Hitchhiker Scuttler

Splitting from its ancestor, the hitchhiker scuttler has taken to life upon the numerous species of colonialballs and island colonialballs that inhabit the warm water of Sagan IV. Their newly evolved shell, just like the rest of their bodies, is of a similar shade to the colonialballs they inhabit, and provides minor protection against small predators that may come upon them. Their jaws, like a can opener, are designed to slice open holes into the sides of colonialballs so as the scuttler can then feast on their innards. They have evolved small, sticky eggs that they hide amongst the globes and which, when the time is right, they aid in the breakup of the colony in either portions or as a whole so as to spread their young and form new colonialball colonies. After a few weeks time, by which the colonialball has likely begun to regrow into a sizable colony, the young hatch and begin the life cycle anew, skipping the larval stage completely and starting out as miniature adults.

Because of the wide range of the colonialballs, hitchhiker scuttlers have developed a wide one as well, thought they are limited to temperate and tropical waters and are killed off by colder waters.