HOME | DD

Description

Tunicates became neotenic in absence of fish, took much of fish niches, and made a step on land. At that time it was largely filled with various rats, but then an extinction event comparable to the Great Dying happened, and a few of them also got their chance to shine during wild new era.
The sample of species is from 50 million years after the extinction.
Dranik dranik (lesser tod): the most basal living member of this clade, lesser tod is nonetheless a terrifying ambush hunter. It can be found in equatorial wetlands of recently broken up supercontinent. It feeds on everything it can catch, mainly small vertebrates. Females are bigger and more colorful than males, and live much more sedentary lifestyle. Its larger relatives, like shwarzestod (not shown), fill 'crocodile' niche, being large aquatic savannah predators.
Cranioreptus deceptus (scully): an example of insular gigantism, this biped is a peaceful herbivore that descends from a population isolated from mainland due to rising sea-levels. However, its life is far from peaceful, since relatively recently some predators in face of secondarily-flightless capillopteres, strange reptilian flying rodents, have got here. Its population is still far from dwindling though, since life uhh... will always find a way. During breeding season these 'reptiles' flush in color, including a skull-like patch on their faces, from which their name derives.
Piscevenatrix aurorambulea (dawn snakemouth): a spinosaurid-esque piscivore from Tunicatheria order, this is one of the largest terracates, reaching 8-meter length and weighing about 450 kg. Its a riverine, mostly matutinal species.
Falcarofelis megaherz (catter): a feline-like forest tunicatherian that hunts mostly small prey. While it is largely solitary, females that raise young will cooperate with each other, and even adopt others cubs who lost their mothers. This situational sociality appeared because it is much easier to raise young that way, and catters aren't territorial, and might give rise to truly social species.
Genus Caelichtys (skyfishes): the very first flying tunicatherians. Their diets mainly include fruits and small vertebrates. In habitat they are largely limited by tropical rainforests.
Tetrapes crypta (false tetrapod): a very distinct species from mangrove swamps, false tetrapods are an evolutionary experiments similar to mudskippers. They are a sister lineage to terracates, quite like lungfish. They got their name due to development of new set of limbs from their ear (derived skull, which itself forms from skin and a bit from chord) bones. While they are very specialized and probably won't have any opportunity to experience evolutionary radiation, they are nonetheless peculiar creatures.

Description

Tunicates became neotenic in absence of fish, took much of fish niches, and made a step on land. At that time it was largely filled with various rats, but then an extinction event comparable to the Great Dying happened, and a few of them also got their chance to shine during wild new era.
The sample of species is from 50 million years after the extinction.
Dranik dranik (lesser tod): the most basal living member of this clade, lesser tod is nonetheless a terrifying ambush hunter. It can be found in equatorial wetlands of recently broken up supercontinent. It feeds on everything it can catch, mainly small vertebrates. Females are bigger and more colorful than males, and live much more sedentary lifestyle. Its larger relatives, like shwarzestod (not shown), fill 'crocodile' niche, being large aquatic savannah predators.
Cranioreptus deceptus (scully): an example of insular gigantism, this biped is a peaceful herbivore that descends from a population isolated from mainland due to rising sea-levels. However, its life is far from peaceful, since relatively recently some predators in face of secondarily-flightless capillopteres, strange reptilian flying rodents, have got here. Its population is still far from dwindling though, since life uhh... will always find a way. During breeding season these 'reptiles' flush in color, including a skull-like patch on their faces, from which their name derives.
Piscevenatrix aurorambulea (dawn snakemouth): a spinosaurid-esque piscivore from Tunicatheria order, this is one of the largest terracates, reaching 8-meter length and weighing about 450 kg. Its a riverine, mostly matutinal species.
Falcarofelis megaherz (catter): a feline-like forest tunicatherian that hunts mostly small prey. While it is largely solitary, females that raise young will cooperate with each other, and even adopt others cubs who lost their mothers. This situational sociality appeared because it is much easier to raise young that way, and catters aren't territorial, and might give rise to truly social species.
Genus Caelichtys (skyfishes): the very first flying tunicatherians. Their diets mainly include fruits and small vertebrates. In habitat they are largely limited by tropical rainforests.
Tetrapes crypta (false tetrapod): a very distinct species from mangrove swamps, false tetrapods are an evolutionary experiments similar to mudskippers. They are a sister lineage to terracates, quite like lungfish. They got their name due to development of new set of limbs from their ear (derived skull, which itself forms from skin and a bit from chord) bones. While they are very specialized and probably won't have any opportunity to experience evolutionary radiation, they are nonetheless peculiar creatures.