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Description

With no competition from fish apart from few species of small sharks, molluscs and other marine invertebrates found themself in paradise. At the beginning crustaceans and sea slugs took the role of absent fish, but after few bigger extinctions they left the room for some unique set of marine species. Brachiopods, annelids, echinoderms and molluscs finally had a scene to play their role. In this post i will shortly describe few species of derived molluscs that inhabit oceans of my world.

Sea Pickelhaube - named after german helmet from WW1, this dangerous scaphopod lives in deep sea, caming to the surface only at night, when it hunts prey with venomous, dart-shaped radula. Tactics resembling cone snail works very well with any prey, that is later sucked into the proboscis and later into mouth. Grows up up to 2 meters long. Individual on the pic is shown with unlucky derived shark, soon to be eaten. Sharp pointed shell has currently unknown purpose.

Mesmerizer - this unique scaphopod with a shiny, iridescent shell uses it's paddle-shaped tentacles to mimic many species of shoal-living sharks. Any predator lured by this is later stabbed with poisonous dart, much like Sea Pickelhaube does. Mesmerizer lives near large shoals where it can find it's prey. Mesmerizers are smart, and never try attacking creature bigger than they could eat, even if their dart could kill it easily. Mesmerizers are naturally rare and shy creatures, but overhunting them for their unique and beautiful shells only worsens their situation.

Sand Wraith - derived chiton, with strongly flattened body lives on sandy shallow waters, where it hunts from ambush, buried in sand. It's shell is almost completely absent apart from few small plates in the hind side of it's body. Sand Wraiths can live some time on land, waiting in slimy cocoon for the water to return. Sand Wraith's sensory tentacles on on the head parts are used to locate prey while rest of the body is buried in sand. After prey is located, Sand Wraith quickly attacks it, sucking it into the mouth. Preys mostly on smaller sea creatures, but sometimes cannibalism occurs if there's too many young Wraiths.

Arctic Splithead - very much like manta ray, this large chiton descendant is a filter feeder, living in colder waters hunting krill-like pelagic annelids. Very playful and fairly intelligent, Splithead lives in large ponds, that rarely split up. It's name comes up from it's eyes located on the top of gathering appendages, that may look like head. Splitheads are one of the largest pelagic chiton families, with members around all oceans. All of Splitheads are filter feeders, however their young often preys on fish. Remnants of Splithead's shell form a line of small plates on it's back.

Common Scammonite - regular derived scaphopod, nothing much on it. Grows up to 6 centimeters long, lives in large schools, much like fish. Feeds on small planktonic animals, while being prey for various sea predators. Threatened Scammonite hides by closing it's shell with muscular foot, working like nautilus' hood. Same defensive technique is used by Pickelhaubes and young Mesmerizers, and it's fairly common among all Scaphonites (pelagic scaphopods).

Description

With no competition from fish apart from few species of small sharks, molluscs and other marine invertebrates found themself in paradise. At the beginning crustaceans and sea slugs took the role of absent fish, but after few bigger extinctions they left the room for some unique set of marine species. Brachiopods, annelids, echinoderms and molluscs finally had a scene to play their role. In this post i will shortly describe few species of derived molluscs that inhabit oceans of my world.

Sea Pickelhaube - named after german helmet from WW1, this dangerous scaphopod lives in deep sea, caming to the surface only at night, when it hunts prey with venomous, dart-shaped radula. Tactics resembling cone snail works very well with any prey, that is later sucked into the proboscis and later into mouth. Grows up up to 2 meters long. Individual on the pic is shown with unlucky derived shark, soon to be eaten. Sharp pointed shell has currently unknown purpose.

Mesmerizer - this unique scaphopod with a shiny, iridescent shell uses it's paddle-shaped tentacles to mimic many species of shoal-living sharks. Any predator lured by this is later stabbed with poisonous dart, much like Sea Pickelhaube does. Mesmerizer lives near large shoals where it can find it's prey. Mesmerizers are smart, and never try attacking creature bigger than they could eat, even if their dart could kill it easily. Mesmerizers are naturally rare and shy creatures, but overhunting them for their unique and beautiful shells only worsens their situation.

Sand Wraith - derived chiton, with strongly flattened body lives on sandy shallow waters, where it hunts from ambush, buried in sand. It's shell is almost completely absent apart from few small plates in the hind side of it's body. Sand Wraiths can live some time on land, waiting in slimy cocoon for the water to return. Sand Wraith's sensory tentacles on on the head parts are used to locate prey while rest of the body is buried in sand. After prey is located, Sand Wraith quickly attacks it, sucking it into the mouth. Preys mostly on smaller sea creatures, but sometimes cannibalism occurs if there's too many young Wraiths.

Arctic Splithead - very much like manta ray, this large chiton descendant is a filter feeder, living in colder waters hunting krill-like pelagic annelids. Very playful and fairly intelligent, Splithead lives in large ponds, that rarely split up. It's name comes up from it's eyes located on the top of gathering appendages, that may look like head. Splitheads are one of the largest pelagic chiton families, with members around all oceans. All of Splitheads are filter feeders, however their young often preys on fish. Remnants of Splithead's shell form a line of small plates on it's back.

Common Scammonite - regular derived scaphopod, nothing much on it. Grows up to 6 centimeters long, lives in large schools, much like fish. Feeds on small planktonic animals, while being prey for various sea predators. Threatened Scammonite hides by closing it's shell with muscular foot, working like nautilus' hood. Same defensive technique is used by Pickelhaubes and young Mesmerizers, and it's fairly common among all Scaphonites (pelagic scaphopods).