and the night side is to the right. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17452165495350084415noreply@blogger.com0