Era 27: The Snoscapian Era
This era is named after the Spongita Snoscapis, which appeared at the start of this era and soon became very common in the polar oceans, leaving a distinct boundary in the fossil record.
The climate remained cold, but variable. There were intervals of up to a hundred thousand years, where the ice retreated and northern Asmara became home to vast grasslands and forests. But, the ice always came back. Those animals with adaptation to the cold generally did much better over time. The era ended only a little warmer than it had started.
Asmara had now fully fused together, and began to drift eastwards as one giant mass. It was slowly heading for a collision with the Falcirian continent which was drifting the other way. But for now, a wide stretch of ocean still separated the two.
New Evolutions:
Planet Map:
The Air:
The
Scourge was an unwelcome arrival to the equatorial regions of Asmara. Creatures in that part of the world were already facing tough competition for food and habitat, and now had to suffer vast swarms of Scourges which appeared up every few years. Their acid spit would have been a source of great irritation. Although, it was probably only smaller and weaker animals that would actually fall victim. The Scourge lacked any other weapons, apart from their sheer numbers. Animals with tough exoskeletons, or animals that could retreat into water, would have been basically immune. Nonetheless, the planet had never seen such terrifying swarms before.
The Aurora family continued to branch out - the
Ice Aurora found yet another new niche, as a scavenger and occasional hunter in the mountains and frozen plains of both continents. With more efficient lungs and feathers, it was able to fly at a greater altitude than any other creature so far. Meanwhile the
Auorly had evolved the best eyesight of any animal at this point, and had become a deadly night hunter. Most of the Aurora species had healthy populations but, as in previous eras, there was an amount of overlap between their different lifestyles, preventing any single species from really thriving on a huge scale.
The Land: Falciria
This continent continued on its isolated path, with few changes. It also benefited most from any warm breaks in the climate, and at times was home to most of the large plant life on the planet.
Underground,
Tuughwurms continued to thrive, and the new
RaspuWrums began to replace the old
Carniwerms, with the advantages of greater speed and a more flexible diet. They were also better protected for their fights with Carniwerms, and each other too. Still, they remained little threat to most surface creatures.
The
Pre-Leggers were beginning to disappear by the end of this era, as the new
Burial Legger appeared. The new species could dig deeper than before, and began to compete with the
Diggadids and
Merlytes for the same role. The Burial Legger was also helped by being versatile, as it could also swim, and run faster than anything else on the continent. Although, its senses remained poor, and swift attacks from the air - by any of the more bloodthirsty Aurora species - kept their numbers down, and prevented them from overrunning the continent.
The
Saaranixes continued to roam in huge herds, together with large numbers of
Ol Scrapers. Both were old species, hardly changed now for many millions of years. Saaranixes were still omnivores, but would rarely turn on other animals. The
Predarivervalions were the top predators on the continent, even if they were only found in lakes and rivers.
Notable Plants:
Woody Fern, Winter Fern, Weak Fern, Tougher Zeeboo, Chungus, Super Lichen, Fire Moss, Buggy Moss, Parasitic Driftseed.
Notable Animals:
Saaranixes, Merlytes, Tuughwurms, Predarivervalions, Rivervalions, Diggadids, Pre-Leggers, Ol Scrapers, Flevrytes, Blood Auroras, Jubbleras Sensicas, Silver Auroras, Ice Auroras, RaspuWurms.
The Land: Asmara
By the end of this era,
Asmara Scraper and
Velocirix had taken over as the main herbivores. The Velocirix did best of all, with a good balance of senses, weapons, mobility, and efficient digestion. It was the most successful species of its type since before the last mass extinction. Huge herds of them roamed the northern plains, especially during the warmer periods. Giving birth to live young helped the herds stay on the move - although the babies were not born very well developed, and were still vulnerable to the cold, or predators.
The Asmara Scraper was not as numerous, though still very common. It spent more time underground, sheltering or hibernating, as it couldn't survive in the same cold weather. But its digestion was even more efficient than the Velocirix, allowing it to scrape a living from mosses and other things that were ignored by other herbivores. Its also interesting that its spikes became longer and sharper, providing a better defence, while they also became retractable, making it easier to move underground while they weren't needed. The spikes were probably a reaction to the spread of more dangerous carnivores...
The large
Frozuneas still had a healthy population. Thanks to their thick feathers, as well as internal adaptation to the cold, they still ranged much further north than most of their rivals. The one exception was the
Fuzzball, a new species which evolved from the insect-eating
Kunatra. With thickest feathers of all, and a wider diet, it began to join the Frozuneas and other animals on the frozen plains.
The
Primus Lupivus had been successful enough to give rise to two new predators. The
Lupivus Secus was by far the most successful of the two. Its babies were born better developed, and better able to survive the harsh conditions of the north. This species ranged further than before, in greater numbers, and with true pack-hunting tactics. A pack could take on just about anything in Asmara that couldn't fly away or hide in a burrow.
Meanwhile, the
Dire Lupivus went in the direction of size and strength, while becoming less social. Although not as deadly as a pack of Lupivus Secus, it was deadly enough, and able to tackle most of the common animals on the plains by itself. Adults probably had a large territory, and used their improving sense of smell to track down prey.
The versatile
Kryodyte evolved from the
Kuarytes of the warm forests. The Kryodyte had greater resistance to the cold, and this allowed it to follow
Tarbanel and
Novo Tranel forests to their northern extremes. Kryodytes also spent a lot of time underground, mainly to shelter from bad weather.
Underground, there were constant battles between groups of
Caveworms, armed with sharp jaws, and
Terrarytes, whose 'warriors' were armed with poison-tipped claws. Caveworms were simpler, more sociable, had a keener sense of smell, and could breed faster. But the Terrarytes were much better at gathering food from above ground, had a useful heat-vision sense, and produced a nutritious honey-like goo to share with each other in hard times. Different conditions would favour different sides, but generally there was room for both, at least for now.
The appearance of the
Nest Fanel complicated things a little. This plant had hollow bulbs which encouraged small animals to nest inside, and even provided free food for them with nectar-producing nodules. It seems this evolved in partnership with the Terrarytes, who would probably guard and protect the Nest Fanel both above and below ground, in return for the nectar. Its also likely that other animals sometimes took advantage without the plant getting anything in return, but it was beneficial enough for the plant to gain a foothold amongst the other Fanel species.
Finally, the
Dome Zeeboo emerged as the most sophisticated plant species around. This near-miraculous plant was the only one able to grow among deep snow and ice, as well as rocky mountain slopes, usually well out of reach of herbivores. Dome Zeeboos began to replace the earlier
Burrowing Zeeboo species.
Notable Animals:
Velocirixes, Asmara Scrapers, Frozuneas, Fuzzballs, Lupivus Secus, Dire Lupivus, Caveworms, Terrarytes, Tundra Oltic Scrapers, Diggadids, Kryodytes, Predarivervalions, All-Eater Leggers, Royalis Jubblera, Scourges, Silver Auroras, Ice Auroras.
Notable Plants:
Dome Zeeboos, Mountain Zeeboos, Ice Zeeboo, Tarbanels, Winter Ferns, Novo Tranels, Tougher Zeeboos, Chungus, Woody Fanels, Weak Ferns, Super Lichen
The Oceans:
The oceans saw few real changes. The cool water was rich in plankton and nutrients, for those that could survive the lower temperature. Otherwise, the equatorial waters still offered a warm refuge.
The
Algaceae Dendrotrunkis plant of the previous era was continuing to gain ground on the ancient
Algaceae Dendrocovitis, which nonetheless remained one of the most common plants on the seabed. Meanwhile, the new
Spongita Snoscapis began to spread into polar waters, reclaiming territory which older Spongita species had lost many millions of years ago.
Lordavalions and
Packtudians remained the top predators during this era. However, there was still enough prey to support a host of other predators, most of which hunted by night. The
Radarexes and
Shy Hunters, had hardly changed in many millions of years, but still had healthy populations.
It was a similar story on the deep ocean bed, where
Pondurytes and
Simplavalions were among the most ancient of all surviving animal species. However, evolution was not sitting still. The
Yellow Bathysplate emerged from the crowds of
Bathystowers which grew on volcanic vents. The Bathysplate began to take over with its more efficient design, being able to trap more minerals from the water, as well as keeping a better grip on surrounding rocks.
The
Yuckius Sirenis was the first new Yucky species to evolve for a long time. Although smaller than the
Yucky 'Sea Monster', it was more efficient overall, and had better senses. Their powerful jaws remained a danger to anything they could lure into the dark depths.
Meanwhile, back in shallower waters, the versatile
Seatupler was doing well. Not just a smaller version of the
Giant Quintupler, it gave more attention to its eggs and offspring, and dug deep pits in the seabed to protect them. Improved eyesight was also important in a sea full of agile predators. With more young reaching maturity, this species soon greatly outnumbered its older relatives.
The
Amacilndasa Lethianthansus Pacifistimus soon replaced its ancestors, thanks to improved digestion organs. Otherwise it was not much different, and remained slow and clumsy, so plankton still formed most of its diet. The heavy shell was important, however - there were still no predators than could threaten a fully grown Pacifistimus.
The Eferscone family continued to branch out. The
Tentaclomp became an efficient hunter of small animals, especially among tangled sea-plants and reefs. Its tentacles were very useful for reaching into small spaces to grab prey.
Like the earlier
Spinanerarias, the
Land Spinanerarias were still to be found near water most of the time, but also worked their way far inland. They could withstand the cold as well as the Asmara Scrapers and Velocirixes, which gave them much greater range than before. Some were able to live deep in the forest, relying only on small pools and ponds formed by rainfall. It also seems likely that some remote tropical islands were virtually overrun with Land Spinanerarias and their webs, feasting on the abundant insects.
Finally, the
Armored Amphibeel continued to prosper in coastal waters, as well as further inland. With their strong bodies, some varieties had gradually worked their way up mountain streams, and were now to be found hundreds, if not thousands of feet above sea level.
Notable Animals:
Land Spinanerarias, Tentaclomps, Blizzardfish, Cloudfish, Panzerfish, Pondurytes, Arrow Finners, Packtudians, Lordavalions, Amacilndasa Gigantocalcis, Slimey Slugs, Mibblers, Driftworms, Seatuplers, Shy Hunters, Yuckius Sirenis, Crimson Slasheels, Voidus Garbageos, Nitros Intrepidus, Surf Auroras.
Notable Plants:
Aguaminarets, Bathyscapers, Yellow Bathysplates, Cryoalgarp, Cyroalgae, Cryo Bubbleos, Spongita Snoscapis, Algaceae Dendrotrunkis, Algaceae Dendrocovitis, Sea Fuzz.
Bonuses:
Plant award: Yellow Bathysplate.
bestshot9 has +1 gene bonus.
Animal award: Asmara Scraper.
Charles Li has +1 gene bonus
Innovation award: Dome Zeeboo.
Kol.7 has +1 gene bonus.
Story award: none posted this time.
Branching awards: squid1111,
Lord_Iggy and
erez87 each have +1 gene bonus.
(note - this is new, and is to reward player(s) who have created the largest variety of species. It is awarded semi-randomly each time.)
Problems:
One again, I didn't really notice problems till the last minute:
@TerrisH, I guess the Scourge weren't as deadly as you were hoping for. But again, I have to go by the actual genes that they have, I can't really give people extra effects for free...
@bestshot9, I changed the name of some of the genes you added, I hope that's OK. I like to re-use the same 'genes' as much as possible, to make it easier to compare different species.
@Kol.7, just to let you know, the Dome Zeeboo doesn't have any actual leaves as such, since it doesn't have the 'leaves' gene that other plants have. In this NES, 'leaves' have mainly been about competing for sunlight against other plants of a similar size, whereas the 'photosynthesis' gene is the main thing for actually getting food from sunlight. Anyway it wouldn't make much difference for the Dome Zeeboo at the moment.
@Charles Li, 'complex muscles' have never been in the official stats, as far as I remember. I've been using 'strength' instead. People keep posting it though, I guess you copied from what other people posted before... Anyway, I gave your creature a 'retractable spikes' gene as that seemed to fit better, hope that is OK.
Also, note that 'mineral eating' is generally a very poor source of energy, except maybe for things living in hot volcanic vents. Although, I can imagine it being useful in small amounts, alongside plant or flesh eating (I'm thinking of real world animals that sometimes nibble on clay, mud, mineral deposits in caves etc to get certain things they don't get from normal food - it could count like that).
@Erez87, a few problems with your description when I was reading it again - the Burial Legger is not 'impossible to catch' since it has quite poor senses, and can still be ambushed quite easily. Also, your creature is probably not that big - larger than the wormy creatures and Terrarytes etc, but about the same size as Diggadids and Subterradids I would say. And I can't really let the digging limbs be counted as weapons, you need to add some proper 'claws' for that. Right now, its limbs are about as lethal as a rabbit's
And please everyone, be careful when describing how well the creature does, especially when compared to others. The description should not be biased, or I may edit it. The actual deciding factors are the general lifestyle you describe, and the 'genes' themselves.
Species Stats:
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