Tree Terror (*) evolved from the Crocodile Monitor Varanus salvatori ) radiate out to become the terror of the trees.
Alligators and Crocodiles
Crocodilians as a group took a different tack then might be expected. Through most of their history they were somewhat larger then most of the other other reptiles. This time around they started filling many of the smaller niches left open by the mammals. In the size ranges they didn't do as well at first. As an archosaurian reptile, these creatures were contemporaries of the long extinct dinosaurs, in fact they outlived them by ages. But the genes of crocodiles contained much of the same DNA material as that of the ancient extinct dinosaurians. Mostly they were held in check by first the dinosaurs and then later the family of mammals. The croc families inherit genetic conservatism did not allow them as a group to exploit all the open niches during the Cretaceous die offs 66 million years ago. This time they were genetically ready.
Maybe it was because mankind had hunted most of their species to the brink of extinction and only the very, very best had survived at all. Maybe it was another reason altogether. But with the last hurdle removed this time they started branching out and some even starting toward the bipedalism or two legged stance that their cousins had achieved so long ago as the interesting and deadly "running crocodiles.".
* evolved from the Salt Water Crocodile (Crocodilus porosis) With the extinction of all the ocean going mammals such as the porpoise a whole new broad avenue opened up to the crocodiles; shallow water fishers and deep seas predators. They had to get faster to exploit this.
Snakes
Snakes or ophidians were the newest member of the very ancient order Reptilia. A specialty can sometimes become a liability when the rules of the game change suddenly. Eating mammals allowed snakes to become very successful for many millions of years. But with their preys disappearance things changed. For the most part this family stayed conservative and most species died off immediately upon losing their mammalian food supply. The exceptions were those snakes that devoured fish, insects, other reptiles, or were just not very fussy in their eating habits. With the spreading waters, fish and other watery animals were really in their element and so prospered. And of course so to did those reptiles that could quickly and successfully harvest this bounty.
* evolved from Common water snake (Natrix piscator ) Gets much bigger and proliferates widely.
* evolved form the anaconda or water boa (Eunectus giganteus) Originally this reptile comes out of the rain forests to harvest the plentiful food sources. Since man was the major predator of this species it can now come into it's own. And stories told by now extinct mammals about extraordinary large species turn out to be true. There is no reason to hide any more and soon quickly we have the largest reptile on the planet moving down the Amazon and after a few million years entering the sea.
* evolved from the Smooth scale green snake (Liopeltis vernalis) Insects were the first creature to colonize the land many eons ago. As many of their predators died off at the start of the Futurep period bugs really took off. Anything that already harvested this bounty had a real head start. This was one reason that birds did nearly as well as reptiles as futureps. One of the few ophidians that harvested this bumper crop was the green snakes of North America. With more food sources (and at least at the start) few enemies, this species prospered.
Amphibians
Amphibians have been around for even longer than the reptiles. They also adapted quickly as the damp and watery conditions were ideal for them. Although the name Futureps implies reptiles, amphibians and birds are also included as they were all decendants of one another.
***Collective breeding site behavior and competition in the womb where many are eaten.Birds
For the most parts birds also lost a great many of their species at the early 21st century mass extinctions. Any bird that preyed on mammals and couldn't adapt disappeared quickly after mammals did. So also did many of the plant eating species when the climate changes caused the disappearance of their plant food sources. But being adaptable many avian species did survive to start competing for some of the many ecological niches suddenly vacant. Looking at them by groups we find;
Birds of Prey: most of this group had specialized in eating mammals or primarily mammals. Because of this most quickly became extinct. There were of course exceptions. Songbirds:Flightless Birds:
Bone Pillager or "Eppie" (Exassa Praedator) was
Aquatic Birds:
Now that the reptiles, amphibians, and bird survivors are starting to spread out and fill available niches there is more intense competition not only to suppress other species, but to evolve faster than others of their own kind. The first species to adapt into a role or niche usually has 90 percent of the battle won. Some of the bird species had spectacular successes now. They have pretty much completed their dominance of the air and some are competing for the much tougher land and water niches.
Competition among the land dwellers has been fierce but the survivors are pressing onward. And to add to the burden there is now so much competition from successfully adapted water dwellers that many species that were originally successful are now being driven back out of the water. It is virtually an eat or be eaten contest. It is a silent warfare with no quarter asked or given. Non successful water inhabitants are now coming onto the land and some land Futureps are heading back into the water driven by the inexorable pressure to find a niche that they can adapt to. Losers are consigned to extinction but the winners must fight on. At this border, where the two types meet, is a real hot bed of evolutionary development. In fact in nearly every habitat on the planet the Futureps are fighting battles for supremacy and survival. Let's look at various ecological areas (Biome) on the planet and see what is going on.
A biome is a unit that results from the interaction of an areas plant and animal community (biota), the substrate (soil, rock, sediment, etc.), and climate. Each area or region are uniquely different from all others though they often share common elements. Some are named after the dominate climate or plant types. We will use the extinct mammilian terms wherever possible to preserve their unique interpretation of their planet. Thou they are long extinct, the mammals were the only species to have evolved a civilization (post-industrial/ pre-galactic) that left written records which we can use to integrate into this encyclopedia
Tundra;
This biome is dominated by low growing plants of a perennial nature. Perpetual ice or permafrost underlines this area causes an almost permanent wetness to the area. There is a very intense but short growing season with up to 24 hours of sunshine and a corresponding winter with no sun. This is an area where only transient visitors are found in a seasonal migratory manner. The exception are bizarre indeed. ***
The Boreal Forest;
A Boreal Forest is also called coniferous forest or taiga which is a Russian word meaning "land of little sticks." It consists of primarily evergreen trees such as pine or fir. The winters are usually bitterly cold and a very short growing season is also a factor for life to deal with.
There were not very many Boreal forests left in this world after 25 million SR (from the 6 extinction ephisode) due to much warmer climates. It is a small realm that some mammals still keep a solid toehold in. The birds still have a safe haven here and many species have developed into Futurep types. However, one of the temporary summer residents here is a Futurep that was originally a tropic lizard. He didn't migrate in the conventional way via land or water routes. Actually he flies in every year.
This is a narrow band of fairly harsh climate crossing northern Asia, Europe, and North America. The niche once held by the mammals are generally abandoned or filled by former birds. ***
Temperate Deciduous Forest;
Deciduous trees are noted for losing their leaves during cold winters and regrowing them during milder sunny weather. There are many more species of trees than in the Boreal forest and also a greater diversity of animal life, especially in the warm months. Many birds as well as mammals used to migrate into these forests to take advantage of the nesting and food opportunities provided by these seasonal areas. While they did decline in area during the first 25 my of Futurep development, they are still rich in biodiversity. One good example is ***
Grasslands;
The planets grasslands were fairly extensive before the advent of mans fire suppression activities. And as may be expected they again grew after his demise. Typically grasslands are found where potential evaporation exceeds precipitation. Grasses as a whole have the ability to die off back to the roots when conditions are unfavorable such as drought, extreme but temporary cold or heat, fire, and grazing by large numbers of plant eating animals. In fact these very conditions are often responsible for the spread of grasslands which are composed of many species of grasses as well as other broad-leaved species of forbs. In this biome were often found great herds of large mammals before they disappeared. It was no surprise then that the Futureps quickly evolved to fill these niches. ***
Hot Deserts;
Deserts are found throughout the world. There are two kinds of desert, but they are all characterized as extremes of temperature and relatively low rainfall. This is an area that reptiles thrived in even before mammals all but disappeared. The hot deserts ***
Cold Deserts;
In the interior of large continental land masses and usually on the leeward side of large mountain masses are often found what is called a cold desert. Like the hot desert they have temperature extremes but have even less precipitation on average. It is this absence of moisture during the growing season that cause a real scarcity of both plant and animal species. But as usual there are exceptions. ***
Aquatic Communities;
This area is divided into two main areas; fresh and salt water. They are each further divided into more specialized minibiomes.
There are many types of freshwater environments; those with standing water, those with flowing water; fast moving rivers and slow moving rivers; lakes, seasonal ponds, and swamps; those with vegetated and non vegetated bottoms; and some even more specialized categories. This freshwater biome and it's many divisions was the reptiles major success story just before the Futurep dispersal started. Therefore it will be no surprise that this area is now almost totally dominate by former species of turtles, snakes, and crocodillians. And in many cases this was the "highway" used by many species to radiate out onto the land or in some cases to go back into the waters. ***
The difference between fresh and saltwater wetlands is at once obvious; the presence or lack of salt in the water. But like the freshwater versions, there are some distinct divisions of salt water realms as well. The two points to keep in mind are that first, there is a great deal more area to oceans the with fresh water. By 25 my almost a 6% increase in salt water is the result of the melting of some of the polar ice due to increased temperatures. That means that ocean living creatures inhabit fully 78% of the planets area now. Second, oceanic conditions are much more stable then either freshwater or land based ecosystems. Therefore, the diversity in these various areas find no comparables anywhere else on this planet. ***
Thorn Forest & Tropical Savanna;
On the equatorial sides of hot deserts are often found thorn forests. They are characterized as having short rainy seasons after which are 8 to 10 months of no rain. Temperature fluctuations during the year are often minimal and many of the plants found here resemble those found in deserts. Many of the animals do as well.
The tropical savannas are dominated by grasses and scattered trees. By the very natures and just like grasslands they are capable of supporting large herds of browsing animals and their attendant predators. ***
Tropical Deciduous Forests;
When the amount of precipitation increase, the deciduous forest replaces the thorn forest. In this area the trees will lose their leaves during the dry season and quickly regrow them with the return of the rains. Biodiversity. is much higher than thorn forests and many species live here all year round.
The bird never had a chance. Flying through the forest on the way to a local pond where he planned to get a drink, he never even saw what grabbed him. Another meal for *(Avis insidris or "Bird stalker" as his name means). Hanging from their long prehensile tails along baths frequented by flying birds was a very successful adaptation for this large anole or chameleon.
The Tropical Evergreen Forests;
This was one of the only areas on the planet that reptiles and amphibians had more species represented than did the now extinct mammals. This then was an absolute hotbed of Futurep evolution. Usually more than 100 inches (250 cm)of rain falls with only a short dry season. In addition, the complexity and interaction of the various plants and animals is at an extreme. It is hard to tell if the evolving animals causes the plants to respond or vice versa. Nowhere outside the coral reefs is the biodivesity so high.
The main carnivore of this area was originally from the Basalisk or water walking lizards family. They were found in wet habitats, along rivers, streams, and lakes and surrounding areas of wet forests. Naturally this gave them an advantage when the planet became substantially warmer and wetter after the end of the Age of the Mammals. As more and more areas were inundated with the melting of the poles during the first 5 million years after, the habitat of the Basalisk family increased greatly. Their diet originally consisted of fish, insects, smaller reptiles, and various sweet fruit found near rivers. In other words they had a non specialized diet of a broad nature. They exploited this original advantage and now dominated several niches. The most spectacular was that of the medium sized Ictusaurus. His original name was Basiliscus plumifrons, but his name now means "striped lizard."
Another efficient predator is the **. Originally from the ** this species is now called the Tree Horse. There are several types depending on where in the world and what area of the tree canopy they occupy. These are now highly specialized creatures that never descend to the ground and are in fact totally arboreal in nature.
Tropical Montane Forest;
As one moves higher in elevation up the mountain sides of tropical evergreen forests several things happen. Temperatures start dropping, the heights of trees diminishes, more and more water is in the form of fog, leaves are generally smaller on the trees and plants, and vines diminish and finally disappear.
Mediterranean;
Dominated by low growing shrubs, annual plants, mild winters, and hot dry summers is the characteristics of a Mediterranean biome. It is usually found on the west sides of continents in moderate latitudes wherever cold waters circulate off the coast. Birds, insects, and small mammals favored these areas before most of them went extinct. Moving into their niches were the Futureps. ***
End Game At 50 Million Years
After another 25 million years one would be hard pressed to recognize even what species most of the Futureps now inhabiting the planet came from originally. To come out the winners of their respective niches required many millions of years of brutal selection and non forgiving evolution. And of course the planet itself has changed a fair amount over the 50,000,000 SR (* Galactic) since the end of the Age of the Mammals. Let's look at the world of 50 million SRFEE6. ***planet drawing of the time
At 25 million SR we looked at local and regional biomes to see how the Futureps were evolving. Now at 50 million SR we will look at zoogeographic zones for a more world wide perspective. An ancient planet scientist, ornithologist Mr. P.L. Sclater, was the first to divide the planet into six faunal regions called zoogeographic or "animal zones". Later on others divisions were suggested and one was accepted. These zones do not exsist any more than political boundries on maps and are strictly for use as a tool to lump together like elements, common themes, and such for the purpose of understanding and discussing what otherwise would be too many variables to handle in any unified or meaningful way. As we look at each of these areas or zones 50 million SR from when the concept was developed we will show typical interactions of some of the dominate Futureps in the form of reports from Galactic observers who were able to to merge aurally with many of these advanced creatures. Most are still pre-culture, but some are getting above our normal definition of non sentient beings. The observers looked at how these other lifeforms adapted to each particular region in the form that mammilion scientists would have understood.
Neotropical
A Day In The Life of the King...
As the early spring day started and the bright orange sun slowly peaked over the eastern horizon, there was very little noise to be heard near the dark and tranquil lake shore. The usual early morning fog drifted tendrils in and out of the trees which grew so close to the water . Large slow drops of water plopped down from branches and leaves higher up and were reminders of the late rains from yesterday evening. As the night shift went to their various caves, burrows, and hiding places the morning shift of local inhabitants were just starting their search for this mornings breakfast.
It was still quite cold near the water, but this would change as the day wore on. Even the buzzing insects had not gotten up to speed yet. It would be another couple of hours before the frenetic scramble would really shift into high gear. Peaceful tranquility was the rule early in the day. This morning, however, there was going to be a change of routines. For today was the day when the King would make his appearance for the first time in his new kingdom.
The first sign that he was arriving was a series of ripples in the distance. These ripples soon became waves washing the shore and finally a showering cascade of water droplets as the king arrived in a rainbow of color on the wide sandy beach. Water continued to flow down the entire heavily muscled 18 foot body and disappeared into the sand as his tail arched out of the lake as if proclaiming "I have arrived." He stood an impressive 10 feet above the sand on upright legs counterbalanced by a powerful tail. His golden green body was much the same color as the surrounding growth of water-side plants and his outlines was broken up with brown and rust stripes that made him almost impossible to see when he stood still in the lush undergrowth.
After taking few moments to survey his new kingdom he disappeared quickly and silently into the vegetation surrounding this 10 mile long lake on what used to be the contenant of South America.
The first to pay tribute to the king was a small lizard-like insectivore hunting for his own breakfast. The lizard was in a hurry to get down to the water where insects could now be heard droning. He failed to notice the new growth by the edge of the well trod pathway. A quick rustle, a flash of white teeth, and the king had his first breakfast bite. Not quite a full meal the regal tyrant settled down on his muscular haunches to wait for the next target of opportunity. With his almost perfect camouflage it wasn't long before he was ready to rest on his full stomach. Like most reptiles of the past he now looked for some patch of sun or a warm rock to help him digest his meal the most efficiently. Not totally cold blooded and not totally warm blooded, he possessed most of the best qualities of both life-styles. In this he may have been much more like his ancient dinosaurian ancestors than his more recent lizard ones. When there was a good reason he and his kind could slow down their metabolism and thus conserve energy or get more from less. And then within a relatively short period of time could revert to a high energy warm-blooded creature, although his eating requirements went up equally fast. All life is a trade off of various functions versus varies penalties. In this the Futureps were the supreme masters of their world.
Several hours later we find the Advenatyrannus draped over a log just up slope from the river which flows into the eastern end of this nameless lake. He wasn't really hungry yet but something inside him urged him to get up and start exploring this new territory while his energy level was at a peak. Just into his prime he had not been strong enough to hold his previous territory from an older male, and had been forced to move on several times. Now, after wandering for nearly a year he would see if this new area was suitable for his needs. A creature of voracious and non discriminating appetite, it took a lot of food to keep his 1,500 pounds on the go. Luckily for him he was not fussy in what he would eat and very good a finding his next meal. Ripe fruit, carrion, fish, bird, and even other reptiles were fair game to his kind. He would hunt on the ground, in the water, or anywhere edible food could be found. When he was younger he had spent most of his time in trees either hunting or avoiding his bigger brothers and sisters who would eagerly make a meal of him if they could. His species relied on both stealth with their good camaflague and shear size and tenacity to find and subdue their prey. As day time preditors they relied mostly on their eyes, ears, and sense of smell/taste to locate their meals. Their speed was mostly of the quick burst type. They relied on the fact that they could go through most heavy forest growth while their prey had to go around or over and thus were initially slower in exscaping then they would have been in open ground.
The area around the lake was composed of dense semi tropical trees competing for sunlight. There was just enough light reaching the forest floor to provide a fierce competition for available space and the undergrowth was thick. The exception was the well beaten trails toward the water that also extended around the lake. The king decided to scout the perimeter of the watery rainforest basin to see the terrain and survey the availability of prey and potential competition. Moving by instinct in a clock wise direction he soon came upon several interesting scents. His long forked tongue flicked in and out of his mouth as he tasted these new stimuli. Suddenly he let a long drawn out hiss escape his powerful jaws. There was another of his kind in the area. This was intolerable. He would not be driven out again. His fighting instincts were never far from the surface and he was about to unleash them. Again testing the air he decided they were stronger toward the slowly setting sun and so started a rapid shuffle that way. His kind were not easily intimidated and he was ready for anything as he settled into a brisk walking pace in the direction he knew he would find his adversary. Normally he was a silent hunter, but he made no pretense of subtly now. Hearing him coming, all the other denizens of the area scurried quickly away from the water and into the surrounding vegetation toward safety. If he was in a hunting mood the king would have followed them tenaciously through dense foliage, across streams, into burrows, and even up larger trees until his determination and ferocity caught up with them or they totally eluded him. That was his way. Nothing stopped him in his search for a meal or turned him away from a kill once he had it. It didn't matter to him if some other creature had made the kill. He only knew that it must be his and so it was. This was his mood now as he searched for his adversary. The scent molecules lingering in the air told him that he was getting closer to the confrontation that would be bloody and violent.
The closer he approached his target, though, the stranger the scent became. Something was wrong. He was not a brilliant thinker. He didn't have to be with his awesome hunting abilities, but something was not right with this scent. The king stopped and tasted the lingering aroma again. His tongue flicked in and out of his mouth several times rapidly. Then he had it. This was a female of his kind. Now more curious than mad the giant lizard resumed his search. Her phemarones said she should be just up ahead. Across the shallow stream and up the slope beyond he continued searching. No, the scent was weaker. This was the wrong way. Quickly backtracking he turned up the stream. Yes, this tasted right. Another hundred feet and he broke into a small clearing. There she was, sunning herself on a granite boulder jutting out over the gurgling stream.
Her head came up quickly when he came into view. She was larger than he as were most females of their species. Standing upright on stiff legs she clearly showed him her majestic size. Partially this was to impress him, but equally important was to warn him if he had any ideas of attacking. Instinct took over and he now approached her bobbing his head and upper body up and down, up and down. Slowly, but then with more vigor as she warmed up, she started returning his bows and then jumped down beside him. Nipping each others shoulders and slowly turning in circles they started their acceptance dance. Now it was the female who quickened the pace as satisfied with his ritual advance she started a courtship dance. The king matched her,. move for move. After another few minutes they completed the eons old dance and were a pair. The new king had a queen. They coupled quickly and violently as was their way. They would stay together for several days while they repeated the dances and mating rituals several more times and then she would drive him away. Males ate literally anything including the small of their kind. The female would not protect the babies but would drive all the males out of the immediate area to give them a little head start in life. The king would move to the other side of the lake and keep other males out of that territory as well, further giving his young offspring a better chance of survival. But that was several days away. Tonight he would rest near his queen. The other animals of the area didn't know it but they would be safe for the next few days as neither of the Adrenatyrannusars would be hunting for a while. But all to soon another day would come and once again life would go on. The hunted and the hunters, as it has been down through the ages and would likely always be.
Ethiopian Zoogeographic Zone
A Family Outing To The Beach
For the family to eat together, it needs to stay together. At least this is the rule fifty million years into the Futureps reign. The Exossopraedator family (meaning "Bone Pillagers" or eppee for short) was on the way to the beach. This was not to be a typical romp in the sand and waves however. Indeed it was very serious business, for this was school. The outing was to be the first time since the hatching that the young eppies were being allowed to accompany their parents on a food gathering expedition.
Normally, the young were fed and protected at a communal nesting site where several families shared the trials and tribulations of raising the increasingly demanding young brood. But sooner or later the youngsters were going to have to face the realities of life and the laws of survival. Today would be the first of many lessons. Those that learned lived to pass these lessons on to their offspring. The slow or the unlucky were weeded out early. This was the reality of life after 500,000 centuries of Futurep evolution.
After 2 months in the eggs and three months of mouth feeding, it was time for the young to learn the family business. This business was an ancient and important natural function; scavenging the remains of all the slow, unlucky, or sick creatures found throughout the vast African and Asian continents. Other families of their kind were slowly spreading to other regions as they easily out competed most other scavengers. This was due in large measure to their unique family structure and their secret weapon. But more on that later.
The "Eepee's" had a bit of a head start when the Age of the Mammals ended long ago. About 135 million years before, their families ancestors were probably a small fleet footed Theropod or carnivorous bipedal dinosaur. Somewhere in the early Cretaceous this family had started developing feathers and wings that aided in both insulation and stability, and developed a rapid running, jumping and predatory lifestyle. They may have even developed flight , but had turned back to a ground based existence by the beginning of the Eocene. This was just after the mass extinctions of their close cousins the Archosaurian dinosaurs had left open a perfect niche for them to exploit.
As flightless Ostriches they had developed more of a taste for vegetable matter than meat. But they didn't always turn away from a live or just dead morsel when it was available. And with the mass extinctions of the mammals many, many more niches were suddenly opened to this flightless Ratite bird family. Why they took the lifestyle they now dominate is unknown to even them. Maybe the availability of all the dead and dying mammals tempted them to an easier life-style. Maybe there was a deep genetic intelligence that sensed that this new direction would be best for the species. Maybe it was blind luck. In any case the Ostrich family made a turn toward this scavenging life-style sometime soon after the last great extinctions and eventually became the Exossapraedator's
Right place, right time, and already warm blooded the Ostriches simply out hustled their competition into a lucrative new niche. New habits and life-styles were developed over the years which allowed the family to hold and then expand this niche.
Family rearing became an inbred genetic habit. What ever benefited the family benefited the species and so the development went over the millions of years. In evolution anything that gives a species an advantage and can be passed on to offspring will generally cause that species to flourish and continue. There is also another factor not commonly understood that is often the difference between success and failure over the long haul. This has been called by some as the "doubling factor." What it means is that often a single factor that initially gives a species an advantage in a given niche is not enough to insure its long term survival. Competition is fierce on all levels and especially on the evolutionary level. An advantage that is here today may often be gone tomorrow when a competing species also develops a similar or even better strategy.
But if after securing the first advantage, a species comes up with that one in a billion second advantage immediately after the first one, it greatly increases the species long range prospects. In fact, it may be that this Doubling Factor is responsible for much of the improbable long term success of niche dominating species. More research will answer that question.
This is exactly what happened to the Eepee's. First they developed a fast mobile life style that allowed them to get to an underutilized food source. This then allowed them to invest more time and energy raising families and develop structures which further helped their survival as a species. This was the first evolutionary trait. The second came as they developed a unique defense.
As the Eepee's digestive system became more and more efficient to eating carrion, a unique trait developed. It may have happened in this manner; one day a larger scavenger chased an Eepee away from a bloated carcass. The fleeing Bird-reptile spit out his mouthful of carrion full in the face of this pursuer. To all the Eepee's amazement the nearly now nearly blind pursuer stopped the chase, went into a frenzy, and quickly left the area shaking its head and frantically trying to get back its sight. The Exassapraedators were intelligent animals and the very process of training young placed a premium on individuals mimicking their parents successful behavior. An Eepee who had witnessed the scene tried the same trick the next time he was pursued by a larger scavenger. The strategy worked again. Maybe it was the decomposing meat or some noxious ingredient in it. Maybe when combined with the Eepee's saliva it became doubly potent. Or maybe it was coincidence. But it did work often enough that it became a standard defensive ploy. Soon they were all doing it as well as teaching each new crop of young this trick. Over the years it became more than just a strategy as the families actual mouth secretions become a noxious almost poisonous substance that became the second evolutionary advance or the Doubling factor which now enabled the Exossopraedator family to rapidly spread to other areas as the dominant scavenger of the land. Now instead of being a purely defensive ploy the poisonous spray is often used to drive other animals away from the carcass in an aggressive manner. Thus a strategy became a genetic trait which was passed on to future generations and greatly enhanced this families survival as a new species.
As they started off toward the beach this brisk spring day the family lined up instinctively in a traveling order. At one end was an adult, then an older sibling, the babies, and another adult bringing up the rear. Ranging out around the group were other older siblings or members of this extended family. It was an almost automatic defensive mechanism that was now part of the Eepee's genetic memories. In more practical manners it was a case of the fastest animals with the best eyesight and also most expendable who were basically "scouts" for the family. This was not done in any planned way any more than wolves used to have the dominant and strongest male break trail in snow. It was simply the most efficient strategy and over the years became automatically adopted by the families without conscious thought. If a predator attached, it would first be seen by the young adults who could cry a warning and then flee or attack as was deemed necessary. Alerted, the family and especially the babies then had time to either prepare or flee depending on the nature of the threat.
To get to the sea the Eepee's had to cross a grassland savanna composed mostly of clumps of two or three foot high grasses and an occasional large tree. Here the scouts would occasionally surprise a snake or small lizard. These were brought back to the family for the young ones to eat. Often they would pounce or play cat and mouse with these presents which no doubt helped to hone their hunting skills when offal was lean.
Although not at their full speed yet, the babies could still travel in excess of 45 miles (72 kph) an hour. This made them one of the fastest creatures on the planet, very necessary in this highly competitive ecosystem. There were many predators who would not be deterred even by the Exossopraedators speed, family defense traits, and venomous saliva. The survival rate of the family was not high even with all their advanced survival traits. But it was higher than their competition, so they prospered as a species of Futurep and continued on through time.
Finally the blue ocean could be seen and the tang of the salt air inhaled by the youngsters. One of the more rambunctious babies started to break from the line and run toward this new wonder. She was quickly intercepted by one of the adults and nipped back into the line. Family discipline must be maintained. After a short time two of the scouts returned from the waterfront which was a signal that all was well. The family now proceeded to the warm beach sands at an easy trot. Everyone took turns rolling in the clean warm sands and ducking into the shallow salt water. This was a great way to rid themselves of the irritating parasites that occasionally plagued them all. The youngest members engaged in play typical of all youth when found in a carnival atmosphere. Jumping and rolling, racing around these novel sand dunes , and exploring new nooks and crannies. Of course the parents continued to scan both up and down the beach and a couple of scouts still nervously roamed inland a short distance. Still, all appeared well so after a quarter hour of frolicking play the adult eepee's rounded up their charges and headed north up the beach to where they knew a large Terribilis carcass had washed up on the sands recently. It had been discovered by one of the family scouts only that morning so there should be some meat left on the large carcass. For the purposes of teaching the families newest members "the business" it was a good scenario.
Sure enough, when they arrived on the scene a little while later there were only some medium sized scavengers no bigger than themselves feeding on the remains that were half out of the water. The newly arrived family ringed the carcass in a semi circle which was one of their normal surrounding formations. Next the family started their feeding runs. School was now in session. An adult was the first to go. He sprinted in toward the remains at full speed. At 70 miles an hour (112 kilometers) it is hard to see much less stop an attack if you were a victim. In this case a dead whale sized carcass was not likely to notice or care. The tactic works well when larger or more dangerous predators are still feeding and one must snatch and run, or end up in a potential life or death struggle. The technique, developed over eons was a well tested and successful way to scavenge with minimal confrontations. In this case it was just a training run since no one really contested the food source. The sortie is launched at a specific target; usually any piece of offal that would fit in a family members mouth. Grabbing a likely morsel on the run the adult maintained his awesome speed until he looped back out to where the youngsters were watching in the circle formed by the family more than a hundred yards out. He dropped the reward at the youngsters feet to show them what he had acquired. Lesson number one in the strategy for survival had been demonstrated. Other family members took their turn as the baby Exossopraedators watched. Now they were ready and confident enough to take their turn. Large eyes looked at each other as each eppie baby tried to get their courage up to go first.
But now chance intervened. Lumbering up from the south was a very dangerous adversary, an Ictusaurus. This was a medium sized fast carnivore and a dangerous opponent. Normally ictu's also hunt as a family so this specimen must be either an older outcast or very young male in search of a territory. They were wolf like carnivores who hunted in much the same fashion as the long extinct mammals did. Originally the Ictusaurus family was from the Basiliscus line. A whole family of Ictu's would be a very dangerous situation for the babies, although the adults could easily out distance them. One individual was no match for a family of eppie's, still it was maybe too drastic for this young families first lesson.
One of the adults quickly herded the babies out over the dunes and toward the safety of the inland grasses where their speed would prevail while the other family members spread out on an intercept course toward the approaching predator. The commotion of the young leaving caused movement in the grasses and the Ictu changed direction to investigate. This immediately triggered the remaining parent into charging him at full speed. A collision seemed likely but at the last minute the Eepee veered off. One by one or in pairs the lone predator was "dive bombed" by the remaining protective family members. His attention now diverted to more pressing matters he did not notice that the rest of the family had circled him widely and was head back south toward their communal home.
After several more runs and as if on cue the rest of the Exossopraedators made a series of charges at the frustrated and confused Ictusaurus and then sprinted south to rejoin their relatives. The potentially dangerous confrontation had turned into a stand-off and a good first lesson for the young.
Anything can and often does happen on any given day and this day ended just as it started, at the communal nest. Other families came back in each with their own unspoken stories, but adventure and learning opportunities were a daily occurrence. All in all it had been a very busy and informative day for the families. Other days would be similar. There would be good days and not so good days. There would be feasts and there would be famine. There was even bound to be tragedies at points along the way. Lessons always required some to pay the price of learning. But the story and the family would go on. It was all part of making the Eepee family stronger and more able to cope with the everyday job of surviving in the world of the Futureps.
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