Teacup Saucebacks

Teacup Saucebacks replaced their ancestor. With their ancestor’s heavy r-selection, it was inevitable that these tiny saucebacks would speciate and diversify at a speed incomparable to any other endotherm. Despite their limited ancestral range, they were able to become global thanks to their larvae invading shrog nests; though an adult Teacup Sauceback could never survive at sea, the larvae have no trouble eating their fill of rotting meat and flora before dispersing on landfall. This makes them a fairly rare example of a genus group immediately derived from an island species. Unlike many Terran animals with the “teacup” label in their name, Teacup Saucebacks are genuinely small compared to other saucebacks.

Adult Teacup Saucebacks can be compared to Terran shrews (not to be confused with Sagan 4’s own Shrews). They have incredibly high metabolisms and must eat constantly, or else they will starve to death alarmingly fast. They are able to keep themselves alive by hunting and killing prey up to twice their size, using their barbed tooth-jaws. Lacking eyes, they “see” their prey using echolocation. Instead of sleeping, they hibernate at night, as they would otherwise starve before they wake up.

Teacup Sauceback larvae are nearly the exact opposite, like their ancestor. The larvae are ectothermic burrowing worm-like creatures which hatch at less than a millimeter in length. The larvae eat carcasses, detritus, and vermees. They grow all the way to their adult length before undergoing metamorphosis—in fact, they actually grow much larger than the adults through their fat stores, causing them to look like fat hairy sausages. They do this so that they can complete metamorphosis and shift to endothermy without starving to death before they’re done.

There are many species of Teacup Sauceback. Larger species can survive significantly longer without sufficient food, but they still starve much faster than other saucebacks. Species in cold environments have greater feather covering and rounder ears, while ones in warmer environments have shorter feathers and longer ears. As larvae, some species may eat more carrion than detritus or vice versa. Being small creatures which are easily preyed on, Teacup Saucebacks are usually eaten before they ever have a chance to mate, so they can lay thousands of eggs at a time, contributing greatly to their rapid rate of speciation.

Integrated Species

 * Shrew Sauceback