Helmcrawler
Taxonomy
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Ancestors and Descendants
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Creator: Bufforpington
Habitat: North Datura Temperate Coast, Datura Tropical Sea, South Datura Temperate Coast
Size: 4 cm Long
Diet: Filter-Feeder, Detritivore
Reproduction: Sexual, Eggs laid on Wavebreakers
After the end-prevailnoffian mass extinction decimated the seas, most filter feeders were wiped out. The False Clam quickly jumped on the opportunity and began to diversify. Losing its lower shell and hypertrophying its upper shell, the Helmcrawler has become a mobile filter-feeder that ventures beyond the shallows and tide pools of its ancestor. It now feeds on both microorganisms and tiny bits of detritus drifting in the water. Its now exposed underbelly now sports eight, stubby legs that it uses to awkwardly crawl across the seafloor. They have few predators- aside from the occasional young Nautoreap. Thus, they could afford to lose their lower shell. However, because of these attacks, the Helmcrawler's upper shell is now hypertrophied and covers much of its body. In addition to this, the shell's grey color gives it a superficial resemblance to a rock, which can deter less intelligent predators. A mutation caused the Helmcrawler to regain the dark blue coloration of their distant ancestor- the Gloomworm. However, a reasonable number of specimens that possess their ancestor's tan coloration exist as well. Many speculate that as small predators begin to proliferate in the coast, this blue variant may eventually go extinct or become very rare due to them standing out against the sand. during the spring, Helmcrawlers will travel to shallower waters to lay their eggs en masse. They stick these eggs to the stems of Wavebreakers. Because the water they mate in is too shallow for any predator to penetrate, their eggs go undisturbed. The only threat to their tiny young is their ancestor- the false clam, which may accidentally suck them up while filter-feeding.