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Shallowkitten (Lutocatulus planacaudus)
Creator: Disgustedorite
Ancestor: Mudkitten
Habitat: (SELECT: Tropical and Subtropical Shallows, Estuaries, Open Ocean)
Size: 50 cm long
Support:
Diet: Omnivore ()
Respiration: Active (Unidirectional Lungs)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Male and Female, Eggs in Water)

The Shallowkitten split from its ancestor and moved into the shallows. It has become increasingly aquatic. Though it would be easy to assume on initial appearances that its evolution completely ignored the nitrogen crash, this is false; rather, becoming increasingly aquatic has allowed it to reduce its nitrogen usage by making a thick exoskeleton less and less necessary. Though terrestrial arthrotheres were prevented from doing this by the need for support and protection, the Shallowkitten only needs to support its weight when it moves on the seafloor or crawls onto land, and its endoskeleton is sufficient for this purpose anyway. Also, shedding the exoskeleton regularly meant a regular loss of valuable nutrients. Thus, the shallowkitten’s exoskeleton has become thinner by losing most of the thick dead outer layer in favor of only the walled bed cells, which in turn means it takes a lot less resources to grow and maintain. This gives its body a rubbery texture. The thinner exoskeleton also allows it to be bendier, which in turn allows the Shallowkitten’s superficially eel-like tail to work effectively. Related to its aquatic lifestyle, the Shallowkitten has smaller, more sprawled legs than its ancestor.

The Shallowkitten has switched entirely to egg-laying. Its eggs are more tolerant of salt than before, though they cannot be laid in the ocean itself. It travels to brackish estuaries to lay its eggs. Its gonopodium is unfused, once again resembling the “sideways beak” reproductive organ of its distant ancestors. Unfusing it improves its ability to mate and lay eggs safely with its thinner exoskeleton, which is more easily damaged. This influences its mating method; the female’s will clasp over the male’s when they mate.

(more to be added)

Chubby, I like their roundness. Looking forward to seeing this WIP progress

“Lutocatulus” is inexplicably funny to me