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It's interesting to note established populations of Carnosprawl and Fuzzweed on Fermi. One can split up the history of Fermi into "pre-Seashrog" and "post-Seashrog", as well as other historical markers, such as "pre-Bonegrove" and "post-Bonegrove".

By Beta standards, I would ask you clarify how it keeps such dangerously high amounts of salt within its body as a de facto toxin. But this is Alpha, so the standards are looser.

I think the degree of looseness between the two should be restricted mainly to speed and probability of evolution, not necessarily to how something functions.

I have to agree with Coolsteph here. This timeline exists in a world where backwards time travel is possible and species can transcend into a higher, spiritual plane of existence. However, I have a backup plan, in which the Coastal Nectarworm will convert some of the extra NaCl into HCl and NaOH. The acid and base will be released when their storage sacs are ruptured by the predator biting into the coastal nectarworm. However, I don't know how the acid and base will be kept inert when not in use. I don't know if using buffer solutions will work, because from what I remember, the conjugate acids and bases will be too weak to be converted back into their strong counterparts.

Perhaps I should use some corrosive weak acid/base combination, or just focus on just the acid or base.

Backwards time travel exists in Beta's timeline as well and transcendence doesn't happen in either.

Hm, odd. I thought I remembered seeing something about the nauceans transcending into a higher plane when I looked at their lore a while ago. Nonetheless, looks like you win this one, as usual. What do you think of my alternate defense proposal?

Maybe how about instead of salt pouches, it excretes excess salt in their urine, and as a defence mechanism they basically just relieves themselves.


...Do Nectarworms urinate?

Assuming Nectarworms urinate, them spraying salty urine as a defense mechanism seems perfectly plausible. Still, acid and bases combining when bitten also makes sense; I think there's at least one insect that does that. I think I may have read about such an insect in the book Secret Weapons: Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-legged Creatures.

This post has been edited by Coolsteph: Dec 9 2020, 02:55 PM

If there are already bugs that store acids and bases in their bodies, then is it safe for the coastal nectarworms to use it? I'm not quite sure how they'd keep a strong acid/base solution safely contained within their bodies. I would say a buffer solution would make it work, but the conjugate acids and bases produced by the buffer reaction will be too weak to revert back to their original strong acid/base state. Unless, of course, everything I learned in my chemistry class was wrong, and the chlorine and sodium ions can be re-united with hydronium and hydroxide to create HCl and NaOH. If this is possible, then I'd assume that if the nectarworm is faced with a threat that is considered to be life-threatening, it'd activate a response in its sacs that'd transform the ions into acids and bases.

To be honest, I think the acid/base defense is a lot cooler than the salt defense.

QUOTE (Bufforpington @ Dec 10 2020, 12:50 AM)

If there are already bugs that store acids and bases in their bodies, then is it safe for the coastal nectarworms to use it? I'm not quite sure how they'd keep a strong acid/base solution safely contained within their bodies. I would say a buffer solution would make it work, but the conjugate acids and bases produced by the buffer reaction will be too weak to revert back to their original strong acid/base state. Unless, of course, everything I learned in my chemistry class was wrong, and the chlorine and sodium ions can be re-united with hydronium and hydroxide to create HCl and NaOH. If this is possible, then I'd assume that if the nectarworm is faced with a threat that is considered to be life-threatening, it'd activate a response in its sacs that'd transform the ions into acids and bases. To be honest, I think the acid/base defense is a lot cooler than the salt defense.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_beetle

I should've known the bombardier beetle used acids and bases. Though, by the looks of things, the combination the beetle uses is a weak acid/base combination. That won't work with the Coastal Necatarworm, which uses a strong acid/base combination. I suppose I could switch to a weak acid/base combination, but what weak sodium and chloride acids and bases are strong enough to cause a predator immense discomfort?