Oarunner

The oarunner evolved from and quickly replaced its ancestor, the chlorocytus, within the Terra Swamp; within a few million years time the chlorocytus also became replaced in the Terra River and the oarunners were able to spread out into the Jlindy Tropical Coast as well.

The main evolution of the oarunners gives them their name: their dual flagella have become stiffened and somewhat oar-like in shape. They are still the solitary means of deliberate locomotion, but now allow them a useful means of escape by being pulled against the body quickly, scooting it up to a millimeter away from its pursuant if given the right conditions. To better facilitate this movement, the oarunners actually swim backwards; in other words, they swim flagella first. Many more eyespots have begun to cover their anterior section, giving it almost a simple compound eye set up, although certainly far less powerful, still only able to distinguish light from shadow. However, these can not only direct the microbe towards light sources, but also help detect potential predators to allow them a chance to escape.