Hepsia/Ecology

The **ecology of Hepsia** is a strange and convoluted field of study which is still ongoing in much of the planet's biosphere. Incredibly diverse with both native, imported, and artificial life forms of all shapes and sizes, the planet has yet to ecologically settle since the terraforming of the Rim into the habitable region it is today, and many environs are either new or still forming from nascency, allowing vast new groups and artificial ecosystems to explode evolutionarily overnight across Hepsia's surface.

* Biology Gen.
	+ Hepsian Ecology Mast.
	+ Hepsian Zoology Mast.
		- Hepsian Art. Zoology Spec.
		- Hepsian Ichthyology Spec.
		- Hepsian Herpetology Spec.
		- Hepsian Entomology Spec.

* Botany Gen.0/10 discoveries

## Apex Predators

### Vafons Crocodile

 **Tameability** | None

While named after the titular lake, the **Vafons Crocodile**, otherwise referred to as the **Hepsian Crocodile**, is a semi-warm-blooded reptilian predator that lives in the areas surrounding nearly all of the planet's major glacial lakes. A non-native species, it is unknown what planet their ancestors originated from, but they have proliferated and dominated the swamps and marshlands surrounding glacial lakes. Powerful ambush predators, they may lay completely still for hours in patience until making their strike against would-be prey, snapping down with forces strong enough to easily break dense bone and shell.

On average, a Vafons Crocodile will grow to be around 12 to 14 feet in length and weigh up to 1,200 pounds. However, as they do not stop growing throughout their lifespans, as well as no known crocodiles dying of old age-- a longevity likely due to tampering with their genetics-- there have been reports of crocodiles spanning as long as 30+ feet capable of successfully attacking mammoths and other large herbivores. However, these rumors have never been fully corroborated.

**Cogent Stats (Requires reading of [book] to read stats)** TO BE ADDED.

### Shelf Phantom

One of the most common native predators still extant on Hepsia, the **Shelf Phantom** is a two-limbed feathered reptile, actually hailing from a line of highly derived paravians. Its feet end in three sharp claws like those of a mole, serving in equal measures as an assistant to excavating ice tunnels and for disembowling prey with ease. Pack-hunting predators as adolescents and transitioning into a solo hunting style as adults (growing to a size of around 30 feet in length and weighing over three tons), Shelf Phantoms can coordinate a fast-paced strike against nearly any creature or group they may percieve as prey, which happens to include small caravans and even entire towns along the glacial borders.

Many horror stories remain of travellers discovering ghost towns affected by a single night of Shelf Phantoms committing to surplus hunting- killing as much prey as they can in order to stockpile the excess in nearby larders for safekeeping and for their young to feed upon. They, along with the Gholori who have hunted and revered them for countless generations, are among the greatest reason why one is often advised to not travel alone in the glacial hinterlands.

**Cogent Stats (Requires reading of [book] to read stats)** TO BE ADDED.

### Fjordworm

 **Tameability** | None

Perhaps one of the largest creatures found on this side of the galaxy beyond the likes of interstellar life such as Balae, the **Fjordworm** is a distant relative of the Shelf Phantoms wholly adapted to life within and beneath the ice shelves of Hepsia, vestigial claws on its underside being the only reminder of their shared origins. Growing hundreds of meters in length, they are able to use the ice around them to support their massive sizes, using gigantothermy in order to maintain their warmth and channeling that heat into specialized organs at the front of their heads. With this heating organs, the Fjordworm is capable of using both the heat and its immense bulk to plow massive holes and canyons through the ice sheets.

Their tunnels are believed to go deep into the crust, where they devour nutrient-rich minerals and brumate for periods of upwards of centuries before rising to the surface to feed on protein-rich prey, tracking the most minute of prey kilometers away through vibrations in the ice. It is due to this somulent nature and the fact that the ice sheets they live on are some of the most desolate places on Hepsia that no one researcher has a clear grasp on the scale of the Fjordworm population.

## Mid-level Consumers

### Chrylacine

Said to have been a genetically-modified descendant of the Muaran Ekorus-- or to at least be based on DNA with traces of Ekorus genetic code interlaced into it-- the **Chrylacine** is a medium-sized raccoon-like marsupial which grows to a length of up to three feet in length and weigh up to twenty pounds. It is said that they were to be an attempt at designing a domestic companion creature for colonists during the early terraforming process of the Hepsian rim, but have since gone completely feral and non-interested with most attempts at domestication, either appearing too keen to trust sapient life or too shy/aggressive to allow a handler to get anywhere near them. Beyond wild populations, they are most commonly seen as semi-domestic packs surviving around Gholori hive-cities.

One of the key features of the Chrylacine which differentiates it from other Hepsian consumers are the large 'tunnel-towns' that they construct in a manner similar to prairie dog colonies. A massive network of tunnels underlays areas where Chrylacine are often seen, with each member of the extended family's 'pack' expected to be able to navigate and quickly use the tunnels as both a means of movement and a useful way to streamline long-range communication between members of the family; the compression from the walls, often packed as thick as the local dirt will allow, lets a Chrylacine's whines, hoots, and barks to go on for about a kilometer before finally disappating. With long-range 'discussions' and warnings of predators in the area, a Chrylacine town is capable of keeping itself safe from nearly every predator which seeks to feed on them. Surprisingly *(Or unsurprisingly due in part to their mannerisms as what seems like kleptomaniac grabbing of settler's equipment or valuables)*, that list is quite long.

### Gut Shrew

 **Tameability** | None

Regarded as one of the worst byproducts of the Tantric Reign along other items such as auto-wars and the genetically-engineered plagues which ravage some parts of the world, the **Gut Shrew** are a bizarre artificial creature found across most of Hepsia bar a few remote regions. They are often considered to be one of the worst creations of the era of the Tantric Reign, often considered even more dangerous or insidious than things such as auto-wars or genetically-engineered diseases, though some would consider the Gut Shrew to *be* a form of disease in a way. They have an extremely highly-functioning metabolism, often needing triple their weight in food every day in order to maintain their body weights, though are seen to be capable of slowing to a near-catatonic state of self-induced hibernation.

Known to hunt in large roving swarms that don’t stay in one place for any long period of time, Gut Shrews employ a hack-and-slash approach to hunting, biting and cutting with their massively oversized teeth and sharp claws to inflict as many small bleeding wounds as possible. While this is effective to bring down prey when in packs, an individual Gut Shrew is often inefficient in the process of taking down even similar-sized prey, let alone larger selections such as humans. However, it is with this inefficiency in their cuts that the more insidious nature of the Gut Shrew. For each cut and bite, there is a high possibility that a strange infection may take hold, with rapidly-developing cells left in the wounds acting as foreign parasites that grow in the skin and cutaneous layers or deeper, developing over the course of up to a week before they are grown enough to leave their host as fully capable Gut Shrews. Cases of outback infections sprouting up to seven or eight Gut Shrew sproutlings are not uncommon, and the resulting sprouting is enough to kill most either due to the traumatic injuries inflicted by the creatures pulling themselves free of the body, or after the fact from the ravenous nature of the Gut Shrews.

Progress: 0/60
**Reward:**+1 Renown to all characters who assisted in progress.

### Whipwyrm

Found across the equatorial rim's plains and mountains, the **whipwyrms** are a genus of genetically-engineered xenodermid snakes. They vary dramatically in size between the catalogued seventeen species, from the 40-inch Kassiter snail-snake *(O. achatinidae)* to the 12-foot Greater hoop snake *(O. spinosa)*, and have likewise strayed down various different behaviors in their respective niches but are similar enough in skeletal structure and genealogy to be considered the same genus.

Each whipwyrm has sharp, thorn-like scales designed to protect it from predation, with the largest of these scales forming a thicker barb at the end of some species' tails. In those species where the barbs form on their tail- predomiantly pack-hunting macrocarnivores such as the Hoop snake and similar species- these snakes will perform great acts of limbless acrobatics. Upon seeing prey, some whipwyrms will flick their tails downwards, propelling the snake up with enough force and height to allow it to bring its tail about and allowing it to bite down on the hardened scales of its tail barb. Using a series of ray-like scales along their sides to maintain their balance as they move, a whipwyrm will then propel itself either downwards or on a similar height towards its prey, lunging towards it at the last moment in an attempt to bite and constrict, stabbing at their prey with the ends of their sharp tails that are often left covered in a hemotoxic venom from their jaws.

Although an absurd sight, most travelers will attest to the seriousness of a whipwyrm attack, citing many incidents where the pack-hunting snakes did not show apprehension to attacking lone wanderers or small groups passing through mountain passes at dusk or night. Others such as the Kurwati tribes give praise and adulation to the bizarre serpents, with some known to seek them out in the mountains in order to listen to the whistling, semi-musical tunes produced by wind against directing-scales when the snakes descend the mountainsides.

#### Snail-snakes

One of the few species of Hepsian life which have seen proliferation beyond the Rim, the **Kassiter snail-snake** is a whipwyrm species found solely in the wild around the eponymous lake. Unlike their related species, the snail-snake is a more sedentary creature, with a body and metabolism that does not allow for the fast-paced and predatory lifestyle of hoop snakes and similar whipwyrms.

Lacking any scales save for those around their tail, the snail-snakes were originally mistaken for some form of gastropod when originally discovered in the wild, as with their soft pinkish skin, pudgy bodies and beady eyes, accompanied by the fact that their barb scales are grossly overdeveloped in comparison to other whipwyrms in such a way that forms a tall, conical shell that the snake must hold above the ground in order to maintain it, they appear almost alike to many snails and similar organisms found across the galaxy. They use their overgrown scales as a rudimentary shell, coiling themselves back inside it whenever they detect danger and when the weather becomes unsuitable for their survival, such as when a heatwave may dry out their skin or during polar storms coming off of the glacial sheets.

Despite their bizarre nature, they have often been seen by collectors and passing foreigners with some intrigue and have since become part of many interstellar menageries across the Aegis Cluster, regarded as one of the easier pets to take care of beyond their need to eat specific hard-shelled invertebrates to properly develop their scaly shells and eggs. Beyond this, they are often considered to be well-tempered if somewhat skittish pets which one can grow attached to and interact with in a manner similar to a cat.

## Herbivores

### Mammoth

Often considered to be pachyderms due to their size and concealing coats of densely packed, dangling brown and white fur, **Mammoths** are more akin to camelids or certain paraceratheres in their proportions, with a long, muscular neck that is often misconstrued for a trunk. While mammoths do possess an extended rostrum in the form of a small trunk, it is primarily used for the purpose of warming air before it is inhaled, with use as a manipulator of food being a secondary use.

Massive plodding herbivores, mammoths are commonly sighted across the entirety of Hepsia alongside relatives such as the Hugag and Songomby, which they and several other ungulates on Hepsia form a paraphyletic family known as the Megaucheniadae. This includes being one of the primary herbivores of the planet's massive ice sheets, as well as one of the primary food sources for creatures such as the Shelf Phantom and Fjordworms. It is not entirely clear if the Mammoths are a native species, a genetically-modified invasive species, or if it is a blend of both, as the Gholori have cited creatures similar to if not exactly the same as mammoths in their cultural works for thousands of years prior to Ankati terraforming.

### Squonk

A bizarre creature even among Hepsia's menagerie of animals, the **Squonk** is a porcine creature that prefers to live in the most remote regions of the planet, far from the prying eyes of civilized societies. Usually hypothesized to be some ancient attempt at genetically engineering domestic pigs into a more rapidly developing food source at a lower resource cost, Squonks are far from their original origins if such is the case. Growing as large as the largest boars and just as voracious, a Squonk is distinguishable by many of its features from the average feral hogs, such as their stubby rat-like tail, short pug-like head, blue to greenish skin without any hair covering the entire body, and pronounced tear ducts which appear as expanded glands beneath its eyes.

Squonks are extremely skittish creatures, running at the first sight or sound of anything around them that they are not entirely sure is not a threat. They will often hide in small holes dug into the ground for upwards of a day if they notice any significant threat to themselves. If backed into a corner, they will attempt to use the limited defenses at their disposal, including biting, clawing, and spraying a directed stream of acidic fluid from their tear ducts. If the pain of the acid is not enough of a deterrent, then the foul smell of the fluid is usually enough to dispel most predators from attacking a Squonk.

However, becoming prey or being chased by predators is an intrinsic part of the Squonk's bizarre reproductive cycle. Unlike regular suids and other mammalian organisms on Hepsia *(besides passing similarities in Gut Shrews)*, Squonks reproduce through a sexually-reproductive budding process. In areas where Squonks are more common, the air is often filled with unseen particulate Squonk pollen, making the air a yellowish tinge in greater concentrations during the spring and early summer seasons. When pollinated, the Squonk will swell with the gestation of up to sixteen offspring, which upon their birth will be referred to as *squiglings*. These offspring are developed in a series of wombs which grow in the cutaneous layers of the Squonk's skin, often lining its sides and underbelly in large lumps.

These squiglings will remain in these wombs for upwards of a year after full gestation, remaining inert and attached to their parent until a chemical trigger is initiated upon either being chased by a predator or utilizing its acidic tear-spray. The parent Squonk's cells fill with stress-induced superacids that rapidly deteriorate their cell walls, causing the Squonk and its internal organs to literally melt upon being overly stressed. At the same time, the squiglings immediately become active, utilizing a vestigial gland to fill their womb with a similar acid in order to hasten the process of kicking and biting their way free of their parent's sloughing body. Protected by a thin film of mucus that will quickly dry after escaping the womb, the squiglings will quickly scatter upon escaping their parent's body, immediately able to run, walk, and recognize threats as soon as they are able. It is believed that this is due to a form of shared consciousness with the parent, as internal studies show a developed shared nervous system with the parent Squonk and its internal squiglings before the parent's self-acidification.

Due to its strange lifestyle, folk stories often cite that the Squonk is a self-conscious creature, cognizant of its 'ugly continence' and thus does not want to be seen by others. If seen by others, it is often told that it will cry endlessly until the stress and sorrow causes the entire Squonk to "melt into a puddle of its own tears".

A domestic version of the Squonk, the *Squork (S. tabificus domesticus)* exists in some rural communities, the differences between it and its feral counterparts being a shortened cerebral cortex and limited stress reactions. Even still, Squork farming is often considered among the most difficult forms of animal husbandry on Hepsia, as even experienced farmers have found that a random loud noise can spook and subsequently melt an entire herd if they are not careful. If successful, however, many farmers cite that Squork pork is "among the most succulent meats around".

### Hepgoat

One of the most common of domesticated animals on Hepsia, the **hepgoat** is likewise one of the oldest animals to be imported and modified for settlement on Hepsia, with its ancestors coming from Karian stock modified for greater hardiness and adaptability by Ankati geneticists. The result was a plethora of different varieties of hepgoat across the planet, many of which are used for their fur, meat and skin. They are as commonplace in many rural Hepsian communities as cows and other livestock are elsewhere, with massive herds of them corralled across the plains.

Unlike its regular counterparts elsewhere in the galaxy, a hepgoat develops its offspring in a similar fashion to marsupials. Hepgoat kids are born only partially developed and must climb up their parents with a small vestigial claw on their front hooves that disappears after some time developing in their mother’s pouch. This, combined with the hesitance of a hepgoat mother to bring her kids close to humans and other tenders, means that gathering hepgoat milk is a near impossibility.

There are many breeds of feral hepgoat across the Hepsian rim as well as some who travel as domestic animals and feral castaways of Gholori tribes. The largest of these species, almost always alpine/mountainous breeds with large horns, are referred to as **Heprams**. While hepram does are known to be skittish and often flee at the sight of travelers, many mountain towns warn of avoiding them regardless; billy heprams are notoriously ornery around other creatures and often have no qualms with ramming passing people off of a cliff if they deem it either too close, in their marked territories, or a vague threat to their herds.