#cyberfauna

oh hmm, good question. i'm assuming this means what species would they keep as food livestock?

i've talked about some mechanimal byproducts that are sometimes farmed and eaten, like caviar and milk, but that's different from eating the actual body of a living being. so if it wasn't illegal, the species that would probably be rounded up as a food source most often would be those with some necessary traits:

populous enough to be viable. because cyberfauna are forged from hotspots instead of bred, their population is completely out of farmers' control, entirely dependent on if the planet spits up enough of them. not only that, but they'd need to be accessible too. nobody wants to go spelunking into the wild unmapped layers of Cybertron (fourth ask here) to fetch a bunch of animals to add to your farm, so they'd better be relatively easy to find/catch/transport so you can control how they're reared and maintain a standard of quality

docility, herd mentality, or general ease of interaction. once again the nature of being forged instead of bred means selectively raising animals with the right traits to domesticate them simply isn't possible, so you'd better hope you're not trying to farm any species with notoriously unfriendly attitudes, or worse, inbuilt weaponry. there are friendly species out there! it's just by no means guaranteed

relatedly, ease of care. is the species too big to deal with, or too small to keep track of? do they need a specific diet of minerals that are only found somewhere stupid like the inhospitable peaks of the Manganese Mountains? will they only reach their adult frames by submerging in a leyline's runoff for a couple centuries? does their health depend on long distance migration from one end of the Rust Sea to the other?

frames that have not only edible but desirable food materials. while technically there's no danger from "raw meat" like we organics have (discounting viruses, parasites, rust or corrosion, infection, etc that would generally be considered inedible much like rancid meat is), that doesn't mean every species will have the kind of bodies you'd wanna use as ingredients. mostly, what mecha would be looking for is preprocessed quality energon, enriched energy stores like batteries, purified metal stocks in the armor and struts, "fatty" fillers like rubber or silicone, and rich juices like coolant, all of which go into well rounded meals that meet a variety of fuel needs. so does a given species have anatomy that will yield enough of one/several of these things to be cost effective for taking care of them until slaughter? some of this is also going to depend on the animal's alt mode functionality

Like Transformers, mechanimals are created as protoforms and hatch from cocoons. Types of mechanimals can be divided by their function, or diet.

There I will try to vaguely explain these groups, along with examples of representatives.

Regulators can be compared to Earth's herbivores; they are representatives of the fauna, foraging vigilantly listening for threats. They feed primarily on parasitic lichens and regulate their numbers. In addition they can snack on flora, usually built on synthetic substances and fuels. Different models of regulators may and will have different energon preferences.

There are Transformers that toil to keep and maintain certain regulator models so that they can then be used to regulate parasites in a particular area in a slightly more natural, yet controlled way.

They are social mechanimals usually living in groups of 10-30 individuals. They are strong and fierce in battle, especially when defending young companions. They feed precociously on parasites that feed on the planet's substrate, such as Needler, so they have quite an appetite. Unfortunately, they are also quite clumsy, which results in injuries.

These are extremely rare loners, and if they are in a group it is a small one, numbering no more than 3 individuals. It is so difficult to encounter them that they have long been considered legends or myths. They are neutral to the point of seeming mindless. But rest assured that they are aware, and if you try to attack one, be prepared for a powerful kick or stab with a horn.

All indications are that they were one of the first models created by Vector Sigma.

Regulators also include pollinators by some, as they have a role in regulating plant populations. Pollinators primarily feed on nectar - energon made available by the flora - but are seen feeding on the "blood" of dead or injured organisms.

In situations where there was a need to "revitalize" an area, one option was to plant a dozen flowers, often preparing nesting sites for pollinators and artificially introducing a certain number of individuals. There was a good chance that they would quickly contribute to the spread of flora. Well, as quickly as possible.

They live in groups, but do not appear to be social with other individuals that are not their partner. They mainly inhabit table sunflowers, which are often accompanied by crested sunflowers - the needlebeaks' main energon source. They can also often be found in areas ruled by other flowers.

Bumblebuzzes live in numerous colonies, in nests usually built underground, but nests in trees do occur. Interestingly, they apparently establish colonies near the ground, where there is an increased occurrence of their cocoons. They have a rich, hierarchical social life. They can be found near flowered areas and are passive as long as they do not feel threatened.

Recyclers act as Cybertron's scavengers, but often play the role of hunters. Metal does not decompose, so every time something on Cybertron dies, it would simply be stuck outside the planet's resource cycle. To prevent this from happening, recyclers exist. They find and eat the remains of dead organisms, tearing them apart with their strong jaws and teeth, pecking out every screw they can. From the metal they consume, their tankards extract all the remaining energon. Unnecessary leftovers would be dislodged usually in liquid form so that the remaining components could be transported, usually by root sytem, to Vector Sigma and used to build the next units.

Their job is also to hunt down damaged individuals. This made them a huge threat during the war. Some soldiers used them like hound dogs, searching for a hidden or fleeing enemy.

Strong predators with equally strong jaws and a sensitive sense of smell. When hunting, they will assiduously stalk suitable prey to bite in at the right moment and not let go. They live in groups of several individuals and actively seek out and adopt newly hatched individuals.

The big avianoid is definitely a terror of the sky, armed with a beak like a sword or spear. They live in small groups or alone. It is worth mentioning that on the ground they are only slightly less agile than in the sky. Toward unknown individuals of the same model they seem to be territorial and even aggressive.

You can also find models that fall into more than one group, although even then they have a preference to one diet.

Adorned with two horns and strong legs, they were made to charge at danger. They are usually non-confrontational, but when provoked they have no problem breaking a few parts. Not their own, obviously. They usually live in small groups.

Smaller than the similar Bladebeak, they live in numerous herds with a rich social life. They inhabit cliffs and rock walls, on which they are in the habit of hovering.

Of course, there are many other mechanimals, on the ground, in the sky or in the water.

What makes mechanimals different from Transformers? First and foremost, the t-cog parameters. Almost every Cybertron creature has some sort of t-cog system, but not every one is as elaborate as the Transformers. The Transformers have this system so advanced that they are able to and have a whole alternative mode that can have different forms.

However, the mechanimals' t-cogs don't allow them to transform so far. They can relocate their parts to maximize some trait or skill, like speed, but they won't have an entire alt-mode.

The range of the t-cog is also tied to the computational power of the processor, so you could say that intelligence in some sense of the word has some relevance here, too. However, this is a loose connection. As mechanimals are less intelligent than Transformers, everything points to the fault of design and programming, not t-cog parameters.

But this is worth keeping in mind, given that the root-mode of some transformers can remarkably resemble mechanimals.

How does cybertronian fauna actually come into being though? Does it also come out of the allspark/hotspots?

Side note, did Cybertronian fauna also do the “everything eventually becomes crabs” thing that Earth fauna did? 

Meet the Okkal! (Named by @werdbytes)

finished this and then forgot to post it whoops!

so everybody knows scraplets are harmless little omnivorous pests, hungry buggers but only likely to chew on you if they're absolutely starving. comparable to rats, they're adaptable, decently intelligent, and even friendly if you're careful. Whirl hides steel woolies under his bunk to feed a growing scraplet colony he affectionately refers to as his children. but, much like everything else in SNAP, all it takes is a little supernatural interference to turn docility into danger...

in s1e10- An All-Consuming Hunger! An Upgrade to Friendship, something new stalks the streets: mecannibals. bigger, hungrier, and meaner than regular scraplets, they don't seem interested in eating trash so much as eating living metal. skittering hordes of them swarm Iacon, treating people like prey, and worst of all they seem to be able to socialize with other scraplets and infect them with their hunger, spreading the mecannibal menace. the heroes drive them off by the end of the episode, but that isn't the last we see of them

by s1e13- All My Friends Are Food! An Upgrade to Cannibals, the undercity of Iacon feels... wrong. junkers have been going missing, more than usual, and even Enforcers are noticing shapes skittering in the shadows. an uptick of missing persons cases reaches its crescendo with the reveal of Stinger, a sapient, self-contained swarm of mecannibals, a rat king ready to build an underground empire of gnawed struts and spilt energon. Stinger's organized army is much harder for the heroes to combat this time. a lot of ordinary folk are forced to fight back themselves, or flee for their lives like bitty Bumblebee. even when they do succeed, mecannibal bites leave lifelong scars. it takes desperate coordination and teamwork to bring Stinger down and end the reign of hunger, but hunting down every last feral mecannibal is the work of months

so it's uh been awhile. you might wanna click for clarity, especially for the kitty cat on the right. everyone here except Chromedome is a size null!

Grandus has been a champion of various martial arts since long before the Stratocracy was ever founded, with grace belied by his size null bulk. his particular specialty is a type of wrestling originating from his home planet Caminus, but he's lived on Cybertron a long time, working with Yoketron to teach and record martial arts as much as he can. under the current regime that looks down on such "violence", preserving this information is pretty important. when Yoketron decided to chip in as a benefactor for the JAAT, Grandus himself actually took a teaching position in physical education. the self-knowledge and body confidence he passes on to his students is unexpectedly engaging, almost enough to get some of them to stop gossiping about whatever relationship he may or may not have with pop star Rosanna.

whether or not his students were sports fans before, Eject is going to make sure they leave his class with a new appreciation for the glorious art of physical competition. an unmatched master of sports history and science, he can tell you the play-by-play of every Cube match in the past fifty million years without looking anything up, just as much of a terrifying information sponge as his twin, and equally terrifying on the field despite his extremely small datacube frame. given the cultural importance and how there's a sport for every function, he's actually got quite a bit of teaching material to cover even for the less active students. while he does have a Conjunx, he's not exactly in love with Chromedome like Rewind is, only married to him because of the way twin sparks work. they get along well enough, but he and Rewind have agreed that should they ever pick up an Amica, it'll be somebody Eject adores himself.

Chromedome is honestly a little confused as to how he wound up here in the first place. before, he was a psychiatric recordkeeper and ethical inspector. then his Conjunx Rewind got it into his head that he'd be just the perfect candidate to help out that new school Jhiaxus was trying to open, and Chromedome abruptly found himself a teacher of psychiatry. it's quite the change of pace, and honestly much less depressing to talk with a bunch of bright younglings than pore over yet another case file of horrific medical malpractice. he's an average size 2 car, but that's more than tall enough to pick up both his Conjunces with ease, if the two of them ever stood still long enough to nab.

he may not be JAAT faculty, but Rewind is ever-present anyway. both to check in on his twin and Conjunx or friends like Blaster, and also to get the freshest scoop on all the juicy stories this school spawns constantly! he may be tiny, but he is The star reporter of Iacon--no, Cybertron! nothing can stand in the way of getting that snippet, that quote, that blurry video, that first hand experience broadcasted to the world, even when his support staff Raindance and Grand Slam lag behind! information, he wants information! it all goes into his own alt mode storage as a datacube, making him quite the encyclopedia. the Stratocracy has tried and utterly failed to censor him, so instead they've relegated him to the function he has always excelled at, although with the way he is "accidentally" platforming the heroes and their dangerous ideals, they may be regretting letting Rewind run wild...

Roadmaster is a familiar face to many at the JAAT already, both to old friends like Thunderclash and folks she's never met. she's the host of popular nature show Quintessential Creatures, teaching viewers all about weird and wonderful wildlife. she was forged on Caminus long enough ago that her original records have been lost, but she's traveled everywhere since then, and her animal-wrangling bravery often makes people think she must be from Carcer instead. by all appearances she's slowing down now, letting her assistant Servo take on more responsibility, and this teaching position at the Academy is just perfect. she gets to affectionately nag a gaggle of fellow teachers many millions of years her junior while surreptitiously instilling revolutionary ideals and a love of nature in dozens of impressionable young minds. her walker transforms to become the cage on her enormous transport truck alt mode, most often used to haul rehabilitated mechanimals back to their natural habitats.