Charybdaran

Charybdaran
(Charybdaria oceanus)
Information
Creator	Nergali Other
Week/Generation	24/152
Habitat	Darkov Temperate Coast, Ramul Temperate Coast, Soma Tropical Sea, Chum Tropical Bay, King Tropical Coast, Elerd Temperate Coast, Clarke Temperate Coast
Size	16 cm Tall
Primary Mobility	Unknown
Support	Unknown
Diet	Planktivore (female/larvae only) Detritivore, Scavenger (male only)
Respiration	Passive Diffusion
Thermoregulation	Ectotherm
Reproduction	Sexual, Two Sexes, Metamorphosis (Planktonic Eggs, Larva, Pupa, Adult)
Taxonomy
Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species	Eukaryota Gastroboskia Myriabia Dynimessina Metempsychozoiformes Metempsychozoidae Charybdaria Charybdaria oceanus

Ancestor:	Descendants:
Charybdis

Splitting from its ancestor, the charybdaran has simplified its lifestyle to only its sexual phase and resulting offspring. Living in more temperate and tropical waters, they have grown with the great abundance of food available to them, with the females especially showing the greatest signs of this, being roughly three times the size of the more numerous males. They release planktonic eggs into the open water where they will soon hatch into tiny larvae who perform the role of zooplankton. They'll remain in the planktonic zone until they are old enough to form a cocoon and molt into their adult stage.

The females, due to their sessile nature, are protected by a mild cytotoxin that damage the lining of the throat and mouth of most predators that attempt to eat them. Males lack this, and thus must rely on their numbers in order to avoid predation until they can find a mate and "fuse" with her. Until then they will scavenge corpses and detritus in order to sustain themselves.