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Contents 1 Scientific Classification 2 Statistics 3 Food Chain 3.1 Prey 3.2 Predators 4 Evolutionary History: The Stone Age 5 Trivia 6 See Also

[edit] Scientific Classification

Domain: Monocentralis (Single-Nucleus Complex Organisms)
Kingdom: --
Subkingdom: --
Superphylum: --
Phylum: Unspecified ("Animals" with Notochords)
Subphylum: Unspecified (Vertebrates)
Infraphylum: Gnathostoma (Jawed Vertebrates)
Superclass: Bipodomorpha (Two-Legged Vertebrates & Their Descendants)
Series: Ovozoan (Animals possessing amniotic eggs)
Class: Tentacleiosaura "Tentacle Reptile" (Tentacleiosaurs -- "Reptilians with tentacles")
Subclass: Chlorosauridae "Green Lizard" (Tentacleiosaurs with chloroplastic buds)
Infraclass: Therocoelognathus "Beast with Hollow Jaw" (Skull possesses large hollow openings for the mouth)
Superorder: Unspecified (Chlorosaurs with two legs)
Order: Ovokentron "Sharp Pointed Egg" (Ovosaurs with eggs covered in dermal denticles to deter predators)
Suborder: Carnochloroilae "Flesh, Green" (Carnivorous Chlorosaurs)
Infraorder: --
Family: Kritognathus "Separated Mouth" (Mouth is split into separate bone-parts -- more specifically, the Split-Jaw tentacleiosaurids)
Subfamily: Troonychus "Wound Claw" (Kritognathids that have recently developed killing claws on their inner toe)
Genus: --
Species: Ultravenator
Binominal Name: sp. ultravenator

[edit] Statistics

Species Type: Cold-blooded Amphibious Tentacleiosaur
Lifestyle: Social Predator
Hunt/Forage Success Rate: 60% Hunt (80% success rate), 40% Photosynthesis (99.7% success rate during day, 5% success rate during night)
Armor: Aurix possess very little natural armor, namely consisting of a leathery neck plate across the top of their neck (but not the lower section), and shark-like dermal denticles which cover their entire body as a type of scaling. These dermal denticles are also strengthened in order to support and anchor more powerful swimming muscles throughout the body, and thereby serve a dual purpose in this fashion. Besides this, the Aurix have yet to reach sapience. Due to their lower amounts of armor, they can die moderately easy when an attack gets through their offenses and defenses.
Defenses: Aurix possess electroplaques stored in their tails, which produce a low amp voltage capable of causing both dizzying discomfort and weak migraines able to cause incapacitation to terrestrial foes as well as being capable of dealing actual physical harm to their more aquatic opponents. They also possess weak poisonous skin and decent poison resistance, as well as their bony skeleton, which has been strengthened by thicker bones, chiefly in the ribs and legs. They also possess both a leathery neck plate and dermal denticles, which are described above. They also possess a skin coloring to help them blend in with the murky swamp waters. Despite these defenses being relatively weak, they can use their natural intelligence to escape harm, as well as their amphibious habits.
Weapons: Aurix possess a row of cnidocytes on either side of all four of their tentacle-arms which possess weak neurotoxin to incapacitate smaller prey or creatures with thin skin. They also possess a radula which usually lies within a tiny "nook" deep within their split jaw mouths; when used, it sticks out this tongue and whips it around, trying to saw against chitinous armors, although with less success as it did when the species possessed their ancient proboscis. However, this weapon has fallen into rapid disuse due wholly to their stomachs now possessing enough acidic content to successfully digest chitin, allowing them to just swallow their armored prey (however, they also no longer feed on any species of arthropods, and therefore do not need this evolution, and may soon lose it). As mentioned earlier, they can also use their electroplaques to stun or even kill some prey. Another weapon they possess a large bone scythe at the tip of their tails, which possesses a hollow center in order to release venom by way of a venom sac located at its base. They possess a spitting organ as well, which they use to fire a projectile venom attack from their mouths at foes, sometimes from the safety of their watery homes, like some kind of poisonous archer fish. The more recent addition to the Aurum's arsenal is elongated claws on its second pair of tentacle-arms; these are used to rake at prey (generally, Grendons, but also the occasional Quirlax) during hunts, or even at foes during fights; this has even more recently been supplemented by a pair of killing claws on their feet, located on their inner toes - these can be used to attack prey either by slashing from a standing position or jumping at prey, where they can inflict relatively deep wounds. The final weapon they possess is the split jaw mouth itself, which is actually separated into four jaws, which can open wider than a regular mouth to bite huge chunks of meat from foes and prey. This mouth is filled with a large complement of very sharp teeth, which are used for tearing rather than chewing; this means the Aurix, when feeding, typically tear large chunks off of prey, and then set this down, and tear it into smaller chunks that will successfully glide down their esophagus.
Tools: Two pairs of tentacle-arms, capable of simple manipulation of objects, or for wrapping around prey. The first pair of these tentacle-arms possess a split tentacle style of hand (which is formed when the tentacle-arm splits into four or five shorter tentacles, which are used like makeshift, yet far more flexible, fingers), designed to allow further manipulation of objects. The second pair possesses hunter's claws, which are long and slender; they are used for raking against foes and prey alike. However, they are also capable of a little manipulation.
Method of Eating: Grab prey with tentacles, using split-tentacles, if needed, hunter's claws to hold on. Certain prey is incapacitated by injecting them with cnidocytes that line the arms. Other prey that possess hard chiton shells incapable of either fitting the mouth entirely around or too tough to crack, use of radula to wear through armor is not uncommon. Bring prey to split jaw mouth and tear off large chunks of meat off of prey. If chunk is too large to immediately swallow, can either set food down and tear smaller chunks off until entire thing will fit down the esophagus, or use smaller, inner teeth (adapted from proboscis barbs they once had) to tear and chew the meat until it is in small enough chunks to fit safely down the esophagus and into the stomach, where digestion begins. After being processed within the acids of the stomach, it descends into the intestine, where nutrients are partially digested by the body, with wasted remnants excreted out the anus on the opposite end.
Reproductive Rate: Sexual maturity is reached after 5 years. Can reproduce any amount of times during their lifetime.
Gestation: 3.5 weeks then lays eggs -- eggs are laid in nests dug out of sand, dirt, and/or mud and formed into a shallow bowl shape through the use of natural enzymes excreted through their cloaca, combined with the processes of their ptchocyst nematocysts, which when combined work like a type of glue to hold their nests together (the ptchocyst works as a waterproofing seal). These nests are built within the shallows of their swampy home, as the eggs still need the air to breathe, as an Aurix cannot breathe underwater forever, and therefore the eggs still need to remain above the surface of the stagnant lake.
Offspring Incubation: 4 weeks until egg hatches after being laid.
Number of Offspring: 10 aurumlings per litter
Offspring Survival Rate (before age of maturity): 48% -- the Aurix are a very intelligent species, and have learned to take care of their young by laying the eggs in nests, which the mother then lays on, only leaving the nests during the incubation period in order to defecate (as they do not want the smell of their fecal matter to lead possible predators back to the nest). The males spend their time during incubation periods hunting for food, bringing typically a little over half of the food back for their mate awaiting on the nest (Aurix mate for life). After hatching, the young remain in the nest for 2 weeks before learning how to walk, at which point they follow their parents around and play with each other. After 3 weeks they learn how to swim. Most deaths occur before this stage, and typically in first-time mothers or when they leave the nests to release waste elsewhere, during which times egg thieves may advance on the nests occasionally and rob them.
Singular/Plural/Possessive: Aurum/Aurix/Aurixan

[edit] Food Chain

[edit] Prey

While not exactly highly-specialized predators, they are pack hunters who focus on only a few particular species for their sustenance. In times of starvation, they are said to occasionally resort to cannibalism. Minus their own kind, only three species are known to grace the Aurixan stomach linings.

• Grendon
• Quirlax
• Rockscale

[edit] Predators

The Aurix are certainly not considered an apex predator, and are viewed as a welcome food source to a number of species. While other colonies might know which species specifically predate upon them, the West Shore Aurix (which the storyline follows) only know a few species who feed upon their delectable flesh.

• Neomwa
• Gargantua Ray
• Aurosuchus

[edit] Evolutionary History: The Stone Age

<<This section will possibly begin once we reach sapience.>>

[edit] Trivia

• A group of Aurix is called a Battery.
• The Aurix were not the first sapient species on their planet. A mysterious race calling themselves the Zomm once lived here before a collision with a comet wiped out 99.9% of the planet's lifeforms in a huge cataclysmic event, billions of years ago.
• Aurix lead a symbiotic life. They carry a chloroplast symbiote called the Chlorolomba from early on in the Tide Pool Stage, which could give their hosts energy in the form of photosynthesis. These symbiotes now reside in "cluster organ buds" which reside for the most part just below the surface of the skin, although a certain amount of this sticks slightly out in a "bud" shape, allowing greater cluster organ surface area. The skin above these cluster organs is semi-transparent and thinner than the rest of the skin, allowing light to pass through easier. The Aurix themselves are carnivores, feeding chiefly off of both the Grendon and the Quirlax. They are entirely capable of killing their prey, and are excellent hunters.
• They possess a weak neurotoxin in the cnidocytes that line their tentacle-arms, which is released by will rather than automatically. They also have slightly poisonous skin.
• The Aurix Interactive Spore FanFic Game was started on the GameFaqs Spore Message Board on Saturday, March 25, 2006. Since then, the Aurix have gone through over 104 rounds of evolution, having yet to acquire sapience.

[edit] See Also

Aurum: Physiology, Social behavior, Offshoots, Geography, Tide pool phase, Sea phase, Land phase, Tribal phase

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