Vase Seacural

The oral disks of vase seacurals' ancestors have expanded into a fleshy, petal-like configuration. Feeding tentacles extend from the undersides of these "petals". As the tentacles wave in the current, they collect detritus or microscopic organisms. When sufficiently weighed down with debris, it exerts a pushing force on the tissue below the petal, which in turn pushes on an internal hydraulic sac. This pushing amounts to squeezing a loosely-tied water balloon at the end opposite the opening, causing water to move down through the sac, through a pipe and outside the body through an "exhaust" hole at the base of the vase seacural. The emptied sac no longer acts as a counterweight, causing the tentacle to flip up like a catapult and smack the secondary tentacles near the intake hole. The secondary tentacles are tougher than the surrounding tissue, so the smacking of the loaded tentacle onto the secondary tentacles functions like crushing food items on a tooth or slamming a hard nut onto a rock. This makes it easier to eat foods with tough coverings. The whole operation functions like a shaduf, with the loaded tentacle being a bucket of water and the water sac a counterweight.

Though it does not feed on iron, it still requires a small amount of iron for normal function. It stores its vital iron through hemoglobin in mobile cells similar to human white blood cells. These cells are called "varigocytes." As the vase seacural lacks a closed circulatory system, its varigocytes crawl through its open circulatory system and pass iron to whichever cells need it. Iron delivery is relatively slow due to the cells' low speeds and haphazard movement, but the vase seacural's low metabolism means its cells don't need to be very efficient.

Due to the vase seacural's pigment-less skin, it's possible to see areas of high hemoglobin concentration. These red blotches gradually move depending on metabolic needs or infection. Vase seacurals, unlike their ancestor, have specialized defense mechanisms against pathogenic and parasitic organisms. (mostly pestilences) The cells of infected areas will produce chemicals that essentially produce a "do not cross" boundary, preventing iron delivery to the infected cells. Other nutrients cross as normal, as they are simply transported through a clear internal fluid.

With no iron delivery, the pathogenic cells will be starved of a vital nutrient. Meanwhile, the infected cells will enter a state of reduced cellular activity, allowing them to survive the iron blockade. These cells are distinguished by their lighter color. (due to reduced iron levels) However, sometimes this blockade lasts too long, causing the cells to die from iron starvation. Sometimes the pathogens are able to "smuggle" iron across the border, allowing continued infection. In either case, the dying cells release a "jettison" chemical to the surrounding cells as they commit apoptosis. (controlled cell death) The jettison chemical "warns" the surrounding cells to seal themselves off, so they aren't exposed to waterborne infection once the doomed cell cluster drops off. The whole process is much like a plant dropping a severely infected leaf.