Hello again and welcome to the last First Million post and last part of our three weeks series of posts about the frogs of the very first Million of Years. Without further ado let's begin.
Incilia
This is the largest of all continents, spanning from the South to the North thus having a wide variety of biomes-And so being the only landmass to have the Taiga biome. It has a long mountain chain to the East, casting an enormous Rainshadow effect leaving a good part of the continent's interior dry whith the dominant biomes being the desertic ones.
Gluttons(Rhinella spp.)
Cane toads (Rhinella marina), known like that for being introduced to many parts of the world in order to combat the Cane beetle, a pest that attacks Sugarcane. Like many other introduced species the cane toad has become invasive and destructive due to its hardy behavior, being able to live in many habitats and eat a variety of prey. So it was not differnet here in Incilia, the toads became highly widespread in just a few decades because of the lack of predators and ample food availability. Their opressive presence has led to the evolution of new behaviors among their own relatives and in their distant cousins, the Colorado river toad, (Which we will talk about soon) but for now let's see such relatives of the Cane toad.
Carmesim toad(R. eythra)
The Carmesim toad -so called for its red-ish brown color- is a relatively small species of toad, averaging a Snout to vent Length of 20 centimeters, though, as practically all other frog species, they can grow larger if they get enough food. They suffered from the effects of Adaptive radiation, evolving a different diet so to not compete much with the Cane toads preferring a diet of invertebrates over other toads, with an even higher preference for ants. This can be seen in their physiology as they have a smaller head, yet they will not let the opportunity to eat a smaller relative.
Water cane toad(R. amphibia)
This cane toad has also adapted to avoid competition with its parent species, evolving to take on aquatic prey such as other toads, centipedes, isopods, etc. For this task they have webbed feet (in the picture i erroniously drew webbed hands too) and longer legs for underwater propulsion, which are also used to launch out of the water into the land when ambushing terrestrial prey.
Desert dwellers(Incilia spp.)
Part of the diverse genus Incilius spp. these toads are as adaptable as the aforementioned cane toads, using of Niche partitioning to stay in a separate ecology compared to the more competitive Rhinellans. Even though they are described as desert dwellers these toads are find in steppes and savannas too, in fact this genus lives in really close association with water, always living near rivers hence why they are commonly called as River toads. This is ancestral to Heqetian Incilians as they descend specifically from the Colorado river toad who exhibits semi-aquatic adaptations and lifestyle.
Brown river toad(I. fuscus)
The smallest species on the continent, the Brown river toad thrives by being more Fossorial, digging burrows where they rest. Coming to hunt during night they will forage in "dry soil" and underwater or in water edges, their dark coloration makes them blend in with the dark nights better. These toads can Aestivate during dry periods.
Brown-headed river toad(I. fuscucephalus)
This toad is the largest of this genus, averaging at 20 centimeters SVL, however they can grow larger principally in environments with less competition. They are Sympatric with the cane toads and compete with them for food. They forage both near and away from water, preferring terrestrial habitats.
White river toad(I. albus)
The last of the toads this species is very adept for dry environments, their light coloration helps them blend in with their generally sandy environments. As every species from this genus they will hunt both inland and underwater.
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This was the last post detailing the frogs of the First Million, it is impossible to describe every single animal, plant and fungi that appeared around this time and other time stops as this would take a very long time. Soon we will jump to the next time stop, 5 Millions of Years After Abandonment.
