Racing Rainbowtail: Difference between revisions

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With the evolution of the bannertail, most of the rainbowtails were outcompeted and thus died out. The only exception was the small population out in the Drake Plains that were able to scrape out a meager existence, but they were not thriving by living only in the plains. The region had inconsistent amounts of rain, which was often not enough for their eggs and tadpoles to survive development. As such, the rainbowtail’s numbers dwindled with every passing decade as old individuals began to die and not enough young were surviving to adulthood and thus replace them. The future of the population looked grim, but this intense selective pressure also meant any adaptations that gave an individual an advantage over others in terms of reproduction would immediately be able to spread through the tiny population.

This presented itself with females who began to retain the eggs inside their bodies for longer and longer periods, while the eggs adapted to develop inside the mother. This got to the point where the mother never lays the eggs and they hatch within her body as small juveniles, having developed past the tadpole stage within their eggs before being born. Being born in their juvenile form, these youngsters would be able to survive without the need of spawning pools and thus cutting the population’s ties with spawning pools for good. By now, the rainbowtail was no more, the Drake Plains population having evolved into a new taxon. This new group of organisms are now known as the '''racing rainbowtail'''. The genetic bottleneck they went through has left its mark, however, as the racing rainbowtails have low genetic diversity as a consequence.

This presented itself with females who began to retain the eggs inside their bodies for longer and longer periods, while the eggs adapted to develop inside the mother. This got to the point where the mother never lays the eggs and they hatch within her body as small juveniles, having developed past the tadpole stage within their eggs before being born. Being born in their juvenile form, these youngsters would be able to survive without the need of spawning pools and thus cutting the population’s ties with spawning pools for good. By now, the rainbowtail was no more, the Drake Plains population having evolved into a new taxon. This new group of organisms are now known as the '''racing rainbowtail'''. The genetic bottleneck they went through has left its mark, however, as the racing rainbowtails have low genetic diversity as a consequence of their strained past.

In many ways, the racing rainbowtails are similar to their ancestors except modified for pursuit hunting. In order to run for longer, the armor present on their backs has reduced in size, in order to lessen the amount of weight they need to carry. The legs, meanwhile, have elongated to increase their stride length, which increases the amount of ground they cover as they run compared to their ancestor. This all works into their hunting strategy, as they primarily hunt small to mid-sized herbivores by chasing them into exhaustion. The group will also use hunting tactics, with some lying up ahead in ambush while others chase prey towards them and cutting off any escape routes. Once they catch a victim, the pack will use their taloned hands, hooked beaks, and sharp teeth to take them down.

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 With the evolution of the bannertail, most of the rainbowtails were outcompeted and thus died out. The only exception was the small population out in the Drake Plains that were able to scrape out a meager existence, but they were not thriving by living only in the plains. The region had inconsistent amounts of rain, which was often not enough for their eggs and tadpoles to survive development. As such, the rainbowtail’s numbers dwindled with every passing decade as old individuals began to die and not enough young were surviving to adulthood and thus replace them. The future of the population looked grim, but this intense selective pressure also meant any adaptations that gave an individual an advantage over others in terms of reproduction would immediately be able to spread through the tiny population.
-This presented itself with females who began to retain the eggs inside their bodies for longer and longer periods, while the eggs adapted to develop inside the mother. This got to the point where the mother never lays the eggs and they hatch within her body as small juveniles, having developed past the tadpole stage within their eggs before being born. Being born in their juvenile form, these youngsters would be able to survive without the need of spawning pools and thus cutting the population’s ties with spawning pools for good. By now, the rainbowtail was no more, the Drake Plains population having evolved into a new taxon. This new group of organisms are now known as the '''racing rainbowtail'''. The genetic bottleneck they went through has left its mark, however, as the racing rainbowtails have low genetic diversity as a consequence.
+This presented itself with females who began to retain the eggs inside their bodies for longer and longer periods, while the eggs adapted to develop inside the mother. This got to the point where the mother never lays the eggs and they hatch within her body as small juveniles, having developed past the tadpole stage within their eggs before being born. Being born in their juvenile form, these youngsters would be able to survive without the need of spawning pools and thus cutting the population’s ties with spawning pools for good. By now, the rainbowtail was no more, the Drake Plains population having evolved into a new taxon. This new group of organisms are now known as the '''racing rainbowtail'''. The genetic bottleneck they went through has left its mark, however, as the racing rainbowtails have low genetic diversity as a consequence of their strained past.
 In many ways, the racing rainbowtails are similar to their ancestors except modified for pursuit hunting. In order to run for longer, the armor present on their backs has reduced in size, in order to lessen the amount of weight they need to carry. The legs, meanwhile, have elongated to increase their stride length, which increases the amount of ground they cover as they run compared to their ancestor. This all works into their hunting strategy, as they primarily hunt small to mid-sized herbivores by chasing them into exhaustion. The group will also use hunting tactics, with some lying up ahead in ambush while others chase prey towards them and cutting off any escape routes. Once they catch a victim, the pack will use their taloned hands, hooked beaks, and sharp teeth to take them down.

Racing Rainbowtail: Difference between revisions

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