#mechanical evolution

Southbound is an **artificial** speculative evolution project centering primarily around the speculative "biology" and evolution of machines. Unless specifically stated otherwise, instalments take place somewhere on the surface of the tidally-locked planet, Xoturanseria (Anser).

Specific Context-

Dovekies, including the more primitive beringers, are peculiar machines found almost exclusively within the dim hemisphere of Xoturanseria. They are shy, and rarely seen, though certain civil breeds do exist for transportation.

There are thousands of recorded species, ranging from large, flighted adult forms with odd ornamentation, to small, nematode-like forms that never metamorphose.

Great Grasscutter Post

He has a big face.

The only thing keeping Great Grasscutters(Cruorcaeves incarnaticircumdatos)is their feigning point.

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The feigning point of Great Grasscutters is around 5 years. It's essentially their midlife point in many cases.

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The feigning point of a fallow is the point in which nanomachine programming dealing with growth is overrided. Further replication *of* nantites no longer outweighs degradation. Basically, it's the point in which fallows stop growing past their pre-programmed size restraints.

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It's the reason you'll never see too

big of a Grasscutter. :)

This is your typical, overly generalized Great Grasscutter life cycle. Could use a minor revision, but it works for what it is.

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Let's go through it, shall we?

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Anyways the stages more in depth, going off of a healthy individual with no development complications;

•Days 1-3 of development; Nanomachine puddle sets up a system for "hunting" outside the burrow. Optical array begins forming, as do the central cortex and basal cortexes in the main body.

•Days 4-6: coherent optical array is now visible, formation of eyes and beak begins. Sentience has been achieved by day 5 as the completion of the central cortex and basal cortex nears. Stationary anchoring prongs are formed to keep the Grasslet in a single position as it develops.

•Days 7-15; mass skin growth tends to occur around here, not much else.

•Days 16-19; mobile prong and slight bone development begins.

•Days 20-25; entirely dedicated to bone growth by this point, stationary prongs anchoring to the wings and neck also make an appearance around here.

•Days 26-30; Formation of all major systems is complete, energy is stored for emergence. The anchoring prongs are broken, detached and assimilated.

•Day 31; Emergence from burrow, first flight is achieved. The bastard Grasslet will likely return to its burrow over the next week or so before finding a territory to call its own, and possibly repeating the process of reproduction far in the future.

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People in Navabataar, and sometimes other continents sometimes carry growing Grasslets around in jars and such to watch them grow. Could honestly imagine them being marketed as a Sea Monkey-esque scenario in some places.

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It is unclear when exactly sapience is achieved in the life of a Great Grasscutter,it most likely happens sometime during the "enlightenment period" thought to be experienced by bastard Grasscutters during their first year or so of life.

Recruitment posters for Kegong's military often feature Grasscutters in their propaganda and on their seals and awards.

Great Grasscutters often have a high density of basal chromium in their skeletal anatomy, leading to much corporate exploitation in the way of chromium straining- a process in which chromium is stripped from the bones of an (often still living) Grasscutter to be sold to mega corperations back on Earth for millions. These Grasscutters rarely survive more than a few days after being strained.

Basal chromium is renown for its uniquely light but fascinatingly sturdy structural integrity, often being used in composite architecture. Its unique antiferromagnetic properties also make for an interesting tool in classrooms when studying magnetism.

The hydraulic prongs (not seen below) hold the lose skeleton together, as well as providing further strength to the anatomy of the bird, are numerous and come in two varieties; mobile prongs, used in movement, and stationary/structural prongs, used for added support.

^Grasscutter skeleton w/o discriminatory coloration.

^Grasscutter skeleton featuring discriminatory coloration to differentiate between different anatomical features.

Red- central cortex

Blue- basal cortex

Greyscale- primary skeleton

Fun facts!

•-Great Grasscutters reproduce asexually and are born as nothing more than puddles of nanomachines that will proceed to replicate to form a coherent body over the course of 31 days.

•-The Great Grasscutter is Kegong's national bird.

•-Great Grasscutters get up to 6' long! Their wingspan typically matches that length, if not slightly surpassing it. They also typically weigh roughly 15 pounds (in AVAn gravity).

•-In some circles, the Great Grasscutter is called the White-browed Grasscutter

•-Great Grasscutters are endemic to Navabataar's gore forests, though a Niloan relative in the same genus does exist! The Niloan, or Titan Grasscutter.

They very much enjoy diets primarily consisting of Goregrass.

Specific Context-

Tetrabaxhir is a strange genus of four sojourners that bear a rather uncanny resemblance to the Terran genus Haliaeetus. Despite this, their sampled genetics actually bear far more similarities to *Aquila*, particularly to the wedge-tailed eagles of Australia. Like other sojourner ornithopters, they are renowned gene stealers, and will readily sample biomaterial to bolster their own “genes”. Their calls are unusual for knifebirds, as they emit shrill calls in a very similar manner to red-tailed hawks, rather than roaring or growling like many of their relatives.

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More info can be found in the included images.

FAQ I get for this genus in particular whenever I post it:

>"These are machines?"

Yes! Isn't that cool? Amazing how life doesn't always have to be biological in specevo!

>"Are the machines biological?"

No.

>"Why do they look like eagles?"

Context-

Southbound is an **artificial** speculative evolution project centering primarily around the speculative "biology" and evolution of machines. Unless specifically stated otherwise, instalments take place somewhere on the surface of the tidally-locked planet, Xoturanseria (Anser). DM me for the discord server.

Specific Context-

Chirothopter Diversity

Overview

The chirothopters are amongst the most diverse machines found across Xoturanseria, with many species being quite visually striking. Although they may appear quite similar at first, the four major lineages have specific adaptations that tend to help with identification.

Arguses

Arguses are often large chirothopters native primarily to Anser's illuminated hemisphere, particularly in Ictinaetus, where they demonstrate the highest diversity. They typically exhibit a large rostral ridge, horns, a brightly-coloured tail, and transleucent distal wing membranes. However, the group is primarily defined by the presence of large, colourful eyespots on the shoulders. These eyespots are often accompanied by other "eyes", usually along the throat.

Sparrowbats

The sparrowbats are strange, often diurnal machines found primarily on island chains in the northern hemisphere. They are best defined by the parrotfish-like beak seen protruding from their reduced lips. Sparrowbats are particularly cryptic for chirothopters, often not growing very large, and being found primarily in dense woodland environments.

Crested Chirothopters

A primarily crepuscular lineage of chirothopter, crested chirothopters are often rare to see in the wild, typically having only a small window of activity.

As the name suggests, these machines often have large rostral crests, as well as a train of elongated pycnofibers acting as tail coverts. However, both of these traits do not necessarily have to be present at once.

Bristletails

The bristletails are an almost strictly nocturnal lineage- with around 90% of recorded species only being found in Anser's dim hemisphere- and tend to be the strangest in appearance. They lack "true" eyes, instead utilizing complex, highly-derived pycnofibers to see. These "eyes" are typically found in massive clusters around the head, and the amount of "eyes" may vary not only from species to species, but also from individual to individual. They are also the only lineage to feature a distinctive bristle-laced tail, rather than a bird-like membrane-bound fan of plates.

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Specific Context-

Evokers are small bristletail chirothopters categorized by their organized sets of ocular pycnofibers, and large tusk rake on the lower jaw, which, depending on lineage, is typically used to rake through substrate or water. This is in sharp contrast to other bristletail groups, which use their tusks to impale the eyes of rivals instead.

They tend to have longer, thinner tails than other bristletails. Despite this, Evoker tails are still very stiff and heavy, and should be avoided when handling. Like others of their ilk, evokers walk bipedally, tucking in the distal margins of the wings under the body and shuffling clumsily.

Southbound is an **artificial** speculative evolution project centering primarily around the speculative "biology" and evolution of machines. Unless specifically stated otherwise, instalments take place somewhere on the surface of the tidally-locked planet, Xoturanseria (Anser).

Specific Context-

Reapers are large melbrachyurid UAVs endemic to the island of Merlghaster, off the coast of northeastern Hatzegonia.

Two distinct morphs exist, the smaller variant being found in the western half of the island, and the larger variant found in the east. Typical of UAVs, both morphs possess a collapsible crest used for intraspecific communication and threat displays.

These machines are exceptionally aggressive and territorial, especially towards each other. Luckily they are rarely seen around areas of high human activity, and attacks are infrequent.

Context- Southbound is an **artificial** speculative evolution project centering primarily around the speculative biology and evolution of machines, often with a focus on aircraft. Unless specifically stated otherwise, instalments take place somewhere on the surface of the tidally-locked planet, Xoturanseria (Anser).

Specific Context-

Manananggal

(Eviscercauda kaha)

Included in instalment:

Manananggal is a small crested chirothopter found both on the night side and terminator of Ictinaetus. It carries a fearsome reputation of being a baby-eater, preying both on young children as well as pregnant individuals. The legs sport a particularly gnarly wrist spur which the machine uses to eviscerate prey and predators alike.

The elongated tail coverts, typical of crested chirothopters, glisten like a trail of spilt entrails as the machine walks and flies. These coverts are often used in threat displays, their coppery barbs catching nearby light and reflecting it back at a supposed opponent.

Similarly to Ekek and Wakwak, the forelimbs of Manananggal do not shift to the aft of the body in adulthood, giving it the illusion of walking on its "hands".

Manananggal has a habit of using its ovipositor as the proboscis of a mosquito. The ovipositor is inserted as an auger into a vein to find a major artery to siphon blood from.

Not included in instalment:

A surefire way to prevent Manananggal attacks is to keep your area well-lit at all times, preferably with LED bulbs. Keep flashlights on hand as well. Anything that can flashbang a Manananggal that gets too close is good to have on hand, as they are incredibly sensitive to light.

Context- Southbound is an **artificial** speculative evolution project centering primarily around the speculative biology and evolution of machines, often with a focus on aircraft. Unless specifically stated otherwise, instalments take place somewhere on the surface of the tidally-locked planet, Xoturanseria (Anser).``

Specific Context-

Native to illuminated Ictinaetus, the Bildungsroman (Biłdéksrunaan) is a rather large machine commonly found soaring low over fields. They particularly are found around the grazing pastures of imported cattle, making them a pest species to Ictinaetian farmers.

Unlike many machines, arguses such as the Bildungsroman are oddly accustomed to feeding on biological material.