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Description
Over the course of this island's time of existence, which rounds about 66 million years of age, a myriad of different creatures adapted and evolved, culminating in the extraodinary diversity that we can observe in Atlantis today. However, the end of the last Ice Age, followed by the destructive actions that accompanied the arrival of man, means that a lot of creatures from the early Holocene can now only be witnessed through fossils or subfossils. The Holocene is a period that demonstrates how atlantean life, quite violently, endured the climatic shifts that followed the end of the Miocene. One of the most exceptional fossils, dating back to about 11,650 years ago, right at the start of the Holocene epoch, can be found in the Vieira Beds, located in the southern part of the island.

Name: Ophicollum minutus
Size: 1 meter tall
Habitat: Bushlands
Diet: Photosynthetic
Phylogeny: Nolinoideae / Ophicollum

Name: Allium montanus
Size: 70 centimeters tall
Habitat: Bushlands
Diet: Photosynthetic
Phylogeny: Allieae / Allium

Name: Trifolium vastus
Size: 50 centimeters tall
Habitat: Bushlands
Diet: Photosynthetic
Phylogeny: Trifolieae / Trifolium

Perhaps surprisingly, extinct plants from the earliest Holocene of Atlantis are known. Some of these extinct species belong to the Ophicollum bushland biome, a biome that is pretty much extinct in the modern days, with only a few disputable remnants being found in some areas of protected upland. The disappearance of this biome is linked to the subsequent climatic changes that occured throughout the Holocene, likely predating the arrival of men. One of the most common extinct plant species is Ophicollum minutus, a type of nolinoideaean. Its relationships with other non-atlantean nolinoideaeans have been historically debated, with affinities with Convallaria, Disporopsis, Tupistra and Dracaena being suggested (Dracaena itself arrived to the island at some point after the end of the Miocene). O. minutus was a small tree-like member of the genus, barely growing over a meter long. It has large almost succulent fronds that likely were filled with a bitter tasting goop, disincouraging herbivores from eating it. Another inhabitant of the Ophicollum bushland was a species of “onion” or possibly of “shallot” named Allium montanus. It grew large fronds apparently wider and more succulent, with a smaller bulb. These plants were less common but still sparsely distributed. The Trifolium vastus was a type of clover, and indeed a decently large one. It was common with many of its leaves being preserved in the strata associated with this biome, forming thickets that were eaten by several grazers.

#atlantisbestiary3

This is a specevo entry for Hyrotrioskjan's Phase III of Atlantis Bestiary, a community spec evo project focused on an island that forms east to North America, some 66 million years ago or so. This Phase III is dedicated to the early Holocene stage (11.6 ka, more or less), with two phases preceeding this one, focusing on the Paleocene and Miocene.

Description
Over the course of this island's time of existence, which rounds about 66 million years of age, a myriad of different creatures adapted and evolved, culminating in the extraodinary diversity that we can observe in Atlantis today. However, the end of the last Ice Age, followed by the destructive actions that accompanied the arrival of man, means that a lot of creatures from the early Holocene can now only be witnessed through fossils or subfossils. The Holocene is a period that demonstrates how atlantean life, quite violently, endured the climatic shifts that followed the end of the Miocene. One of the most exceptional fossils, dating back to about 11,650 years ago, right at the start of the Holocene epoch, can be found in the Vieira Beds, located in the southern part of the island.

Name: Ophicollum minutus
Size: 1 meter tall
Habitat: Bushlands
Diet: Photosynthetic
Phylogeny: Nolinoideae / Ophicollum

Name: Allium montanus
Size: 70 centimeters tall
Habitat: Bushlands
Diet: Photosynthetic
Phylogeny: Allieae / Allium

Name: Trifolium vastus
Size: 50 centimeters tall
Habitat: Bushlands
Diet: Photosynthetic
Phylogeny: Trifolieae / Trifolium

Perhaps surprisingly, extinct plants from the earliest Holocene of Atlantis are known. Some of these extinct species belong to the Ophicollum bushland biome, a biome that is pretty much extinct in the modern days, with only a few disputable remnants being found in some areas of protected upland. The disappearance of this biome is linked to the subsequent climatic changes that occured throughout the Holocene, likely predating the arrival of men. One of the most common extinct plant species is Ophicollum minutus, a type of nolinoideaean. Its relationships with other non-atlantean nolinoideaeans have been historically debated, with affinities with Convallaria, Disporopsis, Tupistra and Dracaena being suggested (Dracaena itself arrived to the island at some point after the end of the Miocene). O. minutus was a small tree-like member of the genus, barely growing over a meter long. It has large almost succulent fronds that likely were filled with a bitter tasting goop, disincouraging herbivores from eating it. Another inhabitant of the Ophicollum bushland was a species of “onion” or possibly of “shallot” named Allium montanus. It grew large fronds apparently wider and more succulent, with a smaller bulb. These plants were less common but still sparsely distributed. The Trifolium vastus was a type of clover, and indeed a decently large one. It was common with many of its leaves being preserved in the strata associated with this biome, forming thickets that were eaten by several grazers.

#atlantisbestiary3

This is a specevo entry for Hyrotrioskjan's Phase III of Atlantis Bestiary, a community spec evo project focused on an island that forms east to North America, some 66 million years ago or so. This Phase III is dedicated to the early Holocene stage (11.6 ka, more or less), with two phases preceeding this one, focusing on the Paleocene and Miocene.