Perchlator

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Perchlator
(Halitusulphur obficina)
Artwork of Perchlator
Species is extinct.
24/154, Integrated into Percolators
Creator Coolsteph Other
Taxonomy
Domain
Kingdom
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Eukaryota
Caudazoa
Beadlinia
Beadlinales
Percolaceae
Halitusulphur
Halitusulphur obficina
Week/Generation 24/153
Habitat Otter Vents
Size Microscopic
Primary Mobility Unknown
Support Unknown
Diet Chemosynthesis (Chlorate and Perchlorate)
Respiration Passive Diffusion
Thermoregulation Ectotherm
Reproduction Binary Fission


The perchlator digests naturally-occurring chlorate and perchlorate using sulfur compounds, which occur in abundance in the Otter Vents. The exact process is complicated, with several steps involving enzymes and oxidation, but the end result is that it acquires energy and excretes waste through a vent at its top. The waste consists of extracted sulfur compounds it was not able to fully break down into useful chemicals, hence the yellow color.

It prefers chlorate over perchlorate. Its ideal environment is totally without oxygen, but it can survive in a very-low-oxygen environment. When it's in an environment with too much oxygen or heat, it "runs away" with its cilia. In the very-low-oxygen environments, it faces two threats: freak oxygen increases and the more obvious threat of the chunky zoister, which feeds on perchlators. In their ideal environments, perchlators reproduce frequently. The cleft begins at the top. After that, the vent splits. Finally, the daughter cell breaks away. Due to this (as well as their inability to regulate population density), oxygen-less micro-environments abound with perchlators.

The various perchlator strains vary in the specifics of their "digestive" processes, number of organelles, frequency of division, cystoskeletal structure, and tolerance of oxygen.

Notes: Perchlorate is most famous as an ingredient in rocket fuel.

Living Relatives (click to show/hide)

These are randomly selected, and organized from lowest to highest shared taxon. (This may correspond to similarity more than actual relation)

None found. Note that this does not necessarily mean it has no living relatives at all, but that, assuming all taxonomy is filled in, its entire phylum is extinct; any relatives it does have likely do not resemble it.