Path of the Wild (Forum Game)

Forum Games
1011

The dice gods are good!

1.increased size.

2.A more effecient digestive system.

3.Stronger immune system.

Thanks for the round! :smile:

1012

Action: Brave the bleeding and try to eat something

1013

Round 123 - P.1

Chat: https://discord.gg/weGdxFB

~30.75 million years since the Atroxian Explosion~
Atroxian Period, Novaglacian Stage
Season: Late Autumn (North), Late Spring (South)
Time of Day: Midday (West), Midnight (East)
Event: None

Species: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ramXIxwYwggWj1bVH3zmZT-tlZSbQvW4PUZAEiVWYB8
Biomes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1079__KZqoqQ5PQkA5gr4rMSIGIHx1UN1RwMa__ZNPV8

Detailed Species Stats

Ezta’s Natural History: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JOwzI4ZHorn8nrqEr62v2_uXXlbs7qSCudHc476qLMY

Reward Shop

Rewards are subject to change.

  • Bonus Point: Get a + or -1 to use on the action roll of any player, yourself included. = 1pt
  • Guaranteed Action: Use this on an action to definitely roll a 4 or higher. = 2pts
  • Guaranteed Evolution: Use this during evolution to definitely roll a 4 or higher. You can save them up and use multiple at once. = 3pts
  • High Roller: Get a guaranteed 6 for either action or evolution. = 4pts
  • Call of the Wild: Summon an event that focuses on any specific area of the world you choose. However, the event is random and may be larger than you anticipate. = 5pts
  • Evolution Explosion: Every species immediately gets a chance to evolve, including yourself. = 7pts

State of the World: The global temperature is at about 18c, and there is a high level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Very small moss-like plants exist on land, specifically only in rainy wetlands but most of it is still bare and rocky. Due to the minimal plant life, the atmosphere is oxygen-moderate. There are two supercontinents, Olympia in the north and Tartarus in the south, with the sea transgressing over a lot of land. The continents are surrounded by the superocean Uteenessa, and in-between lies a comparatively small ocean called the Gaia Ocean. The sea levels are high, about 150m above standard, which makes the continental slope begin about 350m below the surface. The ocean is acidic, and the lysocline sits at 2000m. The planet is not currently very tectonically active.

The storm over part of the temperate upper ocean has produced a harmful algal bloom, a scum of red dinoflagellates covering the surface. They suck the oxygen out of the surrounding water and release hydrogen sulfide.

@RoboTrannic - Points Stored = 0
Xirnikrozz crusherei (LC)
TEMPERATE SOUTHWEST UTEENESSA (Temperate Upper Ocean)
Late Spring, Midday
After the storm subsided in the warm ocean surface, the water started to become murkier and murkier; an algal scum even formed on top. At first this made no difference as you continued your pursuit but soon you found the water itself to be poisoning you. The harmful algal bloom at the surface released enough hydrogen sulfide into the nearby water to kill most nearby animals, including you. (2 = Sadly, the end of your life has resulted in your death. Luckily, your species still goes on. It is a time for rebirth.)
Stats
Maturity: 15% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 4.7cm
Health: Dead
Nutrition: N/A
Stamina: N/A
Hydration: N/A
Effects: N/A

Xirnikrozz crusherei

Status: LC
Temporal Range: R.117 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Temperate Open Ocean
Distribution: Southern Uteenessa
Niche: Apex Predator
Size: 31cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 86/10 x 31 = 266.6NP
Predecessor: Xirnikrozz ikrkinkarnikirkn
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, can see well in low light, can use electroreception up to ten metres away, can accurately smell odours up to tens of metres away
Latest Mutations: Muscles = 6, Olfaction = 6, Jaw = 6
Info: Arising to compete against Xirnikrozz yaisyarkrnk, Xirnikrozz crusherei is fairly similar with strong, energy-efficient muscles, although it has an edge; as the name suggests it has more powerful, reinforced jaws that can crush through cartilage or calcium carbonate shells if it needed two. Substances like bone and chitin are still too tough but it does not need this much power. It can also find prey from further away as it has olfactory receptors which can pick up smells from tens of metres away and follow them fairly accurately to their source. This means that this slinky predator has usurped Xirnikrozz yaisyarkrnk.
Anatomy: This species has a long, blue body that tapers into a whip-like tail, armed with two toxic spikes. It’s muscular jaw is made of cartilage but reinforced with a layer of tessarae and it has serrated teeth here. On each side of the head is a pinhole eye and olfactory receptors are also found on the head. Behind the retina is a layer of cells containing reflective crystals called a choroidal tapetum cellulosum. Along the side of the body, are three gill slits near the front, and line of electroreceptors. There are four paddle-like limbs of flesh, cartilage and muscle. Inside, they have a gut with a stomach containing carnivorous digestive enzymes, and connected to the gut is a swim bladder. It’s brain also contains an olfactory lobe. The muscles are strong and energy-efficient. Finally, supporting the entire body is a spine of cartilage vertebrae.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning. Other than its standard survival responses, Xirnikrozz always try to be vigilant of their surroundings, they avoid eating their own kind and they also remain close to their eggs until hatching.
Discoverer: Robotrannicrex

@Agenttine - Points Stored = 1
Stellingus ubivus (LC)
SOUTHERN OLYMPIA SHELF (Tropical Shallows)
Late Autumn, Midday
There is an abundance of Lampsichelus moving around this hot, sunny, murk-filled patch of water over a fairly shallow bed of dark gravel below. You are spoilt for choice. You head straight into the throng, without a clear target, but soon decide to pursue a young juvenile, dodging the spines of fleeing Lampsichelus. The filter-feeders scatter around you but you are faster and so catch up with your chosen target after a short chase through the crowd. You pull alongside and then bite down on its flank. The now bleeding Lampsichelus slows and weakens, gradually sinking to the floor as it dies. When it reaches the floor, you food on the body. You can still see and detect the bodies of many filter-feeders above, and also several fellow Stellingus in the nearby area. Fortunately, you are now an adult, ready to reproduce. (4)
Stats
Maturity: 100% (⅛ - Young Adult)
Current Size: 12.8cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 78.7/78.7 (100%) (+40% left over for growth)
Stamina: 50%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.5

Stellingus ubivus

Status: LC
Temporal Range: R.114 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Tropical Shallows, Tropical Open Ocean, Temperate Open Ocean, Temperate Shallows
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Niche: Predator
Size: 12.8cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: (61.5/10 x 12.8 =) 78.7NV
Predecessor: Stellingus vitta
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, can use electroreception up to ten metres away.
Latest Mutations: High Salinity Level Tolerance
Info: All across the oceans, except for the poles, Stellingus ubivus has appeared. It is versatile whether it lives in tropical or temperate seawater, which has allowed to cross from the Southern Hemisphere into the Northern Hemisphere. It is still not the apex predator in either of the temperate zones because of its comparatively smaller size, but in the primitive tropics, where older animals still used to exist, it has become the dominant predator. Speaking of this, it has driven Thanostoma tropicae extinct, which has lived here for over 9 million years.
Anatomy: Stellingus has a long, blue tapering body, skirted by a ribbon on the top and underside, ending in a spiked whip-like tail. It has a cartilage jaw and two venomous canines surrounded by rather primitive teeth. Each side of its head has a swivelling pinhole eye. It also has three gill slits, and a line of electroreceptors running down its body. Internally, a gut leads to a stomach containing carnivorous digestive bacteria and cartilage vertebrae runs down the spine. It has a swim bladder, centrally located in its body. A simple heart pumps the blood through its closed circulatory system, which supports organs such as muscles. It also has a nervous system composed of two nerve cords and rungs of nerves connected to a brain in the head.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning.
Discoverer: StealthStyle

@immortaldragon - Points Stored = 0
Aspondylus flexibilus (VU)
AN OLYMPIAN ESTUARY (Taiga)
Late Autumn, Midday
In the cold water, sensing no light at all, you feel the tidal currents that pulled you before go slack and you can freely move. However, this also means that it has stopped producing as much detritus so your food is lacking. You are not able to find any. However, as time goes by, you feel the tidal currents once again start pulling you, only in the opposite direction. You sense several other Aspondylus around you and some Icthyotelus. (3)
Status
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 0.4cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 0.8/1.8 (45%)
Stamina: 90%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 0.5

Aspondylus flexibilus

Status: VU
Temporal Range: R.122 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Taiga Estuary
Distribution: Northern Olympia
Niche: Pelagic Filter-Feeder
Nutritional Worth: 46/10 x 7 = 32.2NP
Size: 7cm (length)
Predecessor: Icthyotelus sinspica
Classification: Aspondylusinae (sf), Brevicauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Can sense electrical signals within ten metres, and can see and detect the direction of light.
Latest Mutations: Eel-like fins = 2, Cartilage Skeleton = 2, Feeding tendrils = 3
Info: This species has seen a regression during evolution in which it has lost its cartilage vertebrae almost entirely; all that remains is a single rod, a notochord. It also has smaller pectoral fins than its predecessors. It is not a very successful species, living only in one estuary in the world, where it is still less common than Icthyotelus sinspica, the cold north of Olympia.
Anatomy: It has a tapering body, lined with electroreceptors and three gills on each side. It has two small pectoral ray-fins and a pair of forward-facing cup eyes on the head. An oily liver helps to maintain buoyancy. An open circulatory system bathes the organs in hemacoel, and the body is controlled by ganglia. Down the back is a notochord. In the gut, is a primitive stomach with the ability to digest multicellular matter.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning.

@soundwave - Points Stored = 0
Sanelectrophorus electricus (LC) - Male
WESTERN OLYMPIA SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Late Autumn, Midday
You hatch out in the cool, fairly murky water of a sheltered bay. You can see algae and seaweed growing across the bay, and a variety of Hemithateus are feeding on them. Grey clouds cover the sky, and rain drops periodically on the surface, casting shade over the bay. Not too far away, a large Soundwavia is hunting, chasing Hemithateus; they mostly try and scramble out of the way, some of these including tiny hatchlings [Springbloom]. There are also other animals here; you can see a couple of other Sanelectrophorus hatchlings, and some spiny Pneumachasminia on the seafloor. The tide begins pulling you closer to shore. (5)
Status:
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 1cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 6.1/8.7 (70%)
Stamina: 100%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: None

Sanelectrophorus electricus

Status: LC
Temporal Range: R.123 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Temperate Open Ocean
Distribution: Northern Hemisphere
Niche: Apex Predator
Size: 20cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 86.5/10 x 20 = 173NP
Predecessor: Soundwavia amazonus
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Latest Mutations: Gender = 5, Better electroreception = 6
Perception: Decent vision with no depth perception on either side, can use electroreception up to tens of metres away.
Info: One of the strangest Thanostomines up to this point, not only can this species monitor a very large area for electrical signals, it can also generate its own field and use electricity as a weapon. Most of the abdomen is taken up by large organs that produce the electrical discharge, that can give other animals a little shock. These organs also allow the animal to continuously create it own own electric field and discover its surroundings through disturbances in the field. It has also developed male and female genders.
Anatomy: It has a blue, tapering body, lined with electroreceptors and three gills on each side, ending in a long whip-tail complete with venomous spikes. Two eyes, with cornea supported by vitreous humour and the retina at the back, sit on the side of the head and it’s mouth is full of small teeth, with a pair of venomous fangs embedded in its cartilage jaw. Supported by rays of cartilage, it has a pair of small pectoral flippers, as well as a tiny dorsal fin on the back. The main electric organ stretches across the dorsal portion of the body, mirrored by the Hunter’s organ at the bottom and the Sach’s organ towards the rear; all three contain electrocytes. An open circulatory system bathes the organs in hemacoel, and the body is dcontrolled by ganglia. Down the back are cartilage vertebrae. In the gut, was a primitive stomach with the ability to digest multicellular matter. It has a swim bladder connected to the gut. There are both male and female castes.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning.

@blackink - Points Stored = 0
Lampsichelus paladarus (NT) - Male
TROPICAL NORTHWEST UTEENESSA (Tropical Shallows)
Late Autumn, Midday
From a crevice in hot, clear water, in which you can sense plenty of light, you head out, not far, but swim around collecting the plentiful marine snow that you can smell in your mouth. It does not take long before you have your fill, and your hump is already well-stocked. You think about biting a sponge, but you are already full. You are now an adult, ready to reproduce. You can still smell only marine snow and sponges around you. (4)
Status
Maturity: 100% (⅛ - Young Adult)
Current Size: 11.5cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 69.6/69.6 (100%) (+40% left over for growth)
Stamina: 40%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.5, Hump Stocked

Lampsichelus paladurus

Status: NT
Temporal Range: R.91 - Present (Cinisian - Novaglacian)
Habitat: Tropical Open Ocean, Tropical Deep Ocean, Temperate Shallows, Temperate Deep Ocean
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Niche: Carnivorous Filter-Feeder
Size: 11.5cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 60.5/10 x 11.5 = 69.6NP
Predecessor: Asteridermus mutatiogenus
Classification: Skelechelusidae (f), Brevicauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Can detect the presence of light above, can use electroreception up to ten metres away, can smell odours up to ten metres away.
Latest Mutations: Intestine = 1, Serrated Teeth = 2, Hanging Lure = 5, Oily Liver = 4
Info: In the darkness of the abyss, Lampsichelus is the most well-lit of all animals, able to put on quite a light show; as well as the numerous bioluminescent spots on its body that act as one, there is a bulb on the end of a barbel protruding from the jaw that also produces light - this is controlled independently of the others, and can be flicked up and down to be more enticing. However, rather than use it to catch prey, the lights for this species are more useful in terms of finding another individual for mating. This is because there is stiff competition for prey, such as Thanostoma altium, and so it is largely restricted to filtering flesh from marine snow. The most significant obstacle to being a little predator is that it has lost the teeth in the upper jaw, probably as a result of continual filter-feeding. (The species name means Gummy Joe.) Unlike its predecessors, it can control its own buoyancy now with an oil-filled liver, although it has a shrunken digestive system, making digestion less efficient.
Description: All over the black body tapering to a short, spiked tail are light blue bioluminescent spots, as well as a line of electroreceptors and three gills on each side. The two spikes are venomous. At the front, above the cartilage jawed mouth are olfactory receptors and facing forwards are a pair of cup eyes. The jaw contains very simple, shapeless teeth but only on the lower jaw. A cartilage barbel protrudes out and down from the lower jaw, and has a light blue bioluminescent bulb and a hinging muscle at its base. A pair of oval fins, supported by rays of cartilage are attached vertically just behind the gills and there is a fatty hump on the back. Inside, the organs oare bathed in hemacoel by an open circulatory system. All the muscles contin a vacuoles. It’s digestive system is proportionately very small and narrow, which consists of the stomach and gut. There is also a liver, which is filled with oils. The body has cartilage vertebrae running down the back and is controlled by two nerve cords and a rung of nerves. The tiny brain in the head controls this.

Previous Mutations

Extra-Efficient Muscles, Electroreceptors, Open Circulatory System, Tail, Three Gill Slits, Cartilage Vertebrae, Digestive Carnivorous Bacteria, Two Poisonous Spikes on Tail, Dentine Teeth, Cup Eyes, Jaw, Fins (two vertical near head), Hump, Bioluminescent Lights, Olfaction, Temperate and Tropical Tolerance, Bioluminescence Control, Genders, Oily Liver

3 Likes
1014

R.123 - P.2

@Biologicah - Points Stored = 1
Xirnikrozz kixarjiuryziyak (CR)
SOUTHWEST TARTARUS SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Late Spring, Midday
Weakly, you swim downwards towards the rocky bottom, through warm, fairly murky but sunny water as the current continues to drag you along. It takes a lot of energy in your current state but you make it, and find a sponge attached to the rocks. You take some bites out of the sponge and recoup some nutrition. You are still bleeding slightly. There are still mostly Ostracoderma [PositiveTower) laying about in the rocks. Plankton, including Pensaspidus [Jellyfishmon], continue to flow past above. (4)
Status
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 1.6cm
Health: Numerous cuts and bleeding
Nutrition: 9/12.8 (100%) (+10% left over for growth)
Stamina: 80%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.25

Xirnikrozz kixarjiuryziyak

Status: CR
Temporal Range: R.122 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Temperate Open Ocean
Distribution: Southern Uteenessa
Niche: Apex Predator
Size: 31cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 80/10 x 31 = 248NP
Predecessor: Xirnikrozz yaisyarkrnk
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, can see well in low light, can use electroreception up to ten metres away, can hear noises up to ten metres away
Latest Mutations: Connect Olfactory Receptors = 4, Connect Hearing Receptors = 4, Spines = 1
Info: This species is a fairly uncommon apex predator in the temperate seas of the Southern Hemisphere. It is one of the few animals to be able to hear noises, which gives it a little bit of an edge but its main competitor is still overall superior. It also has the ability to smell, although not as well as Xirnikrozz crusherei. The fatal flaw of this species is that it has very weak skin that is easily torn; a terrible handicap for a predator hunting herbivores with dangerous spines.
Anatomy: This species has a long, blue body that tapers into a whip-like tail, armed with two toxic spikes. It has weak skin. It’s jaw is made of cartilage and it has serrated teeth here. On each side of the head is a pinhole eye, that is able to swivel slightly. Behind the retina is a layer of cells containing reflective crystals called a choroidal tapetum cellulosum. It has olfactory and hearing receptors on the face. Along the side of the body, are three gill slits near the front, and line of electroreceptors. There are four paddle-like limbs of flesh, cartilage and muscle. Inside, they have a gut with a stomach containing carnivorous digestive enzymes, and connected to the gut is a swim bladder. It’s brain is not quite as small as most other contemporary species. The muscles are strong. Finally, supporting the entire body is a spine of cartilage vertebrae.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning. Other than its standard survival responses, Xirnikrozz always try to be vigilant of their surrounding, they avoid eating their own kind and they also remain close to their eggs until hatching.

@jellyfishmon - Points Stored = 1
_Pensaspidus jellyfishmonii (VU)
SOUTHWEST TARTARUS SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Late Spring, Midday
You hatch out into warm, fairly murky water with lots of sun and can feel yourself being moved by the current. The current has other small planktonic hatchlings in it, such as Lepirhamphos and Euskulus. Below, the floor is rocky. You can see a couple of Ostracoderma [PositiveTower] on the floor, and further along a Xirnikrozz [Biologicah]. (5)
Status
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 0.4cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 2.2/2.4 (90%)
Stamina: 100%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.25

Pensaspidus jellyfishmonii

Status: VU
Temporal Range: R.106 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Polar Shallows, Temperate Open Ocean, Polar Open Ocean
Distribution: Southern Hemisphere
Niche: Predator
Size: 7.5cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 59.5/10 x 7.5 = 44.6
Predecessor: Arthroskulus pelagus
Classification: Roharasrinae (sf), Codowecoiidae (f), Probocephala (o), Cylindrea ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, blurry front vision with depth perception.
Latest Mutations: Mandibles = 4, Legs = 3, True Muscles = 4
Info: Swapping a razor-sharp beak for a pair of chitinous mandibles, these species can eat more efficiently than its ancestors as the mandibles allow them to grip prey and also bite in comparison with the inefficient stabbing motion of its forefathers. The mandibles are not particularly sharp or cutting, but it does not need to be for their soft-skinned prey. One advantage that the beaked species have is the actual method of killing, which is generally much easier than the grip and cut method that this species must employ. In a case of unexpected convergent evolution, the circular, hydrostatic muscles that made the lineage so worm-like have developed into traditionally, both in structure and in placement. When their body moves, it goes from side to side, like other animals with similar muscles, although internally they have fundamental differences. It lives alongside Arthroskulus, and both compete for the same food.
Description: The top of the blue, cylindrical body is protected by a tough exoskeleton made out of chitin, which has extended to form a pair of mandibles around the mouth at the end of a proboscis. Some of the armour has also formed a fan-shaped tail protruding from the rear, which can be moved up and down by muscle and a muscular siphon at the rear propels out water. The armour behind the head contains a spiracle on each side, allowing oxygen through it. There are four pinhole eyes below the armour, but none of them look up; two are at the front, and two are on the sides. Inside their body, they have a simple gut leading to an anus, a stomach containing digestive carnivorous bacteria, a nerve network and small bunch of ganglia, and an open circulatory system filled with blue-green hemacoel. There is also a swim bladder, unconnected to the gut. Anti-freeze proteins flow through the hemacoel. The body is adapted to only low to quite high salinities.
Discoverer: Jellyfishmon

@PositiveTower - Points Stored = 0
Ostracoderma kinifolis (LC) - Male
SOUTHWEST TARTARUS SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Late Spring, Midday
Hiding between some rocks in warm, fairly murky water, you put out tentacles and capture a fair amount of the marine snow passing in the current. The Xirnikrozz [Biologicah] goes past. Plankton, including Pensaspidus [Jellyfishmon], continue to flow past in the current. You are now a juvenile. (4 + 1)
Status
Maturity: 35% (Juvenile)
Current Size: 1.8cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 9.1/9.1 (100%) (+30% left over for growth)
Stamina: 90%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.25

"Ostracoderma kinifolis

Status: LC
Temporal Range: R.113 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Tropical Deep Ocean (below thermocline, above lysocline) , Temperate Deep Ocean (above lysocline) , Polar Deep Ocean (above lysocline)
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Niche: Benthic Filter-Feeder
Size: 5cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 50.5/10 x 3 = 15.2NP
Predecessor: Ostracoderma densissima
Classification: Ostracoderminae (sf), Almoskulusidae (f), Tunicaphora (o), Cylindrea ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Decent vision with no depth perception either side, can sense chemicals up to ten metres away with accuracy.
Latest Mutations: Egg Fusing Behaviour = 6, Improve Shell = 4, Longer Tentacles = 5, Eggs Able To Fuse To Tentacles = 4
Info: This benthic filter-feeder spends most of its time on the seabed, except for its planktonic stage, and it’s body protected by its shell but for the eyestalks protruding through two small holes and the relatively long tentacles sticking out from underneath the shell and helping it to filter food. When it needs to move, it’s hidden fins drag it along the seabed. The tentacles also serve another purpose, as during reproduction the female gathers up the eggs and they become embedded in pits that develop on the tentacles. The female then tucks the tentacles under her body keeping the eggs safe, whilst carrying feeding, although somewhat hampered. She is then able to divert much of her own nutrients into her young so that they grow bigger and quicker. But this also means a female cannot reproduce again whilst she waits for the eggs to hatch. Therefore, Ostracoderma kinifolis is more successful at raising young, although densissima can potentially produce more. The tentacles also have chemoreceptors along them, making them useful for accurately locating the source of the chemicals.
Anatomy: The tubular, red body is covered in an elongated calcium carbonate shell over the entire body, except for the tentacles that often stick out and the two eyestalks on either side of the head protruding through two small holes in the shell. The shell is thick and heavy. The relatively long tentacles - about the length of the rest of the body - grow from around the circular mouth with small teeth, which is surrounded by chemoreceptors. There are three gill slits by the throat. A pair of sturdy fins supported by cartilage rungs curve underneath the body. In the head, ganglion lead to their single nerve cord that runs down the body meeting a web of nerves, alongside the cartilage notochord. The gut leads straight from the mouth to the anus. Blood is pumped around the body by the vessels of an open circulatory system to organs such as the muscles. Anti-freeze proteins are present in the blood.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli, however, it’s response is often delayed. It also has basic reasoning. Other than its standard survival responses, the female responds to the stimuli of producing eggs by embedding them in her tentacles and tucking the tentacles under her body.

@Spring_blooms - Points Stored = 1
Hemithateus springbloomi (NT)
A NORTHWEST OLYMPIAN SHELF SEA (Temperate Shallows)
Late Autumn, Midday
You hatch out in the cool, fairly murky water of a sheltered bay. You can see algae and seaweed growing across the bay, and a variety of Hemithateus are feeding on them. Grey clouds cover the sky, and rain drops periodically on the surface, casting shade over the bay. There are also other animals here; you can see a couple of Sanelectrophorus hatchlings [Soundwavia], and some spiny Pneumachasminia on the seafloor. However, you then notice a large Soundwavia very close nearby, chasing other Hemithateus. You try to scramble out of the way as it is almost upon you. You also feel the tide beginning to pull you closer to shore. (1)
Status
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 1cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 5.4/7.7 (70%)
Stamina: 100%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: None

Hemithateus springbloomi

Status: NT
Temporal Range: R.123 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows
Distribution: Northern Hemisphere
Niche: Herbivore
Size: 19cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 76.5/10 x 19 = 145.4NP
Predecessor: Hemithateus spicati
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, can use electroreception up to ten metres away.
Latest Mutations: Increased Size = 3, Better Digestive System = 4, Better Immune System = 5
Info: Hemithateus springbloomi faces more predation than its cousin Hemithateus novaglacianus due to its smaller size, yet it remains almost as numerous because it has a more efficient digestive system and has evolved blood clotting that lets it survive more injuries.
Anatomy: The long, blue, tapering body is supported by a vertebrae of bone, although the whip-tail at the end is composed of flexible cartilage. Along the body are three gill slits and a line of electroreceptors. There are no limbs. The head has a cartilage jaw, with a pair of venomous canines surrounded by square shaped teeth. On each side of the head is a pinhole eye, with the ability to swivel around. At the end of the tail, six venomous spikes stick out. A gut leads to a stomach containing digestive herbivorous bacteria. The muscles contain special vacuoles for storing extra energy, and are bathed in hemacoel by the open circulatory system, which has platelets in it.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning.

3 Likes
1015

Action: Go reproduce.

1016

Action: Hunt the pensaspidus

1017

Action: Find something to eat.

Ty RNG gods for not messing my plans up! and making something even better and thank you stealth for the round as always

1018

Yes!!! Finally one my children can reproduce
Action: Go near my crevice and start using the bioluminescent signal to say I’m ready to reproduce so a mate can come by (if a predator comes, I go to my crevice, if I manage to reproduce, the eggs are safe on the crevice)
Thanks as always for the round stealth

1019

Thanks for the new round Stealth. Also yay I didn’t die! :grin:

Action: Continue looking for detritus to eat.

1020

Action: Dive down, away from the pull of the tide, and try to find an older Hemithateus to protect me. +1 to myself.

Thanks for the round, so happy the evolutions stuck!

1021

thanks for the round
Action: feed

1022

Action:Eat more marine snow

1023

Ezta Explorations With Nigel Marvin: Episode Three

"Nigel Marvin; a time-travelling zoologist and a man who has had his fair share of close scrapes with dinosaurs. And now, he’s journeying to another planet. In his latest adventure, Nigel will be travelling back through the prehistory of a planet called Ezta. He will be walking, flying or swimming alongside creatures that are truly out of this world.

Nigel’s next stop is back to the Atroxian, during a time in which animal life is really starting to diversify…"

image

“We join Nigel in the midst of some intense action.”

It is twilight, and the water is very dim, but the light from a diver shines upon a long-bodied Phyoskulus circulatio. It is moving very lethargically in the water, and red blood is escaping from a gaping wound in its flank, clouding the water. Just behind it, an equally long-bodied - but with four fins instead of none - Xirnikrozz kixarjiuryziyak is following.

Nigel: (Muffled by the diving mouthpiece) This is an excellent surprise. We already saw some Xirnikrozz hunting in the last episode, so the plan was to head to the depths and do some filming there, but one of our reconnaissance dives caught this, so we thought we’d film it.

Nigel: (Narrator) The sun had barely come up and already we were being given a fascinating treat on this day on Ezta. The species in question, Phyoskulus circulatio and, we think, Xirnikrozz kixarjiuryziyak, are quite similar to what we have previously experienced. The food chain has remained relatively stable and it has been a while since the last major disaster for the planet, so these types have held on to their niches and diversified. However, might a change be about to happen in the near future?

Suddenly, a second Xirnikrozz arrives at the scene and tears into the sluggish Phyoskulus from another direction. This surprises the original Xirnikrozz, but it recovers and whips it tail towards the newcomer to threaten it.

Nigel: Oh my goodness, another predator has just arrived. My guess is that it is a Xirnikrozz crusherei, which are the top species of the three currently existing Xirnikrozz. All three are obviously later species than what we saw last time, and they generally are more muscular and have sharper teeth. I hope for its sake that the Phyoskulus has finally died because this is not pleasant to watch.

The Xirnikrozz crusherei then turns towards the first Xirnikrozz moving towards it. Tails are swung at each other but both miss, although they gradually move in closer to one another. They scrape past one another but the Xirnikrozz crusherei aims a bite and bites of a part of the Xirnikrozz kixarjiuryziyak’ rear fin. It turns away from the scene in pain, but out of nowhere the tail of the Phyoskulus is swung, and the spines hit the Xirnikrozz crusherei right in the head, killing it instantly. It also seems to be the Phyoskulus’ last action, as it now floats limply. The injured Xirnikrozz returns to the scene, still bleeding, and begins feasting.

Nigel: Right, I think that’s enough gore and violence; lets get back to the ship. But it just goes to show the intense competition for top places generated by the continual evolution of these species.

Nigel: (Narrator) We got back on board, and prepared for our planned expedition later in the day.

“Later, a submersible is being lowered into the water, with Nigel and the crew inside.”

The inside of the submersible is rounded and filled with buttons and panels. On the front side is a large window.

Nigel: Welcome inside the submersible. This is what we are going to be using to explore the deeper parts of the ocean. We’ve used submersibles before but this one has a special technology to help us find animals; it has a special sensor to sense chemicals and odours, so fingers crossed we should be able to find something down there.

The submersible plunges into the open ocean with a big splash. It descends through the blue zone of sunlight, as Nigel points out animals to the crew; around them Lampsichelus paladarus filter the water lazily, alongside tiny Masticephalus. Fish-like Sanicthyops chase after the Masticephalus, and even a worm-like Elinopterus oceanus, complete with sharp beak, was spotted making its way through the ocean. However, the light level soon began to drop.

Nigel: (Narrator) We were making our way down through the water, filled with interesting creatures, but at about 200m down, the light started to drop. We had entered the twilight zone. There are few creatures alive on Ezta that are well-adapted to this dark world and animal life is much scarcer than it is at the surface. On our way down, we came into contact with the continental shelf, a vast slope of soft sediment.

The submersibles lights scanned the seabed through the slightly faint light and comes across a shape on the sediment.

Nigel: (Excitably) There! I’m sure that must be a Pensaspidus jellyfishmonii, which you can tell because it has a shield of chitin, like half an exoskeleton on its back, and pincer-like mandibles. It’s probably hunting it’s fairly close relatives, Codowecoiids, kind of similar to worms. It’s a member of the Roharasrid family, quite a varied group that do well in the shallows, but can exist down to 500m before the pressure gets too much. And over there, there’s another Roharasrid and it’s quite preposterous.

The crew shine the light on a similar animal, but completely enclosed in an exoskeleton and with a much longer lower beak. Shellfish-like Ostracoderma also dotted the slope, with tentacles sticking out of shells.

Nigel: (Chuckles) That is simply superb. Fittingly, it was one of the coolest species names, in my opinion, Periphractax gladius. Look at that extra long, lower beak - like Pensaspidus it eats worms, it uses that sword on its face to prod sediment and to impale prey and of course it can also use its beak to defend itself. I have a feeling we are about to see it in use, because if you look just above-

The light is moved upwards, illuminating a long animal with a ribbon of skin running along it.

Nigel: That’s it, just there is a Stellingus. It’s the deepest living Thanostomid, although again that’s only 500m, because all the rest rely on the presence of plants in some way, whether as food or because it’s food for their prey. However, Stellingus are mostly in decline, and are only commonplace in the tropics exactly because of Periphractax.

Nigel: (Narrator) The key to Periphractax’s success is not really because of the elongated beak but because it has a complete chitin exoskeleton that the jaws of Stellingus cannot penetrate. It looks like this Stellingus has chosen the wrong prey.

Back on the slope, the Periphractax has finally noticed the approaching Stellingus. But one charge which the Stellingus dodges is enough to see off the predator.

Nigel (narrator): We were now dropping even further, well below 500m, to the true deep ocean, where only animals with specialised pressure adaptations could live. Finding animals here would be difficult in almost pitch black but that’s why we had the sensor.

Nigel: Now, if we just follow this radar screen, it should be leading us to something that produces these chemicals here.

Nigel points to a blip in the illuminated submersible cabin.

Nigel: (narrator) Down here in the depths, a special cast of animals could be found.

Nigel: If we turn off the lights - (addressing one of the crew) could you turn off the lights? - please.

The lights go dark but in the blackness of the water little dots of blue light pop every now and then.

Nigel: Those lights there are caused by tiny animals, a deepwater species of Masticephalus. They probably do it to find one another for mating.

Nigel: (Narrator) We followed the trail of chemicals, which seemed to be being released from marine detritus, but were in for a pleasant surprise. The submersible had arrived at the part of the seabed where the chemicals were supposedly coming from, but scanning the ground with light did not show anything but seabed. Until, we looked a little closer.

Crew: Nigel, I think I see something. There, next to that rock, do you see it?

A small, sandy-brown body, the shape of a tube was lying half-submerged in sediment, which a single eye peeking upwards.

Nigel: Oh gosh, good spot. I’m sure that a Dolophonaskulus rhinocerosai, so called because of that horn on its head. They are a bizarre creature, what really stands them apart is that really wide jaw, filled with sharp teeth. These are experts in ambush, I’ve just realised why the computer thought it was just marine snow, as scientists believe that they release those chemicals to extract marine snow filter-feeders, like worms, towards them, and then pounce with a sudden snap of those jaws. And in case the chemicals don’t work, they also have that bioluminescent lure attached to its head. So - woah, what is that?

Nigel: (Narrator) As luck would have it, we had stumbled across another oddity. It was one of the few remaining species of the Procorda order, and strangely enough, it’s closest relatives are animals that look like urchins and only live in the shallows of the northern hemisphere - this species, Parateuthis, lives only in the deep dark depths and looks completely different.

The Parateuthis that had suddenly appeared in the spotlight is covered in a tubular shell, with a hyponome at one end and a face with tentacles at the other. But it is almost colourless, with light shining through its body.

Nigel: Parateuthis is part of a group that only just survived a minor extinction event a few million years back. The survivors we’re few and far between which is why they and their urchin-like relatives have ended up so far apart. Here in the deep, highly adapted and with suitable defences and no predators, Parateuthis’ kind thrive. They use to just be peaceful filter-feeders but some have now evolved to become one of the top predators of the deep.

“The next day, Nigel was back at the surface and the team had moved into the Northern Hemisphere. He had one last dive planned, but he would be in for a shock.”

The boat is placed in an estuary spilling out into a peaceful bay and Nigel is leaning over the railings, watching the little blue Icthyotelus and Aspondylus wriggle through the water below the boat.

Nigel: There’s one last thing I’d like to do on this trip and that’s to find a recently-evolved type of Thanostomid that can use electricity as a weapon, like the electric fish in Earth. However, we don’t know how much electricity they can produce so we are going to test it with this special suit I’m wearing. I’m going to lure in the predators with food and then the suit should automatically process the voltage of their shocks. We don’t think that they can produce s shock that’s dangerous due to the size of their electric organs. I’m not worried about luring them in, because no animals here is much bigger than 30cm and certainly not one of these.

There’s a splash as Nigel enters the bay, with dead squid sticking out of the wetsuit-like contraption. He stands on the muddy seafloor and waits.

Nigel: This bay was a perfect place to find a Sanelectrophorus electricus, and I hoped that would have not long to wait. Fortunately, I had some company.

A long Hemithateus springbloomi approaches Nigel, swimming around his leg before taking a nibble.

Nigel: (Good humouredly) Oh, get off.

Suddenly, the Hemithateus was spooked and swam off and was replaced shortly after by a Sanelectrophorus, complete with pectoral fins and a dorsal fin.

Nigel: These and their close relatives, Soundwavia, are easily distinguishable by that dorsal fin, with no other animals on the planet having any. What sets Sanelectrophorus apart from Soundwavia is the electric organs along the inside of its body.

The Sanelectrophorus circled closer and closer.

Nigel: If I’m going to test its power, I might have to provoke it. Sorry little guy.

Nigel starts kicking out at the animal, which seems to scare it a little but it does not go far. When it comes back it, swims quickly up to Nigel and swings its tail at Nigel’s leg.

Nigel: (Narrator) It was always a possibility it might use its poisonous spines, so fortunately my wetsuit was designed to protect me from the impact. When it realised that that had no effect, the Sanelectrophorus turned to its next weapon.

Nigel: Geez, I felt that. It just gave me an electric shock. Thankfully, it was nothing too bad, just a bit of a sting. This means it probably just uses it to warn off other animals, and still relies on other weapons for hunting. There another one come to investigate look.

Another Sanelectrophorus appeared in the water, then another, then another until a whole crowd had gathered around Nigel. Then they started going for the squid and some even crawled into his suit. Many were now giving Nigel shocks until he eventually slipped into unconsciousness, and drifted on a current out of the bay and into open sea.

5 Likes
1024

Round 124 - P.1

Chat: https://discord.gg/weGdxFB

~31 million years since the Atroxian Explosion~
Atroxian Period, Novaglacian Stage
Season: Early Winter (North), Early Summer (South)
Time of Day: Afternoon (West), Morning Twilight (East)
Event: None

Species: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ramXIxwYwggWj1bVH3zmZT-tlZSbQvW4PUZAEiVWYB8
Biomes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1079__KZqoqQ5PQkA5gr4rMSIGIHx1UN1RwMa__ZNPV8

Detailed Species Stats

Ezta’s Natural History: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JOwzI4ZHorn8nrqEr62v2_uXXlbs7qSCudHc476qLMY

Reward Shop

Rewards are subject to change.

  • Bonus Point: Get a + or -1 to use on the action roll of any player, yourself included. = 1pt
  • Guaranteed Action: Use this on an action to definitely roll a 4 or higher. = 2pts
  • Guaranteed Evolution: Use this during evolution to definitely roll a 4 or higher. You can save them up and use multiple at once. = 3pts
  • High Roller: Get a guaranteed 6 for either action or evolution. = 4pts
  • Call of the Wild: Summon an event that focuses on any specific area of the world you choose. However, the event is random and may be larger than you anticipate. = 5pts
  • Evolution Explosion: Every species immediately gets a chance to evolve, including yourself. = 7pts

State of the World: The global temperature is at about 18c, and there is a high level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Very small moss-like plants exist on land, specifically only in rainy wetlands but most of it is still bare and rocky. Due to the minimal plant life, the atmosphere is oxygen-moderate. There are two supercontinents, Olympia in the north and Tartarus in the south, with the sea transgressing over a lot of land. The continents are surrounded by the superocean Uteenessa, and in-between lies a comparatively small ocean called the Gaia Ocean. The sea levels are high, about 150m above standard, which makes the continental slope begin about 350m below the surface. The ocean is acidic, and the lysocline sits at 2000m. The planet is not currently very tectonically active.

@RoboTrannic - Points Stored = 0
Xirnikrozz crusherei (LC)
SOUTHERN TARTARUS SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Early Summer, Afternoon
You hatch out in warm, fairly murky water covered in sunshine. You can see the bottom close beneath and can feel yourself being carried into even shallower water by the tide. There are other small animals caught up in the tide, such as hatchling Phyoskulus, Masticephalus and jellyfish. Despite being the same age, you are slightly larger and stronger than the siblings around you. The light in the water is starting to decrease. (5 + 1)
Stats
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 1.6cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 13.8/13.8 (100%)
Stamina: 100%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.25, Strong

Xirnikrozz crusherei

Status: LC
Temporal Range: R.117 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Temperate Open Ocean
Distribution: Southern Uteenessa
Niche: Apex Predator
Size: 31cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 86/10 x 31 = 266.6NP
Predecessor: Xirnikrozz ikrkinkarnikirkn
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, can see well in low light, can use electroreception up to ten metres away, can accurately smell odours up to tens of metres away
Latest Mutations: Muscles = 6, Olfaction = 6, Jaw = 6
Info: Arising to compete against Xirnikrozz yaisyarkrnk, Xirnikrozz crusherei is fairly similar with strong, energy-efficient muscles, although it has an edge; as the name suggests it has more powerful, reinforced jaws that can crush through cartilage or calcium carbonate shells if it needed two. Substances like bone and chitin are still too tough but it does not need this much power. It can also find prey from further away as it has olfactory receptors which can pick up smells from tens of metres away and follow them fairly accurately to their source. This means that this slinky predator has usurped Xirnikrozz yaisyarkrnk.
Anatomy: This species has a long, blue body that tapers into a whip-like tail, armed with two toxic spikes. It’s muscular jaw is made of cartilage but reinforced with a layer of tessarae and it has serrated teeth here. On each side of the head is a pinhole eye and olfactory receptors are also found on the head. Behind the retina is a layer of cells containing reflective crystals called a choroidal tapetum cellulosum. Along the side of the body, are three gill slits near the front, and line of electroreceptors. There are four paddle-like limbs of flesh, cartilage and muscle. Inside, they have a gut with a stomach containing carnivorous digestive enzymes, and connected to the gut is a swim bladder. It’s brain also contains an olfactory lobe. The muscles are strong and energy-efficient. Finally, supporting the entire body is a spine of cartilage vertebrae.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning. Other than its standard survival responses, Xirnikrozz always try to be vigilant of their surroundings, they avoid eating their own kind and they also remain close to their eggs until hatching.
Discoverer: Robotrannicrex

@Agenttine - Points Stored = 1
Stellingus ubivus (LC)
SOUTHERN OLYMPIA SHELF (Tropical Shallows)
Early Winter, Afternoon
In the hot, sunny, fairly murky water, you search for a mate. There is no shortage of Stellingus hunting around this busy area but not all want to mate. One chases you off as you approach. But fortunately, due to sheer numbers it’s not long after that you find a willing mate and successfully reproduce, scattering eggs into the sea. The light in the water is starting to decrease. (4 = Well done! You have successfully passed on your genes; let’s hope they fit. Choose 3 mutations to try and evolve, or continue and gain a bonus roll for your next evolution.)
Stats
Maturity: 100% (2/8 - Young Adult)
Current Size: 12.8cm
Health: Tired
Nutrition: 51.2/78.7 (65%)
Stamina: 30%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.5

Stellingus ubivus

Status: LC
Temporal Range: R.114 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Tropical Shallows, Tropical Open Ocean, Temperate Open Ocean, Temperate Shallows
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Niche: Predator
Size: 12.8cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: (61.5/10 x 12.8 =) 78.7NV
Predecessor: Stellingus vitta
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, can use electroreception up to ten metres away.
Latest Mutations: High Salinity Level Tolerance
Info: All across the oceans, except for the poles, Stellingus ubivus has appeared. It is versatile whether it lives in tropical or temperate seawater, which has allowed to cross from the Southern Hemisphere into the Northern Hemisphere. It is still not the apex predator in either of the temperate zones because of its comparatively smaller size, but in the primitive tropics, where older animals still used to exist, it has become the dominant predator. Speaking of this, it has driven Thanostoma tropicae extinct, which has lived here for over 9 million years.
Anatomy: Stellingus has a long, blue tapering body, skirted by a ribbon on the top and underside, ending in a spiked whip-like tail. It has a cartilage jaw and two venomous canines surrounded by rather primitive teeth. Each side of its head has a swivelling pinhole eye. It also has three gill slits, and a line of electroreceptors running down its body. Internally, a gut leads to a stomach containing carnivorous digestive bacteria and cartilage vertebrae runs down the spine. It has a swim bladder, centrally located in its body. A simple heart pumps the blood through its closed circulatory system, which supports organs such as muscles. It also has a nervous system composed of two nerve cords and rungs of nerves connected to a brain in the head.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning.
Discoverer: StealthStyle

@immortaldragon - Points Stored = 0
Aspondylus flexibilus (VU)
AN OLYMPIAN ESTUARY (Taiga)
Early Winter, Afternoon
Movement in the cold, murky water is sluggish, and there is no light around. There is a tidal current pulling you further inland and up the estuary a bit further. You feed decently as you move blindly through the water but the tidal current rich with detritus stops when it delivers you to the upstream past of the estuary that is still and covered in ice. You sense several other Aspondylus around you and some Icthyotelus. (4)
Status
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 0.4cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 1.5/1.8 (85%)
Stamina: 70%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 0.5

Aspondylus flexibilus

Status: VU
Temporal Range: R.122 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Taiga Estuary
Distribution: Northern Olympia
Niche: Pelagic Filter-Feeder
Nutritional Worth: 46/10 x 7 = 32.2NP
Size: 7cm (length)
Predecessor: Icthyotelus sinspica
Classification: Aspondylusinae (sf), Brevicauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Can sense electrical signals within ten metres, and can see and detect the direction of light.
Latest Mutations: Eel-like fins = 2, Cartilage Skeleton = 2, Feeding tendrils = 3
Info: This species has seen a regression during evolution in which it has lost its cartilage vertebrae almost entirely; all that remains is a single rod, a notochord. It also has smaller pectoral fins than its predecessors. It is not a very successful species, living only in one estuary in the world, where it is still less common than Icthyotelus sinspica, the cold north of Olympia.
Anatomy: It has a tapering body, lined with electroreceptors and three gills on each side. It has two small pectoral ray-fins and a pair of forward-facing cup eyes on the head. An oily liver helps to maintain buoyancy. An open circulatory system bathes the organs in hemacoel, and the body is controlled by ganglia. Down the back is a notochord. In the gut, is a primitive stomach with the ability to digest multicellular matter.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning.

@soundwave - Points Stored = 0
Sanelectrophorus electricus (LC) - Male
WESTERN OLYMPIA SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Early Winter, Afternoon
In the cool, fairly murky water of a sheltered bay, you hide behind some seaweed. You want to feed but there are some larger predators swimming about the bay. What prey is not scared out of the bay, or in fact eaten by the older, larger predators, is forced into hiding, which makes them difficult for you to find. One of the predators is beaten off by a large Hemithateus novaglacianus, and a hatchling Hemithateus springbloomi [Springbloom] darts into the seaweed nearby. The tide is pulling you closer to shore, but luckily you manage to keep behind the seaweed. Danger or not, you are getting hungry, and will have to eat soon. The light is starting to decrease. (2 + 1)
Status:
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 1cm
Health: Hungry
Nutrition: 3.5/8.7 (40%)
Stamina: 80%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: None

Sanelectrophorus electricus

Status: LC
Temporal Range: R.123 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Temperate Open Ocean
Distribution: Northern Hemisphere
Niche: Apex Predator
Size: 20cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 86.5/10 x 20 = 173NP
Predecessor: Soundwavia amazonus
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Latest Mutations: Gender = 5, Better electroreception = 6
Perception: Decent vision with no depth perception on either side, can use electroreception up to tens of metres away.
Info: One of the strangest Thanostomines up to this point, not only can this species monitor a very large area for electrical signals, it can also generate its own field and use electricity as a weapon. Most of the abdomen is taken up by large organs that produce the electrical discharge, that can give other animals a little shock. These organs also allow the animal to continuously create it own own electric field and discover its surroundings through disturbances in the field. It has also developed male and female genders.
Anatomy: It has a blue, tapering body, lined with electroreceptors and three gills on each side, ending in a long whip-tail complete with venomous spikes. Two eyes, with cornea supported by vitreous humour and the retina at the back, sit on the side of the head and it’s mouth is full of small teeth, with a pair of venomous fangs embedded in its cartilage jaw. Supported by rays of cartilage, it has a pair of small pectoral flippers, as well as a tiny dorsal fin on the back. The main electric organ stretches across the dorsal portion of the body, mirrored by the Hunter’s organ at the bottom and the Sach’s organ towards the rear; all three contain electrocytes. An open circulatory system bathes the organs in hemacoel, and the body is dcontrolled by ganglia. Down the back are cartilage vertebrae. In the gut, was a primitive stomach with the ability to digest multicellular matter. It has a swim bladder connected to the gut. There are both male and female castes.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning.

@blackink - Points Stored = 0
Lampsichelus paladarus (NT) - Male
TROPICAL NORTHWEST UTEENESSA (Tropical Shallows)
Early Winter, Afternoon
Swimming around in hot water with plenty of light detected above, you search for a mate. The waters around here are quite subdued and it takes a while for you to find another of your kind. But you follow the smell of another Lampsichelus and approach it. However, for whatever reason, it is not currently looking to reproduce. It makes itself clear when you get to close and it scrapes you with its teeth, leaving a cut down one side of your face. You are forced to leave, now lost in the middle of open water, detecting nothing but that other Lampsichelus. To make this worse, you are now exhausted from your efforts, although you are able to use up your fat reserves to not go hungry. The light is decreasing. (2)
Status
Maturity: 100% (2/8 - Young Adult)
Current Size: 11.5cm
Health: Exhausted
Nutrition: 69.6/69.6 (100%)
Stamina: 10%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.5

Lampsichelus paladurus

Status: NT
Temporal Range: R.91 - Present (Cinisian - Novaglacian)
Habitat: Tropical Open Ocean, Tropical Deep Ocean, Temperate Shallows, Temperate Deep Ocean
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Niche: Carnivorous Filter-Feeder
Size: 11.5cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 60.5/10 x 11.5 = 69.6NP
Predecessor: Asteridermus mutatiogenus
Classification: Skelechelusidae (f), Brevicauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Can detect the presence of light above, can use electroreception up to ten metres away, can smell odours up to ten metres away.
Latest Mutations: Intestine = 1, Serrated Teeth = 2, Hanging Lure = 5, Oily Liver = 4
Info: In the darkness of the abyss, Lampsichelus is the most well-lit of all animals, able to put on quite a light show; as well as the numerous bioluminescent spots on its body that act as one, there is a bulb on the end of a barbel protruding from the jaw that also produces light - this is controlled independently of the others, and can be flicked up and down to be more enticing. However, rather than use it to catch prey, the lights for this species are more useful in terms of finding another individual for mating. This is because there is stiff competition for prey, such as Thanostoma altium, and so it is largely restricted to filtering flesh from marine snow. The most significant obstacle to being a little predator is that it has lost the teeth in the upper jaw, probably as a result of continual filter-feeding. (The species name means Gummy Joe.) Unlike its predecessors, it can control its own buoyancy now with an oil-filled liver, although it has a shrunken digestive system, making digestion less efficient.
Description: All over the black body tapering to a short, spiked tail are light blue bioluminescent spots, as well as a line of electroreceptors and three gills on each side. The two spikes are venomous. At the front, above the cartilage jawed mouth are olfactory receptors and facing forwards are a pair of cup eyes. The jaw contains very simple, shapeless teeth but only on the lower jaw. A cartilage barbel protrudes out and down from the lower jaw, and has a light blue bioluminescent bulb and a hinging muscle at its base. A pair of oval fins, supported by rays of cartilage are attached vertically just behind the gills and there is a fatty hump on the back. Inside, the organs oare bathed in hemacoel by an open circulatory system. All the muscles contin a vacuoles. It’s digestive system is proportionately very small and narrow, which consists of the stomach and gut. There is also a liver, which is filled with oils. The body has cartilage vertebrae running down the back and is controlled by two nerve cords and a rung of nerves. The tiny brain in the head controls this.

Previous Mutations

Extra-Efficient Muscles, Electroreceptors, Open Circulatory System, Tail, Three Gill Slits, Cartilage Vertebrae, Digestive Carnivorous Bacteria, Two Poisonous Spikes on Tail, Dentine Teeth, Cup Eyes, Jaw, Fins (two vertical near head), Hump, Bioluminescent Lights, Olfaction, Temperate and Tropical Tolerance, Bioluminescence Control, Genders, Oily Liver

2 Likes
1025

R.124 - P.2

@Biologicah - Points Stored = 1
Xirnikrozz kixarjiuryziyak (CR)
SOUTHWEST TARTARUS SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Early Summer, Afternoon
You seem to have gotten over the worst of your injuries. There is plenty of light in the warm, fairly murky sea. Tilting so you can look upwards, you see shapes of potential prey above. You swim back upwards, and use your fins to cruise along the current. You catch up with one of the shapes, a Pensaspidus hatchling, just underneath. When you go in for the bite, you therefore bite the soft underside, injecting venom into your victim’s bloodstream. The bite is not instantly fatal, and the Pensaspidus swims away at a faster speed than you are capable of. But you follow its electrical signal, and catch up with it as the venom takes over. Twitching, the dying Pensapsidus sinks to the rocky seabed and you eat your fill on the carcass. You grow into a juvenile. The seabed is mainly inhabited by Ostracoderma and a few sponges. Above you, plankton continues to flow past. The light is starting to decrease. (5)
Status
Maturity: 55% (Juvenile)
Current Size: 17cm
Health: Numerous healed cuts
Nutrition: 136/136 (100%) (+50% left over for growth)
Stamina: 60%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.25

Xirnikrozz kixarjiuryziyak

Status: CR
Temporal Range: R.122 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Temperate Open Ocean
Distribution: Southern Uteenessa
Niche: Apex Predator
Size: 31cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 80/10 x 31 = 248NP
Predecessor: Xirnikrozz yaisyarkrnk
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, can see well in low light, can use electroreception up to ten metres away, can hear noises up to ten metres away
Latest Mutations: Connect Olfactory Receptors = 4, Connect Hearing Receptors = 4, Spines = 1
Info: This species is a fairly uncommon apex predator in the temperate seas of the Southern Hemisphere. It is one of the few animals to be able to hear noises, which gives it a little bit of an edge but its main competitor is still overall superior. It also has the ability to smell, although not as well as Xirnikrozz crusherei. The fatal flaw of this species is that it has very weak skin that is easily torn; a terrible handicap for a predator hunting herbivores with dangerous spines.
Anatomy: This species has a long, blue body that tapers into a whip-like tail, armed with two toxic spikes. It has weak skin. It’s jaw is made of cartilage and it has serrated teeth here. On each side of the head is a pinhole eye, that is able to swivel slightly. Behind the retina is a layer of cells containing reflective crystals called a choroidal tapetum cellulosum. It has olfactory and hearing receptors on the face. Along the side of the body, are three gill slits near the front, and line of electroreceptors. There are four paddle-like limbs of flesh, cartilage and muscle. Inside, they have a gut with a stomach containing carnivorous digestive enzymes, and connected to the gut is a swim bladder. It’s brain is not quite as small as most other contemporary species. The muscles are strong. Finally, supporting the entire body is a spine of cartilage vertebrae.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning. Other than its standard survival responses, Xirnikrozz always try to be vigilant of their surrounding, they avoid eating their own kind and they also remain close to their eggs until hatching.

@jellyfishmon - Points Stored = 1
Pensaspidus jellyfishmonii (VU)
SOUTHWEST TARTARUS SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Early Summer, Afternoon
In the warm, fairly murkier water, with plenty of sunshine, you feel yourself being carried along by a current. You see an animal swim up from the floor [Biologicah] and attack one of your siblings, and the two disappear into the gloom. The attack scares other nearby animals and a hatchling Lepirhamphos, desperately trying to escape, runs right into you. You attack with your mandibles, grabbing it’s head and eventually piercing into it, killing it. You then eat much of your kill. You grow into a juvenile and the current no longer carries you along. The seabed is mainly inhabited by Ostracoderma and a few sponges. Around you, plankton continues to flow past. The light is decreasing. (5)
Status
Maturity: 5% (Hatchling)
Current Size: 0.4cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 2.2/2.4 (90%)
Stamina: 100%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.25

Pensaspidus jellyfishmonii

Status: VU
Temporal Range: R.106 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Polar Shallows, Temperate Open Ocean, Polar Open Ocean
Distribution: Southern Hemisphere
Niche: Predator
Size: 7.5cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 59.5/10 x 7.5 = 44.6
Predecessor: Arthroskulus pelagus
Classification: Roharasrinae (sf), Codowecoiidae (f), Probocephala (o), Cylindrea ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, blurry front vision with depth perception.
Latest Mutations: Mandibles = 4, Legs = 3, True Muscles = 4
Info: Swapping a razor-sharp beak for a pair of chitinous mandibles, these species can eat more efficiently than its ancestors as the mandibles allow them to grip prey and also bite in comparison with the inefficient stabbing motion of its forefathers. The mandibles are not particularly sharp or cutting, but it does not need to be for their soft-skinned prey. One advantage that the beaked species have is the actual method of killing, which is generally much easier than the grip and cut method that this species must employ. In a case of unexpected convergent evolution, the circular, hydrostatic muscles that made the lineage so worm-like have developed into traditionally, both in structure and in placement. When their body moves, it goes from side to side, like other animals with similar muscles, although internally they have fundamental differences. It lives alongside Arthroskulus, and both compete for the same food.
Description: The top of the blue, cylindrical body is protected by a tough exoskeleton made out of chitin, which has extended to form a pair of mandibles around the mouth at the end of a proboscis. Some of the armour has also formed a fan-shaped tail protruding from the rear, which can be moved up and down by muscle and a muscular siphon at the rear propels out water. The armour behind the head contains a spiracle on each side, allowing oxygen through it. There are four pinhole eyes below the armour, but none of them look up; two are at the front, and two are on the sides. Inside their body, they have a simple gut leading to an anus, a stomach containing digestive carnivorous bacteria, a nerve network and small bunch of ganglia, and an open circulatory system filled with blue-green hemacoel. There is also a swim bladder, unconnected to the gut. Anti-freeze proteins flow through the hemacoel. The body is adapted to only low to quite high salinities.
Discoverer: Jellyfishmon

@PositiveTower - Points Stored = 1
Ostracoderma kinifolis (LC) - Male
SOUTHWEST TARTARUS SHELF (Temperate Shallows)
Early Summer, Afternoon
Hiding between some rocks in warm, fairly murky water, you put out tentacles and capture a lot of the marine snow passing in the current. You are now a subadult. You can sense a lot of Ostracoderma nearby on the rocky seabed, and can see plankton flowing past in the current above. The light is decreasing slightly. (4 + 1 = Ding, ding, ding! Congrats, you have won a bonus point!)
Status
Maturity: 95% (Subadult)
Current Size: 4.8cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 24.2/24.2 (100%) (+60% left over for growth)
Stamina: 80%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: Metabolism x 1.25

"Ostracoderma kinifolis

Status: LC
Temporal Range: R.113 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Tropical Deep Ocean (below thermocline, above lysocline) , Temperate Deep Ocean (above lysocline) , Polar Deep Ocean (above lysocline)
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Niche: Benthic Filter-Feeder
Size: 5cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 50.5/10 x 3 = 15.2NP
Predecessor: Ostracoderma densissima
Classification: Ostracoderminae (sf), Almoskulusidae (f), Tunicaphora (o), Cylindrea ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Decent vision with no depth perception either side, can sense chemicals up to ten metres away with accuracy.
Latest Mutations: Egg Fusing Behaviour = 6, Improve Shell = 4, Longer Tentacles = 5, Eggs Able To Fuse To Tentacles = 4
Info: This benthic filter-feeder spends most of its time on the seabed, except for its planktonic stage, and it’s body protected by its shell but for the eyestalks protruding through two small holes and the relatively long tentacles sticking out from underneath the shell and helping it to filter food. When it needs to move, it’s hidden fins drag it along the seabed. The tentacles also serve another purpose, as during reproduction the female gathers up the eggs and they become embedded in pits that develop on the tentacles. The female then tucks the tentacles under her body keeping the eggs safe, whilst carrying feeding, although somewhat hampered. She is then able to divert much of her own nutrients into her young so that they grow bigger and quicker. But this also means a female cannot reproduce again whilst she waits for the eggs to hatch. Therefore, Ostracoderma kinifolis is more successful at raising young, although densissima can potentially produce more. The tentacles also have chemoreceptors along them, making them useful for accurately locating the source of the chemicals.
Anatomy: The tubular, red body is covered in an elongated calcium carbonate shell over the entire body, except for the tentacles that often stick out and the two eyestalks on either side of the head protruding through two small holes in the shell. The shell is thick and heavy. The relatively long tentacles - about the length of the rest of the body - grow from around the circular mouth with small teeth, which is surrounded by chemoreceptors. There are three gill slits by the throat. A pair of sturdy fins supported by cartilage rungs curve underneath the body. In the head, ganglion lead to their single nerve cord that runs down the body meeting a web of nerves, alongside the cartilage notochord. The gut leads straight from the mouth to the anus. Blood is pumped around the body by the vessels of an open circulatory system to organs such as the muscles. Anti-freeze proteins are present in the blood.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli, however, it’s response is often delayed. It also has basic reasoning. Other than its standard survival responses, the female responds to the stimuli of producing eggs by embedding them in her tentacles and tucking the tentacles under her body.

@Spring_blooms - Points Stored = 0
Hemithateus springbloomi (NT)
A NORTHWEST OLYMPIAN SHELF SEA (Temperate Shallows)
Early Winter, Afternoon
The predator is almost upon you when a nearby, comparatively giant Hemithateus novaglacianus adult whips it’s tail towards the incoming predator and deals it a nasty injury, causing it to swerve off the attack. This gives you the chance to hide from the predators and you head into the seaweed. You are able to eat here, but cannot avoid the tide as it continues to pull you towards shore. You manage to stay hidden as this happens. But you grow into a juvenile, large enough to no longer be affected by the tide. Around you, other animals hide, such as a Sanelectrophorus hatchling [Soundwave]. The light is decreasing slightly. (4 + 1 + 1)
Status
Maturity: 35% (Juvenile)
Current Size: 6.7cm
Health: Healthy
Nutrition: 51.3/51.3 (100%) (+30% left over for growth)
Stamina: 70%
Hydration: 100%
Effects: None

Hemithateus springbloomi

Status: NT
Temporal Range: R.123 - Present (Novaglacian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows
Distribution: Northern Hemisphere
Niche: Herbivore
Size: 19cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: 76.5/10 x 19 = 145.4NP
Predecessor: Hemithateus spicati
Classification: Thanostominae (sf), Thanostomidae (f), Flagracauda (so), Caudomorphii ©, Bilateria §
Perception: Blurry vision with no depth perception on either side, can use electroreception up to ten metres away.
Latest Mutations: Increased Size = 3, Better Digestive System = 4, Better Immune System = 5
Info: Hemithateus springbloomi faces more predation than its cousin Hemithateus novaglacianus due to its smaller size, yet it remains almost as numerous because it has a more efficient digestive system and has evolved blood clotting that lets it survive more injuries.
Anatomy: The long, blue, tapering body is supported by a vertebrae of bone, although the whip-tail at the end is composed of flexible cartilage. Along the body are three gill slits and a line of electroreceptors. There are no limbs. The head has a cartilage jaw, with a pair of venomous canines surrounded by square shaped teeth. On each side of the head is a pinhole eye, with the ability to swivel around. At the end of the tail, six venomous spikes stick out. A gut leads to a stomach containing digestive herbivorous bacteria. The muscles contain special vacuoles for storing extra energy, and are bathed in hemacoel by the open circulatory system, which has platelets in it.
Behaviour: This species is capable of processing information gathered from sense receptors and using that to form a picture of its surroundings. It can then respond to stimuli. It also has basic reasoning.

2 Likes
1026

Action: Search for the hatchling Hemithateus springbloomi and eat it (Sorry I need food and desperately)

Ty for the round

1027

Action: Have a go at eating those Ostracodermas.

1028

Actiom:eat the plankton flowing past

1029

Action: Go to a nearby crevice and rest there with my head looking outward, I will leave my hanging lure on the outside so another lampsichelus can find me

1030

Action: Lash out with my tail at the Sanelectrophorus (Soundwave), me being larger, and defend myself.

Thanks for the round!