Setting: A spacecraft, carrying the last members of a dying civilization, comes plummeting down into the planet’s atmosphere. They have come here to die. This planet has been chosen as their grave. As the ship disappears into the darkness, all that now remains of a civilization that once called thousands of worlds home are two things. The first is a satellite, left to keep watch over its creators’ grave. The second is microbial organisms. Unintentionally, the dust from the ship has seeded the planet with life. Fast forward 800 million years, and multicellular life has evolved. Early primitive creatures now make the upper atmosphere their home.

Planet Classification: Vb-8384 (Gefjun), is a gas giant orbiting in the habital zone of its star, an F-type with a mass of 1,4 Suns.

Atmosphere: 89% Hydrogen, (Working on other elements). A small but steady stream of organic molecules and H2O is constantly flowing down to the upper atmosphere. This Is caused by the motion of the planet’s moons. As they orbit, they disturb the material in the planet’s rings, pushing it towards the planet.

Average Temperature (Upper Cloud Layer): 3°C (37°F)

Average Wind Speeds (Upper Cloud Layer): Circa 240 km/h (circa 660 km/h at the dark spot)

Weather: The upper cloud layer is dominated by atmospheric flows, seen as the planet’s bands. These bands are divided into zones and belts. The zones are moving in prograde and the belts are moving in retrograde. Below this layer is the lower cloud layer. Here, permanent thunderstorms and turbulence rule, caused by water clouds. The lower you go, the more the atmospheric pressure and the temperature increases.

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Vegae is the smallest and most numerous organism. This single-celled organism gets its energy through photosynthesis. The Vegae is a sinker; it has dendrites (the hairs), allowing it to better be carried by the planet’s winds and slowing its descent to the layers below. It survives by reproducing rapidly, some of its offspring getting carried by turbulence to the higher and cooler layers before it gets fried by the heat.

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The Floot is the largest organism. It is a living balloon which stays afloat by pumping heavier gasses out of its interior. It gets its nutrients by filtering the organic molecules and Vegae found in the air. It can be found in large groups, concentrating around updrafts of warm gas. The Floot is host to the Deva. Usually over a hundred Devas can be found living on an average Floot.

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The Huro is a hunter. It uses its wings and gas stores in its main body, to fly between the planet’s many updrafts. It hunts the Floot, both for its organic molecules, its store of hydrogen and its heat.

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Sinky is the second smallest organism. This tiny organism lives slowly floating down the planet’s layers using its feather-like structures. As it gets to the thunderstorms below, it collects the electrical energy and produces a coat of spores on its feathers. Once the atmospheric pressure gets too high, it releases the feathers. A few of the feathers are carried up the planet’s layers by the turbulence. Eventually the feathers break down, releasing the spores that have now become thousands of miniature Sinkies.

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Finally, there's the Deva. The Deva lives on Floots, clinging to them with its legs. It preys on Sinkies. Oftentimes it dives down to the lower layers hunting for them. It has two crude sensory organs, allowing it to make out shapes.

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>>2624907
>>2624906
A type of Vegae develops that secretes an adhesive substance, allowing it to attach to the Floot and therefore prevent death by falling. As Floots don't have any way to scrape the Vegae off their bodies and into their mouths, the plant faces no predation.

We just started an evo two threads over.

>>2624929
I became aware of this just after starting the thread. It's unfortunate, but hopefully the games are different enough to exist side by side. I wish LongShort's game all the best.

If it's any defence, I've been advertising this as the starting date of the GGE for about two weeks over on the EvoGame discord: https://discord.gg/CXz4bk

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>>2624910
Some sinkies extend their feathers which does not only give their offspring more chance but also has them fall slower so that they have more time growing and accumulating nourishment.

>>2624907
Some Floots develop extra flaps that not only give a larger area to keep gas trapped but also makes their hide more resilient against the enviroment.

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>>2624961

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>>2624908
Some Huros find a new source of nutrients: Deva on Floots. For this, their wing shape changes to a shape that can 'hug ' a floot, and while being thrown against it in the wind it scuttles over it, sucking up Devas.

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>>2624906
Some Vegae cluster together, caught by their hairs, but most such amalgamations fall and die. Only those that show a curious propensity for lateral expansion survive, providing surface area for adequate drift. Constantly cells fall off from it to be carried up by turbulence and start new colonies, but even without them such colonies can stay in roughly the same height for a very long time.

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>>2624910
other sinkies grow to have both radial and bilateral symmetry. Instead of dying off, these new Sinkies are on the contrary, more succesful than their nonmutated cousins as they now sink in a very wide orbit as the winds drive through the tunnel in its body, propelling it sideways and often even upward.

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>>2624979
now with the red dots

>>2624921
some Vegae that have settled on Floot engage in specialization: while the main strain does nothing but develop adhesive substance and reproduce (at a far reduced rate as those that do not reduce this rate quickly plummet to their deaths), a spezialized strain grows outward, and catches with the gluelike substance the vegae secrete, other vegae, which they incorporate as fuel for their growing colony.

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>>2625076

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>>2624907
>>2624921
As a response to the Vegae growths weighting the Floots down some floots grow larger. They also grow small extremities which they use to hold onto each other. This allows them to share the burden and also gives more endurance against the harsher winds.

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>>2624908
Other Huro further specialize in hunting the Floot. These Huro grow longer and both their internal gas storage and wings grow in size. This allows them to reach hotspots further away.

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>>2625111
some long Huros develop an organ in which they store gas, but from which they can also easily release it. This organ can be filled selectively with Floot-borne gas if the Huro wants to ascend quickly

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>>2624912
Some Devas are born with a debilitating mutation: a shell covering their body, preventing flight. While normally those Deva would quickly die thanks to being unable to find food, with the appearance of the >>2624964, the shell gained a purpose: protecting from the digestive juices of the Huro. As the Huro clings to a Floot and sucks up prey, the Paradeva willingly enters the mouth of the predator, consumes whatever bits of dead Devas haven't dissolved yet, and escapes back onto the Floot. Sometimes the animals don't finish their meals before the Huro departs from the Floot, and end up being taken to another one, spreading the species.

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>>2625209
Some Paradeva forsake the life on Floots almost completely, developing a sort of sting with which they lay eggs into the flesh of Huros, a necessary anchoring for the eggs not to be blasted out by the wind currents. The babes are born in the Huro, eat of its flesh (though they often die from exhaustion alone from digging themselves out of the scar tissue)

These Paradevas only leave the Huro to mate on Floots as they are reluctant to mate with closely related specimen inside the same Huro.

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>>2624980
These Sinkies - Now catalogued as 'Tubies' by the observation satellite - now face a unique problem: By extending their life as much as they do, they enter the electrically charged storms of the lower atmosphere later and later in life, so many are killed by Devas before being able to reproduce. This leads to a change in diet: Tubies develop ridges on their inside which trap Vegae and slowly digest them.

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>>2624912
The Eldeva's wings have unusually high metal content, making them slightly receptive to magnetic fields. The Eldeva uses this to find Sinkers, as those favor spots with turbulent electric activity.

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Life on Gefjun has started to diversify as organisms are experimenting with different body-plans and niches within the environment. Around hotspots the Multi-flapped Floot >>2624962 and the Tentacle-holding Floot >>2625101 can be found. Both have taken different approaches towards surviving the harsh winds and the weight of the Floot-Vegae now covering many of them. While the Multi-flapped Floot have developed thick skin to protect them against the winds and more storage areas to maintain their buoyancy, the Tentacle-holding Floots have instead tried to solve these issues by growing larger and grouping closer together. It’s not uncommon for Large chains and even circles of Tentacle-holding Floots to be seen circulating the Gefjun’s hotspots.

The other families have evolved even more diverse adaptations. The most successful evolutions for the Vegae have all been colony-based. As previously mentioned, the Floot-Vegae >>2625077 now grows in long strands from its Floot hosts. Around the hotspots elongated mats of Colony-Vegae keep slowly falling towards the planet’s core in a seemingly unending cycle.

The Huro has evolved into two main branches with their own niches; one diversifying its diet by also feeding on the Devas living on the Floots >>2624964 , the other growing larger and more adept at taking down the Floots and claiming their nutrients and gases >>2625132 . The former branch has even become the involuntary host of Gefjun’s first confirmed parasite; the Paradeva. This little creature has almost completely traded its old life for the warm insides of the Huro >>2625209 .

Outside of the hotspots, the Sinkies reign supreme. Their number has exploded, as they’ve kept adapting to better survive for longer >>2624960 , some also adding the microscopic Vegae as a source of nutrients >>2625491 . As a result of this, the amount of organic molecules in the atmosphere that is available to the other lifeforms has dropped slightly. Who knows what would’ve happened if it wasn’t for the more adept Sinky-hunter, the Eldeva, evolving >>2625499 and putting a stop to the Sinky population’s rapid growth.

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>>2624908
Some Huro see the bounty that are the sinkies, which in the form of tubies even occupy their altitude more often than before, and they adapt.

To stray out from the Floot-hotspots into areas with less updraft, they reduce the size and weight of their main body while increasing its wingspan considerably. This way, it can stay on minimal to no updrafts for a long time, hunting sinkies and tubies. The reduced body size also means that the smaller prey and more difficult hunt is enough to feed the animal.

The density of sinkies and tubies mean that the lack of sensory organs of the huros is almost no issue.

>>2625772
oh, also their new diet changes their skin pigmentation

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>>2625772
The mouth of the Farhuro increases in size to catch more sinkies and tubies as it follows the air currents of Gefjun

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>>2624962
The flaps greatly increase in area, the amount of lift on some of these is so great that a few Floot have drifted to unreached heights by any other species. Deva cling to the underside of the Floot.

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Two distinct strands of Floots develop.

The first of these is the Umbfloot. From >>2627001 the Umbfloot evolves: Its upper flaps become rigid and fuse with its lower flaps. The former gain a certain amount of articulation: With them, the Umbfloot can 'flap' to either gain height or close itself up to lose altitude. It does so to best utilize migrating vegae-dense patches.

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The second is the goldfloot, evolving from the standard flappy floot. >>2624907
Making use of metallic particles (most prominently gold) pushed down from the rings of the planet, the goldfloots expand their flaps immensely. The huge surface area under which they hold gas makes their floatation more efficient but their heavier makeup means that they sink further down, into the stormy depths of the planet. There, they "rest" on electrically charged clouds until updraft brings them up again, and on their way up they collect vegae and small sinkers on their sails, which, having become an omnivore, it consumes once they slip into the gaps between head and sail.

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>>2625101
The Tentacle-holding Floot diverges into two branches. The first one grows multiple internal gas sacs. This allows it to sometimes survive storms and Huro >>2625132 attacks if only one of the sacs gets destroyed.

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>>2625101
The other Tentacle-holding Floot instead adapts to feeding on the Floot-Vegae growing its cousins. It grows longer tentacles, allowing it to grab onto other Floots and Vegae growths, and the openings once used for filter feeding adapts to digest this colonial kind of Floot-Vegae. It also becomes much smaller, instead relying on holding onto its cousins during storms.

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>>2624912
Some Devas on Vegae-infested Floots (>>2625077) change their diet to eat this vegae. For this, their wings receed and instead a third pair of arms grows in their mouths which they use to harvest Vegae. Also their digestive tract expands to accomodate the new diet.

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>>2625499
Some Eldeva adjust their body shape for diving, focusing more on the catching of the sinkies than on the getting back up.

>>2627872
oh, the size should be increased to 10 mm due to the enlarged digestive tract

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>>2625111
some Huros develop blunt horns to pierce open thicker Floots, such as those with layered skin and those reinforced with gold

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>>2625499
The Eldeva develops small bulbs on the ends of it's wings, which house sensory organs that process the information gained from the electroreceptive wings, improving the Eldeva's chances of finding prey by enhancing it's senses.

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>>2625209
While some Paradeva have started laying their eggs in the flesh of their host, others have found a different way of keeping their unborn progeny from being dissolved: the eggs are now stored inside the mother until the younglings hatch, after which they will leave through the canal that was once used by eggs.
Also, their wings atrophy due to disuse.

>>2624933
Hey, could I get another one of those invites?

>>2628402
https://discord.gg/jcrVSa

2 hours till D-Day

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>>2627767
The Umbfloot can now travel horizontally as well as vertically with their flapping. They have evolved a hole on their head, when they pass through a Vegae cluster, they inhale any that end up in their new mouth.

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>>2625132
A light sensitive spot evolves on the back of the Long Huro. Whenever it glides beneath a cluster of Floots, it will sense them and use it's bag of gas to quickly ascend.

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>>2628679
This new system of eating floaties is revolutionary and extremely efficient. The only problem is that the Umbfloots have to sacrifice precious gas-storage for the mouth area. So they develop a secondary balloon which is partially cut off from the main head and which, equipped with lips that catch floaties, serves as mouth and storage stomach at once.

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--- Event: Victims of Their Own Success ---

Recently in the evolutionary timeline, multiple organisms have evolved to more effectively feed off the Vegea; both in its microbial and colonial forms. Off-shoots of the multi-flapped Floot have developed large sails or flaps which are better at capturing large amounts of Vegae ( >>2627767 >>2627791 ). Even the Sinky family has started preying on the Vegae, with the evolution of the most recent Tuby ( >>2625491 ). Finally, two organisms have evolved to eat the Floot-Vegae; the Devega ( >>2627872 ) and the Grazing Floot ( >>2627830 ). Meanwhile, the Vegae family has remained largely unchanged, not evolving to confront these pressures. Because of this the populations of Floot-Vegae and Vegae have plummeted. This in turn has severely affected the organisms who are directly and indirectly dependent on the two species.

Extinction & Endangerment:

Marked with red X’s are species who have gone extinct as a result of the event. Marked with blue O’s are endangered species. In order for an endangered organism to survive it has to evolve to overcome the what’s threatening it OR the circumstances threatening it will have to change (primarily through creators solving the problem by evolving other species).

Organisms not included in the chart are automatically considered non-endangered.

>>2628717
correction: *system of eating vegae, not floaties

sadly.

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>>2628363
Some Paradeva develop sexual dimorphism: The females develop an exposed, enlarged behind and generally grow, giving them the possibility to carry many babes at once. This would lead to overpopulation quickly, but fortuitously, it turns out that every mating (of which every male only partakes once with any female) only fertilizes one to three eggs with this set up. Thus, a single litter can have many fathers.

The complication here however is the lack of armour plating on the egg sac, as that has to have space to expand and contract. So a social behavior develops wherein the smaller, more numerous males care for the females as long as they are within a Huro and continously coat the exposed tissue in a saliva-like secretion that protects it against the digestive fluids.

Due to this, pregnant females spend more time on Floots than the males and go onto Huro's to graze until they are full and depart on the next Floot.

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>>2625077
the vegaefloots solve the issue quite aggressively. They develop a corrosive excretion that dissolves the floot, transforming it into easily digested biomatter. The vegae rapidly consume the dissolving floot, constantly giving off vegae cells, until either the whole floot is transformed into plant matter or it has sunk into deadly lows.

>>2628894
That boy is frozen. You can't evolve from him

>>2629088
I can't find that mentioned anywhere. In fact >>2628750 says that it is one of the species encouraged to evolve.

>>2629115
Huh. I read that as Frozen for some reason. Sorry.

>>2629121
Repent by making an evo, evoless anon

>>2629088
That organism can still be evolved, seeing as it is "only" endangered and not extinct (for now). Its ancestor, the original Floot-Vegae is extinct and thus can't be evolved, however.

Just a note on: >>2628894 I'm currently interpreting this organism as making the situation worse for the endangered Floots (marked with blue circles) and in a way endangering itself. It is A: killing of its already endangered hosts, and B: as far as I know, the Vegae currently can't maintain the inflation of a gas sac once it completely takes over a host Floot, thus it is left to slowly deflate and sink once it has replaced a Floot.

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>>2624906
>>2629123
I was actually just making one

The Vegae developes a chemical inside of its cellular body, which makes it inedible to the Vega family

>>2629183
I assume you mean floot family?

>>2629191
Yep, didn't pay attention again. Sorry.

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>>2629183
some of these vega, preyed upon only by the incidental tuby, develop prolifically, not only developing into multicelled organisms but already developing an organ: Each Vegaloon grows a set of hydrogen bubbles with which they can stay in the higher atmosphere, still unperturbed by Floots.

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>>2630717
>>2630717
But Vegaloons are very short lived. After growing to their full size, they use up the hydrogen inside of them and that's that. When it runs out, through osmosis, the vegaloon plumits and dies.

So the energy after reaching adulthood is put into a different organ: A big piece of bait, made of plant matter free of Floot-repellant, with a tiny indigestible embry in it's middle. This encourages floots to eat vegaloons and in turn they spread their seeds in the atmosphere instead of having them fall down to an uncertain fate.

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>>2627872
The Devega find themselves in the unique circumstance that those that completely eradicate the population of their prey survive better than those that don't, since it (>>2628894) destroys their habitat.

So those that are born with rigid bristles on their mandibles to scrape off vegae off floots completely survive while those that don't plummit with the dying Floots. On the other hand this means that they can no longer survive living on one floot, so those which have their wings reappear use them (in a glidier version) to jump from floot to floot, either if the floot is grazed off or if it starts dying.

>>2628750

A small update on the event and this Evogame in general. First of all, the endangerment event will end tomorrow (Saturday) some time after 6 pm GMT. All organisms still deemed endangered by then will go extinct. Second, there won't be a phylogeny chart today. Working on a map of Gefjun has kept me busy for most of my free time today. Instead there the phylogeny charts will be posted tomorrow, signalling the end of the event, together with a finished global map of the planet.

Until then, happy evolving!

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>>2624967
As a result of the Cluster Vegae becoming endangered because of the Umbfloots some of these Vegae evolve breaking points along their structures. If any part of the colony gets caught the rest now simply breaks off, sparing much of the Vegae from becoming dinner. They also become a bit longer, due to longer colonies with more breaking points having a higher rate of survival. A Vegae cluster is now known as a Colgae.

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>>2624960

This strain of Sinkies evolve to be multi-layered. Increasing the amount of spores that it can produce.

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>>2627825
In a time of less available Vegae to filter from the air only the Tentacle-Holding Floots that are best at helping each other survive. Because of this a new strain of floot has evolved that has another pair of tentacles. This allows these Floots to interconnect in large mats.

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>>2625077

A sister strain of the Vegaefloots evolves in a similar but less aggressive fashion. Specializing in surviving on the Tentacle-Holding Floots, they grow tougher strands that are more capable of surviving other organisms feeding on them. They also penetrate the Floots hide before the gas sacs with root-like growths. As long as the floot lives, the Vegae can now regrow from the "roots".

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>>2624967
Some Vegae colonies develop a flowering mechanism as part of their lifecycle. The flower gradually fills with fuzzy filaments that are in fact their own small colonies of Vegae. The high speeds of the wind rip the old colony apart to being the process anew. clonial reproduction.

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>>2631863
the most mature segment of any given Colgae becomes enlarged, forming a flat 'fin' capable of catching updraft more easily

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>>2629183
many of these vegae are swallowed up by floots and their edible parts digested.

After the millenia, higher and higher content of the stuff in the vegae means they aren't only less desirable prey but also able to survive inside the Floot. Of these, again, most perish, as the lack of sun means they cannot survive.

But the Paravegae survive. The paravegae are a species of vegae that latches on to the insides of a floot and grows there. Their energy comes from other vegae that is unable to be digested that enters the floot due to the shotgun approach of eating te floots employ.

These vegae theParavegae catch and absorb.

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>>2628750

--End of the Event—

When the different Vegae populations dropped in numbers many organisms that relied on them simply couldn’t compete against their more specialized competitors. Because of this many of the endangered organisms went extinct. In regards to the endangered Vegae, it turned out that this crisis was the pressure that was needed for them to evolve. Both endangered strains managed to evolve multiple mutations before going extinct themselves. Eventually these newer and better adapted Vegae combined with a rebound of the original microbial Vegae population led to the ecosystem once again stabilizing. This event would be a death blow to the original Floot, Deva and Huro, however. Their populations would begin a steady decline, never to recuperate.

Pictured in the chart with crosses are the extinct organisms. The organisms with exclamation points can still be evolved from, but will go extinct by the end of this thread.

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810 million years has passed since life was seeded on Gefjun. Life has since then evolved to create, and take advantage of, many different niches. In the planet’s many updrafts small floating islands of Tentacle-holding Floots can now be found; their balloon-like bodies covered in Grass Vegae. A lesser number of Tentacle-holding Floots can also be found carrying the parasitic Vegaefloot, which slowly kills and replaces its host. It is these TH Floots that have come to be the main carriers of these two varieties of Vegae. The other Floots either live far away from the TH or, as is the case of the Grazing Floot, are capable of removing the Vegae. Speaking of parasites, both the Huro and the Floots have now come to be hosts of parasitic versions of the organisms that they feed on; the Paradeva and the Paravegae.

With organisms in the atmosphere capturing some of the organic molecules before they fall from the Gefjun’s rings to its core; using it many times before it falls down, the speed at which carbon is being removed from the atmosphere slows down. Because of this, the organic content in the atmosphere beings to very slowly climb. The planet’s outer atmosphere gets warmer as a result.

Average Temperature (Upper Cloud Layer): 5°C (41°F)

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>>2631879
Tentacle-Holding Floots, in order to better hide from predators, begin to take on the colors of their environment. Floots from 25 to 40 degrees south have taken on a purple color. This area(with the GM's permission) will be called the Tropic of Storms, due to the giant storm.

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>>2635354
Floots occupying 5 to 30 degrees north take on a turquoise color. These are North Tropic Floots (at least until we find a cool name for the tropic).

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>>2635393
Floots occupying 5 degrees north to 25 degrees south are called Equatorial Floots

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>>2635417
Polar Floots occupy 50 to 70 degrees both north and south.

>>2635354
Bit of a retcon here, the color change is not to hide from predators. Floots tend to take on the colors of the gases they absorb over long periods of time

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>>2635433
Most of the Polar Floots die from the cold before they can properly evolve, and are forced to live right at 50 degrees north and south.

>>2624904
Hey OP, how'd you make the Gefjun planet GIF? sauce?

>>2636600
An easy way to create something nearly identical to what I did is by using the website Maptoglobe . com

>>2634945
While this is a nice map, I feel a Z-axis map would help a lot more in this situation. Get a feeling for what each level is like, and how species might survive in the lower/higher levels.

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>>2638590
>>2634945

Here's a rough diagram of what the different layers are like. A proper Z-axis map will be posted at the end of this week or with the next thread depending on free time available. Take note that the representation of the layers isn't to scale. The exact molecular composition of the cloud layer and above haven't been included because I'm not exactly sure of it yet. If creators feel like they want to come up with more granular heights or sub-layers that the organisms make their home, then that's completely fine. I don't want this game to get too "sciency" and alienate too many creators, so the limits on what a creator can come up with is not based on exact science but instead plausibility.

If you're feeling unsure if an evolution or habitat/region/layer is plausible, then just go ahead and ask here or over on the Evogame Discord: https://discord.gg/kYzszZV

On a different note; I will be rolling for the second event on monday. This event will be posted together with the next set of phylogeny charts.

>>2635417
some floot develop yet another tentacle to feast from the vegae growing on their own backs

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>>2624964
The Huros have to change as their prey does, especially those hunting Devas. As Devas now do not live on the sides of the Floots as often anymore, instead electing to hide in the underbrush on its top,. instead of 'hugging' these Huros adapt to mow down the vegae and suck in whatever is guided into their mouth, spewing out vegae afterwards. They develop primitive eyes, capable of distinguishing light and dark, movement and rough colour gradiants

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>>2630822
and in response, some (though by no means the majority) of Devega choose to repurpose their wings, especially now that the floots are not being consumed as quickly anymore. They use the wings to both hide their colour, draped over their body, but also to hide their scent, as the wings themselves are constanty in contact with vegae which shape it's smell

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>>2634218
when Floots with Paravegae are consumed, so are the Paravegae. Normally, this means the end of the Paravegae as it is excreted and die in the atmosphere. But some cling on to the walls of the huro's insides and spin 'nets' to catch the inadvertantly swallowed vegae and paravegae, setting up shop inside of Huros

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>>2642078
forgot image

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-- Event: Adopted Siblings Bearing Gifts --

A dark body slowly approaches the planetary system. After getting flung out of its home system this rogue planet has travelled the great void for millions, if not billions of years, only to now once again bathe in the light of a star. As it passes through the system (outside of Gefjun’s orbit) it begins to slow down, eventually getting captured by the star’s gravity. The captured object, a rocky planet the size of earth, ends up in an elliptical orbit around the star; passing in and out of planetary system’s asteroid belt. As the planet orbits it thus ends up repeatedly displacing objects in the belt, flinging a many of them towards the planetary system’s center. A small, but consistent number of the asteroids end up getting captured by Gefjun’s gravity. These metal-rich asteroids often find themselves broken apart by Gefjun’s moons, adding to the planet’s rings. The result of this for life on Gefjun is an increase in the atmosphere’s trace amounts of metallic minerals.

>Organisms can now more freely incorporate metals such silver, gold, copper, tin and iron. Organisms already doing so can now grow larger more easily.

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>>2635488
As Polar Floots often die due to floating into areas that are too cold for them, they develop small gas chutes on their sides, used to steer them away from the chillier areas.

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>>2628322
Eldevas develop a more aerodynamic body, as well as an extra pair of wings for more accurate maneuvering.

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>>2628322
With the influx of metals to incorporate into their body, some Eldeva forgoe their eyes for metal ridges which it can generate an electric field off of, sensing the disturbances with its electrosensitive organs

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>>2642241
Small hairs develop on the Polar Floots to help protect against the cold.

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>>2628717
The Umbfloot extends in length and smoothes out in order to be more aerodynamic.

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>>2626967
In order to better hunt sinkies and tubies, several Farhuro have start developing long, thin tails. These tails incorporate a trace wire of metal down the entire length, enabling them to better navigate the electromagnetic disturbances in the clouds, and find hot spots of sinkie and tubie activity.

---

Species: Farhuro :: Metal-Tailed subspecies
Gen 3
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 50 cm Wingspan, 65 cm Mouth to Tail

>>2624907
With the increase of magnetic metals in the ecosystem, some Floot start depositing metal along their rims in thin rings. Several complete rings line each of these floots, ranging from 1 to several, based on the floot's age.

These magnetic rings provide extra lift for the Floots, when in EM active environments. Rather than falling or drifting through storms, these floots will be forcibly skirted around or over the storms thanks to their large electromagnetic interference. Finally, if the central gas chamber is breached, these Floots have one final chance at life if they manage to snag EM hot spots, where the rings will keep them aloft for a short while longer, usually enough to breed a few more times.

---

Species: Floot :: Metal-ringed subspecies
Gen 1
Diet: Herbivore
Size: 60 cm

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>>2644088
>Never thought it would happen to me.

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>>2624910
A mutation among a few Sinkies results in most of their feathers atrophying, while one feather gains the nutrients that would otherwise be spread among them, becoming several times larger than normal. While a larger target, this feather has far more surface area to electrosynthesize and develop spores for breeding.

The less uniform structure also allows the Singly to be steered by winds and currents more than their cousins, spreading faster than before.

---

Species: Singly
Gen: 1
Size: 0.5mm head, 2-5mm feather
Diet: Electrosynthesis
Habitat: Altitude Varies

Catagorical question.

Do sinkies constitute plant or animal? I'd think plant or plant-analog, because they fulfill a similar roll as a producer of chemical energy rather than a consumer.

So would Floots already be capable of eating them by default? As they are basically vegae but more dispersed amongst the altitudes rather than chilling at the higher ones. And would Deva similarly be able to eat vegae?

>>2644180
plant-analogue, but I doubt Floots can eat them since they are fundametnally genetically different

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>>2642478
The hair develops into a mighty mane which protects the Floofs from aggressive floot vegae>>2628894

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>>2644088
>>2644089
Some of these floot gain a more sophisticated lower flap which contains small self-contained magnetic rings, which it can break up and connect at will through movements of its flaps. This way, it can use magnetic repulsion to steer.

Its 'stem' also gains electroreceptive properties which it can use to find places to steer to when its own magnetic field is 'switched off'

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>>2644045
this is how some farhuro do

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>>2644147
Some Singlies develop a visually sensitive spot as well as a three part joint to angle their main feather.

This means they can see a bit and steer a bit

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>>2644344
Some Singlies grow another 'beak' on their underside. This is not greatly benefitial but turns out to help a little with balance so a subspecies with it survives.

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>>2644375

I'm not going to force anyone to follow the general template of including gen, size, diet, notes, etc in the images, but it really helps the processes of archiving the different organisms and getting a grasp of the food-chains if you do.

>>2644180
While the Sinkies aren't exactly plants they are still autotrophs. Like others have written, the closest analog on earth would therefore probably be plants or fungi. Personally, I view them as if they are a another branch in the division of fungi, plants and animals, etc in the tree of life.

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>>2644339

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>>2627791
goldfloots get bigger as more metal is available in the atmosphere

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>>2634945
>>2642222
--- The Ferrumian Era Begins ---

Five million years has passed since the last planetary update. During this time a few organisms, the TH Floots in particular, have started to diverge and regionalize; adapting to the challenges provided by the climate of Gefjun’s different latitudes. In the equatorial bands the Grabby Floot >>2642104 can be found using its top tentacle to feed on its Vegae guests and slap away the grubby tentacles of Grazing Floots >>2627830 . On these very same Grabby Floots groups of small Hideva >>2642089 quietly graze, using their wings to remain hidden from the Scytho >>2642086 . Near the poles the TH floots >>2644266 have instead evolved large, isolating manes to protect themselves against the great variance of temperature and possible Vegaefloot >>2628894 infections.

Meanwhile, both in the upper and lower cloud layers, many organisms have started to make use of this increased metal content in the atmosphere. Some Floots, called Electrofloots >>2644279 , now make use of magnetism to help them stay afloat and move about. Other organisms, such as the Farhuro >>2644446 and Eldevas >>2642249 >>2642288, instead use the metals to track and prey upon the different Sinkies and Tubies. One response to this is the evolution of the mosquito-looking Singly >>2644445 capable using its feathers to steer in the winds.

-- Event: Winds of Summer --
As the organic content in the upper atmosphere has increased, so too has the average temperature. While an increase from 3°C to 5°C, and now 7°C isn’t a lot to the average organism, it has great consequences for the weather on Gefjun. The increase in temperature leads to the average wind speeds of the upper cloud layer increasing by 40 %, from 240 km/h to 335 km/h. While this doesn’t serve to endanger any organisms it greatly favors those organisms who can somehow find ways to endure the battering winds. This is especially true for larger organisms, such as the Huros and Floots, were the bigger you are the better you can endure the winds.

> The environment in the upper cloud layer now favors organisms that are tougher and/or bigger. The Sizes of especially Huros and Floots can now double each generation (as a maximum).

>>2644629

--- Gefjun Status Update ---

Atmosphere: 89% Hydrogen, (Working on other elements). A small but steady stream of organic molecules, H2O and metals is constantly flowing down to the upper atmosphere. This Is caused by the motion of the planet’s moons. As they orbit, they disturb the material in the planet’s rings, pushing it towards the planet.

Average Temperature: Upper Cloud Layer: 7°C ; Lower Cloud Layer: 75 °C (The temperature varies greatly in the layers, as can be seen in the provided image)

Average Wind Speeds (Upper Cloud Layer): Circa 335 km/h (circa 660 km/h at the dark spot)
Average Wind Speeds (Lower Cloud Layer): Circa 450 km/h (circa 660 km/h at the dark spot)

Weather: The upper cloud layer is dominated by atmospheric flows, seen as the planet’s bands. These bands are divided into zones and belts. The zones are moving in prograde and the belts are moving in retrograde. Below this layer is the lower cloud layer. Here, permanent thunderstorms and turbulence rule, caused by water clouds. The lower you go, the more the atmospheric pressure and temperature increases.

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>>2642478
The Flutt develops exta gas sacs over their tentacles, connected to the gas valves, which allow them to maneuver without lowering their buoyancy.

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>>2644344
Some Singlies streamline their bodies further, lowering the amount of nutrients they need thanks to smaller size.

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>>2646155
Some such Singlies part their nose bit into two. This they use to clamp onto the sides of >>2644571 goldfloots which they actively seek out, because the former regularely stay on highly charged clouds for extended periods of time and rise up again afterwards. This means that Singlies not only have a huge surplus of electricity to draw off of without falling down, but after the feast they also are lifted up again to start the process anew.

With this addition of nutrients, they grow almost double in size

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>>2635354
The Storm Floots coat their stem in gold, and use it to conduct the electricity emanated by the giant storm. Any Huro's or other predators that attempt to approach a herd of these from below will be shocked to death. Predators like the Long Huro, who use their primitive eye on the top of their head to attack from below, must find another way.

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>>2628703
The light sensitive spot, through countless generations, can now distinguish some colors. As for Long Huro's in the Tropic of Storms, in order to hunt Floot's without being shocked to death, they fly upside down. These Huro's attack Floots from above.

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>>2627949
Now that the competition of their eyed cousins is going down, but the mutually protective density of Floots is going up, some tusked long huros find grounds to grow larger and expand their mouths: They impale and completely devour young Floots

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>>2633817
Some Vegae encase these small minivegae in a fuzz of sugar which they can draw on to grow quickly once they are torn off the main plant to reach a size where being devoured is less of a threat asap.

What is the stem on the Floot for anyway? Is that their mouth/multi purposed-orifice? Or is it their pump to keep heavier gasses out and hydrogen in?

>>2646760
I think it's where the 'umbrella' rests on. They're only half spheres, without something to hold them up they'd collapse. Think of it as its body (If I'm right)

>>2646760
It serves as a weight and is also the body where many of its few organs goes. I leave it up to you creators to decide if that's where the pump goes or if the stem also serves another purpose.

>>2646770

A better analogue than umbrellas for the Floots would be balloons. They store their gas in "air-tight" sacs / gas chambers.

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Life on Gefjun has continued to evolve and diverge. Some organisms have grown larger and tougher to counter the stronger winds while others have instead evolved specializations to further settle into their respective niches.

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>>2646690
Many of these 'Floots of Storm' have their organic material fried when the storms unload too much electricity onto them.

So they develop metallic lines that grow where the magnetism takes them - to the stalks of other Floots. There they connect with their lines and through them the floots conduct electricity, distributing it over fields of Floots, saving the individuals from overloading.

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>>2646709
Some of the long huros specialize in droping from above. They move their eyespot forward to and their gas sac backwards, making them permanently looking downward. They then drop and eat away the top of the Floot.

>>2644180
This anon here. Won't be able to check on the thread for a while. Hope you guys do good though.

>>2644279
And thank you draw-anons for turning my concepts+shit art into concepts+great art.