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Kanaloa; We've got Mud n' Eels...
Topic Started: Oct 7 2008, 11:53 AM (7,544 Views)
agatharights
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Sister Topic to over here. :D

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Approx size; 20-30ft. A slow-moving deep-water predator that sneaks up on prey, grasps it with it's main tentacles, and drags it into it's beak. Nom nom nom.

Kanaloa, roughly the same size as earth orbits a similar star, and is very similar to earth in many ways- except for it's geography and life. The planet's surface is almost entirely covered in shallow, warm oceans (with deeper, cooler patches and small ice caps- it's a little warmer than earth) with very little lands, either consisting of muddy sandbars that can wash away overnight, or reeflike structures that protrude from the water's surface wherever reefs are, as well as 'land' made from large, strong floating plants and some small islands surrounding volcanic activity.

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From a foot to two meters long. The beaked reefeater is a peaceful, if dim-witted creatures that uses it's large, hard beak to defend itself as well was to crunch tough reef into dust when it eats. Cute, no?

But it's not like anything lives on what little land there is, anyways. Virtually all life on Kanaloa exists under the water. Most life in the shallow parts of the oceans is rather safe, consisting of smaller creatures, strange plant-like animals, and the few carnivores and venomous animals don't pose too worrysome of a threat to the adapted posthumans (Mermatees) that live on Kanaloa (They still pose a threat, but attacks and injury are rare or treated well).

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This creature uses it's flattened tentacles to dig up sea-cabbage and sea-lettuce creatures, and then impales them with it's skinny beak before eating. They occasionally bite or nip mermatees or the passing human tourist, but don't pose a great threat. Approx. one meter long.

Granted, in deeper waters, things are a little more dangerous.

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oh god what is it make it go away make it go away oh god

But Kanaloa is a vast place, with much life to be had. Besides rather earthlike reefs, many of the plant forms here are actually somewhere between animal and plant, octopus or eel-like creatures capable of photosynthesis, and the majority of life forms resemble mixes of some creatures from earth. Cepholpods, eels, and crustaceans namely, adapted to fill the niches empty in the ocean.

Skeletons are rare, and anything beyond a cartilaginous skeleton like that of a shark is nigh-impossible to find in the native lifeforms of Kanaloa, although hard, bony beaks and claws are common (teeth less so, but still noticeable) as well as hard shells and spines.

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An example of sea lettuce. The octopod-like body is buried in the mud, the eyes permanently closed in adulthood. As young "spores" the eyes are open as they swim to find a place to root themselves. They taste kinda like broccoli and bacon fat.

Think Lovecraft, for these animals. Horrible horrible H.P.Lovecraft full of tentacles and writhing things.

Enjoy, and do check out the threat above for the Mermatees- my wonderful posthumans. XD
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Everything is Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons and nothing hurts.
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agatharights
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They'd need to have at least cartliginous skeletons, but if turkeys can fly...

I imagine that they'd be a big less squishy, though, unfortunately.
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lamna
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Well that is a shame, but it will still be very interesting.
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34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur.
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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agatharights
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Hey, guys! Have some random wildlife. :) My response to stress (I'm having a bit of a rough patch in my life at the moment) is generally to draw and create stuff, so...enjoy.

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A floating coral-tree-forest-whatever.

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My brother calls this the screamfish. It's actually just a filter-feeder with a wide open mouth. It doesn't actually scream.

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bloop blorp a tiny little creature. Possibly jellyish.

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A large coral eater.

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A typical eel. Probably eats jellies and small animals.

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A longer-leafed sea cabbage type of thing.

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I'm not even sure what this is. I don't know. I just don't know.

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Deeper waters = AAAAH
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PousazPower
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If you could supply me with a list of species, what they look like, and some anatomical details, I might be able to construct a rough cladogram of the animals. Individual species wouldn't even be necessary, in this case, but drawings would.
Was your nose discovered or invented?

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lamna
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Poor thing. *strokes*

I like the picture you have done, and that sounds spiffing PousazPower.
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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agatharights
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I'll do my best to do some examples of every type of animal. ^ ^ It might take a little bit, since the time for work and drama is coming up, but I'll get on that.
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lamna
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Ganbatti! Is that right? Well good luck anyway.
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34 MYH, 4 tonne dinosaur.
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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Sliver Slave
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I'm going back to basics.

Nice pictures, and welcome Alloxite.
Something is upsetting the ostriches.

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The_Alloxite
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Oooh, it goes down stairs!
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The_Alloxite
Oct 12 2008, 12:21 PM
Common Names 1-
Kanaloavis-
"Kanagulls"
Species-
kanaloavis "Common Kanagull"
maximus "Giant Kanagull"
minimus "Dwarf Kanagull"
borealis "Northern Eskimo Kanagull"
australis "Southern Eskimo Kanagull"

Avialoa-
"Pelikanas"
yellowdrakexii "Yellow Drakex's Pelikana"
bronto "Thunder Pelikana"
apato "Deceptive Pelikana"

To be continued...

EDIT: Yes. Come gimme a hug, ya big lug!
To be starting again...
Deinoavialoa-
"Huggable Terror Birds" EDIT: This is now "Squishies".
imperator "Huggable Squishy"
subspecies: borealis "Eskimo Squishy"
subspecies: australis "Freezer-burned Squishy"
Pachyavialoa-
"Thick Birdies"
terminus "Thick Birdy from Termina"
cephalus "Thick-headed Birdy"
Kanaloapteryx
"Ancestor"
lamnaii "Lamna's Kanaloa Wing"

Yes, Deinoavialoa's reps are pink, squishy, bald, and UGLY. The subspecies are covered in primitive feathers, though. They are essentially bald versions of the ornithomimids that hunt fish in the mangrove rafts. They have been domesticated by the mermatees as pets, as have the Kanagulls.

Thick birdies are highly aggresive and will swoop down and plug young mermatees out of the water and swallow them whole.

Pelikanas are bald versions of pelicans, only muchmuchmuch bigger and they have primitive teeth.
Edited by The_Alloxite, Oct 12 2008, 08:32 PM.
"Yo mama so stupid she cheated off of George W. Bush's Billy's test!" ~Irwin's Grandmama, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

*I look at my French Bulldog*
*My French Bulldog looks at me*
Me: "Why does my room smell like your diarrhea?"
French Bulldog: *Through her eyes* I dunno, it's your room, two-legs.
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ATEK Azul
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this topic and world is surpasing my expectations and the normal feel and boring ness of post humans.

this is awsome.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Sliver Slave
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I'm going back to basics.

Boringness of poshumans? have you read All Tomorrows?
Something is upsetting the ostriches.

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ATEK Azul
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no i would like too but i am not normaly allowed too download stuff and i keep forgetting to ask my parents i also have not read dougle dixons post humans but from what i have seen they are boring unimaginative and just stupid normaly i like animal post humans which are extremely rare and nothing else has been good so far and the worlds they live on are stupid and very poor in life.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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The_Alloxite
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Common Kanagull- Like all Kanaloan "Birds", the Common Kanagull is covered in primitive feather-like down. This down is a mottled blue in the common kanagull males, and a mottled purple in females. They have a beak almost identical to a Home Earth seagull. However, like all Kanaloan "Birds", its eyes are mounted on snail-like stalks. It has a wingspan of 2 ft.

Giant Kanagull- With a wingspan of 35 ft, this behemoth of the skies really lives up to its name. It is reminiscent of Home Earth's giant pterosaurs of the Cretaceous. What little down there is is colored the same color as the water it scans. A bright turquoise.

Dwarf Kanagull- With a wingspan of 3 in, this tiny, hummingbird-like creature is the smallest multicellular creature on all of Kanaloa. The coral mangrove rafts produce lovely flowers year-round. This is what the Dwarf Kanagull feeds on, the nectar of these flowers. It is so different from all other kanagulls that most Kana-Biologists think its a different genus altogether. Its wings beat at a blindingly quick 90 beats per second.
EDIT: This species feathers are a rainbow of colors, just like the coral mangrove raft forests they live in. ^_^

Northern Eskimo Kanagull- This subspecies of common kanagull (just decided this, I will update.) is colored white with grey stripes along its back. It is nearly impossible to distinguish from the Southern Eskimo Kanagull. The key difference however, is the pattern of their stripes and their mating calls. The small poles on either side of Kanaloa are home to large populations of this small "bird". Like its relatives, the northern eskimo kanagull has a 2 ft. wingspan.

Southern Eskimo Kanagull- The differences between this species and the northern eskimo kanagull are subtle. Their mating call is different. The northern's being a low, long, "Kooaaluaagagh!" and the southern's being an ear-piercing, "SCHREEEEAQUEA!" Their stripe patterns are different and, their grey is a bit darker than the northern's. It has a 2ft wingspan.

Kanaloavia is done. I'm hitting the hay, night everyone, see you tomorrow. :lol:

Edited by The_Alloxite, Oct 12 2008, 09:11 PM.
"Yo mama so stupid she cheated off of George W. Bush's Billy's test!" ~Irwin's Grandmama, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

*I look at my French Bulldog*
*My French Bulldog looks at me*
Me: "Why does my room smell like your diarrhea?"
French Bulldog: *Through her eyes* I dunno, it's your room, two-legs.
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Sliver Slave
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I'm going back to basics.

Ooh, I'm not sure your parents would like All Tomorrows then. Its got some post-human nudity.
Something is upsetting the ostriches.

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agatharights
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Oh, man, Mermatees training birds would be awesome. I imagine they'd use them to send messages back and forth. Question- would they have more bat-like wings? I'm seeing something actually formed from fused, bony tentacles that had assumed a batlike form over millennia. :D

I mostly like posthumans because I'm what's called a Xenophile. And Posthumans are a little bit less "WHOA" than most others. Plus, a little different in physiology makes for a massive difference in psychology, which is what fascinates me.

EDIT: Though, for the record, the Dwarf Kanalgull is probably the smallest out-of-water multicellular life form. As that title belongs to lil' jellyfish-like things and microeels (like worms)
Edited by agatharights, Oct 12 2008, 10:10 PM.
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