NESLife attempt #3

*Cries* This is what you do Daft! You make all hate you for your slowness. Them force them to repent and love you with your total awesomness!

The first ‘airborne plant’ appeared during this era – actually, only the seed-pods of the Inflaboo, one of the many new Zeeboos that were appearing at the time. These pods were inflated with a buoyant mix of gases (by-products from normal chemical reactions in the plant). Assuming they weren’t snagged in surface obstacles, or pecked at by a curious flying animal, they could have soared high into the sky after being released, carrying many small seeds that could be scattered even further by the high-altitude winds. Considering the long lifespan of Zeeboos, it is thought that a single Inflaboo could eventually scatter its seeds across much of the planet’s surface. Inflaboos were probably the only Zeeboos living on some ocean island chains at this time.



Even though the climate recovered, it seems that the dense, varied jungles of previous eras did not reappear. Judging by the fossil record, it seems that there were huge areas where only Nest Fanels, various Chungus and Fern species could grow in abundance. It is thought that the Jubblera species were responsible for this, as each hive would eventually clear an area around it, leaving behind only certain kinds of plants – those that could either be regularly harvested, those that were too difficult to eradicate, or those that could be used as hive sites. Most animal intruders into these areas would face regular attacks by swarms of biting mouths until they turned back - only those with though defences, or those that could burrow underground (like the Leatherback Bug) would be able to venture far into these so-called ‘Nestlands’.

The Jubblera species had already evolved complex social behaviour by the time of the Jubblera Senti Ilusiaus. The Jubblera Senti Graspis took this even further, particularly when it came to protecting the hive’s larvae against attackers, and also had more complex grasping limbs. The Greater Nest Fanel also appeared towards the end of this era, providing even more nest-space and nutritious nectar. These two species came to rule large parts of the land surface, and there would have been countless trillions of individual Jubbleras in the most fertile regions (although, at the end of this era, specialised hive-raiding predators were beginning to appear). Some have imagined an orderly landscape of widely-spaced Greater Nest Fanels, each home to a different hive and surrounded by fields of various Ferns and smaller Nest Fanels being ‘farmed’ for food. Small clumps of wild jungle may only have grown in the no-mans-land between warring hives.

Both the Graspis and the older Ilusiaus species also lived far outside the tropical Nestlands, but they could not breed in such overwhelming numbers there, and had nothing like the same effect on their surroundings. There they relied more on stealth, using their chromatophores to hide themselves and their hives from attack.

The ground-dwelling Jubblera Hereticus also appeared at this time alongside the Graspis and the Ilusias. The Hereticus got its name from the way its fossils do not quite seem to fit with the Jubblera lineage – a true exoskeleton appeared, and wings shrunk or disappeared altogether, while its front limbs became dedicated grasping limbs. It is not known if the Hereticus was truly a rival of the other Jubblera species - it is possible there was cooperation (at least some of the time) where the Hereticus could live in the same tree as the others, carrying out most of the hive-building and foraging in the immediate area. Along with the Mamicalon and Greater Chungus, the inter-species cooperation of the Jubblera hives was definitely getting more complicated.

The Malevolent Scourge was another relative of the Jubbleras which evolved at this time, and is notable for being a more viscous parasite than the earlier Blood Scourge. In fact it may have been a lethal predator and hive-raider, as it attacked in groups and used fearsome mouth-parts that could get through thick skin and exoskeleton. This species soon became just as widespread, and must have been an annoyance for even the biggest land animals of the time.

The surviving Aurora species resumed the roles they had before the extinctions. Of the species that could still fly, all were opportunistic carnivores. Although by no means as numerous as the social Jubblera, they could live in a wider range of habitat, and could roam freely without being tied to hives (although, of course, they still built nests in order to breed). The adaptable Thieving Aurora remained the most successful variety, but the others seem to have been around in great numbers too.



It was from the older Ice Aurora that the Great Aurora evolved – the largest flying animal known up to this point, with a wingspan more than double that of most other Auroras, able to soar at high altitude. They also had the strength to carry away larger prey – perhaps even an adult Bariot - although they probably weren't agile enough to prey on other flying creatures. These Auroras may well have roamed all over the planet in their lifetimes, and nested in the most remote places.

By this time, the sea-dwelling Auroras had already lost the ability to fly, and continued to evolve on their own path…

The surviving airborne ‘ytes – Kryodytes and Madrytes – seem to have problems during this era. Aside from the large areas monopolized by Jubblera swarms, the fruit-rich plants of previous eras were simply no longer around. The Madrytes did have an advantage in the efficiency of their stomachs, allowing them to live in more marginal areas where there were few or no Jubblera hives. Kryodytes were confined to the colder climates where they were best suited, especially the Liandranel forests. It is known that both species shared the most complex vocal-organs of any animal, and probably had a complex system of alarm calls to alert each other to different threats. Even so, both species were vulnerable to aerial attack by the smaller and more agile Auroras, especially the Thieving Aurora (which also had a taste for their eggs).

Perhaps due to trouble on land, one branch of Madrytes moved out into the lakes and oceans. Noisy flocks of Frigytes were undoubtedly visitors to the Blisstower reefs that were appearing in the tropics.

Huge forests of Liandranels reappeared in colder climates. This was already a fairly old species, and seems to have remained basically unchanged right up to this time. Liandranels were the only large plants to survive the extinctions, and faced no real competition in areas where Jubbleras and Nest Fanels could not easily survive. These forests gave habitat for flying and climbing creatures that could not live comfortably in the tropical Nestlands. But Liandranels only provided a minimum amount of fruit, and their spine-like leaves were hard to digest. This favoured herbivores with more efficient digestion, like the flying Madrytes, or various ground-foraging Saur species.

The open plains supported much greater numbers of herbivores, mainly thanks to the various Fern species. Ferns were undoubtedly the most successful group of land plants at this time. Huge stretches of Winter Ferns re-emerged in the polar regions, blending into Sprouty Ferns and larger Woody Ferns (the newest species) nearer the equator. They carpeted much of the open plains (leaving other plants growing in isolated patches), filled up patches of sunlight on the forest floor, encroached on arid deserts, and may have been ‘farmed’ by Jubbleras in the tropics. They were also much easier to eat than other surviving small plants (many of which were spiky, stinging, or poisonous), but provided the soil was rich enough, they were also able to grow and re-grow at a faster rate - helped by having more sophisticated leaves and roots (especially in the case of the Woody Fern).

Zeeboos also thrived and diversified during this era – in fact the sudden appearance of so many new plant species had never occurred before (at least not from one single group), and the exact reasons for it are still debated. The previous extinctions had certainly cleared space, and had spread Zeeboo seeds to many new places, but it is known that Zeeboos were actually losing ground during this era, since their seedlings were usually out-grown by those of simpler plants. Nonetheless it was a slow process, especially as many Zeeboos were very long-lived. It is believed that many Dome Zeeboos (formerly confined to polar regions) were still surviving in tropical areas, especially mineral-rich uplands away from concentrations of Nest Fanels and Jubblera swarms. It may have been a similar story for the Burrowing Zeeboos, from which the unique Inflaboo evolved at this time.

Robust Zeeboos also lost some ground, but it is a sign of success that they had given rise to two rival offshoots by the end of this era – the Ash Zeeboo and the Pront Zeeboo. Both were more efficient at using sunlight, but Ash Zeeboos evolved pods of acidic fluid with which to kill off surrounding plants (including other Zeeboos) and deter herbivores, whereas the Pront species had armoured roots that were more resistant to attack by burrowing animals, and also seems to have improved on the ‘vocalisation’ ability of its ancestors (there are still more theories than answers about how these sounds were used). The fossil record shows both species were around in roughly equal numbers, and more common than the original Robust Zeeboo.



On the border with the open plains, it seems some Zeeboos were not exactly displaced by Ferns and other plants, but that a mixed habitat grew up instead – various small plants (Woody Fern in particular) mixed together with greater numbers of the new Zeeboo species (the Spike, Ash, Pront and Robust Zeeboos) than was found elsewhere on the plains. Some have called this the ‘zeevana’, occupying land that had less rainfall but more minerals near the surface. It would have been home to a diverse mix of different animals seeking shelter from the open plains, and/or food that could not be found in the more extreme Zeeboolands.

The aquatic Temperate Xeeboos had mixed fortunes at this time – they were able to colonise huge stretches of coastline as the continents split further apart, but were often wiped out again by frequent upheavals and sea-level changes.

Chungus played a vital role in recycling dead plants, including the large Liandranels and poisonous Zeeboos. Symbicus and Legionicus were less common on land, but also played a role. Without these species it seems unlikely that so much new forest and ‘nestland’ could have spread. Greater Chungus also seems to have been closely tied to the Nest Fanels and Jubbleras in the tropics.

Land animals diversified like never before, which is perhaps not too surprising. Some of the familiar characters of previous eras were finally replaced. There was also a trend for larger animals (although none reached the size of the extinct Gigatupler).

First, the Saurs (ever since a mistake was made in cataloguing early fossils, the convention is to include the descendents of both the Spikeasarus and the oddly-named ChewOn-Saur under the collective ‘Saur’ group, even though these two lines are not directly related - the last common ancestor was the LungScraper of Era #19). This group could boast what was probably the most numerous surface-living animal (not including fliers and burrowers), namely the Smilosaur, which had almost replaced the ChewOn by this era’s end. As with its ancestors, the Smilosaur was a superb social omnivore and opportunist, fast enough to outrun anything it couldn’t kill. It still couldn’t venture into drier regions, but was now adapted for the cold, and could venture into the Liandranel forests as well as roaming across the plains, or raiding into the tropical Nestland terrain to attack Jubbleras and steal fruit from their Nest Fanels.

The Saurs also boasted the most efficient plant-eater, the Spikasaurus, which had survived the extinctions by hibernating, licking minerals from mud and eating dried-up mosses if it had to. Spikasaurs were the most common herbivores to be found in the poor Liandranel forests. It is thought they also roamed across the plains (relying on their spikes for defence) and into the new Zeevana terrain. From them came the Rogosaur - a larger, meaner, streamlined and even more anti-social version of the Spikasaur, with a reinforced skull used for head-butting, similar to the ancient SkullScraper (to which it was distantly related). As solitary animals, both these species were vulnerable to pack hunters, but were better able to survive in poorer terrain. Fossil evidence shows that both were around in good numbers during this time.

Related to the Saus group were the amphibious Otterus species, descended from the ancient LungScraper (which was evidently still around in large numbers). The Otterus Eaterus emerged at this time and soon spread around the planet, as they became more resistant to colder waters. But the real secret of their success seems to have been their grasping hands, which could be used for carefully picking off the edible parts of plants while avoiding spikes and tendrils. It is thought they could also prise open shelled creatures like the Shellster Complexus, or young Amacilndasa (the fully grown versions of these were too large for anything but a Megalithavalion to handle). The Otterus were still primitive in many ways (their eyes were especially primitive) but it seems that huge numbers of them lived together with LungScrapers along the coasts, and especially on small islands or sheltered lakes without large predators.



The group known as Scuteridae (including all the exoskeletoned descendents of the ancient Repsiryte) could claim the greatest numbers overall. Aside from the Smilosaur, the most common sight on the plains was the Barius, which evolved from the hill-dwelling Barioat. The Barius found themselves well suited to life on open ground or in rough terrain – they were efficient herbivores, reasonably social and intelligent, with jaws and hooves to defend themselves as well as thick exoskeleton. They were also well suited to changing seasons, as they could store extra fat and nourishment for hard times, or perhaps retreat into the hills or Zeevana to nest and raise their young. A mass burial of Barius fossils has been found under the sediments of ancient volcanic eruption dating from around this time – from this we know that Barius wandered across the plains in densely-packed herds, alongside smaller numbers of Torazoats (a larger, dumber relative with more formidable defences) and Manorix.

The Manorix was the most sophisticated of the Scuteridae, a descendent of the Maiarix and its separate line of large, claw-armed herbivores without hooves or biting jaws. The Manorix’s lesser arms had grown from simple external food-mixers into functional grasping hands. The Manroix was nearly as intelligent and just as social as the ancient Quadarm species (which had been wiped out in the Era #23 extinctions), and similar theories have been put forward about possible use of tools by these creatures. The Manorix also had the advantage of vocal communication, using flaps along its dorsal lung openings, although its arms were still quite primitive. In any case, it seems these smart and adaptable creatures had soon spread across much of the land surface, gradually replacing the older Maiarix in most areas.

As for the smaller members of this group, the fearsome Mortytes remained widespread, and seem to have been keen enemies of the Jubblera hives, though they were also able to take down much larger animals - it seems some specialised in the role of surface ambush predator, as the Phobonyte emerged during this era and quickly spread across the main landmass. As a scaled-up version of the Mortyte, this was a truly monstrous creature, boasting the largest ‘killing claw’ of any animal up to this point, able to get through any defence. These predators hunted at night, when their heat-vision gave a bigger advantage. But they were rather slow on the ground (except for a short-range killing leap) and so totally relied on ambushing their prey.

The Lupus Argentum could be called the real top-level predator of this time. Building on the success of its ancestors, this was a strong, intelligent and social pack-hunter, able to chase down its prey. With fairly small lungs, it probably lacked the stamina for long chases, but was still fast enough to catch anything but a Smilosaur. The appearance of the Lupus in the fossil record marks a departure from the long-surviving Lupivus Secus. The Lupus was more versatile, and roamed from the polar regions to the warm sub-tropics. On the frozen shores of Orania, Lupus could live by scavenging sea carcasses and hunting any Diving Auroras that came ashore to breed. On the open plains, they could hunt Barius, and gang up on the young, sick or injured of other species much larger than themselves, like the Torazoats and Manorix. Lupus were also good climbers, and could have hunted Auroras and Madrytes, or raised their young in the relative safety of cliff ledges and Liandranel branches. The Lupus is considered the most sophisticated lifeform on the planet at this time, which of course came with greater demands for food - its population, although widespread, was always very small compared to those of its prey.



Kaklieas were less powerful, but had smaller appetites and were more numerous than the Lupus or Lupivus. The intelligent Ground Kakleia prospered after its main rivals had died out (the Gorgaths and Zoone among others), especially as its favourite prey was still around, the Burrowing Ball. The Strange Kakleia was an off-shoot that specialised in a solitary arboreal life among the Liandranel forests, or perhaps rocky mountainsides. This Kakleia had very large eye-sockets, presumably a nocturnal hunter with even better night-vision than the Ground Kakleia.

It seems the slimy Tentakul spent more time on land in search of growing numbers of insects and small creatures. Eventually the Land Tentakul species appeared, with a kind of skeleton to support its strong muscles. One fossil has been found in the process of killing and tearing the legs off a Land Ponduryte. By the end of this era, these creatures had adapted to survive far from the coasts and lakes in their adult stage, though their hatchlings needed water and plankton to feed on. The tentacles were useful multi-purpose tools and made these creatures quite adaptable and widespread, though they were still slow and vulnerable in the open.

It may be worth noting that the large Megalithavalion was still around, with the largest crushing jaw of any animal, although it was confined to warm lagoons, swamps and lakes.

There still seemed to be more room for new predators to appear - the Bulgorbs took the opportunity to climb up the food chain, resulting in the Mantrap Bulgorb. This was large enough to ensnare animals like the Barius on its sticky tongue, before slicing them up with its powerful jaws. Despite its greater size, it is though to have climbed up tree branches in order to lay its trap. The armoured Raider Bulgorb also appeared at this time, which remained a similar size to its ancestors but was better suited to attacking Jubbleras. Strong jaws could break though the walls of a hive, while the sticky tongue was an excellent tool for grabbing small creatures inside. It is thought the Raider was also armed with some kind of ‘gas bomb’ weapon that could be used to disperse the defending swarms. However successful this was, it doesn’t seem to have affected the overall numbers of Jubbleras at this point.

The hardy Stealtupler (relative of the famous, but now-extinct Gigatupler) and the older Toxidid species remained the main animals of the Zeebooland, with complex stomachs to break down poisonous Zeeboo meals. In this era they also colonised the zeevana, and parts of the open plains and Liandranel forests. The Climanus emerged from the Stealtupler towards the end of this era, and the complicated joints of its limbs, hands and feet suggest it was a very agile climbing animal, which may have lived on rocky cliffs and canyons (but was apparently rare elsewhere). Its grasping hands show similarities to the Otterus Eaterus and Manorix, and could have been used to delicately pick off the most edible parts of Zeeboos. The Climanus also shared the relatively big brain of the Stealtupler, which makes it another candidate for tool-use theories.

Other small animals thrived - of the older species, Micronytes, Predatory Inis and Tuughworms were all very common. Flannelworms also seem to have thrived and become the main scavenger of the dry inland areas at this time. Meanwhile the plant-eating Leatherback Bug with its thick skin was almost impervious to Jubblera Swarms when on the surface, and could have had an easy life in the tropical ‘nestlands’, taking a free share of the Jubblera’s efforts. It seems Leatherbacks thrived in great numbers and also spawned the Greenback Bug, which was better adapted for life in tropical swamps and lakes.

As the continents split further apart, ocean currents changed and stirred up more nutrients from the ocean floor. It is known that volcanic events in the deep ocean caused several population crashes of all kinds of ocean creatures. But the rest of the time, it seems that the amount of plankton was at its highest levels since complex life began. Overall, many species swarmed in huge numbers - especially the surviving Fish species, which provided almost limitless food for predators. Roxorfish tended to live in coastal water and river systems, Bathysfish were most common in deeper water and on the sea floor, while the fast Needlefish were somewhere in the middle and the most multitudinous of all. Some Bathysfish also branched out to become Tailfish during this era, notable for its elaborate detachable tail, designed to decoy any attackers.

The only large dedicated plankton-eater was the fearsome-looking Scythus, relative of the Shellsters (of which the Complexus survived) and Tarquinia. This species flourished and led to the more sophisticated Scarthus, which seems to have been even more successful. Vast ‘herds’ of these creatures may have wandered the oceans, with no real predators once fully grown. Remains of the scythe-talons attached to their tentacles are among the most common marine fossils from this era (and were originally thought to be the bodies of a separate species).

While Preditudians remained the top predators of the ocean, several other kinds of predators flourished. The Galorex evolved from the Phantomorex during this era – this ancient line of predators used changeable skin camouflage and electrical senses to hunt prey, but the Galorex was unusual for the (relatively) sudden appearance of long tentacles in place of its fins. One theory is that these started out as simple display objects, giving potential mates an idea of an individual’s health and strength, and were then exaggerated in size through the generations until they began to be useful for catching prey too. In any case, these creatures became slower but more cunning ambush predators, with a larger brain and sharper fangs to deal with hard-scaled Fish.

Although the Deep Aurora is considered a borderline member of the Aurora family, the appearance of the Aquarora is considered as the first in new line of evolution. Unlike their ancestors, Aquaroras were able to give birth and raise their young without hauling onto land (though they still breathed air), and this seemed to give them an advantage over the Deep Auroras (who might face attack from surface predators like the Lupus Argentium, or even the Great Aurora, when they came ashore to breed). Of course, the first Auroras had come from the ocean in the first place, being closely related to the ancestors of Fish species, and they seemed to easily re-adapt to life in the ocean, especially with the benefit of sharp eyesight and good direction-finding instincts inherited from their flying cousins. Aquaroras were certainly fast enough to catch any Fish species of the time, and could even chase down the tentacled Finner species. One mystery is why Aquaroras remained well-adapted for cold temperatures, when polar waters were devoid of any suitable meal-sized animals at this time – perhaps they were nibbling on blooms of Spongita Snoscapis.

With all the Fish to be had in the oceans, some of the razor-scaled Amphibeels began to lose their ties to land and return to the ocean proper. Hammerhead Amphibeels first appear at this time, and their strange-shaped heads are thought to have contained basic electrical senses (somewhat similar to the Rex species) and a bigger brain. Tentakuls also prospered by hunting baby Fish and other tiny animals, especially among plants and rocks where their tentacles could be put to good use. The Yuckius Sirenis also to be found in great numbers, stalking the boundary of deep water, luring small fish to their doom. In fact the ancient Shy Hunter seemed to be the only aquatic predator in decline, as it no longer had a monopoly on hunting by vibration senses (Preditudians now had such senses as well as good eyesight) and was outclassed in various other ways.



The excesses of the surface waters were returned to the ocean floor in the shape of corpses, both large and small. Deep ocean scavengers thrived on this, in particular the newly-evolved Vibravoul, descended from the Monuol and the venerable Ponduryte. The Vibravoul was the most sophisticated deep-sea scavenger of the time, and may have been the most numerous, even outnumbering the much-simpler Ponduryte. Large groups of Vibravoul would be seen marching along the ocean floor, following their sensitive scent-organs towards their next carcass. These creatures could also catch small live animals with its tentacles if they got a chance, and were poisonous enough to deter larger predators.

Other deep-water scavengers had mixed fortunes. As Milipods declined in number on the ocean floor, it seems that some began to specialise in life near the volcanic vents, eventually giving rise to the heat-resistant Ventopod. This was a relatively simple but successful creature, able to adapt itself to different roles. Although generally a scavenger, it was the only creature able to raid Bathyfish nests built on the hot vents (apart from other Bathysfish). Being able to swim above the bottom for short distances, it could have avoided brawling groups of Vibravoul and other crawling creatures when it needed to.

The sudden spread of the Efficient Scaper may have been a reaction to volcanic upset on the deep ocean floor. It is known that several large fissures were torn in the ocean plates as the continents slowly broke up, and these may have regularly spewed out vast amounts of poisonous volcanic sludge and debris, covering over some of the most mineral-rich areas of the deep ocean. At the same time, smaller volcanic vents were probably shorter-lived and more unpredictable. Although animals could simply move on, the slow-growing and mineral-eating ‘plants’ descended from the Bathyscaper would have regularly lost whole portions of their population. Those adapted for the hot vents, the Mini Bathystower and Yellow Bathysplate, seem to have struggled especially (although some suggest that the Mini Bathystower, with its extra heat tolerance, may have colonized giant flooded geothermal caverns beneath the land continents).

Meanwhile the Efficient Scaper prospered - like the older Disgusting Scaper, it had special chemicals giving it an especially disgusting taste, so it had a better chance to grow and colonize new areas without being nibbled on by animals. But it also seems to have survived, and even thrived in relatively mineral-poor areas where its rivals simply could not. The reason for this is thought to be a whole new range of biochemical tricks evolved by the Efficient Scaper, and possibly a more complex relationship with new kinds of chemeo-synthesising bacteria. In any case, the Efficient Scapers covered large new areas of the ocean floor, providing more sheltered habitat for various small animals of the deep.

Back in shallower waters, the mysterious Kathulu Habilis Finner appeared, a descendent of the controversial Kathulu Finner. The only obvious change in body shape was the strengthening of the tentacles, presumably for picking up and manipulating objects on the seabed. But it is believed they also had light-emitting cells on their skin, which either made use of special kinds of bacteria or some other biochemical trick. These cells would give out patterns of light, rather than just reflect it (as with the chromatophores of other animals) - this could be used as a form of communication, even at night or deep underwater, and could potentially send more information than vocal sounds. A group of Habilis Finners signalling to each other may have been one the of the main spectacles on the planet at this time. This ability was probably just beginning to develop, although detailed studies of Habilis skulls have hinted at complex brain structures associated with social behaviour and optical recognition.

As for how the Habilis actually behaved at this time, we only have theories to go on. Relatively-big brains had certainly allowed the older Kathulu species to survive the mass extinction - and whatever they did, the Habilis evidently did better, as its population gradually replaced that of its ancestor. Whether or not the Habilis actually used tools, they probably built complex nests of some kind and hoarded food, although they would still rely on their speed to escape from dangerous predators like the Preditudian, Seatupler or even the Aquarora.

In any case it seems some Kathulu Finners had more success at a simpler life, as they ‘devolved’ into the Mulu Finner, a more streamlined but less intelligent herbivore, almost as a replacement for the graceful Velocine Finners which had been wiped out earlier. Mulus were just as social as the Habilis, but it is believed they developed a simpler communication system, using their jaws to make rapid clicking sounds to each other.



A new kind of habitat emerged in the tropical waters, based on the Blisstower. Although descended from the deep-sea Bathyscaper, these ‘plants’ had become better adapted for life near the surface, trapping plankton and making use of sunlight. The Blisstower species added several new tricks - firstly, they gave up on any kind of photosynthesis themselves, but developed a symbiotic relationship with Legionicus and Symbicus, allowing their upper surfaces (often poking above the water) to become covered with them. Its likely they harboured other aquatic plants, perhaps various kind of Algae and Urchin, or Temperate Xeeboos and Sea Fuzz. These ‘green’ reefs would have provided food and shelter for both swimming and flying creatures. Xeeboos protruding up from the water would have made relatively safe, isolated nest sites for fliers. Even if the more unpleasant and spiky plants dominated below the waterline, some of the hardier creatures (like scaled Fish, Amphibeels and young Amacilndasa) could still make a home there.

However, Blisstowers seem to have had another effect - Legionicus couldn’t control their buoyancy, but could attach to each other. If several Blisstowers grew close together, they could have supported a ‘carpet’ of Legionicus, gaining further support from any large algae or other plants becoming entangled in them. Another symbiotic species, the Stinglug (related to other Slug species) appeared at this time armed with stinging trendils, and these could have grown underside of the carpets, adding further defence against any nibbling animals. Large carpets of spiky, unpleasant and stinging blobs would have covered the sea surface, blocking out sunlight (making ideal hunting grounds for predators that didn’t rely on vision), and eventually killed off sea plants on the sea floor beneath. Although, the organic debris raining down from above would have encouraged certain kinds of plankton and small scavengers, and the Legionicus would have been regularly broken up by storms and strong winds.

A final twist to the Blisstowers was the appearance of tubular ‘flowers’ as a means of reproduction – these grew above the waterline and relied on flying animals to pollinate them, offering a reward of nectar. The Frigyte is the most likely candidate for that role, as their appearance in the ocean coincides nicely with the rise of the Blisstowers. It’s likely that some Frigyte sub-species came to rely totally on Blisstower reefs for feeding and breeding sites.

Tarquinia may have been something like mobile versions of the Blisstower reefs, complete with their own animal residents, and may have dragged similar ‘carpets’ with them. These were larger versions of earlier symbiotic creatures, which had become dependent on certain sub-species of Symbicus and Legionicus. Although still classed as animals themselves, with plankton-trapping mouthparts, Tarquinia were otherwise totally passive, spending all their time floating at the surface to get the most sunlight for their attached symbiotes. The evolution of a primitive ‘sail’ structure gave it an energy-free mode of travel, though it probably couldn’t steer itself very well, if at all. Tarquinia may have frequently become entangled in Blisstower reefs, extending the floating carpets of Legionicus even further.

Finally, for whatever reason, there seems to have been little innovation among shallow-sea plants and Spongita species. It could be that older species were still well suited for the situation – among the Spongita species in particular, the Snoscapis seems to have been thriving like never before in cooler waters, while the Hypernova seems to have been closely associated with the tropical Blisstower reefs. The Fan Bubbleo is the only new sea plant species identified from this time, with leaves that could be folded away for safety – likely a response to the swarms of nibbling Fish mouths.

Plant award: awarded to North King for the Blisstower.

Animal award: awarded to Sliver Slave for the Aquarora.

Innovation award: tough one, but awarded to Immaculate for the Inflaboo.

Story award: awarded to Vertinari118 for his evolution description (Lupus Argentum).

Branching awards: awarded to Lord Iggy, Abaddon and tuxedohamm.

Disgusting Scaper, Kathulu Finner, that’s it!