Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Era 29: The Reinizonic Era
This era takes its name from the Shellster Reinizio, a sea creature which became very common during this time.
Falciria completed its journey around the world, colliding with Asmara to form a new super-continent. After originally detaching from Heftonia in the Armtupleran Era, it now ploughed into southern Agonia, throwing up a brand new mountain range in the process.
The global climate was stable and pleasantly warm, and there was more varied plant life on the surface. But the vast, unbroken ocean was not particularly rich in plankton. It was only near the coasts of the giant super-continent that deep ocean currents were deflected up to the surface, brining nutrients that allowed great blooms of plankton to flourish.
New Evolutions:
Spoiler :
Planet Map:
Spoiler :
The Air:
The various Aurora species continued to thrive - especially the Cackling Auroras, Long Nosed Auroras and Storm Auroras - but had no significant changes. They seemed to have settled nicely into their various niches.
The Royalis Jubblera Gardinice had a big impact on the world. It was less destructive to plants, yet even more of a pain for herbivores. Instead of breaking down leaves into fermenting goo like its ancestors, it is believed that it defended and 'cultivated' plants that produced nectar or tasty fruits, and fed on those things instead. In any case, it was also a carnivore armed with jaws, and it helped to keep the numbers of Scourge other Jubbler species down. Combined with the pleasant and stable climate, this allowed greater variety of plants to thrive. But swarms of biting Gardinices would have been dangerous to any wandering herbivores, especially those without thick skin or armour of some kind. It is also believed they were capable of surprisingly complex behaviour when acting together as a swarm.
The Blood Scourge was also very successful by feeding on the blood of animals. Its 'piercing proboscis' would have been quite capable of getting through thin skin or even exoskeletons. If it was attached securely enough, it may have used its acid spit to irritate the wound and encourage even more blood to flow. It would also have carried disease between different animals and different species. It must have been a constant pain to most land creatures at this time. As a swarm, it could have been fatal to whole herds. Although ironically some of these diseases it carried were probably just as likely to affect the Blood Scourge itself. That and attacks on their nests by Gardinices were probably the only things keeping their numbers down.
Florytes took a different direction from the burrowing Kryodytes. They remained closer to their Kuaryte ancestors, but their skills in munching and digesting soon put them ahead, and they began to replace the older species. They were able to thrive like no other creature amongst the forests of Liandranels, munching on their smaller and tougher leaves, as well as the tastier leaves of the more varied forests and jungles that were to be found near the equator. They made fairly easy prey for Auroras and climbing predators, especially the new Kakliea, but were still able to breed in huge numbers.
The descendents of the Kuaryte were finally able to migrate into Falciria, where the ancient Flevrytes had lived and thrived for countless millions of years without any competition. Flevrytes were soon in danger of extinction, as they were overrun by their noisier cousins. But as with other ancient species, their simplicity was sometimes a bonus when it came to surviving in marginal areas.
The Land:
As mentioned, different plants began to prosper again, most notably the ancient Woody Fanel. While diversity increased, there was still a huge amount of Liandranels and Sprouty Ferns to be found.
The Horned Stalker was best adapted to munching the smaller leaves of these plants, and followed their spread into Falciria. They probably lived quite happily alongside most other herbivores which preferred bigger, juicier leaves. The Horned Stalkers could also still dig holes to search for tasty roots and bulbs. It is believed their long nasal passages could be used to make various loud noises, to warn of danger or just to communicate with each other. Combined with their herd instinct, spiky backs and fairly good senses, they would have been a hard target for predators. Horned Stalkers seem to have been very numerous and widespread across the new super-continent.
All kinds of animals and plants began to invade Falciria, but some also went the other way. Toxidids, Tuughwurms, Bariothorim Roamers and Bipedal Seer Leggers were the four main exports from Falciria. Toxidids began to upset the older Diggadids and Subterradids, and basically replaced them in many areas. Tuughwurms faced little direct competition, as they could dig deeper than most other creatures, were relatively simple and had good defences.
Bariothorim Roamers also spread out across much of the super-continent, but were not as successful as their ancestors had been in the previous era, alone in Falciria. They now faced attack by the fearsome Lupivus species, and also encountered their long-lost cousins the Velocirixes. The Velocirix was a much faster animal, armed with powerful claws, and was better able to defend itself. Bariothorim Roamers also competed with Horn Stalkers for the same kind of grazing, where the Horn Stalker's more efficient digestion and chewing jaws gave it the advantage. Still, the Bariothorim's mix of abilities ensured it had a place in things for now.
Bipedal Seer Leggers were by far the most successful imports from Falciria. With their superb speed, fast metabolism, efficient digestion, strong herd instinct, and comparatively excellent eyesight, not to mention their relative simplicity, they were able to breed in huge numbers wherever there was enough food, and not too many Jubblera Gardinices around. It is likely that they would have completely overrun the continent of Falciria if it had remained isolated. Predators like the Auroras and Lupivus were still able to hunt them, but only with determination and patience.
Other Falcirian species did not do so well. RaspuWrums faced tough competition from the social Later Cavebug - which was still rarely able to compete for prey or scavenging above ground, but was more of a menace to other subterranean creatures. But RaspuWrums did survive and even spread out a little, probably in partnership with the Mimicalix, a more social and smellier version of the Mimicalegger. It seems likely that these two species were basically dependent on each other by this time, with the Mimicalix doing most of the patrolling and foraging at night to bring back food, while the RapsuWrums stayed nearer the burrow, and fought against Cavebugs and any other intruders.
Boaradids were an omnivorous evolution of Diggadids which appeared in Falciria. They were promising, but appeared too late to have any impact, as they were slow and completely unable to compete with the Asmara's predators in most cases. Luckily for them, a few islands to the west of Falciria still provided a save haven free from Asmaran invaders.
Meanwhile, the Banded Lupivus had evolved in southern Asmara. It was the most complex lifeform the planet had seen up to this point. It was certainly one of the strongest animals ever seen, with the power to rip animals like the Seer Legger to shreds, if it could catch them. It was better adapted for life in the forests, where it used speed, strength, intelligence and stealth to ambush prey. Its climbing ability didn't compare to the Kakleia, but it mostly hunted prey on the forest floor. The Banded Lupivus was very successful at that, but its complexity and higher energy demands meant it needed a higher concentration of prey than other hunters. At the same time, the Lupivus Secus continued to thrive with its pack-hunting lifestyle in the open plains, while the Dire Lupivus lived somewhere in-between.
As for the Kakleia, this species was the biggest competitor to the Lupivus at this time, and built on the success of the earlier Valios species. It seems to have been more numerous than any of the single Lupivus varieties. As a climbing predator it was unsurpassed. It spread through all kinds of forests, and seems to have flourished along with the spread of the Florytes, which was probably its favourite prey. However, they were capable of tackling all kinds of other animals, either in the treetops or on the ground, where they could run reasonably fast. Their complex stomachs could easily handle fruits and other parts of plants as well. Kakleias were also attentive parents. It is surprising that the Kakleia evolved fur and live birth at this time, just like the Lupivus, even though it was on a separate line of evolution - they had separated as far back as the Gregarixian Era, with the extinction of the ancient Chrontrevalion. In any case, without the need to guard eggs, their small groups could stay on the move for longer.
The Zunatra was another new tree-climbing omnivore related to the Porcuball and the fearsome - but long extinct - feathered predators of ancient Agonia. In any single area, it was outmatched by rival species. But it was versatile enough that it was able to overlap their territories most of the time.
The Porcuball itself was still doing well, such that a larger variety appeared. The Greater Porcuball was not actually so successful. Its greater size attracted the attention of predators, and its thin spines and fairly weak bite were not enough to discourage a determined attack. This species probably spent a lot of time underground, or only foraged at night, both cases where its keen ears and would have been very useful. This may also have been another species that teamed up with the Mimicalix in shared burrows.
The Predatory Inis was able to compete on slightly more equal terms with the Arboreaneraria. It was still less common than its tree-climbing rival, but its complex larval stage and poisonous exoskeleton ensured that more of its kind survived to reach maturity. There was certainly a lot of insects around for both these species to feast on.
Other new arrivals came from the swamps of southern Asmara. Firstly, the Pond Bulgorb, an aquatic version of its ancestors, which was able to use its sticky tongue to steal insects from the webs of Inis and Arboreaneraria. Secondly, the Landupler, with stronger legs than the Mudtupler, and able to spend much more time out of water. Ancient species of this family had once dominated the land and reached new heights of intelligence, ending with the extinction of the Quadarm and Ractupler in Mass Extinction Event #3. The Landupler was still about as smart as anything else that currently lived on land, and seems to have done fairly well as a versatile omnivore which took good care of its nests and young. Though, in terms of population size it was still on the sidelines.
Finally, most of the various Zeeboo species still had healthy populations, though many of the newer species were still over-adapted the cold, and could only be found in any numbers in the far north and south.
Notable Plants:
Xeeboos, Mountain Zeeboos, Tougher Zeeboos, Liandranels, Novo Tranel, Woody Fanels, Nest Fanel, Sprouty Fern, Winter Fern, Burrowing Zeeboo, Tougher Zeeboo, Chungus, Super Lichen, Fire Moss, Buggy Moss, Parasitic Driftseed.
Notable Animals:
Bariothorim Roamers, Velocirixes, Bipedal Seer Leggers, Horned Stalkers, Porcuballs, Banded Lupivus, Dire Lupivus, Lupivus Secus, Kakleia, Tuughwurms, Caveworms, Later Cavebugs, Arboreanerarias, Merlytes, Carnytes, Toxidids, Subterradid, Florytes, Predarivervalions, Royalis Jubblera Gardinices, Scourges, Blood Scourges, Jubblera Sensicas, Aurorlys, Cackling Auroras, Armored Amphibeels, Mudtuplers.
The Oceans:
There was now a large unbroken mass of open ocean - fairly warm water lacking in nutrients, and thus plankton. Yet, masses of Shellster Reinizios were able to live and breed here. These were miniaturised versions of the Shellster Gigantus. Their plankton-trapping and digestion was better than most, only equalled by their larger ancestors. And once fully grown, their energy demands were very small. Swarms of them were to be found floating across the open ocean, often linked together by their tentacles. Predators with strong jaws - like the Lordavalion and Kingvalion - were best suited to taking on these crunchy, spiky prey.
The Gigantus also branched off in another direction, with the Shellster Grapplus. This remained just as large, but was now better able to defend itself with spiky talons attached to its tentacles. It survived this era, but was very rare compared to the Reinizios.
Near the coasts, the same mix of animals was in place, with little change from the previous era. Velocine Finners were still doing well. Roxorfish thrived in huge numbers wherever the ocean was rich enough, and provided most of the meat which coastal predators fed on.
The Amacilndasa Carnavorus faced very tough competition from the Tentaclomp in particular, when it came to catching small prey. At least the tough shell of the Amacilndasa made it less of a target for larger predators in turn. Other Amacilndasas were not adapting well to the change in ocean currents. The Amacilndasa Gigantocalcis Vegatus seems to have disappeared at this time.
The Riftocult was a successful off-shoot of the ancient Infil-cult parasite. The Riftocult's tactic was to keep its host alive for as long as possible, even going into hibernation if the host became too weak. This method seems to have been successful - unfortunately so for other sea creatures, as these parasites became more common.
The Diverfish was another success story. It was the only known animal which could survive hot temperatures directly near underwater volcanic vents, and even lay its eggs close to the edge of the super-hot water columns, amongst the Yellow Bathysplates and Mini Bathystowers. This made it unlikely that the eggs or hatchlings would be bothered by the Simplavalions or Yuckius Sirenis which stalked the depths.
Finally, there was some change among the 'plants' of the sea floor. The versatile Skimarets now made up most of the shallow water reefs, and consigned the Aguaminarets back down to the depths. Spike Urchins were another branch of the ancient ever-present Sea Urchins, this time a little more successful, with more ways of getting energy, and more spikes for defence. The Algaceae Ascendis was a larger version of the ancient Algaceae Dendrocovitis, with gas sacs to provide buoyancy and support, similar to the Cryo Bubbleo which was also still around. Ascendis seems to have thrived wherever the seabed was fertile enough, the pillars of stems and leaves provided another habitat for small sea animals to shelter in.
Notable Animals:
Shellster Reinizios, Shellster Grapplus, Tentaclomps, Diverfish, Roxorfish, Cloudfish, Pondurytes, Velocine Finners, Arrow Finners, Huntudians, Lordavalions, Amacilndasa Interlopus, Slimey Slugs, Mibblers, Driftworms, Seatuplers, Mudtuplers, Shy Hunters, Yuckius Sirenis, Crimson Slasheels, Armored Amphibeels, Voidus Garbageos, Nitros Intrepidus, Surf Auroras, Cackling Auroras.
Notable Plants:
Skimarets, Aguaminarets, Spongita Terranovas, Bathyscapers, Mini Bathystowers, Yellow Bathysplates, Cryo Bubbleos, Algaceae Ascendis, Algaceae Dendrotrunkis, Algaceae Dendrocovitis, Sea Fuzz, Sea Urchins.
Bonuses:
Plant award: No player plant evolutions this time.
Animal award: Kakliea. However, Littleboots has +1 gene bonus, for doing most of the work with the Valios line!
Innovation award: Diverfish. bestshot9 has +1 gene bonus.
Story award: Lord Iggy has +1 gene bonus.
Branching awards: Abaddon, erez87 and Grombar each have +1 gene bonus this time.
Problems:
@ All, this did take a lot of work, but despite what I said the other day (I was in a bad/strange mood) it could have been done earlier. Sorting out my new PC has taken up much of my free time in the last few weeks. I may be able to do the next update without such a long delay.
Also, stats and pictures for many of the old updates are still missing as you may have noticed (the problem starts around era 14, server backups were faulty from that point on). I will eventually get some of the old pictures back up, at least. Feel free to PM me for any of the old pictures or stats or anything (I have everything backed up on several hard drives, including redundant work-in-progress versions, and saved web pages. Currently my folder for this NES is at 448 MB
).@ Fuschia, I'm afraid I toned down the complexity of the Predatory Inis life-cycle a little, as I couldn't quite see your original idea working out
@ Grombar, I'm not going to have a gene for camouflage, as its kinda been given free to certain species already. I have made a gene for 'stealth', which is meant to be an instinct for stalking, keeping quiet, not leaving much of a scent trail, etc. It could be used on the defensive also!
@ Haseri, instead of adding Hematophagy as a separate thing (feeding on blood), I just used 'Fluids Parasitism' which had already been used for parasites before. I hope that's OK.
PS, anyone have a suggestion for the name of the new super-continent?
Species Stats:
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