Metamorphic Park

Proof and evidence that evolutionism is accurate and correct. We are Rex and Caz. We're here to drink tea and plant false fossils to mess with scientists, and we're all out of tea. We have artblogs!! Caz: doodles / portfolio Rex: art art art art art Rex's metamorphs will go up every Tuesday and Caz's every Friday. Inspired by The Exquisite Beast.

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Metamorph was well on its way to being a great camouflage artist, but then it's little watery world was struck with a drought! Surviving the environment is now a factor in metamorph's development, in addition to having to feed itself.

Here we can see the metamorph mostly buried in mud. The top of its head, and (gradually), further down its body, is firmer and harder, and can stand being dry. The rest of its body is more sensitive, and to stay wet, the metamorph buries itself in the mud when water becomes scarce. Its gills need to stay wet to breathe, and so it's developed something like a bloated pouch over them to seal in moisture. Its skin is starting to participating in the oxygen exchange, and while it may not be as effective as the amphibians we know today, it's a start.

Because food is more scarce in these harsh conditions, its changing to live for longer periods without food, storing fat and slowing down its processes while it waits for better conditions. That last part is a little harder to demonstrate.

It no longer has tendrils at all. I'm going home, Caz, and I'm taking the ball with me. >:|

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hey guys, sorry it's late, shit's been intense over here

that said... OH MY GOD ARE THOSE LEGS??

yes. yes, legs for days. our monster spends so much time crawling around on its belly that its fins have slowly developed into weight-bearing limbs. you're not often going to see it standing up like this, though; think of it like a crocodile, squatting on its stomach for the most part and occasionally going up on its hind legs for a cute little sprint.

the "lie down, make noises like a rock and wait to grab prey" trick has worked for our metamorph for a very long time. but those with a turn of speed have gained a hunting advantage over those without, especially when the other fish are getting quicker and more sophisticated with every generation. the metamorphs with these rubbery li'l legs have started to flourish over their fins-only ancestors. meanwhile the metamorph's back is growing craggy and camouflaged, as the softer, more porous rock of its home gives way to harder rocks with fewer hiding places.

now that it uses its mouth pretty much exclusively, the beak has fused open and become part of that fake rocky outcropping we know and love to draw.

it still works together with those tiny fish, who have only gotten brighter and more visible over the years. the small predators which our metamorph eats have gotten wise to their game, so now they come in a flurry of colours and patterns, visually mimicking a variety of regular fish. genius.

rex, i brought down the number of tendrils again, but all's fair in war >8)

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oh no caz uploaded something with panels in it last week how am I going to beat that-- DID YOU FORGET WHAT I AM GOING TO SCHOOL FOR?!

Anyway this week is again something subtle, but so I didn't feel like I was totally ripping off Caz's antics last week I figure I'd include a full body  shot too.

The Metamorph's 'beak' has spread more open, in part resembling the outcroppings and other weird ocean growth around it, but also to allow more room for the jaws to shoot out, more like the jaws of our good friend the goblin shark, instead of the secondary jaws of the moray eel. The jaws are already protruding further at rest, as well, so it'd be interesting to see what happens to the beak, after that. For now, I think I can see it blocking up the tunnel and leaving only its mouth exposed should something bigger and meaner than it comes snooping around.

The leafy growths have grown a little more numerous across Metamorph's lumpy head, but they don't quite act like bait anymore. Those little pink fish have entered in a sort of mutually beneficial relationship with the metamorph, like a clownfish and a violent anemone. The pink fish hang out on top of metamorph's head, maybe picking at wayward parasites while waiting for a big catch - which comes in the form of its predator. The fish duck under what looks like a nearly-safe-but-not-safe-enough outcropping, where the predator easily follows, only to get snatched up. In turn, the little fish get to eat the scraps of the metamorph's meal, which is more than enough for tiny lil' guys like them.

As for Metamorph's body, I figure it's spending most of its time in a tnnel of some kind in the rocks, so while the front half of its body - particularly its head - needs to be bumpy and rocklike, the rest of it has to be able to dig and move comfortably in the tunnel, so as you get further to the tail, its skin gets duller and smoother. Its fins have also grown more to crawl and push itself in and out of the tunnel as it needs, and the tail and back fins in particular may see use to dig out its home further.

Finally, its eyes shifted around a little more, the barely-functioning ones serving more to detect light/dark - the front ones can tell when something's moved into its mouth, the back ones tell when it's too far out of the tunnel. The remaining eyes are still pretty sophisticated, for whenever it has to rely on its own, without the little lurefish, and also to pick out territory and so on.

Well! That's it! What now, Caz? :)

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OHOHO HOW D'YOU LIKE ME NOW, REX

anyway. those pharyngeal jaws haven't gone anywhere except out. with the seas getting ever shallower and rockier, our metamorph has taken to hiding among rocks and luring prey towards it, using feelers that are looking more and more like delicious seaweed. Its thick fins let it rest on the ground, unmoving.

its four smallest eyes have all but withered away uselessly, but its four main ones are getting more specialised every day. now it can see fish coming towards it in detail that would startle its ancestors (though it still wouldn't be allowed to drive).

when the weather turns cold and the smaller fish migrate, it's still perfectly capable of swimming around and using its beak to crack shellfish, and to dig out creatures hiding in the sand (think lungfish and whatnot).

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gee thanks caz for making an awesome creature last week now we have like 40 more followers no pressure at all man

ANYWAY, the changes are subtle this week - the metamorph has more of a skeleton and structure, a defined head, and stronger muscles. Its fins are sturdier now, which allow it to steer better and hold its place without the cuttlefish thing, and the fin on its tail is firmer, allowing for more power when it moves. Speaking of which, its beak, though not seen here, has developed a bit of a curve at its tip, to better pry open its favourite snack, and the barbels have grown and split again - the shortest one act as sort of tastebuds, feeling around for prey and the good stuff inside, and the longer ones are more to generally read what's going on around it. 

Or other metamorphs just think they're nice, like that bit of.. fin membrane growing out of the back of its head.

OH AND FINALLY AND MOST IMPORTANT: It has eyes now! Granted, only two pairs of its light-sensing organs have developed beyond basic light/dark detection, and of them only the largest is sophisticated enough to see shapes and contrast.

Finally, something I really tried to capture but couldn't quite make work: one other thing our buddy uses on the hunt:

~*Pharyngeal Jaws*~

After its beak has cracked something open, what was once lumps or something in its ancestor's throat swings out and grabs the sweet, sweet exposed flesh.

SO After Caz did that rad painting last week I figured instead of trying to outpaint her I'd just change mediums! The lines were inked with a brushpen and then brought into photoshop, and after I deleted a few blots from when my hand slipped, I just threw down some basic colour underneath it. I'm not quite happy with the composition and I'm not exactly experienced with a brush pen but you're not here to read me whine about that just enjoy the monsters

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PHEW HERE'S A THING

The metamorph has gotten used to a life of snatching shellfish and other creatures from the bottom of the shallowing sea. Its beak now pushes out and down, the better to grab things directly underneath it, my dear. Its tendrils now hang down towards its shellfish luncheon. This frees up the light-sensitive pits to look around, keeping an eye out for trouble or things to bump into.

And there is a bit of trouble evolving around it, so the metamorph has had to get a bit more agile. Its fins still let it 'hover' above its prey, cuttlefish-style, but new muscle groups in four points along its body let it control a bit more smoothly, allowing for quick turns to fwip away from anything trying to eat it.

What else? Well, it's all pink and gross and veiny and probably can't go forwards in a straight line very fast. Tune in next Tuesday to see how much grosser it can get!

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crap am I supposed to pick a time period or -

uhhh

Well it's been some time since the first iteration of our beloved worm-lamprey thing, and now it's starting to develop more of a fin-like thing on its sides, and something like a tail. Its 'teeth' that it used to clamp onto things is starting to become a little more like a beak. while it can take chunks out of prey, it's also suited to crunch on anything with a shell. I imagine it's on the bottom of whatever body of water it's in, which is why it still doesn't quite have eyes - but it's developing a few sensory pits on its 'head' to detect changes in what faint light reaches it, or movement in the water.

speaking of which, it still has those whiskery barbel things, which also helps it seek out prey living and hiding in the muck.

okay and now a version without the weird background and what it did to the shading:

Thank you and see you next week!

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IT'S METAMORPHIN TIME

Century 1: life has begun under the sea. The first morph is a creepy little leech thing that's carved out a niche in carving bits off larger fish. It's not yet evolved anything as fancy as eyes; instead, it senses the movement of its prey, then latches on with its two large serrated tooth-plates and goes to town.

It's slow and clumsy in movement, but that's okay, because so is everything else. It's century one. They'll compete each other into decent fins and stuff soon enough.