Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi

Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi or Weird Sharks are a Class of Karcharias descending from the nonmetamorph lineage with several derived traits that makes them stand out in comparison to other members of karcharias. Most particularly their unusual head arrangement which includes a long trunk for a mouth and their sensory organs being located on a single stalk on the top of their head which are derived from the nasal bones.

## Description

Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi come in many shapes and sizes, but are most well known for having a quadrupedal posture, with two fins, two ancestral tails one without bones. They have erect legs with a single toe on the foot, many are digitigrade whilst the tentomastomiforms and Lystropoda evolved a full ungulate foot structure (Both evolved this independent of each other).

### Head

The head morphology of Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi is very different compared to other Karcharias groups. Their rostum points upwards with the eyes sitting at the top of the skull allowing for perfect 360 vision in many species, the rostrum is greatly reduced to accommodate the rest of the sensory organs in its head. Due to the wide sensory range, many Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi have greatly reduced necks with some species having a vestigial neck that serves no function.

### Trunk

The most notable organ of the Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi is the large trunk like organ formed from the jaw and mouth muscles. The Hhark jaw is known to be capable of jaw protrusion where in the jaw is separate from the skull and thusly can extend out to catch prey. The Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi have taken this even further by extending the jaw muscles to develop a long trunk like organ that can reach out further than other Welachimorpha. The jaw in later groups developed into a beak like mouth that for many species used for selective food picking, further down inside the trunk are rows of teeth that aid in chewing food to process it further for digestion.

In the Dendrochariforms and Lystropoda; their mouths act as a tethered projectile, extending out at rapid speed to catch prey. Meanwhile the Exostomata and tentomastomiforms trunks are mobile and more suited for dexterous freeform movements but face difficulty when collapsing and expanding their trunks.

### Skin

The skin of Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi are covered in small scutes. In earlier species they had rough, spiny scutes that suggest a use as protection against predators. In Terrcharias and Tentomastomiformes they have smooth scutes that are small and provide more flexibility when running or crawling through tunnels. In many species the scutes have extended out into sharp spines and some have even extended out into long quills, these are most noticeable on the backs or tails of some species where they form sharp tail clubs similar to Earths Thyerophorians.

### Metabolism and Growth

Almost all Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi are either Endothermic (Warm Blooded) or Mesothermic, so far no species of this clade have been found that are ectothermic (Cold Blooded). Early clades such as Lystropodia and Dendrocharias have been found to be mesothermic and have had no selective pressures for becoming endothermic, this has been noticed in how many species can have greater body growth compared to the later Exostomata. Most species are diurnal and can be very active in day light hours despite their their cumbersome body plans, they have also been found in climates that would be unsuitable for ectothermic reptiles.

Extstomata like the Tentomastomaformes are Endothermic with an average body temperature ranging around 30ºc - 42ºc (86ºf - 107.6ºf). This can wildly vary between species depending on environment, locomotion and reproductive rates. It has been noticed on Secundoterra that the size limit of this group has been comparable to how large mammals have gotten with the largest of the Exostomata (Humeophant.giganteus) reaching 4.2m in height (13.7ft).

### Intelligence

Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi intelligence is fairly average for Karcharias groups, however the use of their trunk has shown a great deal of brain matter responsible for trunk dexterity and sensitivity allowing some species to be able to engage in simple acts of problem solving and tool use.

Terracharias have shown uniques skills in tunnel building when compared to subterranean mammals with even solitary species showing sophisticated burrows structures and patterns, the species with social lifestyles have been able to group together tunnels that have had separate starting points and even different exits.

## Evolutionary History

Oikarcharieseinaioiidioiformes appear 268mya a few million years before other groups of Karcharias started to appear, and the first true Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi didn't appear until 265mya, however they only seemed to have radiated around 210mya evolving alongside the Ntanokarcharia facing many periods of ecological decline and recovery, very recently the group is limited to a few groups that are very successful and found all around Secundoterra.

### 265-210mya

First of these to appear were the Dendrochariformes (Tree Sharks) that are noted as the most basal member of the group seeing as they still have an ancestral Karcharias like head but have the early developments of the long jaw trunk that is synonymous with them. This suggests the early Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi started out in arboreal niches avoiding direct competition from other dominant Karchairas groups. Around 246mya The Lystropodiformes first appeared in the centre of Secundoterra.

### 210-140mya

After the mass extinction, the clade immediately start seeing evolutionary diversification. The first early ancestors of the Tentomastomiformes and Terracharias first appeared around 210mya and radiated into many niches. They became so common their teeth are found in many fossil beds dating to that time (And are found in modern soil samples today), however many of the groups found from that time are very different from those found today. A second mass extinction reveals that although clade diversity declined, they still remained dominant in many of secundoterra's ecosystems.

### 140-present day

After a rapid mass extinction event the Ntanokarcharias had declined and lost their hold on the main niches on the continent. The tentomastomaformes saw a major loss in biodiversity with only a few species remaining.

### Chomadontin (Soil teeth)

Chomadontin (Or Chomadonts) is scientific term for shed teeth from Welachimorpha found in fossil digging sites, they are commonly found in the soil and sedimentary layers of Secundoterra. In Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi, chomatdonts have become a useful paleontological source of information on their radiation and adaptations to their environment. The ARF team has been using them to help date sites based on what teeth are found.

## Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalisaliena

Phylum: Xenochordata

Subphylum: Psariaskoulikion

Superclass: Karcharias

Class: **Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi**

\*\* Orders and Clades under Oikarcharieseinaioiidioi\*\*

Clade: Dendrochariformes

Order: Dendrocharis

Group: Lystropoda

Group: Exostomata

Group: Terracharis

Group: Tentomastomiformes

Family: Epitentomastoma

Family: Neotentomastoma

Add your own Clades and Orders here.