Wind Shrubite

The wind shrubite split from its ancestor and moved out of the sea, onto Wind Polar Beach. To cope with life above water, it had to become slightly smaller, with a relatively wide base. Some wind shrubites grow to 80 cm tall, but most stay around 50-60 cm at most. It can't filter-feed anymore without water, but it now simply 'eats' any microbe that ends up somewhere on its surface by building its shell around it. This shell is partly built from silica it absorbs from the ground. This makes it sturdier than its ancestor, so it can more easily withstand storms and other challenges it faces on dry land. It now reproduces by budding: its light, porous top will break off and be carried away by the wind, to grow into a new shrubite when it lands. This will only happen once per year, near the end of its summer grow-spurt. The wind shrubite will still hibernate during the long, polar winter when there are less microbes around.