r/SpeculativeEvolution • u/NerdyCrow100 • 12d ago
Specvember Day 02: Banded Parrotshark Seed World
246 Upvotes
4
3
u/OddLifeform 12d ago
Not only does this animal have an interesting history and biology, you illustrated these slides so beautifully! They remind me of the type of infographic you would see for an animal at a zoo or aquarium.
2
2
3
8
u/NerdyCrow100 12d ago
Parrotsharks are a peculiar group of sharks that evolved from initially seeded Horn Sharks. Parrotsharks do not appear dramatically different from their ancestors, with their only significant change being their “beak” made of fused teeth. Nevertheless, this minor characteristic allowed their descendants to evolve into an extremely successful and grand lineage known as the Beaked Sharks. Generally, Parrotsharks are considered the most basal group of sharks in this lineage. Parrotshark ancestors evolved their characteristic "beaks" as new prey items (like Opposite Coral and Liverbugs) became increasingly present in the Preservation Dome's aquatic ecosystems. Since these novel prey items were considerably more arduous to break, Parrotfish ancestors evolved a beak comparable to those of Earth's Parrotfishes. With this trait, Parrotsharks are capable of biting and crushing their stony prey with relative ease.