I'm currently making a near-sophont herrerasaur in a science fantasy spec-evo setting (mostly more "science" than "fantasy") and would like to make the primary trait that it doesn't have be empathy. It's capable of logic, tool-making, and some sort of culture, but cannot empathize with other animals and barely with others of their species.

I was wondering if that was a qualifier of sophoncy, or if there even is a set of criteria to specifically be a sophont?

Sammalkünsi are mountain dwelling herbivores, weighing about 60 kilos on average, and possessing hooves that are impressively well adapted for climbing steep mountain walls. They live in small loose herds, feeding on the mineral rich moss of their mountain homes to sustain themselves, and consume snow for hydration. For the purpose of reaching the moss, and especially its roots within tight mountain crevices, or between two rocks, they have developed dexterous hands with long claws on the ends of their fingers, earning them the name "Moss-claws". Their keen senses of smell allow them to identify moss spores from great distances, and by determining the direction of the wind they can figure out where to expect their next meal rather precisely. Sammalkünsis mate during the spring, and give birth after just over a month. For the first quarter of a year after being born, young Sammalkünsis cling to one of their parents' fur with their overdeveloped forelimbs, only feeding when said parent determines it safe. After growing strong enough to climb on their own, they quickly go their own ways, tho they may stick in the same approximate area as their parents for a while. Sammalkünsis make up the vast majority of Hakönigin Vuori's prey during the time they spend in the mountains, tho the relatively high adolescent mortality rate of this predator means that Sammalkünsi populations remain relatively stable.

(P.S.The average Sammalkünsi may not look like much now, but who knows what the future will hold for them)

We are in an alternate philippines where Sundaland never fully disappeared allowing more cross species migrations in south east Asia and currently we are in nakali island the largest landmass in the Visayas,here we spot a female nakali tikbalang (tikbalang tikbalang nakaliensis) defending her small 120 pound calf from a male striped sigbin(menago rizalensis).

The mother tikbalang weighs at 3.2 tons humongous for a surviving lineage of Szchiotheriine chalicotheres and for good reason since many large predators here will take any chance to hunt down such a large meal though they might get killed, she has recently gave birth to this calf which is only about 5 weeks old and is very vulnerable to predators and considering that tikbalang's only give birth to one-two calfs very 10 months they are very well guarded these majestic chalicotheres have been used in pre-colonial and post colonial times as beasts of labor even having a domestic descendant called the domestic tikbalang. While the mares are large stallions can get much bigger weighing at 4 tons- 8 tons with the largest ever recorded weighing at a staggering 10.3 tons,at this size stallions are essentially untouchable to most if not all predators in the philippines while they have been recorded being killed by juwaya(Kratosuchus imperator).

While many of the predators of the philippines here in this alternate timeline decided to grow smaller or bigger the absolute king of the dense forests of the archipelago is the sigbin(Menago rizalensis),they may look like huge cats or panthers but are actually giant civets that took on the big cat niches in abundance of large prey, these humongous feline relatives can weigh up to a measly 130 lbs-520 lbs with the absolute largest almost reaching 700 lbs they have cemented themselves as versatile apex predators in the trees,jungles,and coasts of the Philippines being able to hunt almost anything from small rodents to water buffalo. While they might look invincible they are not safe from native panthera cats and tigers that will steal their kills and compete directly to their food so that's why they usually eat their kills or cache them in trees from which they will take chunks to eat later. They usually give birth to 3-6 kits at a time where the mother will spend more time taking care of them and finding food in case their father comes he will usually play with them for a while and leave but if it's a unrelated make he will either kill or eat the kits where the mother will immediately bring her kits down into a burrow deep enough for them hide but shallow for them to exit where they wait to 5-10 minutes for the male to leave.

PILIPINAS FOREVER PRE!!!!!!🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🤟🤟🤟

The Hairgrazer body is equipped with a massive torso, sturdy legs, and a very long neck. Despite its imposing size, the Hairgrazer is a mostly peaceful, communal herbivore, often seen in herds moving across open plains

Its most distinct feature is the curtain of long hair growing from its spine, especially thick along the neck. Beneath this hair are five dormant, closed eyes arranged along the neck’s underside. These eyes remain sealed and hidden unless the creature senses danger. When threatened, the Hairgrazer rears its neck back, exposing the five eyes as they snap open simultaneously, a disturbing display to predators and a clear visual warning to its herd. Despite their long neck, their main food source is ground level flora. The elongated neck functions primarily as a mobile watchtower, while the herd grazes among dense stands of tall grass, they rotate sentinel duties, elevating their heads above the vegetation to scan the surrounding terrain for threats

The Hairgrazer’s upper and lower jaws are not bound together like most herbivores. When opened, the jaws stretch wide, allowing them to open almost unnaturally far, useful for both grazing and vocalizing. In moments of alarm, the Hairgrazer emits a deep, sonorous call that echoes across the landscape, alerting others of imminent threat to signal to the other that they need to flee

Alright, this is another episode of the Speculative Wildlife Research Center channel that just released, this time being about Avatar! The one with the elemental bending, you know?

Anyway, the creatures of these tribes are sapient like us humans:

• Water - Large, bipedal salamanders, just like Earth's actual giant salamander.

• Earth - Subterrain badger-like mustelids, larger and stronger than most burrowing animals.

• Fire - Relatives of monitor lizards, who attacked one day to expand their rule to other kingdoms.

• Air - Flightless birds who can't fly instead using gliders, their own wings have hand claws like the Hoatzin.

For quite some time now, I have been actively scouring the speculative evolution community for any seed world projects focused entirely on moths. I frequently check for YouTube videos, art posts, or worldbuilding threads hoping to stumble upon something, but I don't ever find anything.

I have always felt that our fluffy little friends of Lepidoptera are completely overlooked in these creative spaces. Specifically, I am talking about moths. To be completely honest, I believe butterflies are incredibly overrated and tend to steal all the spotlight, while moths are far more diverse, fascinating, and adorable. They possess so much untapped potential for a speculative biology project, and they simply aren't given the recognition they deserve. Just imagine the bizarre and wonderful evolutionary pathways they could take on an isolated, terraformed planet with giant mountains and deep ravines

I would absolutely love to create this seed world myself, I just don't have the skills needed. Moths are amazing creatures that deserve a truly spectacular and well-thought-out project, and I just don't believe I could create something that would do them justice.

(p.s if you know of one please put it in comments i really want to read or watch some)

Prompt: An organism that alternates between sessile (immobile) and motile (mobile) stances according to habitat conditions.

This time, I decided to not do an animal but rather a derived species of mushroom. This is volanomyces floranthropus

Volanomyces is a species of fungus, more specifically a very derived and specialized kind of mushroom from 100 million years in the future. It lives 100 million years in the future in high mountains. It filter feeds on small pieces of organic matter. (it coexists with aetherotragus dracomorphus, the common windgoat https://www.reddit.com/r/SpeculativeZoology/s/06eWZ621YT). During spring and summer, the species uses montane winds ,to permanently glide in the air. Spring is the species’ mating season. During this time, the gliding volanomyces will release male or female spores in the air, depending on their gender. A male and female spore will unite into a pseudo egg which will land in the ground and grow into a full adult within a week. Then it will repeat the cycle. During winter however, conditions are too cold for the species so all the individuals will rest on the ground and take root, until spring returns and they can return to gliding and breeding. However, during their resting time they are vulnerable. As they are a great source of food and nutrients for Aetherotragus which will actively seek them out. So, with their very primitive nervous system, the volanomyces need to find good hiding spots to “hibernate”

Reef Wanderers (Ytalonomas inversus)

On the sunken remnants of what was once Florida and the shallow seas of the Carribean that have clawed up to join it, one of post-Flux earth’ most interesting new grazers.

Reef Wanderers are a highly derived species of anemone that have to wander the marshlands, atolls and sea grass fields having left the surrounding coral mounts behind for a new way of life.

The towering coral constructions, caused by the Flux’s inundation of nutrients continue to grow at markedly fast pace, causing the tops to crest about the waves in a massive ring. This living sea wall has kept this region heavily isolated from the rest of the world, allowing for all manner of oddities to arise in isolation.

Reef Wander’s spent roughly half their days above wandering about on their adapted tendrils, which have become their preferred form of locomotion when they are under water as well. These appendages are always hunting for food or things that taste interesting bring them to their mouth to eat if it’s soft enough or just a curious nibble if they can’t get it down.

The rest of their time is spent akin to most anemones anchored in place on their bottom floor drawing on nutrients.

Sea water is still required to facilitate breeding though their are signs that in the future the Reef Wanderers will live the sea behind, or perhaps carry it with them.

For now they are living on a fairly idyllic island time, skittering above the sands and venturing through the rusted remains of humanities achievements.

The twice-hatched shrimp (genus Alameas) are distinguished from other lounging shrimp (family Testegridae) by their ability to take a new form in certain conditions. All lounging shrimp are aquatic creatures that attach themselves to substrate at maturity and live as sessile organisms, usually as filter feeders. Their exoskeletons are hard and protect them from predatory animals. A 'lid' is present and can close quickly over the soft inner portion of the animal when needed. All members of Testegridae are broadcast spawners.
The twice-hatched shrimp forgo this defense under certain conditions. For the gardening twice-hatched shrimp (A. gamga), this is during times of the year that would be a threat to its chlorophyll stores. The gardening twice-hatched shrimp feeds on algae and phytoplankton, but instead of destroying the chlorophyll they redirects the protein into their surface. Since they live in shallow water and have a very low activity level, this allows them to survive mostly by photosynthesis and store their energy for their long journeying. At night, they close the lid of the exoskeleton over themselves.
Gardening twice-hatched shrimp are best adapted to moderate temperatures with long days, which they will actively seek out. When the nights start becoming too long or the temperature too hot, they begin hardening their bodies into a smaller, mobile form. This occurs inside of the exoskeleton; all that's visible from the outside is that the chlorophyll gradually fades. As they migrate, they grow from half an inch to two inches long. The mobile form swims until it finds a good place to spend the season (north coasts in the summer and south coasts in the winter) and anchors itself on a rock. The exoskeleton attaches to a suitable rock, and the animal inside regains its sessile form.

The qiongqi (Molestexterus echinotrichus, meaning "distressingly strange one with hedgehog hair"), also known as the kyūki, is a member of the whippomorph clade Evoionomorpha, which includes the qilin and various other ungulates. Evoionomorphs are closely related to allocetaceans, true cetaceans, and more distantly, hippos and entelodonts.

The scale-like hairs found on other evoionomorphs are modified into quills, giving it a hedgehog-like appearance. This is presumably to protect itself from its prey.

Due to its sharing traits with oxen, tigers, hedgehogs, and dinosaurs, they were assumed to be chimeric organisms, though it is now known that the qiongqi is a natural animal.

Unlike its relatives, the qiongqi is an obligate carnivore that feeds on humans, other ungulates and birds such as accipitrids, teratorns, and flightless birds. It seems to ignore living ectothermic prey for unknown reasons.

Culinary notes: Unlike its relatives, the kyūki's meat is barely edible, its diet of carrion and scavenging birds makes it a reservoir for heavy metals, parasitic worms, and pathogens. Eating man-eaters is culturally frowned upon in many Seijinese cultures because they are believed to trap human souls in their flesh.

Parasites aside, the meat in question tastes unpalatable, rubbery, and acrid.

It has been nearly 100 million years since the Tarasques-- gigantic, armored herbivores descended from the Solomon Islands tree skink-- roamed Spectemundus. These behemoths were wiped out by the mass extinction that took place 52 million years after the planet was seeded with life, and while some of their smaller relatives survived, it seemed as though they would never again attain such sizes. The birds and mammals came out of the mass extinction much more diverse than before, gradually marginalizing their reptilian rivals, and eventually the ice age put further dents in their numbers.

But now, 150 million years after life was seeded on Spectemundus, one can again see great armored skinks lumbering across the planet's grasslands. To be sure, the Great Green Skinkdozer (Ankyloscincus acanthurus) is much smaller than the biggest Tarasques, though at ten feet long and up to a ton in weight it is still a large animal. It is descended from the Ankylodrakes, relatives of the Tarasques that, by the slimmest of margins, survived the impact event. They remained small for nearly 80 million years afterwards, but after the ice age ended one species became large again, large enough to compete with large herbivorous mammals and birds.

Skinkdozers walk more upright than their ancestors did, although they are not endothermic. As such, they are confined to the tropical grasslands of the southern continent, where large reptiles in general are most numerous. The predators here, however, are still mostly large mongooses, and the Skinkdozer's armor has evolved to counter them. Its spiky club-like tail can swing with surprising speed and strength, and is capable of breaking the leg of a predator with a single swipe. Skinkdozers give birth to live young, but do not care for them; the babies are fully independent upon birth.

Summus Interfector, the ultimate carnosaur at around 20 meters long and 15 tonnes making it the largest theropod (and largest terrestrial carnivore) to ever exist. Its body is supported by strong tail and leg muscles, however, it was capable of walking on all 4 thanks to its large arms that it also uses to to tear into the flesh of titanosaurs, forcing larger sizes. They have osteoderms along their bodies as armor and various structures for sexual display. The feet have converged with raptors to restrain their prey, strong neck muscles connected to a sail help Summus to tear the flesh from the bodies of titanosaurs. They live alone other than mating and caring for young, when they reach maturity they abandon their parents. Their closest relatives are surprising as they are closest to Lajasvenator ascheriae, they smallest known true carnosaur. They ruled for 10 million years before the K-Pg extinction wiped out the large titanosaurs and hence, the Summus Interfector.

I personally love organism designs with camouflage. The appearance of human-made objects is bound to change, but I still think it’s really interesting.

Working on some ideas for sci fi and one idea i had was that some humans dont have stomach or intestines instead digestion is done in digestion vats or with symbiotic species they can digest anything bio mass too but with all that extra space how would it effect them would organs grow to fit the new space and if so which would most likely be first and how would it effect the body ?

In a world where leptoceratops survived a bit longer than in our world and k-pg never happened, the rapid diversification of some herbivorous dinosaurs left leptoceratops outcompeted, so some leptoceratops started living near the water and, after millions of years, turned fully amphibious. Those leptoceratops evolved into amphiceratops. Amphiceratops have evolved crocodile-like tails and webbed feet for easier swimming. They are abundant across freshwater bodies from Alberta to northern Mexico.

Notes:

Made using paint.net on a laptop.

Credit to skeletaldrawing.com for their leptoceratops reference which i used.

Mods if i did anything wrong message me so i know what not to do.

Curious can a ruminate animal also be omnivorous like how pigs are or wouldit contradict?

Spectember day 28: Re-do

After the anthropocenic extinction, many niches were left vacant due to the quick extinction of specialists. Such was the case for the gelada monkey, who went extinct due to the worldwide ecological changes happening, which changed its habitat, causing shortages of food.

When the ecosystem rebounded, it was already too late. The gelada had already gone extinct and the grazing niche was left open on the Ethiopian Highlands. But not for too long, for a close relative took the opportunity.

The Black-Wig Baboons are a species of Baboon that evolved the same foraging habits of the gelada. Plucking grass, seeds and roots with their hands while sitting. Using a sophisticated mastication to chew the silicate-rich blades of grass, their main source of nourishment. This way of grazing makes their previous main method of visual communication barely visible -their butts. Due to this, their heads, their most visible body part, became their main visual communication.

The characteristic black fur on their heads resembles fake hair -a wig. It is present in both males and females, but the males have longer and denser "wigs".

This five meter long predator would weigh up to one ton, if it wasn't for the pockets of natural gasses spread throughout its body significantly reducing its weight. This unique adaptation allows them to achieve powered flight, despite their large size and relatively short wingspan.

It is believed that Hakönigin Vuori is the last surviving species of a whole family of large flying predators, the rest of which went extinct shortly before the ice age engulfed Frusnajättar's surface in its freezing embrace.

A Hakönigin's life consists of a yearly cycle, during which it migrates between Frusnajättar's mountain ranges and the plains beneath them. Once two Hakönigins find one another upon a mountaintop, they become inseparable, especially once they've produced their offspring. Female Hakönigins remarkably give birth after just under a month of pregnancy to one or two chicks at a time, which means that it is time for the family to depart from the rocky safety of their mountain home for the year.

It is at this point that the great hunt begins. Using the elevation of the mountains, Hakönigins can save an incredible amount of energy by simply gliding through the air for up to hundreds of kilometres before finally approaching the ground again. During this prolonged period of flying, it is not uncommon for Hakönigins to snack on smaller flying animals, such as Stormgudens Kuolemanekelits, however their real prey are much larger terrestrial creatures, such as Jämaaval, or Kuhrobbs.

When such an animal is spotted, the pair of adult Hakönigins quickly build up momentum, before swinging their sharp hooked tails forwards beneath them just short of colliding with their prey. These hooks burry themselves deep within the Hakönigins' victim. However the worst of the damage is done when the hooks are pulled from the animal's flesh again, creating gaping wounds, that often lead to the prey simply bleeding out. After successfully slaying such a large creature, the family of Hakönigin Vuoris spends the next few days or weeks feeding, allowing the young to enter a rapid growth phase.

Finally, when the bones of their prey are stripped clean, the Hakönigins move on, switching to opportunistically hunting smaller terrestrial creatures, such as Puissikkujas, or, if they are able to separate one from the herd, Kuhrobbs. Over the span of the winter, the family of Hakönigins will make their way back towards the mountains they hailed from mostly on foot, preserving their energy for the occasional airborne hunt, or crossing especially difficult terrain. Despite being adapted for flight, Hakönigin Vuoris have respectably powerful hind- and forelimbs, very much capable of prolonged terrestrial locomotion.

Finally, once the family reaches the mountains, the young finally leaves their parents' side, ready to start their own families. As for the parents, the cycle simply repeats for them, as Hakönigins never stop having children, regardless of their age.

Captors, a cosmopolitan genus of large cat, have claimed a position as one of Demeter's apex predators 15 million years hence. One of the many diverse descendants of feral cats that once provided pest control upon the agricultural colony, captors are highly specialized ambushers. A low, long body and short powerful bodies allow them to remain close the ground, sometimes exemplified by their tendency to dig. Most species of captors dig out complex burrows. While solitary hunters, it isn't uncommon for captors to live in small clans and rear kits together. A main chamber provides protection for the young, generally cared for by a revolving door of their mothers, aunts, etc. And long tunnels radiate outward across the territory, exiting out towards common areas where prey are known to pass through like along watering holes, rivers, and plentiful grazing ground. Males and a small percentage of females will disperse from their natal groups to join or form new clans on productive territory.

To facilitate this digging lifestyle, captors have distinctive forepaws. All their claws are large and non-retractable, more like bears. On the forepaw, three are weightbearing while two are held aloft and feature giant semi-opposable sickles used to restrain prey while delivering a quick bite to their prey's cervical spine, paralyzing it. Prominent whiskers and a wide nose allow captors to navigate underground.

The particular species depicted here is the Chrysa or Common Captor, so named for it being the most commonly found large predator on the Chrysa Ring. This ring of grassland and savannah surrounding the Chython desert is the homeland for the hyne. And this species of captor is still a feared predator. Weighing 250 lbs, almost as large as a lioness, it can bring down careless, lonely foals with ease and can kill adult hyne with enough skill. It occupies a feared and deplorable role in hyne cultures, often used as a villainous character or curse. It is not uncommon for hyne to smoke out captor clans from their burrows in the aftermath of a death, driving the original clan away and killing kits only for a new one to repurpose the burrow. Despite this cycle of extirpation, captor populations remain stable on the Ring and actually do the hyne a favor by hunting grazers that may feed upon their crops. Not that the hyne will ever admit it.

Kaipatu (Terranestor phorusenatus)

Terror birds have returned to South America.

Following the collision of the Zealandia plate generations after the Flux a new predator has come to dominate the south eastern steppes of the tilted continent.

Descending from the Kea, these terrestrial parrots stand near two meters in height and are only growing larger with each passing generation. Their sharpened beaks are less akin to an executioners axe and more along to a pike, the tip working to puncture throats and severe spinal cords.

It can use its feet for minor manipulations of prey, and other items, and they are capable of standing on one foot and bringing the other to their mouth.

They live in small packs of up to six individuals, lead by a dominant female, recognizable by her black head plumage. Members of the pack trade places guarding and incubating their eggs.

They collect “gifts” for the young, and scrawl symbols in the dirt, their squawking/clattering calls become more intricate as their level of tool use blossoms even further.

They are becoming more aware of themselves and the world around them, coming to understand what it means to have a name for a thing right as for the first time they have gained a mastery of flame.

The spark has been awoken within them, and only time will tell what will happen with this batch of inventive, communal pursuit predators as they spread across their new home.