From: =?koi8-r?B?88/I0sHOxc7PIFdpbmRvd3MgSW50ZXJuZXQgRXhwbG9yZXIgNw==?= Subject: Jetocetes (and relatives) of Snaiad (Nemo Ramjet) Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 07:19:16 +0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0067_01C9D852.1E6E6900" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.0.6001.18049 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0067_01C9D852.1E6E6900 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.nemoramjet.com/sndcladesjetocetes.html =EF=BB=BF
One of the evolutionary spectacles unique to Snaiad = is the=20 presence of jet-propelled advanced =E2=80=9Cvertebrates=E2=80=9D in its = rivers and seas. While=20 underwater jet propulsion is observed in a lot of small creatures on = Earth and=20 other planets, Snaiad=E2=80=99s Jetocetes are the only known case where = this method of=20 locomotion has evolved in large animals that descended from terrestrial=20 ancestors.
Needless to say, this adaptation entails a series of = drastic=20 alterations to the traditional =E2=80=9Ctwo-headed=E2=80=9D Snaiadi = bodyplan. Most prominent=20 among these changes is the splitting of the second-head digestive tract = into a=20 separate canal devoted to propulsion, and the re-routing the section = that=20 handles the food into the first head, where the genital-sheath jaws, = uniquely in=20 Snaiad=E2=80=99s natural history, act as true mouthparts.
While such extreme modifications seem impossible to = have=20 evolved naturally, certain animals that still survive today give us = clues about=20 the transformation of swamp-dwelling swimmers into the jet-propelled = masters of=20 the sea, -and beyond.
Species: Phyllocaudus reticulatus
Common Name: =
Reticulated=20
Leaftail.
Size: 90 centimeters or less from snout to =
tail.
Habitat: Rivers=20
and tributaries in the Azonic Jungle.
This species, along with the closely related P.=20 flagellurus, belong to the most basal group of jet-propelled = swimmers. The=20 Reticulated Oartail is found only in the Azonic river system, feeding on = vegetation and small river animals. It swims generally with the help of = its=20 muscular tail and paddle-shaped fins, but when cornered it can rapidly = eject=20 water from its anal sphincter for sudden bursts of speed. Unlike its = cousin=20 groups, Phyllocaudids do not have a differentiated tract of their = digestive=20 systems adapted exclusively for jet propulsion; they merely swallow and = expel=20 water rapidly. Neither is this a preferable way of locomotion for the=20 Phyllocaudids, since they void all of their stomach contents while = jetting and=20 go hungry as a result. These living fossils are very rare, and research = suggests=20 that their numbers are declining. Captive breeding programs are underway = to=20 protect them from extinction.
Species: Motosuchus phoeniciensis
Common Names: =
Eyeing=20
Scooter-Croc, Armadillodile.
Size: Up to 2.5 meters long.
Habitat: =
The=20
Scoptic Delta in Lower Vesterna.
Large rivers on almost any continent of Snaiad are = patrolled by=20 Motosuchid jet-crocodiles; swimming in eerie stillness they purr along = on their=20 gastro-intestinal water jets. Ancient and cryptic, these creatures = represent an=20 intermediary branch on the way to truly marine jet-swimmers. The = Motosuchid=20 digestive track has split partly into two; one branch handling food and = a blank=20 tube providing propulsion. Still, they cannot drink saltwater and their = jet=20 engines aren=E2=80=99t efficient enough to provide constant propulsion. = For this reason=20 they are confined to rivers and isolated lakes, but they have adapted to = this=20 limited niche expertly; 40-million year old fossils of the first = Motosuchids are=20 often difficult to tell apart from modern species.
The Eyeing Scooter-Croc, native to the Scoptic Delta, = gets its=20 name from the staring dorsal eye spots that bear a passing resemblance = to the=20 ship decorations of the ancient, distant Earth. Its hooked beak is = suitable both=20 for digging along the bottom sediment, or sharp lunges at unwary prey. = Its=20 distended jet-gut can produce intense five-second power bursts to rocket = the=20 animal towards its terrestrial victims, who usually never get to realize = what=20 hit them.
Species: Helicodectes scylla
Common Name: =
None.
Size: Up=20
to 4 meters long.
Habitat: Continental shelves and reef gardens =
around=20
Midland
When first caught off the Sea of Midland fifty years = ago, this=20 creature dropped into the world of Snaiadi zoology like a bomb. Nobody = could=20 understand exactly what it was, and how it used its bizarre, = ram=E2=80=99s horn jaws=20 that suspiciously looked like the Helicoprion fossils of the = distant=20 Earth. Investigations in the next few decades have fortunately shed more = light=20 on the lifestyle and the origins of this mystifying creature.
Initially thought to be an aberrant Motosuchid,=20 Helicodectes was found out to be a specialized Jetocete that = had=20 secondarily lost its torpedo-shaped body shape and tuned down its jet = gut to=20 pursue a specialized lifestyle; feeding on the many species of Sea = Serpents=20 (Ophicarida,) found on Snaiadi reef gardens. Helicodectes has been = observed=20 patrolling slowly along the reefs, using its tail rather than jet gut to = propel=20 itself. Its bizarre jaws make up a perfect tool to snag the ribbon-like = bodies=20 of Sea Serpents.
Even after revealing its mysteries, however,=20 Helicodectes reminds us that Snaiad is still an alien place, = rife with=20 discoveries, weirdness and wonder.
Species: Jetocetus mediterraneana
Common Names: =
Jetshark,=20
Neomed Jetshark, Neo.
Size: 2 meters long.
Habitat: The =
Neomediterranean,=20
sometimes seen outside in the Sea of Aar as well.
True Jetocetes bear more derived jet-propulsion = systems than=20 either the Phyllocaudids or the Motosuchids, but not the heart-like = pumps of the=20 Cardiocetes. Part of their digestive system has completely budded off = from the=20 main line, turning into a jet pump that can provide continuous flow. The = other=20 half of the digestive tract has fused into the jaws on the first head. = This way,=20 true Jetocetes (and their descendants, the Cardiocetes,) can actually = eat with=20 their first heads, an unusual condition found in no other lineage on the = planet.=20
Although the terrifying Polycardiac Cardiocetes give = them no=20 quarter on the open ocean, many ordinary Jetocetes still occupy = medium-to-large=20 predator niches in shallow waters and reef gardens. The Mediterranean = Jetshark=20 is a typical example. Possibly a subspecies of the virtually identical = Aarite=20 Jetshark (J. aaritas,) it dwells in the Neomediterranean = year-round,=20 feeding on anything smaller than itself. Although attacks on humans have = been=20 very rare, public beaches on the Neomed regularly post Jetshark alerts = to warn=20 bathers during crowded days, just to be on the safe side.
Species: Pelagoxiphias gladius
Common Name:=20
Swordpinguin.
Size: 1.5 meters excluding beak.
Habitat: All across =
the=20
oceans of the Southern Hemisphere.
Distributed all around Snaiadi oceans, the = thirty-plus species=20 of Thalassoxiphid =E2=80=9CSwordfish=E2=80=9D are as fast as true = Jetocetes can get. These=20 creatures all have egg-shaped, compact bodies housing well-developed = water jets,=20 but no heart-pumps like the Cardiocetes. Strangely, they have = well-developed=20 rear fins that seem out-of-place on streamlined swimmers, but these = limbs=20 actually serve to vector their water jets in tight angles for increased=20 maneuverability.
While it would seem that Thalassoxiphid Jetocetes = would be at a=20 disadvantage when competing with the extremely fast Polycardiac = Cardiocetes, the=20 two groups manage to exist side-by-side in most marine ecosystems. The=20 Cardiocetes prefer more energy-rich prey with their supercharged = metabolisms,=20 leaving a selection of less nutritious prey items to the = Thalassoxiphids, who=20 can live on them since they don=E2=80=99t regularly risk starvation when = fueling their=20 water jets. Thalassoxiphids and their faster descendants thus manage to = live in=20 the same places by exploiting different kinds of prey.
Species: Hadrocetoides balabani
Common Name: =
None.
Size:=20
6-7 meters long.
Habitat: All across the Great Northern Ocean, =
sometimes=20
found in warmer seas as well.
While the Cardiocetes have some of the largest = filter-feeding=20 species on Snaiad, old-school Balenarhynchid Jetocetes such as = Hadrocetoides=20 actually enjoy larger species diversity and biomass, especially in the = cold=20 climates. These creatures vary in size from just over two meters to = thirteen=20 meters long, and ply the Snaiadi seas for plankton and pelagic swimmers = of all=20 kinds.
Protected from the cold in deep layers of blubber,=20 Hadrocetoides balabani can be regularly observed around the = Great=20 Northern Ocean. They travel in family pods of up to a hundred = individuals, and=20 in turn are hunted by the two species of vicious Torpedichthyid = Polycardiac=20 Cardiocetes that live across their range.
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. =