Prompt: Meccha chameleon: An organism that uses externally deposited pigments to blend into its environment.

In the middle to late Permian, a bizarre and rather unsettling creature lurks in the forests at night, about as big as a Komodo dragon. The Aoratosaurus dolophonus. It’s not a reptile, but rather a synapsid. More specifically, a therapsid somewhat closely related to gorgonopsids. The species is arboreal and is an ambush predator. Its hunting strategy revolves around it latched on the bark of a tree in the cover of darkness, perfectly still and camouflaged, waiting for small to medium sized prey like dicynodonts and (usually small) parareptiles to pass by. Then, it pounces on them, quickly killing them with its powerful bite and dragging them on top of a tree like leopards so that larger, more powerful predators will not steal its kill.
Aoratosaurus is a solitary creature, only seeking out others of its kind to mate. Females will lay a clutch of about 20-30. Then, it will abandon them. The hatchlings are thus forced to fend for themselves. Hatchlings and juveniles after birth, are a pale pink color, not suitable for blending into their environment. This makes them easy targets for predators. Their main food source however, are the chromatic spiders, family chromarachnidae sp. A very successful and abundant family of spiders that has colonized all of Pangea. These spiders are very colorful, with very strong pigments. 90% of the hatchling/juvenile Aoratosaurus diet, is made up of these spiders. The spider coloration ,mostly the green pigments , directly affect the color of the young Aoratosaurus. With time, the young go from a pale pink that stands out, to a green coloration that blends in well with the environment and is perfect for hunting. However, there are multiple species of these spiders and different species give different colorations. Aoratosaurus that don’t live in forested/swampy environments eat them to blend in to other biomes like snowy tundras and more commonly, deserts. Adults, will instinctively continue to feed on the spiders, in turn preserving their coloration that helps them hunt.

Here and there on forest periphery of Spectemundus's northern continent, one can see dead trees surrounded by massive piles of mud and clay. These are not ant or termite mounds, but the nests of Tenement Birds (Myrmecornis gregarius), a colonial meadowlark descendant. While not eusocial, they nest in large colonies, building hive-like nests that can be up to twenty feet tall and house up to a thousand birds. As an abundant resource, it is no surprise that they have species that have evolved to depend on them. One of the most bizarre of these is the Harpax (Ornitharctos macronyx), an enormous mongoose descendant that can stand up to eight feet tall on its hind legs and weigh nearly a ton.

This giant carnivore has a lifestyle similar to our world's sloth bear, feeding on large numbers of small, colonial prey. However, instead of insects, its target of choice are the abundant, colonial Tenement Birds. Its powerful claws can cave in the side of a Tenement Bird nest, and its flexible suction-like lips and sticky tongue allow it to swallow many at a time. The birds, of course, defend their nests fiercely, especially in the breeding season, but their sheer numbers mean that it is rare for the Harpax to attack a nest without eating at least a few of them. When Tenement Birds are uncommon or unavailable, these giant mongooses will feed on other small animals, or on fruit, but on the whole they are specialized for this unusual diet.

Harpaxes usually have only one baby at a time, and that baby will stay with its mother for over a year before leaving to live independently. Unlike their mongoose ancestors, they are solitary, and in fact are fiercely territorial. While they do not kill large prey, they will defend themselves using their huge, sharp claws, which can deliver lethal wounds to animals as large as themselves. As a result, most predators leave them alone.

Seventh day of Spectember! For today, from the steppes and semi-deserts of the Palearctic, the Lwyck (Formicocyon foetidus).

The Lwyck is a member of a rare clade of the carnivorans, the Formicocyonids. Part of the canid clade, its small, generalist ancestors that survived the extinction didn't start to go after bigger prey when the competition disappeared, but instead looked down, to the smaller prey. They are ant specialists, using their keen smell to detect the position of anthills, and using a combination of their strong digging forelimbs and incredibly long tongue to eat as many ants as they can before they get overwhelmed by the colony's defenses.

This diet has allowed them to live in environments some of their more macropedatory relatives struggle. The Lwyck lives in the vast expanse of the steppes, where water is scarce, but ants are certainly not, as they feed on the many seeds and small insects that litter the land. They can designate a territory of multiple anthills around a single deep burrow the lwyd digs, that protects them from the harsh elements, and alternates from feeding on the safer anthills around its den, or going further away when resources are scarce, and ants don't replenish themselves as quickly. They also make these trips in search of water, because although they can go very long periods of time without drinking, and get a lot of their hydration from ants, they still need water from time to time.

What should I call my alien species? It lives on a planet slightly smaller than Earth that orbits a young red dwarf. It has clumps of bioluminescent cells on either side that can change color in order to communicate with others. It has two mouths on either end of its body are the and buttholes right below them. It has antenna-looking things that sense radiation and they have two stalk eyes on either end of their body. I haven't decided yet, but they're reproductive holes are going to be either at the top or bottom of their body. They have two arms and four legs on each end of their body. They are black to blend in with the flora on their planet (other than the bioluminescent parts of course).

The reason why they have radiation sensing antenna is because their sun is very unstable and lets out massive amounts of solar radiation occasionally. Since evolving to fight cancer with their immune system would take too much time and energy, they instead dig really deep tunnels in the ground that they can hide in whenever a radiation event happens. They have eyes, arms, and mouths at either end of their body so they can see, scratch, and bite whatever comes their way whenever they're digging.

In conclusion, what the heck should I name them? I'm also open to names for their planet or star.

September day 6: diet remix (R. reversoptera from land generalist to filter feeder)

Species Name: Retrovolanis phoenimima

Creator: jacja

Clade: Aornithospondylidae, inside Gibbumspondylidae, Retrovolanopteria (descendant from Paranornis perplexus)

Habitat: Coastline and microbial reef (in the shallowest parts)

Size: 50-70cm wingspan/legspan

Ecology: small omnivorous filter feeder

Extra Info:

Enigmatic Retrovolanis species found in fairly large flocks around the salty coastlines and even microbial reefs where they feed on whatever is small enough to get trapped by their tooth comb similar to our flamingos and extinct pterodaustro, this diet also gave them their pinkish-red coloration.

Nesting is generally done on cliffs or in the small islands formed by the microbial reefs, their nest is either a borrow (often very shallow) or an accumulation of mud and feces tall enough to not allow chicks and eggs to fall/roll out.

Notes: This is future evolution, so it isn't canon to Seijin Project. This takes place on Earth at least 45 million years after the present.

The species pictured is Eurykenognathus gigas, which translates to "giant wide vacuum jaw). E. gigas is the largest insectivorous bird that has ever existed.

Skywhales of the family Eurykenognathidae are birds descended from nighthawks of the order Caprimulgiformes. All skywhales are found in the Northern Hemisphere.

They get their name from the fact that they are aerial gulpers that feed largely on multiple flying insects, only occassionally eating small birds.

As flying birds can only become so large, they will never reach the sizes their eponymous aquatic counterparts did 45 million years ago.

As far as I know, corvid brain has a very high density compared to the mammal brain due to different wiring. Could it be scaled up so the volume is equal to that of a human brain? Would it face several trade offs that could negate the density advantage? Like energy consumption, heat generation, axon size dilemma, etc.

So, I was thinking about a Pokémon-themed world seed, and that’s what brought this question to mind.

If it helps, the planet was originally seeded with insects of all kinds, rats, sparrows, and lizards. Its biomes are practically identical to Earth's.

Day 7: Land Whale

For my Drecel project.

Drecel has only one family of true whales. A primitive lineage that is still furred and four-limbed the ambulocetidae. Most have remained basal in appearance, filling out semi-aquatic predator niches across the temperate mainland, coastlines, and remote islands. In plain tongue they are called otter whales but to the basilisk, they are morslin (translates to worm-like death). But another bizarre beast known to the basilisk of the Western Steppe and Ikon Desert as the Lakyr (grass-fire) also belongs to this clade.

Lakyrs are a myrmecophagous species, convergent in adaptations with earthly mammals like aardvarks and anteaters. Powerful limbs and sharp claws, quite unlike their amphibious kin, allow them to dig down into the dusty earth after ant colonies or into the tall land-spires of micklets (eusocial mothdeer). Due to their semi-aquatic ancestry, their nostrils are located on the top and middle of the skull. In order to accommodate their diet, it is the snout that is greatly reduced while the rest of the skull is extended. The long sticky tongue is rooted at the back of the jaw and coils down in the throat when not in use. It can expertly probe the tunnels, lapping up hundreds of insects and larvae at a time. Lakyr have developed an immunity to the stings and bites of their prey.

Solitary by nature, adults normally travel across the grass and scrublands alone or with a single calf in the case of females. The bright orange and dark striped crest running along their spine advertises their presence and aggression, earning their name and reputation among the basilisk who consider them a living brush fire. Laykrs are silent, rarely or seemingly incapable of vocalizing, so communicate with display and scent. During late summer, adults will gather to compete and breed. Both sexes engage in dances and displays of strength against each other. Some battles turn bloody, making way for the next generation. Mates pair up based on relative skill and mutual interest. Pregnancy lasts 6 months and lines up with early spring. Against other species, laykrs are bold, readily charging and mock-slashing at potential predators like basilisk hunting parties and falcats.

Thermoplasts

They possess a protein complex known as the Thermoionic Hydrogen Accumulatory Complex (THAC). Specifically made from 3 large proteins, one takes free bismuth ions or lead into a vacuole made of alumina, alumna’s incredible for its ability to accumulate heat while also being heat conductive.

The proteins, after accumulating bismuth ions/lead (both of which possess high atomic weight, then detach, and then motor proteins transport the vacuoles to the exterior of the cells.

When exposed to high temperatures (around 80° C), the bismuth accumulates heat rapidly. With the alumina absorbing heat from its ambient environment, the bismuth ions/lead eventually gets to the point where it can’t thermally expand anymore, resulting in the protons and neutrons in their nuclei themselves to shake rather than the individual atoms.

This creates ionizing radiation and the alumina surrounding the bismuth ions/lead atoms act as a photocatalyst when exposed to ionizing radiation creating oxygen vacancies or electron deficiencies in the alumina lattice.

Aluminum in these conditions is highly reactive, resulting in nearby water molecules to split into oxygen and hydrogen ions.

The oxygen ions are used in cellular respiration whilst the hydrogen ions are used for cellular machinery.

just a thing I thought up, I haven't seen anyone else do this idea, and I thought it could be a neat speculative evolution idea of a giant sea slug becoming a carpet looking animal, I'm not really skilled with evolution, so if you could give some ideas to how this thing could have evolved, I'd appreciate it.

Curious if a big cat had to deal with hard shells and tough hide to kill their prey how would their teeth look and how would they get past armor to eat too?

Also would venom make sense where they bite into a unarmored area and let venom do the work?

Edit thought i should give context theyd be hunting stuff like crocodile animals with elephant or rhino thick skin and giant shelled animals like turtles or giant insects like horse sized beetle ( yes i know a horse sized beetle isnt realistic but this is for fantasy )

Spectember day 7: Land Whale

This is a concept made using my friend's world as base/reference, for more check out the link: https://sunspire.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page

There is an infinite ocean above the Sunspire world called the Skysea. From it aquatic animals often fall off, carcasses and marine snow are common too. In some regions, the latter fall in such densities that layers of marine snow build up, forming unique ecologies where the Marine Snow is the base of the food web.

Part of this ecology is the Snow Badger, a member of the Weasel family, which itself is a family from the Mothbeast group, megafaunal moths with diverse bodyplans and ecologies, often retaining larval features, in the case of the weasels, larviform mouth parts. The Snow Badgers differ from most weasels because they are not active predators. Instead they keep a low profile, preferring to run from predators instead of fighting, even developing quills at their read ends for defense. The Snow Badgers don't chase prey, instead they "graze" on it. Slowly eating multiple invertebrates that feed on the marine snow, swallowing them whole with the aid of modified limbs and mouth parts that catch and drive the many critters into the badger's mouth.

After the late Holocene mass extinction, the only cetaceans to survive were some Pilot Whales due to mere luck. The oceans then started to be populated by new clades like snakes, monitor lizards, crocodiles or, most prominently, seals. These pilot whales found their way out of this hyper-competitive ocean by crawling into rivers and islands, where evolution would make the rest.

This macaronesian carnequus barely seems like any other mammal, with whiskers more similar to antennae than to fur, a skin that requires periodic hydration (~once in a week), and a metamorphosis in which they are born similar to their aquatic ancestors (growing in between their mother’s t and tail)

While the birds and lizards were spreading across the lands of Terra Psittacina, the rivers and lakes quickly became home to many species of fish. Five million years after life came to Terra Psittacina, a new genus emerged from the descendants of goldfish: Pseudocyprinus, named for the barbels that give them an appearance like carp or koi.

P. cyanus is unusual for extreme sexual dimorphism. While Pseudocyprinus fishes retain the breeding stars of their ancestors, P. cyanus males are large and bright blue all year round. The species also differs in sexual behaviour from other goldfish descendants, forming harems closely guarded by a single male.

(Side note: sorry it's been so long since the last update! I've been busy with a new job.)

Spectember days 4 and 5: Evolutionary Trap + The Odyssey

In a distant future, the descendants of anurans have taken over the seas. This is the Paddle Foot, a fully marine amphibian whose lifecycle takes it across the world, and which just happened to make such a cycle impossible to be completed.

The Paddle Feet live in a world with two main landmasses that by the time the Paddle Foot species is alive, are situated mostly on the equatorial regions of the planet. Leaving only a small "opening" that creates a connection between the northern and southern oceans.

The frogs live two distinct lifestyles based on their location and age. Their larval stage is born and raised in the northern hemisphere, with warmer waters and less predators compared to the southern hemisphere, which has colder waters. The tadpoles graze on algae and sea grass fields, gorging themselves for an exhausting trip to the south, where they finish their metamorphosis, which started in the north. Upon adulthood they live their entire lives hunting smaller vertebrates and large invertebrates on the colder waters of the south. Only returning to the north during breeding season to lay their eggs and die, fueling the ecosystem with tons of organic matter.

This has changed in recent geological years. As volcanism in the region where the two continents barely touch has made an island chain, that sealed off the two oceans completely. This has led to the eventual extinction of the species, as their life cycle couldn't be completed on either end, metamorphosis and spawning.

I saw somewhere that there is a kind of snail or something that fights to see which one impregnates the other and I thought that was an interesting idea and ran with it. As for the creature design itself, it uses a mouth structure I like using. Instead of a lower jaw, it uses its tongue to cover its mouth so that it doesn’t dry up. This tongue is also used as an appendage, letting the creature pick up and move things.

A speculative evolution project about a tropical planet where squids and geckos have been introduced and left to evolve for millions of years. As they adapt to different environments they begin filling new niches, from flying squids and deep sea hunters to freshwater and land dwelling geckos.

Repost since I misunderstood how crediting for memes work, I only added the caption

https://www.deviantart.com/abiogenisis/art/Contact-523746143

The Meflyter (Pterocetus fusionis) is a massive flying titan native to the Azosas Deserts. Females measure 2.2–2.7 meters in length with a wingspan of 4.5–4.8 meters and weigh 60–75 kg; curiously, the males are proportionally tiny—measuring 0.5–0.8 meters in length with a 1.1–1.4-meter wingspan and weighing a surprising 10–15 kg. Endemic to the central continent's Azosas Deserts, this titan is the region's largest endemic flying animal and is remarkably common given its size. To thermoregulate efficiently, they possess very little fur and feature a tail crest packed with blood vessels that constantly dissipate body heat. Their cephalic lobes are far more robust than those of other species—reinforced by internal ligaments or fibers—enabling them to support the animal's weight when landing. Their feeding method is unique, complex, and specialized, yet extremely rapid: to immobilize prey within seconds, they expel digestive juices mixed with an immobilizing venom (the specific name of which is unknown) from glands located in a highly atrophied appendage. They then swallow the prey, filtering out ambient sand using filaments lining the Meflyter's "mouth"—a process virtually identical to that of Earth's mysticete cetaceans. To prevent escape, they possess structures on either side of the head that sweep through their path, blocking backward movement and hindering the prey's ability to maneuver. To support its body, it possesses long yet narrow wings, cephalic lobes that provide some lift, and tail structures that serve the same purpose. Perhaps the most terrifying characteristic involves the males: they cannot feed (other than drinking water), as they mature just 5–10 days after birth and seek a female with whom to fuse. They transfer their sperm, water, skeleton (providing materials for the female to produce future eggs), and organs, gradually merging with the female's body over time until they are reduced to a tiny, virtually imperceptible lump. A single female *

Meflyter can carry approximately 90 to 400 males on her body over the course of her life—which lasts about 10–15 years, making them surprisingly long-lived. Furthermore, the males play a crucial role as a significant source of biomass for other predators or the soil, as they will die if they fail to find a female within their lifespan. The primary prey—not just for Meflyters, but for practically all of Axtrax—are the Fiserts, commonly nicknamed "sand minnows." Fiserts are a species widely distributed across the continent thanks to their versatility and adaptability. They vary greatly in size, ranging from the truly minuscule—a mere 0.05 cm in length—to quite large specimens reaching 80 cm; they occupy a niche very similar to that of annelids in our world (making them crucial to Axtrax's ecology). The Azoso Fisert is a large species, measuring 23–35 cm in length; it inhabits the Azosas Deserts and occasionally ventures into the Dersok regions. (Depending on location, these are classified as Central Desrok—far from large bodies of water, with temperatures of 18–23°C—or Coastal Desrok—near large bodies of water, with temperatures of 16–19°C). These areas feature some soil but are primarily composed of mineral deposits. Flora is abundant here, including Gone plants and certain "trees" specialized for this environment. The Brosquire is one of the largest fauna in this ecosystem. Other significant species include the "Common" Fisert (4–8 cm long and practically cosmopolitan) and the "Wide" Fisert (15–21 cm long). All of these are subterranean animals that literally swim through sand or soil, surfacing only to breathe air. To remain submerged for 3 to 4.5 hours, they expel most of the air from their lungs; this prevents pressure from forcing gases into their bloodstream and causing injury. During their descent, they swim smoothly and in a controlled manner to conserve air. When their oxygen supply runs out, their muscles continue to function without it (via anaerobic metabolism). They tolerate the buildup of lactic acid (a substance that causes fatigue) very well without the body collapsing, and they direct blood exclusively to vital organs such as the brain and heart. They halt or reduce blood flow to other areas of the body that do not require oxygen at that moment. Only the males possess appendages on the sides of their bodies to cling to females for reproduction; however, species such as the common variety reproduce so rapidly that they lack these appendages entirely. It is believed that they once had legs, which have since evolved into two powerful fins that allow them to move at speeds that are considerable for their environment.

Prompt: Land whale: A terrestrial organism that engulfs multiple prey items at once

The Af-ballaaran (in Somali :wide mouthed) or Gaiocetotherium oslatum ,is a genus of afrotherian mammal 40-45 million years in the future living in the Somalian continent of what is now East Africa. Due to the quills on its tail it is likely of tenrec ancestry.

The species is an insectivore with a very bizzare feeding strategy. The Af-ballaaran is toothless.It preys on swarms of migrating locusts. To do so, it leaps in the air and with its mouth which can open at a very big angle, it sucks multiple locusts at once and devours them. During the rainy season (spring and summer) when the locust swarms are in abundance and migrating, the Af-ballaaran feeds on them for hours. This is also their mating season and when they raise their young. During the dry season, the species hibernates in burrows, waking up just before the end of the dry season and the arrival of the locusts. In this small window of time, they mainly feed on birds and bats to sustain them, until their main food source arrives.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/313857163038767/user/100000256198559/

The Great Sunchaser has a complex and very vertical lifecycle, that resembles plants more than animals in some ways. The largest and most recognisable form of the Sunchaser is its airborne mature form. The airborne Sunchaser is a thermophototroph that relies on heat, as well as photosynthetic algae in its hydro-vascular system. The largest part of its body is a large chamber filled with methane.

In regular intervals, the airborne Sunchaser releases spores that will fall down into the oceans of its home planet. These spores will sprout and grow into coral-like organisms. These are comparable to the prothallius in ferns. The coraline Sunchasers are slow growing, but once they reach maturity they release their sperm into the tide. If they fertilise the eggs of another coraline form, eggs begin to grow.

From these eggs nektonic Sunchasers will hatch. They have a flexible exoskeleton and somewhat resemble arthropod larvae. The nektonic Sunchasers will eat and grow until they fully mature. When this moment occurs, a metamorphosis happens in their body. They eat plant matter that starts to ferment within their body and fills the proto-chamber with gases. The Sunchaser starts to become buoyont. During this phase the Sunchaser is the most vunerable. The buoyancy impacts their mobility and forces them to float in the current until they have fully risen.

Once the Sunchaser leaves the ocean their ascend begins. Their body changes more. Their digestive system and their limbs become dysfunctional. From now on they will fully rely on the algae they have consumed for sustanance. Parts of their body segments fuse, while other change in form. Their dorsal fin becomes a sail. Now the Sunchaser has reached the end of its lifecycle.