Molodonts of the Late Pangeacene

Molodonts continue to thrive into the late Pangeacene. Forms have adapted to virtually all environments, from the far polar regions to hot deserts, and from the open plains and deep into forests. Protected from the elements by a dense fur coat, they thrive where other tribbets cannot. Molodonts have some of the most well-developed brains of all tribbets and are almost all social to some degree. Though their mortar-and-pestle like jaws are best suited to process hard nuts and seeds, the design is in fact quite versatile and molodonts have now evolved not only into a widely successful clade of rodent-like animals but also into large herbivores, generalists, and even carnivores, all through small modifications to the shape of their teeth. Though in all forms the dentition is highly specialized, with only two teeth in the jaw, the form of these teeth varies considerably. Species which feed mainly on nuts have a large blocky upper incisor which simply smashes food against a horizontally-flattened plate-like lower tooth. Species which feed more heavily on plant foods often develop a wedge-shaped upper tooth, adapted to cut in front and grind in back, which reaches its extreme in the grazing cirguagodonts, with the front of their teeth coming together in a slicing motion like a pair of pruning shears. The front of other molodont's teeth form a chisel, suited to gnawing into the bark of trees in search of insect prey or to construct a nest. In predatory forms, the teeth have both become serrated, cutting like kitchen shears in front and slicing chunks of flesh in the rear.

Tribbetheres in general, but especially molodonts, are also successful as a result of the high degree of care they lavish upon their offspring. Though some species are K-strategists and other r-strategists, all protect and nurture their young for at least a few weeks before they are independent. Indeed, it is the result of a prolonged period of parental attention that has allowed the molodont its high degree of dental specialization. The offspring are initially born completely toothless and are fed a pre-chewed mash of food by one or more of their parents for as long as several months before ever beginning to eat solid foods, giving them ample time to develop their teeth. The time from birth to weaning is shortest in small rodent-like seed-eaters, lasting about three weeks, and longest in large circuagodonts, whose highly specialized teeth are not sufficiently developed to allow them to feed themselves for up to six months.

By the late Pangeacene, there are approximately 700 living species of molodont tribbetheres, ranging from small grainivores no larger than mice to circuagodonts weighing more than two thousand pounds. Through them, the tribbetheres have almost completely claimed many niches formerly occupied by highly specialized birds groups, particularly in regards to large terrestrial herbivores and burrowers. Their future in an ever-changing world - particularly a colder one - is for now very bright. Their active metabolism, insulating integument, and the ability of many small forms to estivate or hibernate through harsh conditions will truly give the "fishes" an edge on land in coming eons.

above: a plump marmot-like molodont emerges in search of food from its burrow in temperate North Anciska, as winter gives way to the first new green growth of spring.