From: =?koi8-r?B?88/I0sHOxc7PIFdpbmRvd3MgSW50ZXJuZXQgRXhwbG9yZXIgNw==?= Subject: Pescidonts of Snaiad (Nemo Ramjet) Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 07:23:41 +0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00F3_01C9D852.BC6E1A60" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.0.6001.18049 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00F3_01C9D852.BC6E1A60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.nemoramjet.com/sndcladespescidonts.html =EF=BB=BF
Pescidonts are near-cousins of the fabled = Kahydroniformes. The=20 primary difference between these two clades is not, as one might think, = the=20 bipedal gaits of the Pescidonts. In fact, some Pescidonts do have = quadrupedal=20 gaits, and bipedal true Kahydrons are known from fossil remains. The = main=20 difference between Kahydroniformes and the Pescidonts is actually the = presence=20 of a well-developed hydraulic bite on the Kahydrons=E2=80=99 first-head = jaws.=20 Pescidonts, on the other hand, have conventional muscles in this region = and=20 their hydraulics do not extend beyond their necks.
The lack of this adaptation seems to have excluded = the=20 Pescidonts from large-predator niches. Instead, these creatures prosper = in a=20 dazzling variety as small hunters, =E2=80=9Csnake eaters,=E2=80=9D = scavengers and even=20 herbivores.
Species: Pescidon insignai
Common Names: Pescidon =
(This is=20
the only Pescidont that is generally known as such.)
Size: 3 meters, =
but=20
usually less.
Habitat: All of Vesterna north of the Divider Alps, =
also=20
abundant in North-Western parts of Isterna.
This is a typical Pescidont, if anything can be = considered=20 =E2=80=9Ctypical=E2=80=9D in this diverse and hugely varied family. It = runs on two extended hind=20 legs, its front legs have spade-like claws used for digging and = grasping, and=20 its jaws are thin and elongated, able to snap up suddenly on fast-moving = small=20 prey. Its second head is extensible and quite long for a creature this = size, yet=20 still small compared to those of some other Pescidont groups. With these = adaptations, it hunts for creatures as small as Trikes and as large as=20 Chopsticks. (Lygodectes sp.) Very rarely, vicious = =E2=80=9Cberserker=E2=80=9D=20 individuals have been observed trying to attack larger herbivores such = as=20 Pneumagazelles and Rollpigs (Xenosus sp.) Like many other = Pescidonts,=20 they also take fruits and plants as a dietary supplement.
These creatures are among the most social large = animals on=20 Snaiad, usually living in clearly defined family groups or = =E2=80=9Ctribes.=E2=80=9D Individuals=20 often stroke and groom each other with their elongated second heads. = This action=20 seems to give them pleasure and strengthen social bonds. They are = curious and=20 investigative by nature and this extends well into their relations with = human=20 beings, whom they are not afraid of. They never attack people unless = provoked,=20 and settlers usually offer them food and water around their homes. In = return,=20 the Pescidons alert the human residents of potential danger and even = fight=20 against intruding large predators. This mutualistic cooperation saved a = lot of=20 lives during the infamous =E2=80=9CArbophobe Wars,=E2=80=9D making the = Pescidons the favorite=20 indigenous pets of the Snaiadi people.
Species: Ancyrania thaumadira
Common Names: =
Spearneck,=20
Desert Loper.
Size: More than 5 meters long.
Habitat: The Great =
Ankyranian=20
Desert.
Like a surreal mirage walking across the sand dunes, = this close=20 relative of the common Pescidon is one of the largest animals that can = tolerate=20 the extreme conditions found in the Great Ankyranian Desert. It has = numerous=20 special adaptations to live there, such as a fat storing tail, long,=20 heat-regulating flaps on its neck and back and sand-proofing flaps in = its eyes=20 and two heads. The purpose of the long, rattling spikes on its neck = remains a=20 mystery; they could work somehow to condense water from the morning dew, = serve=20 as protection against predators such as Dune Fuckers (Ammofututor=20 harkoneeana,) or work as inter-sexual display devices.
Unlike many of its Pescidont cousins, this animal is = more of an=20 herbivore, subsisting mainly on the thorny desert shrubs or the = root-like=20 growths it digs from under the sand.
Species: Vermiphilia langia
Common Name: =
Sprog-Prober.=20
Size: 1.5 meters long.
Habitat: Sprogland across Vesterna.
The hole-riddled, mat-like layers of sprog are a form = of=20 vegetation unique to Snaiad. A staggering variety of small-to-medium = sized,=20 usually serpentine creatures dwell among the spongy interior of these = abundant=20 growths, forming a potentially rich food source for any creature that = can catch=20 them. On the mainland continents of Snaiad, small Vermidont Pescidonts = such as=20 Vermiphilia have tapped into this resource by evolving long = first-head=20 beaks, with which they =E2=80=9Cprobe=E2=80=9D the sprog for the animals = inside. Their second=20 heads are also extremely elongated and snake-like, able to dive into = sprog for=20 further pursuit of their serpentine prey. If all measures fail, these = Vermidonts=20 can also use their hook-like claws to rip apart the obscuring layers of = sprog.=20 Their hips have specialized joints and their bodies and tails form a = distinct,=20 seesaw-like balance that makes =E2=80=9Cdipping=E2=80=9D easier and more = energy-efficient.
There are more than a hundred species of these = interesting=20 creatures on Snaiad, each usually confined to a very specific region. On = the=20 isolated island of Thalassia, the Monoanticheran Snake-Eaters have also = evolved=20 to look and act like Sprog-Probers, although they hail from a completely = unrelated lineage.
Species: Sifteria rotundus
Common Names: Spotted =
Topaki,=20
Golden Ball, Triggerback.
Size: 60-70 centimeters tall.
Habitat: =
Western=20
Neomediterranean shores, extending into the Great Western Pinnacle =
Range.
These spherical creatures have been classified in = their own=20 group for a long time, but they are actually Pescidonts, albeit highly = derived=20 ones. With first-head faces mashed directly into their bodies, they = exhibit=20 Primary Acephaly; a common condition on Snaiad where large land animals = have two=20 heads but no brains or vital organs in either of them. Primary Acephaly = usually=20 affects =E2=80=9Cfreak=E2=80=9D individuals only, but for some reason it = has taken root in the=20 Bumboiforme Pescidonts.
These animals feed on anything they can find, = including smaller=20 animals, trikes, plants and even bits of carrion. Their second heads are = hugely=20 extended, with jaw-like flaps and sensitive whiskers on their ends. They = sometimes venture into water to escape predators, and this is how = Snaiadi=20 zoologists think their amusing descendants, the marine Blumbomeniformes, = initially evolved.
Species: Bumbo maximus
Common Name: Tank =
Topaki.
Size:=20
2-3 meters long.
Habitat: South-Eastern Istenra except the =
Ankyranian=20
Desert, also present in Oroland.
A giant among the Bumboiforme Pescidonts, this = hulking, heavy=20 beast is essentially a scaled-up version of its smaller cousins. It = browses in=20 the plains, scrublands, pinnacle-range galleries and sprog-plains, = looking for=20 anything it can eat. It has a long, spear-like beak emerging from what = is left=20 of its first head, used not only for self-defense but also as a = =E2=80=9Csprog prober=E2=80=9D=20 like the beaks of its Vermidont cousins. The males regularly grow and = shed=20 antler-like hand-claws that are almost as long as their beaks.
Out of the numerous Bumboiforme species, B. = maximus is=20 the first discovered and only domesticated one. Snaiadi settlers used = them as=20 draught animals in the initial years of colonization, but with the = widespread=20 availability of cars and nanorail, only hobbyists and zoos breed them = these=20 days. Human-derived breeds include the famous Smyrniote Giant Pumpkin, = as well=20 as the dwarf Tomato Jousters.
Species: Dextraglossos minimus
Common Name: Golden =
Kahydron,=20
Aarite Kahydron.
Size: 75- 90 centimeters.
Habitat: The island of =
Aar.
These animals=E2=80=99 common name as = =E2=80=9CKahydrons=E2=80=9D reveals their=20 mistaken origins at their initial discovery. Honestly, it is difficult = to blame=20 the early explorers since with their tiny hoof-and-claw forefeet and = quadrupedal=20 gaits, Dextraglossos=E2=80=99 perfectly resemble = Kahydroniformes, albeit very=20 small ones. Only later, when dead specimens were dissected did their = true=20 origins as derived Pescidonts emerge. These creatures, although = superficially=20 Kahydron-like, lack the signature hydraulic jaws of the Kahydroniformes. = Their=20 origins on the isolated island of Aar are also a mystery, debate rages = on about=20 whether, they were already present on Aar when it broke apart from = Isterna, or=20 whether they rafted over from the mainland later.
Oblivious to the mysteries surrounding them, these = dwarfed=20 creatures live as generalist predators on Aar. One remarkable = characteristic=20 they have is their amazingly dexterous second heads, with which they can = grasp=20 and carry objects, groom and tickle each other and even make primitive = tools.=20 Individuals have been observed using sticks to probe burrows and sprog = and using=20 stones to break open land clams.
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. =