Era 28: Bariothoric Boundary Event
This era takes its name from the Bariothorim, a creature that became very abundant in Falciria around this time.
Some rapid changes took place during this era. At the outset, many land plants and animals suffered a population crash. Ocean species living near the surface were also badly affected. It seems that huge volcanic eruptions were to blame, this time on the western edge of Falciria, with the usual harmful effects - dust blocked out sunlight, and volcanic gases reacted in the atmosphere to create acid rain.
However, the disturbances didn't last long. Few species actually went extinct, and by the end of this era, the climate had returned to a pleasant 'greenhouse' state, with ice confined to the extreme north and south. New species had gained a foothold, and many other species were thriving like never before.
New Evolutions:
Planet Map:
The Air:
The
Cackling Auroras were successful as predators lurking on the surface of ponds, lakes, and calm seas, with oily feathers that never got wet. They seem to have been especially common in the southern Oltic Sea and the lakes of central Asmara. The older, feather-less
Storm Auroras declined in number due to new competition, but still had a unique mode of attack - diving into the water from above - and so both species coexisted for now.
The
Blood Aurora, the first feathered Aurora, went extinct as it no longer had a firm place amongst all the newer Aurora species descended from it.
The
Scourge and the emerging
Royalis Jubblera Hevina species became more of a problem as the climate improved. Their swarms did most damage to plants with fruit and succulent leaves. This favoured hardier plants that weren't always as nice for herbivores. The success of the
Liandranel and
Sprouty Fern during this era probably owed more to the Scourge and Hevina than anything else. The Scourge remained a pain for animals too. And the effect was global, since both species had managed to leap from the Lemunesia islands to Falciria, a distance that was slowly shrinking as the continents shifted.
When it came to battles between rival nests, the Hevina species had several advantages. Its swarms made more effort to co-operate and defend their eggs and larvae, and also built the first true 'hives', which made it easier to store food and easier to protect it. As swarms of Scourges and Hevinas battled each other, the older
Royalis Jubblera and
Jubblera Numerida species were killed off. But the simple and anti-social
Jubblera Sensica still survived on both continents.
The
Flevrytes and their descendents remained confined to their respective homes, as none were strong enough fliers to think about crossing the seas yet.
The Land: Falciria
The sprawling western coastline of Falciria swarmed with amphibians, flying creatures and plants of all kinds.
The airborne seeds of the
Mountain Zeeboo and
Burrowing Zeeboo were able to cross the seas to Falciria, and found a home on steep mountainsides. The
Nest Fanel also spread by some means, and the
Royalis Jubblera Hevina probably took over the role as its 'protector' on this continent.
Carniwerms went extinct as
Tuughwurms and
RaspuWrums continued to thrive.
Toxidids appeared in Falciria during this era, and seem to have largely replaced the earlier
Diggadids on this continent. Their mild poison, together with stronger legs, would have been useful when it came to fending off attacks by RaspuWrums, as well as fighting with rival Toxidids or Diggadids. They also took better care of their eggs and hatchlings, which would have helped to boos their numbers. The sub-surface remained a dangerous place.
The
Mimicalegger is something of a mystery, and only a few fossils have been found from this era. It is believed to have used its enlarged scent glands to mimic the smells of other creatures, sometimes enabling it to sneak into their burrows and eat their eggs. But other scientists believe the Mimicalegger actually worked as a team with the larger RaspuWrums - the RapsuWrums providing defence while the Mimicaleggers brought down plants from the surface. Still others think the Mimicaleggers were somehow 'farmed' by the RapsuWrums. They certainly lacked the senses to navigate well underground, and their limbs and organs seemed to be degenerating compared to the older
Burial Leggers, which were still around in good numbers.
Back on the surface, the last of the
Pre Leggers died out, but not before the
Bipedal Legger evolved. It seems these were the fastest runners to have evolved up to this point. Although, like their predecessors, their senses remained poor, and they were still vulnerable to ambush, which kept their population down. Auroras could pounce on young Bipedals before they knew what had hit them. But gathering together in greater numbers provided some defence, as there were at least more eyes to look out for danger, even if none of the eyes could see very well.
The
Bariothorim was the most successful of the new species on Falciria. It was the first in a very long line of species - going right back to the dawn of complex lifeforms - to ditch all its claws, in favour of chewing jaws and strong 'hooves' on its legs. What triggered this change is unclear. Perhaps the long-term lack of any serious threats made the claws less useful, or it was just a more efficient way of eating the
Winter Ferns and the abundant
Sprouty Ferns that were appearing. The armoured Bariothorims and the earlier
Saaranixes certainly had no serious predators, and also had various other advantages over the different Legger species, even if they were slower and had less efficient digestion.
Notable Plants:
Novo Tranel, Woody Fanel, Nest Fanel, Sprouty Fern, Winter Fern, Burrowing Zeeboo, Tougher Zeeboo, Chungus, Super Lichen, Fire Moss, Buggy Moss, Parasitic Driftseed.
Notable Animals:
Bariothorims, Saaranixes, Merlytes, Tuughwurms, Predarivervalions, Rivervalions, Toxidids, Ol Scrapers, Flevrytes, Blood Auroras, Jubbleras Sensicas, Silver Auroras, White Auroras, Auroryls, RaspuWurms, Mudtuplers.
The Land: Asmara
The north of this continent was transformed from thick glaciers - home only to small clumps of hardy Zeeboo species - into endless green forests. As the ice melted, huge floods would have swept away most of the Zeeboos, some of which may have been growing in place for a hundred thousand years or more. The floods also carried huge amounts of rock and sediment from the central mountains into the shallow Oltic Sea, forming new peninsulars and islands that remained even after sea levels had risen again.
Continual floods like this probably aided the evolution of the
Xeeboo, the first Zeeboo to return to the water in many millions of years. With roots adapted to survive salt water, it spread across the Oltic coast and seemed to be doing well at this time. Other Zeeboo species were reduced in number but soon found a foothold again.
As for the new forests, the
Liandranel was the most common 'tree' to be found there. As mentioned, it was more resistant to swarms of Scourges and Jubblers, as well as being able to survive the coldest winters - which could still be cold enough to kill many species. It didn't produce much fruit or edible leaves, but it was better than nothing.
Kryodytes and
Kuarytes were quick to move in, followed by various Auroras and the
Valios Polykalios which hunted them.
Not only were there fewer open plains, but they were mostly full of the new
Sprouty Fern, which was a less edible plant than the Winter Fern. This favoured the
Asmara Stalkers, with their efficient digestion, more so than the
Velocirix. However, both species were still very abundant. The Asmara Stalkers also benefited greatly from their improved senses and herding instinct.
The
Lupivus Secus and
Dire Lupivus remained at the top of the food chain, both with healthy populations. Although, the tree-climbing Valios Polykalios probably outnumbered both at the end of this era, as it had gained a vast amount of new habitat.
The versatile
Porcuball was another common creature all over Asmara. As well as spines for defence, it was more active all round, and began to replace the
Fluffballs.
The large
Frozuneas seemed to be on the way out, due to growing competition and the fact that the climate no longer gave suited them so well.
The successful
Land Spinaneraria gave rise to two rival lines of evolution. The tree-climbing
Arboreaneraria spread through all the forests of Asmara, especially the warm forests of the equator, full of insects to catch. Its flexible tentacles proved very useful when it came to climbing. Improved eyesight was also very useful for navigating branches and choosing where to build its webs.
The
Proto-Inis was not as successful, with its life on the ground. Although it evolved jointed legs for more efficient travel across land, it still needed to stay closer to water than the Arboreaneraria. It was also more exposed to predators, although its toughened exoskeleton provided some defence.
Caveworms and
Terrarytes continued to battle for space underground. Things seemed to have remained even until the emergence of the
Carnyte towards the end of this era. With more powerful claws and more potent venom, the Carnytes now had the upper hand. They also had a taste for flesh, and in groups they were dangerous to most land animals. It is even possible that Carnytes attacked the nests of Scourges and the hives of Jubblera Hevina in search of tasty grubs to eat. But they seem to have had most impact on their ancestors the Terrarytes, whose nests were probably raided for honey, and whose population shows a steep decline at this time.
Meanwhile, one branch of Caveworms had evolved into the large
Cavebugs. But their size was not always enough of a benefit when it came to battling rival swarms, and despite being faster, they were still vulnerable on the surface due to their lack of suitable senses. Their basic parenting instinct ensured that enough hatchlings survived to keep the species going for now.
Notable Animals:
Velocirixes, Asmara Stalkers, Porcuballs, Lupivus Secus, Valios Polykalios, Caveworms, Carnytes, Diggadids, Subterradid, Kryodytes, Predarivervalions, All-Eater Leggers, Royalis Jubblera Hevina, Scourges, Jubblera Sensicas, Aurorlys, Cackling Auroras, Armored Amphibeels.
Notable Plants:
Xeeboos, Mountain Zeeboos, Tougher Zeeboos, Liandranels, Sprouty Ferns, Winter Ferns, Novo Tranels, Chungus, Woody Fanels, Nest Fanels, Weak Ferns, Super Lichen, Fire Moss
The Oceans:
A rise in temperature and sea levels caused ocean currents to change. Combined with the fallout of the volcanic eruptions, this seems to have disrupted plankton and plankton-feeders for a while, allowing new species to emerge...
Firstly, the
Velocine Finner was possibly the fastest swimmer ever seen up to this point, and certainly the fastest swimmer around at the time. This speed, combined with improved eyesight, allowed the Velocines to evade the predators more often. This gave them an edge, and their population soon outnumbered the ancient
Double Finners.
The
Roxorfish were also faster and stronger swimmers than their ancestors. They worked their way inland to spawn in sheltered pools - and provided food for various land creatures along the way. Nonetheless, they began to outnumber the
Blizzardfish, a rival branch of evolution which had dominated the oceans for many millions of years. As a side note, the original
Cloudfish was still around in small numbers, as it was simpler and its hatchlings could mature faster and with less food, though they were still basically helpless against the newer predators.
Seatuplers continued to do well, but their bigger ancestors gave rise to another new species, the
Crusiplers. With the biggest claws ever seen on the seafloor, they were able to bully, eat or scare away most of the things they came across. They also became specialised for cold waters, and were most common around the northern Oltic Sea.
Meanwhile, the
Mudtuplers began to return to the land, and evolved lungs in a short space of time, though they could only stay out of water for short periods. And the ancient
Giant Quintuplers, ancestors of all living Tupler species, managed to cling on for yet another era.
The
Squinaria was a more unusual amphibian, evolved form the last populations of
Squiroo. It seems to have been the first animal to actively seek out and encourage a
Symbicus 'plant' to attach itself. This seems to have been useful enough for this species to survive quite comfortably at this time.
Sea plants and sponges were helped by the change of ocean currents, as large amounts of nutrient-rich water was stirred up from the depths. Reefs of
Spongita Terranova and
Aguaminarets recovered in a big way, and became especially common between the Lemunesian islands and the coast of Falciria. These reefs provided shelter, food and breeding grounds for many other sea creatures.
On the deep ocean floor, the
Mini Bathystower began to spread far and wide, thanks to its complex larvae that could seek out new volcanic vents with more success than those of rival species. The
Yellow Bathysplate continued to prosper. The ancient
Bathystowers seemed likely to go extinct due to competition with the two new species.
Lordavalions faced new competition from the new
Huntudians, which were now an equal in terms of speed, and remained superior in terms of hunting tactics. These two rivals were becoming more and more similar to each other, although big differences remained... The spear-like claws of the Huntudians and the strong jaws of the Lordavalions were both efficient at catching different kinds of prey. Lordavalions remained tied to the surface by their need to breathe air, while giving birth to live young, and a basic parenting instinct helped more offspring to survive. But then, they were larger and a little more complex than their rivals. Lordavalions also had a more rounded set of senses, while the Huntudian's eyesight was sharper. There was clearly still room for both species, but there was a lot of cross-over with the prey they hunted, and they remained fierce rivals.
Finally, there was also a rivalry between the different Amacilndasa species. The
Amacilndasa Gigantocalcis Vegatus was the latest of the large variety, which had evolved basic eyesight and a taste for plants as well as decaying flesh. But it was very slow and bulky, and while it remained almost immune to attack while fully grown, it probably had trouble in reaching enough food to sustain itself. The
Amacilndasa Interlopus was smaller and much more mobile by comparison, even being able to swim short distances despite its heavy shell, and was the most numerous Amacilndasa around at the end of this era.
Notable Animals:
Tentaclomps, Roxorfish, Blizzardfish, Cloudfish, Panzerfish, 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:
Aguaminarets, Spongita Terranovas, Bathyscapers, Mini Bathystowers, Yellow Bathysplates, Cryo Bubbleos, Algaceae Dendrotrunkis, Algaceae Dendrocovitis, Sea Fuzz.
Bonuses:
Plant award: Xeeboo.
Kol.7 has +1 gene bonus.
Animal award: Bariothorim.
Nailix has +1 gene bonus
Innovation award: Mini Bathystower.
bestshot9 has +1 gene bonus.
Story award: none posted this time.
Branching awards: North King,
Lord_Iggy and
tuxedohamm each have +1 gene bonus this time.
Problems:
@Me, I noticed I had made the original Ol Scraper extinct in era 26, that was a mistake, its still alive and well in Falciria for now.
Species Stats:
Note: Survival ratings have been tweaked since the preview I posted yesterday!