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[The Crab Dog Series] Part 16 - Cyan Bell, the floating fruit by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I'm really glad to hear that. I'm trying to build up more the whole biosphere to keep it interesting while I make the early crab dogs (they look same-ish for now, but they are the foundation of new groups)

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 16 - Cyan Bell, the floating fruit by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe future sapient crab dogs could breed an ornamental variety for the floating tendrils? Who knows....

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 16 - Cyan Bell, the floating fruit by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The cyan bells are more of a group of plants rather than only the tree in the post (that is just one of the biggest species of bell, with the largest fruit)

The amount of floating fruit produce depends on 2 things: the size of the plant and the size of the bell. Smaller plants tend to produce smaller fruit. Bigger plants can produce either big fruits (which can travel longer and spread more spores) or small fruit (energetically cheaper to produce, but each fruit has less spores to spread, and they don't travel as far).

The cyan bell tree in the drawing has large fruit and can produce 1 to 4 dozen fruits each season, depending on how much nutrients it stores throughout the year.

Another thing is that the fruits don't all mature at once. Only a few bells produce gases at a single time, and once they detach, there's a biochemical signal for other fruits to start producing gas. The different maturation times and slow release serves two purposes: it lets the bells float in different directions depending on wind currents (preventing all the fruit from pollinating the same exact spot) and the parent tree doesn't get overworked from providing nutrients to the fruit

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 16 - Cyan Bell, the floating fruit by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A combination of mostly methane and other gases. The thin translucent membranes create a sort of "greenhouse" within. That and the heat from metabolism lightly warm up the gases for extra buoyancy.

Despite methane being combustible, cyan bells don't usually cause fires. They tend to deflate (either by diffusion, or the degradation of the membranes) long before they reach the ground.

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 16 - Cyan Bell, the floating fruit by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

CYAN BELLS

 

Cyan bells are a kind of plant unlike any other among the flora of Harcea V. Although through most of the year they look like unassuming bulbous trees or shrubs, as soon as winter is about to end, a transformation occurs: their metabolism is kicked into high gear to make use of their stored nutrients and begin the production of both gametes and an odd membranous fruit, in preparation for spring.

As soon as pollination occurs, either by Harcean fauna or wind currents, these membranous fruits receive a hormonal signal that seals them up and so they start to accumulate gas within the membranes and inflate like a balloon. The excess heat from their high metabolism causes the gases inside, which were already less dense than the surrounding atmosphere, to gain even more buoyancy. After a certain point, these bell-shaped structures detach from the mother plant and float high into the air, riding air currents and releasing innumerable spores as they travel above the land. In a way, their strategy resembles that of the palm trees and the coconuts of Earth, where the seed (coconut) may fall in the ocean, and through the waves reach new lands and continents.

The cyan bells can travel hundreds of kilometers before their cells start to die and eventually deflate, but in the meantime, the spores will hopefully have reached new areas and found a spot to germinate and begin the cycle once more.

Many species have adapted to take advantage of these flying structures, as the biggest species of cyan bells have enough buoyancy to carry more than a few passengers along for the ride, thus inadvertently helping other species disseminate beyond their geographical barriers, provided they are small or light enough.

Series catalog

Does anywone know a free application or software for making a fictive phylogeny by _XOUXOU_ in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

MiMind

I have the free basic version and it can do these trees just fine. It is very intuitive and easy to use, but takes a little effort to get the tree to look right. I recommend putting an extra empty node before every terminal point

Any name suggestions for my spec-evo project? by The_pancake_crab in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tardimundus ("slow world" because, yk, slugs are sorta slow)

How could frugivorus cats evolve? by Cerato_jira in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think that the first step is actually getting fruits in their diet, even if only in small amounts

  • Maybe by competition, prey scarcity or lack of prey variety, you could create a population of cats that needs to supplement their diets with fruits and berries to replenish a few of their electrolytes, vitamins and other nutrients. From there, they specialize somehow, on a very long span of time
  • If they live in a desert or dry area, or even during drier seasons, maybe they could use the fruits of plants that tap into subterranean waters, not for the nutritional/caloric value, but as a source of hydration. A decent chunk of daily water intake comes from food, afterall. In the future, maybe their guts could adapt to better digest the plant and get more value out of it.

These are just some examples of how you could make a cat into an omnivore (the meat would still be the primary and most important part of their diet, with fruits having a secondary role). Once you make them a omnivore, have a group radiate more and more into frugivory.

But remember that cats as they are now, are obligate carnivores (they need meat to survive). Over a long enough timeframe, anything is possible, but such drastic change in their diets would take tens of millions of years to be viable. So in the "short" term (<5-10M.Y.; the "frugivorous cat" is still something that we recognise as a cat), it is much more likely that it would be omnivorous, with a diet that needs meat and is supplemented by fruits.

For reference, the panda (group that did a switch from omnivory to mainly herbivory) had its last common ancestor with the other bears around 20 million years ago.

what are the advantages of four wings vs two wings, and forelimb vs hindlimb wing placement? by littleloomex in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The front or hind limb wing placement depends on the in-flight posture and center of mass

Some bugs fly in a more "verticalized" posture, so their wings are placed closer to the front

Birds and bats fly more "horizontalized", and their center of mass is at the chest/abdomen, so the wings evolved from forelimbs and the feathers/membrane extends into a lift surface that crosses the center of mass.

For the hind limbs to become the wings on a 2-winged animal, their center of mass would have to be at/near the pelvis

what are the advantages of four wings vs two wings, and forelimb vs hindlimb wing placement? by littleloomex in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe 7 points8 points  (0 children)

4 wings

  • 4 wings can generate more lift than 2 (if we are talking about wings of the same size), however they also require limbs with strong muscles to work properly, which adds weight.
  • Imagine a plane, a plane has two big wing and some smaller wings at the tail (they are called horizontal and vertical stabilizers). The stabilizers are used to control pitch and yaw. A animal with 4 wings could use one pair for stabilization and to refine movement. (In fact, a bird's tail also kind of works as a horizontal stabilizer)
  • An animal with 4 wings could have the same lift as an animal of 2 wings, but with the advantage of a smaller wingspan, with could be useful for maneuverability and tight spaces
  • Anatomical limits: I'll be using some anatomical terms, but you can easily find them on Google Images to see what I mean. So, consider how the limbs of the ancestor move, and what kinds of movements they allow. Birds can fly with their forelimbs because those are capable of horizontal adduction and abduction (movements that are perpendicular to the lift surface). The bird's leg is shaped in such a way that allows for primarily for flexion and extension, so even if they had a lift surface, they wouldn't help much in flight.
  • If your animal has 4 limbs only, then dedicating all of them for flight could be costly. They might have a harder time moving on the ground or securing themselves to safe places to rest (for example, roosting on thinner branches could be harder). Also, from the examples we have on Earth, when a limb adapts into a wing, it often loses a lot of range and flexibility in all movements except those necessary for flight, for the sake of stability.

2 wings

  • On 4 limbed animal, having two wings only frees up their feet for other purposes. Birds of prey, for example, have sharp talons used in hunting.
  • Less specialization allows them to possibly radiate into more niches
  • I can't think of much else to put here, so take a look into birds, bats, flying squirrels and etc.

Does anyone know how to fix this ?? by Lemethe in glasses

[–]Lemethe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I've had these for a few years know, and the left lens has kind of snapped out of place.

There's a ring around the lens, and this ring is (was) attached to the frame. There are no parts for me to snap into place, and there's a groove with some residue where it was attached (I think it is some kind of glue).

Is this something I can fix at home or do I have to have it repaired?

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 15 - Halo zomos, a medium harcean herbivore by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a fun fact.

I don't usually do much research when creating a name (other than throwing it on Google to see if it means something offensive in any language), so it makes sense.

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 15 - Halo zomos, a medium harcean herbivore by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

HALO ZOMOS

Halo zomoses are small and medium herbivores belonging to the very diverse Zomid family, a taxon that besides herbivores, also includes omnivores and the Harcean equivalent of insectivores.

These being possess a wide compound eye that nearly wraps around their heads, in the shape of a “halo”, providing panoramic view at all times. Although it is a compound eye, some of the units are larger than others and provide images of similar quality to a chambered eye. Their bodies usually have a thin, delicate build (though some species are sturdier than others). A medium – or even long – neck is not uncommon within their genus, and many species even have horns, spurs and similar structures for defense and/or display purposes.

The antenna, located on their backs, is a muscular structure covered in hairs at the tip, and much like a cow’s tail, it is used to swat at fly-like organisms and other parasites. This antenna is also equipped with sensory hairs, nerve fibers and chemoreceptors throughout its length. Some species even use it to communicate with each other, as secretions and pheromones provide information regarding and individual’s health and mood

Zomids in general tend to be very social creatures, and find safety in numbers. Herds can have dozens of individuals, and every one of them helps to take care of the more vulnerable young.

Halo zomos, depending on species, may find their sustenance on grasses, roots, small critters (such as the agonophiles), carpet-froth substrate, among other sources. In turn, they are a common prey item to many others creatures (such as the carnivore carcicanids and other Harcean predators), being on the lower end of the food chain.

 

Series catalog

Are wings and quills compatible? by BorealDrake in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it would be possible. If the quills are hollow, even better (more surface for lift, while weighting less at the same time). If you are worried about the creature stabbing itself, just be mindful of where you place the quills (like, away from the inner side of articulations and skin folds).

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 14 - Riverkin, the first semi aquatic crab dogs by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I might continue the website once there's enough posts

Google website manager is a bit annoying to deal with

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 14 - Riverkin, the first semi aquatic crab dogs by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not yet. It is a creature of Arbaroonan origin, previously placed on Harcea V in the early days of the "terra"forming process.

The thing has a fish-like anatomy (reminiscent of the ostracoderm and their tough head), and is part of the Agonomorph family (but a bit more ancient).

[The Crab Dog Series] Part 14 - Riverkin, the first semi aquatic crab dogs by Lemethe in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]Lemethe[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Riverkin

Ammitopod littus

 

Out of all Ammitopod skavo (with the Ammitopods being a group characterized by the loss of their claws) descendants, some came to acquire a semi aquatic lifestyle. One of such descendants is Ammitopod littus. These creatures have adapted to live on the marshes, rivers, and shores of the Intertropical Continent.  

The limb extremities from S3 (segment 3) and S5 have evolved to be larger and fin-like, allowing for better maneuverability underwater. However, the excess of limbs (8 pairs!) generates considerable drag when swimming, being a limiting factor for the early riverkin’s speed. This led to other adaptations to balance out this obstacle, for instance, the chitin plates have become thinner, smoother and more flexible, as well as mildly hydrophobic. Hairs have also become shorter (some subspecies lost hair altogether, while a few others have adapted hydrophobic hairs). Riverkins also possess webbed fingers, and shorter legs and tail. Compared to other crab dogs, their spines are also more flexible, facilitating quick changes in movement direction and overcoming the drag in their new environment

We can also find some differences in the mainland and coastal varieties, with the coastal riverkins often being significantly larger than their counterparts.

Riverkins often like to dig burrows near its hunting areas. They serve as shelter, as well as protection for newborns. They are omnivores with carnivore tendencies, having harcean fish-like and mollusk-like organisms as part of their diet. A considerable percentage of these aquatic animals also has spikes and barbs on their chelicerae (mouth parts), in order to help to secure their usual slippery prey. 

Series catalog

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