#lizard climber

[doomed4art]

Designs I did for artfight this year that is TOTALLY new ocs and not existing ones I just turned into animals. But fr It was fun taking a step back from humans! I think I still have a lot to learn when it comes to drawing anthros. I tried very hard to avoid "blacksad" furry too where women are depicted as pretty humans with face paint with animal ears + tail lmao.

[it-was-dead-when-i-found-it]

Can we just appreciate for a moment that Johnathan Harker, proper little Victorian man, built-like-a-twig solicitor, would probably die from sour apple jolly rancher, sad wet cat du jour, basically rock climbed/parkoured HUNDREDS OF FEET IN THE AIR to face the UNDEAD ENTITY TORMENTING HIS EVERY NOT-SO-RESTFUL NIGHT

HE'S the lizard fashion climber now

[strawlessandbraless]

tell me more about your second favorite venomous reptile

This genuinely made me laugh out loud, then smile, then 🥹. Haha, but since you so kindly asked…

It’s the Spiny Bush Viper. These guys are arboreal species, meaning they prefer being up in trees than on the ground. They’re great climbers and are usually found between 3000 - 8000 feet

Spiny bush vipers are so venomous that normal antivenins do not word against their bite. Luckily they are in more remote locations in African rainforests and there is very little human contact.

They will hang from trees, disguised as gnarled vines, to ambush and attack their prey, usually small mammals, lizards, frogs, and birds. Curling up into a tight S shape before they strike. The best part is that they’re nocturnal and during the day they much prefer to sleep among the flowers, and I love that for them

😘

[arminreindl]

Have there been any primarily arboreal crocodilians?

Alas no. Aside from the fact that arboreality already preserves rather badly in the fossil record, theres just been no crocodilians (or even pseudosuchian) with any decent evidence of having been a climber.

Now crocs are able of doing a little bit of climbing, toppled over trees, logs sticking out from water, fences even. But nothing close to "real" climbing as would be expected from an arboreal animal.

Now before anyone brings up Mekosuchus, sadly theres just no good evidence for that. The claim has originated with Paul Willis, who identifies it as terrestrial and remarks on similarities between the humerus of Mekosuchus and those of monitor lizards, informally suggesting arboreal behavior without really going in depth or providing any solid evidence. J.D. Scanlon later argued against this idea, highlight that 1) the niche of monitor lizards was not open as mistakenly thought by Willis and 2) there are no remains from the deposits yielding Mekosuchus (at least on the mainland) that suggest anything other than "normal" crocodile foot structure.

Coupled with the fact that the past 30 years saw no actual evidence for arboreality to back up what was a more informal suggestion, a recent paper that summarizes all mekosuchines (which Willis was involved with) didn't mention arboreality at all. Which makes it seem like the claim just isn't regarded as serious enough to even be included.

That being said, theres work being done on Mekosuchus remains from Vanuato that should hopefully shed more light on the animals ecology. For now, its probably safer to go with the interpretation of it as a more terrestrial animal, possibly similar to modern dwarf crocodilians that inhabit hidden rainforest streams.

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

I ADORE snakes, but I know I’d never be able to properly care for one. So I guess what I’m trying to say is, what are your favourite lil quirks about your snakes personalities?

Ah, I love sharing about my favorite little sillies! :)

Viago the California kingsnake: currently in the middle of his "I'm hungry all the time always" phase. Whenever another snake is getting fed, he literally presses himself against the wall and stares at us the entire time. It's like he's going "hey. hey. don't forget to feed Viago. I'm starving over here!"

Wonambi the Children's python: loves glasses. Makes a beeline for your glasses every time you hold her.

Bentley the boa constrictor: is convinced he's allergic to quail but will happily eat it IF I scent it with something else first. If another snake is getting quail and he can smell it, he'll refuse to eat until he can't smell it anymore. It's ridiculous. I keep a lot of feeder quail in my fridge (they're good variety for a lot of snakes) so I'm sure he thinks he's getting a lot of variety because I scent them with everything from lizard to fish for him. He's picky but he's easily tricked.

Stede the Trans Pecos ratsnake: loves climbing so much and is the worst climber I've ever seen. Legit I have given this snake neurological evaluations because he's so clumsy it actually concerned me. He loves climbing and exploring and he's got a great attitude! He's just bad at it.

Sirius the hognose snake: scared of phones.

Miriam the ball python: really likes watching musicals with me. She'll watch the TV absolutely enraptured the whole time.

AJ the rainbow boa: HATES musicals. Will happily sit with me and watch literally anything else. He also hides every time I'm playing music while cleaning. My man does not like music.

Ed the Mexican black kingsnake: scared me to death a few days ago because he started tail-rattling and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. He's the chillest snake in the world so I was really concerned. Turns out he was seeing the reflection of a doorknob in the glass of his enclosure and he thought it was a predator coming to eat him. He's a pretty visual snake and he gets startled by shiny things pretty easily.

Claudia the Japanese ratsnake: is really into vacuums. You turn a vacuum on, and she wants to be there. She loves them.

[cable-salamdr]

Live typed reaction to the new teaser because I can, spoilers and CW for all caps under the cut (due to my intense freaking out)

(Also, just fyi, usually every new line means a new thing is on screen, I sometimes paused to write out my reaction and then proceeded)

Before we start: HGFTDARSTFGHJKSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA okay okay sora and Arin in the thumbnail that. That scares me already. Help. Helpl. Help hekp hekp. Help

Startgin:

HUHL<!M HUH BEATRIC DRZGON WHAT THIS IS A DIFFERENT PUNCH THAN WHAT WE SAW BEFORE IN ANOTHER VISION OKAY HUH

Is that. Is that motion.

LLOYD

RIOBY

GUY FROM EXPOLRER”S CLUB AJSHAHAAA HELLO

(I can feel the bell trauma comign)

KAI KAI KAI KAI KAI KAI AKIA KAIK

THEY’RE????? PRAYING?????? A THRONE???????????????????

GHAGAA MY CHILDTERN MY BABIES AAAAAAAA

LLOYD >POYD POOKIE NYA OH MY GODD@!!!!!!!!!!

THEY LOOK SO COOL

THE SD???? BRO WHAT IS THAT THE REALM OF MADNESS PLACE??

Sorry i love the flame on wyld’s back THAT’S ADORABLE

FFIRE OH HELP MY PPOKE

Roby please. Please be li,e in that short please i beg. I beg. You have that phone and stick please YOU MUST BE THE SAME

I don’t trust that

CINDER

WHAT THE FUCK???? WHAT] STEALING OF ELEMENTAL POWERS???????

RACE? TINY DRAGON????

LLOYD LOOKING AWESOME HELL YEARH

BRUH NOT THE TEMPLE PEEPS LEAVE MY LIZARD CHILDREN ALONE

GEO GEO EGOE GEOE GEOEBEHOEGIGEGHSIOJGOJASHGHIGDYRESYFKJHFFCUTFDCHJBKJDCUGYVKJVJHGVJKB JHGCHBKJHB (i am fine)

CHEERING ON HIS HUBBYI BET

FUC OFF CINDER NN)OOOO MY BABIES

LLOYD?? IN THE CLIMBER SUIT THO?????? WHAT ARE U DOING SIR

HOLY SHIT

SHOLY SHIT

…

……..

It just ended

What the fuck

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Golden-headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas)

Habitat & Distribution

Resides only in lowland tropical rainforests of the Amazon

Found exclusively in the state of Bahia in northeastern Brazil

Physical Description

Weight: 5 to 7 kg (17 to 24.7 oz)

Height: 20 to 34 centimeters (8 to 13 in)

Golden-headed lion tamarins have a short, stout body with small limbs, a round head, and a long tail

The body is mainly black, but the limbs and tail are gold and the face is framed by a long golden mane

Behaviour

Lives in small groups of 2 to 11 individuals

Spends the majority of its time in the canopy, foraging for food

The diet consists of plants, fruits, flowers, nectar, insects, lizards, bird eggs, and small snakes

Main predators are birds of prey, large snakes, and predatory mammals like margays and tayra

Key Advantages

Golden-headed lion tamarins are small and quite agile climbers

Photo by Joseph Shepherdson

[15-lizards]

SUBMISSION FROM: @timcurry-imgoinghomedotmp4

It is I, swimming modern braime anon! Here is what I have so far, snipping up your "worst couple on god's green earth" post and using it as an outline:

they met while she was on her daily 5 am jog outside of campus and found him hungover on a park bench after a two week bender with coke in his pocket and 30 missed calls and 55 suggestive texts from Cersei.

She’s a college sophomore on a sports scholarship just trying to get through her classes. She’s managing but she also has insomnia so running and training her body helps.

She thinks he’s a bum but gives him her water bottle out of pity. She heads back to her dorm, where she changes into the the team logowear athleisure she lives in. t-shirt, hoodie, basketball shorts, leggings, all in combination, and of course parka. Socks regardless but sneakers or slides depening on weather. Or timbs in the winter, Wisconsin gets fucking COLD. Showering before grabbing huge breakfast and heading to classes.

A week later is the ribbon cutting on the new recreation and fitness center. Tywin Lannister's name is on the brand spanking new natatorium.

Jaime’s there bc he works at Daddy Tywin Roy’s multi media empire as a nepotism. He doesn't know what his title is. Director of management of talent, or talent management director, or something. Whatever.

He’s at the party bc again, nepotism, and also he has a bunch of swimming records on the books from the 00s when he was on the team there. He could not tell you the last time he was in the pool (he was burning out while setting those records, and then he got in the car accident and had an excuse to lose himself in cersei and booze and drugs and a bunch of pr girlfriends who thought they were his beard bc he was so disinterested in them. a real jude law's character in gattaca situation.

Anyway, he was drinking champagne and trying to decide if the high he would get from sneaking away to do a bump of coke would be worth the judgement from his father and had just decided he couldn't be fucked to care.

She's there because she's currently swimming and breaking her own records, in a Katie Ledecky-type situation of competing against herself in the women's races and being among the faster men. But she's there as STAR SCHOLARSHIP TALENT and is also very aware that she's so busy swimming that she's passing classes bc she can only afford to take "rocks for jocks" type stuff. anyway, oh baby she does not belong here. And also why does her dad have to be here too?

they meet eyes and immediately feel some kind of godawful connection they are Locked In now. He beelines over to her bc he subconsciously thinks she’s Mother Teresa but then verbally starts making fun of her for having a social climber daddy. She asks how his monthly detox at rehab was. They’re snippy with each other all night.

Next few days on Jaime’s end, Tyrion notices he can’t stop talking about how huge and strong Brienne looked in her dress. So big and fit? Just. I mean it’s like weird how she was so powerful and had also saved him in the morning and oh  remember how big Dayne was? Tyrion remember he had the 50 and 100 free records before I did, and he was HUGE and Brienne is so mannish like that. Strong. TOTALLYYYYYYY gross though ewwwww imagine if she was into me? and I had to talk to her and her awful father and her records and her swimmer's shoulders and. Tyrion yearns for death.

A few days later for Brienne, she’s getting coffee with Sansa after class. Sansa looks over to see who Brienne’s texting and goes why are you arguing with a thirty two year old man about whether he got touched out anchoring the medley relay at olympic trials thirteen fucking years ago?

More to come!

NOTE FROM ME USER 15-lizards: incredible impeccable no notes

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Gestation 1.5 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

Reaching inside the convex armor that covered my spine, I ran my fingers over the things I had buckled in there.  The EpiPens were meant to treat anaphylactic shock from allergic reactions to bee stings and the like, and likely wouldn’t do a thing to Lung, even if I could get close enough and find a point to inject.  Worst case scenario, the injections would supercharge his power by prompting a surge of whatever hormones or endorphins fueled his power.  Not useful, dangerous at best.  I had a pouch of chalk dust that was meant for climbers and gymnasts, I had seen it in the sports store when I was buying the lenses for my mask.  I had gloves and didn’t think I needed the dryness and extra traction, but I had gotten the idea that it could be useful to throw at an invisible enemy, and bought it on a whim.  In retrospect, it had been kind of a dumb purchase, since my power let me find foes like that with my bugs.  As a tool against Lung… I wasn’t sure if it would explode like regular dust could when exposed to flame, but fire didn’t hurt him anyways.  Scratch that option.

Of course, for all that Taylor is a planner, sometimes, she's just a person who makes mistakes, like with the chalk. Really no reason to buy it, but the thought occurs and it probably wasn't a huge issue.

Lung hauled himself over the edge of the roof.  I had him hurting… I just couldn’t do anything about it.  My bugs were officially useless, there was nothing left in my utility sheath, and I would hurt myself more than I hurt Lung if I attacked him.  Making a mental note to pick myself up a concealable knife or baton if I managed to live through this, I bolted for the fire escape.

Given how methodical Taylor's planning and prepwork was presented earlier, this chapter does a lot to show that... honestly, no, she really didn't actually plan things out as much as she thought. Which makes sense. It's early yet. Presumably she gets better.

“Muh… Motherfucker!”  Lung screamed. 

I mean, that is valid Lung, I'll give you that.

“Cock.  Sucker,” he growled in his heavily accented voice, his cussing interrupted by his panting for breath, “Move.  Give me something to aim for.”

Real "come out so I can kill you" energy here. Does that ever work?

With no warning, a massive shape landed atop Lung with an impact I could swear people heard at the other end of the street.  The size of a van, the ‘massive object’ was animal rather than vehicle, resembling a cross between a lizard and a tiger, with tangles of muscle and bone where it ought to have skin, scales or fur.  Lung was now on his knees, holding one of the beast’s sizable claws away from his face with his own clawed hand.

Enter Player 2: Bitch and her Dogs

I stood, aware I was shaking like a leaf.  I was so unsteady on my feet, from the mixed relief and fear, that I almost fell over again as two more impacts shook the roof. 

A nice touch, that not every author/story would include.

Two more creatures, similar to the first in texture, but slightly different in size and shape, had arrived on the rooftop.  These two each had a pair of riders.  I watched as the people slid off the backs of the animals.  There were two girls, a guy, and a fourth I identified as male only because of the height.  The tall one approached me, while the others hurried to the edge of the roof to watch Lung and the creature duke it out.

And thus come the Undersiders, changing history by deciding to help this random cape out.

“You really saved us a lot of trouble,” he told me.  His voice was deep, masculine, but muffled by the helmet he wore.  He was dressed entirely in black, a costume I realized was basically motorcycle leathers and a motorcycle helmet.  The only thing that made me think it was a costume was the visor of his helmet.  The full-face visor was sculpted to look like a stylized skull, and was as black as the rest of his costume, with only the faint highlights of reflected light on the surface to give a sense of what it was.  It was one of those costumes that people put together out of what they can scrounge up, and it wasn’t half bad if you didn’t look too close.  He reached out a hand towards me, and I leaned away, wary.

...how does one sculpt a visor?

Still, a complete, if a bit clinical, descriptor of Grue/Brian.

“Pepper spray, wasp and bee stings, fire ants and spider bites,” the second of the girls said, answering the question for me.  She was dressed in a skintight outfit that combined black with a pale shade of blue or purple – I couldn’t tell in the dark – and her dark blond hair was long and windblown.  The girl grinned as she added, “He’s not holding up too well.  Gonna feel a helluvalot worse tomorrow.”

Oh, Tattletale, obviously I only know you from discussion, excerpts and fanfic, but my urge to punch you remains, though there's nothing objectionable here.

Also, Tattletale's outfit does seem pretty stereotypical supervillain, tbh.

“Fuck you, Grue,” Regent retorted, with a chuckle and a tone of voice that made it clear he wasn’t really that offended.  He was wearing a white mask, not quite as decorative or made up as the ones I associated with the carnivals in Venice, but similar.  He’d placed a silver coronet around his short black curls, and wore a ruffled white shirt with skintight leggings tucked into knee-high boots.  The outfit was very renaissance faire.  He had a build that made me think more of a dancer than a bodybuilder.

Let's see if Alec is as much fun as he is in the fanfics :P But I do have to respect the theming for his outfit. Probably goes pretty hard to see it in person.

I stared at her.  My voice caught in my throat before I was able to get the words out, “I don’t… I haven’t picked one yet.”

Taylor, no! Don't let them label you with Skitter! NO! :P :rofl:

When I realized what had just happened, I could have cried.  It was easy enough to pin down Regent, Tattletale and Bitch as teenagers.  It wasn’t much of an intuitive leap to guess that Grue had been one too. The ‘children’ Lung had mentioned, the ones I had gone to so much effort to save tonight, were bad guys.  Not only that, but they had mistaken me for one, too.

I mean.... Ooof. She put her whole self, her entire hope, the only reason, or at least the main reason, she fought through the last few months, in becoming a hero. In saving lives, in beating villains... and here she is saving villains and getting mistaken as one. And then Armsmaster is about to make it worse.

I wonder if he'll read quite as much of a dick as the fandom seems to think he is.

[pleistocene-pride]

Varanus giganteus better known as the perentie, is a large species of monitor lizard that is native to Australia that is native to the desert, scrubland, rocky outcrops, and arid woodlands west of the Great Dividing Range. They are excellent climbers and diggers capable of excavating a burrow in mere minutes. Their long claws enable them to climb trees easily. They often stand on their back legs and tails to gain a better view of the surrounding terrain. This behavior, known as "tripoding", is quite common in monitor species. Perenties are fast sprinters and can run using either all four legs or just their hind legs. As apex predators perentie feed upon rodents, bats, echidnas, marsupials up to the size of kangaroos, dingos, feral livestock, snakes, other lizards, turtles, various birds, fish, various arthropods, and carrion. Averaging around 8.2ft (2.5m) in length, and 44lbs (20kgs) in weight, with exceptional historical individuals reaching up to 9ft 10inches (3m) and 40kgs (88lbs) in weight, the perentie is fourth-largest extant species of lizard after the Komodo dragon, Asian water monitor, and crocodile monitors. However, perenties are very lean among large monitors, making it significantly less bulky than the Rock monitor at a similar size. Perenties have a very strong tail and powerful legs with 5 clawed toes. Their color pattern is brown with large cream or yellow rosettes. The perentie is mildly venomous and while rarely fatal bites are known to cause swelling within minutes, localized disruption of blood clotting, and shooting pain which can often last for several hours. Perenties breed in spring and summer. Females lay eggs in deep sandy burrows or termite mounds. The clutch usually consists of 6 to 12 eggs and hatchlings appear 9-12 months later. Under ideal conditions a perentie may live up to 20 years.

[fly-sky-high-arts]

How about Gloom + Salamander

HAZE LIZARD

Resident of Chimney Canopy and Industrial Complex. This lizard's skin is smooth and the pores on it can release a dark gas, creating a smoke screen in its surroundings, engulfing anyone that got too close. They use the haze to hunt within it while their prey's vision and orientation is in state of confusion.

Very slow with its stubby legs but an excellent climber, when it takes its time. Often just sits in the covers grounded or on top of the poles, disrupting anything that passes by.

---

If interested in adopting it for 10$ (or more), please contact me via DM! If there is no response in the next three days, I will set it up on ko-fi for adoption.

Referenced this giant salamander image and the pose:

Source

[fraterribilis]

The taxonomy of Sly Cooper: Part 3

Part 1 Part 2

Sorry for being so late with this one, but I've been occupied with other things.

Anyway, time to overthink the biology of the different members of the Klaww Gang!

Starting off with a two for one, it's pretty obvious that both Neyla and Rajan are meant to be mainland or bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris). They were originally conceived by the developers as father and daughter afterall.

I think pretty much everyone knows what tigers are and what they're all about (solitary apex predators, live in Asia) so I'll spare you the details, and share some lesser known facts about them instead.

Most relevant to the topic at hand, the bengal tiger was long considered a separate subspecies from the siberian, chinese and malayan populations, but recent genetical analysis suggests that they all belong to the same subspecies, and are now collectively referred to as the mainland tiger. The only other extant subspecies being the Sunda Islands or sumatran tiger.

Contrary to what Bentley would have you believe, tigers do NOT have an aversion to water. In fact they are some of the best swimmers among big cats, with the population in the Sundarbans being known to swim between islands in the delta in search of prey.

And contrary to popular belief, there are NOT more tigers in captivity in the US than there are tigers in the wild. @why-animals-do-the-thing has a very well researched series examining the data regarding captive tigers in the US which you can find here.

Sidenote: As a kid I thought that Neyla was supposed to be just a normal (purple) tabby cat. It wasn't until I got older and heard Dimitri's office recordings that I realized she was supposed to be a tiger.

Speaking of Dimitri, he is obviously an iguana of some kind. There are no wild iguanas in France, but i guess his family could have migrated there. Some fans have identified him as a marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), but his pointed skull and impressive dewlap beard suggests to me that he belongs to the genus of true iguanas (yes, taxonomy is confusing).

There are two recognised species of the Iguana genus; the green iguana (Iguana iguana) and the lesser antilliean iguana (Iguana delicatissima). I couldn't decide which one fit Dimitri better so you're getting another two for one. Both species grow to be up to six feet long, with males being larger than females. They are herbivorous, and feed on a wide variety of leaves, flowers, seeds and fruits. Both species live in forest and swamp areas, and are very capable swimmers and climbers. In addition to having well-developed vision, iguanas also possess a so-called parietal eye placed at the top of their skull, which allows them to detect ultra-violet light.

The green iguana is by far the most widespread of the two species, being found throughout most of Central America and northern South America, along with invasive populations in Florida and the Carribean. It is also one of the most popular lizards in the pet trade, even though it can be notoriously demanding and stroppy.

By contrast, the lesser antillean iguana is critically endangered, being only found on the archipelago of Lesser Antilles. Here it faces threats from invasive species, such as feral dogs and cats, but its greatest threat is, ironically enough, its invasive cousin the green iguana. The two species compete over resources, and can even interbreed, creating hybrids which further limit the native population.

The Contessa is most likely a black widow spider of the genus Latrodectus, seeing as she's often associated with an hourglass symbol which several members of the genus famously display on their abdomen. There are way too many Latrodectus species to count, so I'm just gonna assume that she is a southern black widow (Latrodectus mactans) which is basically the type species for the genus.

The southern black widow is the most common Latrodectus species in North America, being found throughout the southeastern United States along with Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Like other spiders it largely preys on insects, but sometimes also preys on other spiders, including its fellow species.

Black widows are infamous for their venom, which causes a condition called Latrodectism. This venom is rarely fatal in humans, with fatalities usually being those already of poor health, but it is extremely painful, causing symptons like nausea, vomiting, and muscle pain. These symptoms can sometimes last for weeks.

Black widows are of course also known for practicing sexual cannibalism, where the larger female will consume the male after mating, hence the "widow" name. This is not guaranteed however, as the female may spare the male if she isn't hungry. The females are generally the deadlier of the species though, as they are not only larger, but also have more potent venom (and a longer lifespan). All very fitting for a character who likely poisoned her husband.

As for Jean Bison, I actually like to think that he is a wisent or european bison (Bison bonasus). Part of that is his design. While his head is definitely big, it isn't quite as ridicoulously large as that of an american bison (Bison bison). More importantly however, I think it makes more sense for a european colonizer trying to industrialize the wild north, as opposed to a native american animal.

The european bison is distinquished from its american relative by being generally smaller and lankier in frame, but it is still a large and powerful animal. Adult bulls stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder (taller than the american bison) and can weigh up to 900 kg, making them the largest land animal in all of Europe.

The species has historically had a range covering most of northern Europe, but overhunting and habitat loss drove them to extinction in the wild in the early 20th century. Less than 60 animals remained in zoos worldwide, but thanks to wildlife rehabilitation efforts the species is slowly but steadily recovering. Today they are found in scattered populations across Europe, mostly in the east.

All in all, quite an ironic fit for a villain who's goal involves destroying the natural environment.

And finally we have Arpeggio. I had a hard time choosing between two particular species for him; the yellow faced parrot (Alipiopsitta xanthops), and the golden parakeet (Guaruba guarouba). Thanks to @arpeggio-the-parrot for coining me in on that last one. The yellow-faced has a more appropriate plumage, but the parakeet has a more prominent beak, much like Arpeggio. This combined with features we'll discuss later makes me conclude that he must be a golden parakeet. I do also kinda like the idea of him being a flightless kakapo, but I digress.

The golden parakeet or golden conure is only found in the Amazon Basin of northern Brazil. The species is endangered in the wild due to deforestation and the pet trade. It has a diet largely consisting of fruits and seeds, particularly corn. This is a highly social species, with up to 10 individuals roosting in the same tree hole. Different females will lay their eggs in a single nest, and when the chicks hatch they are raised communally.

The golden parakeet might seem like an odd choice, given that adults of the species are almost entirely yellow, (besides their green remige flight feathers) as opposed to Arpeggio's more balanced mix of yellow and green. However, juvenile parakeets have more prominently green coloring, including their back and tail feathers, which they lose as they grow older. This to me suggests, that Arpeggio likely suffers from paedomorphism (the retention of juvenile traits into adulthood), which would also explain his underdeveloped wings, that are so key to his character. Funny how things work out like that.

[fosermi]

Eclipse headcanons!

He has a mix of cat and lizard behaviors.

He both hates himself but he also thinks he's better then everyone else at the same time.

He's incredibly social, being lonely is very difficult for him. Losing the hivemind and all those voices in his head was hard

He's an excellent climber, he can climb almost anything

He loves to eat meat, he tries to tell others that he's a carnivore, but that's not true, he's an omnivore and does need fruits and vegetables

I genuinely love all of these!!!!

Eclipse is totally a mix between loving cat and feral lizard behaviors, makes him more interesting and confusing. contradictions make him more realistic and relatable honestly and really, even though he's a little gremlin, he's still just a little guy who wasn't given enough (or any) love!! I think he would be afraid of any sort of affection because he doesn't understand them at all.

Also being able to climb up does not constitute being able to climb down, no I will not change my mind and yes for some reason he's also afraight of heights now (only when it's like a couple of feet off the floor, i.e. standing on a chair, he's gotta hold onto the back of the chair so he doesn't freakin fall)

Also, I can totally see Eclipse actually liking fruit but because they're colorful he thinks they're for little kids. He would never let anyone see him eat fruits. For some reason, I see him liking either lemons or watermelons/honey melons.

[eternally-anomalous]

some silly creatures; some goofy beasts for my ittys regions

more info about them under the readmore

Top left creature is a small subspecies of squidcada, about two hands long, that feeds primarily on the bugs inhabiting EAs hanging gardens region. It follows trilobite beetles (bottom left) to feed on the bugs that climb on its shell

the trilobite beetle is quite a large creature, nearly the length of a bus. despite this and its heavy armor, it manages to be a great climber, slowly moving back and forth, grazing on the plants sprouting from its regions walls. it plays an important role in the lifecycle and spreading of the plants and the small bugs that live on them. they are mostly fearless creatures, confident in their armors ability to protect them from all threats, including the rain. their only predators are the occasional enterprising pack of yellow lizard

on the top right is the dustsweeper, a small creature somewhat like a lobster covered in long hair. it feeds on dust and other small particles, and tends to inhabit enclosed and dryer spaces especially. the local scavengers put them in their shelters to help keep them clean. if attacked they release large clouds of irritating hair and dust and quickly skitter away

the bottom right lizard is known as an acid lizard- due to their hard plating that renders them resistant to acid. they have large paddlelike tails that they use to leap out of said acid (or occasionally pools of water if they cant find any) and grab prey. they tend to give up if the prey avoids the initial lunge though

[dailycharacteroption]

Races Among the Stars 9: Ikeshti

An interesting thing about exploring truly alien species is what is considered normal by one species may seem monstrous to another, but that’s just how they’re made. Such is the case with the life cycle of the reptilian ikeshti, one of the many species native to Akiton, which informs some parts of their biology with it’s harsh envifronments.

Indeed, ikesthi are born as ravenous little broodlings with overdeveloped heads and jaws for devouring food, which if unattended, they will do in vast quantitites, potentially devastating local flora and fauna. However, this is where the broodminders come in, corralling the voracious younglings and herding them either graze responsibly before moving on, or using them as living garbage disposals in more sedentary communities. Either way, eventually this hunger gives way to other desires as their brains develop, in which case the broodminders begin the task of educating them until they are old enough to become independent.

Not long after this, however, ikeshti enter the first and only reproductive rut of their lifespans, their bodies and minds being consumed by hormones. Most succeed in finding a willing mate and laying a new clutch of eggs, but afterwards, the two mates fight to the death. Males that survive the ordeal become broodminders, while females become congregants, working to advance ikeshti society in various ways depending on the specific culture they belong to.

However, there is an open secret shame among ikeshti-kind: Those that fail to find a mate during their rut will continue to grow and change, becoming powerful and often violent brutes called riveners. While still sapient, their minds never fully recover from the hormonal imbalance, and are often violent have only a rudimentary memory of language. Most are put down by their kin as a matter of safety and cultural shame, but plenty of evidence is out there of riveners, despite their state, living full and happy lives.

The result is that Ikeshti as a whole are a pragmatic and straightforward people forged by a harsh desert world, and are unafraid of making decisions to ensure the survival of their people that others would struggle to reach.

Ikeshti are small humanoid reptiles (not gonna lie, originally thought they were medium) covered in rust-red scales to camouflage themselves against the red deserts of Akiton, though they often accent this with protective clothing and various dyes and paints for their scales to create patterns and symbols on their bodies.

As a general rule, Ikeshti society is heavily regimented not by any societal development, but by their own instincts. Males are almost always broodminders, given to a desire to watch after the next generation, though naturally they may pick up hobbies and career paths that complement this, such as tinkering with tech, bearing messages on their nomadic rounds, acting as convervationists, and so on. Meanwhile, female congregates are much more free to move about their society and galactic society as a whole, some even leaving to become adventurers, funneling money and boons from their exploits back into their communities. However, it is also possible for males to defy their gender role, to say nothing of trans and nonbinary individuals.

Ikeshti are clever and agile, but the lingering effects of their hormones make them somewhat irrational at times.

As desert reptiles, they can go for extended periods without water.

They also prove to be good climbers, all the better to outmaneuver foes in the canyons of their homeworld.

An ikesthi sports a lot of extra skin on their bodies, and can use that to their advantage in a fight, letting that excess skin tear away to escape from being restrained.

Like the horned toad lizard, ikesti can burst and contract blood vessels around their eyes to squirt blood as a defensive mechanism, not quite blinding a foe, but certainly inhibiting their ability to aim straight for a few seconds.

Intelligence and dexterity makes for good ikeshti operatives and envoys, to say nothing of their technomancers, studious biohackers, and mechanics. That skill at range can also come in handy for ranged soldiers, evolutionists, and solarians, though they can also do well in melee with their ability to slip out of grapples easily. The focus on endurance also makes vanguard an interesting choice as well. Meanwhile, precogs are also a good caster choice for them, though their witchwarpers can be decent too. The wisdom penalty makes mystic their only real weak choice, though it’s nothing that cannot be surmounted. Overall, ikeshti lend themselves well to survivalist builds and being able to come up with responses to any threat and challenge.

That does it for today, but next time we’ll be looking at a species from a much more recent book with a more uncanny biology.

[dnfnoodles]

In regard to the c!dream hybrid ask from earlier, my go-to is to make him a lizard hybrid :) good climber, protective scales, and a regrowable tail. Also the whole snake monologue that gives him reptile vibes adds and extra layer to it.

ooo nice