Iggy's Notebook
On the Thermoregulation of Venatorixidae
Ah yes. One of the many interesting features of these delightful little arthropods. I believe it was the Viparix which was the first to evolve this trait. Or was it the Audorix? Can't recall.
Anyway, just under the hard exoskeleton is a hollow, honeycomblike structure. An insulating packet of air. More recent species have developed a looser set of carapace plates, which are useful for several reasons. The relevant one in this case would have to be the ability to thermoregulate more than just by adjusting bloodflow around the honeycomb layer. In warm times, these animals can shift their outer plates, opening them up to the air and creating cooling air circulation. Heated blood is brought up to these 'air conditioned' regions, to radiate the heat out.
Meanwhile, in cold times, the carapace pieces are held tightly together, trapping air as another layer of insulation (in addition to the spaces inside the honeycomb structure). An interesting feature I've noticed on Gregarixes is the development of fibrous growths under the exoskeleton plates, which help to trap air even more efficiently. A useful adaptation for a generally cold environment, I must say.
Precursors to the Symbicus
Yeah, the Symbicus has some interesting history leading up to it. Chungi have a long history of being Saprophytes- and this never applied exclusively to plants and dead materials. There have been several cases of them growing on animals- though the only truly notables ones were on the largest of the duplers, the Diplos and Plutos. Remember them? Ah, good times. Anyway, they were large and slow enough to grow on, and apparently stupid/pain-resistant enough to resist it.
At any rate, some populations of Chungus became specialized to grow on animals. More effective at anchoring, less obtrusive, and such.
And then came the mass extinction.
Heheh, oh man, that one sure did toss us for a loop. Good though, it's nice to shake things up, and a major branch got entirely wiped out. Pity it wasn't the Valions, but what can you do?
I kid, Valions are okay. I've got nothing against 'em, other than their masters' singleminded goal of wiping out Scuteridae... or something like that.
But I'm getting off topic. With the mass extinction, everything suffered, and the hosts for the animal-riding Chungi were toast. I would have expected them to go extinct, but they apparently weren't so specialized that they couldn't live in typical habitats. Thus, those genes survived in Falciria, and continued to develop. Over several million years, the distinct species known as the Symbicus developed, primarily on the backs of Saaranices.
It took a few interesting developments to make this practical. Doubtlessly most important was its method of infiltration. Roots could easily hold onto the back of the herd animals without causing pain, and burnt out several nervous areas with acid. Meanwhile, the symbiotic tendrils could be given free reign to spread through the animal, integrating the Symbicus and host. A mutual relationship tending slightly towards the Symbicus in advantage develops. Winning all around, and the Chungus can survive.
Hooray!
Note: Chungus is both a name for a species, and the saprophytic descendants of the Urchin. Pardon the confusion!
Im forced to admit that running two NES's at once is not good, even if they are relatively light ones.
