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Description
A male Eusthenopod wander the coastal plains of Western Pylia alone. He was separated from his herd a few weeks ago when he fell behind, trying to cross a river. By the time he had managed to reach the other side, the rest had all left him. If he were with his herd, he would have perhaps gotten an oppurtunity to pass on his genes in the imminent mating season. All alone, though, his display organs flaunt for nobody to see.

Eusthenopods are a group of terrestrial Latapod Placoderm that diverged from other Hexadactyls in middle 'Carboniferous'. They mainly subside on leaves, stems, and roots, though this specific species pictured will not shy away from arthropods and brachiopods it senses for with its snout bristles. Their eyes have moved further out in order to see more, an important adaptation as they have quite poor hearing and almost non-existant capability in smelling. Too big to be threatened by most terrestrial predators as adults, they have developed elaborate flag-like display structures from their claspers as a form of sexual selection. During mating season, male Eusthenopods rapidly raise and drop their displays, as if flagging for an aircraft's landing, hence their common name - Flaggers.

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This is an excercise of speculative evolution in which introduced Devonian biota colonise a ruined alien habitat.

Description
A male Eusthenopod wander the coastal plains of Western Pylia alone. He was separated from his herd a few weeks ago when he fell behind, trying to cross a river. By the time he had managed to reach the other side, the rest had all left him. If he were with his herd, he would have perhaps gotten an oppurtunity to pass on his genes in the imminent mating season. All alone, though, his display organs flaunt for nobody to see.

Eusthenopods are a group of terrestrial Latapod Placoderm that diverged from other Hexadactyls in middle 'Carboniferous'. They mainly subside on leaves, stems, and roots, though this specific species pictured will not shy away from arthropods and brachiopods it senses for with its snout bristles. Their eyes have moved further out in order to see more, an important adaptation as they have quite poor hearing and almost non-existant capability in smelling. Too big to be threatened by most terrestrial predators as adults, they have developed elaborate flag-like display structures from their claspers as a form of sexual selection. During mating season, male Eusthenopods rapidly raise and drop their displays, as if flagging for an aircraft's landing, hence their common name - Flaggers.

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This is an excercise of speculative evolution in which introduced Devonian biota colonise a ruined alien habitat.