Round 4 - “Piece of Peace”As species begin to better adapt to their particular niche, they drive out the species that are not so well-adapted. Slowly, these animals are spreading out, and taking distinctive forms. The oceans are quite peaceful at the moment, or as peaceful as the natural world can really be.
(Important Note: The next round will have an event and will also be the last evo round before we start the action. So make sure you think hard about your votes! I’m also going to write a recap so it may take slightly longer to come out.)
Squickia dente (Squick)AtroxYellow = 5
Teeth = 3
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This bright little creature has taken to calling the shallow seas home, as its yellow pigment protects it from the UV light. They can now reside here all day long, and have completely left the deeper ocean. They are quite unchallenged, with their only real competition being
Squickia viatorem at night.
Features: Cells at the surface called chromatophores contain a yellow pigment, which protects it from the effects of the sun. This allows species to live permanently in shallow seas. This species has also evolved thin teeth, made of dentine, that circle the mouth.
Distribution: Shallow Seas
Status: LC
Time: R.4
Size: 1.3mm (length)
Lifestyle: Filter-feeder
Predecessor: Squickia viatorem
Past Mutations: Muscles
Membrane
Pit Eyes
Chemoreceptors
Intuitive Memory
Gills (6)
Superstes ustis (Viitria)TheGraveKnightFix Axochord = 5
Improve Digestive System = 2
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This species is still not back to its former glory, as it is starting to lag behind the many other species filter-feed at the bottom of the ocean. However, they have slightly increased from before.
Features: Strangely, this species has re-evolved the axochord which was lost a few generations ago. These are longitudinal muscles along the back which are stiffer than the rest, and provide a place for muscle attachment. This leads to more efficient movement. Bacteria in the stomach chamber enable this species to get nutrients from multicellular food. However, the food has to be in really small chunks for the bacteria to do this, and as the species has no way of breaking food down, it often chokes it back up again.
Distribution: Ocean Floor
Status: EN
Time: R.4
Size: 2.4mm (length)
Lifestyle: Filter-feeder
Predecessor: Superstes retrorsum
Past Mutations:Muscles (I)
Pit Eyes
Axochord
Open Circulatory System
Bigger (30%)
Superstes labes (Grohkius Speedius)RoboTrannicImprove eyes = 5
Fix nervous system = 6
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This is the most advanced bottom-dweller and this makes it quite energy-hungry. It is well equipped to do so, at the expense of other species.
Features: The light spots of this species have slowly developed into pit eyes, depressed into cups. This means the species can tell what direction the light is coming from. These pit eyes have also started to narrow slightly, and very blurry shapes are visible. The nervous system has returned to normalcy and more; its able to retain simple memory.
Distribution: Ocean Floor
Status: NT
Time: R.4
Size: 2.0mm (length)
Lifestyle: Filter-feeder
Predecessor: Superstes medium
Past Mutations: Muscles
Open Circulatory System
Axochord
Pseudo-hearts
Eyespots
Oduntus rursus (Oduntus)avisceratorFins = 4
Backbone = 3
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This species inadvertently caused several extinctions. With its fins, it can now thrust itself through the water to food. Therefore, it can swim but sticks to the ocean floor where its food is located. This movement requires quite a lot of food and, as it is very well-adapted to its lifestyle, it has reduced the amount of species able to survive on the moss.
Features: Two small fins containing muscle on either side of the body enable this species to thrust itself through the water, rather than crawling. This movement is aided by the development of a pair of longitudinal muscles, known as the axochord. This is stiffer than the rest of the muscle and provides somewhere for attachment.
Distribution: Ocean Floor
Status: LC
Time: R.4
Size: 2.0mm (length)
Lifestyle: Herbivore
Predecessor: Oduntus dente
Past Mutations: Muscles (I)
Digestive System (Gizzard & Bacteria)
Pit Eyes
Chisel Teeth
Open Circulatory System
Planius reliqua (Tinus Agentus)agenttineExtend Exoskeleton = 2
Improve Muscles = 1 (ouch)
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The death of this species means the end of the peculiar, short-lived Planiesa family. (You should now choose one of the LC species to evolve off.)
Features: The calcified masses grew in an unfavourable way; they ended up blocking the nervous system, so that coordination was impossible. If this wasn't bad enough, it also picked up a genetic disorder that led to the wasting away of its muscles.
Distribution: Ocean Floor
Status: EX
Time: R.4
Size: 2.0mm (length)
Lifestyle: Herbivore
Predecessor: Planius gravis
Past Mutations: Muscles
Bigger (flat)
Digestive System (Bacteria)
Pit Eyes
Calcified Masses
Gills (4)
Tyranna comedenti (Tyranna)Immortal_DragonImproved Digestive System = 4
Photoreceptors = 2
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Having lost the ability of sight, this species now relies on its electroreceptors to find food. Luckily, the open ocean is currently sparsely populated, so there is plenty of food for now. It could also eat multicellular organisms, but there is none it can eat in its area. It supplements its diet with moss left by
Oduntus rursus.
Features: This species has picked up bacteria, which are able to break out the energy of multicellular food in its stomach chamber. It has also developed a gizzard, which grinds the food down to manageable size for the microbes.
Distribution: Ocean Floor, Open Ocean
Status: VU
Time: R.4
Size: 2.0mm (length)
Lifestyle: Filter-feeder
Predecessor: Tyranna natare
Past Mutations:Muscles
Electroreceptors
Open Circulatory System
Tail
Axochord
Nivia dolor (Niv)TrashImproved stomach = 1
Calcified beak = 4
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Unfortunately, the bacterial disease that this species picked up was enough to wipe out the small population. (Luckily for you, your ancestor Nivia natare is still alive, so you can choose to evolve from that, or from an LC species.)
Features: The end of the proboscis hardened into a calcified beak, which is great for scraping off moss. However, it has developed bacteria in the stomach chamber which often consume the animal itself.
Distribution: Ocean Floor
Status: EX
Time: R.4
Size: 1.7mm (length)
Lifestyle: Filter-feeder
Predecessor: Nivia natare
Past Mutations:
Bitter Chemical
Chemoreceptors
Proboscis
Hydrostatic Flippers
Tyranna musculi (Tyranna)soundwaveGills = 3
Improve Muscles = 5
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A very common species, the best of the three Tyranna species that patrol the open ocean. Not only is it quicker than the other two, it is also more energy-efficient.
Features: Three gills on either side of the animal increase its surface area, and therefore more oxygen can diffuse into the circulatory system. This then gets delivered around the body, leading to more energy for the animal. Furthermore, the muscles have been rearranged in such a way in the body, so as to make movement more efficient.
Distribution: Ocean Floor, Open Ocean
Status: LC
Time: R.4
Size: 2.1mm (length)
Lifestyle: Filter-feeder
Predecessor: Tyranna natare
Past Mutations: Muscles
Electroreceptors
Open Circulatory System
Tail
Axochord