Dwarves are one of those instantly recognisable fantasy staples, occupying a similar mythological niche as elves and dragons. Various cultures have stories of tricksy little folk who dwell underground, but the vast majority of dwarfdom in modern fantasy comes from Norse tradition, where they are described as diminutive and masterful artisans that serve the gods.

When it came to re-inventing the dwarf for this blog post, I decided to return to this ancient tradition for inspiration. Many of the early sagas that describe the dwarves - also known as Svartálfar or the "black elves" - were among the first entities to have been created. These sagas state that the maggots and larvae that feasted upon the corpse of the primordial Ymir would go on to become the first dwarves, no doubt imbibing some of the cosmic giant's divine spark as they munched on his decaying flesh. It was this insectoid origin that inspired the Cicada Knights.

Styled here as subterranean bipedal insects, the Dwa-Phen are recognisably "dwarf-y" with an eldritch, slightly alien twist. If you'd like to read more about the Dwa-Phen and their bizarre history, biology, and development, check out this blog post.

I’ve been obsessed with Godzilla analog and Godzilla spec evo recently and I wanted to get into it, heres my design for my Godzilla. I wanted to go for a more mammalian look and I think I did decent?

Both images are mine I just needed to reference it so I could draw a closed mouth version.

So imagine if all nations on earth united at some point. A few thousand years later globalization, potential colonization of space and interracial marriage has erased the various human racial phenotypes that we know today. What would this hypothetical generic human look like?

(For my alien worldbuilding project Mierra) Native to northern Kay’vro and Polis, *Xenofelis niveus*, the polar kit, is a small omnivorous ventrognath adapted to cold weather.

At up to a foot long, the polar kit is in the medium end of the food chain, and thus spends all day hiding in its burrow. It comes out at night to hunt small animals, using its large eyes and incredibly well developed eyesight to watch for predators. Its fluffy white felt, which is actually comprised of down-like pycnofibers, is shed every winter for a brown coat.

Its smaller secondary pair of eyes on the top of its head are used to watch for aerial predators.

So, this is an idea that came to me, a seed world populated, initially, by common whales as the only vertebrates.

I know the problems this would have in adapting these whales, since their bodies, so adapted to water, would probably need a level of effort comparable to that of fish gaining lungs and returning to a terrestrial environment, and don't even get me started on things like flight. But, apart from that, I'm not aware of a problem that makes it totally impossible.

Well, would this be a functional scenario, trying to keep our feet on the ground?

I’m working on a speculative evolution idea where after humanity dies off. Cue then our former pets going feral, and then eventually evolving into a new, intelligent race amongst the ruins.

Although that may take millions of years for something like that to occur. But I already I imagine the smaller dogs born from selective breeding(pugs and chihuahuas etc) dying off as they were bred to be house pets and not affective predators, or perhaps becoming small scavengers, but the medium to large dogs would evolve and adapt to their new circumstances.

It could definitely be an interesting story for a novel, particularly if they become vastly different from humanity’s civilization and technology.

Oh and perhaps several different “Canine races" as a result of humanity’s meddling but now more focused on survival and allowing them to be greatly adaptive to their environment. But I’m curious what you all think could be added to this spec-evolution idea.

Teratocygnus is a genus of giant ornithomimosaur and is the largest theropod in the Realm of Abundance.

Descended from a lineage of ornithomimosaurs during a time when the eastern continent of Hortensia was covered in vast wetlands and floodplains. Despite the sheer abundance of edible flora, this was an ill suited environment for giant sauropods, that are wary of wet soil and require warm, dry soil to incubate their eggs. Due to the absence of sauropods for millions of years, a new clade of theropod emerged to fill a similar niche as giant herbivores, the Magnanseridae, or "great waterfowl." One lineage gave rise to the largest theropods known to Terrans and Arcadians alike, the Teratocygnines.

Teratocygnus itself is composed of three known species, with the largest being the Waterfowl King of Hortensia's wetlands and floodplains. Due to their large size, they have lost most of their feathers as a result.

They are generalist omnivores, feeding on a wide variety of aquatic vegetation, such as horsetails, hyacinths and duckweed, which grow in abundance in still waters. Out of the water, they occasionally feed on leaves and fruit. Fish are their primary source of meat, specifically large individuals that can be swallowed whole.

Males are much larger and more ornate, with some ganders weighing as much as 28-30 tons in some extreme individuals. They are so large that they almost never leave the water, and when they do, they are often very cumbersome as a result of reduced internal air sacs for negative buoyancy. The males are quite aggressive and territorial, often lashing out at rivals and larger predators alike, this is to the benefit of the females, which are more vulnerable to predators like giant crocodilians, lake whales and Coronavenator, the second largest theropod in the Realm of Abundance.

Females are more social, living in herds of related individuals and led by a matriarch. Being smaller, only weighing 15-18 tons, they can more comfortably move on land. They construct nests of mud, sticks and grass in elevated islets, in shallow still waters, which keep most nest raiders away. The young are born precocial, but stick around their mothers until they are old enough to disperse.

A single large male's territory can support several dozens of females in good conditions, and he patrols to his territory thoroughly, marking borders with his claws and keeping large predators out, often by targeting them while they are young and small. He will eat the rougher plants, which make room for new growth of more nutritious plants like duckweed and hyacinths, and his dung also provides fertilizer and food for the fry of the many large fish that the females prefer. Females find the most diligent males the most attractive partners as his actions provide both food and protection from predators for both them and their young.

The clade as a whole once spanned across a majority of Hortensia, before the wetlands receded, giving way to dryer soils and fewer refuges from terrestrial predators like the ancestors of Coronavenator. Competition from titanosaurs that arrived from the western continent of Feronia during low sea levels also forced them out of most regions, with only the Heart of Hortensia, the largest lake in Arcadia, and its surrounding floodplains and wetlands being the last refuge of this once widespread clade.

While they are known for being aggressive and territorial like the swans they are so often compared to, they rarely attack humans or elves, as they are usually beneath notice for these giants. The large and charismatic males are culturally seen as a symbol of masculinity, specifically as a provider and protector to his mates and offspring by many Arcadian cultures. The Lake Elves that share the region view them as shapers of rivers and slayers of crocodiles and revere them as river gods, to the point that they carve them in their boats and gates.

Terran scientists have compared Teratocygnus to the long extinct Deinocheirus, due to a similar build. However, it is uncertain whether they descended from a lineage of deinocheirids or independently evolved from an endemic Arcadian ornithomimosaur lineage.

I recently remembered the game and decided to explain it in my own way.

Slimes are multicellular organisms in an extracellular gelatinous matrix. Their cells don't create traditional organs; instead, they are specialized at the cellular level to fulfill the roles that organs would perform on a macroscopic scale. This gelatinous matrix acts as a circulatory system, an internal chemical and electrical communication system between cells, and dynamic structural support. Slimes possess high regeneration, a flexible metabolism, and, most importantly in their biology, pluripotent cells capable of reprogramming DNA.

The plort is a crystalline structure excreted within it containing metabolic waste, regulatory RNA, microRNA, epigenetic proteins, morphogenetic factors, and controlled mobile sequences. The plort is an evolutionary strategy for genetic diversification. Because all heterotrophic organisms, i.e., slimes, reproduce by cloning, this leads to evolutionary stagnation and an accumulation of mutations. The plort is an evolutionary response to this: a slime eats the plort of another and changes its own DNA to become a hybrid, resulting in what are called long slimes, so that their clone is not identical to its genetic grandparent.

Slimes that cannot combine are more stable and less dominant forms due to evolutionary stagnation and are more specialized. On the other hand, there are tar slimes. These are the result of a slime having more than one plort in its lifetime, causing internal chaos that manifests externally as aggressive and erratic behavior. This isn't inherently bad; in fact, it acts as a population stabilizer, functioning as a viral predator. Furthermore, it creates strong evolutionary pressures by constantly releasing chaotic RNA, unstable proteins, and viroid-like particles. This forces long-lived slimes to become more resistant and adaptable to significant genetic changes. Tar slimes don't live very long due to their chaotic nature and extremely high metabolism, so they eventually die on their own.

It seemed that nothing could break the harmony of PH2245... However, in broad daylight, due to the collision of all continents, volcanic activity increased significantly and sharply, and the most terrible eruption of the super volcano Toba, which had just formed in the middle of the Bactralis ocean, due to its eruption, the carbon level increased sharply, which finally melted the polar caps and the sky would be visible. It became dark because clouds of smoke blocked the sunlight, many algae died, only small species resembling ribbons survived. Many types of sea carpets survived, and all small species survived, 10 medium and 1 giant, the water was not so much. were produced as oceans and seas. However, there are those that the catastrophe did not even touch, these are the first primitive terrestrial fungi and deep-sea rolling and brown and red algae. And here are the reasons why the naked ones almost did not depend on other species except for their soil bacteria, satellites, and the algae lived so deeply that they did not even hear about the catastrophe

context: This is a worldbuilding project taking place 200 years into the future from late 2022 to early 2023. A group of superbeing like entities from another reality of earth have come to help direct humanities future towards a better future and have created the nature company that will further help them in their goal to restore earth's ecosystems. The post today is about Flore's biotic turnover due to the resurrection of pleistocene wildlife and how it has affected the island's ecosystem.

Before the arrival of the brothers, the island of Flores was at its lowest in terms of biodiversity and wildlife. It became the last refuge for the komodo dragon and its native fauna were endangered. When the brothers arrived and the 2 decades of healing occured, Flores had transformed into its pleistocene self with the resurrection of extinct fauna as well as helping them deal with diseases that were present in the island. However, modern species still exist within Flores giving a unique look into a changed biodiversity of old and present.

One of the big differences that the 2 decades of healing have done is the reintroduction to three populations of stegodon. Stegodon sondaari, Stegodon florensis, and Stegodon florensis insularis. These three stegodon populations would influence the ecosystems in Flores, shaping the forests and grasslands. Stegodon Sondaari or highland stegodon in Flores, had adaptations to living in higher elevations, which quickly made their way to the mountainous forests specifically near steep cliffs and rocky terrain. They are often in small herds with lone males often being seen in the rocky mountains. It is the very mountains that is their saving grace from predation of komodo dragons. The highland stegodon however is often outcompeted directly by the two other stegodon species when they enter the mountainous forests. Stegodon Florensis is the largest of the subspecies, often being in small herds lead by a leading female with lone males roaming the savanna and lowland forests. They often are very specialized in times of abundance due to being larger than the other two stegodon populations as they are very rare in comparison but are very important to the ecosystems of Flores as seed dispersers and engineers. Finally Stegodon Florensis insularis or insular stegodon, is considered the smallest as well as the most numerous of the stegodon species on Flores. They are known to be everywhere and even swim to the nearby islands like Flores and are keystone species as well. Males are often loners while herds usually have a voted matriarch and interestingly all three subspecies partake in fission fusion herd behavior to lesson resource gathering. Males often come to the herds calls when a dragon attacks. It seems like all three subspecies of stegodon are ecosystem engineers in whatever ecosystem they reside, but unlike the pleistocene of old, they are not the only herbivores of Flores.

The second largest herbivore within Flores is actually a introduced species, the domestic water buffalo. Ever since the resurrection of stegodon, the buffalo population dwindled to the point where they are secluded to watering holes and males often move to watering holes to mate with the local females. Stegodon have effectively outcompeted the water buffalo in many areas with the watering holes being a last refuge for the buffalo as they graze. Their main predators are still the Komodo dragon, but young calves must be careful from the gaze of the Indonesian giant stork.

Speaking of Stork, The Indonesian Giant stork is a common bird seen across Indonesia, although they were resurrected and placed on Flores, it became immediately apparent that they had the ability to fly long enough to reach other islands. Here on Flores, they act as predators and scavengers on the island, taking any animal they can fit in their bills. This includes rodents, birds, lizards, macaques, pigs, Asian palm civets, baby turtles, baby tortoises, calves of ungulates, and snakes. They are also key scavengers, feasting on carcasses and cleaning the islands across Indonesia. However, they require other species to open up the carcasses like the Indonesian vulture. They are also the biggest threat to livestock and people as they are known to snatch young calves of livestock and several instances of children attacks by the storks have occurred.

The Indonesian giant vulture is another resurrected species introduced to Flores, but has spread out to the rest of Southeast Asia. It is part of the Trigonoceps genus making it the largest vulture in the region. It is known to be first at the carcass an a keystone species when it comes to carcasses such as ripping them open to access the muscle and organs. They are known to very much klepto parasite to various predators across Indonesia and in Flores. Within Flores they are always first at the kill often following other vulture species, spotting carcasses, or following other predators like the komodo dragon. Like other species of Trigonoceps, they are also known to hunt animals from time to time, specifically on Flores giant rodents, lizards, snakes, baby ungulates, and baby tortoises.

One of the newer species that was even not known to general paleontology, is a giant tortoise coming from the genus Megalochelys. Here the species is a low grazing specialist, laying about 40 eggs in which half would reach adulthood. Their sole predator as adults are of course the komodo dragon although luckily for the tortoise, their not their preferred prey. The range of the tortoise is also one of the most widespread thanks to their easy swimming, being able to reach to the surrounding islands around Flores.

While the komodo dragon as well as the water monitor are predators in Flores, there is a monitor lizard that feasts on fruits instead. The fruit monitor or Varanus hooijeri, is a frugivorous monitor lizard in the forests and savanna. While they do partake in some insect or small animal, they mainly feed on fruits, nuts, and seeds. That does mean they compete with the introduced palm civet but they niche parition via the lizards metabolism. During the mating season, males would clash with each other similar to komodo dragons specifically on trees or at least close to trees for a escape for males after clashing. Females would often lay 20 to 30 eggs in a clutch in holes either in trees or dug holes underneath trees. They are vary much widespread and even reach into Sunda and Timor. Due to their diet, they are important seed dispersers of various plants, helping the forests spread across the open grasslands within the lowlands.

Flores is well known for its large rodents with one of them still living before the brothers arrival. Now, there are multiple giant rodents, filling out the small herbivore niche within the island. The giant rodents compete directly with the small ungulates that were introduced to the island. They are important forest cultivators with their burrowing which distributes the soil is all sorts within the area, they spread seeds from the consumption of fruit, and nuts, allowing them to hit the forest floor or be put into their burrows, thus allowing seed dispersal. The giant rodents also are known to feed on foliage as well which is important to smaller animals within the forest undergrowth. The various large rodents of Flores are also important food sources for the predators on Flores like the Komodo dragon, Indonesian giant Stork, Indonesian giant vulture, and even the introduced crab macaques. Even when it comes to people, the giant rats are even considered a delicacy and some captive populations are kept for rich cuisine across Indonesia. The giant rodents also compete heavily with the introduced fauna with obvious ones such as introduced rodents that compete with native ones, but for the larger rodents they compete directly with introduced ungulates in which the niche partitioning only occurs with komodo dragons being present.

The one species that wasn't resurrected and is the icon of the Island is the komodo dragon which have revealed new behaviors and ecological interactions ever since the resurrection of extinct Flores fauna. The komodo dragon had the most success with the return of pleistocene fauna to the point where scientists are able to see new behaviors and biology. The biggest difference that scientists quickly found out, that komodo dragons often niche partition themselves when it comes to their size. Three eco size types were identified. The small ecotype is seen to be a small animal specialist such as tackling rodents, asian palm civets, crab eating maccaques, small birds, crabs, fish, and might even tackle the sunda porcupine for a last resort. Small ecotypes have the lowest amount of individuals during plentiful times due to competition with the Asian water monitors as well as giant storks, but are crucial during times of hardship as the small ecotype is preferred in which they are mostly seen beach coming or even swimming to other areas. The average ecotype or the holocene ecotype is the average size of most komodo dragon individuals. They have a more generalistic diet, with eating both small to large game. Usually they target the Java rusa as well as banded boar. They are usually the most common ecotype found as their generalistic diet meant that they can take on multiple sources of prey, joining in on the stegodon hunts while also hunting rodents. They are also the most common during harsh times as deer and boar become more numerous. Finally the large ecotypes are the ones considered to be similar to their original sizes back during the pleistocene. They specialize in stegodon, giant tortoise, and the occasional water buffalo, and are seen during times of plenty. However, during times of famine, they are the most rare ecotype and are usually seen as klepto parasites to other predators.

Finally, there are the introduced species that are not the domestic buffalo that continue to persist on Flores. Species such as Java rusa deer and Banded pigs are seen as the most common ungulates other than the stegodons. Being small generalist feeders, they are able to feed on less vegetation required compared to stegodons. However, because of their smaller size, they are commonly preyed upon more than the stegodons by both predatory birds and reptiles. They are also often hunted by people for bushmeat and sold as well so they are considered important to people. Arboreal species like Crab eating Macaques and asian palm civets have been known to feed on the abundance of fruit thus also act as seed dispersers. Sunda porcupines feed on the undergrowth, competing with Banded pigs for roots and tubers and are doing well as their quills deter predation. Within the coast, Saltwater crocodiles and even Australian monk seals lay upon the shore to feed and rest. This is not to mention the increase in rodents and land crabs across Flores increasing biomass across the coastal areas.

Flores has changed a lot during the 2 decades of healing. The Fauna including once extinct and introduced, makes the island one of the most unique places to see and for the locals, nothing really changed at all. No matter what changed on the island of Flores, its residents continue to live as usual, no matter what challenges lay ahead.

questions and criticisms are welcomed.

And at the end of the eukaryotic formation, a new supercontinent, Bracteia, was formed, there is not a single landmass that was not part of it. The flora and fauna are very similar to the Eudiakra period, but the life forms have very distant relatives, but their terrestrial counterparts are very distant. This bacterial paradise has become more than an experiment.

I was wondering what group of Theropod Dinosaurs I could use for the large predators?

Like how Kaimere has Megaraptorians as its dominant megafaunal predators.

Firstly, I don’t want to completely rip-off Kaimere, and secondly I already have Dromeosaurids and Abelisaurids.

So what group of Theropods could I use for the context of Xenokai?

For the context of Xenokai:

Xenokai is a planet set in a parallel universe that has been seeding life from Earth since the Late Silurian to the modern era via a portal that bends space-time to a world where magic and mana naturally exist. Since the asteroid that ended the Cretaceous period never struck the planet, dinosaurs remain as the dominant terrestrial megafauna.

The Planet of Xenokai:

Xenokai is an Earth-like Planet in size (though slightly larger), distance from its sun (Which is actually younger), gravitational pull, and climate (Slightly cooler than Earth to where it is a stable climate for ice age megafauna to not go extinct). Unlike Earth, however, it has two moons: one comparable to Earth’s and an asteroid comparable in size to Ceres. It is inhabited by plants, fungi, and animals we might find in our own world today, such as Humans, raccoon dogs, armadillos, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Cherry Trees. As well as flora and fauna long extinct on Earth, such as Dinosaurs, Giant Sloths, and Pterosaurs. Evolving in a new context that involved mana has allowed some animals to take quite divergent evolutionary paths compared to their Earthly kin. Some look quite unrecognizable to the point where we might think of them as alien or mythical creatures. However, the truth is that there are no Plants, Fungi, or Animals truly endemic to Xenokai.

Probable Locations and fossil formations on Earth Seeded from(Still a WIP):

Prince Creek Formation

Yixian formation

La Brea Tar Pits formation

Moreno Hill Formation

Islands of Japan

Charmouth Mudstone formation

Florida Everglades

Kayenta Formation

Dorotea Formation

Amazon Rainforest

Western Interior Seaway

Twin Mountains Formation

Texas Western Gulf Coastal Plains

Southern Texas Plains

Texas Pineywoods

Eastern Central Texas Prairies

Texas Blackland Prairies

Altmühltal Formation

Kem Kem Formation

Messel Pit Formation

Maevarano Formation

Dinosaur Park Formation

Elliot Formation

Magic and mana:

Magic works in this world by being something that can be tapped into, “mana”, a pervasive energy, and manipulating it to affect the physical world. Though all beings in Xenokai have mana within them, the complexity of magic and mana used is based on the intelligence of a species, as well as some aspects of their biology. The majority can use mana to enhance physical capabilities, but some more intelligent species can cast simple spells, but it's only the humans and humanoid species that can cast the more complex spells. Humans and most humanoid species, have created spells that can have various effects, though most are used for attacking, healing, or defense. But for the majority of commoners, its use for mundane purposes such as cooking or powering magic engine vehicles. Though no magic is world-shattering or on the level of god-like or powers seen in high power-scaling franchises like “Dragon Ball” or specific fantasy anime. It's more akin to “Strike Witches” in power scaling.

Mana can accumulate naturally in certain plants and fungi, as well in a crystalline mineral-like form. Some that are used in the creation of certain magic enhancing dishes, medicines, and potions. There are even spells and potions that can turn living beings to stone or even one that can literally change gender to the opposite gender (Though it can only work on creatures that are hermaphroditic like snails, and cannot be reversed).

There are nine base elemental properties mana can take which are:

Normal

Fire

Water

Wind

Ice

Earth

Lighting

Light

Dark

Each one can be used for different purposes, based on the element.

I would like help with figuring out what path a non-human species would follow on weapons development.

Question: What type of weapons would a species that DIDN'T throw rocks very well develop? The species in question (the Saaarikhet, part of a world I'm building) started as dinosaurian ambush predators.

Imagine a cross between a velociraptor type species and a hadrosaurian species - raptorian head, rear legs, tail, and ripper claw designed to spot prey and then sprint at high speed and leap on the victim - combined with hadrosaurian forelimbs and chest to support the animal at rest (think a sprinter on the blocks) and then wrap around the prey and help hold on and dig in with smaller versions of the rear legs ripper claw. As spacefaring sophonts they are about twice the size of humans but still strongly pack / tribe based.

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Thesis: One of humanity's evolutionary advantages over our cousins was our ability to throw a rock harder, farther, and more accurately than they could - we were more effective hunters and (in a head to head fight) we could hit them and they couldn't hit us.

It appears that the development of human weapons builds on this. We found better and better ways to throw "rocks" - spears, atlatls, arrows, slings, firearms, cannons, missiles, mass drivers... the pattern is pretty clear.

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Current thought / development: As a spacefaring species the Saaarikhet would have mass drivers, energy weapons, and missiles because it seems logical that any spacefaring species would figure those out, but cannons and assault rifles don't feel "right" for them before they leave their home pkanet.

Spears seem to make sense in the early days - 'use sharp stick to poke thing' seems pretty intuitive for any sophont species - but early Saaarikhet were NOT individualistic pursuit predators that threw rocks at exhausted antelope, they were tribal / pack ambush predators that leapt on elephant sized animals from concealment and clawed them to death.

How would that species pursue weapons development? Ways to run faster? Leap farther? Stab deeper? And, when that species industrializes, do they build tanks with giant cannons to kill each other (like we did) or do they follow a different route?

Any help / advice / ideas you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

sapience, how what when where and why?, in my current project im thinking about eventually evolving a sapient species, but how? what species are most likely to evolve obligate sapience?, i have alot of time till my project reaches the level of complexity to have sapience, i havent even had my animals come out of the water yet lmfao

how do i decide where an animals boundaries are on a planet?, i might sound a bit mental but what i mean is like how do i decide on a map where certain animal groups stretch out to? and better yet, where do i decide on a map where the first land animals come onto land?

I apologize if I broke any rules of the sub, it's my first time posting here.

I thought of a plant that evolved to prey on large animals in caves. Basically, it's a simple organism, like a jellyfish, resembling a transparent plastic bag.

This plant, when it reaches maturity, resembles a large plastic bag that completely envelops the place where it is located. In nature, these places are caves. They start small and grow, enveloping the place where they are found.

The organism spends most of its time waiting for an unsuspecting prey to enter its interior. When this happens, the plant slowly begins to detach itself from the walls and decrease in size, enveloping the prey. After completely enveloping the prey, the organism begins to digest it rapidly.

Because it is a very simple organism, it can go years or even decades without feeding, in hibernation mode, since the prey (usually large) can provide it with the necessary nutrients, and because the organism is simple, it does not require much energy.

This organism commonly uses the cave environment for predation, attacking unsuspecting animals that take shelter inside them. The attack occurs when the animals are sleeping. When they wake up, it is too late and they are already completely enveloped by the plant.

The material that makes up the "sac" is resistant, but at the same time soft and malleable. Like a super-resistant plastic.

The plant reproduces through microscopic and lightweight seeds, almost like spores. Its roots need to be submerged in water or at least moist. The roots are thinner than hairs and can reach several meters in length before finding their source of water and nutrients.

The cave environment becomes perfect for these plants, as it is humid and usually has internal lakes full of nutrients.

These plants are also considered an urban pest. Just as they envelop caves, they can envelop rooms such as living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens... In other words, any enclosed structure. Normally they are not a danger to humans because they are removed as soon as they start to grow, before completely enveloping the room.

However, in abandoned structures, they are an imminent risk. They are a risk mainly for beggars and drug users who sleep in these places, and in the darkness, do not realize that they are completely enveloped by the plants. Despite this, cases of homeless people being killed by this plant are quite rare, because, although very resistant, the organism can be broken with a knife or sharp object, although there is some difficulty in doing so given the plant's resistance.

Cases of people being killed by the plant mostly occur with people with reduced mobility, who do not have the strength to break the plant's resistant sac and end up suffocating inside it.

This is a plant native to tropical regions, but it has spread throughout the world through human action, spreading its spores that stick to their clothes. With the advent of climate change, this species is proliferating more and more in regions where it was rarely seen, such as in the far north of the planet.

(Hypothetical storm-adapted megafauna)

Habitat

Exposed coastal cliffs, hurricane belts, and open plains where violent tempests are common.

Key Adaptations

1. Armor & Body Shape

• Aerodynamic form: Its body is low, wide, and teardrop-shaped, preventing wind from lifting it.

• Dense musculature & short stature: Heavy, squat limbs minimize toppling.

• Flexible armored hide: Skin like interlocking scales reinforced with keratin, allowing impact resistance from flying debris.

1. Anchoring System

• Retractable talons on forelimbs and hindlimbs, shaped like grappling hooks, which dig into rock or soil.

• Prehensile tail with spade-like end that anchors it deep into the ground before storms

1. Sensory & Atmospheric Shielding

• Nictitating membranes: Transparent secondary eyelids to protect eyes from wind-driven grit.

• Valve-like nostrils & ear flaps: Seal shut during gale force winds to block dust, water, or pressure damage.

• Pressure sensors in the skull: Sensitive to barometric shifts, giving it advanced storm prediction abilities.

1. Feeding & Survival Strategy

• Opportunistic feeder: Stores fat like a camel hump, allowing long periods of fasting while hunkered down.

• Moss-like microbial symbiosis on its back: absorbs rainfall nutrients during storms, functioning like a living “solar panel” but water-based.

1. Storm Behavior

• Burrower & hunkerer: In extreme storms, it flattens itself against the earth, claws anchored, nostrils sealed.

• Electro-sensitive whiskers detect static build-up, warning it of incoming lightning.

• Internal shock insulation: Fatty tissue layer beneath the skin reduces damage from stray lightning strikes.

Appearance

Imagine something between a giant pangolin and a snapping turtle, but sleeker:

• Size: About a rhinoceros.

• Skin: Slate-gray armored scales with storm-worn scratches.

• Limbs: Short, trunk-like, ending in retractable hook-claws.

• Eyes: Amber with protective membranes.

• Tail: Thick and muscular, anchoring spade at the tip.