Cnidolium Simplistica



Found in temperate waters down to depths of 157 ft throughout Sagan 4, these slipper-shaped eukaryotes are a form of specialized hunter.

The Cnidolium simplistica moves by way of two flagella attached to the posterior of the cell, which then whip about to propel it forward. To control this movement, they are covered in tiny cilia, which act much in the same way as miniature oars. However, compared to the body itself, these cilia are nearly unnoticeable, hence their major use of flagella for movement purposes instead.

Cnidoliums sense their environment through the many small, eyespot tipped, tentacle-like appendages that surround their horn-like mouth. These eye-tentacles serve a dual purpose, and allow the Cnidolium to not only see its prey, but also to grapple with it while it pierces its membrane with the horn, to feed on the cytoplasm retained within. However, amazingly, the nucleus itself is sensitive to light and shadow as well, and aids incredibly well in defense by serving as another makeshift eye, ever staring upwards to watch for predators above; although they can't exactly tell what they are, they use this to flee from potential filter feeders, which are known to feed on them. This eye is certainly the most powerful of all the eyes, in order to help in determining whether a shadow is likely a filter feeder or not in order to keep them out of a constant state of "panic"; but since it faces upwards, it is not used for determining direction, and this is left to the eye-tentacles.

To deter predators, Cnidolium simplistica uses any of several cnidocytes which cover their body. Because of how much energy it takes to reproduce these specialized organelles, they are built to only be triggered by the various small predators that feed on them. However, they also possess a slightly acidic cellular membrane, which allows them to break down the compounds of the foe, allowing Cnidolium simplistica to essentially "feed" on its enemies; this is used to be able to regenerate the used cnidocytes faster than it would normally take.