#tularean

[on-beyond-holocene]

The well-developed wings of dragons, such as this blue-winged mo'o, convey remarkable aerial ability, but they are somewhat awkward to deal with on the ground, or especially in trees.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Minidraco azuropterus

Although bats and birds both survived the end-Telogene extinction, each clade took hits in diversity. Birds diversified again after the event, expanding primarily into larger niches, while bats maintained a foothold and also began to explore new body plans. But in the post-extinction environment, another lineage of flying tetrapods evolved, this time descended from gekkonid geckos.

The blue-winged mo’o is a member of a smaller lineage of dragons; its wingspan does not exceed 12 inches. The metabolism of dragons, which evolved in tandem with powered flight, is much higher than those of their ancestors. The diet of a mo’o consists almost entirely of insects, which are often caught on the wing. Many species of mo’o can be found flittering through the jungles of Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Killer shrews are not the fastest of runners, and this one is unlikely to catch up with its prey. But it may not need to; if it can manage one more bite, its venom could bring this Dromaianser down.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Glutornis gigas

The glutton is the largest predator of Tularean Antarctica. A descendant of the giant petrels, it is completely flightless and has highly atrophied wings. It is robustly built, with particularly sturdy bones in the neck and legs. Its skull is broad and bears a powerful, segmented beak. As with many procellariiform birds, its tube-shaped nostrils grant it a powerful sense of smell. Gluttons can grow up to 2.5 meters tall and weight around 800 kg.

The glutton is an ambush predator, using its beak and feet to dispatch prey. It has a habit of picking up prey in its jaws and slamming it on the ground or against nearby trees or rocks to kill it. Adaptations that formerly helped the skull withstand diving now help it withstand the stress of this action. It will prey upon any animal it can kill, but prefers those small enough to pick up. Gluttons are solitary, with the exception of parents raising nestbound offspring.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Thailand, 100 million years hence

The vocal repertoire of gangstars is highly varied, with many different individual sounds that have their own meanings. You could call each of these sounds words, if you wanted. These sounds can even be strung into “sentences” to convey complex meanings. A vocal language of this intricacy had not been seen since humans left the planet, and this ability to communicate detailed commands and information has been crucial to gangstars’ success across Eurasian and Australian jungles.

Ormbait had been given her nickname by the rest of the mob after an incident when she had nearly been eaten by a freshwater ophisuchian. The mob was 10-strong, and was currently hunting a Naishornis. Individual gangstars, including Ormbait, had been swooping in and out of the jungle, corralling the terranseran into denser and denser portions of forest. Little did it know, three gangstars were waiting in a nearby dragonflower tree. When the Naishornis approached the right spot, these three emerged from the thicket, aiming at the neck. Using their hooked beaks and talons, they began removing feathers and inflicting wounds. The rest of the mob arrived and added to the assault. Eventually the prey bird collapsed with a gravelly screech.

The mob boss was Crossbeak. He had taken control of the mob the previous year by defeating the old boss Kingfisher in combat; one of his supporters slit Kingfisher’s throat the next night. During the hunt, he had been darting through the action giving commands to the mob. Now he perched on a high branch above the now-dead Naishornis. The feather crest on the top of his head was raised; this signifies the leader of the mob, and other members have to keep their crests flush with the rest of the head feathers. He let out a metallic clacking call. This was a dominance call - it conveys and emphasizes one’s status. In this context, it was a reminder to the rest of the mob that he got first dibs.

Knowing that Crossbeak would take his sweet time with the carcass, Ormbait called to her mate White-eye, who hopped over to her branch. She took off into the forest, and White-eye followed. The two headed through the jungle, to a small riverbank. Ormbait had found this spot by chance earlier, and knew other birds would be unable to hear them here. The following “conversation” would be impossible to accurately transcribe; approximate translations are provided:

[Crossbeak bad boss,] Ormbait started. [He makes bad decisions. He eats more than Kingfisher. He treats us like prey. Mob suffers now.]

White-eye made an oscillating whistle. He agreed; he also thought that Crossbeak was an overly ambitious and controlling ruler. The mob had lost three members in poorly-planned hunts since Crossbeak came to power. Ormbait continued:

[I have plan. I will overthrow Crossbeak. I will become better boss.]

[Plan is bad. Crossbeak will kill you.]

[I will tell others. They will agree. I think. Gangstars together strong. Together we will defeat Crossbeak.]

White-eye bowed his head and extended his left wing. This gesture indicated support and loyalty. Ormbait had been considering confronting Crossbeak for a while, but given her own status and experience with agonistic interactions, she had hesitated to act on it yet. But now, she would not be acting alone.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Emersondraco hibberti

Different species of dragons can be highly variable in diet and size. Hibbert’s dragon, a denizen of southeast Asian jungles 100 million years in the future, grows between one and two meters in wingspan, with females being slightly larger on average. It is more omnivorous than many other dragon species; its diet is roughly evenly split between fruits and smaller animals such as birds and other lizards.

The wings of dragons evolved from skin membranes that first appeared to assist with gliding and parachuting. All of the fingers on the hand still bear the adhesive pads of their ancestors, allowing dragons to cling onto vertical surfaces such as tree trunks and rock faces. Digits 3, 4, and 5 each have a wider proximal portion with adhesive setae, and a narrow distal portion that supports the wing membrane. Two toes on the foot have also been coopted to support the wing membrane. 100 million years of evolution has honed the strength of these toe pads; the body can still be supported even by fewer digits.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Dromaianser asiaticus

Among the clades that survived the extinction at the end of the Telogene were waterfowl. They quickly diversified in the aftermath, leading to the appearance of the clade Terranserae around 70 million years in the future. Terranserae is a diverse, flightless, and herbivorous clade descended from geese. Unlike the flightless anseriforms of the Cenozoic, Terranserae will do well in the new hothouse of the Proximozoic.

Dromaianser can grow up to two meters in height. Already their wings have atrophied, and are now useless for flight, but still implemented in brooding and visual display. They are swift-footed and adapted for grazing, with toothlike serrations on the bill that assist with snipping plant matter. Dromaianser lives in open grasslands, aggregating in flocks that generally contain up to 50 individuals. Males and females are the same size, but males are darker in color and have iridescent wing and tail feathers.

[on-beyond-holocene]

Nanocronus aureoplumus

With the disappearance of hummingbirds in the end-Telogene mass extinction 65 million years hence, all modern groups of pollinating birds had gone extinct going into the Proximozoic era. But by the latter half of the Tularean period, 100 million years hence new pollinating birds had evolved from the generalist species that survived.

The golden gorrion is descended from modern sparrows. It has co-evolved with two species of tropical tree, which bear distinctively curved flowers no other species can pollinate. Gorriones are nectarivorous, feeding on the nectar of the flowers they pollinate. They are not able to hover in the air as efficiently as hummingbirds, so they usually perch to feed. Male gorriones have a pair of racket-plume feathers on the tail.