Jacars Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Darn you Vinderkarr, now you got me interested in spiders. Now I HAVE to search for more information of them :D Such interesting creatures... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vindekarr Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Try Wikipedia, good place to start. And yeah, Arachnids in general are ancient BEYOND ancient, the first known land predator was a Trigonotarbida, a ten-legged, shelled, fanged creature is instantly recognisable as the shared ancestor of modern Spiders and Scorpions, which are for the most part seperate genera. The Trigonotarbida however, was so ancient I can't really put it in words, being more than four-hundred, million years old-in numbers that's 419,000,000,000 years ago. These things eventualy went on to conquer both above and below the water, eventualy reaching gargantuan sizes not out of place in Lord Of The Rings. The biggest Arachnid ever found was more than three metres across, a massive oceanic WhipScorpion from hundreds of millions of years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigonotarbida <Trigonotarbids Spiders are now the most distributed and successful genus on earth except for their prey, insects. The highest have been found on Mt Everest's summit, the lowest found at the very bottom of the deepest' pits of the sea, and in climates ranging from Saharan Africa to sub-zero Mongolian Steppe, Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae) and Jumping Spiders(Salticidae) being the most common, with both being found on every continent save the arctic. The largest Spider by biomass is debated, as five species of Tarantula, as adult females, can all weigh more than 150 grams when healthy, the biggest by legspan is the Giant Cave Huntsman, which is more than a foot across when standing normaly, and when lying down to rest, can be closer to a metre. The smallest known is the barely visible MoneySpider, a minute yet bold, venomless species that is found globaly, and that is seen in Australia and England as a sign of good luck if you find one on you. The oldest species is the Japanese trapdoor, and the smartest is the miniscule Potia Fimbriata(no nonbinomial name) Jumping Spider of south Asia, which has shown both problem solving, tool using, and puzzle-solving abilities, aswell as the ability to invent new stratergies on the fly based on previous encounters. As for lizards and snakes, Spiders aren't too bad in the cold, with many species being found in cold climates(top of Everest isn't a warm spot, but there are several species of spider native to it) snakes however, and lizards, they're very vulnerable, but they can adapt. During the Cretaceous period, this was begining to happen. Just before they went extinct, Dinosaurs began to exhibit perhaps the most astounding phase of their evolution: warm blood. Though it was only seen in a tiny handful of species, and is a very little known fact, at the very very end of the Cretaceous, a number of new behaviours began to appear, from the Charcarodontosaurus' sociability and apparent ability to look after wounded packmates(historicaly a mammalian trait only) to a tiny few species being able to internaly generate, and regulate body temperature, to the beginings of feathers and, even, on a species found in New Zealand, fur. I think that Argonians could probably be spun as having self-regulating body temperature. Lizards evolved very rapidly from aquatic creatures to gargantuan land animals, within a few million years, and by the time of their untimely demise they were begining to become as a whole, more mammalian, with both fur and feathers being seen, and hightened intelligence, with Charcarodontosaurus(Kar-Karo-Dont-A-Saur-Us, means Shark Toothed Lizard) admitedly showing little sign of being particularly clever, but atleast being capable of pack mentality and hunting as a group, with hale members feeding wounded members, making this little known member of the Therapod family(including T-Rex) somewhat like a cretaceous wolf. Reptiles aren't my speciality but during the late dinosaur periods(Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous) but I do know that by the time they were obliterated, they were becoming highly sophisticated creatures, and in a fantasy setting you could easily get away with giving them all sorts of climate related survival evolutions. Including fur, as furry dinosaurs have been found, aswell as those covered in thick feathers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FnimonSni Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't think the Argonians will mind the cold - I think they're cold-blooded. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVampireDante Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't think the Argonians will mind the cold - think they're cold-blooded. :thumbsup: Which is the problem - no biological means of self regulating temperature. Cold blooded being + cold environment = They freeze to death. Argonians might be found in the warmer regions, perhaps with a few heavily wrapped up wandering Adventure seeking ones further into the cold, snowbound areas. I don't see them hanging around in ice caves or heavy snow drifts for long though... hanging around settlements and camps with large fires perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hector530 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 (edited) who's to say argonians are cold-blooded some dinosaurs werent. also is there any lore talking about argonians sunbathing? or displaying cold blood traits? i found 2 argonains living in cold weather in TES games one doesnt seem to mind it, the other does. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Right-Wind http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Bloodmoon:Basks-In-The-Sun Edited June 9, 2011 by hector530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ub3rman123 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I wager we'll see at least one miserable argonian freezing his bottom off. The Nord in Mournhold had the opposite case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iv000 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I'm just happy with Argonians confirmed.It would be nice if they would add Pros and Cons to every race.Like Argonians not liking the cold, but can breathe underwater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndorilTheGreat Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 <snip>Like Argonians not liking the cold, but can breathe underwater. Heh... as soon as I read that, I pictured an Argonian going for a dip in a lake, and then the lake icing over... That would certainly make an interesting quest... "Save the Argonian!" Also, Vindekarr, now I am incredibly interested in spiders. As for having spiders as an enemy in game, one would think that a giant spider would be a bit harder to kill. Ya' know, just saying. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draconix Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I think it would be neat if temperature could be an added gameplay feature for argonians.. The player has to monitor their core temperature and manage it with various warmth fire/healing spells. Turning up the heat can give you added strength and speed at the cost of making your body sore, and therefore decreasing your resistance to damage. Something like that could be like a hardcore mode for Skyrim. I dig it.. Also: Yeah, Argonians could be warm blooded. If they're not, it's a good thing they can wear clothing to help insulate their core temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scot Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Interesting info, the skyrim giant spider is actually similar to the scorpion spider or camel spider with his big fangs, it lives in the deserts though, then again skyrim is a fantasy game and so is a giant spider in a cave XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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