Maurworm
| Maurworm | ||
|---|---|---|
| (Caustisputator toxidermis) | ||
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| 22/140, Habitat Loss (Snowball) | ||
| Information | ||
| Creator | Neoskel Other | |
| Week/Generation | 17/116 | |
| Habitat | Ichthy Swamp | |
| Size | 15 cm Long | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Unknown | |
| Diet | Insectivore (Twelve-Winged Worm, Clickworm) | |
| Respiration | Passive (Transcutaneous) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual, two sexes, froglike eggs under dirt | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Subphylum Clade Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Binucleozoa Symbiovermes (info) Pterigiophora (info) Eupterigiophora Argyroscolecia Caustisputatoriformes Caustisputatoridae Caustisputator Caustisputator toxidermis | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
|---|---|
The maurworm evolved from and replaced the relatively ancient spraying silverling. The poison that had developed in the spraying silverling to kill twelve-winged worms has become very strong and is now used as a deterrent to predators. The maurworm produces the poison and stores it directly under its skin. If the maurworm is attacked by a predator, it releases the poison from pores in it's skin. It has developed bright coloration and vivid patterns to warn off would-be predators from the highly poisonous worm. No two maurworms have the same pattern. Its fins have become longer and more gaudy to better attract mates to take full advantage of the lack of attention from predators.
The maurworm no longer uses the poison to spray airborne prey as it must conserve the energy required to make the potent poison. To compensate for the lack of poisonous punch to their spraying, the maurworm has reverted to spraying single powerful jets of water to knock prey into the water. It does this with a newly modified beak which has a spout where the water is forced through which allows them to shoot water while staying mostly horizontal. It also has better eyes than its ancestor which make it a very accurate shot. It can knock twelve-winged worms into the water with it's water jets where it quickly snaps them up. It also hunts clickworms by hitting near them with a jet of water, startling the worm and causing it to 'click' and spring into the water.
The maurworm also uses the water spout in it's breathing. It has developed gills inside the beak which strain out oxygen from the water, especially when it pushes water through and out the spout to shoot down prey. The maurworm now reproduces less rapidly due to the energy required to make poison and it now lays froglike eggs which it buries under the mud in the swamp.