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Dragonthunders — TFiF: The Slugfish

Published: 2016-10-26 00:33:11 +0000 UTC; Views: 3909; Favourites: 71; Downloads: 9
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Description The conquest of the land by ancestral Sarcopterygii was probably one of the most decisive events in the history of vertebrates for the fact that their descendants would turn out for the next 300 million years the prominent fauna on land, air and even water, but from there, this lineage of strange lobe-finned fishes began to suffer from the terrible ravages of time, leading to much of its diversity to extinction, and at the time that mankind appeared, there was only a handful of species, in the deep seabed as the coelacanth, and others living in several rivers and lakes around the continents that formed Gondwana once, the lungfishes.

Lungfishes are quite interesting for its ability to withstand long periods without water, sometimes being encapsulated in special burrows which remain lethargic until they receive liquid again. However, the small number of species that exists around the planet could only mean that they would be sentenced to a possible extinction, however, they managed to survived 3 of the worst mass extinctions with little trouble, so even the few species remaining still have a chance, even with humanity. But is this all? They would have a second chance?

After the left of the the sapient human of the earth, and over millions of years, lungfish did not undergo enormous changes except habits and number of species during the rest of the Cenozoic in some areas of South America and Australia (until the collision of the continent) some of them specialized in different niches as predators or cave dwellers, some even became rare arboreal, and even mountain  dwellers. In Africa on the other hand, they remained as such, only varying in number. The Cenozoic passed, giving way to therozoic, which saw a small but substantial diversification of this lineage in Africa, and until the end of this period, some changes eventually would settle the basis for a new innovation. The first changes came by their mode of locomotion on land, instead of crawling loggerhead in the ground, they began to develop specialized ventral muscles which allows to create lateral undulations, similar to a snake. Some species have developed different methods to conserve body moisture, one of the most successful the mucous cover. At the end of the therozoic era, they began to take control in most of the small niches with the subsequent reduction of amphibian species. The final event that probably helped them in its change was Hysterea, the formation of the supercontinent that led to the extinction of much of the Earth's biodiversity at the time, including the lungfish remnants, but not its derivated descendants.

In the Phinizoic era, the suvivors began the last morphological changes and after, a new vertebrate lineage completely different from the known land vertebrates, came from the same base which tetrapods emerged, but in a different form, the Slugfish (Class Baenaventria).
These small animals most do not exceed lengths more than 30 cm, being most of them amphibious creatures that have a metamorphic development, they need to return to water to lay eggs and born as larvae. Unlike other terrestrial vertebrates, these do not use limbs for mobility, but use the muscles of its belly as a gastropod foot. The fins that its ancestral form possessed were derived into small spurs-like limbs, which have little purpose for mobility but for other essential roles like grip in some surfaces and defense. In several species, the skin of these is leathery, to keep the water inside the body, and has different hardened plates that provide an armature, varying in shape and size depending on the species. Due to friction under the "ventral foot," this still needs the mucous that once protected the body for liquid loss.
They are carnivores for default in adult form, feeding different types of animals like insects, worms, spiders, small land vertebrates, fish and even other species of slugfish, but larvae on the other hand have more variety of diets being some detritivores, and even herbivores.
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Comments: 25

TheWatcherofWorlds [2019-05-28 04:17:57 +0000 UTC]

I would pet this creature.

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SonicCaleritas [2019-01-05 02:08:06 +0000 UTC]

Whats that hole behind its power jaw (it's a nostril right)

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Philoceratops [2017-07-12 23:58:49 +0000 UTC]

starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Wol_Ca…

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Philoceratops [2017-07-12 23:57:52 +0000 UTC]

It looks like a Wol Cabasshite from Return of the Jedi.

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Dragonthunders In reply to Philoceratops [2017-07-13 15:58:45 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, although the slugfish doesn't have a large tongue, owns plates and does not tilt its head that way

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Utkudakid [2016-12-29 19:57:54 +0000 UTC]

I want one.

Of everything you've got.

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HUBLERDON [2016-10-26 13:42:59 +0000 UTC]

Cool!

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Dragonthunders In reply to HUBLERDON [2016-10-26 15:43:21 +0000 UTC]

Thank you

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candelediva [2016-10-26 08:08:32 +0000 UTC]

If I could make one critique, it's how you need to make the description's grammar correct...

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Philoceratops In reply to candelediva [2017-07-12 23:55:23 +0000 UTC]

That's kinda rude.

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JurassicJacob In reply to candelediva [2016-10-26 16:14:13 +0000 UTC]

Now, there's no need to say things like that. If you learnt another language and went onto a website with that language, wrote up a description for something, and someone said 'you need to make the grammar correct', how would you feel? Please try and be considerate.

By the way Dragon, awesome update!

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Philoceratops In reply to JurassicJacob [2017-07-12 23:55:12 +0000 UTC]

Agreed.

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Dragonthunders In reply to candelediva [2016-10-26 15:44:08 +0000 UTC]

I know, english is not my native language

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Philoceratops In reply to Dragonthunders [2017-07-12 23:55:43 +0000 UTC]

That's cool.

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DesOrages In reply to candelediva [2016-10-26 08:36:29 +0000 UTC]

He doesn't speak English as a first language.

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Tarturus [2016-10-26 05:26:41 +0000 UTC]

Very intriguing concept.

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Dragonthunders In reply to Tarturus [2016-10-26 15:43:14 +0000 UTC]

thanks

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InkGink [2016-10-26 01:04:17 +0000 UTC]

So cool!

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Dragonthunders In reply to InkGink [2016-10-26 15:43:04 +0000 UTC]

Thank you

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InkGink In reply to Dragonthunders [2016-10-26 22:12:08 +0000 UTC]



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bhut [2016-10-26 00:43:33 +0000 UTC]

This is one bizarre-looking creature. Thanks for sharing. 

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Dragonthunders In reply to bhut [2016-10-26 00:52:26 +0000 UTC]

Thank you too

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bhut In reply to Dragonthunders [2016-10-26 17:39:30 +0000 UTC]

Don't mention it.

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Ryan-Bowers [2016-10-26 00:37:17 +0000 UTC]

Ooo this is fantastic!

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Dragonthunders In reply to Ryan-Bowers [2016-10-26 00:41:26 +0000 UTC]

Thanks

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