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Description

An entry for the Spec Evo community challenge/contest of Hyrotrioskjan/Joschua Knüppe 's #AtlantisBestiary3 project !

My 47th one !

For this entry, I choose to made another native species that descend from the surviving species from Phase 2.

This time, another species of Multituberculates who descend from the Miocene Pyramidon concophagus (see « Atlantis Phase 2 » Post, 1st April 2023, twelve box picture from the top of the chart. Link : www.deviantart.com/hyrotrioskj…).

The results are the following species :

* The Atlantean giant otter (Aspteronura multituberculutra) ;

The state of the cast fauna of Atlantis at the Holocene is really one of the most intriguing part of it's entire history of, even in almost 66-65 Mya since the beginning of the Cenozoic itself, so compared to the others majors periods of it's existence so many of it's inhabitants have convergently evolved to look like familiar mainland animal of our own world, to a point that they can be completely mistaken with them so it's would be impossible to made them apart at the first view.

This otter-like species of semi-aquatic/marine mutituberculate being one of the main examples of that in Modern Times.

The ancestor of this very strinking otter-looking species was a freshwater bottom feeding durophage specialist who lived only inland in the rivers, streams and lakes of the island.

But the End Miocene Turnover event, the Pliocene era and the Younger Dryas event with their climatics change with a more dryer and cooler climate have reduce and lowered the water's level inland.

To adapt to this new setting that represented a threat to its existence, it's ancestor go and try its chances in the marine/salwater areas around Atlantis, to find more food and space to live, with great success !

This species, and it's lineage, is only slightly larger than its ancestor, but evolved to be more aquatic, passing more time in and on water than on land, very similar to the Marine Otter (Lontra felina) and the Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris).

While eating mussels and crustaceans as food like it's ancestor, it's a more generalist species, eating as well seashells, mollusks, small to medium fish, rays fish, cephalopods such squids (except nautiloids).

Fitting a niche similar to the Miocene extinct Atlas’ monstrous walrus (T. atlas).

Being more a pursuit predator of fast games and using it's large lower canine tusks to sift through the substrate for food.

It's a very fast and agile species and swim very well whe in water, to hunt or escape predators (having developped a countershading/thayer's law coloration for better cammouflage).

But can use it's claws at it's feet, especially the ones of the hind legs, to defend itself if needed.

Males are more aggressive than females.

It's a more solitary species than its ancestor, forming small family troops up to 3 to 5 specimens that cooperate for defense and hunting preys.

Its usually eat at the surface of the water, on the back.

Description

An entry for the Spec Evo community challenge/contest of Hyrotrioskjan/Joschua Knüppe 's #AtlantisBestiary3 project !

My 47th one !

For this entry, I choose to made another native species that descend from the surviving species from Phase 2.

This time, another species of Multituberculates who descend from the Miocene Pyramidon concophagus (see « Atlantis Phase 2 » Post, 1st April 2023, twelve box picture from the top of the chart. Link : www.deviantart.com/hyrotrioskj…).

The results are the following species :

* The Atlantean giant otter (Aspteronura multituberculutra) ;

The state of the cast fauna of Atlantis at the Holocene is really one of the most intriguing part of it's entire history of, even in almost 66-65 Mya since the beginning of the Cenozoic itself, so compared to the others majors periods of it's existence so many of it's inhabitants have convergently evolved to look like familiar mainland animal of our own world, to a point that they can be completely mistaken with them so it's would be impossible to made them apart at the first view.

This otter-like species of semi-aquatic/marine mutituberculate being one of the main examples of that in Modern Times.

The ancestor of this very strinking otter-looking species was a freshwater bottom feeding durophage specialist who lived only inland in the rivers, streams and lakes of the island.

But the End Miocene Turnover event, the Pliocene era and the Younger Dryas event with their climatics change with a more dryer and cooler climate have reduce and lowered the water's level inland.

To adapt to this new setting that represented a threat to its existence, it's ancestor go and try its chances in the marine/salwater areas around Atlantis, to find more food and space to live, with great success !

This species, and it's lineage, is only slightly larger than its ancestor, but evolved to be more aquatic, passing more time in and on water than on land, very similar to the Marine Otter (Lontra felina) and the Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris).

While eating mussels and crustaceans as food like it's ancestor, it's a more generalist species, eating as well seashells, mollusks, small to medium fish, rays fish, cephalopods such squids (except nautiloids).

Fitting a niche similar to the Miocene extinct Atlas’ monstrous walrus (T. atlas).

Being more a pursuit predator of fast games and using it's large lower canine tusks to sift through the substrate for food.

It's a very fast and agile species and swim very well whe in water, to hunt or escape predators (having developped a countershading/thayer's law coloration for better cammouflage).

But can use it's claws at it's feet, especially the ones of the hind legs, to defend itself if needed.

Males are more aggressive than females.

It's a more solitary species than its ancestor, forming small family troops up to 3 to 5 specimens that cooperate for defense and hunting preys.

Its usually eat at the surface of the water, on the back.