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| Butterfly Crabs | |||||||||||||
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| Topic Started: Jul 16 2008, 01:49 PM (2,325 Views) | |||||||||||||
| Livyatan | Jul 16 2008, 01:49 PM Post #1 | ||||||||||||
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The butterfly crabs are among the most successful animal groups on Tethys. They consist of several dozen orders of species from flatmoths to crabwhales. They occupy many niches including predators, scavengers and detritivores, filter-feeders (like whale sharks), and algae-eating browsers. Butterfly crabs range in size from a mere inch (flatmoths and scuttlelobsters) to nearly ninety feet in length (crabwhales). Even with such ecological diversity and immense evolutionary success, they all are quite similar in body plan having achieved a perfection similar to that of the crocodilians on Earth, being able to be great adapters while still maintaining the essence of a basic body plan. Anatomy ![]() Butterfly crabs and their relatives are basically similar to Terran arthropods. They have segmented bodies and jointed appendages as well as strong exoskeletons. The exoskeleton is leathery and quite flexible as opposed to how it appears. All butterfly crabs share the same basic external anatomy, the main differences being the length and shape of limbs, the shape of the thoracic segments, length of the pygidium, size of eyes, etc. One of the key differences between butterfly crabs and the arthropods of Earth is how the antennae evolved: on Tethys II, the antennae of butterfly crabs evolved from hypersensitive, elongated mouthparts. Overtime they lost their use in feeding, but became important sensory devices.
Edited by Livyatan, Jul 20 2008, 01:25 PM.
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The grand Livyatan on deviantArt: link | |||||||||||||
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| Livyatan | Jul 19 2008, 10:05 PM Post #16 |
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I'm working on developing the flatrays and sandsifters right now, as well as the new sister groups for the butterfly crabs, the crabdrakes and crabticks. |
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The grand Livyatan on deviantArt: link | |
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| Sliver Slave | Jul 20 2008, 12:51 PM Post #17 |
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I'm going back to basics.
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Crabdrakes sounds interesting. |
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Something is upsetting the ostriches. Spoiler: click to toggle | |
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| ATEK Azul | Oct 8 2008, 04:45 PM Post #18 |
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Transhuman
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this is a interesting topic that needs more attention becouse these animals are awsome and i want too see more of this world. so if the project creator can post some more that would be awsome plus some more posts and topics would be great. |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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| Sliver Slave | Oct 8 2008, 04:47 PM Post #19 |
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I'm going back to basics.
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I think he has orphaned this one. Its i the abandoned project forum. I agree, though, it was nice. |
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Something is upsetting the ostriches. Spoiler: click to toggle | |
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| ATEK Azul | Oct 8 2008, 04:52 PM Post #20 |
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Transhuman
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orphaned, thats too bad. i hope somebody adopts it soon then. becouse it looks like it has a lot of potential and some awsome creatures. |
| I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's! | |
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| Hydromancerx | Oct 18 2008, 09:31 PM Post #21 |
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Just to let you know that Sagan 4 is willing to adopt the butterfly crabs. I made a base species awhile back that could be made into diffrent species like this. Arthrofin http://wiki.mydigiview.com/index.php?title=Arthrofin |
![]() "Sagan 4 is a wonderful experiment, not because it has the best art or the soundest biology, but because it is an actual working project where a team of speculative zoologists has derived an entire biosphere from a single hypothetical cell." - C.M. Kosemen | |
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| Livyatan | Oct 18 2008, 11:09 PM Post #22 |
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This species really isn't up to that sort of adoption. If someone wants the whole project to expand upon, that is fine, but I'd rather not hand off individual species. |
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The grand Livyatan on deviantArt: link | |
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| CarrionTrooper | Dec 1 2008, 10:28 AM Post #23 |
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I require more vespene gas?!?
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Well, this is interesting... mind if the rest of us in the forum develop it further? Making this a joint project of sorts... We'll make up more stuff, from phylas to species... |
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| Livyatan | Dec 1 2008, 04:51 PM Post #24 |
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I was considering restarting the project, making it less 'omniscient' and more like actual scientists with their journals recording their discoveries in a foreign planet. |
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The grand Livyatan on deviantArt: link | |
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| Saxophlutist | Dec 1 2008, 07:12 PM Post #25 |
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Adult
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Oh please do! I greatly enjoyed this project! |
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| CarrionTrooper | Dec 1 2008, 10:35 PM Post #26 |
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I require more vespene gas?!?
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O hey! Interesting indeed! |
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| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
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9:42 AM Jul 11