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The Organisms:
Plants:
The plants of Nube Oscura are the chemotropic backbone of all life on this planet. One key adaptation of the plants of Nube Oscura, which further differentiates them from the plants of Earth, is their bioluminescence. This bioluminescence, which is related to similar process of Earth organisms as a result of the reaction between luciferin and luciferase or a photoprotein. (For more information on this process, visit this ancient National Geographic article for a very basic overview of Earth bioluminescence.) This form of bioluminescence has developed as a form of defense, as a warning to predators to stay away from poisonous plants. The Mist have been able to learn which plants use bioluminescence as a true warning of poison, and which are a false warning, like the stripe patterning of certain snakes on Earth. (There is a subset of the Mist who have a genetic predisposition for the ability to view and interpret this bioluminescence, as discussed on the page about the Mist in the section on genetics.) The following plants in this study are just a few of the hundreds of distinct species which grow in the oases of Nube Oscura: the helecho, baya, pōda, phūla, arbusto, and hogo. (As alien species to the intended audience of this study, many comparisons will be made to Earth plants, but the true similarities and differences of these plants are under current genetic study and will be key to the understanding of not only the plants of Nube Oscura, but to the idea of life on other planets in general.)
Carbon and Chemotrophs:
The organic life of Nube Oscura can be classified as faction of carbon based lifeforms. Much of this is due to the relationship of life to the volcanic and geologic activity. The plant life of Nube Oscura has developed as chemotrophic organisms, rather than the photosynthetic plants of Earth. Rather than extracting and processing energy from the Sun of Earth or other stellar being, the plants of Nube Oscura process energy from the chemicals released from the shield volcanoes or steam vents that litter the landscape. These autotrophic plants are the backbone of all life on the planet. This reliance and ability to thrive under these conditions is the means behind the location of the oases; because the plants thrive, so do the animals, and therefore so do the Mist. (To see this relationship using specific organisms, see the food web at the bottom of this page.)
Helecho:The helecho plant is a fern like structure with leaves that are two to three feet wide and three to four feet long. Radiating from a stable vein, the leaves are approximately half of an inch thick, much thicker than those of the Earth variety. Naturally, these leaves act as shelter for many of the smaller animals such as the billī and the bonlī. The Mist use the leaves as bedding as well as for basket and clothing making, using the spines for thread and the leaves as weaving materials.
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Baya:The baya is a type of bush on which grows various sizes and colors of berries. These berries are full of key nutrients and antioxidants which are readily needed by the other organisms of Nube Oscura, especially the Mist. These are used as food and as bait to hunt other organisms by the Mist, and are considered to be a sweet dessert and treat by the younger Mist.
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Pōda:The pōda is a small tree which is the natural habitat of the smaller animals of Nube Oscura, specifically the sarpa which like to curl around its small, spiny trunk. These small trees are only around three to four feet tall and only have an umbrella like diameter of three feet. The leaves, similar to those of the helecho are thick and wide, but unlike those of the helecho do not radiate out of a single spine but rather like the Earth palm branches out of the trunk. The leaves house and act as a food source for the baga and the kīta. The mist use its wide leaves for water collecting and cooking.
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Phūla:The phūla division of plants are flowering vegetables, similar to the Earth plants of the carrots and potatoes. Named for their brilliant flowers of a variety of vibrant colors, the phūla are especially liked by the Mist for their beauty and are often used in ceremony. The larger part of the plant is farmed by the Mist, and is grown under the surface and later harvested for food. The texture is very spongy and tough, but when cooked results in a crunchy delacy. The phūla are the nutritional backbone of the Mist’s diet because of their availability and ability to be farmed.
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Arbusto:The arbusto plant is a shrub like organism which grows near the rim of the volcanoes and steam vents. An extremely hardy organism, it has developed to be heat resistant against the harsh climate around the volcanoes. It has thick, inflexible branches which radiate from a single stalk at surface level with its roots extending deep into the rock to find nutrients. Its leaves are thick and bulbous, acting as water reserves for the plant. The Mist use these leaves as water transporters for long journeys and as back up reserves during storms and seismic activity.
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HOgo:The hogo plant is a fungus like plant which grows on the insides of the natural caves which serve as shelters for the Mist. For the Mist, it acts as a insulation to keep the Mist from freezing during harsh dry spells of the volcanoes. For the animals of Nube Oscura, the hogo acts as a reserve food supply, full of nutrients and healthy bacteria. The hogo plant is a dark green-grey color with small peaks in which its nutrients are stored.
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Animals: Insects:
Baga:The baga is a large insect like creature with a size of around seven inches from the top of the head to the end of the abdomen, and around five inches wide. It weighs around a pound, much larger than average insects on Earth. It consumes many of the plant species of Nube Oscura and is readily consumed by bird and serpent like creatures. Considered to be a pest by the Mist, the baga traditionally live in the caves in which the Mist have in a way commandeered. These creatures are very silent, and mostly nocturnal, with dark black shells which they use as camouflage. Rather than the six legs of insects of Earth, the baga have eight thick legs covered in tiny hairs as a form of sensory input.
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Kīta:The kīta is also an insect like creature, like the baga, but in addition to having eight legs, the kīta have two sets of wings. The kīta are also smaller in size, with a length of only around five inches and a width of around three inches, which aids in their flight. The kīta can be brightly colored as well as colored in muted shades of black and grey, depending on the gender and subspecies. The most prominent form of the kīta is a bright red color with dominant stripes of black. This species is known to be violent and often will lead attacks against the Mist, as individuals as well as in groups, but are not known to be lethal. This group mentality of an insect species is being studied closely.
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Animals: Reptiles and MamMals:
Verraco:The verraco is a quadrupedal bore like predator which can unleash havoc on the population of the Mist as well as many of the other smaller animals of Nube Oscura. The verraco is only around four feet tall and two feet wide, but it has ferocious teeth and a large set of protruding fangs which can easily gorge and kill prey. The verraco has a thick leather like hide which is a greyish colour with sparse brown fur in patches. On its four feet are sharp talon like protrusions which help it keep its footing as well as for defense and attack. The verraco are the primary prey of the Mist, but are also the primary predator of the Mist.
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Billī:The billī is a wildcat like predator which acts as a secondary consumer in the energy flow of Nube Oscura. Though an omnivore by nature, the billī prefers the smaller mammals such as the golondrina and the bonlī. The billī have a smooth coat of fur of a bluish grey color, with a thick hide underneath. The billī also have a strong set of jaws with a strong bite force as well as a set of fangs not unlike those of the verraco. The billī travel in packs as well as alone and frequently make migrations for unknown reasons. Some billī have been domesticated by the Mist and are kept as house pets, but this process has taken thousands of year of domestication.
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SKýlos:The skýlos is a canine like quadrupedal organism which also acts as a secondary consumer. The skýlos are solely carnivores, preying on smaller organisms such as the golondrina and the ratón, but also act as prey for the verraco and the Mist. The skýlos are typically larger than the billī, with hides of a purplish-grey and long tails with spike like growths that they use in predatory situations as well as for defense. The skýlos also travel in packs and lately there have been signs of organization within the packs which is under current investigation. The skýlos are usually blind but, like the Mist, some are able to see and take control over the pack for their hunting abilities.
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Sarpa:The sarpa is a serpent like organism which is one of the oldest species on Nube Oscura by DNA and fossil evidence. The sarpa range in size from just a few inches to several feet in length, as well as varying in color from a light grey to bright shades of red and purple. The sarpa are primarily carnivores, but recently there have been signs of a change in diet in those of the older sarpa. Just like serpents of Earth, the sarpa tend towards the use of strangulation as well as sometimes venom, depending on the subspecies. This venom has been collected and used by the Mist for use in hunting as well as for medicine, and samples of these venom are being analyzed for chemical and health properties.
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Bonlī:The bonlī are a bird like organism, which flies in the lower atmosphere of Nube Oscura. Like birds of Earth, the bonlī have hollow bones to help with flight and feathers to help in aerodynamics and other aspects of flight and of protection. The feathers of the bonlī are of muted tones all along the inside of the ten to fifteen foot wingspan, and of a brilliant white on the outside. The bonlī have sharp beaks which they use to feed on the fruit of the baya and the leaves of other plants. Many of the bonlī also have the specialized echolocation of some of the Mist which helps them avoid predators at night.
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Golondrina:The golondrina are another bird like organism but are much smaller than the bonlī. With a wingspan of only around five to six inches, the golondrina are small birds who readily fall prey to the larger consumers of Nube Oscura. Though, with its smaller size, the golondrina is much faster than the bonlī and are known to hide under the rocks. The golondrina are known for their bright red and brown feathers on the inside but their dark black feathers on the outside as a form of camouflage in the rocks. The golondrina primarily eat the baya, hogo, and phūla and are regularly eaten by the Mist as a delacy.
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Ratón:The ratón is a small rodent like creature, only around five to seven inches long from nose to beginning of tail, with long tails, in proportion to their bodies, of around ten to fifteen inches long. The ratón has a long coat of dark grey-green, which helps them blend into the hogo. The ratón are fast creatures who like to live both among the hogo and the rocks along side of the volcanoes. It is almost unknown what the ratón traditionally eat besides the berries of the baya for they live in such seclusion.
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Phylogenetic Tree:
After a basic study of the DNA and relatedness of this small sample of the life of Nube Oscura this data of relatedness was compiled and organized in a visual form as a phylogenetic tree. More is to be learned of the relatedness and evolution of life on Nube Oscura with this as a beginning for understanding. Time is calculated with the known factor of 0.4% DNA mutation every two million years.