Cloudswarmers

The cloudswarmer genus has evolved from the armored cloudswarmer, and has replaced the related drake cloudswarmer. Their most distinctive quality is the way they fly; instead of flapping their wings to produce lift, cloudswarmers for the most part have relatively rigid wings, used only to steer and to provide lift as their large, fan-like tails push them forward. However, some species have more flexible wings, and can use them as their primary force of lift to hover for a short time in front of their food. A flexible exoskeleton allows swarmers to move their tails hundreds of times per minute, giving them the ability to quickly move from flora to flora.

Cloudswarmers are largely nocturnal, searching for their food underneath the light of the stars or the brightness of Mason. During the day, they will use their tails to grip onto the tops of larger flora, photosynthesizing in a dormant state. Cloudswarmers will spawn in cryobowls or other stationary pools of water, their larvae resembling their distant water-bound ancestors, feeding on microscopic organisms until they mature.