Gloom Slayer
From Sagan 4 Alpha Wiki
| Gloom Slayer | ||
|---|---|---|
| (Umbrastrape spelea) | ||
 | ||
 | ||
 | ||
| Information | ||
| Creator | OviraptorFan Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Bono Flood Caves (Nonphotic), Bono Flood Caves (Photic) | |
| Size | 65 centimeters long | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (unjointed wood) | |
| Diet | Carnivore (Dimorphic Grabswarmer, Miniswarmers, Grabbyswarmers, Two-Eyed Volox, Ghostsnapper youngsters, Bono Glowogg youngsters, Snapperworm, Obscurpedes, Cavepedes, Larvaback, Scuttlers, Ylbershpelle Bubblehorn, Elahpekomlap Bubblehorn, Zurecorhiallo Bubblehorn, Frabukis), Scavenger, Photosynthesis | |
| Respiration | Active (Book Gills) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual, Two Sexes, Live Birth | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Superkingdom Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Class Subclass Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Viridisagania Mancerxa Phytozoa (info) Phylloichthyia (info) Brontognatha Eubrontognatha Occisores Lampyrophonidae Umbrastrape Umbrastrape spelea | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
|---|---|
As Drake became cooler and drier, the Yokto River became a seasonal stream where for a portion of the year it would dry up into just a series of small ponds. This change did not suit the krugg slayer since while they can stay on land for up to five minutes the ponds were often too far apart for the shockers to reliably move between them. This ecological stress would force some groups to head into the Bono Flood Caves, where even during the height of the dry season water levels remained fairly high all the way up to the Photic Zone. This did solve the problem of hydration for the krugg slayers, but living in the area imposed several new challenges like the fact that the deeper one goes into the caves the less light there is. Overtime, these vagrant populations of krugg slayers would develop adaptations and behaviors to survive in their new home, splitting off into a whole new species known as the gloom slayer.
The main changes seen in the gloom slayer are seen in its eyes, which firstly have become enormous to take in more visual information. Additionally, the pupils have particularly strong iris dilator muscles that help it expand and contract. When in the light-filled Photic Zone, this pupil contracts to a small slit to protect the sensitive retina, but in the darkness the very same pupil expands to nearly fill up the whole eye. This allows the eye to take in as much light as the gloom slayer can get from its environment, helping them navigate in places where there is very little sunlight and spot the bioluminescence of prey like the two-eyed volox or young bono glowoggs and home in on the target. Within the Nonphotic Zone of the Bono Flood Caves, however, there is no sunlight at all for the eyes to use, which meant the gloom slayers had to rely on other senses for navigation. This led to the species using electroreception, using specialized electrocytes in the lower jaws to produce low voltage shocks that travel through the environment and detecting distortions in these fields using electroreceptor organs further back on the lower jaws. Using electroreception means the gloom slayer can find their way around even in the darkest part of the caves.
When the gloom slayer does detect prey, it will try to attack the target from behind in case they have vision such as the two-eyed volox. While the gloom slayer mostly uses its pair tails to swim, having redeveloped a small ventral caudal fin for better swimming, the large pectoral fins can help provide a burst of speed to help close the distance between the shocker and its chosen target. Once it gets close enough, the gloom slayer will deploy its powerful jaws to make a devastating bite, puncturing organs and breaking bones to kill prey quickly. Once the victim has been killed, the gloom slayer will either swallow the meal whole or rip it into chunks small enough to be swallowed whole. While the species primarily hunts prey, the gloom slayer will regularly also feed on carrion and populations in the Photic Zone will supplement their diet with a small amount of photosynthesis.
While the gloom slayer still possesses the wooden "rib cage" and thicker skin that helped their ancestors be on land for periods of time, the gloom slayer is fully aquatic and thus does not use these adaptations for such a function. Instead, the internal skeleton provides muscle attachment points for better acceleration and speed while the thicker skin helps protect the gloom slayer from prey trying to fight back or from scraping against rocks by accident. One thing that has not changed in function at all, however, is the respiration. The gills of all shockers consist of a set of discreet ridges on the insides of the lower two jaws, arranged in a row spanning from the base of the jaw to somewhere short of the tip, which can gather oxygen from water through pumping of the mouth. In both the gloom slayer and the krugg slayer, these ridges are stiffer so that they could hypothetically work on land without collapsing. While this adaptation alone is not enough for the gloom slayer to stay on land for long, the fact that the species is fully aquatic means this is not really a problem.
Reproduction for the gloom slayer is pretty similar to their ancestor, though it does have a few differences. For one thing, the species does not migrate, since the caves are a pretty stable environment. Additionally, the breeding season is started by the beginning of the wet season rather than spring, since that is when the water levels will be at their highest. During this time, gloom slayers seek out one another in a search for others of the opposite sex. When they do find a partner, they will proceed to bite each other's pectoral fins, aiming for these to minimize the amount of damage dealt, before then sending a low voltage shock into each other. While this does cause pain, it also stimulates them and prepares the two for actually mating. The actual copulation is quite painless and quick, with the two then remaining together during the three month long pregnancy. A female gloom slayer gives birth on average about two to three babies at a time, though they can produce as many as five. The young are too small and underdeveloped to hunt their own prey when born, so the gloom slayer parents will take turns guarding the young and hunting down prey. After around seven months, the young are old enough and strong enough to fend for themselves, and thus leave their parents behind to start their own adult lives. Once the young strike it out on their own, the parents will also go their separate ways, but the pair remain bonded for life and will actively seek each other out every breeding season.