Life on the Bioplane- a speculative biology project

[BirbPolly]

yay

This will be a speculative biology series where I talk about different creatures that live in this world! While certain aspects are rooted in realism, there will be some more fantastical elements!

Time for a loredump with an mysterious narrator (TLDR below)

Around 5 thousand years ago, a certain spacefaring species that called themselves the humans created an artificial planet that would orbit around a star similiar to our own sun. Similiar to the forgotten conspiracies of who knew how long ago, this “planet” was built on a flat, circular plane with artificial gravity and a complete atphosmere.

And on this structure, they created ecosystems. All across the surface of the monolith they terraformed mountains and planted stationary green life-forms that , dug out oceans and froze icebergs. They added the winds and the currents, the tides and the seasons, all artificially managed by a series of machinery so complex that you, a being prehistoric compared to us, would never begin to comprehend. 

And it was all to replicate the ‘Earth’ that they missed so much. What fools. Do you know they destroyed it themselves? The beings of the past were so imbecile.

You still listening? Great! Awful to be the one telling a story, only for those who are listening to be uninterested and uncaring.

I’m getting rather off-track here. 

And last of all, they filled their creation with the once almost lost creatures of Earth, descendants of a few from each species that they’d preserved right before their planet of origin… you know.

They were supposed to move those with a lot of material gain to live there, you know. But then, supposedly- it’s what I’ve heard, and it hasn’t all been officially recorded, the entire human species went extinct, from a cause no being remembers.

And, right after, a large asteroid struck the bioplane- hitting it directly in the centre and almost spinning it away from its host star, and flinging it into the void of space.

Without a star, the ecosystem slowly began to freeze over. The creatures that hadn’t been vaporised in the impact started to die out one by one from starvation and cold.

Until a curious little thing flew down to the crater, and touched the asteroid.

 

Something within it began to glow, bright green lights shining from within each crack and crevice, and shards of stone falling away to reveal crystals that brimmed with our kind’s technology, as well as it who lived inside.

It was my own ancestor. It was who saved the creatures of the Bioplane- by directing them to a new star. But, because this is our mission, this is what we do, to shape the beings of the universe without causing harm- it changed everything.

 

Everything became different yet the same- it was all the same creatures, mind you, simply morphed and changed so they could live in different ecological niches.

 

That’s what happened 5 thousand years ago. And the Bioplane is where we are going, to see what my ancestor has left behind, for me.

 

TLDR: After ruining Earth humans made an artificial flat Earth that rich people could go pay to live on. Unfortunatley humans mysteriously vanished before they could do that, so the structure is just there now. Also it got hit by an asteroid that had magic crystals and an alien from a godlike species inside, and with those two existing it mutated each animal into a different variation

 

Yay

 

[BirbPolly]

Due to the small impact they're beginning to leave on this world, the first species we encounter is 'Corvus Callidus'

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Derived from: Crows, ravens, and other corvids.

Notable changes: Feathered covering almost completley removed. Stance made more upright and wings switched out for grasping appendages. Intelligence was already high, but it was increased even more.

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Don't open if you don't want to see a bald bird man

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Biology notes

• Corvus Callidus Are capable of walking on all fours, although it is now rare for them to do it unless climbing trees, as they are a partly arboreal species.
• They usually live in warm, forested areas, prefering places with more mild weather that doesn't change. 
• Their lack of feathers makes them an easy target for other creatures, especially parasitic ones. They rely entireley on agility and intelligence.
• Like their ancestors they have an omnivorous diet and can eat almost anything, and are also about the same size.

Culture and technology

• They build their homes in large, hollowed-out trees and logs. They prefer small, tight spaces with extra side enterances so that they can escape predators if needed. 
• One of the most fascinating things about this species is that they have discovered relics and artifacts from the humans. They put these up upon pedestals and gather around them- forming a sort of religion around these snippets of the past. It's unlikely that they've discovered that their planet is artificial, as they do not yet have any true space-related technology.
• They adorn themselves with elaborate feathered structures, gathered from other avian-derived creatures that got to keep them. It seems like different placements and colours of these feathers have different symbolism behind them.
• They speak a complex languege made up of clicks, screeches, and harsh sounds. 

[BirbPolly]

Despite it's camouflage I quickly discovered the large "Avisophagus Formidulosus".

Derived from: Anteaters

Notable changes: Larger than it's ancestors with a different colouration. It's jaw can easily open fully and it is filled with sharp teeth, allowing it to become a deadly predator. Due to their often motionless lifestyle, the legs are noticabley shorter.

(lmk if this needs a warning for the teeth)

 

It is found in areas with plenty of ground cover, but little to no trees and larger plants- so mainly in grasslands and scrublands.

It's style of hunting consists of lying in wait in bushes for days, waiting for a flying creature to swoop overhead, though it will sometimes prey on other things. They can lie completley motionless for days at a time, their slow metabolism allowing them to go a long time without eating. Sometimes, as depicted in the image, they can stay still for so long that things begin to grow on their backs. Their short legs will also make them very slow movers.

When prey comes by, it will fling out it's tongue at an impressive speed and reel in the prey. It will barley chew it's target, crushing it almost instantly within the curved teeth in the front of the snout, then shredding what's left in the chaotic circle of back teeth. 

The Avisophagus Formidulosus is almost always soliatary. They only come together to mate, and then a female will give birth to 1 or 2 young and raise them until they are close to adulthood. 

 

[BirbPolly]

We continue across the arid regions in which we found the previous entry. Here is a truly bizzarre specimen- 'Camelus volare'.

Derived from: Camels

Notable changes: This species is just under half the size of it's ancestors, but much lighter than half the weight. The 'hump' on their backs that would previously store fat has become a thin membrane that inflates with hot air, allowing them to drift across the sky. Their necks and legs have shortened, and since they no longer need to be able to walk long distances, their wide hooves have become tiny hooks, and their legs are so weak that they'd bareley be able to support their own body. While their general climate of residence is still arid, they now prefer savannahs rather than deserts.

 

This is a species that on the surface may seem to do very little, but I am still fascinated by their life cycle and diet.

The Camelus volare feeds on something very unusual- a rare instance of my ancestor deciding to make a change to plants instead of animals. Large, lightweight clumps of algae float at high altitudes using membranes similiar to this creature. They eat large amounts of it, getting most of their moisture from the food.

The only time during their lives when they come down is during the dedicated mating season. They will partially deflate their membranes and descend in large groups onto elavated mesa areas. This partial deflation means they will move incredibly slowly, floating just above the ground and using their legs to pathetically drag themselves along. 

Females give birth to very underdeveloped, practically unrecognisable offspring. They give birth to huge litters that can get as large as 30 young at a time. However, despite their embryo-like appearence, they can inflate their membranes minutes after birth, and immidietley float in huge swarms to attatch themselves to the largest algae floater they can find, feeding off small pieces of it to sustain themselves until they reach a more developed stage. It is common to see a large clump completley covered in their young soon after the breeding season.

However this comes at a cost to the adults. It is hard for an adult to re-inflate their membranes after deflating them to descend, and therefore, many of them either get eaten by predators, or damage their membranes too much to re-inflate. 

This life cycle is extremley inneficient. But, it works, and the species population is generally stable. In a way, it is beautiful that even the weirdest survival strategies can work.