Rustflake Emulswimmer
| Rustflake Emulswimmer | ||
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| (Archaeolingua robigoderma) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | Bufforpington Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Lamarck Water Table, Shachonian Lava Tube Caves (Nonphotic), Razo Lava Tube Caves (Nonphotic) | |
| Size | 20 cm Long | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Wood) | |
| Diet | Herbivore (Hanging Villigrass, Flashfire Villigrass, Table Cushion, Floating Stickyball) | |
| Respiration | Active (Lungs) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectothermic | |
| Reproduction | Sexual, Viviparous | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Superkingdom Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Class Order Suborder Superfamily Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Viridisagania Mancerxa Phytozoa (info) Chloropodia (info) Pterophylla (info) Leptorhyncha Sphairavorineae Spelaeoglossoidea Emultrogidae Archaeolingua Archaeolingua robigoderma | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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As cushions and villigrass diversified in Lamarck Water Table, the Emulswimmer suddenly found itself with many new food sources it could exploit. One population split off to graze on flora growing on the cave ceiling, where the Magnekite cannot reach. The rustflake emulswimmer primarily feeds on villigrasses. However, this comes with a major caveat. The rustflake emulswimmer must find a way to do away with the massive amount of Fe3+ they ingest before it can poison them. The solution was simple, as those who were able to more efficiently excrete the iron as waste were selected for. However, this had the unintended consequence of coating the emulswimmer's skin in a layer of rusty waste, turning it red. This rust will flake off and drift to the cave floor, providing subsidies for those who can process the Fe3+ oxides.
In order to better grasp their food, the rustflake emulswimmer's tongue has grown longer and developed three finger-like protrusions reminiscent of the long-extinct tungrab. This tongue is primarily used to pull cave flora off the ceiling and bring it to the mouth, which will then be moved into it with the aid of its two barbels. They have the easiest time feeding on hanging villigrass, but can also feed on flashfire villigrass and table cushions with some difficulty. They are also quite capable of grabbing and eating floating stickyballs, and often outcompete their ancestor in the higher strata of the water column.
Rustflake emulswimmers are capable of walking on land, but only do so when it is available. Their legs are unchanged from their ancestors' and retain all digits. The only rustflake emulswimmers observed out of the water are often located in air pockets with ledges and the edges of the surrounding lava tube caves, where they rest and occasionally feed on flashfire villigrass. However, they are not able to easily rip them out of the hard, rocky substrate and as a result get very little from their attempts to feed on it. As a result, rustflake emulswimmers rarely travel far into the surrounding lava tube caves, and often starve when they do so.
The Rustflake emulswimmer's reproductive behavior is nearly identical to that of its ancestor. They give live birth while facing belly up at the water's surface in air pockets or at the edge of the water table. After the young learn to breathe from the air pockets, they will cling to the mother's limbs with their long, prehensile tongues. However, they will detach shortly after and swim alongside their mother. The rustflake emulswimmer also pair for life. While the mother keeps watch over the offspring, the father will swim around the periphery and provide both the mother and offspring with regurgitated plant matter. When not gathering food, the father will also swim alongside the mother and offspring. When the offspring mature, they will set off to find their own mates.