How can I prevent hyper evolved versions of regular creatures from wiping out their cousins?
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The world is covered is mana, the life force that flows through all things. In certain places, this mana is saturated to high levels. This affects the animals living in those areas, who absorb the high concentrations. Over many, many generations, these animals mutate away from their parent species, giving rise to unnatural creatures that are larger and more powerful. Ex: snakes evolve into hydras, lizards become great wymms, horses become unicorns, etc. Their changes get passed down to their offspring, and may continue to evolve in surprising ways. The high concentration of mana in their genes have a number of various effects that give them advantages over other members of their parent species. Although they are not sapient like humans, they are more intelligent than average creatures. This makes t