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[GreatWyrmGold]

Improbable.

[kopout]

which part?

[GreatWyrmGold]

Both that an animal would evolve to a more active or otherwise interesting lifestyle whilst being photosynthetic, and that photosynthesis could provide a substantial portion of such an animal's energy needs.

[10ebbor10]

There's a certain snail that does just that. Though it isn't really symbiotic; it actually steals stuff.

Both that an animal would evolve to a more active or otherwise interesting lifestyle whilst being photosynthetic, and that photosynthesis could provide a substantial portion of such an animal's energy needs.

We could only use it for a single stage in life, Ie, the reproductive, or the early life stages.

Anyway:

Spines. (If real spine then)
+1
Improve gut
+1
Develop ciliated grooves along the body to sweep food into mouth
+1
Develop intercellular algae symbiote
+1,

[kopout]

Very active organism that gets all of its food from photosynthesis
dn16124-solarpowered-sea-slug-harnesses-stolen-plant-genes

Salamanders that get a photosynthetic boost in early life
[url]http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/symbiotic-salamander/[/ur]

Mother nature has this tendency to beat us to the punch and ignore verisimilitude concerns

Ninja'd

[GreatWyrmGold]

There's a certain snail that does just that. Though it isn't really symbiotic; it actually steals stuff.

Could I see a Wikipedia page, BBC article, scientific name, or other thing that lets me check up on that? Above all, so I can figure out what you mean by "that"?

Both that an animal would evolve to a more active or otherwise interesting lifestyle whilst being photosynthetic, and that photosynthesis could provide a substantial portion of such an animal's energy needs.

We could only use it for a single stage in life, Ie, the reproductive, or the early life stages.

More reasonable, but I'm still against it for the short term. Mainly because only the permanent version has been suggested, I suppose.
...Probably the early stages of life would be best. Although they'd still need to eat some stuff, and would need to hide from predators more...

Very active organism that gets all of its food from photosynthesis
[url]dn16124-solarpowered-sea-slug-harnesses-stolen-plant-genes[/ur]

Salamanders that get a photosynthetic boost in early life
[url]http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/symbiotic-salamander/[/ur]

Mother nature has this tendency to beat us to the punch and ignore verisimilitude concerns

Oh, look, bad links to the kind of thing I was looking for! I'll post now to avoid getting ninja'd again, then look at those.

EDIT: The salamander's seems to only be in the embryotic stage of development, which doesn't help promote the cause of lifelong photosynthesis. The sea slug (with the poetic and alliterative name of the Eastern Emerald Elysia) don't technically symbiotise with algae, and more to the point need to eat algae. I haven't been able to find anything suggesting that they rely on the photosynthesis to any extent, either.

[10ebbor10]

See up for required articles. Kopout already posted them.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Were you referring to the sea slug when you said "snail"?

[10ebbor10]

Slug, snail, is about the same thing.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Not r--okay.

[Helgoland]

Now I want a shotgun that shoots snails. "Eat snail, evildoer!"
Worst French superhero ever.

The question we have to ask is: Do we want to become the apex predator, or, well, slime? That's pretty much the spine/symbiosis split.

[kopout]

Now I want a shotgun that shoots snails. "Eat snail, evildoer!"
Worst French superhero ever.

doesn't sound to bad to me

The question we have to ask is: Do we want to become the apex predator, or, well, slime? That's pretty much the spine/symbiosis split.

I, for one, would rather we be in a stable niche than a prestigious one. We wouldn't be slime exactly and we can probably get to the point were we are essentially an uneatable herbivore.

[Harbingerjm]

and we can probably get to the point were we are essentially an uneatable herbivore.

Ahahaha.
That will end poorly.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Indeed it will.

Also, it's "inedible".

[Eotyrannus]

If we REALLY want to survive, our best bet is being a small carnivore of even smaller herbivores. Just ask pretty much anything ever. Ask birds, shrew-like mammals, small lizards...