Diving Emulswimmer
| Diving Emulswimmer | ||
|---|---|---|
| (Osteobarbus urinator) | ||
 | ||
 | ||
 | ||
| Information | ||
| Creator | Bufforpington Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Lamarck Water Table, Razo Lava Tube Caves (Nonphotic), Shachonian Lava Tube Caves (Nonphotic) | |
| Size | 20 cm long | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood) | |
| Diet | Herbivore (Floating Stickyball, Table Cushion, Podweed, Villigrass, Flashfire Villigrass) | |
| Respiration | Active (Lungs) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual, Two Sexes, Live Birth | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Superkingdom Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Class Order Suborder Superfamily Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Viridisagania Mancerxa Phytozoa (info) Chloropodia (info) Pterophylla (info) Leptorhyncha Sphairavorineae Spelaeoglossoidea Emultrogidae Osteobarbus Osteobarbus urinator | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
|---|---|
With the evolution of the rustflake emulswimmer, the remaining emulswimmer population was excluded to deeper waters due to their descendants' improved floating stickyball capture ability. This forced them into deeper waters where they would ultimately evolve into the diving emulswimmer. The diving emulswimmer then replaced the emulswimmer in Lamarck Water Table.
The diving emulswimmmer gets its name from its ability to dive for longer periods than its ancestor. This is due to the increased presence of a compound called myophyll. This substance is similar to myglobin, but uses magnesium instead of iron in the same vein as how chlorophyll is identical to hemoglobin except for the presence of magnesium. While present in all plents, it is particularly dense in this species. The body's high myophyll concentration results in it having a much darker complexion than its ancestor. More importantly, this high concentration allows it to hold its breath for up to 45 minutes.
Diving emulswimmers mainly feed on benthic flora. They feed on a balanced mix of[villigrasses and stickyballs. Like the rustflake emulswimmer, they also exude waste iron oxides through their skin. However, the rust is less dense and only forms red patches on its body. Areas that experience significant amounts of drag like the fins or scrape against other things like the barbels and feet are often rust-free. Diving emuswimmers' barbels have specialized to help them pry villigrasses off of the cave floor. They have a wooden rod running through them, providing structural support for muscles and providing a claw to wedge their barbels under the villigrass' stubborn rhizoids. Diving emulswimmmers have amphibious populations in Razo Lava Tube Caves and Shachonian Lava Tube caves where they feed on the flashfire villigrasses growing there. They are almost entirely red in color with green feet and barbels due to their iron-rich diet. The fins of these populations sometimes are red and sometimes are green depending on how much they are used in water or are dragged across the ground. The cave and water table populations interbreed regularly preventing genetic drift from taking hold and splitting the populations into entirely new species.
The diving emulswimmer's more terrestrial behavior has had some effects on its mating behavior. While females still will give birth belly up in the water, they will also readily give birth on land, vomiting up the young while remaining right side up. This is most prevalent in the amphibious cave populations. The mother emulswimmer will often remain on land or at the water's surface a few days after giving birth, allowing the young the time to learn to swim and dive with their parents. In that time, the father will gather food for the mother and young to feed their family. After that time is up, they will resume normal activity while caring for their young. Amphibious populations undergo a similar process. However, instead of giving the young time to swim, it is to give the mother time to recover from the birth. Amphibious families will remain in one place for about a day with the mother resting throughout while the father gathers food. When that time is up, the family will continue onwards in the cave, teaching the young to swim at a slower rate. Like their ancestor, the diving emulswimmer will pair bond for life.