Ripping Waterworm

The ripping waterworm replaced its ancestor in Maineiac Polar Coast and Maineiac Temperate Coast. Having lost its former food source, this species was forced to rely on scavenging. During the day, the ripping waterworm hides between rocks or partially beneath sand, using its coloration to its advantage as camouflage. But when dusk comes and the night rises, the ripping waterworm reveals its nocturnal lifestyle. They scour the waters of Maineiac, sensing chemicals given off by carcasses. When a carcass is found, the ripping waterworm digs into and feeds on the flesh, usually in large groups composed of other ripping waterworms which were attracted to the same carcass. In the case that a deceased food source cannot be found, the ripping waterworm will turn to an unusual diet of feeding on organisms much larger than itself. To do this, they sneak up on potential prey under the cover of darkness, usually while the prey is asleep or drowsy. Then, the ripping waterworm will bite a chunk of flesh out of the animal before fleeing into the night. Wounds left by these attacks are not particularly harmful to large animals, but are damaging enough to leave a scar that can last for the remainder of the victim's life. In the situation that a ripping waterworm is attacked by a predator, it has several defense mechanisms beyond fleeing. The Dorsal and Caudal fins of the ripping waterworm are both sharp enough to pierce skin, especially if a predator attempts to bite the organism. In the case that this is not enough to deter a predator, the ripping waterworm has a pair of detachable spines on its sides, which can be punctured into a potential predator and in turn gives the ripping waterworm time to escape. These spines grow back in around two weeks after being detached. The focus on piercing methods of defense makes the organism especially vulnerable towards highly armored threats, which the ripping waterworm has no choice but to flee from.