Life of Seiek 5 By Transapient Watch

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Hello, fellow mammaloids. You see before you what will be the last of the LOS series, for now at least. I had a lot of fun doing this, but I’m burned out now with the darn things. Thank you to everyone who faved these, commented on these, or even just looked at them; I am very grateful to you all. And a special thanks to all those who gave their criticisms to improve the project, including Orionide5, juniorWoodchuck, vasix, HybridRex, DeinonychusEmpire, Dracorexius, and Martiitram. Thank you (smile) I may draw more of Seiek in the future, but after this, I think it would be nice to get back into some truly out-of-this-world creatures.



Now then, you know the drill… top to bottom, left to right…



Urao: At first glance, the marine reptiles of modern Seiek may seem like living fossils. The Aquatheres are indeed morphologically similar to their ancestors, but have developed several modern innovations. All modern aquatheres are derived from a small species of short-necked plesiosaur, similar to Dolichorhynchops. Although large mosasaurs are common predators in tropical waters, the cooler seas of the poles have allowed the warm-blooded aquatheres to develop into the world’s most sophisticated oceanic predators. Their flexible bodies and strong jaws make them fast and powerful hunters. They have developed a cleansing cycle in which they shed their outer skin to rid themselves of parasites and renew their streamlining. They have adapted this to feed their young. When their pups are born live, their skin develops into a fatty, nutritious layer which is shed for their offspring to feed. The species pictured, the Great Urao, Marinus rex, is one of the largest and most adaptable aquatheres.



Ooly: Perhaps the strangest of all Seiek’s inhabitants are the Caelumanimids. These creatures, evolved from highly derived ammonites, demonstrate a floating method of flight unseen in the evolution of their native Earth. To a visitor on Seiek, they represent a constant reminder that they are of a separate evolutionary timeline. Caelumanimids fill their buoyancy chambers with hydrogen by their specialized metabolisms. Their ammonite ancestors developed this ability for greater buoyancy control and to support thicker shells for defense. One group reduced the top sections of their shells to very thin walls to allow the sun to warm their internal gases, allowing them to float on the ocean surface, dangling thin tentacles for plankton. One pair of tentacles became paddle-like to steer the creatures around. Finally, some began to use those fins to catch the winds, like living sailboats. Eventually, some let the winds take them above the seas into the skies. These creatures are commonly called “oolies” by Mandrakes. An ooly still requires salt water to breed, and they go through an aquatic larval stage before ballooning into the sky with their parents. Many species of ooly exist: some skimming the water for plankton, some draping over treetops for small prey, some netting insects in the air, some hunting other oolies.



Dozor: The Avarupascids, called “Dozors” in common Mandrake, are the largest carnivorous land mammals of Seiek. This group of reclusive animals can be found scattered across Europe and Asia, especially to the north. They are omnivores that feed on anything they can find, catch, or scavenge. They are often associated with water, and used they enlarged noses to vocalize their territory. Interestingly, dozors are actually derived from the same stock of mammal which would eventually give rise to cetaceans on Earth. The species shown is one of the more piscivorous types native to northern Europe.



Grendi: Throughout the Americas and Eurasia, the ornithomimosaurs have evolved into various breeds of water-related dinosaurs. The Pectobrachids are common long the lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers of North and South America. Using their long legs to wade into the water, their large shafted feathers along their arms are designed at the microscopic level to captured zooplankton, and other small bits of food from the water. These morsels are then preened out by the beak. Shown here is a Grendi, a typical species which can be found in wetlands in southeastern North America.



Saadrake: The trees of the Americas are home to the closest relatives of the sophont Mandrakes. These are the Scandoraptors. This group of maniraptorians possesses several unique adaptations for a climbing lifestyle. Their ribcage and spine are very flexible, including the tail, which has become prehensile. The innermost toe points backwards to allow the animal to perch. The feathers along the arms serve in gliding and social displays. Specialized muscles at the base of the shafts enable the creatures to fold the feathers tightly against the arm, protecting them from damage and freeing their hands with opposable thumbs to perform complex tasks. Of the many families of modern scandoraptors, the Saadrakes are closest to Mandrakes. All saadrakes display high intelligence in the wild, and were among the first Mandrake candidates for Transapiation.



Kie: The oceans of Seiek are home to a unique group of modern avian dinosaurs. These are the Marraves, descended from something like the hesperornids. These birds are completely aquatic, retaining their eggs within their bodies before giving birth. Their feathers have developed into microscopic scale-like structures that aid in streamlining, in parallel with shark skin. The legs have degenerated down to the toes, which have become three sets of flukes which can be rearranged in movement. The marraves fill niches of both giant filter feeders and quick fish catchers. The smaller kinds, called Kie, are found throughout the seas of Seiek.



Tusa: The Gladisaurs are a group of small to medium sized carnivorous dinosaurs found in Africa and India descended from alvarezsaurs. Their single, long claws are used in balancing action and social displays. The Tusa, of arid regions in northern Africa, exemplifies the later. Normally drab colors to blend into the dessert, male tusas sprout colorful plumes during the mating season. These are shown off to any females that enter the male’s territory, and he will violently defend these females as long as they remain with him after mating.



Hankei: The Fluvisaurs, graceful little dinosaurs of North America and Eurasia are derived from wading ornithomimid ancestors. They have become semi aquatic animals which forage for fish, mollusks, insects, and sometimes plants within rivers and streams. They are commonly known as Hankei. Their complex burrows and nests often help to shape freshwater ecosystems. The species pictured is native to the cold streams of Siberia, where they spend the coldest parts of the winter in hibernation.



Nusoss: The isolated continent of Australia is home to the Venatoceratopsids, carnivorous dinosaurs evolved from ornithopods. The dominant predators are the dazeks, but there exist many smaller and more individualistic members of this group as well. The Nusoss lives in the jungles of northern Australia. Here, it hunts not only small prey, but also creatures as large as itself. It brings these targets down with a toxic bite. It warns larger hunters with a quill-derived rattle on the end of its tail. The nusoss is the only venomous dinosaur on Seiek.

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Published : Sep 21, 2013