Clingerpede

Clingerpede (Protoremus clingus)

Creator: MNIDJM Ancestor: Walkerpede Habitat: Darth Lava Tube Caves, Darwin Water Table Size: 60 cm Long Diet: Herbivore (Cavedron, Cave Rustmold) Reproduction: Asexual, Spores

The clingerpede split from it's ancestor and followed the cavedrons in to the cave. Their claws and feet have adapted to allow them to climb the walls of the caves, making it easier to get the cavedron growing on the walls and ceiling. Their more elongated, allowing them to fit into crevices in the rock that the cavedrons tend to grow in. They now ingest the whole cavedron along with part of the cave rustmolds that support them. They can no longer digest the bulbs of the cavedrons, expelling them in their waste. They can also be found in the Darwin Water Tables near the caves, thanks to the drooling wall, clinging to the ceiling above the water.

They lay their spores in crevices they create with their beaks, then seal them with their waste containing the cavedron bulbs. When the young hatch three weeks later, they have a ready supply of food to survive, but only about one to three will reach adulthood, because that's how many the waste seals can support, so the first ones to hatch kill their unhatched sibling, insuring only the strongest offspring survive.