Hoppers In The Ice Age

Unique Snails hang on South of the Coastal Mountains

Hoppers, one-legged snails that occasionally hop across the ground at high speed have experienced hard times in the Ice Age.

As exothermic animals, their range has been restricted by the cooling climate compared to fellow derived mollusks the Terra Squids whose body temperature is on par with non-avian Dinosaurs (laughably higher than any other Spiralian) and can cope with colder temperatures.

Hoppers have seen their range limited to the central desert which is always hot and along the Coastal Lowlands where the temperature doesn't drop below freezing in winter. Well, the Desert Hopper and its kin still survive in their ancestral home all other species are descendants of the Rainforest Hopper, those that followed the forest south as the climate cooled.

Safely tucked behind the Coastal Mountains sparred from the cold winds of the north Hoppers continue along under the shadow of the planets Squid and Flying Fish rulers.

In the forests of the Coastal Highlands forest Tree Top Hops are a climbing species of smaller hoppers usually found above the ground.

Moving amongst the trees has resulted in a smaller body about half the size of their ancestor with a longer foot for jumping between branches and scampering up and down the bark.

Like other Hoppers, they're capable of short bursts of high-energy movement on their one foot although unlike other hoppers they're not well suited for traveling over flat terrain, but for pulling themselves up trees and jumping off tree branches their foot pads arched like a humans to grip the surface although most of there day is spent sunning and feeding.

As Exotherms, they can’t keep enduring fast movements like this for long, and their defense is running into trees against Vicemouths or jumping down branches against Raptorial Blish (the main use for their shell and spikes) and As such their most common predator are descendants of the Linlolligo, Necksnares that can follow them through the tree branches.

Further south in the Coastal Lowlands where the sea meets the marsh the largest hopers can be found in the form of the Sock Hop. Standing nearly 8 feet tall the Sock Hop is too big to stand up on land only growing as tall as it is has the water to support it.

Pulling itself on land like an inchworm the only times this snail spends on land are sunning in the morning as their far more vulnerable to land-based predators than to aquatic ones their shell and spikes protect them from all but the biggest of Lungefish and Silverswimmers.

Sock Hops are less active than other Hoppers they're closely related to, as their lifestyle of lazily grazing on aquatic plants and crustaceans requires less energy than the Tree Top Hops jumping. Sock Hops can move fast in bursts pushing themselves through the water with frantic skulks of their leg although most of the time they prefer to slowly push along the floor.

Their locomotion does limit how far out they can reach as although they are unable to drown, theirs a certain point when ocean currents become to strong for their rather inefficient swimming method to handle and will risk death via dehydration and starvation.