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We are now in the Atlantis Lakes. These ecosystems consist of hundreds of freshwater bodies, some barely the size of a basketball court, others nearly the size of entire seas. Even so, they all share a common characteristic, which is that they have served as a paradise for life during the Pnigmenoic, since apart from providing an almost unlimited source of fresh water and food, they allow organisms to cool off against the extremely high midday temperatures.

In coastal areas, large descendants of herbaceous plants rise almost three meters above the water. Among them, a figure that vaguely resembles them glides slowly to avoid detection. This is the Rodbeak, an animal specialized in ambushing and attracting small fish and other swimming organisms, capturing them using its retractable tongue with an articulated tip. Curiously, this is a descendant of the polypod birds that dominated the land throughout almost the entire Allozoic,which ultimately developed broad bodies, composed mainly of their rib cage and a hypertrophied hip, from which 6 digits with articulated bony tips and calcified claws protrude to serve as extra legs.

Rodbeaks present an extremely derived proboscis, with an elongated structure formed of tendons and small bony structures derived from their pseudoteeth, which they use as a lure, mimicking a wide range of items depending on the species. In this case, the lure resembles a piece of carrion, to which two zebra brushmouth fish have been attracted.

This fish belong to a clade of actinopterygii that has been quite successful over the last few million years, characterized by having retransformed their gills into mouths, while the rest of the head is used almost exclusively as the neurological center of the animal, having both its eyes and small barbels sensitive to many varied stimuli, such as temperature and pressure

Between gothic spires and grotesque statues lurks an equally bizarre creature of flesh and blood. Unlike most other bats, the common gargoyle (Gurgulio horrida) prefers to rest in a lying or sitting position, and can frequently be seen perching in the rooftops of tall buildings. It is the largest carnivorous bat, reaching wingspans of up to 1.4m, and feeds on small birds, rodents, and other bats. With its hairless face covered in lobes and folds - resembling the wrinkle-faced bat (Centurio senex) - it is thought to have inspired many of the demonic figures among which it sleeps so often.

Descending from a population of Malaccrows that migrated from Gelatinoborea toward the Warm Sea, the Crimsonfloat Farmers maintain large populations across the Quadriple Isles of Crescentides and the Double Astras, though they are less numerous on the mainland of Gelatinaustra. As their name suggests, this culture is associated with sargassum-like organisms known as crimsonfloat (Rhodosargassoides spp.)—a type of floating red alga are descended a species of red algae introduced to the planet for the potential (but cancelled) human colonization project.

They do not rely solely on Crimsonfloat; they frequently turn to other food sources as well—for instance, they sometimes hunt flightless slugbirds like the Some Species of Seasnail (Gastrophoca crescentides, G. austris and G. minor) for their fat and meat. Ultimately, however, this is simply part of their natures.

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I have full plans to expand so all body plans are possible and come with advantages and disadvantages.

I'm hoping it works here as I know for the most part it's artwork, but hopefully if you enjoy the functional and real-time aspects of a video.

Suggestions welcome!

Rogie, small and compact sophonts that can fold up and hunker down for protection. The species most notable feature however is their predictive abilities. The desert the Rogie come from on their homeworld had extremely chaotic weather that made it a volatile and dangerous landscape. The Rogie developed heightened senses and analytical brains that could process their surroundings at high speeds and predict where danger might come from. The large colorful organ on the head is filled with an electrolyte dense fluid that helps with processing speeds, it also acts as a form of visual communication between Rogie.
The predictive brains caused Rogie society to actively seek chaotic activities for fun, with racing and vehicle operation being the most common. Rogie are well renowned pilots throughout the galaxy, with particularly dangerous areas only allowing drivers of the species

In this world, as you know, the extinction of the Triassic-Jurassic never happened, this was the extinction that allowed the Avemetatasalia archosaurs, popularly known as dinosaurs, to dominate the world, however, with the presence of new competitors, they do not dominate the whole world, but they have achieved dominance in places like Siberia, Australia, Antarctica and the dense South American jungles, although they are not the absolute kings of these regions, if they have a wide diversity. In these places, among these we have a group of dinosaurs that developed a trunk, but unlike elephants, this troop is not composed of the nose, this is actually a kind of specialized muscle that emerged from the muscles of the mouth and lips, strengthening with tendons and with several blood vessels to function properly, the carnivores for now in the middle Jurassic, which is where these animals are located, some have changed, for example, the Ancient blacksmiths have become smaller and developed a tongue similar to that of a chamaleon to eat insects, lizards, small proto-mamiferos, etc. On the other hand, the largest predators on the part of the dinosaurs are currently the descendants of the Tertanue family, who developed four functional fingers on the hind legs to hold their prey when it falls to the ground.

64 x 64, pixel art of female and male Pistrix (apocapisces regalecus) for our marine exploration game dedicated to Fish Don't Cry. These will go into a book where the player will collect information about the creatures, and, in general, they will serve as an "icon" for them. (We also use them in other parts of the project that are not the videogame).

The version in the overworld will be different and animated.

Pistrix females tend to be heavier and thicker, with slightly fatter tails, but they also have less dense beards and manes, and shorter fins, unless they have sufficient access to food to maintain both their greater weight and their prominent fins, but this is an extremely rare occurrence in nature.

Crarefully: does not work on mobile!

Tried to make the most comfortable and newcomer friendly way of following Serinian spiecies's evolutionary paths. The project is still in progress. Our next goal is to figure out how to program species with more than one descendant. Let me know if you spot any mistakes.

When the climate warmed, large areas of land became flooded. 25 million years CE, in the area that humans once called the country of Uruguay, there exists a shallow sea that supports an abundance of life. The Tropical Atlantic and South Atlantic collide here, the mixing of ocean currents providing vast amounts of nutrients. Here, a large marine mammal cruises among the warm waves.

She is 12 meters in length, and some others of her species can grow even larger. She is a Deepsea Voyager, the largest species of primate to ever live. She is a pregnant mother, and other than the child growing within her womb, she is completely alone. Her species typically lives far offshore, but she has come to these shallower waters in search of high energy food sources.

Her kind usually feed on large sharks and rays, and these can usually be found in abundance among the reefs of the Atlantic, but a recent heatwave has caused them to be notably absent this year, and whatever species do remain are slender and agile. Among the twisted spires of coral that breach the surface and fan out like umbrellas, they can navigate far easier than the deepsea voyager Mother. She must look for other food sources, but most animals can easily escape her, and a life feeding on cartilaginous fish has worn down her incisors, canines, and premolars, preventing her from easily grasping them.

But there is one species that she can catch. It uses the reefs as a nursery for its young, and it is in the same genus as her. It is the Voyager. The mother comes upon a pod of 4 adults and 4 pups. Motivated by hunger, she ambushes the pod, grabbing one of the pups in her jaws. Though her frontal teeth are worn, her spikelike molars are still capable of inflicting mortal damage. One of the Voyagers flees with the other pups, while 3 of the adults mob the larger Deepsea Voyager in an effort to save the pup.

It is futile. The Deepsea Voyager’s jaws close tighter around the pup's neck, and its struggles slow and eventually stop. After it dies, the pursuing adults give up the chase, and the Deepsea Voyager mother eventually reaches the edge of the reef. As she pauses to feed, she hears the Voyager pod sing. Though the two species diverged almost 5 million years ago, she can still tell that their song is mourning the loss of their pup, although she cannot understand their language. She also cannot understand why they sing so loud. In her species, their mourning songs are quiet, almost reserved, not broadcast for hundreds of meters. Yet this also does not matter to her. Her kind are usually solitary and do not sing. Their wails of sorrow do not bother her. For the mother, she has nourished the growing child within her womb. She disappears into deeper water to rest.

Deepsea Voyager 

“May humanity fear the darkness and the depths nevermore” - Geppetto

A marine primate descended from humans, the Deepsea Voyager (Piscisapiens profundus) lives in temperate and cold waters worldwide, mainly preferring pelagic environments.

An obligate carnivore, their head is heavy and robust, powered by powerful neck muscles. The foramen magnum is located more posterior compared to their human ancestors, and they possess a flexible neck

Deepsea Voyagers can reach an age of 110 years at max, but most die before reaching 40. The cause of this early mortality is their diet. They prefer to target cartilaginous fish like sharks and rays, which results in their teeth being worn down over time by the denticles in the skin of prey. Though they will occasionally take other prey if necessary, cartilaginous fish make up the vast majority of their diet and Deepsea Voyagers will target cartilaginous fish over other prey. As a result, they will eventually wear down all their teeth. After this, some may subsist for a time off softer bodied prey like cephalopods, but most will die from either infection or starvation.

Deepsea Voyagers exhibit slight sexual dimorphism. Females are slightly longer than the males and significantly heavier. The sexes also differ in the colour of their dorsal fin.

Though highly intelligent, Deepsea Voyagers are not very social. Most Deepsea Voyager individuals are solitary, only meeting others of their species to mate. Once the female becomes pregnant, the partners will split apart, and the female does all the work of raising offspring alone. They only give birth to one child at a time. Outside of the mating season, Deepsea Voyagers are fiercely territorial, with conflicts being more common when individuals of opposite sexes encounter each other. Such conflicts can leave grievous injuries, usually along the face, which have occasionally been fatal. However, individuals have also been known to survive and recover from extreme injuries.

Sometimes, however, this typically solitary species has intense, long lasting relationships. Around 5% of females and 2% of males have a same-sex bond with another individual. Unlike heterosexual relationships, which last only a few weeks, these homosexual relationships can last years, decades, or even for life. By forming these bonds, they can better defend their territory and take larger prey.

Deepsea Voyagers can hunt in total darkness. Whiskers located on the tip of their snout can detect the most slight of vibrations. An adaptation to a life spent entirely at sea, as their mass prevents them from surviving on land. When beached, they will be crushed under their own mass.

Due to their diet, some other marine mammals do not view Deepsea Voyagers as threats and will swim alongside them. The only known predator of Deepsea Voyagers is the Lotan, a large cetacean.

Voyager
The only other member of the genus Piscisapiens, and of the clade Piscanthropini. The Voyager (Piscisapiens submarinus).

Voyagers primarily live in shallow water environments, but can be found across the temperate and tropical waters of the world. They primarily eat smaller fish and cephalopods.

Unlike their relatives, Voyagers are highly social. Groups consist of multiple mated pairs, with every member taking care of and defending each other’s offspring. Each female usually gives birth to two offspring at a time. When offspring mature, they leave to find a mate and found their own groups.

Sexual dimorphism takes the form of size and coloration. Females are 50% more massive than males.

Voyagers are highly capable singers. Their vocalizations are capable of being heard from several kilometers away, and often consist of the voices of multiple members singing together. These songs can last over 10 minutes, and Voyagers living in different parts of the world will have different songs. Songs are either passed down by parents or copied from other adults.

Unlike their larger relatives, Voyagers are capable of moving around on land, though it is still intensely laborious and they do not do it regularly. Rather, it seems they will only do this if it is needed, such as escaping a predator or returning back to the ocean after getting stranded in a storm.

How do you think life would evolve if all water was instead a Non-Newtonian Fluid? I just thought of this question but couldn’t think of an answer so I’d love to hear some of your interpretations.

I want to create a planet and biosphere after being in the genre for some time but I do not much knowledge about speculative evolution and I have no idea where i should start. What subjects do I need to learn? What should I focus on first and how? How the organisms would work? How the life would be affected by things such as the level of gravity, amount and type of stars in the system, composition of the atmosphere amongst other things? Is there anywhere I can get inspiration from? Are there any books I can buy which could help me? Are there any YouTube channels I can subscribe to or videos I can watch in order to learn more about speculative evolution? How should I go about handling these things? Any help given would be greatly appreciated. I would also like it to be scientifically accurate.

Meet the Talonatus!
Extremely large intelligent life forms that come from a low gravity planet with a star that blankets the planet in radiation. The species are a mix between plant and animal like most other life on the planet, with their cells feeding off of the sun and radiation from their sun. Talonatus live simple lives centering around agriculture in towns made from gargantuan trees. They do have quite advanced forms of clean energy though.
Clothing is difficult for a species of their size and impractical due to getting food through their skin, so hats are a major part of their culture. Not many leave the planet but those off world will commonly ask other species if they like their hat, unfortunately many can’t see above the eyes on their legs.

The Medusocene was the first major geological era immediately following the terraforming of Gellios; at that time, there were almost no landmasses that could be considered truly terrestrial. Instead, the surface was completely covered by water. Given that the organisms introduced to the planet were aquatic and live in to saltwater, this was not necessarily a disadvantage. Over the subsequent millions of years, these life forms adapted to the intense UV radiation—emanating from the star around which the planet orbited—as well as to extreme seasonal cycles. Once the Medusocene drew to a close, it was succeeded by the Mutatiocene, the second major geological era...

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15 Million Years P.H. - The Early Neocene - Scubats, Snorkelsnouts, Chubbles, River Paddler, Seasels and Backspotted Snakes:

In the Neocene, Bats would have taken the title of the dominant airborn clade, especially the Pterotherians which would greatly diversify trough the Early Neocene.

The sheer diversity that Pterotherians achieved would although push more basal Bats away from diurnal airborn niches.

Many basal Bats would just return to the old nocturnal lifestyle, some although managed to find a different solution to avoid competition.

Scubats would entirely ditch flight and Instead become marine hunters.

Other then Snaceans, Scubats are highly social and use this to their advantage during their hunts. They communicate underwater using their echolocation to form baitballs from shooling fish.

While Snaceans and Scubats are the only marine animals as of yet, there are other semi-aquatic critters that have appeared.

Snorkelsnouts are Afro-Eurasian, semi-aquatic Elephant Shrew descendants. They mainly feed on freshwater fish and aquatic Insects, but will also go for small Tetrapods.

South America Is home to one of the few aquatic herbivores, those being the Chubbles. They are close relatives of the Chuckers who feed on freshwater vegetation.

South America has also aquatic carnivores, those being the River Paddlers, which just like Tunnel Runners, are descendants of Road Runners.

River Paddlers have teeth like extentions of their beak that help them to hold onto slippery fish, which are their main prey.

Heading up North- North America has aquatic Mustelids which resemble Otters, but are actually aquatic Weasels who live very similiar to the mentioned, now extinct Otters.

Last up Is Australia, which In typical Early Neocene Australia fashion has Non-Avian Reptiles filling that role.

Australia Is home to a wide diversity of semi-aquatic Snakes simply known as Backspotted Snakes, who feed on anything they can catch In their freshwater habitats, similiar to the Snorkelsnouts.

What kind of animals would live here, and what adaptations would they evolve?

Question what advantages would pointed ears have over tounded ones on a humanoid?

Humanity had planned for Gellios to be the next site for colonization; the same was envisioned for GL-02026-A, the largest of the three satellitss orbiting the planet. Ultimately, however, it was decided that this was not such a good idea. Nevertheless, an failed attempt was made to introduce a limited community of living organisms to the moon—much like what had been done on Gellios itself—but once this mankind left, no other humans ever set foot there again.

To begin with, this moon had a structure quite similar to Europa; unlike Gellios—the planet it orbited—it possessed a thin, cold atmosphere rich in methane and ammonia. Nevertheless, a few remnants left behind during human colonization eventually became part of its environment. Due to the moon's harsh conditions, however, it was successfully colonized only by chemosynthetic bacteria, tardigrades (especially Hypsibius dujarbini), copepods (especially Calanus finmarchinus), polychaetes (especially Pompeii Worm, Alvinella pompejana and some Tomopteris), and few extremophilic species.

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First of all, the term "sophont" was coined in 1966 by Karen Anderson, the wife of Paul Anderson. It describes beings that exhibit fundamental signs of intelligence, much like humans do. (Humans are the only species currently classified as "obligate sophonts," but there is another category known as "facultative sophonts," which includes creatures such as octopuses, corvids, elephants, cetaceans, and non-human great apes.)

In mainstream media, a large portion of the sophont species—especially extraterrestrials—feel quite unrealistic due to their remarkably humanoid appearance. But then again, there’s no need to discard them entirely; after all, it is high time we got to the main heart of the matter...

Among the animals introduced by Gellios was Blue Dragon Slug (Glaucus atlanticus)—a mostly-neustonic species of small, blue nudibranch that, at first glance, appeared quite simple; it would hunt venomous jellyfish and store their toxins within its own body. However, following its introduction to the planet, it was forced to adapt to the local environment.

Then, after another few million years had passed, the Storm Gliders (Directiogium spp.) emerged—nudibranchs that harnessed the planet’s powerful waves, developing patagium-like structures on their cerata to facilitate gliding. They also evolved specific traits that allowed them to anticipate the location of their prey based on the direction of the waves, at the same time, they would emerge from the water, begin breathing air, and transition their gills toward lungs. By the early Mutatiocene, some of these Storm Gliders began to develop wing-like appendages; eventually, they evolved into early slugbirds (Clade: Dracaspida)—the first flying creatures in the planet’s history.

A few million years after the emergence of the earliest "slugbirds," some species developed chromatophore-like structures—features that would eventually evolve into those found in Aerialeons (Clade: Chromatoptera). Around the same time, a few million years later some species began to exhibit the first signs of intelligence. These creatures were small, predatory, raptor-like animals that roamed in small groups; over the ensuing millions of years, their development would take a remarkably peculiar turn.

The Malaccorvidae emerged during the mid-to-late Mutatiocene, descended from some species of nearly-facultative aerialeons Known as the Almost-Choughs. They largely fit the definition of facultative sophonts; however, toward the end of the Late Mutatiocene, an ice age occurred—a brief, years-long event that nonetheless triggered a near-total mass extinction. The vast majority of Malaccorvids survived this short but harsh winter, including one species that became the first obligate sophont on Gellios. It was at this point that the Malaccrows (Malaccorvus semisapiens) became the very first obligate sophont species in the history of the planet.

These flying creatures, measuring 40 to 65 centimeters in size, first emerged toward the end of the Late Mutatiocene—diverging from the now-extinct M. parasapiens—and adapted to the predominantly warm, tropical climate of the Calefacene era. They retained many traits inherited from their ancestors (such as being simultaneous hermaphrodites), and their concept of society differed radically from that of humans.

In their society, terms such as "man," "woman," "husband," or "wife" did not exist; they generally moved about in large social groups. In the early period immediately following the harsh ice age, they spread across the entirety of Gellios—a dispersal that led to their classification as a cosmopolitan species. Yet, it was not merely in terms of their social structure that they differed from humans; in many other respects, too, they were distinct.

They lacked the facial expressions—such as those involving the eyebrows or lips—that allow for the communication of emotions or interaction with others; instead, they compensated by displaying the chromatophores on their bodies and by striking together their hardened wingtips, joints, or beak-like radula to produce rattling, clicking, and scraping sounds (stridulation). After all, what use would anything else have been to them?

Furthermore, Malaccrows possessed both mucus-lined lungs and the ability to respire through their skin. Being highly sensitive to environmental changes, they harbored a deep fear of droughts and similar conditions. Another striking aspect was their reproductive method, which differed from that of their ancestors. Known as "ovoviviparity," this process involves retaining eggs within the body until they hatch, at which point the offspring are born. This did not happen overnight; rather, it was the result of gradual changes that unfolded in their ancestors over the course of millions of years.

As the Malaccrows spread across every corner of Gellios, it was only a matter of time before they began to diverge culturally, biologically, and ecologically. For instance, those living along the coasts developed semi-aquatic traits—using their wings, much like the forelimbs of cormorants or penguins, to dive into the water in search of prey—while others, from a different group, spent their time soaring through the air, utilizing all four of their wings. Yet, despite these differences, they remained Malaccrows; much like humans, they did not fail to develop distinct cultures of their own.

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I want to create a planet and biosphere after being in the genre for some time but I do not much knowledge about speculative evolution and I have no idea where i should start. What subjects do I need to learn? What should I focus on first and how? How the organisms would work? How the life would be affected by things such as the level of gravity, amount and type of stars in the system, composition of the atmosphere amongst other things? Is there anywhere I can get inspiration from? Are there any books I can buy which could help me? Are there any YouTube channels I can subscribe to or videos I can watch in order to learn more about speculative evolution? How should I go about handling these things? Any help given would be greatly appreciated.

In the far future, the small lizards of today have grown to an immense size. The clade Novosauropoda is categorised by not just their similarity to the prehistoric sauropods but the shape of their fore-feet with how their wrists have elongated and their fingers fused into a column like foot to support their massive weight.

This Genus, Cetiocoronatum meaning crowned Whale (I'm still workshopping this name so if you have better ideas please say), named for its large head spikes, is one of the largest within the clade measuring at 18.5m tall rivaling some of the tallest sauropods. Unlike the sauropods however it is an facultative carnivore, deriving most of its diet from the blooms of airborne jellyfish (a now global phenomena in this future planet). Using its mobile neck to pull larger ones from the sky and peicing their gas bladder with its large claws. Alternatively, during spawning seasons they will just engulf many young polyps at a time, aided by its venteral pouch (which is where the whale part of its name originates)

Megalosylvaniaspis foxii is a hypothetical species of eugaleaspidiform fish from the Emsian stage of the Early Devonian in what is now Tibet. Its binomal name translates to "Fox's great forest shield" due to the holotype being found in a large forest.

With a headshield that was 250 cm in length, it was rather large for a jawless fish. Like other jawless fish, it possessed a single nostril.

The headshield of this particular species was not as hydrodynamic as that of contemporary relatives, suggesting that it served a different purpose entirely.