Most of the species to immediately result from the great draconiform radiation were relatively small- to medium- sized fliers, propagating in and around seacoasts and wetlands, where their descendants, many of them little changed, remain very much in evidence to the present day. While the radiation of species never fully stopped, its impetus faded by 2.8 million cycles ago as a new dry period gathered strength; by that time the draconiforms had become a ubiquitous sight around the coasts and oceans of the world. Nonetheless, though many species proved capable of crossing continental distances, for over a million cycles it proved difficult for them to permanently inhabit continental interiors. Although some minor species developed an affinity for freshwater habitats, living around the margins of rivers and lakes, their expansion was slow and piecemeal at best until well after the beginning of a new wet period about 1.7 million cycles ago. It was during the resulting expansion that one of the formerly minor species became the ancestors of the takmoid lineage, beginning about 750,000 cycles ago.

The proto-takmoids developed from riparian populations that colonized the expanding lakes and marshes being created in continental interiors. These creatures occupied an ecological niche equivalent to that of wading birds on Earth, with a corresponding morphology: long legs with webbed feet, a long neck, and a long, thin muzzle, which they used to probe the water and bottom for food. While many of their descendants continued this mode of living, several takmoid lineages diverged into other niches.