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[Magmacube_tr]

• Greenbait Flatfish: begin to develop a cardiovascular system.
• Greenbait Flatfish: gain a longer, more wormlike body.
• Scampering Flaturtle: gain color vision to better hunt down the now rarer watergrass.

SS vote? It goes to supporting action 1 by default if left unused.

[Crystalizedmire]

Aaaaaaand, I am back. Sorry. Alot happened to me. But now, we can continue.

Also, how are the lines I added into the cladogram? Is it clutter, or does it help?

Glad you're back!
The lines do help in my opinion but there are a few mistakes.
The line between eggseeking quillworm and multiheart quillworm; quivering paddleworm and flailing paddleworm lack any increments when there should be at least 1.

[FiveBalesOfHay]

• Greenbait Flatfish: begin to develop a cardiovascular system.
• Greenbait Flatfish: gain a longer, more wormlike body.
• Scampering Flaturtle: gain color vision to better hunt down the now rarer watergrass.
• SS: Scampering Flaturtle: store fat in the body to better survive periods without eating.

[Magmacube_tr]

I will start writing turn 13 tomorrow. We gotta get to landfall this season.

[TricMagic]

Improve Color Communication for Colorshifting Starwing
Evolve clawed legs for the Prehensile Starwing
Grassback Starwing speciates
\General size increase
 \General size decrease
  \SS Roll: Smaller develops a cleaning habit for other creatures.

[Aeranthos]

1. Eusocial Stumper becomes smaller as to not put as much of a strain on resources
2. Eusocial Stumper separates into more refined castes, workers to do the menial work, warriors to see to defense of the colony/breeders
3. Herder Stumper offspring become smaller and their quills become slightly feathery, acting as a neoteny trait that causes the older members of the species to want to protect the younger ones
SS. Herder Stumpers condense and enlarge the central ganglion into a more robust brain

[Magmacube_tr]

TURN 13


Events

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Strength: 5 (No Event)
Timeframe: N/A
Temperament: N/A

-1 Turns until the evolution of kelp analogue.

The mutagenic effects have subsided. The watergrass has entered its own arms race; different varieties shading eachother, raising the canopy higher and higher... Necessary adaptations are accumulating. The growth is about to become exponential.


Actions

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

FiveBalesOfHay
    1)Circulatory system for Greenbait Flatfish: 4
    2)Vermiform body for Greenbait Flatfish: 3
    3)Color vision for Scampering Flaturtle: 4+1=5
    SS)Fat storage for Scampering Flaturtle: 2

Crystalizedmire
    1)True immortality for Immortal Quillworm: 3+1=4 (This is maximum, by the way.)
    2)Bigger Paddles for Flailing Paddleworm: 1+1=2
    3)Multiple hearts for Heartattack Quillpede: 3+1=4
    SS)Speciate Multiheart Quillworm:
       A)More eggs: 3+1=4
       B)Ectoparasitism: 4+1=5

TricMagic
    1)Improve color signals for Colorshifting Starwing: 2+1=3
    2)Clawed legs for Prehensile Starwing: 4
    3)Speciate Grassback Starwing:
       A)Increase size: 5
       B)Decrease size: 4
    SS)Cleaner fish behavior for 3B: 5

BlackPaladin99
    1)Additional tentacles: 5+1=Capped at 5
    2)Bigger brain: 2+1=3
    3)Fastest reproduction: 1+1+(-2)=0 (lol, neutralised)
    SS)Supporting Action 3: 2

Aeranthos
    1)Smaller sizes for Eusocial Stumper: 2
    2)Dedicated warrior and worker castes for Eusocial Stumper: 2+1=3
    3)Juvenile feather coat for Herder Stumper: 4+1=5
    SS)Brain for Herder Stumper: 1+1=2

Leonardo8
    1)Size increase for Redshift Starwing: 4
    2)Stronger proboscis muscles for Redshift Starwing: 3+1=4
    3)Matriarchal monogamy for Eggxit Starwing: 2
    SS)More eggs for Eggxit Starwing: 4+1=5

The Biomes

The Mountain Lake | Freshwater Lake | (24 species in total)
  -Secondary Consumers (12 species)
  -Primary Consumers (12 species)


Cladogram

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Alright... We need two new niches, because you Crystal and Tric just created a new food chain on the side. Parasites and cleaners are on.

Also, with the advent of kelp, the bottom feeder niche will grdually shrink, from 500 to 300 in two turns, and algea eater niche will shrink from 300 to 200 in a single turn. The 300 total substracted biomass will be occupied by kelp. Water grazer niche is the niche that eats tough greens, so kelp and watergrass are the same food source. It will have 600 capacity.

Yes. Two apex predators. The capacity became too large for it to belong to a single species. I mean, why not? It also makes sense, if you think about it.

[Magmacube_tr]

Spoiler: Secondary Consumers | 12 species | (The Mountain Lake) | TURN 13 (click to show/hide)

Summary: An carnivorous animal about a meter long covered in white skin, with a long, roundish body with two large dark orbs on its front that are above a long, calcium hollow harpoon, with a ring of pinkish frills surrounding its base. It has three pairs of large, flat protrusions on its sides that act as fins and sails to pick up currents. It is covered in innumerable cysts of symbiotic bioluminescent bacteria that enlarge, dilate, shine, and change color based on neural signals, allowing it to change into any color at any tone. It communicates using color signals, coordinating hunts, fertiliser releases, groupings, mating and social signalling. It actively targets prey either alone or in loose groups of up to 10 individuals. It stabs the prey with its harpoon mouth and tears them apart.
Nervous System: It has a nervous system commanded by a complex brain specialised on interpreting its sense of sight, with a large visual cortex.
Senses: It has a pair of large, lenseless black eyes filled with 16 different kinds of color-receptive cones. It sees all colors. ALL OF THEM!!!.
Locomotion: Swimming like manta rays with 6 propeller fins and current surfing. It possesses muscles and an endoskeleton connected to the proboscis with a central cage for organs and places for the fin muscles to attach. A small dorsal ridge on its back helps with steering to some degree.
Digestive System: It has a long, calcified proboscis with an internal lining of muscles to chew, which leads to a digestive tract with a simple stomach and intestine.
Respiratory System: There are frills around the base of its proboscis that act as gills surfaces.
Cardiovascular System:It has closed circulatory system with a three chambered heart, the first two pump blood in and out of the third, larger and flat chamber that's right underneath the gills. A liver filters ammonia from the bloodstream and processes it, and its kidneys dispose of it.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually. Larger males fertilise the small number of eggs that females lay inside of them by linking their proboscii together. The young emerge as miniature adults.
Habitat: The water collumn.

Summary: A two meter long, hypercarnivorous animal covered in white skin, with a long, roundish body with two large dark orbs on its front that are above a long, calcium hollow harpoon with a ring of chemoreceptive tissue on its tip, and a ring of pinkish frills surrounding its base. It has three pairs of large, flat protrusions on its sides that act as fins and sails to pick up currents. It is dotted with many microscopic, benign cysts of bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria that give off mostly infrared light, which it uses to coordinate releases of bacterial fertiliser. It coordinates the fertiliser releases with others through the flashing. It is only active at night, and actively targets prey, large or small, stabbing them with its harpoon mouth and taking them apart. In the morning, it secretes a protective layer of mucus upon itself.
Nervous System: It has a nervous system commaded by a simple ganglion.
Senses: It has a pair of large, lenseless black eyes filled with 16 different kinds of color-receptive cones. It sees all colors. ALL OF THEM!!! It has a ring of chemoreceptive tissue on its harpoons tip.
Locomotion: Swimming like manta rays with 6 propeller fins and current surfing. It possesses muscles and an endoskeleton connected to the proboscis with a central cage for organs and places for the fin muscles to attach. A small dorsal ridge on its back helps with steering to some degree.
Digestive System: It has a long, calcified proboscis with an internal lining of powerful muscles to chew and break bones, which leads to a carnivorous digestive tract with a large, very acidic stomach and short, compact intestines. It can even break down hard parts.
Respiratory System: There are frills around the base of its proboscis that act as gills surfaces.
Cardiovascular System:It has closed circulatory system with a three chambered heart, the first two pump blood in and out of the third, larger and flat chamber that's right underneath the gills. A liver filters ammonia from the bloodstream and processes it, and its kidneys dispose of it.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually. Larger males fertilise the small number of eggs that females lay inside of them by linking their proboscii together. The young emerge as miniature adults.
Habitat: The water collumn.

Summary: An carnivorous animal about a meter long covered in innumerable, uneven denticles, with a long, roundish body with two large dark orbs on its front that are above a long, calcium hollow harpoon, with a ring of pinkish frills surrounding its base. It has three pairs of large, flat protrusions on its sides that act as fins and sails to pick up currents. It is dotted with many microscopic, benign cysts of bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria that gives it a slightly glittery apparance. It periodically flashes and releases a film of glowing matter onto the lake bed that stimulates bacteria growth. It coordinates the fertiliser releases with others through the flashing. It actively targets prey, large or small, stabbing them with its harpoon mouth and taking them apart.
Nervous System: It has a nervous system commaded by a small brain.
Senses: It has a pair of large, lenseless black eyes filled with 16 different kinds of color-receptive cones. It sees all colors. ALL OF THEM!!!
Locomotion: Swimming like manta rays with 6 propeller fins and current surfing. It possesses muscles and an endoskeleton connected to the proboscis with a central cage for organs and places for the fin muscles to attach. A small dorsal ridge on its back helps with steering to some degree.
Digestive System: It has a long, calcified proboscis with an internal lining of muscles to chew, which leads to a digestive tract with a simple stomach and intestine.
Respiratory System: There are frills around the base of its proboscis that act as gills surfaces.
Cardiovascular System:It has closed circulatory system with a three chambered heart, the first two pump blood in and out of the third, larger and flat chamber that's right underneath the gills. A liver filters ammonia from the bloodstream and processes it, and its kidneys dispose of it.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually. Larger males fertilise the very large number of eggs a female lay inside of their egg pouch by linking their proboscii together, becoming immobile as they incubate them. The females fiercely protect the males they laid eggs into, forgoing eating altogether and dying after a single mating season. The young emerge as miniature adults inside the pouch and eat eachother, resulting in a single, highly developed and precocial offpring.
Habitat: The water collumn.

Summary: A carnivorous animal that resembles a flattened moray eel with a horizontal fin at the end. It has a main body that is a meter in length. It is colored a pale, dusty yellow. It has three small composite eyes above its mouth. It has three long, inflexible antennae around its mouth that are colored watergrass green. It burrows into the sand with just its antennae peeking above as detection and bait. When it detects prey, it launches up with its powerful tail to catch it.
Nervous System: Small brain located under its eyes.
Senses: Limited sight through three primitive, composite eyes on its head. Sense of water movement from three long, inflexible green antennae around its mouth.
Locomotion: Muscle-based propulsion through a single horizontal tail fin. The tail is especially strong.
Digestive System: It has a very wide, circular mouth with sharp ring of keratin teeth, that leads to a simple internal canal.
Respiratory System: It has a pair of openings inside its mouth that lead to gill chambers.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a series of one way pumps across its length.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually. Males hold and transfer their gamates using the glands on the tips of their tails, and females lay eggs underneath the sand. Tiny hatchlings are initially sexless and without antennae, and develop into reproductive age in a year.
Habitat: The lake floor.

Summary: A flat animal reminiscent of a lancelet. It has a main body that is a meter in length along with a wide, flatter extension the back that acts as a tail fin, along with two large pectoral fins. It has three large composite eyes above its round, toothy mouth and two pairs of flexible tendrils on its sides that are covered in sharp, serrated, interlocking blades throught the entire length, which are used to slash and stab prey and rivals alike. It actively seeks prey to cut up to pieces, and eat them afterwards. It reacts fast to stimuli, allowing it to target prey quickly.
Nervous System: Fast brain located under its eyes.
Senses: Full-color, triocular sight through three large composite eyes on its head. Mechanoreception through the tendrils at the sides of the mouth.
Locomotion: Muscle-based propulsion through its single horizontal tail fin. It has two large pectoral fins that allow it to glide in the water.
Digestive System: It has a very wide, circular mouth with sharp ring of keratin teeth, that leads to a simple internal canal.
Respiratory System: It has a pair of openings inside its mouth that lead to large, vascularised gill chambers.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system powered by two hearts at either side of its body.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually, with female, male, and le sexes. Tiny and underdeveloped haploid males are spawned by les and carried alive inside a small pouch under its body. When it close to the mating season, the le completely athropies into a globe of fat, veins and skin,essentially turning into a male launch pad. Males are nothing more than a powerful tail and a hardened cone, acting like homing darts. They are launched enmasse, and immidiately stab the female body, injecting gamates directly into the womb. The fertilised eggs trigger violent self-destruction of the female by exploding, which is by then also athropied and completely engorged with eggs. The eggs hatch into miniature adults, ready for life.
Habitat: The water collumn, and occasionally lake floor.

Summary: An animal about 80 centimeters long body and 20 centimeters long tail, covered in white skin, with a long, roundish body with two dark depressions on its front that are above a calcified, segmented, prehensile beak, with a ring of pinkish frills surrounding its base. It has three pairs of large, flat protrusions on its sides that act as fins and sails to pick up currents. Under each fin is a calcified, segmented leg similar to its beak. It is dotted with many microscopic, benign cysts of bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria that gives it a slightly glittery apparance. It perodically flashes and releases a film of glowing matter onto the lake bed that stimulates bacteria growth. It coordinates the fertiliser releases with others through the flashing. It is a true opportunist, though it does prefer meats -fresh or dead- over plant matter, both of which it will readily consume.
Nervous System: It has a nervous system commaded by a simple ganglion.
Senses: It has a binocular pair of cup eyes on its body, which allows it to see shapes and distance.
Locomotion: Swimming like manta rays with 6 propeller fins and current surfing. It possesses muscles and an endoskeleton connected to the proboscis with a central cage for organs and places for the fin muscles to attach. It's short tail act as a rudder, allowing sharper turns. It can crawl on the lakebed with its six segmented legs.
Digestive System: It has a long, calcified, segmented beak that can bend and rotate, which leads to a digestive tract with a large, dirt-filled stomach and then an intestine.
Respiratory System: There are frills around the base of its proboscis that act as gills surfaces.
Cardiovascular System:It has closed circulatory system with a three chambered heart, the first two pump blood in and out of the third, larger and flat chamber that's right underneath the gills. A liver filters ammonia from the bloodstream and processes it, and its kidneys dispose of it. It has a robust immune system that renders it immune to any standard bacterial infection.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually. Larger males fertilise the small number of eggs that females lay inside of them by linking their proboscii together. The young emerge as miniature adults.
Habitat: The lake, both the floor and the water collumn.

Summary: A segmented, cylindrical animal with many long, hydraulic insectoid legs. It is covered in leathery skin and puffed up by long, flexible, movable quills. It has no determinable maximum length, always growing new segments and legs which eventually become too many for its circulatory system to support, leading to weak blood flow and ammonia build up. It has a set of hairs around its mandibles that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. It's legs have a small canal inside that injects paralytic venom into prey, which it then eats alive. Its main body constantly produces antivenom, preventing the venom in its legs from affecting itself.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Mechanoreception through long mobile whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has a series of small dark spots on its back that allows it to detect light and dark.
Locomotion: Walking across the lakebed with a dozens of long, spider-like hydraulic legs.
Digestive System: It has a pair of mandibles, and a two-ended digestive canal of indeterminate length in which it absorbs nutrients through.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on the sides of each of its segments that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a two chambered heart. It eventually becomes unable to support the length of the body.
Reproductive System: A few of the quills that surround it can be used to fertilise others of its species. After fertilisation, the mother lays a few hundred eggs that hatch into highly neotenic larvae that resemble the ancestral worm. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor, near the coasts.

Summary: A segmented, cylindrical animal with many long, hydraulic insectoid legs. It is covered in leathery skin and puffed up by long quills. It has no determinable maximum length, always growing new segments and legs which eventually become too many for its circulatory system to support, leading to weak blood flow and ammonia build up. It has a set of hairs around its mandibles that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. It's legs have a small canal inside that injects paralytic venom into prey, which it then eats alive. Its main body constantly produces antivenom, preventing the venom in its legs from affecting itself.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has a series of small dark spots on its back that allows it to detect light and dark.
Locomotion: Walking across the lakebed with a dozens of long, spider-like hydraulic legs.
Digestive System: It has a pair of mandibles, and a two-ended digestive canal of indeterminate length in which it absorbs nutrients through.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on the sides of each of its segments that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a two chambered heart. It eventually becomes unable to support the length of the body. It possesses immune cells which engulf alien matter.
Reproductive System: A few of the quills that surround it can be used to fertilise others of its species. After fertilisation, the mother lays a few hundred eggs that hatch into highly neotenic larvae that resemble the ancestral worm. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor, near the coasts.

Summary: Arthropoid animal covered in leathery skin and puffed up by wide, short plates with lines of hooked quills in the seams. It has a with a pronounced, raised front. It has an oblong body 60 centimeters in length with 8 short, stumpy legs. It has a set of long hairs around its wide, toothless jaws that allows it to detect the presence of prey from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. It forms tribes of up to a hundred. They instinctively target their smaller eusocial cousins, but anything else is also accepted. The quills of their young start off as feathers, signalling their non-prey status, and need for protection.
Nervous System: It's has a decentralised sets of ganglions that each control different functions, led by a larger cranial ganglion.
Senses: It can see shapes and shadows around and above itself using its three eyes on the sides and above its mouth. Primitive mechanoreception through long whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills.
Locomotion: Crawling and climbing on the lake floor with 8 short legs. The quills and legs are connected to an internal body support chasis which muscles connect to. It can use its large gill chambers as a short-range water jet.
Digestive System: It has a two-ended digestive canal in which it absorbs nutrients through. Food is ingested through a wide, toothless mouth and mechanically and chemically processed inside of a large, tough, acidic foregut before being digested.
Respiratory System: It has a pair of spiracles on the front and back sides of its body. The front pair pulls water in and lead to a pair of internal chambers that absorb oxygen from the water. The chambers are emptied of water by the back spiracle pair.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system operated by a muscle valve within the center of the body. An organ connected to it and the digestive system filters ammonia into pellets and dispenses them out of the end of the digestive tract. A series of small glands connected to the bloodstream expel symbiotic viroids against illness as defense.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually. When two individuals meet, they exchange sperm packets that they then use to fertilise themselves with. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor.

...

Summary: A 30 centimeter long, leathery tendril covered by a fur of long, hollow quills which stay down when not in use. It has a set of hairs around its mouth that allows it to detect the presence of vermin from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. When disturbed by predators, the quills puff up, and activate the tiny chambers at their bases with harpoons that fire and inject mildly necrotic venom.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has 8 small eyes on its back that gives it a simplistic, colored vision.
Locomotion: Inching across the lakebed on a thousand stiff hairs through muscle power.
Digestive System: It has a wide, spade-shaped mouth lined with flat calcium teeth, which leads to a digestive canal that digests and absorbs nutrients. It's quills are connected to its digestive tract, which it uses to stab and ingest vermin as it inches by
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on its sides that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a two chambered heart.
Reproductive System: A few of the quills that surround it can be used to fertilise others of its species. After fertilisation, the mother lays a few hundred eggs that hatch into highly neotenic larvae that resemble the ancestral worm. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor, around the sandy coastal areas where lake meadows are.

...

Summary: An animal about 50 centimeters long covered in white skin, with a long, roundish body with two dark depressions on its front that are above a calcified straw, with a ring of pinkish frills surrounding its base. It has three pairs of large, flat protrusion on its sides that act as fins and sails to pick up currents. It is dotted with many microscopic, benign cysts of bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria that gives it a slightly glittery apparance, along with a dense growth of algea and watergrass enmeshed into its back skin. It periodically flashes and releases a film of glowing matter onto the lake bed that stimulates bacteria growth. It coordinates the fertiliser releases with others through the flashing. It clusters around frequented places to photosynthesize, and eats parasites off of other animals.
Nervous System: It has a nervous system commaded by a simple ganglion.
Senses: It has a binocular pair of cup eyes on its body, which allows it to see shapes and distance.
Locomotion: Swimming like manta rays with 6 propeller fins and current surfing. It possesses muscles and an endoskeleton connected to the proboscis with a central cage for organs and places for the fin muscles to attach. A small dorsal ridge on its back helps with steering to some degree.
Digestive System: It has a long, calcified proboscis with an internal lining of muscles to chew, which leads to a digestive tract with a simple stomach and intestine. The stomach uses silt to better grind down watergrass.
Respiratory System: There are frills around the base of its proboscis that act as gills surfaces.
Cardiovascular System:It has closed circulatory system with a three chambered heart, the first two pump blood in and out of the third, larger and flat chamber that's right underneath the gills. A liver filters ammonia from the bloodstream and processes it.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually. Larger males fertilise the small number of eggs that females lay inside of them by linking their proboscii together. The young emerge as miniature adults.
Habitat: The lake, usually around animal hotspots.

Summary: A leathery worm 12 centimeters in length, covered and puffed up by short, hooked quills. It has a set of small sharp spikes around its wide, muscular circular mouth that allows it to detect the presence of hosts and attach to them, and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. It is parasitic, feeding by attaching itself onto other animals and sucking blood.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its spike teeth and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through the spikes around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has 10, large dark spots on its back that allows it to detect light and dark, and detect moving shadows.
Locomotion: Crawling and climbing on the lake floor with many small hooked quills through muscle power.
Digestive System: It has a two-ended digestive canal in which it absorbs nutrients through.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on its sides that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a decentralised circulatory system with multiple small hearts.
Reproductive System: It periodically lays eggs, and fertilises those that it encounters. It will eat any fertilised eggs it stumbles upon. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: In the lake, on other animals.

[Magmacube_tr]

Spoiler: Primary Consumers  | 12 species | (The Mountain Lake) | TURN 13 (click to show/hide)

Summary: A small, slightly pear-shaped animal 30 centimeters in length, with a horizontal tail fluke at the end. It has three small composite eyes above its tentacled mouth that are surrounded by three transparent domes individually. It is pale yellow in coloration and has stripes of darker yellow. It stays on the shallow waters, seeking clusters of algea. It forms schools numbering around a hundred individuals, increasing eachothers field of vision and communicating using loud bubbling sounds from their mouths.
Nervous System: Small brain located under its eyes.
Senses: Limited sight through three primitive, enclosed, composite eyes on its head. Weak hearing through small internal melon organ between three eyes.
Locomotion: Muscle powered swimming by horizontal tail.
Digestive System: It has a wide, circular mouth surrounded by numerous prehensile tendrils that rake in algea. The mouth leads to a relatively long, clustered internal canal.
Respiratory System: It has a pair of openings inside its mouth that lead to gill chambers.
Cardiovascular System: It has a series of internal tubes that connect to the gills with a membrane.
Reproductive System: It periodically clusters into large groups and releases clouds of unisexual gametes that combine with those of others.
Habitat: Above the lake floor, found only in shallow, coastal waters.

Summary: A segmented, cylindrical animal with many long, hydraulic insectoid legs. It is covered in tough exoskeletal plates and puffed up by long quills. It has no determinable maximum length, always growing new segments and legs which eventually become too many for its circulatory system to support, leading to weak blood flow and ammonia build up. It has a ring of long, prominent hairs around its mandibles that allows it to detect the vibrations and sounds around it, and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. Bases of its quills have tiny chambers with harpoons that fire and inject mildly necrotic venom when disturbed.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a tiny brain with short term memory.
Senses: Mechanoreception through the circular array of hairs around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has a series of small dark spots on its back that allows it to detect light and dark.
Locomotion: Walking across the lakebed with a dozens of long, spider-like hydraulic legs.
Digestive System: It has a pair of mandibles, and a two-ended digestive canal of indeterminate length in which it absorbs nutrients through.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on the sides of each of its segments that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a two chambered heart. It eventually becomes unable to support the length of the body.
Reproductive System: A few of the quills that surround it can be used to fertilise others of its species. After fertilisation, the mother lays a few hundred eggs that hatch into highly neotenic larvae that resemble the ancestral worm. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor, near the coasts.

Summary: A segmented, cylindrical animal with many long, hydraulic insectoid legs. It is covered in tough exoskeletal plates and puffed up by long quills. It has no determinable maximum length, always growing new segments. It has a set of hairs around its mandibles that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. Bases of its quills have tiny chambers with harpoons that fire and inject mildly necrotic venom when disturbed.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a tiny brain with short term memory.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has a series of small dark spots on its back that allows it to detect light and dark.
Locomotion: Walking across the lakebed with a dozens of long, spider-like hydraulic legs.
Digestive System: It has a pair of mandibles, and a two-ended digestive canal of indeterminate length in which it absorbs nutrients through.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on the sides of each of its segments that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a small, two chambered heart at every segment.
Reproductive System: A few of the quills that surround it can be used to fertilise others of its species. After fertilisation, the mother lays a few hundred eggs that hatch into highly neotenic larvae that resemble the ancestral worm. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor, near the coasts.

Summary: A segmented, cylindrical animal with many long, hydraulic insectoid legs. It is covered in tough exoskeletal plates and puffed up by long quills. It has no determinable maximum length, always growing new segments and legs which eventually become too many for its circulatory system to support, leading to weak blood flow and ammonia build up. It has a set of hairs around its mandibles that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. Bases of its quills have tiny chambers with harpoons that fire and inject mildly necrotic venom when disturbed.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has a series of small compound eyes that gives it a full 360 degrees of blurry, colored vision.
Locomotion: Walking across the lakebed with a dozens of long, spider-like hydraulic legs.
Digestive System: It has a pair of mandibles, and a two-ended digestive canal of indeterminate length in which it absorbs nutrients through.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on the sides of each of its segments that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a two chambered heart. It eventually becomes unable to support the length of the body.
Reproductive System: A few of the quills that surround it can be used to fertilise others of its species. After fertilisation, the mother lays a few hundred eggs that hatch into highly neotenic larvae that resemble the ancestral worm. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor, near the coasts.

...

Summary: A flat, leathery oval with many small wide plates that act as paddles. It has a set of hairs around its mouth that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. When disturbed by predators, the paddle muscles flex, and activate the tiny chambers at their bases with tiny harpoons that fire and inject mildly necrotic venom.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its paddles. It has 8 small, primitive eyes on its sides that allows it to percieve shapes and shadows in a 360 degress range.
Locomotion: Slowly swimming through the waters with serpentine motions, using its paddles as swimming surfaces. It is a clumsy swimmer.
Digestive System: It has a wide, spade-shaped mouth lined with flat calcium teeth, which leads to a digestive canal that digests and absorbs nutrients.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on its sides that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a two chambered heart.
Reproductive System: It has a few long, thin quills on its back that are used to fertilise others of its species. After fertilisation, the mother lays a few hundred eggs that hatch into highly neotenic larvae that resemble the ancestral worm. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor, around the sandy coastal areas where lake meadows are.

Summary: A 30 centimeter long, leathery tendril with many large wide plates that act as paddles. It has a very noticable bulge on its frontal region that impedes its balance. It has a set of hairs around its mouth that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. When disturbed by predators, the paddle muscles flex, and activate the tiny chambers at their bases with tiny harpoons that fire and inject mildly necrotic venom.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its paddles. It has 8 small, primitive eyes on its back that allows it to percieve shapes and shadows.
Locomotion: Swimming through the waters with many large paddles on its body. It is a clumsy swimmer.
Digestive System: It has a wide, spade-shaped mouth lined with flat calcium teeth, which leads to a large foregut and a digestive canal that digests and absorbs nutrients.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on its sides that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system with a two chambered heart.
Reproductive System: It has a few long, thin quills on its back that are used to fertilise others of its species. After fertilisation, the mother lays a few hundred eggs that hatch into highly neotenic larvae that resemble the ancestral worm. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor, around the sandy coastal areas where lake meadows are.

A very pear-shaped, vaguely turtle-like animal 20 centimeters in length and girth. It has three small composite eyes above its tentacled mouth that are surrounded by three transparent domes individually. It is pale yellow in coloration and has stripes of darker yellow. It stays on the shallow waters, seeking waterweed to eat. It is predominantly rotund and fatty, a trait which is selected for since fatter individuals emit more gamates.
Nervous System: Small brain located under its eyes.
Senses: Full-colored eyesight through three primitive, enclosed, composite eyes on its head.
Locomotion: Muscle-based propulsion via four paddles on its sides.
Digestive System: It has a wide, circular mouth filled with large, round calcium teeth, surrounded by numerous prehensile tendrils that pull in watergrass. The mouth leads to a long, clustered internal canal.
Respiratory System: It has a pair of openings inside its mouth that lead to gill chambers.
Cardiovascular System: It has a series of internal tubes that connect to the gills with a membrane. Movements of its fins transport the water inside.
Reproductive System: It periodically clusters into large groups and releases clouds of unisexual gametes that combine with those of others.
Habitat: The lake floor, found only in shallow, coastal waters.

Summary: An animal about one and a half meters long covered in white skin, with a long, roundish body with two dark depressions on its front that are above a calcified straw, with a ring of pinkish frills surrounding its base. It has three pairs of large, flat protrusion on its sides that act as fins and sails to pick up currents. It is dotted with many microscopic, benign cysts of bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria that gives it a slightly glittery apparance, along with a dense growth of algea and watergrass enmeshed into its back skin. It periodically flashes and releases a film of glowing matter onto the lake bed that stimulates bacteria growth. It coordinates the fertiliser releases with others through the flashing. It spends its time grazing and sunbathing to remove ammonia from the bloodstream.
Nervous System: It has a nervous system commaded by a simple ganglion.
Senses: It has a binocular pair of cup eyes on its body, which allows it to see shapes and distance.
Locomotion: Swimming like manta rays with 6 propeller fins and current surfing. It possesses muscles and an endoskeleton connected to the proboscis with a central cage for organs and places for the fin muscles to attach. A small dorsal ridge on its back helps with steering to some degree.
Digestive System: It has a long, calcified proboscis with an internal lining of muscles to chew, which leads to a digestive tract with a simple stomach and intestine. The stomach uses silt to better grind down watergrass.
Respiratory System: There are frills around the base of its proboscis that act as gills surfaces.
Cardiovascular System:It has closed circulatory system with a three chambered heart, the first two pump blood in and out of the third, larger and flat chamber that's right underneath the gills. A liver filters ammonia from the bloodstream and processes it.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually. Larger males fertilise the small number of eggs that females lay inside of them by linking their proboscii together. The young emerge as miniature adults.
Habitat: The lake floor, around lake meadows.

...

Summary: Arthropoid, hyper-generalist animal covered in leathery skin and puffed up by wide, short plates with lines of hooked quills in the seams. It has a with a pronounced, raised front. It has an oblong body between 10 to 50 centimeters in length with 8 short, stumpy legs. It has a set of long hairs around its wide, toothless jaws that allows it to detect the presence of edible stuff from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. It organises in eusocial colonies of up to ten thousand individuals. Three castes exist. Much larger progenitors who birth young, small workers who feed the colony and larger soldiers with huge strong jaws.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and plating, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: It can see shapes and shadows around and above itself using its three eyes on the sides and above its mouth. Primitive mechanoreception through long whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills.
Locomotion: Crawling and climbing on the lake floor with 8 short legs. The quills and legs are connected to an internal body support chasis which muscles connect to. It can use its large gill chambers as a short-range water jet.
Digestive System: It has a two-ended digestive canal in which it absorbs nutrients through. Food is ingested through a wide, toothless mouth and mechanically and chemically processed inside of a large, tough, acidic foregut before being digested.
Respiratory System: It has a pair of spiracles on the front and back sides of its body. The front pair pulls water in and lead to a pair of internal chambers that absorb oxygen from the water. The chambers are emptied of water by the back spiracle pair.
Cardiovascular System: It has a closed circulatory system operated by a muscle valve within the center of the body. An organ connected to it and the digestive system filters ammonia into pellets and dispenses them out of the end of the digestive tract. A series of small glands connected to the bloodstream expel symbiotic viroids against illness as defense.
Reproductive System: It reproduces sexually and hemaphrodically. Only progenitors develop sexual characteristics, and are extremely fecund, producing hundreds of much smaller offpsring that care for them. The newly born pregenitors stray off from their birth colony after rearing to gather with others like them, exchange sperm packets, and found their own colony.
Habitat: The lake floor.

Summary: A small, leathery worm covered and puffed up by short, hooked quills. It has a set of long hairs around its circular mouth that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It can very rapidly regenerate any tissue, organ or appendage, and any piece can grow into a full individual if given the chance.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through long whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has a series of small dark spots on its back that allows it to detect light and dark.
Locomotion: Crawling and climbing on the lake floor with many small hooked quills through muscle power.
Digestive System: It has a two-ended digestive canal in which it absorbs nutrients through. Food is mashed inside of a foregut before being digested.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on its sides that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has no cardiovascular system.
Reproductive System: It has no reproductive system. It reproduces through divison.
Habitat: The lake floor.

Summary: A small, leathery worm covered and puffed up by short, hooked quills. It has a set of long hairs around its circular mouth that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has strong regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing entire sections of its body, and survive up to half of its mass gone. It is a long-living animal due to this, and splitting is not so crippling as a result.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a small brain that is mainly dedicated to memory, and remembrances of locations and past experiences. It lives long, so even without any real thinking, it can be quite the clever animal.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through long whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has a series of small dark spots on its back that allows it to detect light and dark.
Locomotion: Crawling and climbing on the lake floor with many small hooked quills through muscle power.
Digestive System: It has a two-ended digestive canal in which it absorbs nutrients through. Food is mashed and chemically broken down inside of an acidic foregut before being digested.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on its sides that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has no cardiovascular system.
Reproductive System: It has no reproductive system. It reproduces through division.
Habitat: The lake floor.

Summary: A leathery worm 12 centimeters in length, covered and puffed up by short, hooked quills. It has a set of hairs around its circular mouth that allows it to detect the presence of food from further away and small holes in its sides that open and close rythmically. It has mildy regenerative abilities, making it capable of regrowing its tissues. This species has a strong aversion to light and only comes out at night, using its ten equally sized sunspots to determine time.
Nervous System: It's has a network mechanoreceptive cells that are concentrated around its whiskers and quills, controlled by a centralised decision-making ganglion.
Senses: Primitive mechanoreception through whiskers around the mouth. It can hear, touch and sense pressure by picking up the vibrations and friction on its quills. It has 10, large dark spots on its back that allows it to detect light and dark, and detect moving shadows.
Locomotion: Crawling and climbing on the lake floor with many small hooked quills through muscle power.
Digestive System: It has a two-ended digestive canal in which it absorbs nutrients through. Food is mashed inside of a foregut before being digested.
Respiratory System: It has a series of tiny respiratory spiracles on its sides that lead to wider internal cavities that absord oxygen from the water.
Cardiovascular System: It has a decentralised circulatory system with multiple small hearts.
Reproductive System: It periodically lays numerous eggs, and fertilises those that it encounters. It will eat any fertilised eggs it stumbles upon. All individuals are hemaphrodites.
Habitat: The lake floor.

...

[TricMagic]

Opportunistic Mantacrab
... It's true that all things eventually become crab. Nice to see the apex is filled by stars though.

[Leonardo8]

I am now imagining epic underwater battles between the two starwing species, battling for supremacy proboscis against proboscis.

Also, kudos for the "Malewife starwing" name. I love it.

Brutish Starwing
1) Develop an operculum to protect and ventilate the gills.
2) Improve the nervous system, for more motor coordination.
SS: Increase the range of motion of the fins, allowing for more agile swimming.

Malewife Starwing
Speciate
1) The males start to secrete a dense and nutritious gel during the mating season to feed the females, adapted from the fertilizer film. (ideally the fertilizer production should stop during that time, but i don't know if i need a separate vote for that)
2) Instead of devouring their sibling the youngs start to devour the fathers from the inside, while their mothers protect them, allowing several precocious youngs to be born at once instead of just one. Once they exit their exhausted mothers are usually their second victims.

I am creating a species where the males nurse the females and incubate the youngs who are forced to be cannibalistic. If that's not the proof that there is no intelligent design behind any of this i don't know what is.

[TricMagic]

A reminder the female dies, and a single birth results. That will result in decline eventually.

[Leonardo8]

A reminder the female dies, and a single birth results. That will result in decline eventually.

A female can lay eggs in multiple males.

[Magmacube_tr]

A reminder the female dies, and a single birth results. That will result in decline eventually.

A female can lay eggs in multiple males.

Wait... that was the intention? Currently it is the males that get to live for multiple mating cycles and produce multiple offspring.

[TricMagic]

That is what a 2 gets you. ... Question, did you assume it was the females that carried the young?

... Forget that question, it's late and not thinking straight.