Coela Miner

The coela miner replaced it’s ancestor on the Huggs Coast. The beakworms in this area had many relatives competing for food. The more successful gilltail family could stay active for longer meaning they had more time to feed. This now became the strongest factor in the polar shrubite beakworms evolution.

The Huggs Coast population evolved into the coela miner. The largest change is behavior. The coela miner is an extremely powerful and very aggressive beakworm. Traveling in groups of five to seven, they will attack any other species up to three times as big as them. This change has gone hand in hand with an increase in beak size. Whilst still used for feeding, the miner’s beak can crunch through almost anything in one bite. Whilst this is not enough to out-compete the gilltail, the miners can chase them off and kill them if they get hold of them when they find food.

Their eyes have also moved even further back and their eye-fins have gained stronger muscles. When excavating food these fins almost cover the eyes. This still allows the miners to see while protecting them. The miners do the same when attacking.

Because aggression is the secret to their success, it is the most aggressive individuals that pass on their genes. Both sexes do battle at the start of the year with the intent to kill opponents. This rarely happens as individuals are often equally matched. But if there is a weaker individual, the fights ensure its genes are not passed on and thus ensure the strength of future generations.

They are also more parental. Both parents, including previous children, viciously protect their nest of eggs and their offspring until they are over half the size of their parents.