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Description

Here I present you what is probably my last glimpse of Mu, it was a great project and I really liked the experience of collaborative work and improvement of artistic skills. For the final illustration I decided to bring a scene of one unnamed region, by the bend of a river in the central Mu as marked on the map.

Sooner or later humans will reach this wondrous island and many of the endemic and iconic lifeforms will be facing extinction. So let’s peek at the life on Mu one last time.

Note: creatures marked with * were already described in my past entries.

a) Muvian goose (Branta muensis): descendants of a relatively recent arrival on muvian lands, this goose is a big and loud anseriform that can be found in northern and central Mu. Mainly herbivores, they are often seen grazing in large flocks by prairies near rivers. The muvian goose is a monogamous bird that migrates once a year to the shores of Megalake Spifirnda to nest.

b) Snapping siren (Musiren apoda): a large siren (up to 1,3m long) with vestigial limbs, the snapping siren is an ambush predator that prefer to stay still near logs, plants and rocks waiting for small creatures to pass by. These amphibians can be found in many rivers and lakes of Eastern Mu and are known to crawl between bodies of water in a way similar to snakes.

c) Emerald sharkling (Pseudodytiscus helenii): reaching 4cm long, these aquatic beetles are found in many slow flowing rivers of Mu. The emerald sharkling is a predator of small animals, from invertebrates to tadpoles.

d) Orange frog (Rana rivera): a common sight in Muvian rivers and swamps, the orange frog is a large frog (23cm long) with territorial habits and a loud call. These amphibians feed mainly on invertebrates and occasionally small fishes. The breeding season is during spring and the males compete aggressively for better territories do court females.

e) Muvian false bat (Pseudochiroptera dekerrexi): a Dipneumonifera that thrives in temperate grasslands and woodlands, this mammal is a fast flying insectivore that hunts mainly on the crepuscular hours. Reaching up to 25cm of “wingspan”, the false bat is an intriguing creature of an ancient endemic clade.

- The muvian false bat is one of the direct descendants of Dekerrex’s Micropodopteryx;

f) Maned bear* (Mursus atrox): omnivores with a preference for meat, these ursids are one of the biggest terrestrial predators of Mu, reaching 500kg and 1,4m tall on shoulder. Maned bears are powerful hunters, able to bring down large prey with the aid of the strong forelegs, sharp claws and large and jaws.

Lone creatures found in the northern portions of Mu with small populations in the south, maned bears can be seen congregating in situations of abundance of food. Females give birth to up to four cubs, which are raised until being able to handle themselves. Differently from other large ursids, maned bears do not hibernate.

- The maned bear is one of the direct descendants of Another_leo’s (Leonardismos) grey bear;

g) Greater tarenzia (Tarenzia macrocephala): is a large sized turtle (70cm long) that is found in Mu’s slow flowing rivers and swamps. These turtles are omnivores and opportunistic, actively searching for prey in the mud or floating vegetation. They usually prey on aquatic invertebrates and small fishes.

- The greater tarenzia is one of the direct descendants of Another_leo’s (Leonardismos) muvian softshel;

h) Masked egret (Egretta muensis): small wading birds found all across muvian aquatic environments. Reaching 1m of wingspan, these egrets are predators of small creatures both in water or on ground. During mating season the masked egret congregates in immense colonies in trees.

i) Hairy trunked mastodon* (Mutitan atokensis): found in temperate woodlands, grasslands and swamps of Mu, this mammutid is one of the heaviest creatures found in Holocene’s Mu reaching an average of 3 tons (males) and 2 tons the females.

Gregarious herbivores, these mastodons are often seen in small social groups of females browsing peacefully. Males are often solitary or live in loose bachelor groups. Adults have no predators while infants and juveniles can be preyed upon by carnivores and crocodiles.

Both males and females have long tusks when adult, with the male’s being slightly bigger than females. Mature individuals also present an unusual amount of long hair near the tip of the trunk, the function of this structure seems to be social, since is common to see individuals “combing” each other with this part of the trunk.

- The hairy trunked mastodon is one of the direct descendants of u/Atok_01’s muvian mastodon;

SailWorldbuilds

Description

Here I present you what is probably my last glimpse of Mu, it was a great project and I really liked the experience of collaborative work and improvement of artistic skills. For the final illustration I decided to bring a scene of one unnamed region, by the bend of a river in the central Mu as marked on the map.

Sooner or later humans will reach this wondrous island and many of the endemic and iconic lifeforms will be facing extinction. So let’s peek at the life on Mu one last time.

Note: creatures marked with * were already described in my past entries.

a) Muvian goose (Branta muensis): descendants of a relatively recent arrival on muvian lands, this goose is a big and loud anseriform that can be found in northern and central Mu. Mainly herbivores, they are often seen grazing in large flocks by prairies near rivers. The muvian goose is a monogamous bird that migrates once a year to the shores of Megalake Spifirnda to nest.

b) Snapping siren (Musiren apoda): a large siren (up to 1,3m long) with vestigial limbs, the snapping siren is an ambush predator that prefer to stay still near logs, plants and rocks waiting for small creatures to pass by. These amphibians can be found in many rivers and lakes of Eastern Mu and are known to crawl between bodies of water in a way similar to snakes.

c) Emerald sharkling (Pseudodytiscus helenii): reaching 4cm long, these aquatic beetles are found in many slow flowing rivers of Mu. The emerald sharkling is a predator of small animals, from invertebrates to tadpoles.

d) Orange frog (Rana rivera): a common sight in Muvian rivers and swamps, the orange frog is a large frog (23cm long) with territorial habits and a loud call. These amphibians feed mainly on invertebrates and occasionally small fishes. The breeding season is during spring and the males compete aggressively for better territories do court females.

e) Muvian false bat (Pseudochiroptera dekerrexi): a Dipneumonifera that thrives in temperate grasslands and woodlands, this mammal is a fast flying insectivore that hunts mainly on the crepuscular hours. Reaching up to 25cm of “wingspan”, the false bat is an intriguing creature of an ancient endemic clade.

- The muvian false bat is one of the direct descendants of Dekerrex’s Micropodopteryx;

f) Maned bear* (Mursus atrox): omnivores with a preference for meat, these ursids are one of the biggest terrestrial predators of Mu, reaching 500kg and 1,4m tall on shoulder. Maned bears are powerful hunters, able to bring down large prey with the aid of the strong forelegs, sharp claws and large and jaws.

Lone creatures found in the northern portions of Mu with small populations in the south, maned bears can be seen congregating in situations of abundance of food. Females give birth to up to four cubs, which are raised until being able to handle themselves. Differently from other large ursids, maned bears do not hibernate.

- The maned bear is one of the direct descendants of Another_leo’s (Leonardismos) grey bear;

g) Greater tarenzia (Tarenzia macrocephala): is a large sized turtle (70cm long) that is found in Mu’s slow flowing rivers and swamps. These turtles are omnivores and opportunistic, actively searching for prey in the mud or floating vegetation. They usually prey on aquatic invertebrates and small fishes.

- The greater tarenzia is one of the direct descendants of Another_leo’s (Leonardismos) muvian softshel;

h) Masked egret (Egretta muensis): small wading birds found all across muvian aquatic environments. Reaching 1m of wingspan, these egrets are predators of small creatures both in water or on ground. During mating season the masked egret congregates in immense colonies in trees.

i) Hairy trunked mastodon* (Mutitan atokensis): found in temperate woodlands, grasslands and swamps of Mu, this mammutid is one of the heaviest creatures found in Holocene’s Mu reaching an average of 3 tons (males) and 2 tons the females.

Gregarious herbivores, these mastodons are often seen in small social groups of females browsing peacefully. Males are often solitary or live in loose bachelor groups. Adults have no predators while infants and juveniles can be preyed upon by carnivores and crocodiles.

Both males and females have long tusks when adult, with the male’s being slightly bigger than females. Mature individuals also present an unusual amount of long hair near the tip of the trunk, the function of this structure seems to be social, since is common to see individuals “combing” each other with this part of the trunk.

- The hairy trunked mastodon is one of the direct descendants of u/Atok_01’s muvian mastodon;

SailWorldbuilds