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Obscure Taxa; For interesting or obscure organisms you'd like to share.
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Topic Started: Dec 14 2016, 09:46 PM (48,956 Views)
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peashyjah
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Dec 30 2016, 08:18 PM
Post #106
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- Ivan_The_Inedible
- Dec 30 2016, 06:47 PM
The Musophagidae are an obscure African family of birds most closely related to bustards. Several groups of species within this family go by different names, with turacos, plantain-eaters and go-away birds being the most common. Oftentimes literally running through the treetops, these birds will eat fruit, leaves, flowers, and small animals. They have a particular taste for bananas (hence the name), pawpaws, and grapes, and even wild birds can be tame enough to accept hand offers. Their biggest claim to fame, however, is the fact that only species within this family use the only known truly green pigment among any birds -with other birds using a combination of yellow pigment and blue light refraction-, as well as using a unique red pigment in place of the normal carotenoids. The eponymous pigments turacoverdin and turacin are what contribute to these birds dazzling variety of colors, as shown below.   Left: Great Blue Turaco, Corythaeola cristata The largest extent species of turaco. Right: Guinea Turaco, Tauraco persa Below: Ross's Turaco, Musophaga rossae
 Birds are usually getting so unique and wonderful nowadays.
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Carlos
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Dec 30 2016, 08:30 PM
Post #107
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- Vorsa
- Dec 30 2016, 06:51 PM
I love turacos so much! They always have them in zoos and aviary places, which is probably where I first encountered them. Never knew that they're related to bustards though sonthat's interesting.
I see turacos semi-regularly as I visit Zoo de Lagos very often. They're basically avian flying squirrels.
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Dr Nitwhite
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Dec 30 2016, 08:43 PM
Post #108
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- peashyjah
- Dec 30 2016, 08:18 PM
Birds are usually getting so unique and wonderful nowadays. Indeed! The intertime traveler delights in modern day birds, they really are a treat compared to all those dull things we've been getting these past few million years.
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Speculative Evolution Projects- The Great Song (5 myh, North America is filled with giant coots, life in the clouds, and the songs of human descendants. One curious society has devoted itself to the study of this world) The Curious World of Laniakea (An endless world of islands, shallow seas, mangrove swamps, and reefs) Hidden Spring (A partner project between myself and Beetleboy- exploring a future where a twist of cosmic fate changes the planet forever)
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Final SE Lifelist standings 1. Sayornis (82) 2. Dr Nitwhite (79) ↑ 3. Steampunk FireFinch (44) ↓ 4. The Dodo (26) 5. W.C.K.D (23) 6. Sphenodon (21) 7. Sheather (19) 8. Beetleboy (19) 9. Thylacine (16) 10. Monster (15) 11. HangingTheif (15) 12. Aptornis (13) 13. Stealth Rock (10) 14. KomradeWatcher (9) 15. lamna (7) 16. Flisch (5) 17. Olympianmaster (4) ↑ 18. Archipithecus (2) ↓ 19. Datura (1) ↓ 20. Giant Blue Anteater (1) ↓ 21. Kachimushi (1) BREAKING NEWS We interrupt your regular programming to bring you this cutting edge report. ATTENDANCE DROPS DRASTICALLY ON SE SERVER This past Monday on Discord, famous server Speculative Evolution took a hit in the attendance office when it's offline member list suddenly reappeared. Mods scrambled to rectify the situation, but unfortunately there was little anyone could do. Server member Ivan was asked what he thought of the situation. "So long as Flisch, lord of machines and scion of Urborg lives, all will be well". SE, (in)famous for it's eccentric userbase, has recently been spiraling downward, and now we have hard conformation of the decline. Moderator "High Lord" Icthyander states "There is nothing to be concerned about, Discord is merely changing its UI again", but members are beginning to suspect the honesty of their staff. Stay tuned, we'll be back with more at 11.
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Jasonguppy
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Dec 30 2016, 08:54 PM
Post #109
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Turacos are some of my favorite birds! There's one i always sketch at the Central Park Zoo when I'm there who is very personable
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I do art sometimes.
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HangingThief
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Dec 30 2016, 09:25 PM
Post #110
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The pitcher plant Nepenthes lowii has been shown to be relatively inefficient at capturing insects. That's because, unlike most members of its genus, it doesn't function primarily as a death trap. Rather, it attracts birds and tree shrews with nectar that oozes from the "hood", which is positioned horizontally or at a right angle to the trap rather than above it (hence why it doesn't capture many insects). As the animals feed perched on the rim of the trap, any excrement they produce falls in. It's a toilet and a vending machine rolled into one.
Spoiler: click to toggle
Hangingflies (Bittacidae) are a family of predatory mecopterans with slender, elongated bodies and legs. Although they have a great deal of superficial resemblance to the much more abundant crane flies (Tipulidae), they can be easily told apart by the number of wings.


Note that my avatar is not a hangingfly- it's a robber fly, specifically a Hanging Thief (Diogmites). Although it might seem to a case of convergent evolution, it really isn't- the hunting strategies of robber flies and hangingflies are quite different. Robber flies are powerful aerial predators that pluck prey out of the air and carry them back to their perch to devour them. Sometimes, they hang from one leg while feeding so they can easily drop off and fly away if danger threatens. Hangingflies are not aerial predators. Their behavior is almost reminiscent of a sessile invertebrate or a web- building spider. They hang from a leaf or branch with their legs splayed out as far as possible, hoping to snare anything that flies into them with its tibial spines and flexible, elongated tarsi.
 Their adaptations for hanging and capturing prey makes walking difficult, so they usually just fly from perch to perch.
Despite this, wingless species exist. These two two engaged in one of the elaborate mating rituals found in many scorpionflies, in which females judge the quality of prey brought to them as nuptial gifts.
Spoiler: click to toggle
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Hey.
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Carlos
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Dec 31 2016, 09:47 AM
Post #111
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Probably the ultimate obscure taxon, I just learned of the existence of Hypselornis sivalensis, a possible cassowary/emu relative form the Pliocene of India.
Literally only one publication on it exists. From 1929
Edited by Carlos, Dec 31 2016, 09:47 AM.
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Lemuria: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/
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IIGSY
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Jan 1 2017, 02:32 PM
Post #112
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A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
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- HangingThief
- Dec 30 2016, 09:25 PM
The pitcher plant Nepenthes lowii has been shown to be relatively inefficient at capturing insects. That's because, unlike most members of its genus, it doesn't function primarily as a death trap. Rather, it attracts birds and tree shrews with nectar that oozes from the "hood", which is positioned horizontally or at a right angle to the trap rather than above it (hence why it doesn't capture many insects). As the animals feed perched on the rim of the trap, any excrement they produce falls in. It's a toilet and a vending machine rolled into one. Spoiler: click to toggle
Hangingflies (Bittacidae) are a family of predatory mecopterans with slender, elongated bodies and legs. Although they have a great deal of superficial resemblance to the much more abundant crane flies (Tipulidae), they can be easily told apart by the number of wings.   Note that my avatar is not a hangingfly- it's a robber fly, specifically a Hanging Thief ( Diogmites). Although it might seem to a case of convergent evolution, it really isn't- the hunting strategies of robber flies and hangingflies are quite different. Robber flies are powerful aerial predators that pluck prey out of the air and carry them back to their perch to devour them. Sometimes, they hang from one leg while feeding so they can easily drop off and fly away if danger threatens. Hangingflies are not aerial predators. Their behavior is almost reminiscent of a sessile invertebrate or a web- building spider. They hang from a leaf or branch with their legs splayed out as far as possible, hoping to snare anything that flies into them with its tibial spines and flexible, elongated tarsi.  Their adaptations for hanging and capturing prey makes walking difficult, so they usually just fly from perch to perch. Despite this, wingless species exist. These two two engaged in one of the elaborate mating rituals found in many scorpionflies, in which females judge the quality of prey brought to them as nuptial gifts. Spoiler: click to toggle I love it
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Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod
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Then eat arby's and embrace the void."-Kamineigh
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Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups
In honor of the greatest clade of all time
More pictures
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Archeoraptor
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Jan 1 2017, 03:35 PM
Post #113
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- JohnFaa
- Dec 31 2016, 09:47 AM
Probably the ultimate obscure taxon, I just learned of the existence of Hypselornis sivalensis, a possible cassowary/emu relative form the Pliocene of India.
Literally only one publication on it exists. From 1929 how did it get there?what are the consequences of this in the apleognathe evolution?
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Astarte an alt eocene world,now on long hiatus but you never know Fanauraa; The rebirth of Aotearoa future evo set in new zealand after a mass extinction coming soon......a world that was seeded with earth´s weridest and who knows what is coming next...........
" I have to know what the world will be looking throw a future beyond us I have to know what could have been if fate acted in another way I have to know what lies on the unknown universe I have to know that the laws of thee universe can be broken throw The Spec I gain strength to the inner peace the is not good of evil only nature and change,the evolution of all livings beings" "
Spoiler: click to toggle coming soon......a world seeded by outcast clades and some important easily forgotten ones.the world of the caecilians and company and who knows what is coming next...........[comming soon/spoiler] Spoiler: click to toggle Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Lyvatan The Wise? I thought not. It’s not a story the newbies would tell you. It’s a forum legend. Lyvatan was an admin of the forum, so powerful and so wise he could use science to influence the human imagination to create life… He had such a knowledge of the forum that he could even keep the ones he cared about from leaving.Speculative Evolution is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his admin power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice banned him while he was offline. Ironic. He could save others from leaving the community, but not himself.
Speccer´s Quotes "The moral of the story: never trust a catfish"-Bettleboy
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LittleLazyLass
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Jan 1 2017, 03:48 PM
Post #114
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Proud quilt in a bag
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It flew there, clearly. It's a route that birds are known to have traveled several other times in the Cenozoic. Most paleognaths evolved flight independently, although cassowaries and emus probably had a common flightless ancestor.
How complete is the holotype? Do we know if it could fly?
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totally not British, b-baka!
You like me (Unlike) I don't even really like this song that much but the title is pretty relatable sometimes, I guess.
Me  Forum user Uncanny Gemstar drew what is supposed to be a me. Thanks! Spoiler: click to toggle As they walk in, they're greeted by a small, poorly kept pathway leading to a poorly constructed Japanese-style gate. Behind this, a small field made up of corn, rice, wheat, potatoes, among other plants is contrasted by large piles of books, as well as a few rather out of place looking laptops. Off in the corner, a small woman, with long, striped, and strikingly colorful socks, no shoes, unremarkable denim shorts, a large, fancy black coat, arm warmers, glasses, a tuque, and somewhat unkempt, mid-length blue-and-pink-streaked red hair, is rummaging through a trash bin, located behind a sign saying "employees only". She continues this for a while (walking behind a wall to change her outfit now and then), until one of her visitors coughs. Startled, she looks up, apologizes, and grabs a handful of textbooks and novels before daintily running off to join them. What, you want me to tell you what these mean? Predenterra The (Lost) Lost World The Standing World Read First Clarifications on my sex and genderSorry if I come off as rude, I don't put much thought into word choice sometimes. I'm also super prone to editing my posts, sometimes multiple times, in the minutes following posting. For the love of god, take my posts from my earlier days on the forum with a grain of salt. I was not particularly knowledgeable or mature back then. Some of them are so cringe-worthy I can't even bring myself to look at them. Words Maybe Great Words - Words To Spec By
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Yeah, and even if you don't agree with creationists on that concept, that doesn't mean they can't be decent people. I have friends who are creationist (possibly even young earth) that I get along with fine in general life. I don't think they're right of course, but that doesn't make them intellectual degenerates. ~~The Words of forbidden3
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Carlos
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Jan 1 2017, 04:44 PM
Post #115
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From what I can tell it seems to be known from a tarsometatarsus.
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Lemuria: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/
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the boy
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Jan 2 2017, 09:36 PM
Post #116
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Some Remarks on Hypselornis sivalensis: http://sci-hub.cc/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1929.tb08775.x nice plates.
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nice.
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Sphenodon
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Jan 3 2017, 12:07 PM
Post #117
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Calcareous
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Now here's a favorite of mine: the basket stars, a group of ophiuroidean echinoderms.
Basket stars are grouped together under the suborder Euryalina, though a study exists that apparently suggests that the group be upgraded to a full order. Their fossil record is rather poor compared to other echinoderm groups; the earliest fossils are known from the Carboniferous, but Euryalina likely extends significantly further into the Paleozoic. A subgroup of brittle stars, they are quite similar to other clades in terms of general physical structure, but outwardly are far different. Most notably, they have adapted to a diet of small free-swimming prey, and have radically adapted their arms to accommodate this feeding style.
 A plate illustration of a gorgonocephalid basket star by famed German naturalist Ernst Haeckel.
The most profound difference between basket stars and their nearest relatives is the structure of their arms. While still possessing the same overall number of them as other ophiuroideans, basket star arms are intensely branched in a fractal manner along the entirety of their length, from their bases to their terminal tips. These individual arm branches themselves branch in the same manner, and so forth, leading to the intense bush of arms possessed by members of the group. When feeding, basket stars hold some of their arms up to the current in a vaguely basket-like fashion (hence their name); as prey items brush by, they are snared on the multitude of tiny hooks borne by each arm and sub-branch, and are slowly passed down the structure to the central disk. When not feeding (during phases of rest, movement, or incline conditions such as an exceedingly strong current or complete lack of one), their arms are held in a compact, indecipherable tangle.
 An intensely magnified view of the tip of one arm of an Astroboa nuda specimen photographed in the Red Sea. Some small crustaceans lay ensnared within various sub-tendrils.
Aside from the obvious, basket stars still host some other differences from other brittle stars; their bodies are encased within a smooth fleshy layer, which covers their calcareous skeleton. While not a true feature, another notable fact is that the largest ophiuroideans of all are cold-water basket stars of the genus Gorgonocephalus, which in some cases may weigh up to 11 pounds. While the specimens of the polar waters may be the largest, and basket stars in general most commonly found in deepwater environments, basket stars are not solely confined to such areas, and bear a global distribution.
 Another specimen of Astroboa nuda photographed in the Red Sea (likely the same specimen as above), shown here in a feeding position.
 Basket stars are not exclusive to deep or polar waters; shown here is a rather colorful specimen photographed at a depth of approximately 28 meters (92 ft.) near Maori Bay, South Africa.
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We have a Discord server! If you would like to join, simply message myself, Flisch, or Icthyander. Some of my ideas (nothing real yet, but soon): Refugium: A last chance for collapsing ecosystems and their inhabitants. Pansauria: A terraforming project featuring the evolution of exactly one animal - the marine iguana. Mars Renewed: An insight into the life of Mars thirty million years after its terraforming by humankind. Microcosm: An exceedingly small environment. Alcyon: A planet colonized by species remodeled into new niches by genetic engineering. Oddballs: Aberrant representatives of various biological groups compete and coexist. ..and probably some other stuff at some point (perhaps a no K-T project). Stay tuned!
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LittleLazyLass
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Jan 3 2017, 12:24 PM
Post #118
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Proud quilt in a bag
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- Sorry, but why do you want to know aboot my nationality, eh? Uh... sorry, that was rude of me. Sorry.
- Favorite Quote:
- "you know you're a nerd when you search Wookieepedia for porn"
- Also known as:
- You can call me Little; full list of old names found through profile.
- Gender:
- Trans Questioning (see link in sig; feminine pronouns)
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Nobody tell BAND supporters about those things, clearly those are feathers - just like Longisquama!
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totally not British, b-baka!
You like me (Unlike) I don't even really like this song that much but the title is pretty relatable sometimes, I guess.
Me  Forum user Uncanny Gemstar drew what is supposed to be a me. Thanks! Spoiler: click to toggle As they walk in, they're greeted by a small, poorly kept pathway leading to a poorly constructed Japanese-style gate. Behind this, a small field made up of corn, rice, wheat, potatoes, among other plants is contrasted by large piles of books, as well as a few rather out of place looking laptops. Off in the corner, a small woman, with long, striped, and strikingly colorful socks, no shoes, unremarkable denim shorts, a large, fancy black coat, arm warmers, glasses, a tuque, and somewhat unkempt, mid-length blue-and-pink-streaked red hair, is rummaging through a trash bin, located behind a sign saying "employees only". She continues this for a while (walking behind a wall to change her outfit now and then), until one of her visitors coughs. Startled, she looks up, apologizes, and grabs a handful of textbooks and novels before daintily running off to join them. What, you want me to tell you what these mean? Predenterra The (Lost) Lost World The Standing World Read First Clarifications on my sex and genderSorry if I come off as rude, I don't put much thought into word choice sometimes. I'm also super prone to editing my posts, sometimes multiple times, in the minutes following posting. For the love of god, take my posts from my earlier days on the forum with a grain of salt. I was not particularly knowledgeable or mature back then. Some of them are so cringe-worthy I can't even bring myself to look at them. Words Maybe Great Words - Words To Spec By
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It would have to be something extremely alien, pushing the limits of our imagination. But those are always my favorite kinds of life. ~~The Words of The Xenologist
- Words To Live By
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Ignorance is never insulting if you're willing to learn, we're all ignorant about most things. ~~The Words of Lamna
- Words I Live By
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Yeah, and even if you don't agree with creationists on that concept, that doesn't mean they can't be decent people. I have friends who are creationist (possibly even young earth) that I get along with fine in general life. I don't think they're right of course, but that doesn't make them intellectual degenerates. ~~The Words of forbidden3
Member Quotes - jman123
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Ass-breathing fish-lizards? Sounds like a punk rock band
- Sheather
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"Holy fucking shit a toilet paper roll! Our favorite thing!"
- Urufumarukai
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Tyrannosaurus aquastronka
- Kamineigh
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Myo, if you don't stop reading the YouTube comments...
- Lamna
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Are you saying what I think you're saying?
Sheather bathes in cum?
- Cephylus
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And last night I dreamed I was blowing up a Kindergarten with a grenade launcher for no particular reason...
- revin
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Oh, and of course more people get killed by selfies than by sharks. Of course.
- Parasky
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SHEEEEAAAAATTTTTTHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
- whachamacalit2
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The smell of rotting flesh really kills my appetite, surprising, but the visual appearance of corpses makes me hungry. Is that weird?
- Ebervalius
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I mean, let us say I'm a genderfluid blurflux demi-romantic woman who is sexually attracted to men, but only if they are Melanesian and have a voice like that of Nicholas Cage. Okay, so what?
- trex841
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When I first saw that picture, I thought you were dissecting a condom.
- Mr Mysterio
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All hail Robo-Stalin.
- Peashyjah
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Seems like everything in this project is now dead.
- Stealth Rock
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Seagulls are pretty much trees, right?
- Watcher
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We all must finish chapters of our lives to go on to the next. Sometime this means leaving behind versions of ourselves that don't want to die.
- Yiqi15
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For April fool's, we had to make an orgasm that resembled a human foot.
- Flisch
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im the black market
- CaledonianWarrior96
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He was a skater birb, she said tweet you later birb
- Most People at Some Point
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Quotes - Some dude called plucas1 from Youtube comments
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Funny, isn't it, that our world needs Clark Kent a lot more than Superman.
- Xenoblade Chronicles
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Even though he is our creator, that does not afford him the right to take our lives on a whim. But that is the thinking of a homs. He is a god. Such morals cannot apply to gods. So you think we should just shut up and die?! If that is the fate decided by a god. You are mistaken if you think we will simply accept such a fate and wait to die. We'll never stop fighting. Not till the end. To Zanza, the outcome is the same. Thus your logic is flawed.
- Hades - Kid Icarus Uprising
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When freaky aliens give you lemons, make freaky alien lemonade.
- Kid Icarus Uprising
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But Souls are delicious. They're like bacon - they taste good on anything. But if you eat them, you completely remove them from existence! They can't move on or... or be reincarnated! Huh. I never really gave it much thought. Besides, what do you mean by reincarnation anyway? You know, being reborn as someone or something else. Which means different body, different memories, different experiences, yes? So isn't being reborn as "something else" the same as being "removed from existence"? I... I... eating souls isn't right! That depends on your definition of "right". All living things survive by eating other living things. So what? You're a god. You should be above all that! Gods are above living things, which doesn't necessarily mean we care about them.
- Some Dude on BBC Two
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You are being shagged... by a flightless parrot.
Stuff
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Sayornis
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Jan 3 2017, 04:16 PM
Post #119
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- Posts:
- 796
- Group:
- Members
- Member
- #1,676
- Joined:
- Apr 23, 2015
- Gender:
- Female
- Nationality:
- Californian
- Favorite Quote:
- "I am going to write a little Book for Murray on orchids and today I hate them worse than everything." - Charles Darwin
- Gender:
- Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things
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- Little
- Jan 3 2017, 12:24 PM
Nobody tell BAND supporters about those things, clearly those are feathers - just like Longisquama! And definitely don't tell them about feather stars!
Speaking of which, these giant Jurassic crinoids are pretty cool.
Now for a more obscure echinoderm-- Helicoplacus is an odd echinoderm from the Cambrian, lacking fivefold symmetry and bearing an spiral groove used for feeding.

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The Library is open. (Now under new management!)
- Dr Nitwhite
- Aug 19 2016, 07:42 PM
As I said before, the Library is like spec crack.
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trex841
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Jan 3 2017, 04:35 PM
Post #120
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- Posts:
- 15,098
- Group:
- Members
- Member
- #533
- Joined:
- Mar 28, 2011
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Elysia chlorotica, A species of Sea slug that steals Chloroplasts from Algae and uses them to Photosynthesize.
...OK, not as long as some of the other entries here, but apparently there are some people that didn't know this exists.
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F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.
At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting. Protectorates of the Proan Empire- The Sundered Realms - A fantasy realm where the world is divided into different sections. (Following names subject to change)
- The Gavell Kingdom
- The Everdark Forest
- The Lunar Tundra
- The Sand Sea
- The Asteroid Cloud
- The Rotting Shard
- The Orbital River
- The Outer Shadow
- Bottle Beasts - This Universes version of Pokemon.
Worlds Impacted by the Enlightened/Visceral War- The 'Verse Whale - The Homeworld of the two forces, a planet sized organism, and the unique life that has flourished on it.
- замороженный конец - An Ice Age world populated by tripodal organisms.
- [To Be Named] - A world of creatures with an arm for a head
- [To Be Named] - The Homeworld of a species where only the males are sapient.
- [To Be Named] - The home of a race of carnivorous, trap building beings.
- [To Be Named] - A planet of organisms that can link their minds, where two forms of intelligence have arisen.
Unaffiliated Universes- [To Be Named] - A parallel earth where the Synapsids took over after the Permian Extinction, among other resulting changes.
- نيو نيو امستردام - An abandoned Dyson Cylinder containing an Ecumenopolis now catering to our former pets and pests. (A concept developed entirely separate from DroidSyber's Arcology, I swear.)
- The Bleed - A vast universe where physics are more a suggestion than a rule.
Parakosmos Minor - Known Earth Pocket Universes, Natural or Artificial.- Island of Marsupials and Armadillos off the coast of South America
- A world inhabited by Woodpecker descendants (Again, not meant to be a clone of Serina, I in no way have that much detail ready for this.)
- Katiwala - Your typical Lost World...if i decide to go that route...
(And this is just the spec related stuff)
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