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Wrigglers (Opticrogia spp.)
Creator: Oceansky
Ancestor: Common Wriggler
Habitat: World Ocean (Sunlight, Twilight, and Midnight zones), Somarino Sea Cave, Ferret Cave
Size: 1.5-4 cm long (adults), 1-5 mm long (larvae)
Support: Exoskeleton (Chitin)
Diet: Detritivore, Scavenger, Planktivore (0.65-3< mm, performed by larvae)
Respiration: Passive (Retractable External Gills, Skin as Larvae)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphroditic, Eggs)

Diverging from the Common Wriggler's only descendant up to this point, the Wrigglebob, Wrigglers have adopted a very different lifestyle. Instead of larvae being free-swimming with adults generally being benthic, adults are pelagic with benthic larvae. While larvae remain similar to their ancestor's adults in how they have tough armor and no pigmentation, adults are the exact opposite. They have a soft, flexible exoskeleton, the only hard bits being the spikes and other protrusions from their armor, and species come in a variety of different color morphs. There are over 60 different species across the oceans of Sagan IV, some of which can even be found in caves.

Wrigglers move by "slithering" in the water, the exact way depending on the species. All have anguilliform movement, but some move vertically, while others move horizontally. They use their eight parapodia, now enlarged and flattened, to easily move through the water, and can be surprisingly fast and maneuverable. However, swimming quickly for too long can be taxing on a Wriggler, so they don't do this unless they are disturbed. Part of their maneuverability comes from how the majority of their armor is flush with their skin and about as thick as well. Their gill supports, spikes, and other bits are the only areas that remain their hardness, and can protect them from smaller predators to an extent. Their gills are far shorter than their ancestor's to reduce drag, and are extended very often. They are only etracted in areas they cannot breathe in or detect high toxicity. Wrigglers have an extra segment at the end of their body, being an extension of their tail, which gives it more mobility. While short, this segment is a kind of defense mechanism, since it can easily detach and regrow if it is caught on something.

Adult Wrigglers have adapted photoreceptive patches on both the top and bottom of their head, which are primarily used to detect light for orienting themselves. They can also vaguely make out things blocking light, however they aren't very good at this. In combination with their eyes, their statocysts are more derived and located near the base of their gills to help with their sense of up and down. They rely mainly on other senses to find food and evade predators. Their gills are sensible to vibrations in the water, their nostrils are very good at catching specific chemicals in the water, and they have a pair of lines going down their back, which are most visible on their armor, which can detect electrical currents. This is primarily used to directly sense their environment, and whether a predator or potential mate is in the area. Wrigglers posses twelve jaws arranged radially around their mouth, which are used to chew food, however unlike their ancestor, they retain the ability to secrete a mucus membrane into adulthood. They use this to slurp up food they can't with their jaws.

Larvae are born in clutches of 1000+ eggs buried in the sediment, where they live their lives until they develop into their adult stage. Larvae are far more visually distinct than adults, and can be used to easily tell species apart. While some are long and thin similar to adults, some have bizarre proportions. For instance, the front of their body being in thicker than the rest, their head being disproportionately small on a rotund body, or simply having most of its body length be the head. Larvae burrow through the sediment, using their small yet muscular parapodia to pull themselves forwards while grains of sand go around their head. They are unable to swim, since their parapodia are not adapted to such, and despite their tiny bodies,often sink due to the thickness and stiffness of their armor. Like their ancestor, they secrete a mucus mesh to catch food as they burrow, and will suck it in to feed, spitting out any grains stuck in it. They may often catch larger species such as Ferrochains in this mucus, so they will instead begin chewing on them with their underdeveloped mouthparts to make it easier to swallow. Ferrochains are an especially common thing this happens with, since both are about as common as the other, and Ferrochains also provide a lot of nutrients for growing Wrigglers.

Do the thread titles need the b21 in them?

I'm just curious because there's several that are not by multiple people

This post has been edited by colddigger: May 8 2023, 08:51 PM

I don't think you need it in the thread name, I've never put it in any of my submissions.

Yes you do actually. We can't sort through old submissions for problems or distinguish them from other things on sight otherwise.

Oh, I don't think I've ever read or been told this before. I'll try to remember this when I submit anything in the future.

I've gone through each of my submissions with Desktop View and added B21 at the end of them.