Ornithere: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Content added Content deleted
imported>Mnidjm No edit summary |
imported>Disgustedorite No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Construction}} |
{{Construction}} |
||
{{RandomExtant|Lumenocula|a jewel-eyed sauceback}}'''Jewel-eyed saucebacks''' are a subgroup of [[sauceback]]s in the |
{{RandomExtant|Lumenocula|a jewel-eyed sauceback}}'''Jewel-eyed saucebacks''' are a subgroup of [[sauceback]]s in the class [[Ornitheria]]. They are so named because, unlike most saucebacks which are blind, jewel-eyed saucebacks have eyes derived from their nostrils--called "eyestrils"--which have a shiny, jewel-like appearance. Most jewel-eyed saucebacks can flutter or glide, and many species are [[Wikipedia:Bird|bird]]-like and capable of powered flight. |
||
==Anatomy== |
==Anatomy== |
||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
Their namesake are their eyestrils. Derived from the scent pits found in all beastworms, they are used for both sight and smell. The pupil is open to allow air in, and as this constraint prevented them from evolving lenses, they instead focus light using mirrors at the back of the eye. In effect, the entire eye is a highly efficient tapetum lucidum which reflects and focuses light into a photoreceptive patch on the inside next to the pupil hole. This causes them to appear to have white pupils, and if you were to look into a jewel-eyed sauceback's eyes, you would see exactly what it sees reflected back at you. The eye itself is stretched and squashed to focus and to push out old air, and the external part of it is featherless and rubbery. As having an open eye makes it prone to particles and small fauna becoming trapped inside, jewel-eyed saucebacks produce tears which they then remove from their eyes using the centrifugal force generated by shaking their heads like wet dogs. |
Their namesake are their eyestrils. Derived from the scent pits found in all beastworms, they are used for both sight and smell. The pupil is open to allow air in, and as this constraint prevented them from evolving lenses, they instead focus light using mirrors at the back of the eye. In effect, the entire eye is a highly efficient tapetum lucidum which reflects and focuses light into a photoreceptive patch on the inside next to the pupil hole. This causes them to appear to have white pupils, and if you were to look into a jewel-eyed sauceback's eyes, you would see exactly what it sees reflected back at you. The eye itself is stretched and squashed to focus and to push out old air, and the external part of it is featherless and rubbery. As having an open eye makes it prone to particles and small fauna becoming trapped inside, jewel-eyed saucebacks produce tears which they then remove from their eyes using the centrifugal force generated by shaking their heads like wet dogs. |
||
In basal jewel-eyed saucebacks, the spiracles and microlungs are partially supported by chitinous shells called ceres. These are inherited from their |
In basal jewel-eyed saucebacks, the spiracles and microlungs are partially supported by chitinous shells called ceres. These are inherited from their placopulmonate ancestors and allow them to breathe more strongly than most other saucebacks. |
||
===Feathers=== |
===Feathers=== |
||
| Line 26: | Line 26: | ||
====Flight==== |
====Flight==== |
||
Flight-capable species have highly muscular legs and large keels derived from the front protrusion of their cephalopelvis, which supports their massive wing muscles. Like bats, they also have muscular backs for pulling their wings up. Their hips are also more flexible, as necessitated by the use of their legs as wings, though this comes at the cost that the protrusion which supports the pillar-erect posture of other species is tilted |
Flight-capable species of the subclass Sceloptera have highly muscular legs and large keels derived from the front protrusion of their cephalopelvis, which supports their massive wing muscles. Like bats, they also have muscular backs for pulling their wings up. Their hips are also more flexible, as necessitated by the use of their legs as wings, though this comes at the cost that the protrusion which supports the pillar-erect posture of other species is tilted or even completely absent in some, therefore requiring them to use more energy to stand upright. |
||
The muscles on the chest and back for flapping their wings attach to the femur. |
The muscles on the chest and back for flapping their wings attach to the femur. |
||