Bug Ferret Wildlife Development (Patreon)

I decided multicellular life on the bug ferret homeplanet reproduces with viruses instead of gamete cells, like this:

Which is entirely because I really wanted the alternating lifecycle of gravedigger tree babies to work. Viral "sperm" functions the same as regular sperm, but it does open exciting possibilities for parasitism. Tree babies as a clade parasitize trees by injecting them with viruses that reprogram the tree's haploid tissue to produce (their) animal cells. It's a similar concept to gall wasps, but instead of the tree making a protective ball of delicious food for the larva to live in, the tree makes the larva.

I'm still uncertain on the tripod posture of the flying squid guys. I'm really picky about odd-number limb plans, I'll need more time to hash it out. Same with the hydraulic muscles, they are trickier than you'd think because the mechanics of a tissue that pushes instead of pulls means the skeleton has to accommodate compressive force instead of tension.

All of these thingies belong to a clade of terrestrial squid-like animals (though the flyers became terrestrial after evolving flight, a separate event than the one that led to the evolution of the furry viviparous clade with tree babies). There are no vertebrate-like clades on the bug ferret homeplanet, though these fellows have an endoskeleton derived from something like a cuttlebone, beaks/radula, and calcified muscular supports.