Eltain
Deity
Aiken Drumisaur, sub-aquatic P.I., to the rescue.
NESLife VI
- Thread starter Lord_Iggy
- Start date
J.K. Stockholme
Right Opposition
Spoiler :
Organism: Stickyfilter
Ancestor: Svi
Selective Pressure: competition for flotsam with other filters, and the dangers of being stationary.
Mutation: Stickyfilters have adapted their toxic production into an adhesive, which allows them to attach to Free-Floaters as a means of diversifying their food supply, while also symbiotically contributing to the protection of the creatures they attach to with their dislikable toxic nature.
Grandkhan
Telvanni Master Wizard
Organism: Burster
Ancestor: Devourer
Selective Pressure: Food beginning to grow higher and out of reach, 'thick feasters-descendants' and other prey becoming faster.
Adaptation: The burster's digestive tract allows it to extract more gasses from its food, which it keeps in a special intestine. When necessary, the burster rapidly expels these gasses from its waste disposal, propelling it forward in a short burst of speed. This jet allows it to catch up with escaping prey if it is close, or alternatively to shoot above the seafloor to bite off a piece of meat which is low-floating. The burster has also developed a rudimentary tailfin in order to steer itself slightly when jetting.
Ancestor: Devourer
Selective Pressure: Food beginning to grow higher and out of reach, 'thick feasters-descendants' and other prey becoming faster.
Adaptation: The burster's digestive tract allows it to extract more gasses from its food, which it keeps in a special intestine. When necessary, the burster rapidly expels these gasses from its waste disposal, propelling it forward in a short burst of speed. This jet allows it to catch up with escaping prey if it is close, or alternatively to shoot above the seafloor to bite off a piece of meat which is low-floating. The burster has also developed a rudimentary tailfin in order to steer itself slightly when jetting.
Daedwartin
Emperor
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2012
- Messages
- 1,785
My semester only began a month ago.
Arisian Ocean
Organism: Ground-Grabber
Ancestor: Free-Floater
Selective pressure: Getting washed up on shore sucks.
Mutation: The Ground-Grabber has evolved "hooks" which allow it to anchor itself to the bottom and developed a resinous compound which it uses to reduce ammonia leakage and therefore survive desiccation till the tide returns. These adaptions have allowed it to operate in coastal littoral and the inter-tidal zone. The Ground-Grabber also has an advantage over other inter-tidal species, it can re-position itself by releasing its hooks and using the tide to move allowing to more efficiently navigate the high risk (dissection)/high reward (lots of sunlight) world of the inter-tidal zone.
Organism: Ground-Grabber
Ancestor: Free-Floater
Selective pressure: Getting washed up on shore sucks.
Mutation: The Ground-Grabber has evolved "hooks" which allow it to anchor itself to the bottom and developed a resinous compound which it uses to reduce ammonia leakage and therefore survive desiccation till the tide returns. These adaptions have allowed it to operate in coastal littoral and the inter-tidal zone. The Ground-Grabber also has an advantage over other inter-tidal species, it can re-position itself by releasing its hooks and using the tide to move allowing to more efficiently navigate the high risk (dissection)/high reward (lots of sunlight) world of the inter-tidal zone.
Lord_Herobrine
Back in the Saddle
Cant wait for the update 
tuxedohamm
Disguised as crow.
Spoiler :
Organism: Groupou
Ancestor: Ganger
Selective Pressure: Competeing "colonies" fighting over resources
Mutation: A region of cells on either side has become extra sensitive to vibrations in the liquid allowing the creatures the ability to better sense each other and other creatures with better directional precision than olfaction alone.
Epoch VII: The Ankunian Epoch
Worldwide
Paripus are an agglomerative pseudopredator descended from the colonial floating Manipus. With a thickened outer cuticle, they are able to survive over land for long enough to cross between the two oceans. However, they are perhaps most famous for their specially-adapted tendrils, which will latch onto nearby floating plants, allowing the Paripu colony to take advantage of the buoyancy and biomass of other organisms. Large floating agglomerations are capable of building up, although these particularly large colonies have a tendency of abruptly losing buoyancy as their captured Manipus desiccate and pop, often sending these organisms plummeting down to their doom, far from life-giving ammonia. Even when they crash in the ocean, their days are often numbered, as voracious oceangoing hobos will eat them down to nothing before they are able to restore neutral buoyancy in air.
Aarchis, a group derived from the Rangipus, were particularly capable of long-range travel over continents, by carrying around large quantities of liquid ammonia with them. This development, however, made the Aarchis quite heavy, thus the development of progressively larger floatation sacs, in a somewhat inefficient tradeoff- while they were able to photosynthesize more, they lost water even faster, due to their large surface areas. The general unreliability of rainfall made things even more difficult for these floating plants. While they might have been able to survive had they been able to remain in isolated, dry areas where their adaptations provided considerable benefits, their nature as windblown photosynthesizers often blew them into areas where their adaptations were handicaps, more than anything.
Ankus, on the other hand, enjoyed significant success by adapting in the opposite direction- towards lesser movement. Ankus are migratory in their habits, settling down when resources are rich, taking off only in times of hardship. This adaptation has made Ankus abundant throughout the world, and their highly distinctive fossilized forms, which frequently died without ever being predated upon in isolated inland water bodies, would eventually become a benchmark fossil for this Epoch.
Toilotils have built upon the success of the Roototils with the development of a smooth, hardened exterior to ward off predators. This bark-like adaptation has allowed Toilotils to surge inland, frequently escaping the reach of all extant predators. With a photosynthetic cluster held well above ground, these organisms enjoy an epoch of limited predation. Only their vulnerable roots suffer from herbivory, when Toilotils grow in Arisian coastal regions within the reach of Burrowers.
Sprigs were a less successful descendant of the Roototils. While their deep taproots allowed them to access ammonia, a relative lack of desiccation resistance, in comparison to Toilotils, led them to be outcompeted in inland locations. On the coasts, their lack of defenses left them highly vulnerable to herbivory. With no isolated environments in which they could shine, Sprigs were outcompeted by their Toilotil cousins and driven to extinction.
Ventus, on the other hand, did manage to thrive, although they remain very similar to their Roototil ancestors. The main difference is in reproductive structures, with Ventus producing vast clouds of spores, aiding greatly in their dispersal.
Sejessian Ocean
Ground-Grabbers have hooks which hold onto intertidal rocks, and has developed antidesiccants which cause the organism’s cells to gel upon drying up, rather than crisping and dying immediately.
Nestlers, descended from the filter-feeding Sinkers, have ceased to float freely, instead living in close association with Free-Floaters. While they are more vulnerable to predation by Tramps while growing in these environments, they save energy with their sessile lifestyles and weak cooperation with Free-Floaters.
Stickyfilters originated from the toxic Svis, and in striking covergent evolution, moved into the same niche as the Nestlers. However, while Nestlers tend to be beneficial for Free-Floaters, Stickyfilters, due to their habit of exuding toxins, tended to kill off their hosts, leading to their plummeting back to the ocean bottom, where they once again become vulnerable to Placebols. A long and hard-fought evolutionary war was fought between Nestlers and Stickyfilters, ultimately resulting in the survival of the simpler Nestlers.
Bursters descend from the predatory Devourers of the Sejessian, and have developed a simple system of jet propulsion. By expelling waste gases from digestion, and steering with oar-like rear limbs, Bursters can put on shocking bursts of speed, giving them an unprecedented ability to launch ambushes, and the unique ability (for a benthic species) to hunt for free-swimming hobos.
Arisian Ocean
Like the Hobos before them, the Zebedis flourished and diversified throughout this epoch. One of the more fearsome descendants of the Zebedi was the Ripper. Possessed of two fearsome retractable claws, Rippers are the scourge of mawies and hobos alike, making use of these killing weapons to predate upon every unarmoured organism they can find in the Arisian Ocean.
Ripper’s cousin the Zipper developed accordion-like gills, coupling them with a primitive circulatory system to exchange gases and nutrients throughout the body. With effective skeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems, Zippers have overcome the size limitations, growing up to previously unimagined sizes around a meter long. A mature, healthy Zippers is effectively immune to conventional predation, although the young and weak remain tempting marks for opportunistic predators.
Groupous descended from the eusocial Gangers, and thrived for a brief while with their advanced sense of hearing, but both of these lineages of social hobo rapidly came under threat by the extremely competitive Zippers, and the ferocious Rippers. While sociality provided some distinct benefits, the slower, weaker and less resource-efficient Gangers and Groupous were badly outcompeted, and ultimately extirpated from the Arisian Ocean, with only relict populations of the Ganger surviving in the Haskone Sea, a small body of water cut off from the Arisian Ocean by the ongoing collision of the continents of Okianus and Eddoria.
Dath were among the most threatening predators of the mawie lineage ever to evolve. With their lateral surfaces folded into high surface area grooves, Dath possessed far greater endurance than any of their close relatives. However, they evolved at a time when hobos, particularly the Zebedis and Rippers, were ascendant throughout the Arisian Ocean. With slimy skin offering resistance to Dath stings, complex digestive systems, superior swimming body plans and more effective long-range hunting senses, Zebedis handily outcompeted the Dath, who still made use of the highly inefficient ancestral system of external digestion which had once been used by all descendants of the ancient Feaster.
Winglets, descended from the Zeph, possessed highly complex wing musculature, granting them unprecedented flying ability. Unfortunately, a combination of a lack of resistance to prolonged periods out of the water, a poor digestive system, and no specialized mechanism for gas exchange left these organisms ill-equipped to make use of their full capabilities, thus leading fairly directly to their extinction at the hands of more effective rivals and predators.
Burrowers, descended from Curatols, have developed their olfactory forelimbs into heavy digging tools. By digging muddy intertidal tunnels, Burrowers are able to feast upon the tuberous roots of Roototils, while avoiding desiccation through exposure to the dry surface.
Manitols developed their second pair of limbs into a primitive sense of manipulators, though these simple structures provided them little defensive or offensive advantage- no Arisian predator would be deterred by these small claws. However, they did prove to be somewhat useful as feeding implements. While Manitols are slightly more capable of tearing apart decaying biomass and shoveling it into their oral cavities than their Curatol relatives, they are also markedly slower than their relatives. Overall, it balances out to a roughly even competitive balance.
Notes: If I refer to organisms in lower case- for example, when I talk about ‘hobos’, I am talking about large-scale units of organization- phyla and orders of life. So while saying ‘Hobos’ would be referring to the now-extinct family of swimmers, saying ‘hobos’ refers to the biological class containing the Holonus, Tramp, Zebedi and Ganger families.
Nailix, the Zebedis aren’t descended from Friendlies, and thus they are not social. Other than that, your evolution works out just fine.
Worldwide
Paripus are an agglomerative pseudopredator descended from the colonial floating Manipus. With a thickened outer cuticle, they are able to survive over land for long enough to cross between the two oceans. However, they are perhaps most famous for their specially-adapted tendrils, which will latch onto nearby floating plants, allowing the Paripu colony to take advantage of the buoyancy and biomass of other organisms. Large floating agglomerations are capable of building up, although these particularly large colonies have a tendency of abruptly losing buoyancy as their captured Manipus desiccate and pop, often sending these organisms plummeting down to their doom, far from life-giving ammonia. Even when they crash in the ocean, their days are often numbered, as voracious oceangoing hobos will eat them down to nothing before they are able to restore neutral buoyancy in air.
Aarchis, a group derived from the Rangipus, were particularly capable of long-range travel over continents, by carrying around large quantities of liquid ammonia with them. This development, however, made the Aarchis quite heavy, thus the development of progressively larger floatation sacs, in a somewhat inefficient tradeoff- while they were able to photosynthesize more, they lost water even faster, due to their large surface areas. The general unreliability of rainfall made things even more difficult for these floating plants. While they might have been able to survive had they been able to remain in isolated, dry areas where their adaptations provided considerable benefits, their nature as windblown photosynthesizers often blew them into areas where their adaptations were handicaps, more than anything.
Ankus, on the other hand, enjoyed significant success by adapting in the opposite direction- towards lesser movement. Ankus are migratory in their habits, settling down when resources are rich, taking off only in times of hardship. This adaptation has made Ankus abundant throughout the world, and their highly distinctive fossilized forms, which frequently died without ever being predated upon in isolated inland water bodies, would eventually become a benchmark fossil for this Epoch.
Toilotils have built upon the success of the Roototils with the development of a smooth, hardened exterior to ward off predators. This bark-like adaptation has allowed Toilotils to surge inland, frequently escaping the reach of all extant predators. With a photosynthetic cluster held well above ground, these organisms enjoy an epoch of limited predation. Only their vulnerable roots suffer from herbivory, when Toilotils grow in Arisian coastal regions within the reach of Burrowers.
Sprigs were a less successful descendant of the Roototils. While their deep taproots allowed them to access ammonia, a relative lack of desiccation resistance, in comparison to Toilotils, led them to be outcompeted in inland locations. On the coasts, their lack of defenses left them highly vulnerable to herbivory. With no isolated environments in which they could shine, Sprigs were outcompeted by their Toilotil cousins and driven to extinction.
Ventus, on the other hand, did manage to thrive, although they remain very similar to their Roototil ancestors. The main difference is in reproductive structures, with Ventus producing vast clouds of spores, aiding greatly in their dispersal.
Sejessian Ocean
Ground-Grabbers have hooks which hold onto intertidal rocks, and has developed antidesiccants which cause the organism’s cells to gel upon drying up, rather than crisping and dying immediately.
Nestlers, descended from the filter-feeding Sinkers, have ceased to float freely, instead living in close association with Free-Floaters. While they are more vulnerable to predation by Tramps while growing in these environments, they save energy with their sessile lifestyles and weak cooperation with Free-Floaters.
Stickyfilters originated from the toxic Svis, and in striking covergent evolution, moved into the same niche as the Nestlers. However, while Nestlers tend to be beneficial for Free-Floaters, Stickyfilters, due to their habit of exuding toxins, tended to kill off their hosts, leading to their plummeting back to the ocean bottom, where they once again become vulnerable to Placebols. A long and hard-fought evolutionary war was fought between Nestlers and Stickyfilters, ultimately resulting in the survival of the simpler Nestlers.
Bursters descend from the predatory Devourers of the Sejessian, and have developed a simple system of jet propulsion. By expelling waste gases from digestion, and steering with oar-like rear limbs, Bursters can put on shocking bursts of speed, giving them an unprecedented ability to launch ambushes, and the unique ability (for a benthic species) to hunt for free-swimming hobos.
Arisian Ocean
Like the Hobos before them, the Zebedis flourished and diversified throughout this epoch. One of the more fearsome descendants of the Zebedi was the Ripper. Possessed of two fearsome retractable claws, Rippers are the scourge of mawies and hobos alike, making use of these killing weapons to predate upon every unarmoured organism they can find in the Arisian Ocean.
Ripper’s cousin the Zipper developed accordion-like gills, coupling them with a primitive circulatory system to exchange gases and nutrients throughout the body. With effective skeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems, Zippers have overcome the size limitations, growing up to previously unimagined sizes around a meter long. A mature, healthy Zippers is effectively immune to conventional predation, although the young and weak remain tempting marks for opportunistic predators.
Groupous descended from the eusocial Gangers, and thrived for a brief while with their advanced sense of hearing, but both of these lineages of social hobo rapidly came under threat by the extremely competitive Zippers, and the ferocious Rippers. While sociality provided some distinct benefits, the slower, weaker and less resource-efficient Gangers and Groupous were badly outcompeted, and ultimately extirpated from the Arisian Ocean, with only relict populations of the Ganger surviving in the Haskone Sea, a small body of water cut off from the Arisian Ocean by the ongoing collision of the continents of Okianus and Eddoria.
Dath were among the most threatening predators of the mawie lineage ever to evolve. With their lateral surfaces folded into high surface area grooves, Dath possessed far greater endurance than any of their close relatives. However, they evolved at a time when hobos, particularly the Zebedis and Rippers, were ascendant throughout the Arisian Ocean. With slimy skin offering resistance to Dath stings, complex digestive systems, superior swimming body plans and more effective long-range hunting senses, Zebedis handily outcompeted the Dath, who still made use of the highly inefficient ancestral system of external digestion which had once been used by all descendants of the ancient Feaster.
Winglets, descended from the Zeph, possessed highly complex wing musculature, granting them unprecedented flying ability. Unfortunately, a combination of a lack of resistance to prolonged periods out of the water, a poor digestive system, and no specialized mechanism for gas exchange left these organisms ill-equipped to make use of their full capabilities, thus leading fairly directly to their extinction at the hands of more effective rivals and predators.
Burrowers, descended from Curatols, have developed their olfactory forelimbs into heavy digging tools. By digging muddy intertidal tunnels, Burrowers are able to feast upon the tuberous roots of Roototils, while avoiding desiccation through exposure to the dry surface.
Manitols developed their second pair of limbs into a primitive sense of manipulators, though these simple structures provided them little defensive or offensive advantage- no Arisian predator would be deterred by these small claws. However, they did prove to be somewhat useful as feeding implements. While Manitols are slightly more capable of tearing apart decaying biomass and shoveling it into their oral cavities than their Curatol relatives, they are also markedly slower than their relatives. Overall, it balances out to a roughly even competitive balance.
Notes: If I refer to organisms in lower case- for example, when I talk about ‘hobos’, I am talking about large-scale units of organization- phyla and orders of life. So while saying ‘Hobos’ would be referring to the now-extinct family of swimmers, saying ‘hobos’ refers to the biological class containing the Holonus, Tramp, Zebedi and Ganger families.
Nailix, the Zebedis aren’t descended from Friendlies, and thus they are not social. Other than that, your evolution works out just fine.
Spoiler Extant Organisms :
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Cool stuff Iggy! 
Interesting. Can anything stop the rise of the Hoboformes?? What have I started?
I am thinking of trying to evolve the Ground-Grabber to go back into deeper water and be a reef-builder. OR: Burster becomes bad-ass armored predator of the floating islands. Hmm.
Interesting. Can anything stop the rise of the Hoboformes?? What have I started?
I am thinking of trying to evolve the Ground-Grabber to go back into deeper water and be a reef-builder. OR: Burster becomes bad-ass armored predator of the floating islands. Hmm.
Nintz
King of the Britons
Organism: Iceni
Ancestor: Zeph
Selective Pressure: Prey being too difficult to take down in a timely fashion.
Mutation: Sparking "bite". A simple mechanic gives the Iceni the ability to zap their prey. This is stationed near the mouth, and is designed to speed up the killing process. Shortening the killing allows them to feed faster and more often then their relatives.
Ancestor: Zeph
Selective Pressure: Prey being too difficult to take down in a timely fashion.
Mutation: Sparking "bite". A simple mechanic gives the Iceni the ability to zap their prey. This is stationed near the mouth, and is designed to speed up the killing process. Shortening the killing allows them to feed faster and more often then their relatives.
filli_noctus
Hmmn
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 2,221
Organism: Skyborn
Ancestor: Zeph (Arisian)
Selective pressure: Predation of young in the seas
Mutation: The most distinctive features of the skyborn are the reproductive sacs on their back. Whilst leaping out of the water they attempt to lightly brush against the hovering plants to transfer their larvae to the plant. A larva that is successfully transferred will quickly burrow into the plant from which it will draw moisture and sustenance whilst it matures. Once mature the young skyborn will devour as much of its host as it can before it drops, hopefully into the ocean.
Ancestor: Zeph (Arisian)
Selective pressure: Predation of young in the seas
Mutation: The most distinctive features of the skyborn are the reproductive sacs on their back. Whilst leaping out of the water they attempt to lightly brush against the hovering plants to transfer their larvae to the plant. A larva that is successfully transferred will quickly burrow into the plant from which it will draw moisture and sustenance whilst it matures. Once mature the young skyborn will devour as much of its host as it can before it drops, hopefully into the ocean.
Daedwartin
Emperor
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2012
- Messages
- 1,785
Why does this want me to invite space battles to come in and play this...
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Organism: Tangle Reef
Ancestor: Ground Grabber
Selective Pressure: pressure to obtain nutrients for faster growth and reproduction
Mutation: while the Ground Grabber succeeded in colonising Sejessian coastlines with its special adaptations, a few found themselves living below the tidal zone, nonetheless in shallow water experiencing strong tidal currents. Here there was plenty of plankton passing by. A few found a way to tap this resource, by using an intermediary...
Tangle Reefs have developed a higher proportion of hard, mineralised parts in areas shaded from sunlight. In this case, the hard parts tend to form hollow nodules, ideal places for filter feeds or other animals to take shelter. The Tangle Reef benefits from the waste products given off by these creatures in return for shelter. Tangle Reefs under heavy attack from plant-eaters may grow little else but these hardened nodules.
Tangle Reefs grow in colonies much like the Free Floaters. But being (mostly) too heavy to float, they remain anchored on the seabed. Sometimes they are split apart by strong currents and sent tumblling across the seafloor, to unfold at a new destination. But usually they reproduce simply by budding, as the smaller parts may be light enough to be carried away by the currents.
Ancestor: Ground Grabber
Selective Pressure: pressure to obtain nutrients for faster growth and reproduction
Mutation: while the Ground Grabber succeeded in colonising Sejessian coastlines with its special adaptations, a few found themselves living below the tidal zone, nonetheless in shallow water experiencing strong tidal currents. Here there was plenty of plankton passing by. A few found a way to tap this resource, by using an intermediary...
Tangle Reefs have developed a higher proportion of hard, mineralised parts in areas shaded from sunlight. In this case, the hard parts tend to form hollow nodules, ideal places for filter feeds or other animals to take shelter. The Tangle Reef benefits from the waste products given off by these creatures in return for shelter. Tangle Reefs under heavy attack from plant-eaters may grow little else but these hardened nodules.
Tangle Reefs grow in colonies much like the Free Floaters. But being (mostly) too heavy to float, they remain anchored on the seabed. Sometimes they are split apart by strong currents and sent tumblling across the seafloor, to unfold at a new destination. But usually they reproduce simply by budding, as the smaller parts may be light enough to be carried away by the currents.
Lambda Ignaceae
Warlord
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2013
- Messages
- 196
Organism: Mantifip
Ancestor: Manitol
Selective pressure: At risk of Predation due to lack of ability to move much.
Mutation: Swimerrettes. Like the shrimps on earth, a series of small appendages have extended down from the underside of the Mantifip. By quickly contracting them at once the Matifip can suddenly zip backwards. In doing so it evades predators. This is also an efficient method of movement as a few combined zips move the Mantifip up into the currents and bring it down in a totally new feeding area.
Ancestor: Manitol
Selective pressure: At risk of Predation due to lack of ability to move much.
Mutation: Swimerrettes. Like the shrimps on earth, a series of small appendages have extended down from the underside of the Mantifip. By quickly contracting them at once the Matifip can suddenly zip backwards. In doing so it evades predators. This is also an efficient method of movement as a few combined zips move the Mantifip up into the currents and bring it down in a totally new feeding area.
thomas.berubeg
Wandering the World
Organism: Cracker
Ancestor: Ganger
Selective pressure: Food inland
Mutation: The Cracker is, socially, rather similar to the ganger. Morphologically, though, the Cracker has developed a circulatory system, connecting Glands which store water to the rest of the organism. This, in addition to a Hard, evaporation proof exoskeleton, allow the Cracker to make extensive use of land, moving up rivers, lakes, and ponds far out of the reach of any predator. The Cracker is able to follow it's food deep inland.
Ancestor: Ganger
Selective pressure: Food inland
Mutation: The Cracker is, socially, rather similar to the ganger. Morphologically, though, the Cracker has developed a circulatory system, connecting Glands which store water to the rest of the organism. This, in addition to a Hard, evaporation proof exoskeleton, allow the Cracker to make extensive use of land, moving up rivers, lakes, and ponds far out of the reach of any predator. The Cracker is able to follow it's food deep inland.
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Curious how the Zeppu has outlived its two direct descendants.
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