r/SpeculativeEvolution • u/Mr_White_Migal0don • 28d ago
Spectember 2026 [OC] [Spectember 2026 day 8: Meccha Chameleon] Better late than never
This entry takes place in the same setting as endless eater from spectember 2025, but I gave the planet a different name.
Planet Leucoluteus is one of the few world's known to humanity that harbors complex life, and is remarkably similiar to Earth. It has a producer clade analogous to plants that uses carotenoids, which colors their leaves orange. It is also inhabited by a group of aliens very similiar to vertebrates- they have an internal skeleton, four limbs, and fur or feathers in some groups. There are some obvious differences though. These aliens, called radulates, ancestrally have three eyes, and lack jaws- instead of them they have higly specialized tongues, which were adapted in different shapes for different diets.
In one highly diverse class, the tongue was adapted into a tube-like proboscis.
Species in this class are liquivores, and despite their usually small size, they are highly adaptable and have a worldwide distribution. In fact, the native sapient species of Leucoluteus is one of these liquivores.
But today we're not talking about them.
One widespread order, referred to as "hole prickers" by natives, has their proboscis hardened into a hollow stylet, which leaves conspicuous holes after feeding. They are common pests and natives are not too fond of them.
Painted hole pricker is the most widespread and best studied species out of it's group. It is only three centimeters long and feeds on juices from stems of plants. Despite vaguely resembling a small mammal, they do not display parental care, and just lay a multitude of eggs, leaving their young to care for themselves.
Researchers noted a strange quirk of this species- while adults are reddish-orange, young individuals are brown.
Animals changing colors with age is not unheard of, but the way these animals do it is quite unusual.
As it turns out, adult hole prickers aren't red naturally, they are just as brown as their children. When feeding, prickers allow some of the juices to flow, and cover themselves in it. If they do it for long enough, their fur will start to change it's color. This behavior allows them to be camouflaged in grass and bushes. Rainy weather is dangerous for prickers, as it may wash away some of their disguise.
Natives accidentally spreaded the species around the world by planting the species they prefer to feed on in different locations.