Magnekite
From Sagan 4 Alpha Wiki
| Magnekite | ||
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| (Ferroplax adamas) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | Bufforpington Other | |
| Week/Generation | 26/162 | |
| Habitat | Maineiac Water Table | |
| Size | 20 cm Long | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Unknown | |
| Diet | Herbivore (Table Cushion, Villigrass), Lithotroph (Iron) | |
| Respiration | Unknown | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Asexual, Spores | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Siderobiota Ferrovermes Siderostegae Magnetocephalia Ferroplacidae Ferroplax Ferroplax adamas | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
|---|---|
The 'magnekite replaced its ancestor, the Magnethead in Maineiac Water Table. This is due to their expanded diet and less awkward shape. The magnekite's most noticeable change is the change of its magnet's shape. Instead of being a wide bar, they instead manifest as shorter, flatter protrusions from the head that run down the entire body. This growth makes it vaguely resemble a kite when viewed from above. This structure is filled with magnetite-based sensory organs and allows the magnekite to pass through narrow spaces while still being able to use magnetosensory. It primarily uses this sense to seek out and consume the iron that has drifted down from the water column due to the diamiarm's predation and search for villigrass. The magnekite gains its iron through lithotrophy and the consumption of villigrass, and gains the rest of its nutrients from table cushions. The magnekite's main food source is the villigrass. This is because the villigrass is easier for the magnekite to 'see' with its magnetosensory organs. The villigrass provides the magnekite with both iron and carbon. In order to better navigate the table cushion-infested waters of Maineiac Water Table, the magnekite's legs have become more articulated with the addition of another joint. This allows the magnekite to better adapt to changing elevations. The magnekite's shell is coated in a symbiotic rustmold species. Fungiferrus magnephilus smothers the iron exoskeleton, exposing it to less oxygen and as a result, decreases the rate of oxidation considerably. When the magnekite molts, it sheds its coat of rustmold with it, leaving it to be consumed by Fungiferrus magnephilus as the shed exoskeleton oxidizes in the open water. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for a magnekite that has shed its exoskeleton to get a new coat of rustmolds.