SPECIMEN LOG: The Glass Tweedler

[knux400]

~~~SPECIMEN LOG~~~
0502 "The Glass Tweedler"
[CW: Reproduction (plantlike/asexual), Death]
Entry 3 - Family and Foes

Day 225: After spending time in Fortune's nest, Lucky was successfully moved back to its enclosure. Analysis shows that the cracks on Lucky and Fortune's body are fusing together from the outside in- the surface of their body has regained its continuous smooth texture, but the deeper cracks are still visible as lines underneath the surface.

Day 232: Closer inspection of the intruder's corpse reveals a unique crystalline structure, with a snowflake-esque pattern to it.

Day 234: Lucky and Fortune were both cooperative enough today to allow microscopic examination of their body. A similar snowflake pattern was found in their crystalline structure, however the pattern was significantly different in Lucky and Fortune than in the intruder. In addition, Lucky's pattern is only slightly different from Fortune's.

Day 245: Using Fortune's tracker data, we now have a better grasp of the tweedler's typical roaming grounds. We are preparing an expedition to search for more specimens.

Day 252: The first expedition was a partial success. While no live specimens were captured, several were sighted and a broken corpse was retrieved. Like the intruder, it is dull grey in color and frozen in the position it took in its final moments. Analysis of the crystal structure reveals it to be a distinct pattern from Fortune and Lucky's shared pattern as well as the pattern of the intruder.

Day 254: Lucky and Fortune's wounds are no longer visible. Apart from Lucky's wing, the two seem completely healthy again.

Day 256: Our first live specimen has been found. It is currently contained in a large plastic box.

Day 262: Two more specimens have been captured.

Day 264: Fortune was introduced to one of the captured specimens today, and responded aggressively. Both tweedlers made loud warning chirps similar to the ones recorded during Fortune's combat with the intruder.

Day 267: Two more specimens have been captured. For the sake of convenience, they will be numbered 1 to 5 in the order obtained.

Day 272: Specimens 1 and 2 were introduced to Fortune today, and were both met with aggression. Despite being in separate enclosures from one another, it seems territorial instincts are extremely prevalent in this species. Further experimentation will wait until tomorrow to prevent Fortune from becoming overly stressed.

Day 273: Specimens 4 and 5 were introduced to Fortune today, Specimen 3 being the one Fortune saw before. Specimen 5 was met with hostility, but Specimen 4 produced an interesting reaction. The two seemed to get close to one another, almost as if they recognized one another.

Day 276: With the help of a few TCP, we have been able to induce a controlled sleeping state in our specimens. This will make closer examination much easier.

Day 277: The crystalline structures of all 5 specimens have been examined. Each has a distinct pattern from one another, with the exception of Specimen 4. Its pattern closely resembles Fortune and Lucky's patterns, with only minor variation. It is suspected that the tweedlers are able to perceive each other's crystal structure, and recognize others with similar patterns.

Day 279: The five specimens were released today. Most of them flew off in a hurry and did not return, but Specimen 4 lingered for a while, interacting with Fortune and Lucky.

Day 285: A sixth specimen has been captured. It is being kept in a separate facility from Fortune and Lucky, with its own nesting area and a selection of plants to deposit shreds in. It is simply being referred to as 'Neighbor'.

Day 287: The pod the intruder deposited shreds in has opened and the tweedler inside was captured before it could fly away. Analysis of its crystal structure reveals it to be mostly similar to Fortune's pattern, but with some characteristics of the intruder's pattern. It seems that despite Fortune overwriting the pod, the tweedler inside still developed with a hint of the intruder's pattern. It was later released, and had no interaction with Fortune or Lucky.

Day 292: Neighbor has deposited shreds in several of the flowers provided to it.

Day 323: As we wait for Neighbor's pods to open, we have been capturing more tweedlers to observe their crystal patterns. No two patterns are completely alike, but there have been several groups of similar patterns.

Day 346: The first of Neighbor's pods opened today. Comparison of the newborn tweedler's crystal structure with Neighbor's confirms our running theory: It seems that tweedlers directly related to one another share very similar patterns, with the offspring only having minor variations from the parent.

Day 347: The second and third of Neighbor's pods opened today. Analysis of the new tweedlers shows them to be similar in structure to Neighbor, but each with their own variation an the pattern. It is being theorized that this pattern will grow more and more distinct over many generations, thus forming different 'flocks' of tweedlers. Neighbor is able to recognize its own offspring by observing their crystal patterns, and will refrain from attacking members of its own 'flock'.

Day 352: Neighbor and its offspring have been released, as we have no further need to observe them.