EarthBound Ecology: Onett
Today, I will be discussing the various organisms that call the town of Onett home. Onett is a peaceful suburbia that houses a variety of docile lifeforms, which easily live in harmony. On the outskirts of this town, trees, grass, flowers, and shrubbery make sanctuary for those who live within, such as my first subject, the Spiteful Crow.
Spiteful Crows can be found in grassy areas across Eagleland, usually searching for small insects or worms to eat in the grass. If desperate, the crows will even eat the grass itself for nourishment. The crows are squat and black in appearance, with bright yellow beaks that seem to show a constant grin. They are intelligent creatures who are curious of human society, which is why they often steal items from wandering citizens. When provoked, Spiteful Crows will fly in a zigzag pattern to befuddle their enemies and hopefully sneak up on them from behind. The pecking order in Spiteful Crow society is often not determined by physical power, but by the trinkets a crow has collected. In Spiteful Crow logic, a crow that is capable of gathering - and keeping - otherwise useless items is fitter to bare eggs. This is why dominant Spiteful Crows are often found wearing sunglasses they've stolen from people. The sunglasses show the crow's dominance and protect them from the pecks of other crows. Lesser Spiteful Crows do not wear sunglasses or other adornments, but they are seldom encountered for they usually hide from people.
Of course, Spiteful Crows are not the only animals found in Onett. If they were, they would quickly dominate the ecosystem and devour all the small invertebrates lower on the food chain. That is where the next subject comes in... the Coil Snake.
Coil Snakes are a race of usually timid reptiles that can be found across the world. They are the most common type of snake in Onett, and all of Eagleland. The snakes are plump and green, with somewhat lighter underbellies. In the Onett ecosystem, Coil Snakes are too weak to directly attack any animal, so they try to eat the eggs of Spiteful Crows. If necessary, the reptiles will revert to eating insects to survive. Fortunately, Coil Snakes do not need very much food - in contrast, they need vast amounts of water to survive. Coil Snakes are very plump because of the amount of fluids in them. Coil Snakes are very sinewy and strong muscle-wise, but to hydrate all their sinews, the Coil Snakes must drink enough water. However, if a Coil Snake where to dehydrate, its sinews would tighten and its strength would increase considerably. This is why Thirsty Coil Snakes found in the Dusty Dunes Desert are so much stronger than their Onett counterparts. Ironically, the decrease in a Coil Snake's health would increase its strength overall. Fortunately, this problem is not encountered in Onett because of its high moisture levels. Because Coil Snakes eat Spiteful Crow eggs, it keeps this simple ecosystem in check.
My third subject for this article will be on a creature that has not been in Onett for as long as my two aforementioned subjects, as it was introduced with human society. My third subject will be the Runaway Dog.
Runaway Dogs were introduced to the Onett area when humans started coming to the area. At that time, Onett was primarily a field of grass, surrounded by sparse forests with the foothills and the sea surrounding Onett on two sides. Anyway, Runaway Dogs are brown dogs with black spots that are prone to howling. Runaway Dogs have somewhat oblong eyes that often sport glasses. The idea that Runaway Dogs are actually runaways is a misconception. The breed of Runaway Dogs was introduced when Onett was only a settlement of humans - they were the breed of work dogs brought to Onett by the settlers. However, when the humans settled, they abandoned their dogs to save resources. The dogs were all the same breed, so they grouped together in packs. Unfortunately, due to their domestication, many of them died off, so only a sparse amount of the canines remained. Throughout time, these dogs interbred with new domestic dogs (such as the breed of King and Ruffini) to create a much more docile race. However, this race developed the characteristic of being solitary and developing freakish eyes, to its own disadvantage. Runaway Dogs have become the jackals of the Onett world - picking off excess weak/old Spiteful Crows and Coil Snakes. Sometimes a Runaway Dog would become lucky and kill a dominant Spiteful Crow, thusly obtaining its sunglasses, which it then wore as a sign that it was a dominant Runaway Dog (for a Runaway Dog would have to be strong to kill a dominant Spiteful Crow!). This, in fact, has led to all dominant members of Onett fauna to wear sunglasses, except Coil Snakes, who lack the limbs to apply eyewear.
These are the three main animal species in Onett. In addition to them, there is a variety of flora, ranging from the forest of trees in the hills to the wildflowers on Beak Point. Onett has high soil quality that allows the variety of plants to flourish. Strangely, the wide swaths of Onett grass don't seem to crowd out any other species, especially flowers, which would be suffocated in the tall grass. The diagram below illustrates the plant density in Onett flora:
As the diagram shows, thick forest surrounds Onett to the east and west. To the north, sparse trees and bushes along with wildflowers and grass (a mix of high and low grades) creates a high diversity. Beak point is dominated by flowers, as it may be too saline for the inland grass, while the wildflowers seem to have adapted. It also seems that plants that require more nutrients and soil depth grow in the north towards the foothills, which is unexpected as higher elevations traditionally have worse soil quality. Perhaps this is because of the salt leaking into Onett's soil from the ocean.
Human respect for nature in Onett has allowed for this stable ecosystem and thriving wildlife. Unlike big cities such as Fourside, Onett respects the land that came before it. Human nurture for nature is apparent in the many gardens and parks of Onett which increase the town's biomass. The lack of heavy industrial zoning is also something we owe to Mayor Pirkle, as he has devised a city structure that needs only residential and commercial zoning (in addition to necessary public services and infrastructure, of course). Hopefully Onett will continue to be the goal of nature-aware and developed cities well into the future.
Today, I will be discussing the various organisms that call the town of Onett home. Onett is a peaceful suburbia that houses a variety of docile lifeforms, which easily live in harmony. On the outskirts of this town, trees, grass, flowers, and shrubbery make sanctuary for those who live within, such as my first subject, the Spiteful Crow.
Spiteful Crows can be found in grassy areas across Eagleland, usually searching for small insects or worms to eat in the grass. If desperate, the crows will even eat the grass itself for nourishment. The crows are squat and black in appearance, with bright yellow beaks that seem to show a constant grin. They are intelligent creatures who are curious of human society, which is why they often steal items from wandering citizens. When provoked, Spiteful Crows will fly in a zigzag pattern to befuddle their enemies and hopefully sneak up on them from behind. The pecking order in Spiteful Crow society is often not determined by physical power, but by the trinkets a crow has collected. In Spiteful Crow logic, a crow that is capable of gathering - and keeping - otherwise useless items is fitter to bare eggs. This is why dominant Spiteful Crows are often found wearing sunglasses they've stolen from people. The sunglasses show the crow's dominance and protect them from the pecks of other crows. Lesser Spiteful Crows do not wear sunglasses or other adornments, but they are seldom encountered for they usually hide from people.
Of course, Spiteful Crows are not the only animals found in Onett. If they were, they would quickly dominate the ecosystem and devour all the small invertebrates lower on the food chain. That is where the next subject comes in... the Coil Snake.
Coil Snakes are a race of usually timid reptiles that can be found across the world. They are the most common type of snake in Onett, and all of Eagleland. The snakes are plump and green, with somewhat lighter underbellies. In the Onett ecosystem, Coil Snakes are too weak to directly attack any animal, so they try to eat the eggs of Spiteful Crows. If necessary, the reptiles will revert to eating insects to survive. Fortunately, Coil Snakes do not need very much food - in contrast, they need vast amounts of water to survive. Coil Snakes are very plump because of the amount of fluids in them. Coil Snakes are very sinewy and strong muscle-wise, but to hydrate all their sinews, the Coil Snakes must drink enough water. However, if a Coil Snake where to dehydrate, its sinews would tighten and its strength would increase considerably. This is why Thirsty Coil Snakes found in the Dusty Dunes Desert are so much stronger than their Onett counterparts. Ironically, the decrease in a Coil Snake's health would increase its strength overall. Fortunately, this problem is not encountered in Onett because of its high moisture levels. Because Coil Snakes eat Spiteful Crow eggs, it keeps this simple ecosystem in check.
My third subject for this article will be on a creature that has not been in Onett for as long as my two aforementioned subjects, as it was introduced with human society. My third subject will be the Runaway Dog.
Runaway Dogs were introduced to the Onett area when humans started coming to the area. At that time, Onett was primarily a field of grass, surrounded by sparse forests with the foothills and the sea surrounding Onett on two sides. Anyway, Runaway Dogs are brown dogs with black spots that are prone to howling. Runaway Dogs have somewhat oblong eyes that often sport glasses. The idea that Runaway Dogs are actually runaways is a misconception. The breed of Runaway Dogs was introduced when Onett was only a settlement of humans - they were the breed of work dogs brought to Onett by the settlers. However, when the humans settled, they abandoned their dogs to save resources. The dogs were all the same breed, so they grouped together in packs. Unfortunately, due to their domestication, many of them died off, so only a sparse amount of the canines remained. Throughout time, these dogs interbred with new domestic dogs (such as the breed of King and Ruffini) to create a much more docile race. However, this race developed the characteristic of being solitary and developing freakish eyes, to its own disadvantage. Runaway Dogs have become the jackals of the Onett world - picking off excess weak/old Spiteful Crows and Coil Snakes. Sometimes a Runaway Dog would become lucky and kill a dominant Spiteful Crow, thusly obtaining its sunglasses, which it then wore as a sign that it was a dominant Runaway Dog (for a Runaway Dog would have to be strong to kill a dominant Spiteful Crow!). This, in fact, has led to all dominant members of Onett fauna to wear sunglasses, except Coil Snakes, who lack the limbs to apply eyewear.
These are the three main animal species in Onett. In addition to them, there is a variety of flora, ranging from the forest of trees in the hills to the wildflowers on Beak Point. Onett has high soil quality that allows the variety of plants to flourish. Strangely, the wide swaths of Onett grass don't seem to crowd out any other species, especially flowers, which would be suffocated in the tall grass. The diagram below illustrates the plant density in Onett flora:
As the diagram shows, thick forest surrounds Onett to the east and west. To the north, sparse trees and bushes along with wildflowers and grass (a mix of high and low grades) creates a high diversity. Beak point is dominated by flowers, as it may be too saline for the inland grass, while the wildflowers seem to have adapted. It also seems that plants that require more nutrients and soil depth grow in the north towards the foothills, which is unexpected as higher elevations traditionally have worse soil quality. Perhaps this is because of the salt leaking into Onett's soil from the ocean.
Human respect for nature in Onett has allowed for this stable ecosystem and thriving wildlife. Unlike big cities such as Fourside, Onett respects the land that came before it. Human nurture for nature is apparent in the many gardens and parks of Onett which increase the town's biomass. The lack of heavy industrial zoning is also something we owe to Mayor Pirkle, as he has devised a city structure that needs only residential and commercial zoning (in addition to necessary public services and infrastructure, of course). Hopefully Onett will continue to be the goal of nature-aware and developed cities well into the future.
