I guess it should be noted that any names we give to our creatures are not actually all that important, seeing as any alien species (ourselves included) who encountered them would likely plop their own classification system down on everything with names nothing like those we have created.
Still, some stylistic consistency and a lack of silly names is nice.
Archaeovorus: SouthernKing
Evolved from: Archaeofloatus
Genes Added: Digestion x1 (Bacteria), Pressure Resistance x1
Genes Removed: Photosynthesis x1
A more advanced form of the Archaeofloatus, the Archaeovorus has adapted to diving deeper into the ocean depths, beyond the photic zone, and compete with other lifeforms for the bacteria that dwell below. While they can still photosynthesize, they have begun to adapt more and more towards becoming heterotrophs. They digest by forming a sphere around the target bacteria, and then the inner cells specialize in digestion and share the nutrients.
This era is named after the Spirulus, the most startling lifeform to evolve thus far. Fossil beds laid down at this time become bewildering and confusing to any future Paleontologists. There was a major radiation of multicellular life; strange circles, spirals and grooves mark the demise of the thick bacterial mats that had dominated the seafloor for hundreds of millions of years previously. In a blink of a geological eye they had largely vanished, followed by an evolutionary arms race.
SpoilerLife Forms! :
The planet itself remained warm and relatively stable, with a stormy equator and temperate poles. Small land continents still barren in appearance - were beginning to bunch together into larger landmasses, which seems to have had a beneficial effect on the oceans by spawning useful ocean currents. More nutrients were eventually liberated from the seafloor accidentally, by the actions of trillions of seafloor-dwelling creatures that made their first appearance in this era. Vast stretches of warm, shallow sea remained.
The Spirulic Era can really be divided into two parts. At first, there was a great flourishing of bacteria-eaters and algae-grazers. Graceful Orella bloomed in huge numbers and were responsible for the many strange circular fossils signs of where they had rested to digest algae and bacteria on the sea floor, as well as impressions of the creatures' corpses. Next to these, vast herds of their cousins Pingucomende Crawlus laid down distinctive linear tracks as they steadily digested their way along the microbial mats. Both species were messy eaters, devoid of any real senses or defenses, but it mattered little in the absence of effective predators. The tiny spikes of passing Stellaculus were the only threat, and these were mostly to be found drifting above the sea floor.
Photosynthesising Donki soon colonised the exposed and newly-fertilised sea floor. While they were also an occasional source of food for the Orella and Crawlus, they grew faster than they could be eaten and diversified into new forms Donki-Mula, with more sophisticated stem and holdfast structures, and Donki Kong, which simply grew bigger and fatter, forming interlinked colonies for mutual assistance.
The abundance of nutrients benefited all ocean life. Archaeofloatus bloomed like never before and diversified into two new forms initially Alces Felix, which was simple and very effective at spreading itself across the ocean, and Neofloatus, which tended to dominate in the limited habitat of calm lagoons and inshore lakes. Their numbers were only somewhat checked by the appearance of a parasitic relative - the Ngarta, an Archaefloatus relative that specialised in parasitic leeching of its cousins and rarely other life forms too in order to reproduce.
As single-celled plankton also bloomed, the sessile filter-feeder Archorus was also very successful. Hence the Stickorus evolved to take advantage of greater density of plankton in shallow waters.
Neofilium also reached a peak in numbers, feeding on the abundant plankton across the ocean. At one point, we may estimate Neofilium and Archaeofloatus together held over 70% of all multicellular biomass, especially dense within upwellings of nutrient-dense water.
This situation continued for many millions of years, spawning new evolutions. The midpoint of the Spirulic Era is marked by the appearance of the Neofilium Trackius. This is notable as the first creature to grow more than a foot long, gorging itself on plankton, and had a segmented appearance, as if several Neofilium body segments had been simply stitched together. Trackius enter the fossil record resembling large leaves, scattered mysteriously on the deep sea floor. While larger than other lifeforms, it had a very thin, blade-like profile, as it lacked Gills or any kind of circulation system, meaning all of its cells had to remain within easy reach of oxygenated seawater. It was a powerful swimmer however, being streamlined, and although possessed of only the most basic sensory cells, would've been able to overrun and engulf smaller creatures like its ancestor the Neofilium. Though it did not posses any hunting weapons as such, its sheer size and relative made it one of the earliest 'predators'.
Meanwhile, Stellaculus remained the only creature armed with a mode of attack albeit passively - having small hardened spikes that could pierce the defenceless bodies of any other species. Stellaculus thrived along with other species in the open ocean, giving rise to a more advanced form in the Stellacula. This retained the same passive drifting lifestyle​ and was highly successful, being able to feed upon almost anything that came its way, from plankton to larger creatures, even being a danger to the much-larger Trackius, without much expending energy in return.
The final stage of the Spirulic Explosion is marked by the emergence of new branches of the Neofilium and Stellaculus lines, and wildly fluctuating populations of all genera. Relatives of the Stellacula made a radical leap of evolution in the form of 'spike eyes', clusters of dedicated photosensitive cells, and the emergence of basic neural cells to coordinate responses. The closely-related Avaricus and Americus became active hunters, using eyesight to coordinate movement towards a target while Avaricus crawled along the sea floor, Americus swam the waters above.
Nothing like it had been seen before in evolution. Both species were able to attack with impunity. The large swarms of Orella almost disappeared as they were hunted by Avaricus, while Americus seems to have caused the demise of the blind Neofilium Trackius, for which it was simply a large target. The last populations of Trackius were nocturnal filter-feeders sheltering in rocky parts of the seabed, facing competition for plankton from a profusion of spiky and poisonous rivals. They were outlived by smaller cousins; the Toxifilium was one that Americus soon learnt to avoid, carrying a poisonous aftertaste for any predator although it could still fall prey to the blind spikes of the Stellacula, sometimes causing mutual death. Meanwhile the horsehockytu took to burying itself in the seafloor sediments to hide its body from Avaricus spikes.
Thus it was the horsehockytu that began a new wave of chemical changes in the ocean. This humble plankton-trapping creature was able to thrive in huge numbers, while its niche-rivals the Archorus and Stickorus were constantly eaten away on the surface. By digging even a few centimetres, the horsehockytu allowed seawater to circulate through the upper sediments and release more of the nutrients and chemicals that had been stored away for millennia under the former microbial mats. The highly flexible bodies of the Pingucomende Crawlus accentuated the stirring of the seabed as they squeezed into horsehockytu burrows for their own safety.
The end of the Spirulic Era is a confusing picture of populations blooming and crashing, as new chemical cycles were established. Everything from microbes upwards sought a new balance. The emergence and success of the Photofilium a Neofilium relative that enjoyed both photosynthesis and plankton-catching, sometimes gathering together in web-like structures seems to symbolise this period.
Still, by the end of the era, an explosion of complex life had established itself, and the Stellaculus family was firmly at the top of the food chain, hunting soft-bodied prey with little to fear and limited only by the abundance of food; Avaricus in particular ruled the seafloor, attacking static algaeforms as well as animals. Thus the last colonies of Donki Kong, bunched together making easy targets, were all wiped out by a combination of hungry animals with piercing spikes and improved digestive juices. The world had soon lost its largest algae and animals to date.
Special mention must be given to the Spirulus; a majestic and truly alien creature that now stalked both the seafloor and the open ocean. Its unique spiralform body was host to a unique form of locomotion extendible harpoons, which could also be used for capturing prey. Unlike some of its cousins however, the Spirulus lacked all but the most basic cellular senses of touch and vibration, and so tended to lose out in competition for larger meals.
On land, little had changed. The Frother was a new species of algaeform that could survive for extended periods out of water, in between riding the tidal surges with the aid of tiny flotation cells. It slowly replaced its ancestor the Bubbler.
In the deep sea, it was a similar story, yet the volcanic vents were not isolated from all the chemical changes happening in other parts of the ocean. The Soleneidea Subterra evolved to expand on the Soleneida's limited habitat with the ability to dig into suitably warm volcanic sediments.
BONUSES:
Avaricus - North King has +1 Gene Bonus
horsehockytu - erez87 +1 Gene Bonus
Alces Felix - qoou has +1 Gene Bonus
Innovation award: Spirulus - Lord_Iggy has +1 Gene Bonus
Orella: Daftpanzer
Opportunistic grazer/scavenger
Struggling
Evolved from: Pingucomende
Genes: Digestion x2, Drifting x1, Crawling x1, Frill x1
Description: Orella is a messy eater. Still lacking a mouth, it exudes digestive fluids onto the sea floor, wherever it finds a nice patch of bacteria, or some other food source. The outer layer of cells now extends into a circular flexible frill, which serves to contain digestive fluids during feeding, and also provides some assistance to movement. Digestive fluids may also be exuded as a means of deterring attack.
Becomes
Oreallie: Terrance888
self-responsible scavanger by day, vigilente meat eater by night
Evolved from: Orella
Added Genes: Acid (Digestive? Do I need resistance to my own acid? It's hard to explain)x1, chemical sensing x1
Removed Genes: Driftingx1-I assume their Frill works well enough
Result: Digestion x2, Acidx1, Chemical Sensing (Smelling) x1, Crawling x1, Frill x1
OR: Digestion x2, Chemical Sensing (Smelling) x1, Crawling x1, Frill x1 (Acidic+1), Acid Resistance x1
OR: Digestion x2 (External+1), Chemical Sensing (Smelling) x1, Crawling x1, Frill x1, Acid Resistance x1
ect.
Description: Vomiting digestive fluid at enemies doesn't seem to work that well-look at Stickorus! It is supposed to be a trappish eat me and be dissolved thing, but that doesn't work out. Well look at this defenseless Orella... OREALLIE? It has some hard core acid powers, and it can tell where you are... IN THE DARKNESS! By day they do the Orella thing, sensing their way from danger, burning away enemies, and digesting stuff as they merrily crawled arround or floated with their frills. By night, with their principle predators blind, they hunt. Be afraid, for looming out of the darkness... could be your death? Oreallie? Really.
I thought about taking Stellacula and running with it, but it is doing fine.
Pingucomende: Ninja Dude
Opportunistic grazer/scavenger
Endangered!
Evolved from: Archaic Life
Genes: Digestion x1, Drifting x1, Crawling x1
Description: tiny beads of cells, clumsily drifting along the seafloor. They feed by simply absorbing food particles through their skin. While gathering up detritus on the seafloor, they are also opportunistic grazers, flattening out to absorb bacteria wherever the microbial mats may have been disrupted by storms. They are found throughout the shallows.
Stemende: Sonereal
Evolved from: Pingucomende
Genes: Digestion x1, Drifting x1, Crawling x2, Piercing Strike x1
Genes Added: +1 Piercing Strike, +1 Crawling
Genes Removed: None
Description: These tiny beads of cells continue to clumsily drift along the seafloor, but in a proper fashion that evolves more periods of crawling than drifting. Stemende evolved spikes in order to better protect itself against would-be jerks that would blindly float around, stab, and eat anything in their path. This weapon is dual-use to also kill things unlucky enough to be on the sea floor or otherwise drifting around.
Deepgnu: Omega
Evolved from: Pingucomende Crawlus
Genes: Digestion x2, Drifting x1, Crawling x2
Genes Added: Pressure Resistance X1, Heat Resistance X1
Genes Removed: None
Description: Some Pingucomende Crawlus started to crawl downwards and downwards, near the inhospitable volcanic vents. While first attempts to colonize this land was considered to be hard, with most of specimens dying off due to the heat and pressure, some Pingucomende started to adapt to eating the dead corspes and patches of Soleneidea. Soon, they started to gain the very same resistance to heat and pressure the natives of this unforgiving world had, and called this home. The Deepgnu had been born.
Spirulus: Lord_Iggy
Active hunter
Surviving
Evolved from: Stellaculus
Genes: Piercing Spike x1, Digestion x2, Drifting x1, Harpoons x1 [Mobility +1]
Description: Spirulus is a descendent of the Stellaculus. While fundamentally similar to its radially-symmetrical relative, it differs significantly in intercellular organization. The Spirulus starts off as a single, free-living, budded cell similar to its ancestor the Spiculus, but as it grows it begins to add cells in the pattern of a fractal spiral. While there is a central tube to this spiral, the edges are 'frayed', producing long, thin filaments. These filaments can rapidly extend, flying out like a harpoon into substrate or other organisms. The shortening of these filaments draws the organism forward, providing for an efficient means of locomotion.
Tremulus: Lord_Iggy
Evolved from: Spirulus
Genes Added: Vibration Sense x1, Chemosensation x1, Teeth x1
Genes Removed: None
Description: The Tremulus has built significantly on the primitive sensory systems of its ancestor, the Spirulus. Its anterior end, at the outer edge of its spiral, has developed several complex sensory systems. The first is simply a more complex iteration of the Spirulus' sense of touch. Tightly-knit and feathery filaments have woven themselves into dish-like antennae, capable of sensing the smallest of movements within a limited range. The second is an altogether novel development, a highly-derived set of cells adapted to detect the presence of various different dissolved chemicals. This chemosensation, akin to scent or taste, allows the Tremulus to pursue desirable prey from a distance. To process all of this data, the Tremulus has developed a simple electrochemical nervous system with the beginnings of cephalization. However, currently this tiny ganglion does little more than process directional information, guiding the creature towards its prey. Finally, at the beginning of its digestive tract, the Tremulus has developed a cluster of filaments into a ring of articulated tooth-like structures. Adapting the hardened tips of its constituent cells into contiguous, sharpened structures, the Tremulus is now much better able to deal with the prey that it has drawn towards itself with its harpoon filaments.
Phylum Spiculina, commonly referred to as Spiculids, comprises all animals descended from the evolutionary lineage of the Spiculus family. Presently, the overwhelming majority of multicellular Spiculids are descended from the Stellaculus family, so it is this group that we will examine in the greatest detail. Unifying features of this phylum are the presence of the protein spiculin, and apical chitinization at the extreme ends of their long, thin cells. Spiculin appears in its resting state as a tightly-bound coil, taking up little space. However, upon the application of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy-carrier molecule, the helix's structure changes dramatically, partially or fully straightening itself into a stiff rod several times its initial length. If the energy source is removed, the spiculin gradually contracts back to its resting state. As spiculin is the primary element capable of macro-scale movement in Spiculid cells, creatures from this phylum tend to possess musculature that is protractile (extendable) rather than contractile (pulling), like the muscles of all animals on Earth.
Phylogenetic analysis reveals Spiculids to be an outgroup to all other life on their planet- in laymans terms, they are more distantly related to other life on their planet than any other group of organisms, having diverged from the main mass of life earlier than any other extant group. The common ancestor of all Spiculids is the Spiculus, a single-celled organism which punctured and fed on other cells by rapidly extending its internal spiculin, driving its apical spikes through the membranes of its neighbours. Colonial behaviour evolved early in this lineage, leading to a diverse assemblage of microfauna.
As mentioned previously, nearly all significant and extant Spiculids are descended from the Stellaculus. The Stellaculus possesses the ability to exist in both single-celled and colonial forms. As a single cell, it is largely indistinguishable from any other Spiculid, but in a colony, the Stellaculus is capable of forming a ball or tube (depending on the specific species of Stellaculus under investigation). In this form, the cells differentiate significantly, forming digestive elements and periodic reproductive structures. Biologists often debate where exactly the line lies between a colonial organism composed of many independent lifeforms and a united, multicellular organism, but the Stellaculus falls clearly into this broad grey area.
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