Mud Slayer
| Mud Slayer | ||
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| (Lutoranus maculosus) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | Disgustedorite Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Drake Prairie, Drake Lowboreal, Drake Polar Scrub, Drake Frostwood, Drake Mamut, Drake Steppe, Drake Rocky, Drake Highvelt | |
| Size | 90 cm long | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Semi-Jointed Wood) | |
| Diet | Omnivore (Minikruggs, Silkruggs, Creab Walker and Creab Shell, juvenile Russet-Ridged Pasakerd, , juvenile Dracalope, juvenile Turquoise-Helmed Lizalope, Desert Gossalizard, juvenile Lumbering Pasakerd, juvenile and subadult Steppe Lizalope, juvenile Marmokerd, Crysfortress Walker and Crysfortress Shell, Secretive Lizarduiker, Inzcrek and Croriss, juvenile Redplate Pasakerd), Photosynthesis | |
| Respiration | Active (Book Lungs in Jaws) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual (Male and Female / Alternating Hermaphrodite, 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 Lutoranus Lutoranus maculosus | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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As the lowland parts of the Yokto waterways dried into a seasonal stream and the rainforest that once surrounded the river vanished, the krugg slayer was only able to barely survive in deep pools that would be left over the dry winter. Eventually, it had to adapt, producing the mud slayer--which replaced its ancestor in the entire Yokto river system, as the entire population either became the mud slayer, became its contemporary cousin the gloom slayer, or perished. It became significantly more terrestrial, able to rely on snowmelt marshes alone for all of its moisture needs over summer and survive winter even when frozen solid using sugars it builds up over the summer as antifreeze. Its coloration is reminiscent of mud and plant litter, though it can vary a bit across its range depending on what flora are present.
In addition to all the adaptations its ancestor had such as a ribbed endoskeleton and thick skin, the mud slayer's survival on land is aided by changes to its gills. 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. This structure is known as a book gill, due to its appearance like the pages of a book. In the krugg slayer, these were stiffened to work on land without collapsing. In the mud slayer, they are simpler sheets protected by a flap of skin, forming a pair of book lungs on the insides of the jaws which are more effective at taking in oxygen from the air alone. Unlike the book lungs of Earth's arachnids, they are actively pumped in a manner which resembles a book being opened and closed when the protective flap of skin is pulled away. From the outside when the mouth is closed, one can observe the gular skin moving with each breath. In addition, its semi-permeable skin has more cellulose content, reducing water loss while still allowing it to drink by soaking.
Of course, those adaptations alone is not enough to fully protect the mud slayer from freezing and desiccation. Its powerful fins now bear lignified fin rays, which allow the mud slayer to tear through soil and mud to form burrows. These burrows both allow it to stay moist on dry days with little available snowmelt, and reduce its exposure to the elements over winter—as while it can survive even when frozen, it won't always be successful at producing enough sugar and can suffer from catastrophic frostbite if it's exposed. It is able to regenerate damaged tissue, however. The fin rays on its tail are also lignified and can deter attack, or be used to strike a rival. Sometimes, individuals will mutate to have a set of lignified fin rays on the lower tail too, an example of atavism enabled by the genes still being present for use on the homologous upper tail.
The mud slayer eats kruggs, gossalizards, and walkers and their shells. Its powerful jaws make quick work of their chitinous armor and easily rend their flesh. Most adult gossalizards are too big to hunt, but juveniles are on the menu. The mud slayer's powerful bite is also a good deterrent against predators.
The mud slayer is not social, and most conflict between individuals is ultimately over mating disputes. It can use its electric shocks to deter rivals with pain, the strength of a shock hinting that a given individual might be fit enough to easily bite a chunk out of its rival. It is no longer monogamous and has gained the ability to change sex—which serves to balance breeding populations in scattered snowmelt marshes—and some non-dominant males in an area may turn female. If there are no males in a given area, some females will turn male. A fit male will usually have several mates, as many as he can provide food for to feed the young.
Mating is a mouth-to-mouth affair involving gentle electrical stimulation, and after being fertilized, eggs incubate and hatch inside the mother (such is technically the nature of live birth in shockers ever since it evolved in the sammakkoivet), and hatchlings consume unfertilized eggs for sustenance. They are "born" once their book lungs finish developing, mere weeks after fertilization. They will remain with their parents, usually in the mother's burrow, until they reach half their adult size. Their speed of growth is indeterminate and depends on environmental conditions, so this varies considerably.