Terra 2: A Second Tree Of Life

10,000 Years PE

The first 100 centuries have now passed on Terra 2. The world is much changed from its beginning 10,000 years ago, but not drastically. The capybaras have quickly proliferated and scattered across the three continents, their smaller cousins the hamsters also experiencing a population boom. The capybaras can now be found in herds of hundreds on vast open prairies, mowing the grass down and exposing the soft soil that the hamsters use to dig their burrows. Regardless, the hamster's burrowing instincts are beginning to revert. Why burrow when there's nothing to hide from? They also don't need to hide their food or even store it in their cheeks due to the lack of predators and a cold winter. They have become small grazers, some now actually about the size of a rat, and consume an endless supply of grass and flower stalks. Speaking of flowers, the dandelions have also begun speciation, turning red, blue, purple, and of course yellow. Their flowers, really five flowers in one, have grown outwards and forwards to help reproduce which, although can still be caused through insect pollination, is now primarily wind-powered. The male dandelions, yes they have male and female forms, have also grown larger and produce more seeds. The strong winds on Terra 2 have caused dandelions, among other wind-powered pollinators, to grow worldwide.

Above; A male dandelion (right) and a female dandelion (left) on a prairie in Almara.

Bamboo has also begun to grow everywhere. Due to the violent storms and hefty rain they can grow on every landmass where storms occur, which in the Archi Epoch is everywhere. When storms do occur they often level out entire bamboo groves. The dead bamboo then serves as food for the capybaras, slugs, hamsters, birds, and coming bamboo that will grow in its place. A bamboo forest, once destroyed, only takes a few weeks to regrow to its full, original size. Few animals can live in the bamboo forests, however, because of the tight and narrow spaces between the grasses and so only undersized kiwis and robins can live here. Robins will tend to nest high up on top of the bamboo while kiwis will nest outside of the forest because of their unusually large eggs which, believe it or not, can be as big as ostrich eggs, and use the forest as shelter during the chilly nights.

In the seas, life has stayed somewhat the same. Fish haven't grown, at least not much, and populations have surprisingly remained stable. The tides are presumably to blame. They are violent and discourage any grass from growing near the shorelines. Rather than grassy shores with golden sand, there are instead jagged pebble beaches devoid of any grass, flowers, rodents, or birds. The only animals here are species of crabs that occasionally exit the water to lay their eggs and breed. The plankton has been a sustainable nutrition source for the guppies and goldfish which in turn have been preyed on by lobsters. The jellyfish, though, are not affected by tides and can live at depths of 15,000 feet. They have grown enormous, up to 80 feet in some species. They are Towering Jellyfish and will be a lineage to keep an eye on.

The insects, specifically ants and moths, have skyrocketed in the last 10,000 years. The ants, which build their nests in large mounds of mud on the grasslands, have become ecosystem keepers. They eat the grass on the prairies and leave large patches devoid of grass around their nests. Now this might sound harmful but it benefits one creature; the kiwi. The kiwi will make use of the large grass-devoid patches of soil to build their nests and keep their eggs secure. Now, what does an ant want in return? Their bodies. The kiwis, when they reach their peak age of 5 years, will die near to or even inside the mound, allowing the ants to provide a secure shelter for their eggs or larvae. This is the first of many symbiotic relationships which will evolve on Terra 2.

The sun will now set on day 3,650,000 and the 10,001st year will begin.