Ôîðóì » Foreign section » Galliformes and other animals for South America (ïðîäîëæåíèå) » Îòâåòèòü
Galliformes and other animals for South America (ïðîäîëæåíèå)
JOrnitho: Hello! I'm back with ideas for some new species for South America. I found in my computer an archive with some ideas for fauna and flora that I had some time ago and decided to show there to ask your opinion about them. The first is about a descendant of the domestic chicken. [more]Copper jacumitan (Jacumita cuprinus) During the Holocene, the man introduced many species in other continents. The jacumitan is a descendant of domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) that are introduced in South America. It replaced the birds in the family Cracidae, which are extinct in the Neocene, in some areas. In a matter of fact, the name jacumitan is the junction of the words jacu, the popular name in Brazil for guans of the Genus Penelope, and the tupi word mitã (mitan) that means new, this way the name means “new guan”. The copper jacumitan is the type species of this genus and lives in the savannas and woodlands of Central South America. The copper jacumitan is sexually dysmorphic. The male measure 190 cm, due to the long tail, it has a bright coppery brown upperbody plumage and reddish-brown feathers below. They also have metallic dark green feathers on the tail and wings. Only males have a bright red naked skin on the face, with two wattles that conceal the sides of its head. This characteristic is shared by all males of the genus Jacumita. The males of the genus also have crests formed by white feathers with black tips. During courtship and panic moments, they rise the crests. The females have 75 cm of length and are cryptic brown and adapted to camouflage, its naked skin on the face is pale pink and don’t have flesh wattles. The young males are similar to the females until they reach 9 weeks, at this time the wattle begin to develop. Both sexes have long orange colored legs and grey beak. The males have spurs that they use in fights for dominance. The neck is long and slim. Copper jacumitans can fly, but prefer to run from the predators flying only as last resort. These birds are omnivorous and feed on insects, seeds, and fruits. Its forage for food by scratching the ground, usually near herbivores this way there is other animals observing for the presence of predators. Often the male sits on a high perch, to serve as a lookout for his group. He sounds an alarm call if predators are nearby. At night it will sleep perched on branches. Copper jacumitans are polygamous; the male will have a harem with 5 to 12 females and will guards the area where his females are nesting, and attack other males that enter his territory. To initiate courting, the males will dance in a circle around or near a female, raising their crests and lowering the wing which is closest to the hen. Then, he will vocalize and when she responds to his call, the male will mount her and proceed with the mating. The females make their nest in the ground, laying 6 to 14 red eggs which are incubated for 22 days. Chicks are precocious, leaving the nest shortly they are born. They fledge in about 4 to 5 weeks, and at 13 weeks old are chased out of the group by their mother, at which point the young males start to form a harem and the females join an existing one. Sexual maturity is reached at 6 months and the lifespan of this species is of 13 years, however is common for males to die early due to predation. Other species in the genus Jacumita are: Golden jacumitan (Jacumita aurea) Living in the forests of the Atlantic coast of South America, the males of this species has 200 cm of length, from beak to tail, while the females have 83 cm. The plumage of the male have a bright golden-yellow plumage in the upperparts, being scarlet in the chest and belly. They have dark metallic green wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Red jacumitan (Jacumita amazonica) Living in the "terra firme" forests of the Amazon , the males of this species has 185 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 70 cm. The plumage of male is bright orange-red in the upperparts, while their chest and belly is yellow. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Andean jacumitan (Jacumita andina) Living in the highland forests in the slopes of the Andes, the males of this species has 170 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 68 cm. The plumage of the males is white in the upperparts and yellowish-red in the belly and chest. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. This other one is about a descendant of the californian quail: Common austral grouse (Tetraoinus australis) During the Holocene, the man introduced many exotic species different habitats, the ancestor of the austral grouse was one of these species. Their ancestor was not a true grouse, but the Californian quail, due to evolutionary convergence they acquired characteristics similar to the true grouses of North America. Living in the forests of Southern South America, the male austral grouse are 55 cm long and the female have 44 cm of length. The male have a dark grey body plumage, black-and-white bridled head pattern, black back and a greyish-blue belly. They have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers that droops forward (long and black in males /short and brown in females) and long forked blackish tail with white undertail coverts. Females and immature birds are mainly greyish-brown with a light-brown belly. Both sexes have a black bill and relatively long grey legs. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects. In some regions their main source of food are the seeds of trees of the Genus Araucaria. These birds are not elegant fliers, however they sleep perched in branches. Given a choice, they will normally escape on foot. During the courtship, the male austral grouse do displays on a lek, each male have a “personal space”. The males strut around their chose space, doing a display. The display consists of the male posturing himself with the head near the ground. Then, they start to move it from right to left showing their crests, simultaneously they raising the tail feathers, showing their withe undertail coverts. After that, they will raise their heads abruptly and whilst make a highly distinctive mating call. When another male invade the personal space of other, a fight happens, in this case the male will try to take of the crest of the rival, this way they will not be capable to display for the females. The female usually lays approximately 12 spotted eggs. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation on the ground. Incubation lasts from 21–25 days, usually performed by the female and rarely by the male. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest with their parents within hours of hatching. The male stay with the female until the young leave, with 3 months. The young reach sexual maturity with 1 year, with this age the young males acquire the coloration of an adult male. Their lifespan is of 27 years. In the forests of Tierra del Fuego another species lives, the Black boreal grouse (Tetraoinus nigrus). Their main difference to the other species is that the males have an all-black plumage, with only a faint shade of blue in the chest and brown undertail coverts. The females are similar to that of the common austral grouse. The males have 52 cm and the females 41 cm.[/more] I also have in this archive some names for possible species that I never developed bayond some few facts. Maybe someone could help me make their descriptions.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: Warulapai, Kotooro, Teitei Who are the ancestors of these two?
ìåäâåäü: May be it will live in the region of North Columbia Animals of this size do not usually have distributions that small.
wovoka: Teitei - descendant of Vanellus chilensis (the name of this bird in wayuu language) Warulapai - big predator bird catching big fish, water snakes, little turtles, water birds and also cubs of Yaras, Algocetuses, Tapiraiaura, Meku, Cabiai-pyinko. Will be descendant of Parabuteo unicinctus (Warulapai - means big predator bird in wayuu language). Kotooro - will be descendant of Pionus menstruus eating crabs and shellfish in the mangroves (Kotooro - means parrot in wayuu language). JOrnitho ïèøåò: What do you think of it being a large (150-200 cm) river turtle? I had this idea after reading about the Stupendemys in the Pebas Mega-Wetlands. Then it better settle it in Amazonia region, or at least at Miranda river and it's cienagas. ìåäâåäü ïèøåò: Animals of this size do not usually have distributions that small. Then let it lives all over the north South America from Columbia to French Guiana and all Amazonia Region (rivers, lakes, swamps, wet savannas and mangrove forests). JOrnitho ïèøåò: I was also thinking that it could have some species inhabiting Central America and perhaps Mexico I think let tapirs stay only in South America. Especially since the Tapirus bairdii is an endangered species. Ìåäâåäü, what do you think? So I'm making bestiary for chapter about microwolfs. 1. Scotinomys teguina - singing rats - our main heroes: howling microwolfs. 2. Scotinomys xerampelinus - there main rivals - they are bigger and more agressive, but they have smaller microwolf packs (they will be like Canis lupus occidentalis in the world of microwolfs). 3. Nephelomys albigularis - this rodent is omnivorous and can be like a microbear 4. Rheomys raptor - semiaqutical predatory rodent Main predators that can hunt on microwolfs: 5.Mustela frenata 6.Falco rufigularis 7.Glaucidium griseiceps 8.Spilotes pullatus (tiger rat snake) - Tiger rat snakes are solitary quite aggressive snakes that spend most of their life in trees; however, they can hunt in mangrove forest, tropical and subtropical dry broad-leaved forests, wet tropical forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrubs. They are also very good swimmers. Tiger rat snakes are diurnal creatures that hunt by day actively searching for their prey: amphibians, small mammals and birds. This is an egg-laying snake. The female lays 15-25 eggs. Big prey of microwolfs: 9.Sylvilagus brasiliensis 10.Orthogeomys cavator 11.Marmosa mexicana (they can live not only on trees, but also in holes on the ground) 12. Colinus cristatus Main prey of microwolves: 13.Zygodontomys brevicauda - will be "herd" animal 14.Transandinomys talamancae - will be "herd" animal 15.Peromyscus mexicanus - will be "herd" animal 16.Reithrodontomys sumichrasti 17.Reithrodontomys mexicanus 18.Reithrodontomys creper 19.Handleyomys alfaroi 20.Transandinomys bolivaris 21.Sigmodon hirsutus 22.Heteromys desmarestianus - may become more spiny periodical prey 23.Microsciurus alfari subsp. browni (can be preyed in the periods when is looking for food on the land) 24.Oryzomys couesi - semiaquatical and omnivorous, it will be interesting hunting on it in shores and water 25.Cryptotis nigrescens Other prey Lizards 26.Lepidodactylus lugubris Frogs 27.Lithobates vaillanti 28.Dendropsophus ebraccatus (microwolfs will be hunting on them in period of reproduction and eat caviar) Invertebrates 29.Gecarcinus quadratus 30.Megasoma elephas 31.Stilpnochlora azteca 32.Blaberus giganteus 33.Eneoptera surinamensis 34.Euglandina gigantea - invasive species 35.Limax maximus - invasive in a lot of countries of Latin America (may live in North Panama in Neocene) We should choose whom we live in chapter, who should be thrown away. The biggest bestiary in one of the chapters: 17 species Where will the events of the chapter take place? I propose this territory: at the intersection of savanna, chaparral, evergreen forest and swamp (and mangrove forest) at the mouth of the San Pablo River. circled in red
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: Teitei - descendant of Vanellus chilensis (the name of this bird in wayuu language) Warulapai - big predator bird catching big fish, water snakes, little turtles, water birds and also cubs of Yaras, Algocetuses, Tapiraiaura, Meku, Cabiai-pyinko. Will be descendant of Parabuteo unicinctus (Warulapai - means big predator bird in wayuu language). Kotooro - will be descendant of Pionus menstruus eating crabs and shellfish in the mangroves (Kotooro - means parrot in wayuu language). I'll work on these. Anything different for the teitei's description? Or will it be like its ancestor? wokova ïèøåò: I think let tapirs stay only in South America. Especially since the Tapirus bairdii is an endangered species. I thought that the descendants of Tapirus terrestris could have entered in this area after the demise of T. bairdii. After all, I see the astrapotherium-like tapir being a sister genus to tapirotherium. wovoka ïèøåò: Then it better settle it in Amazonia region, or at least at Miranda river and it's cienagas. Couldn’t it be two species? One smaller living in the Catatumbo Delta and another larger in the Amazon. wovoka ïèøåò: 1. Scotinomys teguina - singing rats - our main heroes: howling microwolfs. 2. Scotinomys xerampelinus - there main rivals - they are bigger and more agressive, but they have smaller microwolf packs (they will be like Canis lupus occidentalis in the world of microwolfs). 3. Nephelomys albigularis - this rodent is omnivorous and can be like a microbear 4. Rheomys raptor - semiaqutical predatory rodent The descendant of the Oligoryzomys fulvescens could be like a mole, or like the Blarinomys of South America. It could be a prey of the microwolves, hunted when they leave its holes. wovoka ïèøåò: Main predators that can hunt on microwolfs: 5.Mustela frenata 6.Falco rufigularis 7.Glaucidium griseiceps 8.Spilotes pullatus (tiger rat snake) - Tiger rat snakes are solitary quite aggressive snakes that spend most of their life in trees; however, they can hunt in mangrove forest, tropical and subtropical dry broad-leaved forests, wet tropical forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrubs. They are also very good swimmers. Tiger rat snakes are diurnal creatures that hunt by day actively searching for their prey: amphibians, small mammals and birds. This is an egg-laying snake. The female lays 15-25 eggs. I think that we could have these three predators. wovoka ïèøåò: Big prey of microwolfs: 9.Sylvilagus brasiliensis 10.Orthogeomys cavator 11.Marmosa mexicana (they can live not only on trees, but also in holes on the ground) 12. Colinus cristatus Maybe we could discard the Sylvilagus? It's too large for the rats to hunt. Colinus' s chicks and eggs can be the ones preyed. wovoka ïèøåò: Main prey of microwolves: 13.Zygodontomys brevicauda - will be "herd" animal 14.Transandinomys talamancae - will be "herd" animal 15.Peromyscus mexicanus - will be "herd" animal 16.Reithrodontomys sumichrasti 17.Reithrodontomys mexicanus 18.Reithrodontomys creper 19.Handleyomys alfaroi 20.Transandinomys bolivaris 21.Sigmodon hirsutus 22.Heteromys desmarestianus - may become more spiny If we replace the Sylvilagus, maybe we could have one of these "herd" rodents being like a tiny rabbit? wovoka ïèøåò: Where will the events of the chapter take place? I propose this territory: at the intersection of savanna, chaparral, evergreen forest and swamp at the mouth of the San Pablo River. I like it! The presence of the swamp allow us to explore the semi-aquatic animals in the chapter.
ìåäâåäü: Then let it lives all over the north South America from Columbia to French Guiana and all Amazonia Region (rivers, lakes, swamps, wet savannas and mangrove forests) Now it is better! Dendropsophus ebraccatus (microwolfs will be hunting on them in period of reproduction and eat caviar) I am not sure that amphibian eggs can be called caviar) I think let tapirs stay only in South America. Especially since the Tapirus bairdii is an endangered species. Ìåäâåäü, what do you think? I agree.
wovoka: ìåäâåäü ïèøåò: I am not sure that amphibian eggs can be called caviar) Yes, you are wright, it's called frogspawn.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: I thought that the descendants of Tapirus terrestris could have entered in this area after the demise of T. bairdii. After all, I see the astrapotherium-like tapir being a sister genus to tapirotherium. All the niches of tapirs in North America are occupied by pecarrys. So if you want you can make astrapotherium-like pecarry in Mexico or in Central America.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: All the niches of tapirs in North America are occupied by pecarrys. So if you want you can make astrapotherium-like pecarry in Mexico or in Central America. Since North Panama is North America, them we can have these astepotherium-like animals being pecarries. This way they can appear in the chapter, perhaps as showing how their passage impacts the world of the microwolf.
wovoka: I make a mistake.The north Panama it is north America. That's why I propose move the bestiary of the chapter about microwolves and its discussion to the section of North America.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: Anything different for the teitei's description? Or will it be like its ancestor? it is better to make some differences, otherwise why put it in the chapter about evolution at all.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: it is better to make some differences, otherwise why put it in the chapter about evolution at all. What do you think of them having some elaborate courtship? The males could have some special plumage for it.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: What do you think of them having some elaborate courtship? The males could have some special plumage for it. It's a good idea! And what do you think if we make it more swamp bird?
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: And what do you think if we make it more swamp bird? Yes! They could be like the Pharalopes, swimming to forage when necessary.
JOrnitho: I concluded other descriptions. Now I only need to finish the Teitei and Awaruwape. Warulapai (Titanobuteo mirus) Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae Habitat: Tropical rainforests of Northern South America, Caribbean Islands, Central America and Southern Mexico. Vagrants can reach the Florida Peninsula. Many species had perished during the transition of the Holocene to the Neocene, but there were many that survived. The Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) was one of these that survived and in the Neocene they gave rise to the the Warulapai, a large bird of prey that inhabits the Tropical rainforests of Northern South America, Caribbean Islands, Central America and Southern Mexico. Vagrants of this species can even reach the Florida Peninsula. Warulapai means big predatory bird in the Wayuu language. The Warulapai is a large bird of prey, with a body length ranging from 140 to 170 cm and a wingspan between 220 and 240 cm. Their weight is between 9 to 15 Kg. Like many members of the Accipitridae family, the female is larger and heavier than the males. They have brown plumage in the back, while the chest is white. A broad black band across the upper breast separates the dark brown head from the white belly. The covert feathers are chestnut, while the wings are black. The legs are long and yellow, with the cere having a similar color. The upperside of the tail is black with three gray bands, while the underside of it is black with three white bands. The juvenile is mostly streaked with buff, and appears much lighter than the dark adults. When in flight, the undersides of the juveniles' wings are buff-colored with brown streaking. This species feeds mainly on large prey such as big fishes, water snakes, small turtles, water birds and also cubs of Yaras, Algocetuses, Tapiraiaura, Meku and Cabiai-pyinko. Being a powerful bird, the Warulapai is also capable of hunting smaller birds of prey. They can also feed on carcasses, usually dominating it. The Warulapai is monogamous, with the pairs remaining together for the rest of their lives. They nest in tall trees or in inaccessible rock slopes. The nests are often compact, made of sticks, plant roots, and stems, and are often lined with leaves, moss, bark and plant roots. They are built mainly by the female. There are usually two to four white to blueish white eggs sometimes with a speckling of pale brown. The nestlings start out light buff, but in five to six days turn a rich brown. Competition between the chicks is fierce, with only one surviving in the end. While normally all the eggs hatch, it’s very rare for two chicks to survive and is nearly impossible for four to survive. The eggs are incubated around 56 days. When the chick is 36 days old, it can stand and walk awkwardly. The chick fledges at the age of 6 months, but the parents continue to feed it for another 6 to 10 months. The male captures much of the food for the incubating female and later the eaglet, but also takes an incubating shift while the female forages and also brings prey back to the nest. Breeding maturity is not reached until birds are 4 to 6 years of age. Warulapai have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years. Kotooro, or crab-eating parrot (Kotooro cancrivorus) Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittacidae Habitat: Atlantic coast of South America, mangroves, estuaries and river deltas. Many species had perished during the transition of the Holocene to the Neocene, but there were many that survived. Among the survivors was the blue-headed parrot (Pionus menstruus). This species continued to evolve and gave rise to descendants. One of them is the Kotooro, an inhabitant of the Atlantic coast of South America, living in the mangroves, estuaries and river deltas. The Kotooro means parrot in wayuu language. The Kotooro is 30 cm long with a wingspan of 65 cm. They have a bright yellow crown, while the face, neck and upper breast are blue. The undertail coverts are red, and some orange is present in the wing coverts. The upper mandible is black with reddish areas on both sides. The lower mandible is pale gray. They have dark ear patches. Their legs are long and pale gray. The juvenile birds have less blue on the head, as well as red or pinkish feathers around the ceres. They molt into their adult plumage at about 8 months of age, but it can take up to two years for the full blue hood to emerge. Differently from their ancestors, the Kotooro don't have a herbivorous diet. They eat shellfish and crabs that are removed from the mud or from the sand in the beaches. They excavate their food with their feet and use thick and strong beaks to break the shells and exoskeletons. When collecting crabs, these parrots will immobilize them with their feet and use the beak to remove the claws. Kotooros are gregarious, forming flocks with 20 to 50 individuals. Such flocks can be seen foraging at mangroves and beaches during low tide. Monogamous, they can breed at any time of the year. It nests in holes in trees, the interior is covered with leaves. The clutch size is three eggs. The incubation is made by both parents during a period of 27 days and fledging occurs about 12 weeks after hatch. Kotooros reach sexual maturity with three and have a lifespan of 26 years. Kàwiriri, or black capped whistling duck (Dendrocygna kawiriri) Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Habitat: Swamps, mangroves and wetlands of South America, Central America, Caribbean Islands and Southern North America. During the Holocene, many scientists believed that hybridization was dangerous for the species, with it causing genetic pollution. However, its importance as an evolutionary mechanism can’t be ignored. In the Neocene, some species appeared due to the result of hybridism. The Kàwiriri is one of them, having originated from the union between the black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) and white-faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata). At some point these hybrids also reproduced with the Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor). Centuries later, they evolved into their own species. Kàwiriri is the name of the black-bellied whistling duck in Carib language. This bird inhabits swamps, mangroves and wetlands of South America, Central America, Caribbean Islands and Southern North America. The Kàwiriri is a mid-sized waterfowl species, with a length ranging from 48 to 57 cm, body mass from 652 to 1,020 g and wingspan ranges from 77 to 95 cm. It has a long bright red bill, long head and longish pink legs. The back and wings are dark ochreous with dark brown stripes, and the underparts are black with a fine white barring on the flanks. The tail is black with four longitudinal white bars. The back of the neck and cap are also black. The face and upper neck are light gray, nearly white. The chest is reddish brown. The extensive white in the wings is obvious in flight, less so on the ground. It is formed by the secondary remiges while the primaries are black. Males and females look alike. Juveniles are similar but have a gray bill and less contrasting belly. Feeding often occurs nocturnally, but they can be encountered eating at any hour of the day. Kàwiriri ducks ingest a wide variety of plant material, but also consume arthropods, aquatic invertebrates and tadpoles when available. They often feed on submerged vegetation by wading through shallow water. Kàwiriri are highly gregarious, forming large flocks when not breeding, and are largely resident apart from local movements. They can reproduce during the entire year, but it’s more frequent during the wet season. It usually nests in hollow trees. These ducks form a very strong monogamous pair-bond, often staying together for many years. Both parents share all tasks associated with the raising of young, from incubation to the rearing of ducklings. The female lays 8 to 12 eggs that are incubated by her and the male for 27 days. Ducklings are precocial, leaping from nest cavities within two days of hatching. They can feed themselves immediately, but stay with the parents for up to eight weeks. Eggs and ducklings may be preyed on by mammals, birds and reptiles; one parent may try to distract a potential predator with a broken-wing display while the other adult leads the ducklings away. Birds are sexually mature after one year, and the maximum known age is 7 years. Kusa, or violet crab (Callinectes purpurascens) Order: Decapoda Family: Portunidae Habitat: Tropical and Temperate areas of the Western edge of the Atlantic Ocean, The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. However the species that were resilient enough survived, with their descendants now living in the Neocene. The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) survived the anthropogenic onslaught and in the Neocene gave rise to the Kusa, an inhabitant of the mangroves and other coastal areas in the Tropical and Temperate Western edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Like its ancestors, the Kusa is a swimming crab with the fifth pair of legs modified in flattened broad paddles. These crabs may grow to a carapace width of 25 cm. Males and females are easily distinguished by the shape of the abdomen and by color differences in the chelipeds, or claws. The abdomen is long and slender in males, but wide and rounded in mature females. The immovable, fixed finger of the claws in males is reddish blue, giving a purple appearance. While the females have orange coloration with blue tips. The Kusa is an omnivore, eating both plants and animals. It typically consumes thin-shelled bivalves, annelids, small fish, plants, and nearly any other item it can find, including carrion, other Kusa individuals, and animal waste. Although an aquatic predator, this species will remain in shallow pits in salt marshes at low tide and ambush intertidal prey such as other crab species. Mating and spawning are distinct events in the Kusa's reproduction. Males may mate several times and undergo no major changes in morphology during the process. Female blue crabs mate only once in their lifetimes during terminal molt. During this transition, the abdomen changes from a triangular to a semicircular shape. Prepubertal females migrate to the upper reaches of estuaries, where males typically reside as adults. To ensure that a male can mate, he actively seeks a receptive female and guards her for up to seven days until she molts, when insemination occurs. Crabs compete with other individuals before, during, and after insemination, so mate guarding is very important for reproductive success. After mating, a male must continue to guard the female until her shell has hardened. Inseminated females retain spermatophores for up to one year, which they use for multiple spawnings in high salinity water. During spawning, a female extrudes fertilized eggs onto her swimmerets and carries them in a large egg mass, or sponge, while they develop. Females migrate to the mouth of the estuary to release the larvae, the timing of which is believed to be influenced by light, tide, and lunar cycles. This species have high fecundity, with females being capable of producing up to 2 million eggs per brood This species hatch in high-salinity waters of inlets, coastal waters, and mouths of rivers, and are carried to the ocean by the tide. During seven planktonic stages, the larvae float near the surface and feed on microorganisms they encounter. After the eighth zoeal stage, larvae molt into megalopae. This larval form has small claws called chelipeds for grasping prey items. Megalopae selectively migrate upward in the water column as tides travel landward toward estuaries. Eventually, Kusas arrive in brackish water, where they spend the majority of their lives. Chemical cues in estuarine water prompt metamorphosis to the juvenile phase, after which blue crabs appear similar to the adult form. Like all crustaceans, Kusa grows by shedding its exoskeleton, or molting, to expose a new, larger exoskeleton. After it hardens, the new shell fills with body tissue. Shell hardening occurs most quickly in low-salinity water where high osmotic pressure allows the shell to become rigid soon after molting. During their lifetime, the number of molts is fixed at about 25. Females typically exhibit 18 molts after the larval stages, while postlarval males molt about 20 times.
wovoka: Very good descriptions!
ìåäâåäü: Interesting animals!
wovoka: As soon as I like making bestiarys Now it will be bestiary of Fagnano Lake, also called Lake Cami. Here will be Groundsloth rodent (Tardimegamys longimanus) (often they feed near water bodies, eating the rhizomes of marsh and shallow-water plants). They will broke trees on the banks of the lake to get leaves and fruits for eating. 1. Large Culpeo - wil be hunting on the shores of the lake on semiaquatic deermaras 2. Geranoaetus polyosoma - large prey bird eating every life prey near water and on the surface of the water. 2. Semiaquatic herd deermaras 2. Big semiaquatic Conepatus chinga (will be hunting in water on deermaras) 3. Rabbit like descendant of Reithrodon auritus - will be eating fresh grass on the banks of the lake 4. Euneomys chinchilloides - will be little water algae and grass eating animal. 5. Abrothrix olivacea - also will be little water but omnivorous animal. 6. Megaceryle torquata - will be fish eating big bird. 7. Pitangus sulphuratus - will be medium-sized omnivorous bird feeding on the shores of the lake. 8. Colaptes pitius - will be look for food in rotting wood on the shores of the lake (that woods that was broken by Groundsloth rodent and get into the water). 9. Campephilus magellanicus - will search for food by breaking the shells of lake and see mollusks 10. Lessonia rufa - will be eating invertebrates on the shores of the lake (including parasites of deermaras) and algae. 11. Mini penguin - semiaquatic descendant of Serpophaga nigricans Pleurodema bufoninum - will be big poisoned frog (only Conepatus chinga and Eleginops maclovinus will eat it). 12. Cryptomphalus aspersus - invasive species - food for Campephilus magellanicus 13. Eleginops maclovinus - large anadromous omnivorous fish the main fish predator of the lake, fish swims into the lake from the Azopardo River 14. Salmo trutta - invasive species of fish, will be river and lake fish 15. Salvelinus fontinalis - invasive species of fish, will be only lake fish 16. Aegorhinus vitulus - the larvae of it's descendant will eat rotting wood on the shores of the lake (main diet of Colaptes pitius) (unfortunately almost no information about this beetle) 17. Munida gregaria - main food of mini penguin 18. Ulva intestinalis - will be main species of the lake algae.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: Yes! They could be like the Pharalopes, swimming to forage when necessary. Yes! May be we will use and some others characteristics of Pharalopes Red and red-necked phalaropes are unusual amongst shorebirds in that they are considered pelagic, that is, they spend a great deal of their lives outside the breeding season well out to sea. Phalaropes are unusually halophilic (salt-loving) and feed in great numbers in saline lakes such as Mono Lake in California and the Great Salt Lake of Utah. Sexual dimorphism and reproduction In the three phalarope species, sexual dimorphism and contributions to parenting are reversed from what is normally seen in birds. Females are larger and more brightly colored than males. The females pursue and fight over males, then defend them from other females until the male begins incubation of the clutch. Males perform all incubation and chick care, while the female attempts to find another male to mate with. If a male loses his eggs to predation, he will often rejoin his original mate or a new female, who will lay another clutch. Once it becomes too late in the season to start new nests, females begin their southward migration, leaving the males to incubate the eggs and care for the young. Phalaropes are uncommon among birds and vertebrates in general in that they engage in polyandry, one female taking multiple male mates while males mate with only one female. Specifically, phalaropes engage in serial polyandry, wherein females pair with multiple males at different times in the breeding season.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: May be we will use and some others characteristics of Pharalopes We could make the Teitei salt-loving like them, but I thought that the male could be the one more colorful. Perhaps they would have a type of dance?
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: We could make the Teitei salt-loving like them Îê! JOrnitho ïèøåò: but I thought that the male could be the one more colorful. Perhaps they would have a type of dance? Îê, let it be! What do you think about bestiary of Fagnano Lake https://sivatherium.borda.ru/?1-7-1680187235428-00000029-000-10001-0#064 I finished the description of Sakompo (water boa) and it's relative Urupere, but in russian https://sivatherium.borda.ru/?1-0-1680186779082-00000176-000-10001-0#048 Urupere I will use in the chapter about sea fish eating bats. I need to finish Asakaimo, Arakaka and may be Tarekaja - the smaller subspecies of Atlantic bat turtle. And the bestiary of the chapter "The Lake that became a Gulf" or "Catatumbo lightning" will be finished. Which chapter title do you like best?
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