From: =?koi8-r?B?88/I0sHOxc7PIFdpbmRvd3MgSW50ZXJuZXQgRXhwbG9yZXIgNw==?= Subject: Blumbomeniformes of Snaiad (Nemo Ramjet) Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 07:23:51 +0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0106_01C9D852.C228EE30" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.0.6001.18049 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0106_01C9D852.C228EE30 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.nemoramjet.com/sndcladesblumbomeniformes.html =EF=BB=BF
Blumbomen and their relatives belong in a clade = characterized=20 by the grotesque fusion of the first two heads into a vaguely humanoid = "face,"=20 possession of a facial pouch connected to the genital first head, (to = store=20 opulent genitals in males, to shelter the young in females.) and a = preference=20 for marine littoral environments.
Most Blumbomen live like penguins or small seals on = Earth;=20 cumbersome on land but graceful underwater. Their mouths conceal = muscular,=20 hose-like second heads, which are used to snap up swimming prey, or to = grasp=20 around for other organisms in sea plants, sediment or "coral" reefs. = With the=20 exception of some species that seasonally eat marine plants, they are = all=20 predators on small prey.
The relationships of the Blumbomeniformes have been = hotly=20 debated, but it seems most likely that they form a sister clade to the = Pescidont=20 Bumbos and relatives. Like Bumbos, Blumbomen also have extremely = elongated=20 second heads, reduced tails and a stocky body form. The two groups also = resemble=20 each other in foot morphology and certain details of the skeleton.
Species: Moronops gularis
Common Names: Blumbomen, =
Grey=20
Blumbomen.
Size: Up to 1.2 meters tall.
Habitat: Isternian shores =
along=20
the Sea of Oroland, numerous offshore islands, also present on =
Midland.
Moronops is perhaps the best-known = =E2=80=9Ctypical=E2=80=9D Blumbomen=20 on Snaiad. These noisy beasts form massed communities on beaches within = their=20 range, feeding on numerous marine organisms they catch by swimming or=20 =E2=80=9Ckelp-browsing;=E2=80=9D probing underwater growth with their = hose-like secondary heads.=20 Their stubby legs make them some of the least suitable of all true = Blumbomen for=20 a terrestrial lifestyle, but they still retain archaic characteristics = like the=20 claws on their fins.
Moronops is the archetypical organism that = comes to=20 mind when one thinks of Blumbomen on Snaiad. They are thoroughly = incorporated in=20 the planet=E2=80=99s popular culture, and have formed the basis for = cartoon characters,=20 children=E2=80=99s toys and even a music band.
Species: Ugrops fascinatus
Common Name: =
Fascinating=20
Blumbomen.
Size: 1 meter tall.
Habitat: Present on south-eastern =
shores=20
of Aucaterra, Isla Skylla, also on Vesternian shores until the =
Tridaktylos.
The so-called =E2=80=9Cspectacular = Blumbomen=E2=80=9D, the genus=20 Ugrops contains numerous closely related species living along = the=20 shores of Vesterna. These creatures are readily identifiable through the = extravagant fleshy growths on their =E2=80=9Cfaces=E2=80=9D. The purpose = of these structures, as=20 unnoticeable as large warts in some species or long like streaming, = fleshy=20 tentacles in others, is not clearly understood. They are thought to = serve as=20 sexual displays, but both sexes have them in equal lengths. They may = serve to=20 break up their silhouette underwater, but it is questionable whether the = huge=20 underwater drag caused by their presence justifies their efficiency as=20 anti-predator devices. Despite their outlandish looks, Ugrops = and=20 relatives are closely related to =E2=80=9Ctypical=E2=80=9D Blumbomen = such as Moronops;=20 the skeletons of some species look virtually identical. However, = Ugrops=20 do have longer and stronger back legs and spend more time on land. = Eyewitness=20 accounts even exist of them hunting small animals inland, although this = is=20 doubtlessly not a regular behavior.
The specimen illustrated here is brandishing the = large and=20 elaborate set of male genitals common in almost all Blumbomeniformes. In = many=20 species, the males use these impressive gonads in dazzling mating = displays.
Species: Mikri anyx
Common Names: Smolblumbomen, =
Tiny=20
Blumbomen, Water Baby.
Size: No larger than 70 centimeters tall. =
Habitat:=20
North-eastern Neomediterranean shores, limited to the area around Izmir. =
This species belongs to a special group of = Anychiforme=20 Blumbomen that are more adapted to a marine existence than the most. = They have=20 lost terrestrial adaptations such as strong back legs and fin-claws, and = have=20 larger fins and a thickened layer of subcutaneous body fat that = insulates them=20 well underwater. They spend a large part of their lives in the sea, = returning to=20 land not even to give birth, but to mate. Every summer, crowds of these = tiny=20 Blumbomen get ashore around Izmir to mate, filling the beaches around = the city=20 with lively genital displays and noisy mating contests. After = conception, the=20 young are reared in the females=E2=80=99 genital pouches and are born in = the sea. It is=20 thought that these creatures=E2=80=99 land-lubbing orgies are = evolutionary remnants of=20 their more terrestrial ancestry.
Like most Anychiforme Blumbomen, Mikri is = limited to=20 shallow waters that stay warm the year round and has a very limited=20 distribution. The city of Izmir just happens to be close to their mating = sites,=20 putting pressure on their populations. Currently, Mikri is = protected as=20 one of the city=E2=80=99s symbolic animals and Izmirnite beaches are = closed to visitors=20 during their mating season.
Species: Thalassomirifex larrana
Common Name: =
None
Size:=20
Up to 10 meters long.
Habitat: Aaritic Ocean and surrounding seas, =
sightings=20
common around the Sea of Aucaterra.
There are at least two radiations within the = Blumbomen lineage=20 that have specialized for a totally aquatic lifestyle. = Thalassomirifex=20 and its relatives form the larger of these two groups, known as the=20 Hadroblumbomeniformes. These creatures have enormously-extended second = heads, so=20 long that they cannot be retracted into their bodies anymore. This = condition,=20 combined with their fat, cigarette-shaped bodies, makes them a look like = crossovers between the Mesoplodont whales and the extinct Elasmosaurs of = Earth.=20 Thalassomirifex is an opportunistic open-sea hunter that feeds = on=20 pelagic swimming organisms and also makes phenomenal dives in pursuit of = unknown=20 prey.
The life details of this creature, other than its = gigantic=20 size, are little-known and it might be split into more species, or = lumped=20 together with other genera in the Hadroblumbomeniformes as studies go = on. Almost=20 certainly, more species in this enigmatic lineage await discovery in the = oceans=20 of Snaiad.
Species: Eumegapteros pelagicus
Common Names: =
Torpedocaster,=20
Wingfish.
Size: Up to 3 meters long.
Habitat: Southern parts of =
the Middle=20
Ocean, extending into the Sea of Beasts.
This species belongs in another purely-aquatic = lineage within=20 the Blumbomeniformes, distinct from the Hadroblumbomeniforme swimmers = discussed=20 earlier. It is thought that the presence of a sheltering face-pouch has = made=20 marine lifestyles easier within the group by enabling them carry their = young=20 underwater. Whatever the reasons for their evolution, = Apodoblumbomeniformes such=20 as Eumegapteros are characterized by the distinct lack of rear = legs,=20 the extensive development of the forelimbs into powerful fins and the = dependence=20 on well-developed eyes for locating prey. On the whole these creatures = resemble=20 terrestrial Blumbomen with no feet and a huge head with binocular-like, = forward=20 facing eyes. They either forage among underwater growth, or actively = swim after=20 their prey and capture them with rapid lunges of their second heads. =
For mating, they have an even stranger adaptation, = brought=20 about by the pressures of sexual selection. Male Eumegapteros = viciously=20 chase down their female partners in the mating season. When close by, = they=20 launch their genitals, harpoon-like, from their primary heads. Their = sexual=20 organs, extravagant like in all Blumbomeniformes, have a very long (up = to twice=20 their body length,) stalk, tipped by a frontal mass bearing the = sperm-producing=20 glands and two tiny finlets. These fins steer the organ towards the = females=E2=80=99=20 genitalia in a series of extremely rapid reflexes, effectively guiding = them home=20 like smart missiles. This behavior, only observed recently with = high-speed=20 underwater photography, has earned the nickname = =E2=80=9CTorpedocaster=E2=80=9D for these=20 creatures.
Species: Moai mapagalithops
Common Names: Giant =
Armless=20
Blumbomen, Moai Landblumbomen.
Size: More than 2 meters =
tall.
Habitat:=20
Shores and interior plains in the island of Mapag.
The wildly divergent adaptive radiation of = established body=20 plans in isolated environments is a long-observed fact. This phenomenon = has=20 visited the Blumbomeniformes at least once with the fascinating Giant = Armless=20 Blumbomen of the remote island of Mapag. While most members of their = group are=20 primarily marine, the furthest these Blumbomen venture into water is to = certain=20 swamps and secluded beaches to drink and sleep. They are completely = terrestrial=20 and feed on a mixture of terrestrial fruits, sprog, small animals and = beached=20 carrion. Their great size, combined with their horny head-scutes and the = ability=20 to vomit stomach acid under stress, protects them from Mapagian = predators such=20 as Rape Turtles. (Phobochelys molestor) While neither the Moai = are=20 efficient browsers, or the Rape Turtles efficient predators, the absence = of any=20 other large animal in the isolated ecosystem of Mapag ensures their = continued=20 survival.
The genus name of these creatures refers to the = gigantic Moai=20 statues of Earth, and was the subject of intensive debate on whether it = was=20 right to propagate the myth of Earth on Snaiad, where no immediate = return back=20 to home is possible. A captive colony of these adorable creatures has = been=20 established on the island of Hania on the Neomediterranean. This picture = shows a=20 female Moai, with a juvenile sitting safely in its bulbous, = nose like=20 genital sac.
Back =
Copyright =
laws protect all=20
intellectual property associated with Snaiad.
All artwork, concepts =
and names=20
associated with this project belong to Nemo Ramjet, unless otherwise stated. =