Monostage Dirteater

Splitting from its ancestor, the monostage dirteater has adapted for life on land. Moving out of the water, it has lost the first and second stages, which could not effectively move on land, and instead lays eggs in pools of water that hatch and fuse with other individuals, merging genetic information and creating tiny adults. It has also lost the fibres on its tentacles, which have become less numerous, but thicker and stronger, allowing the monostage dirteater to move on land, provided it remains on a moist surface. Though it looks largely familiar externally, it has completely restructured innards, with a separate digestive and breathing system. The digestive system has become more advanced with a single mouth flanked by two specialized tentacles for pushing food in, and a single anus for expulsion of digested matter. The breathing system has adapted for air, and directs it through several one-way passages within the body, air entering through a hole to the left of the mouth, and exiting through a hole to the right of the mouth. After all these adaptations, the monostage dirsteater lives up to its name, consuming topsoil in Darwin Temperate Rainforest, and digesting the organic molecules and microbes within. It can be seen above ground, but usually moves slightly below the surface where it can remain undisturbed.