Content:Aurum/Offshoots
From SporeWiki, the knowledge base dedicated to Spore
|
This piece of user created content is a work in progress. Help out by cleaning up this article to conform better to the Manual of Style or suggest some ideas for improvements on the talk page. |
Contents |
[edit] The Offshoots
Over the many millennia of development, the Aurix gene has split several times, creating various new species, each with their own style of life; however, the Aurix themselves are considered the true offshoot of the original protista they started out as (chiefly because the Aurix are the ones to reach sapience and therefore can say whatever they want, essentially).
[edit] The Neomwa
The Neomwa were the earliest branch-off of the original Zocax strain. Originally nicknamed the "Neo-Protista", these creatures have evolved into speedy cephalopoids, which have succeeded in stirring chaos through the ranks of the Aurix colonies for millennia. Over time, the Neomwa evolved a thin fold between one of their pairs of tentacle-arms, which they used to glide for a very brief period of time above the waves, which set them on the path to follow the Aurix to shore. Since that day in age, they have grown two long fins and their original gliding tentacles have receded into their mouth-like gnathobranchium, which is formed from a shortened, thickened, and flattened pair of tentacles. This gnathobranchium is used in the Neomwa species as a means to accomplish a more streamlined body to allow for faster flight speeds. The Neomwa were entirely capable of eradicating the Aurix on more than one occasion, but chose to flee instead. Are the Neomwa smarter than previously thought? One can only make assumptions.
[edit] Scientific Classification
Domain: Monocentralis (Single-Nucleus Complex Organisms)
Kingdom: Neomalia "New Soul" (Neomalians -- Aurosian Eon's Fauna Life)
Superphylum: Padellizoa "Paddle Life" (Organisms who produce paddled larvae)
Phylum: Mollisia "Flexible" (Mollisians -- Flexible organisms utilizing a hydrostatic skeleton)
Class: Cephalopoides "Like Cephalopod" (Cephalopoids)
Subclass: Elasmomorpha "Elastic Shape" (Unarmored Cephalopoids)
Superorder: Etapoda "Eight Foot" (Etapods -- Eight-armed Cephalopoids)
Order: Bitentacleida (Two-Tentacled Cephalopoids - 2 of the 8 arms are tentacles)
Family: Pteropteryx "Wing Fin" (Flying Squids)
Subfamily: Placobrachius "Flat Arm" (Flat Armed Gliding Squids -- 2 arms are flattened)
Genus: Neomwa (Neomwa and nearest relatives)
Species: Regularis "Regular" (Catapult Tree Forest-dwelling Neomwa)
Binominal Name: Neomwa regularis
[edit] The Zrrmzasha
The Zrrmzasha are open sea-dwelling, human-sized ichthyosaurs who long ago gave up the hemophagic life of their ancestors for one of a more hunting-oriented style, feeding on fish, cephalopods, and spinocephalopods with their long snapping jaws. The upper jaw is absolutely packed with outward-pointing needle-like teeth, with a couple of pairs of enlarged fangs, which help in capturing slippery prey. However, their lower jaw has a whorl of teeth, which protrudes from the front; they use this to saw through their caught prey. Zrrmzasha are reptilians, and therefore need to breathe air, which they do through a pair of nostrils on the tips of their beak-like mouths, which they extend above the surface of the water when they go for air. A Zrrmzasha can hold its breath for up to two and a half hours at a time.
[edit] Scientific Classification
- Under Reconstruction
Domain: Eukaryota (Complex Organisms)
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Chordata (Animals with Notochords)
Subphylum: Vertebrata (Vertebrates)
Class: Sauropsida (Reptiles)
Subclass: Diapsida "Two Arches" (2 holes on each side of the skull, one above and below the eye, allowing jaws to open wider)
Superorder: Icthyopterygia "Fish Flippers" (Icthyosaurs)
Infraorder: Euichthyosauria (True Ichthyosaurs)
Order: Ichthyosauria "Fish Lizard" (Ichthyosaurs)
Family: Ichthyosauridae "x" (x)
Genus: Zrrmzashidae (Zrrmzashan Ichthyosaurs)
Species: Unknown "???" (Zrrmzasha)
Binominal Name: Zrrmzashidae ???
[edit] Statistics
Species Type: Cold-blooded aquatic reptilian
Lifestyle: Solitary predator
[edit] The Vrennum
The Vrennum (Vrenna is the plural form) are seemingly peaceful bipods who continue the hemophagic lifestyle of their ancestors in the tropical shallows around southern Zeeon. Here, they bury themselves in the sandy sea floor and await for potential prey to swim past, detecting them with their powerful array of ampullae of lorenzini that lines their proboscis. Once prey has been detected swimming overhead, the Vrennum will quickly lunge out of its hiding spot in a burst of its water jet and a cloud of silt, to catch its prey off-guard. Coming into contact with their intended victim, they will wrap their tentacle-arms around it, keeping their arms away from gill slits or certain defensive weaponry, while draining the subdued subject of its blood. Upon relieving the creature of all the blood that the Vrennum requires, they will release their hold on it and let their likely frightened prey flee, while the Vrennum itself will rebury themselves in the silt. They are the only offshoot to have lost their ancient Chlorolomba symbiont, and therefore must rely completely on their hemophagic tendencies. Two subspecies exist: one that continues to survive in the Great Tidal Pool and one that survives now in the Deep Mangrove.
[edit] Scientific Classification
Domain: Eukaryota (Complex Organisms)
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Chordata (Animals with Notochords)
Subphylum: Vertebrata (Vertebrates)
Class: Spinocephalopoda (Cephalopods with Vertebrae)
Subclass: Spinoidea (Cephalopods with Vertebrae)
Superorder: Bidiformes (Spinocephalopods with two tentacle-arms)
Order: Bipoda (Bipods - Spinocephalopods with two tentacle-arms flanking the face)
Family: Orthoceras "Straight Horn" (Bipods with streamlined shells)
Genus: Cryptohemovenator "Hidden Blood Hunter" (Parasitic Bottom-hiding Orthocerases)
Species: Vrenni "Vrennum" (Vrennum)
Binominal Name: Cryptohemovenator vrenni
[edit] The Grendon
The Grendon are a race that quickly lost their close physical relation to the Aurix; where the Aurix chose to become amphiboids and eventually tentacleiosaurs, the Grendon stayed spinocephalopods, eventually evolving into terrapods. They arrived on land ever-so-slightly prior to the batch of Quadrix that would eventually become the Aurix themselves, having fled the tropical Great Tidal Pool only a few months before the Aurix themselves did so. Even with such a short span between the Aurix and Grendon's arrivals on land, the Grendon had already developed into a completely separate species. The Grendon possess far stronger muscles in their tentacle-arms, choosing to use them to lift themselves off the ground as makeshift legs, with their faces pointing downwards. Because their heads always point towards the ground, they have developed many eyestalks farther up their bodies which face backwards and to the sides and front to watch for potential predators as well as prey. Their main bodies have grown into a bulky, muscle-bound, squishy sphereoid, and a collapsible sail, flanked by two sail stubs, now serve as a means of visual communication during hunts; the sail is also filled with the Grendon's chlorolomba symbiont, which allows them to use it as a means of obtaining energy, as well.
They feed exclusively upon another offshoot, the far gentler herd-grazer Quirlax, and are always found within the same general vicinity, deep in the Catapult Forest that surrounds the Southern Beach they had initially arrived on land in.
The Grendon are the main food source of their Aurix cousins. At one point, they were generally larger and more armed with powerful weapons than the Aurix, but the Aurix had intellect on their side, and only occasionally fell to their prey in combat. Nowadays, the Aurix and the Grendon are roughly the same size, and the Grendons have little to defend themselves against their vicious foes. One Grendon will feed a few adult Aurix for a day.
[edit] Scientific Classification
Domain: Monocentralis (Single-Nucleus Complex Organisms)
Kingdom: Neomalia (Neomalids -- The New Vuunegan Fauna)
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: Spinocephalopoda (Cephalopoids with Vertebrae)
Subclass: Spinoidea (Cephalopoids with Vertebrae)
Superorder: Hexidiformes (Spinocephalopods with 4 tentacle-arms and 1 pair of feet)
Order: Terrapoda (Terrapods - Spinocephalopods adapted to land)
Family: Pachytentaclei "Thick Tentacles" (Terrapods which walk on their tentacles)
Genus: Grendoni "Grendon" (Grendons)
Species: Unspecified
Binominal Name: Grendoni sp.
[edit] The Quirlax
The Quirlaxi (Quirlax being the singular form) split off immediately from the Grendon as soon as they moved onto land. They, however, had developed a stomach and then a short snout-like mouth rather than continuing their hemophagic lifestyle, instead choosing to feed on the flora surrounding the beach. This lifestyle has also made them far less violent than other offshoots (namely the Neomwa, Zrrmzasha, and Grendon). They initially enjoyed spending all of their time grazing the low-lying scrusk at the higher elevations of the beach, close to the surrounding forest, but over time they have grown into long-necked foliage grazers deep in the tropical xenosurin forests and the mangrove swamps. Here, they feast off of the leaves of the two main xenosurin trees in the area, as well as the fruit bore by the shorter species. Their four tentacle-arms have been arranged upon their bodies so as to allow them an easy way to deliver food to their mouths.
They dislike the Grendon feeding upon them (although it does not often result in death), but for many generations were unable to stop them from doing so, and so dealt with the pests as best they could, occasionally stampeding in attempts to flee. However, when several witnessed an Aurixan attempt to protect one of the Quirlaxi dead who had gotten "caught in the crossfire" between the Aurix hunting pack and a brash young Grendon male that had been feeding off of it. This started a chain reaction that led to the Quirlax trusting the Aurix to protect them from Grendon attacks, although this all came into question when the Aurix too began feeding on the Quirlax. Now through some sort of Stockholm syndrome, the Quirlax will continue to entrust the Aurix to protect them from Grendon; however, they are now suspicious when Aurix enter the area, not knowing whether the Aurix will eat Grendon or Quirlaxi first.
[edit] Scientific Classification
Domain: Monocentralis (Single-Nucleus Complex Organisms)
Kingdom: Neomalia (Neomalids -- The New Vuunegan Fauna)
Subkingdom: Zygodermata "Joined Skin" (Neomalids with 3 Germ Layers)
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)
Superorder: Unspecified (Chlorosaurs with four legs)
Order: Tetraopsida "Four Eyes" (Chlorosaurs with four eyes)
Suborder: Unspecified (Browsing Tetraopsids)
Infraorder: Altideireus "Column Neck" (Vertical-necked Tetraopsids)
Family: Spinopisthen (Altideirens with thagomizers)
Genus: Quirlaxa "Quirlax" (Long-necked Quirlax & their close relatives)
Species: Unspecified
Binominal Name: Quirlaxa sp.
[edit] The Screek
The Screek split from the Aurix only several thousand years after the creation of the Grendon, Quirlax, and eventually the Therox. They quickly moved away from the beach to reside in the xenosurin forest beyond, where they adapted into an arboreal species, first gliding between trees and then soon actually utilizing powered flight through membranes between two of their tentacles. They have developed a dark-colored leathery skin pattern to survive as nocturnal creatures, and rest in carved out holes in the smaller xenosurin trees of the forest, carved out with their tiny claws on their front pair of feet. They continue to feed off of blood - that much is known, due to their continuation of the proboscis - but what species exactly they feed upon is not known. They possess external ears, a first for the entire line. These are used to allow them to hear their own high-pitched shrieks, which they use to echolocate their prey as well as surroundings in the dark of night.
Interestingly, the Screek have retained their Chlorolomba symbiont, which can be assumed are used to continue to nourish the species as they rest during the day, providing them with that much more energy when they finally awake to hunt. Another interesting note is that the Screek are the only offshoot known to actually shrink in size rather than just continue to grow; this was in order to help them in flight. In more recent times, they have grown a tooth-like circular bone from the tip of their tail, which allows them to fight off predators, or even cut themselves free of Spinster webs, if they are lucky.
[edit] Scientific Classification
- Under Reconstruction
Domain: Eukaryota (Complex Organisms)
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Chordata (Animals with Notochords)
Subphylum: Vertebrata (Vertebrates)
Superclass: Tetrapoda (Tetrapods)
Unranked: Amniota (Amniotes)
Class: Sauropsida (Reptiles)
Subclass: Anapsida (Anapsids)
Superorder: Hemosauridae "Blood Lizard" (Hemophagic Lizards)
Order: Macrohemosaurus "Large Blood Lizard" (Dog-sized Hemosaurs)
Family: Echoididae "Echo" (Hemosaurs that locate prey through echos)
Genus: Screeka "Screek" (Land-dwelling Screek Lizards)
Species: ???
Binominal Name: Screeka ???
[edit] The Aurosuchus
- Under Construction
[edit] The Offshoots' Offshoots
Although all species originated from the Aurix (or, more precisely, the extinct Zocax, which the Aurix claim they are the direct descendants of, as opposed to the Neomwa), it has been uncovered that the Zrrmzasha have given rise to an offshoot of their own. Could this mean that more of the offshoots have had offshoots of their own? Only time and exploration will tell for sure...
[edit] The Zrrnigor
The Zrrnigor are an offshoot of the Zrrmzasha species. Although their coloring is similar to their ancestors, they have successfully separated themselves from this bunch. Having regrown their legs that they had long-since lost, and gaining a long neck, they have transformed into a species of nothosaurids. Zrrnigor are marine creatures, which spend much of their days basking in the sun upon the sandy beaches of the Zeeon continent, while diving and hunting for ichthyd in the koryl reefs later in the evening and even at night. Zrrnigors have several adaptations which make them a very unique species. These include:
- A fluked tail, in the same general design as a dolphin or a whale, which they use by sweeping it up and down to propel themselves powerfully forward through the marine environments.
- Webbed feet, which they can use to help guide them in the water, or for more fine adjustments during slower swimming periods.
- Two dorsal fins, to help in stabilization in the water.
- A set of extendable ribs adapted to be capable of folding outwards, much like a cobra's hood. These folds hold the species' chlorolomba symbiotes, which they spread open while basking during the day. These can then be folded back into the body to help minimize drag effect.
- Scissor jaws, where the teeth continue to extend far past the mouth's end, creating a pair of razor-sharp "scissors", which they use to shear their prey in half, immediately preventing their escape and allowing the Zrrnigor to waste no more energy in a chase and instead feed.
[edit] Scientific Classification
- To Be Announced
[edit] Statistics
Species Type: Cold-blooded amphibious reptilian
Lifestyle: Non-social group predator
Hunt/Forage Success Rate:
Armor: Zrrnigor, despite their fearfully powerful shearing force, are not known for their armor. They possess thin, leathery, reptilian skin, which can be fairly easily penetrated with enough force. However, to do so, one must get past those fearsome jaws...
Defenses: Zrrnigor defenses are weak, possessing only three styles of defense, all of which exist on only a subtle level. These are:
- A calcium bone skeleton, which protects the organs from being too easily ruptured or pierced. However, most vertebrates possess a system like this, and it is therefore not fantastic.
- A small amount of electroplaques, stored within the muscles of the tail. These are an ancient adaptation, and can cause discomfort in local creatures and foes when utilized.
- The leathery skin mentioned above.
Weapons:
Tools: Zrrnigor do not possess any tools for manipulation, due to their legs being adapted for walking and swimming, and nothing else. As such, the Zrrnigor are forced to manipulate anything they wish to do so with their mouths -- this leads to many a shearing, and so is almost strictly used on prey animals, although some use of these scissor jaws are used during annual mating rituals.
Method of Eating:
Reproductive Rate: They congregate into more social colonies to reproduce during the warmer summer months (when they have much energy to spare).
Gestation:
Offspring Incubation:
Number of Offspring: 1-2 offspring may be born during one birthing. However, 1 is the usual number, with twins being an uncommon (though not rare) occurance.
Offspring Survival Rate (before age of maturity):
Plural/Singular/Possessive: Zrrnigors/Zrrnigor/Zrrnigoran
[edit] See Also
|
Aurum: Physiology, Social behavior, Offshoots, Geography, Tide pool phase, Sea phase, Land phase, Tribal phase |
