Creative Corner

@AerialPegasus Thank you!
Now usually I avoid viruses like the plague (unintended pun but I'll take credit) because while gene transmission in viruses is simple in theory (their genes contain 'how to hack a sucker eukaryote' and then 'how to make another virus' and they inject the DNA in that order and the eukaryote cells just read the DNA as if it were part of the host and accidentally makes more virus like A FOOL) I am just hopeless at genetics. However, this is an avenue of thought I had not gone down, and if gods are involved in the making of viruses...
As for hosting plantlife, this is more common in the actual world than one might think. Even amphibians can do it! http://nautil.us/blog/the-salamander-that-has-photosynthesis-happening-inside-it (I mean, okay, only that salamander so far, but that's the only one we know about. There are also mossy sloths and turtles and other animals that just let things grow on their surfaces.
Exhibiting traits outside the class or phylum depends on how you class the phylum ;) Scaly mammals outside of mammalia? Maybe, if your animals must be furry, but if they must have a dentary-squamosal joint (spelt both words badly there; I study zoology not english ;p ), varied tooth structure, three ear bones or other such non-furry mammal features then *le shrug*
(I mean some definitions are scientific and therefore non negotiable)
thank you for reading the thread, you have some excellent sciency thoughts here! I have since updated the animal bios down to Amphibians and have started on Reptiles :}

Gotta ask how are you handling all the new familiars?
Every time a new one is released i'm like "Poor NorthWyrm" haha

[size=7]MUCKING AROUND WITH FORMATS Invertebrates[/size] ------- [center][size=7]Animals without body cavities[/size][/center] [center][size=6]Porifera[/size] [i]Sponges[/i][/center] Sponges are animals, but animals without organs. They just let water flow through them. Everything they need is in the water. 'Porifera' means 'pore bearer'. They are just sort of shapes full of pores. Some wear square pants. [center][Size=6]Cnidaria and Ctenophora[/size] [i]Jellyfish and corals[/i] [item=Crystal Jellyfish][item=Darktide Jellyfish][item=Electric Stingers][item=Nebula Floaters][item=Dragonhorn coral][item=Staghorn coral] [center][size=6]Platyhelminthes[/size] [i]Flatworms[/i][/center] [center][size=6]Nematodes[/size][/center] [center][size=7]Animals with body cavities[/size][/center] ------ [center][size=6]Molluscs[/size] [i]Soft bodied, sometimes with calcified shell, mouthparts are a radula or beak. Excellent sensory organs.[/center] [columns][center][size=5]Bivalves[/size] [item=Cragside Mussels][item=Devilsnap][item=Hypnotic Scallop][item=Mussels][item=Olympia Oyster][item=Pastel Scallop][item=Rainbow Mussels][item=Royal Oyster][item=Scarlet Mussels][item=Shadowmist Oysters][item=Sun Baked Oysters] [nextcol][center][size=5]Gastropods[/size] [i]'Eating foot', mouth parts on ventral part of body, slugs and snails[/i] [item=Banded Snail][item=Garden Snail][item=Land Snail][item=White Lipped Snail][item=Blue Dragon Seaslug][item=Bluespine Slug][item=Chromodori Swimmer][item=Glowslug][item=Nudibranch][item=Sea Hare][item=Spineback Slug][item=Tropical Seaslug][item=Palefoot Slug][item=Ruffletail Slug][item=blue dragon reef snail][item=crimson reef snail][item=Garden Larial][item=Tender Larial][nextcol] [center][size=5]Cephalopods[/size] [i]'Head feet', the feet/arms of these animals are attached directly to the head. These are fast-moving, predatory molluscs.[/i] [item=Blue Ring Octopus][item=Dumpling Squid][item=Dwarf Octopus][item=Inky Octopus][item=Ragesquid][item=Red Octopus][item=Spotted Seabeak][item=Stubby Squid][item=Brilliant Bobtail Squid][item=octoflyer][item=jewelled octoflyer][item=Spirit of the Arcane][/columns] -------- [center][size=6]Annelid Worms[/size] [i]Segmented worms[/i] [item=Blackworm][item=Earthworm][item=Greenworm][item=Redworm][item=Dark-Tufted Featherduster][item=Greater Leech][item=Leech][item=Sand Sucker][item=Wetland Vampire][item=Yellow-Tinged Featherduster] ------- [center][size=7]Arthropods[/size] [i]Insects are Arthropods too but they have been kicked into the next page[/i][/center] [center][size=6]Miriapods[/size] [i]Many legged animals, centipedes and milipedes[/i] [item=Albino Dasher][item=Bark Centipede][item=Blue-Stripe Centipede][item=Boneskitter][item=Centipede][item=Giant Desert Centipede][item=Snowkissed Centipede][item=Stinglash][item=Flameleg Millipede][item=Millipede][item=Giant Millipede] [item=Autumn Millifae] [item=Spring Millifae][item=Crowned Bonepriest][item=Corpse Cleaner] ---------- [center][size=6]Arachnids[/size][/center] [columns][center][size=5]Spiders[/size] [i]Complex book-lung, spinneret for making webs, eight creepy legs...[/i] [item=Acid Widow][item=Black Iron Spider][item=Bold Jumping Spider][item=Brown River Recluse][item=Cinder Creeper][item=Coppercoil Spider][item=Diving Aranea][item=Grey River Jumper][item=Jumping Spider][item=Pink Zebra Tarantula][item=Redknee Tarantula][item=Tiger Fern Tarantula][item=Yellow Jumper][item=Ashspine Widow][item=Firebelly Weaver][item=Peacock Spider][item=Speckled Peacock Spider] [nextcol][center][size=5]Scorpions[/size] [i]Venomous stinging tails, pedipalps adapted into fancy arm claws...[/i] [item=Firebelly Scorpion][item=Hardshell Moonsting][item=Redclaw Scorpion][item=Softshell Scorpion][item=Fan Scorpion][item=Peacock Scorpion][item=Hydra Scorpion] [nextcol][center][size=5]Other Arachnids[/size] [item=Engorged Skytick][item=Vampiric Featherflea][item=Harvestman] [/center][/columns] -------- [center][size=6]Crustaceans[/size][/center] [columns][center][size=5]Maxillapoda[/size] [i]YES, BARNACLES ARE CRUSTACEANS[/i][/center] [center][size=5]Malacostrica[/size] [i]Things that you would expect to be Crustaceans[/i][/center][nextcol] [center][size=4][b]Decapoda[/b][/size] [i]Crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp[/i] [item=Aether Hermit][item=Bamboo Shrimp][item=Blue Swimmer Crab][item=Clown Shrimp][item=Crawdad][item=Fissure Crawdad][item=Ghostcrab][item=Hermit Crab][item=Jumbo Shrimp][item=Northern Crayfish][item=Onyx Craylet][item=Seabed Pincher][item=Seashore Digger][item=Sparkling Crayfish][item=Steppes Pincher][item=Strawberry Hermit][item=Tiger Shrimp][item=Wetland Ghost][item=White Reaches Crab][item=Wood Shrimp][item=Skittering Megashrimp][item=gaseous megashrimp][item=Moonbeam Crayfish][item=Chalcedony Snapper][item=riptide clipper][item=sandshore snipper] [nextcol][center][size=4][b]Isopoda[/b][/size] [i]Woodlice and their giant undersea friends[/i] [item=Bluetipped Shellbug][item=Common Shellbug][item=Hardshell][item=Pillbug][item=Shale Skitter][item=Silt Sifter][item=Abyss Vulture][item=Giant Isopod][item=Glass Isopod][item=Isopod][item=Rolly Polly][item=Venomous Pillbug] [/center][/columns] --------- [center][size=7]Insects[/size] [i]Insect classification is a mess[/i][/center] [center][size=6]Wingless insects[/size] [item=Silverfish][item=Silverfish Spectre][/center] ----------- [center][size=6]Palaeoptera[/size][/center] [center][size=5]Odonata[/size] [i]Dragonflies and Damselflies[/i] [item=Autumn Pennant][item=Dragonfly][item=Giant Darner] --------- [center][size=6]Exopterygota[/size][/center] [center][size=5]Dermaptera[/size] [i]Earwigs[/i] [item=Striped Earwig][item=egghead infiltrator][item=earwig] [/center] [center][size=5]Othoptera[/size] [i]Grasshoppers[/i] [item=Blue Cricket][item=Cricket][item=Redwing Hopper][item=Song Cricket][item=Rainbow Grasshopper][item=spotted grasshopper][item=grasshopper][item=songbird mimic][item=zebra cricket][item=Wave Sentinel] [/center] [center][size=5]Phasmatodea[/size] [i]Stick and Leaf Insects[/i] [item=False Mantis Prickler][item=Giant Prickly Stick Insect][item=Mobile Stick][item=Stick Insect][item=Tinder Bug][item=Vibrant Prickly Insect][item=Leaf Insect] ------ [center][size=5]Blattodea[/size] [i]Cockroaches and Termites[/i] [item=Blackshield Cockroach][item=Common Cockroach][item=Drywood Termite][item=Ghost Cockroach][item=Subterranean Termite] -------- [center][size=5]Mantids[/size] [i]Mantis[/i] [item=Boxer Mantis][item=Dead Leaf Mantis][item=Highgrass Priest][item=Jungle Mantis][item=Spirit of Lightning] ------- [center][size=5]Hemiptera[/size] [i]True bugs, sucking mouth parts.[/i] [item=Alder Spittlebug][item=Common Froghopper][item=Flurry Flyer][item=Cicada][item=Red and Black Froghopper][item=Rhododendron Leafhopper][item=Algaestrider][item=Flameburst Waterstrider][item=Lava Strider][item=Moonlight Strider][item=Water Bug][item=Water Strider][item=Rainwater Stink Bug][item=Wisp Bug] [/center] ---------- [center][size=6]Exopterygota[/size][/center] [center][size=5]Hymenoptera[/size] [i]A family including wasps and bees. The familiar ones are all in 'apocrita', but the family also covers sawflies and similar things.[/i][/center] [columns][center][b]Ants[/b] [item=Fire Ant][item=Fungus Cutter][item=Gliding Ant][item=Pharaoh Ant] [/center] [nextcol][center][b]Wasps[/b] [item=Crystalplate Wasp][item=Protective Wasp][item=Sparkling Wasp][item=Two-tone Wasp][item=Crystalplate Stinger][item=Emerald Sparkler][item=Boolean] [nextcol][center][b]Bees[/b] [item=Glade Swarmer][item=Honeybee][item=Perdita Bee][item=White Lace Honeybee][item=Bumble][item=Coral Carpenter][/columns] ------ [center][size=5]Coleoptera[/size] [i]Beetles[/i] [item=Bark Biter][item=Bean Beetle][item=Carpenter's Bane][item=Crop Cutter][item=Darkwood Titan][item=Darterbane Leaf Beetle][item=Dung Beetle][item=Frostbite Beetle][item=Goliath Beetle][item=Green June Beetle][item=Harlequin Ladybug][item=June Beetle][item=Lady Bug][item=Leaf Beetle][item=Longhorn Scritcher][item=Mealworm][item=Metallic Wood-Boring Beetle][item=Mistral Beetle][item=Nogglebane Leaf Beetle][item=Orchid Beetle][item=Rolling Scarab][item=Scalescarab][item=Spellbound Beetle][item=Thunder Scarab][item=Tiger Beetle][item=Toxindiver][item=Two-tone Brown Beetle][item=Two-Tone June Beetle][item=Dusky Mealworm][item=Firefly][item=Four-Spot Mealworm][item=Glowbug][item=Mana Thief][item=Parasitic Grub][item=Reedcleft Sparkler][item=Mountain Goliath Beetle][item=Tufted Leaf Beetle][item=Empress Beetle][item=Bloodstone Beetle] ------- [center][size=5]Neuroptera[/size] [i]Lacewings[/i] [item=Craftsman Brightback][item=Glittering Lacewing][item=Lunar Lacewing] [size=5]Mecoptera[/size] [i]Scorpion Flies[/i] [item=Scorpion Fly][item=Winged Barb] [center][size=5]Diptera[/size] [i]True flies, only two wings, sucking mouthparts[/i] [item=Bloodfly][item=Blow Fly][item=Buzzwing Vampire][item=Common Mosquito][item=Daddy Longlegs][item=Dune Vampire][item=Fever Fly][item=Fly][item=Gold Fly][item=Horse Fly][item=Red-Winged Dewbug][item=Salt-Marsh Mosquito][item=Swamp Mosquito][item=Tachinid Fly][item=Venomous Fly][item=White-Masked Dustbug][item=Bloated Maggot][item=Infestation Maggot][item=Maggot][item=Nymph][item=Pauper Larvae][item=Tundra Grub] [/center] [center][size=5]Lepidoptera[/size] [i]Four armoured wings, moths and butterflies[/i] [item=Catocala Moth][item=Catoptria Grass Moth][item=False Leaf][item=Frost Whisper][item=Black Swallowtail Caterpillar][item=Black Witch][item=Dark-bordered Beauty][item=Fallout Whisper][item=False Veneer Moth][item=Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar][item=Golden Coa Moth][item=Leopard Caterpillar][item=Meal Moth][item=Micromoth][item=Mustache Moth][item=Noxious Caterpillar][item=Petal Moth][item=Petalwing Matriarch][item=Pipevine Caterpillar][item=Polar Wooly][item=Reverse Silkworm Moth][item=Runic Pug Moth][item=Rusty Moth][item=Tendrilback Caterpillar][item=Triad Moth][item=Twilight Jewel Moth][item=Vibrant Flutterer][item=Wasteland Pauper][item=White Cabbage Butterfly][item=Wooly Bear][item=Yellowtail Caterpillar][item=Cherry Blossom Caterpillar][item=Maple Caterpillar][item=Budwing Morpho][item=Petal Jumper][item=Leafy Moth][item=Amaranth Moth] ---------- [center][size=6]Miths[/size][/center] [item=Lunar Mith][item=Clouded Mith][item=Cinder Mith][item=Goldenplains Poodle Mith][item=Marshlands Poodle Mith][item=Ceanothus Brawler][item=Mith Bruiser][item=Primrose Mith][item=Brown-Spotted Mith] --------------- [center][size=6]Sornieth Special Insects[/size][/center] [item=Glasswing Flutter][item=Ruffle Glasswing][item=Death’s-Head Stag][item=Crimson Emperor] ------------ [size=7] Deuterostomes[/size] [center][size=6]Echinoderms[/size] [i]Spiny skins - these are starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and feather stars[/i] [item=Angelspine][item=Deepsea Cucumber][item=Fallen Star][item=Glow Star][item=Morning Star][item=Snowflake Urchin][item=Starfish][item=Tuxedo Urchin][item=Ballroom Urchin][item=Sea Heart][item=Pebble Collector Urchin]

@CrowDazzle I have not added the new pangolins, geckos, whales and cockatrices yet XD
the new cockatrices are throwing a spanner in the works for 'hey the basilisks are just web-winged birds' as they don't look like birds without legs, no, they are very very serpentine XD

Bump, note to self: owl, bat, and a bunch of others

@NorthWyrm

As someone (attempting) to finish my zoology degree, I love this?? So much??
I will probably have some more concrete thoughts/criticisms/ideas when I can put things into words again
I'm currently working on a phylogeny of our dragon species(snappers are the most derived and I Stand By This), is this something you also have considered or are you discounting them based on their divine origins according to lore?

As someone studying veterinary medicine and interested in zoology I love this so much??? Bookmarked for sure!

Heyo, just wanted to point out that it seems you forgot about [item=Sakura owl] and its drops? I personally would classify the Parda as a monotreme. (But I'm 15 and don't know as much as I want to about biology so) It lays eggs, and I imagine it could produce milk, as it looks like a cat. While it may be related to Griffins, I would place it in a separate group as it doesn't have wings or beak. The feathers are very confusing though. Perhaps they're scales like on a pangolin, or leathery flaps covered in fur (think how Imperials look like they have feathered wings, but they're actually leathery) Anyways, that's my two cents in.

Woooholy freaking heck [s]I'mma nerd out on this for a long time[/s] If there's a ping list for discussions and updates, I'd love to be added to that! A discord group for the science-y Sornieth Taxonomy would be awesome [s]like I don't already have a million channels[/s] Anyhoo, I have a dragon I'd love to sign up as a Zoologist! I already have it in his info that he is one actually, so I'll just write a couple lines for de boy [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=5985611] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/59857/5985611_350.png[/img] [/url] Wasabi is like a hatchling in a bug store when it comes to researching the flora and fauna of Sorienth. He has a way with animals and often brings home new companions on his way back from the coliseum. He's particularly fond of amphibians and reptiles, mainly frogs and toads.

@CrAZDragon

I think you can also argue the other way and place the parda with the griffins, mostly on the basis of those feathers being a very complex structure unlikely to evolve more than once, the loss of a limb is more simple than gaining one, and the amniotic egg is shared between many groups, though it would have to be a very derived form of griffin as there is not even a remaining limb bud?

I think this all depends on where we put the origin of feathers vs. the origin of wings, perhaps the parda is a sister group to griffins, sharing the same feathered and 'furred' ancestor?
As the parda is not presently displaying its teeth I suspend disbelief in the direction of them not being heterodont

@TheGodOfStories
I'm not OP but I'd love to talk taxonomy!

I high-key want to make a proper cladistic analysis someone please stop me and make me do my actual dissertation