Platterat
| Platterat | ||
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| (Curcumeuntibus vagipatella) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | Disgustedorite Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Central Wallace Tropical Woodland, Central Wallace Highboreal, Darwin Highboreal, Darwin Tropical Woodland, Dorite Subtropical Woodland | |
| Size | Queen 36 cm diameter, Forager/Nurse 2 cm body, King/Virgin Queen 3 cm long, Rickshaw 7 cm long, Quill can reach 12 cm spear tip to toes, Warrior 8 cm long | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood) | |
| Diet | Scavenger | |
| Respiration | Active (Lungs) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual, 2 Sexes, Live Birth, Hive (1 Queen) | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Superkingdom Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Class Subclass Superorder Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Viridisagania Mancerxa Phytozoa (info) Chloropodia (info) Phyllauria (info) Xylodonta (info) Formicomures Megadelphiformes Curcumeuntibidae Curcumeuntibus Curcumeuntibus vagipatella | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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The platterat split from its ancestor. It is quite physically similar to its ancestor, including in what castes it has, apart from a preference for woodland biomes and a great dislike for sunlight. However, it is named for a notable change in behavior—just as its ancestor carries its queen, a platterat colony will do the same with carcasses.
Platterat foragers scout the area for food and regularly bring back small carcasses, such as those of small wingworms and kruggs, through a group effort at most. However, something as big as the average shrew or neonodent would be impossible for them to carry—so they instead return to the colony for reinforcements. Unburdened rickshaws, which are quite a bit faster than one might expect, hurry to the site of the carcass and hoist it up, as they would their queen, and a number of quills—having hitched a ride to the site upon the rickshaws' backs—clamber on top to warn off any would-be thieves.
As a "platter" of meat is brought back to the colony, foragers will nibble off bits to bring back, but processing will be able to kick into full swing when the carcass makes it home. Anti-microbial secretions from the skin of the rickshaws slow down decomposition as the carcass is processed. It is moved with the colony, as though it were in an open-air stomach. Bones will be gnawed on for their minerals after they have been extracted, but they are eventually scattered and left behind. Once a carcass is fully processed, the rickshaws which held it up will be free to help bring home another one. The largest carcass they can usually carry might be around the size of a snoronk, and the biggest colonies can carry up to three snoronk-sized carcasses at a time.
The ability to fully process relatively large carcasses allows platterat colonies to reach great sizes. A single hive will have thousands of workers and a territory spanning as much as one square mile—which is quite a lot for a creature so small! A posse of foragers protected by a few warriors may travel far from the colony in search of any appropriately-sized carcasses, though ones much further away are likely to skip a fat shrew that would be far too strenuous to bring home unless they really need the protein.
Protecting a carcass with quills is not perfect, especially as quills must be replaced after a single "use". Part of the reason the platterat dislikes sunlight is because it becomes easily spotted by scavengers, and too frequently, the thief won't care and will just kick over the platter. The cover offered by shadow forests dominated by obsiditrees, therefore, is necessary for its lifestyle. Platterats of all mobile castes have larger ears so that they may better detect danger in the dark.
The structure of the colony is much the same as in the trailblazer. Virgin queens and kings, which don't look much different from its ancestor apart from color, must travel far to find new territory, and as such they are slightly larger so that their legs may carry them farther. Young colonies are likely to fight for dominance over an area, while older ones with established territories will only encroach on others in times of famine.
Rarely, behavioral wires will cross and a platterat colony will kill and eat its own queen. This kills the colony, of course.
Main image key: a. Queen b. Nurse c. Worker larva d. Soldier larva e. Quill f. Forager g. Warrior h. Rickshaw