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[Roboson]

Across the night sky, a bright and bloody gash tore it's way across the void. A sanguine rock, aflame with friction plummets down towards an icey planet. Ice sheets cover most of this world, luckily however, the comet flies true towards the equator. It slowly it breaks apart as it descends, and spills it's contents into the ocean near a small continent.

The Shallows

The light here is powerful. The sky is a swirl of light and deep blue, dotted with clouds of a whispy composition. No more than a few meters in depth, during the long days, this area is bombarded with intense light. Plants and corals are common here, and life is abundant. At least for a time. Nights here are also long, bringing forth the dangers of the dark. As one draws closer to the island, small river mouths pour into the ocean. There are three main areas here, interspaced with the occasional sandy desert: the reef, the sea grass prairies, and the kelp forest. Further out to sea, the Shallows drop off with a near sheer cliff, leading down into the darkness and the open ocean beyond. For now little is known of the indigenous populations of this world, perhaps as time goes on, more creatures will be discovered.

The White Rays
Green surrounds you, and it is glorious. The Shallows are a wide hodge-podge of shallow rocky reefs, sand wastes, and most importantly, fields of sea grasses. It is here the White Rays take hold. The wavy grasses form fields of delicious food, a bounty of extreme portions. Yet this area is not without danger. Eel-like parasites can be found here, and once attached, are difficult to remove. Avoidance is often the best strategy. Predators too lurk nearby, mainly the dragon carp, which you can oft escape from, but if one is not vigilant, the end is swift. Some rays drift near the kelp forest, but the sea grass is a much easier food source than the fiberous kelp.

Feeler Worms
It was in the darkness of night that the feeler worms found their the home. Across the Shallows, few creatures could be active at night. Yet the feeler worms found their feelers gave them a competitive edge against the indigenous populations in this regard. Scavenging under the cover of darkness was relatively safe. Your main source of food is detritus, however, the occasional large corpse drifting to rest on the sea floor, provides an incredible bounty and algae provides another source of food as well. While present in most areas, the cracks and crevices of the reef allow the worms to hide during the day and thus, the main population is established there.

Dragon Carp
The Shallows are abound with life, and dragon carp quickly come to capitalize on that. While sea grasses are edible, they oft serve as hiding places for tasty morsels and dragon carp tend to frequent these areas over the sandy planes or the reefs who's crevices allow prey to escape. Here Small Eaters and Blood Minnows serve as good food sources, while White Rays tend to elude you. Glaive eels are another, though less common, food source. However, it is the vampire fish which troubles you most, as few large predators have yet to be discovered. Once one manages to attach itself, its parasitism can prove taxing, though not deadly outright, it weakens the Carp. As time goes on, the Dragon Carp become more nomadic as they grow older, requiring larger areas to sustain themselves. They frequent all areas of the shallows, mainly the reef and the sea grass prairies. The kelp forest serves as a secondary hunting grounds, though the area proves to provide less sustenance.

Glaive Eel
Interestingly enough, the Glaive eel does not come to dwell in the kelp forest outright. Instead, they linger nearby in the muddy or sandy plains where they are less likely to be bothered. Never straying very far, bits of tough kelp are dragged away to be properly mulled. Small depressions in the sand are created, serving as slight shelters from the plankton rich currents where the glaive eels tend to take their food to. Yet dangers are not unknown here, Dragon Carp occasionally wander near and swarms of blood minnows can occasionally overwhelm a glaive eel caught in it’s nest.

Vampire Fish
The vampire fish find their new home to be quite to their liking. Their translucent bodies make them difficult to detect as they slink through the cracks in the reef. Then, when the time is right and prey is unsuspecting, they slowly extend their bodies and attach themselves like leeches. Among the many corals of the reef, their translucence is a boon, making them hard to detect across the fantastical colors. Mainly preying on the Dragon Carp, who grow large and lumbering in old age. Occasionally a White Ray is caught, but their speed means they often elude you. Blood minnows are truly your main predator, their swams often overwhleming you while their small bodies serve as difficult to deal with using your probuscus.

Blood Minnows
The blood minnows have some difficulties, as their greatest strength is often their greatest weakness. Forming large swarms, they can easily overwhelm glaive eels and vampire fish which both tend to linger in crevices and depressions. However, their swarms serve as targets for dragon carp which are often too large for a swarm to effectively attack. A single dragon carp may assult a swarm, devouring dozens of the closely packed shrimplike creatures. Your swarms take up residence in the reefs and occasionally venture into the sand planes, finding the kelp forest and grass prairies to be less good hunting grounds.

Cleaners
Of all the strange creatures to arrive in this place, the cleaners are the oddest. Forgoing fins for small limbs, they move along the sea floor with a slow walking motion. In time, they come to reside in the kelp forest, where their limbs allow them to climb among the shifting towering kelp. There, among the drifting leaves, they live an undersea arboreal lifestyle. Predators are uncommon here, among the shadowy green gloom and cleaners are only occasionally bothered by the dragon carp. Glaive eels serve as a nuisance more than a threat, cutting down kelp fronds and dragging them out into the dangers of the open plains. While highly resistant to venoms of their home comet, few creatures here are venomous and that trait may begin to disappear as it becomes less important to survival.

Small eaters
These starfish-like creatures gain a foothold in the reefs and sand planes fairly quickly. Their small size and willingness to eat whatever they can fit in their mouth makes them very flexible when it comes to food sources. Algae grazing is common, though scraps from other creatures meals, or defecation, often allow for diverse diets. Unfortunately, their small size make them a tasty treat for nearly everything. Young dragon carp, blood minnows, occasionally a glaive eel, near anything that has an inclination to eat meat will eat you. However, this causes your creatures to spread further than most, distributing themselves across both the reefs and the sand planes.


White Rays (SC777)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Population: 4
Growth Limit Coefficient: 2
Length: 5
Width: 8
Size: 40
Speed: 2
Diet: Herbivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Quick to flee
Traits: Pectoral Fins, Accelerated Swimming
Coloration: White

Feeler Worms (Crazyabe)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Population: 15
Growth Limit Coefficient: 1
Length: 5
Width: 2
Size: 10
Speed: 1
Diet: Scavenger
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Nocturnal
Traits: Kinetic Sonar, Sensitive hairs
Coloration:

Dragon Carp

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Population: 20
Growth Limit Coefficient: 3
Length: 5
Width: 1
Size: 5
Speed: 1
Diet: Carnivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Nomadic hunting
Traits: Continual Growth
Coloration: Silver blue

Glaive Eel

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Population: 20
Growth Limit Coefficient: 2
Length: 6
Width: 1
Size: 1
Speed: 1
Diet: Herbivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Rudimentary Nest building
Traits: Boney beak
Coloration: Mottled Brown

Vampire Fish

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Population: 15
Growth Limit Coefficient: 2
Length: 5
Width: 2
Size: 10
Speed: 1
Diet: Parasite/Herbivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Attach to prey
Traits: Proboscis
Coloration: Translucent

Blood Minnows

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Population: 140
Growth Limit Coefficient: 1
Length: 1
Width: 1
Size: 1
Speed: 1
Diet: Carnivore
Mind: 2
Behaviors: Swarming, Feeding Frenzy
Traits: Pheromones
Coloration:

Small Eaters

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Population: 160
Growth Limit Coefficient: 1
Length: 1
Width: 1
Size: 1
Speed: 1
Diet: Scavenger
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Solitary
Traits: Grasping Spines
Coloration:

[Naturegirl1999]

Small Eaters start to grow spines on the top of their body to discourage predation

[TricMagic]

As with time, growth occurs, as they grow larger. Secondary Fins begin to appear to help with their speed in water, often allowing for quick strikes and evasion.

Dragon Carp: As they grow older, additional fins sprout along their sides to improve their speed in the water. These fins can contract against the sides of the scales when not needed. Small evolution


OoG Section.

The dragons of the Shallows. CARP~Carp~

Granted, in time they will need to leave the shallows for deeper hunting grounds as they grow older.

[Leonardo8]

The blood minnows found itself in the middle of the chain. The double pressures, coming form either side of the food chain forced a development in the blood minnows senses.  Their sense of smell is increased, with  bigger part of their brain devoted to olfactory processing and more smell receptors. This should allow blood minnows to find my prey more easily and perceive the Dragon carps before they come close enough to eat them. It will also lay the background for more complex chemical messages.

[AbstractTraitorHero]

The Vampire fish makes to say the least minute sounds, the rustling of coral's, the quick sounds of disturbed water as they push and extend themselves forward. It's relatively easy for them, they have a plentiful environment, they breed true and have safe spaces for their eggs.

Their prey is plentiful, delicious and they have ample habitat.

They evolve to become more comfortable in it, their bodys begin to grow segmented and bumpy. Akin to a worms really, helping them attach to rough coral and tell them when a bit of coral was rough or potentially unsafe to land on. This comes with the added benefit of providing more overall control of their body, able to launch themselves from coral and flex their segments for a tiny boost of speed!

Perhaps this evolution came due to simply the roughness of coral and the energy required as well to move off and on it repeatedly. As well as the inherant danger leaving the coral has for them?

[crazyabe]

The Feeler Worms develop small blade like protrusions upon their heads- these are used to better cut into corpses and plants for food- and to defend them in the few times other creatures encounter them.
In addition, they gain a greenish coloration.

[darkwarlock3]

Cleaners begin the development of venom glands and two hollow fangs for injecting venom

[Shadowclaw777]

The White Rays only had a goal of thriving on the delicious green that other species ignored due to their own fatalistic nature, they utilized their size and grace to ignore the threat of the lesser creatures to them, however the Vampire Fish were irritating at best but the damn apex predator that started out a little thing that took the shape of an evergrowing loach, is what made them hate the most, and so their body evolved for a countermeasure throughout the generation

The easy to penetrate flesh is replaced and evolved with thick dark grey scales on a backing, this would allow their bodies to not be infiltrated by lesser parasites and for larger creatures would have difficult trying to pierce and wound the White Rays as they evade back to safety.

[Doubloon-Seven]

The Glaive Eels were safer in their little burrows, sure, but sudden attack was a very real danger, and one that a sleeping individual could not respond to with any degree of success. Little noticed, a minor mutation suffused the Eel's cells with a foul-smelling, oily fluid, which just so happened to be poisonous when ingested.

The Glaive Eels mutate an internal poison within its tissues, which, while relatively weak -- to allow for the Eel to tolerate its presence within its body -- is incredibly malodorous.

[Roboson]

The Shallows

The shallows have begun to settle once again. The meteor impact had greatly upset the local ecosystem, with many creatures having their populations dramatically reduced, driven out of the area, or simply went extinct. Over this era, many indiginous populations returned to the Shallows, bringing with them new life, and new dangers. From strange shrimp snakes, to glowslugs, to cube crabs, the biodiversity of this area greatly recovers.


The Grey? Rays
Over time, the vampire fish were a distinct issue for the white rays. White rays were an especially easy target for the ambush parasite, hiding in reeds and lunging onto the rays as they grazed. Most times the rays could evade, but in the case they did not react quickly enough, the results were debilitating. One vampire fish was little bother, a mild leech, but others would follow. With each new parasite, ray was weakened further and further until it became easy prey for predators. Over the era, rays with thicker skin were naturally selected for. This gave them a thick grey layer of leathery scales across their back. The results were two-fold, this decreased the number of the (relatively large) parasites, but also make them more difficult prey for dragon carp and the dreaded sword gar which occasionally wander into the area. Though the venomous leaf snakes are a new danger in and of themselves. With less predation, your population grows moderately, though you do have increased competition from giant urchins, feeler worms, and sea ants.

Feeler Worms
Competition has become a major problem for this little worms. As indigenous populations return to the area, the feeler worms find themselves competing for their scavenger niche. This leads to the prevalence of an unusual split in your population, centered around a divergent evolution. Most of your population has developed a blade-like horn atop their head, allowing them to saw into plant material and wiggle into corpses through incisions. However, it appears that in some members of your species, this horn forms improperly, becoming a club-like helmet over the majority of their head instead. While the sword-heads find a home in seagrass prairies, where they can use their horns to cut into the grass, the mace-heads remain in the reef and use their noggins to headbash their way through various shells. Major and minor sub-species diverge . Predation is a lesser issue with the development of these defenses, still dragon carp and bloodminnow swarms are a danger to your worms.

Dragon Carp
This is an unusual era for the dragon carp. On one hand, there are many more food sources about the Shallows. Shrimp snakes, cube crabs, and tangle stars all serve as new, albeit less common, food sources. But there are more dangers. Giant urchins, thundershells, glowslugs, and bone jellies all are dangerous to eat. And the sword gar and pufferwhale have taken to preying on you. While your population grows slightly, the number of larger individuals declines. The increased competition and danger leads to a natural selection for increased speed, and extra fins help with this greatly. 

Glaive Eel
Glaive eels were relatively successful this era. Their main issue was previously swarms of blood minnows, which could overwhelm the Glaive eel bowls, but as time went on, a the blood minnows developed a keen sense of smell. This led to the stinkiest eels being left alone in favor of milder members of the species. In time, most Glaive eels smell atrocious. Oddly enough, a sub species develops as a result. While most reek, the Fragrant Glaive Eels poison is chemically similar to the blood minnows pheromones that it disrupts their swarms. A major and minor species diverge . Yet other competition has appeared, naimly the kelp grouper, which are highly territorial and tend to chase the eels away, and the giant urchins ravenously consume kelp. Not to mention the dangerous leaf snakes. And too a danger appears among the leaves of the Glaive eel’s favorite food, kelp. Small glowing slugs linger among the leaves and if consumed by accident, envenom the glaive eel. Many an eel fall sick as a result of this venom leading some to graze on the sea grass prairies more often. Also, a somewhat rare glass-bubble algae seems to be only eaten by the Glaive eels and giant urchins.
 

Vampire Fish
The rough rocks of the reef have hardened the skin of the vampire fish. Clear rough segments, like weathered glass, form their body now. They linger between the cracks, or hidden within sea grass, still and silent, nigh invisible if one is not looking for their internal organs, one could miss them entirely. And miss them entirely many do. White rays and dragon carp are still good targets, taken by surprise by the lightning swift lunge of the vampire fish. Many escape of course, but the vampire fish is patient. It needs be successful only once. Yet there are other forms of prey now, large beasts of the depths and estuaries wander in search of food. Many a vampire fish can be seen attached to the sword gar, though this proves to be only a temporary respite, for the vampire fish must release their hold before the gar reenters the freshwater it lives in. So too the pufferwhale is a good prey. Many vampire fish find themselves dragged into the depths when this monster returns home. Many do not survive the crushing depths, though some may get lucky if the pufferwhale does not descend too deeply. Other new species have little impact upon your species, there are no parasites in the area as of now, and the shells and spines of many of the new species make them impossible targets for your probuscus.

Blood Minnows
Death comes to the fish who do not pay head to the coming swarm. This era sees a major growth for the blood minnow, who has found much food. Their rudimentary sense of smell has helped the blood minnows find prey easier. A corpse in the distance, blood in the water, excrement, reproductive material, all smell of food to these shrimpy fish. As such, the disparent swarms are oft drawn together into a massive swarm, which descends upon prey in legion. A young pufferwhale, killed by an dragon carp is a fine meal for the horde. As such, the blood minnows become more opportunistic, eating what they can. Many shelled and spiked creatures appear, but serve to be impossible to penetrate despite the attatcks of the swarm. Other dangers exist too, the tangle star and the bone jelly, with many arms and stinging tentacles respectively, are a danger to the swarms, often feeding in mass when the swarms converge.

Cleaners
The deep green of the kelp grows a little brighter this era, as a new species comes to inhabit the kelp forest. The tiny glow slug, a poisonous bioluminescent blob of a mollusk dwells among the leaves. The cleaners find themselves naturally resistant to this venom, and in time a strange symbiotic relationship forms. Within the mouth of the cleaners, two large sacs develop. In time, these come to house glowslugs which feed of the chewed mass of plant matter, some of which gets stuck in these sacks. As a result, these little slugs come to dwell within the mouths of the cleaners. This causes their mouths to glow with the bioluminescence of these slugs, a startling sight to any predators, and in the case that a cleaner gets into a fight with a tangle star, which cannot be deterred with intimidation, a slight envenomation occurs with the cleaner bite. Still, the dragon carp and blood minnows are a danger to your cleaners. As too are the kelp grouper and leaf snake.

Small eaters
In a world of mouths, the small eaters are a difficult morsel. Given how most creatures preyed upon them, it was only a matter of time before evolutionary pressures forced changes to these little beasts. In time their spikes spread across their body, serving as a deterrent for predators. This is very successful, especially as other food sources became available to predators. Though little can be done to deter the ravenous claws of the cube crab. Further, other creatures have come to scavenge as well. Blood minnows tend to eat more detritus now, and giant urchins too graze upon the algae. Even as predation decreases, your species is getting out competed in the quest for food and your population only increases slightly.



White Rays (SC777)
Population: 8
Growth Limit Coefficient: 2
Length: 5
Width: 8
Size: 40
Speed: 2
Diet: Herbivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Quick to flee
Traits: Pectoral Fins, Accelerated Swimming, Thick Back Scales
Coloration: White and Grey

Feeler Worms (Crazyabe)
Main Population: 30
Sub-Species Population: 15
Growth Limit Coefficient: 1
Length: 5
Width: 2
Size: 10
Speed: 1
Diet: Scavenger
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Nocturnal
Traits: Kinetic Sonar, Sensitive hairs, Bladed horn
Coloration: Greenish

Dragon Carp
Population: 28
Growth Limit Coefficient: 3
Length: 5
Width: 1
Size: 5
Speed: 1
Diet: Carnivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Nomadic hunting
Traits: Continual Growth, Second Set of Fins
Coloration: Silver blue

Glaive Eel
Population: 37
Growth Limit Coefficient: 2
Length: 6
Width: 1
Size: 1
Speed: 1
Diet: Herbivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Rudimentary Nest building
Traits: Boney beak, Malodorous Stench
Coloration: Mottled Brown

Vampire Fish
Population: 36
Growth Limit Coefficient: 2
Length: 5
Width: 2
Size: 10
Speed: 1
Diet: Parasite/Herbivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Attach to prey
Traits: Proboscis, Segmented body
Coloration: Translucent

Blood Minnows
Population: 310
Growth Limit Coefficient: 1
Length: 1
Width: 1
Size: 1
Speed: 1
Diet: Carnivore
Mind: 2
Behaviors: Swarming, Feeding Frenzy
Traits: Pheromones, Sense of smell
Coloration:

Small Eaters
Population: 176
Growth Limit Coefficient: 1
Length: 1
Width: 1
Size: 1
Speed: 1
Diet: Scavenger
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Solitary
Traits: Grasping Spines, Defensive Spines
Coloration:

Cleaners
Population: 60
Growth Limit Coefficient: 2
Length: 3
Width: 1
Size: 3
Speed: 1
Diet: Omnivore
Mind: 1
Behaviors: Arboreal
Traits: Venom resistance (AB), symbiosis with glow-slugs
Coloration: black with green stripe

(Sorry about lack of spoilers, using phone right now, will clean this post up later when at computer.)

[Naturegirl1999]

The Small Eaters evolve smell via chemo-receptors on their tentacles so that they have an easier time finding food

[TricMagic]

New prey appear. The armor of their prey is noticed, and competitors have also appeared. What is it that is needed.

To be fair, young as they are they need time to grow wiser and larger. Still, there exists an evolution locked within their DNA, in what gave them the name of the Thousand Year Dragon by previous intelligence.

Dragon Carp: Limiter Released. The Dragon Carp begin to change, their heads growing slightly more angular, slightly longer, their eyes as ever set forward. This, along with the change in their teeth, allow them to deliver crushing force to their bites. Their teeth evolve, being a mix of dull thin slabs and sharp incisors, capable of regrowing. Perfect for crushing shells and spines and tearing meat apart, along with the occasional kelp strands and grass, although the latter requires careful eating. As they grow, they can tackle larger prey, being suited to dealing with a variety of defenses and armor.
Likely Minor Evolution, possible major. Head shaping occurs as Growth over Time, as they grow larger.



OoG Section.

The dragons of the Shallows. CARP~Carp~

Nothing here today, other than more PREY. CARP~carp~

[crazyabe]

Still being prayed upon, the feeler worms develop in an odd direction- A scattering of their feelers grow hardened spines upon their ends, making them far less attractive as an option of consumption.

[darkwarlock3]

cleaners evolve a better digestive track to help them digest and absorb more nutrients from what they eat

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Things have been great for the vampire fish, they've exploded in population. They've found food plentiful and new primitive behaviors have been learned. Having an abundance of food, they've prospered like never before in the comet they once inhabited. The Wicked Vampire Fish, finds itself in a situation that has never existed before.

Multiple species have incurred this change alongside an excess of food. The development of a more social side to the parasites, of a proto-brain slowly growing bigger, as vampire fish born of the same brood begin to slowly cooperate, whether in flipping a shell, launching off each-other to get at something far away or otherwise, it seems the blood minnow may find that the vampire fish are mimicking them in some small capacity, one thing is for sure, the reef is about to become a lot more unpleasant for non-vampire fish!