Mangrove Smasher

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Mangrove Smasher
(Flumpus arborvastator)
Main image of Mangrove Smasher
Species is extant.
Information
CreatorDisgustedorite Other
Week/Generation27/166
HabitatAdults: Jlindy Tropical Mangal, Koopa Subtropical Mangal, Javen Tropical Mangal, Jeluki Subtropical Mangal, Always Temperate Mangal, Ofan Tropical Mangal, Chum Subtropical Mangal, Martyk Temperate Mangal, Elerd Temperate Mangal, Fermi Temperate Mangal, Artir Temperate Mangal, Soma Temperate Mangal, Coolsteph Temperate Mangal, Blood Subtropical Mangal, Glicker Subtropical Mangal, Jlindy Tropical Coast, Koopa Subtropical Coast, Javen Tropical Coast, Ofan Tropical Coast, Chum Subtropical Coast, Martyk Temperate Sea, Elerd Temperate Coast, Artir Temperate Coast, Soma Temperate Sea, Coolsteph Temperate Coast; Migrating juveniles and pocket populations: Fermi Temperate Coast, Ninth Subtropical Coast, Dass Temperate Coast, Clarke Subtropical Coast, King Temperate Coast, Dorite Subtropical Bay, Mnid Temperate Ocean, North Jujubee Temperate Ocean
SizeMale: 8 meters long; Female: 4.5 meters long
Primary MobilityUnknown
SupportEndoskeleton (Bone)
DietOmnivore (Mangrovecrystal, juvenile Tlukvaequabora, Twinkbora, Marblora, Larandbora, Borinvermee, Common Gilltails, Miniswarmers, Grabbyswarmers, Stowaway Harmbless, Bora Scuttler, Serpungo, Pelagic Puffgrass, Raft-Building Cone Puffgrass, Hitchiker Scuttler, Scuttlers, Parasitic Branch-Lantern, Coastal Goth Tree, Pioneer Raftballs, Colonialballs, Barnosprawl, Tambuck babies, Topship Fuzzpalm, Goldilackaruck, Shailnitor, Frabukis, Swarmerscooter, Digging Filterpeders, Chopsticks Fatcoat, Clearner Borvermid, False Cleaner Borvermid, Bulky Hammerhead, Bonegrove, Harp-Hum)
RespirationActive (Lungs)
ThermoregulationGigantotherm
ReproductionSexual, Two Sexes, Oviviparous
Taxonomy
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Superclass
Clade
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Eukaryota
Carpozoa
Spondylozoa
Anisoscelida
Tetrapodes
Saurochelones (info)
Acanthomoi
Remiscapulidae
Flumpus
Flumpus arborvastator
Ancestor:Descendants:

The mangrove smasher split from its ancestor. It originated from flumpuses that moved north and encountered vast reef-like mangals along Jlindi tropical coast, but gradually hopped to more coastlines through juvenile migration and by using pockets of mangrove habitat on non-mangal coastlines. As its name implies, it smashes mangrove flora in order to eat them, as well as the fauna which flee from their destroyed hiding place. This breaks up the mangal biomes across its entire range, ensuring direct access between the coast and the shore. This supports the lifestyles of a myriad of semi-aquatic organisms that otherwise have trouble crossing dense mangals, such as shrogs, snoas, fatcoats, and more, as well as various floating and raft-building flora, on mangrove-supporting coastlines.

Due to its large size, even female mangrove smashers find difficulty supporting themselves on land. Instead, they walk on the ocean floor and periodically paddle up to breathe. They feed from deep-water mangrove flora further from shore at low tide and enter the mangals proper at high tide. In order to smash a mangrove tree, a mangrove smasher, usually a male, will target the roots with its robust forelimbs, destabilizing the plant until it topples over. This not only causes the leaves to fall into the water where other mangrove smashers can feast, but it also disturbs fauna such as gilltails and swarmers which use the mangrove roots as shelter, which the mangrove smashers snap up and eat. They will also feed on the leaves of younger mangrove trees. Being omnivorous makes their diet sustainable, as they can feed on mangroves slowly enough that they are capable of recovering later.

Juvenile mangrove smashers are better swimmers than adults. When they reach about two meters in length, they will swim away and disperse hundreds or even thousands of miles over the ocean and non-mangrove-supporting coastal waters, resting on shrog nests and rafts of floating flora along the way and using these as food sources. This behavior encourages genetic diversity and has allowed the mangrove smasher to colonize the entire coast of Wallace and some of the closest landmasses, Kosemen, Fermi, and Drake.

Though Sagan 4 has a long history of local extinctions caused by new aggressive predatory or competitive behavior, the mangrove smasher's destructive feeding habit has caused no extinctions, as it achieved equilibrium without becoming so aggressive as to permanently destroy its food source. Stretches of mangal recover from a period of heavy feeding just as readily as a forest recovers from a fire, closing up old smasher-made passageways through ecological succession.

Like its ancestor, the mangrove smasher has long spines that it can clap together in front of it to make a loud "thwack" sound, which males use to intimidate rivals while females and juveniles use it to scare potential predators. When not in use, these lay draped over its back like folded insect wings. The sound produced is audible even in water, and it is able to pick up the sound using the bones of its skull and spinal column. Males (pictured) are very fat and colorful as a sign of fitness, and the biggest, strongest, and loudest males will have the largest harems. Females are slimmer in comparison and only have drab striping on their bodies.

Mangrove smasher activity causes mangrovecrystal colonies to break and float away more often. This has resulted in the mangrovecrystal successfully colonizing King Temperate Coast.