Blish of The Cryptoland Islands

A habitat free of Terra Squids this abandoned money laundering pit has become the pinnacle of Ichthyopteran diversity.

230 MYH the Cryptoland Islands ecosystem is now taking shape with the mansions of the Squibbion millionaires long buried and vast swaths of the volcanic rock below now exposed by falling sea levels the islands are now around the same size as modern-day Sulawesi.

The formation of these islands in a world dominated by a single supercontinent has changed the trajectory of one particular group of animals Ichthyopterans more commonly Blish are the only group of volant vertebrates by extension the only group of vertebrates that can reach the Islands and the lower sea levels have aloud some flightless species to swim across from the Western Peninsula.

The islands can be roughly divided into three major habitats the rocky coastline which each spring hosts millions of nesting Seabird Blish.

The second is the open plains formed by falling sea levels. This area is constantly battered by strong sea winds cutting down any plants above a few feet tall.

It is here that we first arrive greeted by Pseudocygnus-maximus (largest false swan) more commonly The Giant Swan-Blish the largest Wadding Blish with a wing span of 13 feet standing at standing 5.7 feet tall and weighing up to 80 pounds.

The Giant Swan-Blish is so large that it rarely ever flies only using the updrafts from the sea to glide from the sea to grassy plains to graze as such it is exclusively found on the coast and plains avoiding the enclosed and forested mountains.

Giant Swan-Blish is the main herbivore of the open areas where the Moa Blish doesn't frequent feeding by dabbling on the vast swaths of grass or the leaves of shallow water plants along the coasts.

The Swan Blish has almost no predators as adults although eggs and young are targeted by the variety of predatory Seabird Blish that feed on the chicks of other nesting Blish parents do a good job at seeing off most attackers but it is the first year after the young are seen off that most fatalities occur.

The open plains are also home to a variety of large Rail Blish who first swam here some 8 million years ago but it is the forests in the highlands that make up the Island's original landmass that most of the island biodiversity can be found.

In this secluded forest of Araucaria trees, one kind find the highest amount of Blish diversity free from the Terra Squids Blish can truly come into there own here

All these Blish are endemic to the Cryptoland Islands in these forests the calls of the Blish are defining over 30 different species of Song Bird Blish call this island home the flashes of their "fur" coming in every color of the rainbow. Each of these Song Bird Blish has specialized for a certain diet with all manner of beak shapes and sizes to feed on fruit, nuts, cones, insects, leaves, or stems.

Occasionally one might catch the clattering beak and bulbous head of a Parrot Blish. 8 species live here the last of their entire order who died out on the mainland as the continent but they survive here on this hidden refuge many becoming nearly flightless like the Green-winged Parrot Blish (Psittacusrostrum viridis-green parrot beak) shown here.

Also found in the forest are many tips of Rail Blish (Lucensambulator-shinning walker) like the Iridescent Rail Blish featured here. Rail Blish are among the most diverse order of Blish on the Island with the lack of Terra Squid ground predators with some species only being a pound in weight and others like the Iridescent Rail Blish being up to 30 pounds and 2 feet tall.

But even the largest Rail Blish can't compare to the Moa Blish. Descendant from the Ostrich Blish that swam here around 7 million years ago they have become the island's main herbivore in the absence of Terra Squid and the largest of all the Dusky Moa Blish (Vesperapasco gigas-Massive dawn browser named after it's corpuscular) standing an impressive 14 feet tall and weighing 2000 pounds it is the largest Terrestrial vertebrate since the extinction of the Tetrapods. Despite its impressive size Moa Blish is an herbivore eating the high leaves of trees out of reach of other Blish.

However, where there is prey there are always predators and Blish fill that role here too.

Coming out only at night even when the Moa Blish are asleep is the Cryptoland Giant Owl-Blish (Nyctonyx desultura-leaping night claw) standing 4.6 feet tall it's nearly flightless only being able to fly when taking off from a high place. It is well adapted for climbing using its well-developed 5th limb to climb up the trees.

Like modern owls, the Giant-Owl Blish hunts by pouncing on its prey from above using its large talons to subdue prey. However, it is much heavier built as it hunts much larger prey than its mainland relatives such as the many Rail Blish on the forest floor.

However, even this impressive night hunter can't hold a candle to the Crested Eagle Blish (Divumraptor diadematus-crowned sky thief) the apex predator of the Cryptoland Islands.

With a wingspan of 11 feet relatively small as it often hunts in dense jungles it rules the Island with impunity being capable of taking down even the Giant Swan-Blish and Moa Blish wrestling them to the ground by pinning them with its talons using its 5th limb as support before killing it with a bite to the neck