This 'er Newtling thread...

From: Ashley Munday <Ashley.Munday_at_liffe.com>
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 13:04:35 -0000


Trotsky said: "They can't strictly speaking be neotenic (as dragonewts are), since that implies they are sexually fertile while appearing more or less larval."
Okay, bang my use of neotenic on the head. ~klonk~ He goes on: "At any rate, I doubt that they grow arms and legs and increase in size etc. since this would require rather a lot of water to live in, which they don't generally appear to have." My reasoning was that those that don't have a large bodies of fresh water to live and breed in (such as Sartar and the Zola Fel) usually turn into bachelors and wander off. On the other hand, those that have plenty of room wouldn't have so much environmental pressure to change so don't. And further: "That they might be able to delay metamorphosis depending on the environmental conditions/hormones/their parents doing the right ritual/etc. is however not implausible." I nicked the idea off RW amphibians. Some edible frogs can be kept as tadpoles by not allowing them to eat meat. It takes longer for newts to develop lungs if they live in cold, deep (relative to the size of a newt - we're talking deep pond here, not the ocean trench) water. "OTOH, that dragonewts have a means of preventing the transformation into the sexual stage in order to keep their slaves for longer seems quite believable, provided they have access to a source of young newtlings." I don't see any logical reason why Dragonewts wouldn't actually breed Newtlings to provide slaves. There again, Dragonewts seem to do anything you would expect.

Scotty added: "Jeez, they eat enough of our tails now. Don't let them know that we eat our own young! Don't want to encourage those 'Domers...."

This raises some interesting psychological questions about playing amphibians or fish. If Newtlings come from the amphibian tradition of dumping thousands of eggs and then it's every one for themselves how does that affect your personality and colour your interaction with other species? A human (and probably Troll) parent would probably die to save their children: a Newtling that has no concept of parental responsibility wouldn't. The first thing they'd remember from childhood is swimming about being hungry and finding it themselves rather than having someone look after them.

There again, the bunch from the Rainbow Mounds, near Apple Lane, appear to look after their young and worship their ancestors (assuming the Great Newt is the proto-newt). Maybe they have a concept of responsibility to the species rather than to other individuals?

Aesc


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