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Published: 2016-10-26 17:09:44 +0000 UTC; Views: 14865; Favourites: 212; Downloads: 30
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Description
Animals sometimes with certain environmental pressures, niches, or even behaviors are shaped in different ways to the point of purchase peculiar aspects, sometimes extravagant, other aberrant; some of the most striking forms are probably asymmetric animals, characterized by their shape that breaks the normal bauplan, developing as misshapen creatures that work with great efficiency. This asymmetry can vary from simple aspects as a modified limb or appendage to the point of changing their morphology. One of the best known examples among vertebrates is probably the flatfish, unlike several benthic fish, most of these species have a laterally compressed body with both eyes on one side of the body and using the dorsal and ventral fins for mobility this type of vertebrates have probably been the first to break the bilateral symmetry successfully, although, would be the last?In the far 215 million years, in dry and arid northern parts of Aaru (east africa), a little unchanged old piece of terrain of what was once one of the largest deserts, is now claimed by the great vegetation. It maintains an interesting variety of creatures, from strange and small insectivorous and derived pigs, several land birds, passing through some of the Auspictids (derived crocodilimorphs able to fly) that had colonized the sub-continent millions of years ago and a variety of squamata. Although salient among all animals in the territory, a particular type of lizards blend in with the ground of the landscape, using its old camouflage ability. At first glance does not seem more than a strange flattened lizard, but with a more detailed inspection, it is emphasized that a couple of limbs on one side is slightly up while the other pair are below. the head seems to have eyes arranged in a distorted way, both on one side, of a different length, and the mouth opens horizontally. Interestingly, the asymmetric design that worked them flatfish, resurfaced successfully in another lineage, in this particular case, in a lineage of terrestrial vertebrates.
This clade in particual are called Flateleons (family Pleurofrontsae), distant descendants of a lineage equally strange of squamatas, the chameleons. These at first emerged as arboreal animals, which surprisingly conquered other niches such as desert dwellers around Africa. In Aaru, some species found a fairly comfortable haven in which they kept without changes by around 140 million years, even surviving the end of the Cenozoic. During the Therozoic era, the flateleons began to develop its strange shape, probably as an attempt to adapt efficiently as ambush predators or to be less visible to any predator. These have a variety of sizes, ranging from the smallest of 5 cm to the largest species of about 60 cm. Flateleons live most in deserts, but few species have been able to inhabit forests and savannas. They are carnivorous, feeding mainly on invertebrates such as arthropods, although some species are able to catch larger prey like small vertebrates.
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This concept seemed interesting to work after watching an episode of the BBC documentary "Life" about the reptiles, which showed a desert chameleon showing an asymmetry of color, obscuring one of its side to receive most of solar radiation and so warm itself. I sense that I will probably need to modify some anatomical aspects of these squamatas so it can work, at the end is an interesting idea to explore.
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Comments: 45
CartoonBen [2017-06-14 00:44:31 +0000 UTC]
Wow, that's unique! A land parallel (or counterpart) to the present day flounders! Well done, Dragonthunders.
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Philoceratops [2017-05-01 18:27:31 +0000 UTC]
I wonder what the skeleton of this weirdo looks like, considering flatfish and chameleon skeletons are equally fascinating.
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Toarcian [2016-12-29 15:06:04 +0000 UTC]
This is the best speculative evolution i've seen in a long time!
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DedYrks1 [2016-11-16 17:59:09 +0000 UTC]
This feels.... wrong, somehow.. I can understand it in a desert environment, but it seems like it would be utterly incapable of survival in an arboreal role. Chameleons, after all, hunt via a biological "harpoon" and sharpshooting. Something like this would likely have to hang upside down to target something in certain directions, or work its way all around a tree/branch, at which point its prey would have escaped...
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Dragonthunders In reply to DedYrks1 [2016-11-16 18:50:42 +0000 UTC]
What's the point exactly of this argument if I never specified that they have returned to arborea life? In the text I said that they live in forest but it doesnt mean that it lives directly in trees again.
Something like this would likely have to hang upside down to target something in certain directions, or work its way all around a tree/branch, at which point its prey would have escaped...But that happen in the same way with actual chameleons, it wouldnt change if they have other shape.
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DedYrks1 In reply to Dragonthunders [2016-11-16 19:47:43 +0000 UTC]
I suppose that's valid. But I must ask why it would retain the gripping feet if it didn't return to the trees? Also, the way the skull and eyes are set up, the flateleon would have a rather significant blind spot on the left side of its body. As for the point I made previously, I will admit I posted it before putting full thought into it, since I interpreted it as hanging sideways off a branch (stupid, I know) which would render it unable to "quickly" turn once it found a target, and when it did it would be at a rather awkward angle.
Regardless of all this, I do enjoy the vast majority of your work. This one just bugs me a bit...
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Dragonthunders In reply to DedYrks1 [2016-11-16 21:37:57 +0000 UTC]
I must say that altrough the feet have the gripping shape, these do not have that function, the only thing is the look that was maintained over the millions of years since there are no pressures that force them to change. About the the blind spot, I think one of the periscope eyes is able to overcome it in any way
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DedYrks1 In reply to Dragonthunders [2016-11-16 21:54:08 +0000 UTC]
Okay. It probably could, but it looks like the cheekbone would render it incapable of viewing anything for a significant angle. But, clearly I have been wrong before (Even in this thread ) so it may well work regardless
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Zimices [2016-10-27 00:35:46 +0000 UTC]
Jeje, esto es aún más inesperado, un camaleón-lenguado (o "camanguado"). Muy, muy buen trabajo.
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Dragonthunders In reply to HUBLERDON [2016-10-26 23:29:44 +0000 UTC]
As always, this is of course for find a way
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Tarturus [2016-10-26 22:29:59 +0000 UTC]
The concept of a flatfish-like chameleon is pretty cool. ^^
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Zgerken In reply to Dragonthunders [2016-10-27 09:17:30 +0000 UTC]
The pleasure was all mine!
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Fireplume [2016-10-26 17:37:17 +0000 UTC]
I think the skull wouldn't flatten as dramatically, but the rest of what you say is 100% true...
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Dragonthunders In reply to Fireplume [2016-10-26 23:15:49 +0000 UTC]
To be fair, this had its development time of about 60 to 70 million years, so it was not as drastic change.
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