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Amoeba-like-thingy — Floating Gas Worm

Published: 2008-10-10 15:17:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 1596; Favourites: 30; Downloads: 0
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Description Floats in water, not in the air...

It evolved from this species:

[link]

Another bubble-algae herbivore. This one doesn't use as much effort to swim because it has an in-built mechanism to keep it afloat. Tiny sacks in its back fill up with waste gases from digesting its food, rather than outright expeling them. Only if it floats too near the surface, and the receptors in the nerve that runs along its back detect too high temperatures and radiation, will these gases be expeled.

As with another cousin species, it has developed a light-coloured coating in its skin to protect it from damage from sunlight and prevent it from warming up too quickly in the tropical heat.

It can scrape bubble algae off an algae colony using a brushy protrusion from inside its mouth. When not in use its tucked away near the back of the throat, but when it feeds it can extend right out of the mouth. It usually only has 4 or 5 hairs on this organ but it is far more effective than using its weak bite.

Oh, I almost forgot to add, those antennae - the smaller ones are used for picking up chemical traces in the water, e.g. the scent of food. The larger ones lost their ability to smell but to compensate they became a touch sensory organ. Not great for sensing water vibrations, but good for feeling their way around since their eyesight has become poorer.

the reason for the loss in the ability to see colours and shapes is because it usually takes time for them to expel gas if they get to close to the surface. Since it takes time for them to sink, and the eye organs are not as highly evolved as those of organisms we currently see on Earth, damage to the eye organs occurs regularly. It has become more beneficial for them not to develop their sight and instead put their energy into feelers instead.
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Comments: 2

Berkenboschosaurus [2018-07-12 13:47:34 +0000 UTC]

it looks fricken awesome

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

whalewithlegs [2008-10-10 19:51:42 +0000 UTC]

woah, awesome transparency effect, as usual. the blisters on its back look pretty good too. imagining these floating around in the ocean is fun

👍: 0 ⏩: 0