Cave Oropede

The cave oropede split from its ancestor, the oropede, and has moved into Martyk Sandstone Sea Caves. There it eats the abundant iron and dead "iron fauna". Since it lives in a cave, it no longer needs to see, so it no longer grows eye stalks. To compensate for this loss, it has grown extra nostrils on its butt, to help it sniff out food. Like its ancestor, every foot has a mouth on the bottom. They can step and then swallow iron or carrion it finds. It can control its mouth and not always swallow when it steps. Since they cannot see they are skittish and will hide whenever there is a foreign smell or something knocks into them. Their bellies bud off small larva which will grow into adults as they eat iron. They can also reproduce via fragmentation if they get broken apart. As long as they have a leg with a mouth intact they can regrow their whole body. When they grow larger they will shed their old iron exoskeleton and then eat it for iron. New shells are gray while old have turned rusty-red.