Thrive Rules of Nature Competition

I can only @ 10 users per post. Hopefully everyone reads this…

Round 3 - 30 Million Years
Even with the emergence of a predator in the seas, the ongoing prosperity of herbivores has forced an adaptation among marine producers.

Species
doomlightning - Fulgurmortis coronafera - NT

  • Tiny Detrivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: Silicone Scales (+1 Strength), Water Vascular System

Building on the epidermis that proved to be its lifeline against predation, Fulgurmortis has developed a coat of silicate scale armor. This coat is as abrasive as sharkskin and just as flexible.

On the inside, Fulgurmortis has developed a fluid medium that chiefly surrounds its thoracic and abdominal cavities. This medium is supplied with seawater via the pharyngeal slits, giving Fulgurmortis an internal resemblance to a starfish or sea cucumber. With the new layer of scales precluding passive respiration, this medium is responsible for maintaining the vital organs’ oxygen supply, in addition to nutrient transfer. Its flow is maintained by continuous muscular contractions.

While its sandpaper-like scales are a match for Minacia’s paralyzing sting, the predator still holds the initiative in encounters. Fulgurmortis remains in a precarious position.

Stats:

  • 1*3 = 3 Stealth

  • 1 Speed

  • 2 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: Minacia chirodropoides

Mutation History
  • Rotifer-like Corona

  • Epidermis

  • Pharyngeal Slits

  • Cephalization

  • Silicone Scales (+1 Strength)

  • Water Vascular System

fralegend015 - Legendicus vigorosus - LC

  • Tiny Herbivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: Tail Muscles (+1 Speed), Circulatory System

Legendicus has complemented its new fins with enhanced tail muscles. Rather than sway its entire body side to side as it once did, this swift swimmer beats its tail against the water. This has provided Legendicus with a more stable movement pattern. Its innards are also adorned with a system of vascular tubes, which work with its gills to sustain this creature’s ever-unmatched mobility.

Stats:

  • 1*3 = 3 Stealth

  • 5 Speed

  • 1 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: N/A

Mutation History
  • Lateral Muscles (+2 Speed due to gills)

  • Grinding Teeth

  • 8 Fins (+1 Speed)

  • Gills

  • Tail Muscles (+1 Speed)

  • Circulatory System

aah31415 - Sequentioscriptus vasculus - LC

  • Tiny Herbivore

  • Habitat: Rivers

Mutations: Six Fins (+2 Speed due to gills), Freshwater Adaptation

Formerly threatened by overhunting, Sequentioscriptus is alive and well in the winding rivers of the supercontinent. Having developed a tolerance to low salinity levels, Sequentioscriptus now swims through freshwater currents with the aid of three fins on each side of its body. It enjoys a monopoly on the Chlorogyra variety found on riverbeds and on the surfaces of fluvial lakes.

Stats:

  • 1*3 = 3 Stealth

  • 3 Speed

  • 1 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: N/A

Mutation History
  • Grinding Teeth

  • Bloodstream

  • Chemoreception

  • Gills

  • Six Fins (+2 Speed due to gills)

  • Freshwater Adaptations

Nonametoseehere - Aclaronomenus ascendilus - LC

  • Tiny Mixotrophic Herbivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: Adhesive Tongue, Algae Habitation

Aclaronomenus’s mouth now sports a long, sticky tongue, which it sweeps around while grazing. Once food is attached to the tongue, it remains there until the Aclaronomenus sees fit to eat it. Uniquely, the tongue possesses cells that probe live Chlorogyra that are stuck to it. These siphon sugars that the algae produce, extending the nutritive benefit that Aclaronomenus receives from consuming them. While hosting live Chlorogyra, the tongue is left sticking out to maximize the symbionts’ exposure to sunlight. Aclaronomenus now shares a lifestyle of photosynthesizing in open waters with its relative Salixelysia, minimizing its need to descend to the seafloor.

Stats:

  • 2*3 = 6 Stealth

  • 2 Speed

  • 1 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: N/A

Mutation History
  • Swim Bladder

  • Tail (+1 Speed)

  • Enhanced Eyespots (+1 Stealth)

  • Grinding Teeth

  • Adhesive Tongue

  • Algae Habitation

TeaKing - Evolumia analysia - LC

  • Tiny Herbivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: Simple Brain, Enhanced Eyespots (+1 Stealth)

Chemorecepta’s successor Evolumia is the first animal on the planet to develop a centralized nervous system. This gives it much more versatility in interpreting and responding to stimuli. Evolumia also sports a pair of pinhole eyes, allowing it to recognize the shapes of threats and kin with the power of its new brain.

By some definitions, this creature might even be considered sentient. On the downside, this calorie-intensive brain can only process information as fast as it is supplied with oxygen - which, in Evolumia’s case, is quite slow.

Stats:

  • 2*3 = 6 Stealth

  • 3 Speed

  • 1 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: N/A

Mutation History
  • Elongation (+1 Speed)

  • Chemoreception

  • Grinding Teeth

  • Tail (+1 Speed)

  • Simple Brain

  • Enhanced Eyespots (+1 Stealth)

UndyingHazard - Minacia chirodropoides - LC

  • Tiny Carnivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: Paired Single-Chambered Hearts, Gills

Minacia’s digestive tract is now accompanied by simple cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Along the flanks of its front may be observed rows of gill filaments. These oxygenate the creature’s new internal fluid medium surrounding its body cavity. Internal flow is maintained by a pair of single-chambered hearts than simply drive water through them. Now able to sustain a faster metabolism, Minacia has become much more mobile.

Stats:

  • 1*3 = 3 Stealth

  • 3 Speed

  • 2 Strength

Preys On: Fulgurmortis coronafera, Iocusis myriadus

Predated By: N/A

Mutation History
  • Elongation (+2 Speed due to gills)

  • Chemoreception

  • Nematocysts (+1 Strength)

  • Sharp Teeth

  • Paired Single-Chambered Hearts

  • Gills

Chiori - Nomenchiori echinoides - LC

  • Tiny Herbivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: Digestive System, Bloodstream

Nomenchiori’s new digestive tract is a marked improvement on the one that won Thrivittifera its success. Its stomach and intestine are compartmentalized from one another, maximizing nutrient absorption while inhibiting the absorptions of toxins and pathogens. The new intestine releases nutrients into a newly devised set of vascular tubes.

In other news, Minacia’s newfound vigor makes its stings and dexterity a match for Nomenchiori’s fins and spines. Still, whenever the latter herbivore is unable to escape, it still drives off its foe half the time.

Stats:

  • 1*3 = 3 Stealth

  • 3 Speed

  • 2 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: N/A

Mutation History
  • Lateral Muscles (+1 Speed)

  • Grinding Teeth

  • Fins (+1 Speed)

  • Spines (+1 Strength)

  • Digestive System

  • Bloodstream

willow - Salixelysia aurata - LC

  • Tiny Mixotrophic Herbivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: One-Way Heart, 10 Fins (+2 Speed due to Algae Assimilation)

Salixelysia now boasts two pairs of five fins along its sides. Their synchronized waving motion owes its swiftness to this planimal’s rudimentary heart. This heart expands and contracts, driving coelomic fluid through one-way valves. Body cells exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen, and assimilated Chlorogyra are all too happy to do the opposite.

In this unorthodox way, Salixelysia has combined oxygen absorption and circulation. Because of this, it is finally able to thwart Minacia’s predation attempts with its speed, and is no longer a usual prey item.

Stats:

  • 1*3 = 3 Stealth

  • 4 Speed

  • 1 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: N/A

Mutation History
  • Swim Bladder

  • Tail (+1 Speed)

  • Algae Assimilation

  • Metallic Teeth

  • One-Way Heart

  • 10 Fins (+2 Speed due to Algae Assimilation)

zenzonegaming - Iocusis myriadus - NT

  • Tiny Herbivore

  • Habitat: Rivers

Mutations: Fecundity, Movement Tentacles (+2 Speed due to gills)

Not all Sequentioscriptus who remained in the ocean died out. Some answered predation by laying smaller, more numerous eggs that hatched at an earlier stage of development. They also modified their chemoreceptive bundles into tentacles concentrated at the front. This new genus, Iocusis, is able to pull itself forward on these limbs.

Still, Minacia has become significantly faster itself in recent years, and the average Iocusis larva’s inability to survive to adulthood and reproduce is beginning to take its toll.

Stats:

  • 1*3 = 3 Stealth

  • 3 Speed

  • 1 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: Minacia chirodropoides

Mutation History
  • Grinding Teeth

  • Bloodstream

  • Chemoreception

  • Gills

  • Fecundity

  • Movement Tentacles (+2 Speed due to gills)

Cha - Testificatus relictus - LC

  • Tiny Detrivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: Symbiotic Camouflage (+1 Stealth), Elongated Mouth

For millions of years, a relict population of Thrivittifera clung to life. It evaded predation by staying as unnoticeable as it could among clumps of Chlorogyra. When herbivores arrived to graze these patches bare, these survivors evolved to allow it to grow on their backs in safety. This new species, Testificatus, shares the visual, tactile, and olfactory signature of the Chlorogyra growing on it, leaving it of minimal interest to predators. Furthermore, Testificatus’s mouth has become as long as the rest of its body, allowing it to sweep across sand and between rock for food while staying in place.
Despite its simplistic body structure, Testificatus’s inconbelgiumuousness bids it a stable place in the ecosystem.

Stats:

  • 2*3 = 6 Stealth

  • 1 Speed

  • 1 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: N/A

Mutation History
  • Symbiotic Camouflage

  • Elongated Mouth

sci0927 - Signumeris rugosus - LC

  • Tiny Herbivore

  • Habitat: Coasts

Mutations: Four Fins (+2 Speed due to gills), Rough Skin (+1 Strength)

Another Sequentioscriptus offshoot that emerged due to adaptive radiation, Signumeris flits through the currents on its four fins. However, its most distinctive trait is its layer of minute scales analogous to those of Fulgurmortis. However, the scales of this free swimmer are even closer to shark denticles in makeup. They serve as a vital deterrent to Minacia - and, much like Nomenchiori, give it a final resort whenever the carnivore can catch up to it.

Stats:

  • 1*3 = 3 Stealth

  • 3 Speed

  • 2 Strength

Preys On: Chlorogyra filamentosa

Predated By: Minacia chirodropoides

Mutation History
  • Grinding Teeth

  • Bloodstream

  • Chemoreception

  • Gills

  • Four Fins (+2 Speed due to gills)

  • Rough Skin (+1 Strength)

NPC - Chlorogyra filamentosa - LC

  • Tiny Producer

  • Habitat: Coasts, Rivers

Chlorogyra grows in fresh and salt water with plenty of sunlight. Its box-shaped cells line up in long filaments, their chloroplasts forming distinctive spirals. While colonies can survive anywhere in the water column, they form clusters at the surface and floor when undisturbed. In still waters, Chlorogyra can form a green carpet over rock and silt alike.

NPC - Ulvopsis digitata - LC

  • Small Producer

  • Habitat: Coasts

The appearance of toothed herbivores has pressured marine Chlorogyra colonies into finding a way to entrench themselves in sun-rich spots. The result is Ulvopsis, a sbelgiumier alga that forms a thin, vertical sheet. It sprouts from well-lit sands swept by gentle currents, where entire fields of it sway. These tough, slippery growths are difficult to break with teeth alone.

(Jaws require a central nervous system to provide fine motor control. In order to support one, you’ll need some way to draw in or circulate oxygen, if you don’t have one already.)

Habitats

Coasts: Warm, saline waters surrounding the supercontinent. The floor lies as deep as 150 meters beneath the surface.

  • Flora: Chlorogyra, Ulvopsis

  • Fauna: Fulgurmortis, Legendicus, Aclaronomenus, Chemorecepta, Minacia, Nomenchiori, Salixelysa, Iocusis, Testificatus, Signumeris

Rivers: A network of waterways found all over the supercontinent, but especially the West and South.

  • Flora: Chlorogyra

  • Fauna: Sequentioscriptus

Badlands: A muddy, rainswept land spanning much of the supercontinent.

Great Mountains: A jagged wall of mountains at the heart of the supercontinent.

Eastern Desert: A vast rain shadow desert on the eastern half of the supercontinent.

In addition to all that, here’s a simple chart of the prey-predator dynamics in the Coasts. Stats putting you at an advantage are in green, stats putting you at a disadvantage are in red, and stats keeping you in a stalemate are in an olive yellow. The red lines represent relationships that are so favorable to the predator (only advantages or stalemates) that the prey species risk dwindling in number.


(Yes, that is the background from the old Thrive prototypes.)

2 Likes

Mutations:

Incorporation of the algae into my genes, making them branch off of the tongue in leaflike pattens.

Simple brain

Mutation 1: necessary enzymes for omnivory

Mutation 2: an uncentralized brain that spread along the body, allowing for better coordination of movements and faster reflexes than species with a centralized brain, making it faster.

There is a requirem for speed.

Mutation uno: adaption to Freshwater

Mutatoin dos: Cephalization

Gotta eat all the dead debris before compeition appears there.

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Mutation 1: Gills that provide the Lateral muscels and the bloodstream with more oxygen , making them more effective.

Mutation 2 : thicker skin making it harder for Predetors to bite into it (enhancing its toughness and strenght

mutation 1: notochord
mutation 2: cephalization

gonna make a fish-like creature

mutation 1: cells in the vascular system that ingest and pop open any excess chlorogyra to take their nutrients, chloroplasts, and sugar and are primarily located in the skin

mutation 2: eyespots

Mutant 1: Basic Nervous System, formed from multiple “mini-brains” in the body
Mutant 2: Basic Heart
@Cha welcome to the river biome

Mutation 1: poisonous flesh
Mutation 2: improved digestive tract.

Thank you fellow creature.

  1. Close Water Vascular System (similar to sea cucumbers), which functions similarly to Closed circulatory system
  2. branchiostegal gills in the transition between the Pharyngeal Slits and the Water Vascular System, will allow me to adapt to life on land (as a way to escape from predators And to compensate for the closed system)

This is probably my only way to escape - to dry land.

My trap card shall activate…

M1: Evolumia develops gills, to allow for better oxygen absorption
M2: Evolumia also develops more efficient muscles that would consume less oxygen than before

I’m unsure if any plants exist on dry land yet… Currently, the game is taking place in the equivelant of cambrian period, when no complex surface flora existed yet…

You will be surprised to learn that already in this period, they found evidence of life on dry land.
The main reason for this phenomenon is not food, which could not move so far from the sea, but escape from predation. Something that still exists today:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gto.12379


It’s never full, enough to escape to an area where there are tides that I can survive on dry land. That’s all I need. It is not a full ascent to land.

there are definitely an analogue of cyanobacteria there since we use aerobic respiration and there is a solvent cycle and that’s just the most well known example

A what?

This censor plugin be acting up.

Mutation 1: A row of muscular fin-like flaps along the body for greater speed.

Mutation 2: Prehensile tentacles around the mouth to grapple onto prey and make delivering a paralyzing sting easier.

Since most players are likely going for land in future, I wonder if water “animal” NPCs will appear in the future.

Maybe currently my creature is one of the things keeping the dead matter from disappearing from the cycle and is the second creature to live in fresh water alongside yours

probably but i’m going for all terrain with my 10 fins and possibly another set of limbs i have not yet evolved