Bludblug

The minikruggs are a large and diverse genus group, covering most of the terrestrial surface of Sagan IV in one way or another. They occupy many niches, but for the most part their diets consist of herbivory or the consumption of the eggs of other small organisms. The bludblug, however, has gone down a different route. Its ancestors were originally detritivores, consuming small bits of detritus that littered the soil like many other minikruggs do. Some, though, began to incorporate the discarded skin scales of various larger organisms into their diets. This eventually led to one lineage that began to climb said organisms, in this case the mighty saucebacks, in search of this nutrition. Over time they adapted, developing more specialized limbs for gripping onto their plumage, a longer proboscis to reach the bare skin beneath, and similar such traits. But this was not all. A taste for blood, developed from consuming the life-sustaining fluids expelled from fresh wounds, was acquired. Further adaptions to exploit this diet soon evolved, the most prominent of which is pair of serrated vertical "beak" for cutting the skin so that the bludblug may think drink of the blood beneath. Unlike the minikruggs, the bludblugs spend their entire lives on their hosts and thus no longer return to beneath the soil in order to lay their eggs. Instead they lay smaller, thin-shelled eggs into the very plumage of their hosts, ensuring that their young will have a readily available food source, which typically consists solely of skin scales and small bits of trapped detritus until they reach maturity at around three to four weeks. Of course when things get too crowded on a sauceback, they will readily take advantage of the social behavior and/or maternal nature of their current hosts in order to find new ones. While not particularly deadly on their lonesome, a fairly large infestation of bludblugs can lead to stress, anemia, and even potentially death in very young individuals. Bludblugs possess a very fine feathery fuzz that projects from in-between their chitinous body segments. This fuzz helps to lock in pheromones, which aid in finding mates. They also serve a role in mating displays, as males with larger, more vibrant fuzz are more likely to attract females.