Evolution attempts
Exomeso water extraction-5
Internal water storage-6
Stronger legs-3
Stronger neurotoxin-5
The Spears have continued to advance in both their water and land habitats. Key among their evolutions is their ability to store water inside them. They have few vital organs, their stomach sac, their brain and now the water sac(and they all just float in the bodily fluids), the water sac which stores up to seven gallons of water at a given time, and is very efficient, having a very low loss rate for the water apart from natural usage. A full seven gallons will typically last theSpear for three to four days, at which point they will have to replenish. Saltwater lasts only have as long, so they developed a method for gathering water from the Exomeso's succulent leaves, in which they have two specialised tentacles, which have fleshy vessels from the water sac to the tip of the tentacle. They pierce the ready to burst leaves, only at the tip, and allow the water to run through the vessels into the sac, and it is stored there for later use. This has potential dangers if they should absorb poisonous liquids, or something exceptionally small manages to get in there and block the water flow, or if a very tiny creature should get in there, they could consume the Spear from the inside out. The tip of the vessels opening is only about 3 centimeters wide, however, so it would require a very, very small body size. Further, these special water piercers are not scaled. While they are very narrow and short, properly exploited they are a vulnerable spot.
Finally, after generations of degeneration, the Spear's new habitat has applied pressure to their toxins again, and their neurotoxin has increased to 85% effectiveness.
GENERATION 12:
(Endonium) spear
A large, clear, tentacled, finned and trilaterally symmetric scaled blob. Their skin is extremely tough and they have 4 pairs of fins. They absorb food through the skin, and is dissolved in the inner body fluids. It is around 15 centimeters in height, 20 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide. They have a number of tentacles from 20 to thirty, and each tentacle absorbs light in photosynthesis, but are also laced with a powerful toxin which paralyzes most things that come in contact with it. Each tentacle is close to 15 centimeters long. The fins are streamlined and encounter almost 0 water resistance. It has 3 sets of lungs, and a number of special tentacles used for dragging itself around on land. It has another set of special tentacles for leaf piercing.
SOCIAL: Has a shoaling social structure. There are 7 adult Spears in a single shoal, but up to as many as 50 or so budlets in a shoal. Each shoal is very emotionally bonded and will protect each other to the death if possible, and death of an Spear leaves the others very depressed for weeks. They will take a territory area together and live in it until they die, as the hunt together and live together. A dead Spear will not be replaced and all shoals eventually collapse, leaving room for other shoals to rise. A shoal which spends more time on land than in the water is referred to as a pack.
SENSES: Can detect electric impulses in the water of most degrees, but faint ones are usually still missed. Their eyes can tell most shapes, but small shapes or creatures are generally ignored. Because of their trisymmetry, they can see almost everywhere except for directly behind them. Can also project electric impulses at a range of around 500 meters. Their lateral line is useless on land, but they can still see fine.
REPRODUCTION: Projectile embryotic injection. Around a hundred sex cells are delivered any time a fired tentacle pierces a target. These cells invade the tissues and deliver their DNA. After a gestation period of around a week, the embryos reach around five centimeters in all dimensions and cause the host to burst. Only 20-40 will survive to adulthood, however.
MOVEMENT: Is currently the fastest known creature in the environment. Its streamlined fins allow it to propel itself extremely quickly, estimated 25-50 km/h. On land, they are very slow, moving at around 4km/h. They are very slow compared to the other land creatures.
EATING: It will prey upon the corpses of dead blobs. Its tentacles can create sugars from light with photosynthesis. The toxins which the tentacles carry can potentially kill other creatures, usually does not though, exceptions are those who are weak or young. Paralyzed but living creatures fall down to the blob's main body where endocytosis via the stomach sac then takes place. They can also consume water by absorbing water through their specialised tentacles from an Exomeso leaf in particular (but could be reapplied) and can store enough water for up to 4 days with pure water, or 2 days with saltwater.
PREDATION: The Crawlers are largely unpredated.
COMPETITION: They are competed by the Falconeye, but only on land. In the water, they are uncompeted.
SYMBIOSIS: They have reverse parasitised the Vincul, while not fully symbiotized, symbiosis between the species is made easier because of this.
INTELLIGENCE: Powerful intelligence. Has great problem solving skills and logic, and an excellent memory. Also possesses the ability to emit electrical signals through its lateral lines at a frequency that is only interpretable by other Crawlers (as of right now). This gives them a coordinating factor. They cannot communicate this way on land.
TOXINS: Neurotoxin(85%)- Vincul (100%) Falconeye (100%) Moledigger (100%)
CASTES: Solet caste- A stationary, photosynthetic caste which produces food for the Arrowhooks to consume.
POPULATIONS: Shallow waters- Vincul(17%), Crawler (63%), Solet (13%), Crinis (negligible, estimated .01-.4%), Quadfin (negligible/nonexistent)
Beach- Crawler (3%) Moledigger (60%) Falconeye (8%)
ENVIRONMENT: A shallow sub-tropical sea. Semi-stable reefs exist here, with a very rare frond interspersed between the reef ridges. Much of the reef is dark, overshadowed by the growing populations above. The ground is rarely found with a Vincul nest lying upon it, with their burrow nearby. The environment is at around 93% of its biomass capacity.
A sandy beach. The beach extends for kilometers before fading to the horizon. After about one hundred meters the beach gives way to a cliff, and above that very thick forests grow. Occasionally, a loud screech can be heard, or the squeal of a small creature. Small passes exist from the beach up to the cliffs. Environment is around 71% biomass capacity.
Current environment: Shallow sub-tropical sea, Beach(indirectly*).
Nearby environments: Deeper sub-tropical sea, river delta, forest, cliffside
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Topic: Competition II - New Life (Read 24277 times)